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☀ THE DEVOURER CYCLE — Act I ☀

^{Dark Fantasy ☀ Low Fantasy ☀ Military ☀ History ☀ Drama}

Discord

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^{Click here to read the Interest Check (including an IC preview!).}

_Šulmu!

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Welcome to "How Far the Spearsong," the first story in The Devourer Cycle. Proceed and you will enter a world of bronze and gold; of love and betrayal; of dreams, paid for in blood.

Though wide and wondrous be the Known World, this time you play a little people, tucked away in one of its more obscure corners: the Angaturiz, the "sons of the clay," so named for the earth which nourishes their way of life. Of it you craft your houses, your idols, your art. Your ancestors are there, in that sullen soil, with the gods and the spirits who they worshiped for centuries, and who you worship still. Your halls are humble but warm. Your wars are short and small but hideously fierce. Even the tiniest "civilized" empires hasten to call you barbarians, though in the same breath they buy your iron, your strange foods, your pottery, the slaves of your enemies.

Except some are no longer content with buying. Nhir, a city far to the south, has mobilized its fading Empire, thinking your Thraxian Mountains, your tribes, the perfect stone on which to whet its troops, to restore the glamor and glory of reigns past. These royals seem to have tired of giving their silver to savages for goods they already deserve simply for being Nhirians. The Mountains have saved you once before, trapping their armies in with snowfall and rockslides, concealing you from their hateful gaze. But the Nhirians field the most terrifying soldiers in the world; not because of their thick iron hides, or the disciplined rows in which they march, but because when someone has injured their king's pride they return the blow with thrice the fury, and they fight again, they fight until they have extinguished the victory and humiliated the "victors" beyond recovery. Their numbers never end; their resolve never breaks. Or these have never been seen. So does only a slow, agonizing, inevitable doom await the Angaturiz?

Not all have lost hope; not yet. While the eastern tribes lick their wounds, and make their choice—the same choice as faced by every other enemy to the Nhirians—kneel, work, or die—the western tribes, and those already preparing for war from the perilous mountain passes, have all heard the same strange gossip. It tells of a truce between enemies. In pockets all throughout Thraxia the sons of dead men have forgiven their fathers' killers; countless feuds have ended upon a menhir and a wax tablet, instead of a battlefield. Far and wide the tribes have sheathed their weapons, listened to old grudges long and late into the night, packed their mules, and pilgrimmed together to the same place. Skeldefjarn. It is not certain how this was decided as the gathering-place for the first ever Great-Council of Thraxia. It is little more than a field, a menhir on a hill. The villages at its foot are ramshackle, and belong to many tribes of many allegiances, for the land is well-disputed; far from the frontlines, but days away from a defended settlement, too. But perhaps that is precisely why. They will not think to look here. If they do, they will have to fight, or sneak, over hundreds of miles to reach it. For the Thraxians are not theirs yet.

Chieftains, heroes, and petty kings have answered the call, bringing only the finest members of their retinues as accompaniment. Their goal: to put aside their differences, unite under one command, and strike back with such ferocity to ensure that the second assault is the last. But not all differences will be put aside so easily; dozens of cultures and philosophies will clash at this meeting. Not every candidate for high warlord will be content to let another steal his glory. Moreover, the Nhirian Empire is sure to have more up its sleeves than just its hitherto-invincible army.

Can the quarrelsome Angaturiz clans really come together to preserve their freedom, and their way of life, while the age of empires dawns around them? What comes after—if an after awaits them?

This and more, dear players, we will discover together; for even I do not know under whom you will rally your warcry. About whom the bards will write their songs. Which of you will become heroes, even kings and emperors. How your decisions and your actions will irreversibly reroute the flow of this world's legends and history—for good or ill.

What I do know is that this game aims to please the people who like their gritty HBO shows, their three-in-the-morning Wiki-binges also. It is Fantasy, but inspired by history—ancient history in particular—anywhere from ≈800BC to ≈100AD, if you need specifics—and will capture the appropriate moods to the best of its abilities. People's livelihoods here, to quote Hobbes, are "nasty, brutish, and short," whether owing to monsters and forces of fantastical design, or of a more familiar, human aspect. The world is not balanced, fair, or morally pure; the strongest nations and warlords may prove the most depraved, and will not coddle you simply for having posted a sheet in the Characters tab. This is not the game for a team of snarky superheroes saving the day in style. Some of you will perish, some not even gloriously, nor with any dignity or good reason. But if you do survive, and you have both a vision and the will to see it done, then your deeds may just become permanent fixtures of the Devourer lore and world. If this game sees success then there will be sequels, and future players will hear of your exploits, be they wondrous or wicked; just as NPC's, in this and future games, will tell them to their children after dark, and sing of them by the fire. This is your opportunity to roleplay in a truly immersive style; where the setting reacts dynamically to your existence within it. You are a Great Man and the world awaits your orders.

This game will feature several mechanical novelties, unique among RPGuild roleplays. Chiefly these are:

• This game will feature no, or minimal, Greco-Roman influences.

Remember when I said this Fantasy game is heavily history-inspired? Specifically I meant the late-Bronze Age, early-Iron Age societies which often go overlooked in Ancient-tagged RP games. In the case of Devourer this includes (and is not limited to) Scythians and Huns, Parthians and Persians, Franks, Suebi (and other Germanic/Scandinavian proto-peoples), Egyptians, Africans, and even a few New World influences.

Naturally these are not 1:1 translations, as I have brought my own creativity into making these historical peoples fit into a true Fantasy setting (albeit one which feels very much like their own world may have felt). But what this means is simple: when designing your character, and (if it suits you) when giving him a unique and engaging society somewhere on the map, not permitted are any phalanxes, togas, Triumphs, Corinthian helmets and cuirasses, legionary cohorts, etc. Enough of this exists in other games and frankly I find them quite tiring by now. I think you will agree when you have had a taste of what else this blood-and-sand setting can offer.

• Magic and monsters work differently here.

Any and all supernatural forces within the Devourer canon are designed, like so many other elements, to reflect the beliefs and understandings of the distant past. This begins and ends with the keystone of ancient society: religion. I will not tell you which gods are real and which are not because no such answer awaits you. Every god exists as long as enough men continue to believe in him. And he is the fount from which all their powers flow.

Only a god can bestow magical favors, and first you must ingratiate yourself to him. Some methods of earning this favor will be more effective than others, depending on his disposition and his place in the pantheon. Conversion of unbelievers and heretics is a surer method than most. Many gods like conquest as it brings glory and recognition to their names while it is done in their honor. Sacrifices, offerings, and rituals, meanwhile, depend on the frequency with which they are given, and also the quality, which means their worth to the practitioner. Burning your enemies' children will not bring you much favor, as they are a sanctimonious gesture; they mean little to you. Meanwhile the man who can burn large stores of food, his finest weapons and horses, even his own family, can bring in far greater boons.

No one knows whether a sacrifice has worked until the crucial moment arrives: the rains which will save your harvests from drought, a decisive victory in the crucial battle, a great misfortune befalling your greatest foe. Because the gods are fickle and because men often misjudge the sacrifices necessary to receive a gift of true salvation. Thus, these important and costly decisions are left almost entirely to the men who are sure to have the gods' undivided attention: priests, kings, prophets. They who can gather flocks a hundred-thousand strong, who speak and are heard by millions, who make men obey and believe, are the most blessed of all, when their works are good. And they alone can guarantee magical favors, if they assume the right costs ...

Magic is a subtle thing here. You cannot see it (no fireballs, glowing sigils, flaming swords, Force Lightning, etc.). But you can feel it. It's in the air when your emperor delivers a rousing speech. It buzzes on the breeze while arrows and javelins fly. It brings the storms, floods, and plagues which can save a nation or ruin it. It is not "power" in the traditional sense, but a force of nature, like luck, or fate, which in effect can be bribed.

• Collaboration (including joining the Discord channel) is not optional. The game's social system depends on it.

Roleplaying to our greatest potential is a tricky business because it's all too easy to approach the narrative from an emotionally detached perspective; a min-maxing, self-serving sort of angle. "Well, if the tribes need to unite to beat the empire, then let's unite." We will "win" the game then but we will have done so without drama, the essential ingredient to an excellent story. And to join this game is to join me in the ranks of those who want to tell excellent stories. We are not mere hobbyists or colleagues here, but co-authors, all contributing to make the narrative great for everyone involved.

One solution I've devised begins in post-signup. Once everyone has been accepted, each player will be assigned to at least two reputations/relationships with his fellow players: one positive (meaning you like this character), one negative (meaning you dislike him), alluding to histories your characters share from past encounters. (Remember, the tribes are not used to getting along.) Why you like or dislike someone is entirely up to the collaboration between you and your "partner": maybe he killed your brother. Maybe he fled from a battle, causing your side to fall in defeat. Maybe you and he just fundamentally disagree on something. Maybe he just feels wrong from the moment you meet him. Whatever the case, your character enters the great-council with a certain history, and certain prejudices.

Some of these relationships will be mutual. Some won't. Some will cross national or tribal lines while others will betray the trust of those nearest you. The GM will decide according to what seems like it will result in the juiciest drama.

(Please note: these social assignments DO NOT predetermine how your relationships will unfold over the course of the story; merely how they begin! Only you can decide whether your rivals and enemies have succeeded in winning back your trust, and whether your "friends" still deserve your respect and obedience after what they have done over the course of the story.)

If you were not assigned to a certain player then you have never met him before, and your relationship with him is thus a blank slate. Or, alternatively, you can collaborate with him as well, to further complexify your characters' histories. But any relations which the GM does not assign are completely optional.

Please remember the rules and etiquettes for metagaming. Players are not welcome here who will let IC enmities influence their opinions of their fellow players.

• All characters will be leadership material, but not all will be leaders.

Furthermore, I am maintaining a certain ratio of characters over the course of this game.

All the important voices at the great-council will come from leaders: chiefs, priests, and petty-kings predominantly. But to ensure that every voice carries a certain degree of rapport, and that player interests will clash in a more satisfying way, at least two retainers will be assigned to each chief. Thus for every PC who is a ruler, two more will be trusted followers, including commanders, confidants, advisors, bodyguards, etc. So for a cast of twelve players I will allow up to four chieftains, for example.

You can collaborate and agree on who gets to be a chief, or the GM can assign you to certain spots as they are needed. Accordingly you should design your character sheets with some degree of fluidity; you are important to your tribe, no doubt, but not necessarily its primary leader. If you are unsure of where you want to be placed, or where you will be needed, then your app can be accepted with this section left blank.

You need not necessarily be from the same tribe as your chief/retainers (foreign sellswords, for example, can be accepted, as long as their chieftains' players have written in good reasons for trusting them). You need not stay in their employ over the course of the story, either. But you will begin the game as a solid, relatively unified micro-faction, and whether you rise to the top together, or kneel to another, or fracture and fall, will be up to the three of you as a team. Help your leader rise to greatness; overthrow him and replace him yourself; or sell your tribe to another. The choice is yours.

• Want to get another player "out of the picture"? Here's how.

I've seen enough IC rivalries, wars, and betrayals to know that there are few things in RP more satisfying than a well-timed and genuinely shocking death. I also know nothing has caused more frustration or longer OOC shouting-matches. People grow fond of their characters and will not put them down (a sort of betrayal in itself, if the feelings it elicits are to be believed) without a fight. As such conflicts will be inevitable in this game, the process has been heavily modified both to minimize OOC drama and to make inter-tribal violence a source of mystery and dramatic tension all its own.

To summarize, the player who wishes to organize another character's death will first contact the GM via PM to request a logistical report, containing many factors which will help to plan the assassination. These may include weather and lighting, security, suspicions, routines, etc. When the GM has acknowledged this request the player will then fill out a short application and send it, again, anonymously, to the GM, who will decide whether the attack succeeded or failed based on a number of factors. The app can be perused here:

[+]

• Contractor: (On whose behalf has this assassination been organized? Who wants someone dead?)
• Operative: (If a different person) (Who will actually be carrying out the assassination?)
• Primary Murder Weapon:
• Misc. Weapons, Tools, & Equipment: (Including any camouflage/disguises)
• Plan Outline: (Roughly describe the sequence of events as it has been planned between the assassin and his master IC. When and where will it happen? Any variables that have been accounted for? Is evidence being hidden, or a drop weapon being planted? Do you have to slip past a guard patrol route or a locked door? The more thorough this section is, the likelier the plan is to succeed.)

At no point through this OOC process will anyone but the GM, the Contractor, and (if he is a different character) the Operative know that this process is underway, at least until the plan has come to full fruition, or someone has talked IC. In any case players are all but certain in any game to want to defend their characters from an untimely fate, sometimes justifiably, always passionately. These passions can easily result in the wrong types of conflict, the ones which make enemies out of players rather than characters, so this method of crowd control is designed to let a smart, thorough, well-executed plan culminate in its rightful results; and, by contrast, to let the right characters (the ones who were adequately prepared, paranoid, and/or lucky) survive to take their vengeance another day.

As for me, I obviously need to be trustworthy with these matters. The first step toward this end is removing any and all personal stakes from my own RP. As a result, although I will be playing a multitude of NPC's, no one character will become a designated DMPC. I will not participate in the politics of the game except as a diverse array of background voices, ones which will not overshadow player agency (unless to respond to overwhelmingly foolish choices). I do hold myself to the Advanced standard of writing, and have over half a decade of GMing experience under my belt. My longest and most successful project lasted three years on the RPing server of a popular MMO. But I am also pushing myself to become even better, so this will be my most ambitious project to date, and I will be accepting and actively seeking out your suggestions throughout: whether for writing, for planning/organizing, or even for a cool story beat you thought up for your character.

𒐼𒈬

Rules

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Rules & Etiquettes

Violations for which I can reject your character sheet

Rule #1: Read the Rules

^{You're one for one so far!}

Rule #2: On Images

Quite a prominent challenge in developing this game has been finding an abundance of decent images which fit both the time period I wish to emulate and a sufficient degree of the "realism" or practicality which I want from my world. The aesthetic is extremely important to the feel of this game, which while not an historical experience is all too much inspired by historical events, cultures, and people. Thus the suitability of an image is of tantamount importance to the overall quality of a character.

Below are the parameters on image use. If you do not wish to meet them, or cannot meet them with the images you like, you may use period art to cast rather an abstract bearing over your character; or you may use written descriptions as a substitute for image files entirely.

No Greek or Roman influences wheresoever possible. No Caesar, no Alexander, no Macedonian phalanxes, no Roman legions. You can go to any other "Ancient"-tagged game for your fill of this. The aim of this game is to emulate other cultural interactions of the period, the ones oft-overlooked. (Just about anything else is fair game from the late Bronze Age to very early AD.)

No blatantly stereotyped imagery. As this world is a proxy for the Mediterranean and the "Near East" this will mostly mean turbans, curved daggers, curly shoes, and that sort of thing. Think Aladdin. Now, by all means make your character a huge racist if you'd like, who spreads stories of such things about other cultures, but I don't want any stereotypes actually walking around the world, least of all any anachronistic ones.

Make sure the clothing and equipment look at least "plausible" as practical fashions if not outright historically accurate. I won't reject your image for minor anachronisms but these can easily go too far and become glaring, with an asymmetrical pauldron here, a scimitar there ...

No Marvel actors, catwalk supermodels, or sassy tumblr gifs as faceclaims. You know the look. They represent ridiculous ultra-manicured 21^st Century beauty standards which should be rare if not entirely impossible from such a setting as this. I aim to capture a diverse range of characters in all matters, including physical beauty, and nobody should be without his disease, his parasite, his wound or scar, his deformity, his imperfection. (Obviously few fantasy character portraits will actually reflect this, but the principle stands: a little ugliness goes a long way in making the cast feel more human and less silly power fantasy.) If you genuinely want to play a drop-dead gorgeous faceclaim then the onus is on you to create a character to match; they simply are not the default look in this world. That's all.

No anime or other extremely stylized cartoon art. Photography, historical art (including sculptures and busts), paintings, and "realistic" digital art are all accepted.

If in doubt feel free to send the image my way via PM so I can greenlight it.

Rule #3: Give Your Characters Flaws. Real Flaws.

"Your characters need both strengths and weaknesses to feel like fleshed out people." We've all heard some variation on this advice before, whether from a creative writing professor, a veteran Guild member, or our favorite authors' podcasts. What they don't always include is the necessary disclaimer: that these weaknesses be immediately pertinent to the action of the story.

So Susie is afraid of spiders, or deep water, or long falls. So what? How will she confront these fears over the course of the RP? How will they change her as she tries (and maybe fails) to confront them, to overcome them, to change and mature as a person who has just undergone a journey of self-discovery and growth? If the answers are "she won't" and "they don't" then you haven't actually written a flaw; you've written a bit of Jeopardy trivia.

Flaws are as necessary to your character's story as wheels to a car. The story is not worth telling if she's not a different person at the end as she was in the beginning; if she is mentally, emotionally, and circumstantially inert. This change needn't necessarily be clean, or good; she can fall into bad habits, she can make mistakes which can never be undone. She can regress. She can feel powerless against old habits and the echoes of the past. In short, her flaws can fucking hurt. And they should, whether she's fighting relentlessly to change her ways, or succumbing to their cheap and easy temptations.

For more on this principle please see "knife theory."

Rule #4: Miscellaneous

I'm holding you more or less to an Advanced standard of writing. Your posts may run shorter than is often expected there, particularly during dialogue-heavy scenes, but I can reject your application for distracting or detracting in terms of its elements of style or grammar. This is a subjective thing and I cannot fully rationalize what I want to see in an app, but I will be fairly forgiving as long as you poured a sincere and wholesale effort into the project.

I'm also holding you to a respectful level of historicity (or historical accuracy, if you so choose—feel free to ask if you're having trouble distinguishing the two) and to a tone befitting the setting, the "time period," and the narrative I wish to tell. I will reject any joke characters and any blatant, gratuitous anachronisms.

Violations for which I can ban you from this and future roleplays

Etiquette #1: The Usual

Mary Sue, Gary Stu, metagame, godmod, autohit, blah, blah. You know all this. No need to dwell.

Etiquette #2: On Consequences

I'm not a sadistic GM, nor a sadistic person. As a result, players' characters will not be killed without sufficient reason and sufficient foreshadowing.

Nonetheless, some of them will die. Because in Devourer you will reap what you sow, and sometimes what you sow will be an enemy, a grudge, a slight, a sin, a scarcity, a distrust, a feud. NPCs can betray you; your fellow players can attack you; but not without good cause, generally. (I don't like "crazy"/"insane" characters and never will, so you're safe from people killing you for no reason, but the occasional bad luck in life is wonderfully unavoidable and this may be reflected late into the game.)

This is where I suggest that you join this game only if you have thick enough skin to let your character be shafted sometimes, sometimes severely, particularly if he has brought it on himself. (Again, a stroke of very bad luck will be rare.) This is not the RP to join if you need good to always triumph over evil and your favorite characters to always make it to their happy ending. Good guys are going to clash with good guys here and not all of them will resolve their differences peaceably.

Etiquette #3: On Adult Content & the Delicacy of Its Handling

Thematically this game is a no-holds-barred exploration of humanity's best and worst. The shit which won't get me banned from the site and/or thrown in prison will be depicted rather explicitly; the illegal/ban-worthy shit (ie. rape, incest, pedophilia, and really anything overtly sexual), though not written in detail, can be mentioned in passing as happening somewhere off-screen. This is not to shock or needlessly challenge anyone but rather to enrich, and render even more accurately, the experience of living in a world torn asunder by war, fear, superstition, and casual inequality. I shouldn't need tell you, of course, that conquering armies raped their enemies' families, or that pederasty was a common thing in Greece, or that priestesses sacrificed their children to the gods.

Although this is not an "historical" game (in that it does not depict factual events) it does draw from historicity, and seeks thus to best simulate within this fictional setting the raw brutality often found in our own world's ancient history. This means political correctness, and 21^st Century ideologies altogether, will not be found here; not as author proselytizing, not as #woke NPC's.

This is your content warning as well: if explicit portrayals of slavery, sexism, racism, religious fanaticism, authoritarianism, warcrimes, and other sensitive topics might insult you then I would not recommend this game as an entertaining or educational experience.

Etiquette #4: On IC & OOC

Just because another character is attacking yours does not mean that the player controlling him is attacking you. He might hate your character, maybe he even has OOC motivations for leading the RP in a certain direction, but the conflict itself is no excuse to abruptly quit the game, to bitch people out, or otherwise to throw a tantrum.

Just as I need mature players in terms of handling sensitive adult themes, I also need players who can reflect on their own behavior and adapt it the delicate situations which have sabotaged so many roleplays before ours. That means taking the game in stride, realizing it's just a game, and not taking its events or outcomes personally. On the other hand it means not using your character(s) to punish other players for doing something you didn't like. It also means communicating if you do have a problem, or suspect that one is in the works; both with your GM (moi) and with your fellow players.

I expect that this didn't need saying as the cast has been pretty awesome so far but I do so as a precaution nonetheless. I don't want IC emotions bleeding into OOC and vice-versa.

Etiquette #5: On Leaving the Game

It happens. You can't stand your GM, or an argument with another player proved irreconcilable, or you couldn't handle the responsibilities as well as you thought, or other, more important obligations came up, or you simply haven't enjoyed the experience. I'm sorry to see you go. But whatever your reason, you should not simply dump the RP and wash your hands of it as quickly as possible. I have designed this simple opt-out process not only so you remain in the good graces of the players and yours truly, but also so the story itself does not suffer. You leaving means your characters are up in the air, and the arcs connecting them to the other characters are compromised. So giving the GM enough time to write them out in a satisfying way (whether that means death or miscellaneous) is crucial to the success of the RP.

Simply send the GM, that is me, or the Co-GM (TBD), a PM detailing your reasons for wanting to leave the game. We will accept your request and either give your characters to willing players, or, if no one wants to continue their story, think of how best to write them out. You do this privately so the other players do not know that you are exiting the story until it has already happened. Suspense and tension are maintained. Everyone is happier: you, me, and the rest of the cast.

Showing courtesy for your fellow players and consideration for their time and energy is both an easy and effective way of ensuring that the game feels accepting, pleasant, and respectful for everyone involved. I look forward to working with you.

With all these warnings and protocols behind us, I can finally say, quite simply, that I hope you look forward to joining and engaging with the Devourer canon as much as I enjoyed writing it. And I look forward to writing with you, too.

Avengers Roleplay - Canon-ISH

I have died, the end.

EDIT: Not sure who posted this but I'll be more careful about logging out of my account from public computers in the future. Sorry to bother y'all.

"DEVOURER": Bronze, Blood, Betrayal

You seem like a GM who is competent as fuck. I'm so in

@Inuyasha

Honored to disappoint, sirrah.

"DEVOURER": Bronze, Blood, Betrayal

First of all, @One Who Tames, welcome to the Guild! I'm honored that mine would be among the first threads to pique your interest. And it's a great time to be testing the waters; fortune favors the prepared.

(And sorry that the italics didn't work for you. I decided that I needed more than a cool image of an Achaemenid bas-relief to signify that I was switching from an IC epistolary to an OOC summary of events, so I styled it like a flashback of sorts.)

@Lady Selune I look forward to reading it over lunch. I trust there won't be any problems what with the great brainstorming that has gone on already, but if there are then you'll receive my thoughts via PM.

What is your Favorite Anime/Manga?

Manga is easy: Vinland Saga. It's got the coolest character development ever, a sprawling and Epic setting which still manages to tell an intimate story, moments of lighthearted brevity to take pause between brutal, violent hellscapes ... and Vikings are cool. Though this may change if Vagabond is as good as everyone says.

Anime is harder because there's always one that does a certain something better than the others. Youjo Senki takes an absolutely retarded premise and elevates it to art via the directing and writing and visual style. Kaiji is a master of suspense, and its makes all these swindlers and frauds as ugly on the outside as they are deep in their hearts. (Ain't never seen something like this from any other show, where the art is a storyteller in itself. It's fucking genius.) Legend of the Galactic Heroes is the definitive space-opera, I'd argue across all genres and media, landing huge emotional moments despite the corny Eighties animation and the wooden voice acting.

Hunter x Hunter's Chimera Ant Arc is a masterwork in theatrical Tragedy; Samurai Champloo in the ending that leaves you with that perfect bittersweet feeling, where you're happy that they got their happy ending, but a little disgusted with yourself for wishing there was more, cuz you want to throw them into more hardship and heartbreak just so you can go on another adventure with them.

Polnareff and Kakyoin and Iggy are the bros to end all bros. Better than Speedwagon and Stroheim. (Fite me.) The end of Stardust Crusaders is another one that broke my heart bad, and that does a meme show a lot of favors.

I dunno, I could keep going. Gushing about good stories for once instead of always bitching out the shitty ones is rather nice. my 3x3 btw

"DEVOURER": Bronze, Blood, Betrayal

For your perusal: an example character sheet. Please use this to model your own, maybe even to inspire it.

Bump!

Swidda Shadehand

Most men are old when they become a burden unto others. Swidda was still young. Most, when they are not maimed in battle, are taken with disease and feebleness in their waning years. Swidda lost his body to the mountains, to the elements; really, to the land itself and the gods which govern it. He carried a square shield on his back and an axe and a sword on his waist. His body was strong and beautiful under its warpaint. He did as all hale-bodied youths aspire which is to join a war party, winning wealth and territory for his struggling community. So, equipped with good bronze, trained and led by a very decent captain, they took to the Thraxians, the rival tribes there, in search of their wants. Salt came first, as winter was nigh and there would be nothing to forage until the evergreens beared fruits again, but mead, iron, tools, anything the southern empires would buy the warband could bear to haul back over the peaks. Only they found no liquor, or tools, or metals precious and otherwise. And winter had come early, from the north, as a sort of short-lived raiding party much like their own. First they saw it through the boughs, a bubbling black ambush sliding down the sky like pitch. They smelled its stinging sweetness; it prickled their necks. Before long they were buried, huddling around a tiny fire they couldn't keep lit, burning their oily meat rations when there was no more dry wood left to scrounge. Swidda never saw an enemy, never mind slayed one. He also never saw some of those men again; they did not walk out of the blizzard with the rest, anyway. But they must have survived if he could, even as his toes went black, his fingers next; even as the snow sucked the vigor from his body and a dreadful peace swept over his soul. What had he done to deserve this abject end? He had a good idea, until he made it through the white hell, until he felt warmth and light again and needed only sacrifice a few digits for the privilege. It was less obvious then. Today, in the better wisdoms of his seasoned years, his experience in the mountains feels far less like punishment than it once did. He was robbed of his most conspicuous blessings, certainly, but has uncovered others since. He cannot help but feel these days that that storm saved him, in its way; it stole the swiftness in his stride, and the hardiness of his hands, and even the tips of his ears and nose, but in some useless skirmish or other he would surely have lost his mind, too, and his mind has proven a far sharper gift than any limb. On the wrong side of the mountains, taken unto another tribe's land, unable to fight or to forage, unable even to rise from his bedding once he was placed there, Swidda had only books and stories for company through his many, many moons of healing still to come. And the books he could not even read. But time was on his side, and the sages of this village had taken to their precocious guest, who the mountains had changed. While he recovered he was able to learn the dialect as it is scratched into stones, scribbled onto slabs of wax and clay. He could never swing a sword again, he could barely pick up a stylus with the fingers he had left, but the more wisened tribesmen must have seen in him that same art which was once buried under his muscles and weapons; unless they simply pitied him. Whatever the case, when Swidda's body returned from the Thraxians he was sure that it had shed its fierceness like a snake its old skin. All notions of cruelty and violence had gone out of his life, and the sages had to have seen a potential in him for healing the world, for teaching it, for bettering its understanding of itself. Alas that they were wrong, in the very end; war returns to the hills, and before very long all men begin to obsess over it. Swidda had returned to his first people, the one which sired him, a few years after this experience, when he was strong enough again to make the journey back through the daggered hills. They were pleased to see him again, and pleased moreover that the loss of his strength had not ruined his spirit as well. For generations Swidda served this community of old and continued his learning under their own seers and scholars and poets. He expected to die here as he had lived in youth. But he remembered well his debt to the ones who had saved him, too, and planned to return there someday already. Until the Nhirians came he was even slated to become a druid. But the men who would have elected him are gone now. Only a few have scattered into the Thraxians who may still remember their names, who honor their sacrifices, including a certain gentle sage. He has returned, if under mournful circumstances, to aid the Eioni, intent on compensating the ones who nursed him back to life all those decades ago; to help them find peace, if peace is possible, and avert them of the fate which befell his first people. The sons rule now where once the father reigned; Gederhyn is chief, and he pays well, in companionship and beer, for the stories Swidda can tell of his forebear's courage and kindness. The two have become dear friends. Young tribesmen cannot remember Swidda's first visit to this place, but he can never forget. This time he won't run away; if there is even anywhere left to run by the time the Eioni have fallen. The same scourge comes to annihilate them which has already annihilated Swidda's own people, made servants and corpses of them far to the east of the venerable mountains. Can he survive this war without losing all that he holds dear a second time? What else will he have to sacrifice to finally know a true and lasting peace?	Tall and supple stands this sage of the Eioni peoples, like wheat bowing to the wind. Gaunt of countenance and humorless of demeanor is he, barding himself of dark and rough-hewn robes. He wears no jewelry, and while speaking he hides his ruined fist behind his back or in the recesses of his sleeves, striking a scholarly pose but also hiding the mangled flesh from the vanities of others. Other parts of him are said to have been kissed by the same rot, although no witnesses—including his wives, goes the gossip—can claim to have seen it themselves. He does walk with a heavy limp, however. Unlike most Thraxians he keeps his whole face shaven. His straight steel mane he meticulously brushes for knots and lice. Age: 58 Skills & Talents: Swidda was a warrior in youth. Though he can no longer fight he remembers well the tactics and practices which kept his fighting-fellows alive. His advice in war goes unheard nowadays, or unspoken, but he could serve any chieftain well at the rear of a battle. Swidda is a practiced diplomat and negotiator. Swidda reads, although he cannot write; he recites well the memories of his peoples, although no songs will be written about his own life. He tends a garden. Small animals get nearer to him than most, sensing a gentleness in his weathered and weary spirit. Traits: Gentle; Nurturing; Thoughtful; Indecisive; Fearful; Tormented Allegiances: The Angaturiz peoples; The Eioni peoples; the Acani tribe; Gederhyn, its chief. Rank & Role: RETAINER. Swidda serves Chief Gederhyn of the Acani tribe as a scribe, an advisor, and a diplomat.

So here's a list of things your app should include:

• name
• sex/gender
• age
• ALLEGIANCE: include several strata of scope, such as: race, then ethnic sub-group (this will be on the map, and will represent broader strokes of territory comprising several clans, like "Cisalpine Gaul" on a Roman map), then specific tribe, then the PC or NPC who rules this tribe. * EDIT: These allegiances represent who you answer to and kneel to; NOT necessarily who you like, respect, and think deserves to rule! Think "actions" here rather than "feelings."
• A history/biography which keeps at least the last few years of the character's life more ambiguous in terms of names and relations. This part is gonna be filled in with other PC's once everyone's been accepted!
• Some single-word personality traits
• A list of pertinent skills and talents.

Seeking Literate and Dedicated Partners! [M]

How do you feel about bōsōzoku biker gangs terrorizing the streets of a cyberpunk city by night? Like Akira but not anime (per your preferences).

What do you look for when searching for an RP?

Here's my perspective as a player and a signer-up, in sequential order:

1) Originality. I will read literally anything that isn't the same five genres we see on the Guild every damn day, even if I feel assured that I won't like it. This isn't necessary for the game to be good but it's the first opportunity any writer has to hook people. And of course, if your game is more derivative then you're competing with the other hacks in your genre, some of whom may have done said genre more favors than you. So ... be original. Own a monopoly over something. I promise at least one person on this shitty site is gonna read it, possibly even give it a shot.

Originality can be something as simple as a badass title which sounds intriguing without telling me exactly what the RP is about. I'm not going to click on the fifty-third "Welcome to [So-and-So] Academy" or "The Knights of [Place]" this week, but I might just click on (credit to @The Harbinger of Ferocity) The Twenty-Fifth Hour. I have no fucking clue what this RP is about just from reading the title and that's a good thing. I have to click it to find out and a click can easily become another player signing up purely if the hook is novel enough.

2) Quality of prose. Once I've clicked the thread I'm checking that the GM knows the rules of style and has worked to develop a style of his own. It makes the mandatory reading of his thread far more interesting if I would also be happy reading it on my own time; and he will probably tend toward choosing better player apps for the game as well.

3) If the game has passed #2's criterion then I head over to the Char tab, or the posts responding to the IntChk, to see who else the game has attracted. It's unfortunately all too easy for the players to bury a talented GM; they may be misunderstanding the themes, motifs, & imagery he wants for the story; they may be getting out of control with technology, magic, or other character powers; they may simply be introducing an aesthetic to the RP which will stand out against the GM's. No fault of his own, but there are certain kinds of players who I'd simply rather not fuck with IG, either because I know them to cause problems and drama or because their ideas clash too hard with the GM's vision. I know that's an inherent fact of RP ... that it's not just one person's vision, and you need to be able to collaborate with others to make it work ... but I've been RPing long enough and made these mistakes myself enough times to know when a sheet is a dealbreaker for me and when not.

4) So the GM and characters both seem promising. The next question is: how much effort will I have to put forth in order to join? Sounds lazy, I know, but there are two facets to this. One is knowing I can handle the responsibilities of the RP and keep up with its expectations, in other words, that I won't fuck over the GM. Two is that the GM expects reasonable things from me. If he's very rigid on how many times I have to post per week, and that number is higher than, say, two, well, this is a GM who doesn't understand that RP is a hobby and not a salaried full-time job. Moreover I don't want to fill out a character sheet with requisite details which fundamentally damage a story when they are known upfront; for example personality sections, like/dislike lists, and relationship sheets, the contents of which firmly belong in IC; you showing-not-telling, your partners inferring from and reacting to the subtexts of your posts.

There may be more that I have not thought to reflect on, but between these three big points (and one minor point) I'll already tend to have a good understanding of how compatible I am with the GM, how long his game will last, and whether I am capable of upholding all expected obligations for the entirety of that duration.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

P.S. @BrokenPromise is right. I'd say "cravings" are cancer except cancer lasts more than two weeks.

"DEVOURER": Bronze, Blood, Betrayal

@flowersrgr8 gotcha name wrong, my bad ↑

"DEVOURER": Bronze, Blood, Betrayal

@Letter Bee@Lady Selune@Mr Irony II@Heyitsjiwon@Ciaran@Danelaw@Andreyich@flowersrgr8@Strange Rodent@BiffleChump@Random Kitty@Hank

Good morning, pals and prospects. For those interested, here's the Discord link. Normally it would be too early for this to serve any use, but I decided it'd be a good idea to record my daily progress for anyone who hasn't heard from me in a while and might otherwise be impressed to think I have abandoned the project. You can just hop onto the #ooc-progress-reports channel to see how the thread is coming along. Simple, huh? And if you want to get a head start on collabing with partner(s) on your juicy character histories then I won't stop you either.