RickyG85

Fist Full O'Crystals

Vekyzz

Vekyzz Manjar

Name: Vekyzz Manjar
Age: 26
Gender: Male

Appearance:
Dark gray skin, a pair of prominent horns reinforcing his head, pointed ears and unusual teeth clearly mark Vekyzz as being one of his rare kind. His skin, at least as far as it can be seen from the outside onlooker's perspective, lacks any scars or other impurities so far and betrays his relatively young age. A far cry from a grizzled veteran, but more the joyful boy ready for the next festivity. His hair ? A dark, shoulder-long mess with braids thick enough to strangle somebody with them, probably. He sticks out like a sore thumb not only due to his kind, but also because he's at least one head taller than the average male and quite broad shouldered with hardened muscle. A bit too much cheap ale has left a slight, but noticeable bit of softness around his belly region though.

Brief background:
Vekyzz's paths can be tracked back to the lands of Narfell, but are then quickly lost in the hot wastelands only inhabited by nomadic tribes, all too daring individuals and the occasional trade caravan. Given his place of birth and him being a Tiefling, it can't come as a surprise that he never really managed to socialize with anyone else than those most immediate to him. Maybe he'd still be roaming around in this sad part of the world if it hadn't been for that one day when his tribe made the decision to divert from its original path in order to hunt down a group of adventurers. The latter had been regarded as dangerous since they were headed straight for one of the large ruins, most likely in order to loot treasures and unveil other things that better stay down there.

Things turned into an unexpected, but nontheless great disaster. A few of the people traveling with the party proved to be quite more capable than their outside appearance betrayed, so when they deployed their magic many of Vekyzz's close friends fell. He escaped the mutual carnage, but only to find himself alone in a region of the world where this is a very bad precondition. Now not feeling any binding to anything anymore, he left his homeland to try and find a better place.

So far it did not play out particularly well. Sharp teeth, curved horns and his overall stature tend to make people belief he might actually be some sort of petty demon seeking to unleash his daily dose of chaos upon innocent people. It didn't help that the lack of finding well-paid work, combined with his lack of experience with this new society, has made him commit a theft here and there for real. He lives from day to day without any far-fetched plans right now, roaming from street to street and town to town on his search for luck -- or maybe not that, but a new true self.

Strengths

• He was forced to learn how to survive in the wilderness. Not every plant or fungus can be eaten twice in a lifetime, but he knows which can and has little hesitancy or trouble to deal with, let's say, subpar food sources.
• Sheer strength and endurance is definitely his forte. You might not want to wrestle with him or get into a bar fight.
• Being a tiefling, he has some natural affinity to magic. It might singe his hair a little from time to time, but fire is the most prominent of his abilities in that regard.

Weaknesses

• He comes from a different region with a different culture, so he has not really the intention to be awkward in people's eyes, but he quite often just is. His relationship to the strict rules of law is also slightly flexible.
• He lacks some actual combat skill. He's no good at swordplay or handling shields or heavy armor, at least not yet. Proper, professional is definitely needed.
• 'Heavyweight' is a tad of an understatement for him.

@Fetzen

To the character tab!

Fist Full O'Crystals

Gray the grey man

Name: Gray the grey man Archibald Gramen
Age:58
Sex: male
Appearance: Gray is titled correctly as the only thing he is ever seen wearing is a grey trench coat and fedora. Under the trench coat he wears a grey suit with a white undercoat and grey tie. Gray has short hair not buzzed per say but close to his head and of course his hair is grey. He has two pistols that he wields one called Blackburner a normal bullet pistol with the exception of its black and goldish (actually is pyrite but most people don't realize that) coloring and Whiteweal a cristol pistol with a white and blue colaration to it.
Brief Background: before he became the grey man he was Archibald Gramen a simple man who was over worked doing monotonous jobs for people until he became more or less a husk of a man. This was until the town he lived in was raided. In the attack Archibald took a pistol from one of the shops in town (what would eventually be whiteweal) and shot down a couple of the raiders and picked up one of their pistols (Blackburner) and fled into the desert. He was out in the desert for a week only surviving on by hydrating himself by drinking the hallucinogenic juice of the special cactus that surounded his town. The combination of dehydration, hallucinations, and the fact the he was a husk of a person made him into what he is now. While out in the desert the gun he had taken from the store in his town became bleached because of the sun and took on the look that it does now as Whiteweal. Out in the desert he began to think of his hallucinations as visions stripping him of his identity as Archibald and making him Gray. Along with this new identity he also took up the world view that in existence the thing that truly matter was nothing and absence. He became a nihilistic person who seemed stripped of anything that made him a person.

When he found civilization after wondering through the desert he began to take on jobs and use that money to train himself to be stronger and a more deadly shot. He eventually found and killed the people who raided his town, but this only made him feel more empty inside. To try to combat this he continued to try and tmake other peoples goals so as to not feel so empty.

Now in his older age he is considered a force to be reckoned with as a veteran mercenary.

Strengths:

Athletic: despite his age Gray is in peak physical condition.

Gunslinger: Gray's skills with a gun are incredible and many consider him a very a very reliable choice when in need to shoot someone.

Test of Charachter: Gray is very good at telling what kind of person someone is even without speaking to them.

Weaknesses:

Language: Gray has a problem with talking to people. He is a terrible negotiater and generally tries not speak at all other then the odd "yes" "no" "accomplished"

Memory: Gray has major problem with his memory with the only thing he can consistently remember is the job he is on.

Reality: He has a hard time telling falsehoods from reality and can even some times see visions in the middle of nowhere.

@Tywell

Not bad, I think needs fine-tuning, though. I'm at my day-job, but asap I'm open to working with you in the pm's, what do you think?

Fist Full O'Crystals

Sure, why not.

Henry Carr

Name: Henry Carr / Rowan Ó Loingseach

Age: Eighteen

Sex: Male / Female

Appearance: Henry, or otherwise Rowan, is average in physical aspects. She stands neither tall or short, nor does she lean fat or skinny. A row of freckles dots her cheeks; a trait common in her family just like her fiery ginger red hair that she has since chosen to cut short. Her clothing is often masculine, and has a tendency to be baggy and oversized on her body.

Brief Background: The Ó Liongseach had been a notable family that immigrated from the old world in search of wealth and fame. Together with their business partners, they organized an expansive cattle empire within the new world; one that Rowan was set to eventually inherit, being the only child of the then-current Ó Liongseach clan.

Unfortunately, life doesn't always follow a set path.

The elven tribes of the new world viewed the Ó Liongseach family as intruders; colonizers on their land. They had been at odds with their ranch empire, and sometimes their conflicts turned violent. It took one night for a band of elves to shatter everything Rowan had known as they raided her family home and killed her family. Horses and cattle were driven away, while the homestead burned to ashes.

Surviving by the skin of her teeth, Rowan had become the sole member of the Ó Liongseach clan that night. Her claims to the remaining fortune were hotly contested; no one believed that she was who she said she was, much less were willing to give endless riches away to a woman. She could only watch powerless as her family's business partners swarmed the remnants of her family's wealth.

Driven away by those she once thought she could trust, Rowan was forced into hiding. She took on a fake persona just to survive another day, adopting the role of Henry Carr. As Henry, Rowan found work in a company town, slaving away in a mine for hours on end in order to have a roof over her head. It wasn't an ideal life, and the mines proved to be difficult, tiring work, but Rowan felt it was more preferable over death and starvation. The world has already taken so much from her; she doesn't plan on letting it take her, too.

Strengths:

Tenacity:

Rowan has witnessed much, and been involved in much more. When the going gets tough, she refuses to let it break her, and tries her best to preserve through what she can.

Masquerading:

For some time, Rowan has presented as someone else. Throughout her time as Henry, Rowan has grown into a great actor, and most people don't suspect a thing.

Weaknesses:

Legally Deceased:

Rowan's claim to her family's empire is effectively gone. The law is not on her side despite the fact she is very much still alive. Don't expect her to help bail someone out, or finance your operations.

Indentured:

Rowan is essentially in indentured servitude. The goods she buys, the money she earns, even the house she lives in—it is all provided by the "company". Not working her life away gets her both fired and evicted.

@Kuro

I like it! To the character tab!

Giant Slayers

Hey, where is everybody?

Fist Full O'Crystals

A train sped along the rails, faster than one could call 'safe', through a sparsely wooded, but arid landscape.
No wonder, because closing in were a band of elves, on horseback, with rifles! Windows shattered as they fired through one of the cars, menacing the occupants as they were still urging the horses faster, toward the Engine!
Just as one of them gave a high pitched warcry, it blends with the scream of the wistle, and a billow of smoke suddenly obscures their view-
When it cleared, a bald and sooty dwarf was leaning out of the car! One hand held a rail, the other raising what looked like a rifle, but the wooden stock was black, and made with bronze instead of iron. Strangest of all, however, was the lack of a hammer or flintlock- in that place was a setting with a large piece of quartz crystal!
He sneered at the leader of the raiding party as he squeezed the trigger, closing a circuit- the crystal gave a pulse of light, and fired a bolt of lightning from the barrel!

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Inside a saloon, An orc is cleaning a glass while all the customers are focused on a quartet of tieflings performing the cancan, and a gnome fails to convince anyone that he's actually playing the piano so well.
The only people not watching the performance was a table hosting a tense game of cards- a bead of sweat runs across the humans' brow as he slides a pair of cards face down. A dwarf, a dragonborn, and another orc did the same.
The goblin dealer slid her own pair to the center, prompting them all to reveal the cards. The dwarf began swearing, the human stared with his jaw slack, the dragonborn just sulked and the orc gave a grunt as he struck the table with his fist.
The goblin grinned wide, her hands raised so her baggy sleeves drooped, showing nothing up them.
The smile vanished quickly as the dragonborn and the dwarf caught the human, mid air- he thrashed and screamed at the goblin dealer, who hopped down from her stool and ran away, crying past the batwing doors, as a figure slowly pace by in the middle of the street, outside.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Out in the street, an orc in a wide rimmed hat with a handlebar moustache stopped, and muttered, "Ten..." He turned, to face his opponent- a well tanned elven woman, the hair kept out of her eyes in a thick braid, much of her form hidden under a denim-colored sarape.

The orc squinted, and called out, "This is the only chance I'm offerin', fer you ta turn tail, kid!"

She looked at him cockeyed, "Funny; you weren't so keen on conversation when you stole our mule... And killed my Pa! I suppose killin' is easier, though, when their back is turned, you no-good, back-stabbin', goat f-"

They drew at the same time; he thought he had the drop on her, but even in an instant of panic, she was faster, and the simultaneous shots rang out like thunder!

---------------------------------------------------------------

The train pulled into the station at the end of town, the passengers a bit shaken, but uninjured, and none of them robbed, thanks to the engineer, now using his magic rifle as a crutch, his shirt now wrapped around his leg as a bandage.

The passengers dispersed, and were immediately lost among the crowds returning to the streets in the wake of the gunfight, as an orc tossed a well-beaten human out of his saloon.

And the young elven woman with the twin magic pistols was addressing the sheriff, trading a wanted poster for a small bag of silver before hopping onto the back of her mule, and trotting off into the sunset.

Well, this is my setting, in a nutshell! A dungeons and dragons kind of world, but advanced to a state quite similar to the American Wild West!

Some key details of the setting, and relevant for making characters:

"Cristols" are the hot new thing; literally magic firearms, loaded with spell infused crystals instead of shells or cartridges (each crystal round has a number of charges/"rounds" before it needs recharging. Anybody can use a cristol (single hand or rifle), but only those who know the ways of magic can create or recharge the crystals.

19th century firearms exist, and are more common than cristols.

The "New Frontier" is a continent where Elves were (until recently) the dominant group. Orcs are a distant second, only because they couldn't seem to get enough of a presence to brute force any conflict, so Orc culture there is a little different, and they venerate combat more than actual conquest.

Meanwhile, the Elves are a diverse bunch, with their own politics and rivalries, which the new comers (Humans, dwarves, and others from the "Old World") have managed to capitalize on, rather than warring directly for territory.

The dwarves are the ones who've ushered in the age of Steam, gnomes and goblins love to tinker and use alchemy, the tieflings and dragonborn... Exist, though the former live nomadically, traveling in caravans and presumed to be thieves, so they aren't always welcome(a prejudice that followed them to the new frontier, it seems).

This detail is a joke I felt like incorporating- Kobolds are technically a thing, but aren't a distinct race unto themselves; they're what you get when goblins and dragonborn marry.

No character sheet required for this one, just use a hider when submitting your character, and don't write a novel.

A format I can recommend though (if your uncomfortable without a template) is this:

Image
Name:
Age:
Sex: (Male or Female; gender is more complicated than I feel like working with)
Appearance:
Brief Background:
Strengths: (bullet points, at least 2, no more than 5)
Weaknesses: (bullet points, at least 2, no more than 5)

Once I've approved your character, feel free to jump into the story!

If you ask me questions that can be answered by actually reading all of this, then you've yee'd yer last haw (I will be cross and you won't get to play >:( )

Giant Slayers

Posted!

Giant Slayers

The fog was thick, around the Redwoods. So thick, that at the base of the old Gate Bridge, you can't even see the first arch.

A herd of elk were grazing, browsing about over some broken, overgrown pavement. In the distance behind them, dark shapes stood deathly still. One could pick out which weren't trees when the wind blew; cell towers and structures of the old world didn't usually bend with the wind.

The elk were upwind; there was no smell to warn them. They were caught by surprise when one of the shadows in the fog quickly charged! The scattered around it's feet, half the size of the rusted old cars on the bridge as it slid into a crouch and swatted down one of their number. It's trumpeting scream was cut short as it was lifted in that same hand, and crushed in the rotting flat teeth.

The giant chewed with it's mouth open, looking this way and that, like it didn't understand the fog, or the bridge before it.

Another bite, and most of the elk was already gone. It halted it's crunching to sniff the air, swallow, and raise it's eyebrows thoughtfully. A smell made it lose interest in what little was left of it's kill. One that killed curiosity, and compelled it to brave the fog, and cross the bridge.

The smell of humans.

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6 AG; After the Giants
Central Cali Colony Prime
Briefing Room 34, 09:23AM

A handful of middle aged men and women sat around a table in a boardroom, their faces showing a mix of hesitance and concern.

"So, you're proposing... An expedition, of sorts?"

The younger man standing at the head of the table nodded, "yes, sir. We've been fairly stable, here, but I think it's important for new generations to know that we're looking toward the future, and not just..."

A woman seated at the table interjected, "-Waiting to die?"

"W-well-"

"Don't worry about my feelings, Mr. Gordon. The older among us, the one's who remember life before They came, certainly haven't struggled to maintain the age old tradition of gossip, rumors and general grumblings. It just so happens, we feel that we're beginning to understand enough that we can consider... Bolder actions."

A pause. "S-so, are you willing to approve my proposal?"

Another man spoke up, this time, "Not as written; Alaska might as well be on the Moon. But, if you think we have people that could manage re-exploring the Northern California Coast, maybe even push into Oregon, and make it back alive? Then we could proceed with furthering a push North in similar stages, reconnecting with any colonies outside our radio range."

The woman from before resumed control of the conversation, "While some of us are nervous about asking people to do something so dangerous, I must admit, a number of your candidates seem encouraging. 'If Anyone can do it', as we used to say."

The meeting wrapped up in a rather mundane fashion, and afterward the so-called "Mr. Gordon" began composing a message, "Congratulations, Mr. Bramworth..."

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The Stockton Ruins,
Zone 5, 10:07AM

What remained of the city was in varying states of 'destroyed'. Just like everywhere else.

The only thing to interrupt the blowing of the wind through the ruins was the tremors; feint, but steady, and getting stronger. One vehicle in particular shook, dropping a scrap of it's own structure clattering down a half covered manhole, followed by a clattering of cans, or something. Some crude alarm system...

Giant Slayers

Update: still posting, today, just running a little slower than usual.

Giant Slayers

@InfamousGuy101@Shovel@Ikan

Ok, I'm getting ready to work up the opening post, tentatively aiming for Monday.

Giant Slayers

@ShovelIt looks good! Maybe give it another once over for spell-checking, and consider the titles "Logger" and "Cartographer"; both are the names for modern woodcutters and map makers, respectively. I won't be bothered if you decide not to, these are just suggestions.
I like the bit of world building with that exchange at the end!

Aside from that, I'd say you're ready for the character tab!