Roman

The Blighted Kingdom

@Liseran Thistle
@Searat
@GreivousKhan

There are a few things I’d like to go over with you regarding each of your sheets. Unfortunately I’m away this weekend in Brighton and can’t effectively manage any extended sheet editing and discussion on my phone, so expect a PM each on Monday. I just wanted to update you so you don’t think you are being ignored or have been rejected.

The Blighted Kingdom

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CLAUDE

^{"What’s locked will be unlocked, what’s hidden will be found. What’s yours will be mine"}

^{Claudius ♦ 24 ♦ Male ♦ Chaotic Neutral}

Ω O R I G I N S:

Vasilius is a city of extreme diametric opposition. On one hand it is the uncontested seat of the throne, a place where nobility and the rich can truly lose themselves in all that the capital has to offer, where they can forget horrors of the land like the stone blight. But on the other side, it is a place of cruel temptation, the poor, the street rats, the forgotten, look up at manors of unfathomable size, hawk their meagre wares towards educated and aloof nobility, and are forever reminded of their pitiful state beneath the shadow of the Garland Citadel.

One such member of this downtrodden rabble found herself swept away with the charm and elegance of a newly shored “sailor”, though all the signs pointed towards their relationship not being a lasting one she grew attached to the hope and comfort that he gave her. Despite the outright contempt her family had for her new partner (as well as their lack of trust in his profession) the two moved in together and would eventually bare a son they would name Claudius, a noble name for a peasant boy.

As Claudius grew up he felt torn between the growing contempt his parents shared for each other. His father was often away for months at a time on sea and on his return Claudius’ mother would be seemingly distraught with any gold or jewels he offered her, referring to them as “blood trinkets”. When his father was around he was very often drunk or getting into fights with his crew, he did seem to take an interest in teaching his son skills he himself had learned, how to crack open a safe, how to tie and climb ropes and even later how to swing from them with an artistry Claudius had thought his father incapable of. The teaching that had caused the most violent argument between his parents when his mother found out about it however, was how to pickpocket.

The way his father had phrased everything Claudius had always felt like they were simply playing games but his mother tore into her “beloved” when she learned of it, stating under no uncertain terms that their son we’d become someone “like him”. It was then that Claudius’ father struck his mother when Claudius realized what it was she was talking about, very quickly Claudius turned against his father and the combined hatred from his wife and son made his father further enraged, he decried both members of his family and left, taking any of his money he could find with him and set sail, neither Claude or his mother ever saw him again.

The following months were hard one for Claude, with the main breadwinner gone he was forced to spend his time begging for scraps on the richer streets and avoiding guards who would shoo him off at best or haul him in on suspicious intent at worst. His cynicism and disillusionment grew as his formerly kind and caring mother became emotionally withdrawn and ambivalent towards their situation. When Around the time Claudius became a teenager, she killed herself, leaving behind a sorrowful message to her son. What little shred of hope and optimism he had left died in Claudius that day, so much so that as he was being escorted to live with his mother’s parents he quite simply and suddenly ran from his escorter and into the slums where finding him would be an arduous task. Alone and on the run the first few weeks would be an extreme test of survival for Claude, but he began using the skills his father had taught him. Occasionally a bar patron would find a few gold pieces missing from his pocket, later it turned into a stall vendor looking back at his inventory to find himself missing one loaf of bread.

In present day Claude has graduated from pickpocketing and petty thefts to becoming, at least in his own mind, a “master thief”. The days of him begging nobility for handouts has long left him, now he takes from them what he eneeds with impunity. The first few years of thievery were touch and go but with his will to survive and “a few well made contacts” Claude has carved out a comfortable if terribly lonesome existence of self sustaining. But as with seemingly everything else in the land, the stone blight has caused a number of issues in his line of work. The wealthy are far less inclined to launch exorbitant parties and parade around their gold and objects of worth, there is a downturn in just about all of Claude’s prime means of thievery, travellers are down, hope is in sharp decline and people are dying.

Claude suspects that the suddenness of this blight and its ferocity can’t simply be a cause of nature, but he is hardly any type of educated scholar, what he is however is someone not interested with the prospect of becoming a decrepit statue. So by any means Claude seeks answers, and believes he will get them from the darkest corner with the greatest view.

Ω A B I L I T I E S / S K I L L S:

//ABILITIES:

◼ Velvet Tread & Lightning Hands | Claude is, first and foremost, a thief. His mode of movement in general revolves around people (his target’s especially) never even knowing he was there, to that end Claude has trained his body to move with the grace of a dancer, lest his career in burglary come to a swift and decisive end.

◼ An Eye For Detail | The traditional term is “casing a joint”, Claude hs spent much of his time estimating the value of a target and whether or not the risk is worth it, further he is able to make some surprisingly observant (if typically cynical or sarcastic) thoughts on a person from a few sentences. His most reliable observations however come from when he is scouting a route, a window left ajar, a crack in the walls, sooner or later Claude will find it, he has to, after all he can’t go through the front door.

//SKILLS:

◼ The Unwelcome Guest | A big part of Claude’s job is infiltration, he has an agile frame and lightness of movement that makes climbing and scaling come as easy as walking. Further Claude has honed his skills as a locksmith and is able to extend his talents to doors, safes, windows and more or less the majority of contraptions nobles like to keep their jewelry in, however he can only do these complex locks when he has some variety of tools on his person.

◼ Aim True & Arm Steady | Whilst Claude is hardly the peak physical specimen he’s not typically one for blades or blunt objects, or really typical weaponry in general save for a dagger, not much use for them in his line of work. A bow on the other hand is one of Claude’s most valued possessions, interestingly however he rarely uses it for offensive purposes, typically using it more as a tool in tandem with custom made “rope arrows” to make scaling things like towers or high walls easier. Regardless Claude’s aim and familiarity with a bow is not a skill to be underestimated.

//LIMITATIONS:

◼ The Folly Of Genetics | The life of a poor orphan is not typically one which is good for building mass and fitting in daily training regimes, whilst Claude has been able to hone and develop his skills in athletics and can use his speed in a fight if it's absolutely necessary, his frame and armour is just not suited to taking punishment from larger opponents.

◼ A Gentleman Thief Is A Dead One | Whilst Claude does have certain…. Moral restrictions even he won’t fall below (chiefly because there’s not much profit in it) he is still by no means a very good person, or even a pleasant one. Claude can be sarcastic, disparaging and sometimes plain vindictive, this is so as to always keep anyone he must interact with at an emotional distance, thievery is a lonely business, but a thief with a lot of friends simply has more people able to stab him in the back if history has taught Claude anything.

//WEAKNESSES:

◼ For The Man Who Has Everything... | Naturally Claude can be comically greedy, whilst on the job he is the epitome of focused, he has a tendency to overlook a job’s risk depending on the payout when it comes time to plan his next move, this has resulted in several close encounters and while he seems to be mellowing from this with age and experience a very simple way to entice Claude into doing most anything is a hefty bag of gold.

◼ Consummate Professional | Claude is a thief, not an assassin. Whilst his hands aren’t exactly “bloodless” Claude avoids killing (or even leaving a body in general) wherever possible, he’ll tell you that it’s the mark of a true professional to be able to not even need to resort to such measures and because it runs the risk of people coming after you and things getting “messy” but it’s clear that deep down he has moral convictions against needlessly taking a life.

Ω N O T E S:

◼ Though Claude makes a tidy profit from his job, a commoner flashing around that type of cash would quickly be marked as a thief, due to this Claude is more or less forced into keeping tabs on his spending, hiding his larger stashes in well concealed dead drops and keeping any frivolous purchases securely under wraps. And he is quite bitter about it.

@Drag

Accepted! I like him. It’s a bit tropey and a bit Thief-y (especially the rope-arrows) but ultimately tropes are tools to be used, not avoided, and there’s nothing wrong with taking a bit of inspiration from outside sources. It’ll be interesting to have a professional outlaw in the party alongside some more noble characters. Pop him in the characters tab when you’re able.

The Blighted Kingdom

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The Iron Bear

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^{"War didn't kill me. I'll be damned if this Blight does."}

^{Roderick Pelgriff ♦ 54 ♦ Male ♦ Neutral Good}

Ω O R I G I N S:

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Roderick’s father, like many others, attempted the economic climb in Ferros. He set himself up as a blacksmith in the city of iron, but his business eventually failed like so many others tend to do. His failed business left his family on the streets with nothing. Roderick learned his first lesson in pride at this stage in his life when his father stubbornly refused to work for any other blacksmith. His pride killed him; it left him, his wife, and Roderick to the streets. There, he died when the Red Plague swept the land. Roderick quickly swallowed whatever pride he had and groveled at each and every blacksmith for an apprenticeship. He worked hard for years, making a meager amount; just enough to barely feed himself and his mother.

Eventually, he lost his mother too. After her death, Roderick joined up with a band of roaming mercenaries who came to Ferros. He offered his service as a smith in exchange for training from them. He spent years and years marching with that band, acting as their smith and a soldier himself. He learned how to fight during his years with them. As his hair grayed, he saw more and more people get cut down and more and more youths join up. The band was unfamiliar to him by then, all his friends long gone in some battle or another. So, he left after training a new smith and commander.

Ω A B I L I T I E S / S K I L L S:

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//ABILITIES:

◼ No Place for Pride | Years of fighting and surviving have left Roderick with the ability to effectively command men and women. He holds himself with an air of confidence and wisdom that demands respect. His survival has left him with the knowledge that pride can and will most likely get you killed in a fight.

//SKILLS:

◼ Tempered Arm | Roderick has trained since his teen years as a blacksmith. Despite his age, he is still a skilled warrior able to hold his own in a fight. His years of fighting have tempered his arm and made him powerful and resilient to counteract his stiff leg.

//LIMITATIONS:

◼ Age is a Bitch | Loathe though he is to admit it, Roderick’s age is a hindrance. He gets sore easier after fighting, he gets colder than he used to, and his joints ache when the weather changes. The world seems a bit bleaker than it did before. His time spent in a mercenary band has made Roderick accustomed to being listened to, so he does not follow authority very well.

//WEAKNESSES:

◼ Scars of Battle | When he was still a young man, Roderick’s leg was injured in a battle. The wound left the leg slightly stiffer than his other, which has slowed him down over the years, though the speed and strength of his arm are surprising for his age. He also suffered a cut across his face that took the sight from his right eye. Roderick can a stubborn bull at times, thinking his way is the best way. Though he would never admit it, Roderick does have nightmares and at times flashbacks of his time spent on battlefields. He also has the memory of each loss of a friend firmly engraved in his mind.

Ω N O T E S:

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Fully Armored

(Add a bear pelt cloak.)

Main Weapon

(More of a hammerhead on the back.)

Secondary Weapon

@Ink Blood

I’d like a little more backstory; at 54 he will likely be one of the oldest of the cast, having lived through multiple diseases sweeping Vassidia and having a long and presumably decorated career in the military. What we have at the moment feels vague, and a little rushed.

Cautiously accepted with hopes we’ll see some more depth to the Bear soon, whether through IC or updates to your sheet. Go ahead and pop him into the characters tab.

The Blighted Kingdom

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W R I S T O N E T A K E N

^{"If you cannot hold it, it's not yours."}

^{W R I ♦ 1 6 ♦ F E M A L E ♦ N E U T R A L}

Ω O R I G I N S:

Eerum is not friendly. He's jealous, and he'll snatch anything you think to hold dear just to watch you cry. Then he'll steal the water of your tears and laugh at your thirst. That's just the way he is. Once you understand that, though, you can get far in life. Just don't hold anything dear. The Travelers don't get it. They pass through on their fat wagons pulled by waterlogged beasts and somehow expect that Eerum will just see them on. They hold their lives dear, their oxen dear, their cargo dear... And I've watched one after another be shattered when the city reminds them of their place.
I'm not a Traveler, not in any sense of the word. I can't remember a time before I came to Eerum, and I've always assumed that meant I was born here. I don't have a foreign family; my only relative is my twin brother, Liem. If I had parents, I don't want to know them. I blame them for my life here, and even if I grew to forgive them, they would only be one more thing for Eerum to take. As it is, I try not to love Liem, but there is only so much that a blood sister can do.
Even now, the city tries his best to pry my brother from my hands. While the plague leaves cursed riches in the streets, a more insidious poison creeps through the Dens: talk of rebellion. Garrow, a hot-blooded boy, just young enough not to have left the Dens to join the church or the army, tells us each night to come with him, that he knows people with power who want things to change. A few have left, out of hope, hunger, or just desperation, to follow his lead. He tells us that they feast every night and drink their fill of clear water, but none have ever come back to tell the tale. I've seen the glow in Liem's eyes when Garrow tells his tales of raids on noble caravans and flight from capture in the nick of time. I know it's only a matter of time until my pleas to Liem that he stay another night will be drowned out by Garrow's golden words, and when the time comes, I will let him go. And I will not miss him, because if I miss him, Eerum will laugh.
In a way, of course, Eerum is a part of me, as I am a part of Eerum. I know the streets and markets better than most mothers know their children, and it is sometimes my hand that strikes with Eerum's bane on unwary Travelers. I have never taken a life, but I have done my part in taking a livelihood more than once in my years. I grew up in the Dens, a dusty web of caves just south of the city itself. I am one of the oldest still here; most everyone who is abandoned at the mouths of these caves either leaves or dies before they have a chance to become a man or woman. For the men, there is always the church or the army. For the women, there is always the church or the street. For me, though, there is only Eerum. He is spiteful and cruel, but he is my home.

Ω A B I L I T I E S / S K I L L S:

//ABILITIES:

◼ A SCRAWNY STREET RAT | Wri is thin, wiry, and surprisingly strong when need calls, at least for a girl her size. She can subsist without complaint on the bare minimum required to sustain her physically.

◼ BORN TO THE SANDS | While the nights can be cold in Eerum, the days and their heat are far more deadly. Wri grew up in the heat of Eerum's streets, and while she would likely be uncomfortably cold in any temperate location, she handles heat better than any who do not share her heritage.

//SKILLS:

◼ QUICK FINGERS, QUICK FEET | Just as important for survival in Eerum as the ability to deftly slit a Traveler's purse is the ability to navigate the crowded streets and markets quickly enough to avoid retribution when the former goes wrong. Wri is possessed of both of these, as well as a knack for moving by rooftop when the moment requires.

◼ CANNY | Wri has heard and fallen victim to enough gilded words in her short life to know the cadence of a liar's song. She is often quick to pick out a false word or a carefully turned phrase.

//LIMITATIONS:

◼ ALL THE WEALTH OF AN EMPTY BAG | It is hard enough for someone like Wri to find the coin or water to buy another day's survival in Eerum, much less to begin to save anything. The entirety of Wri's estate, such as it were, consists of the canvas clothes on her back, an old sack which doubles as a pillow or blanket in need, and a wood-corked water horn.

◼ NEVER A FRIEND IN NEED | Wri knows that anyone could work Eerum's will at any moment, and so has pushed herself away from reliance on (or friendship with) anyone besides Liem.

//WEAKNESSES:

◼ IF YOU CAN'T HOLD IT | Wri has never been taught by any other than Eerum's cruel hand. She struggles to muster care for the grandiose abstractions of the wise, and her knowledge on the details of anything remotely arcane is nonexistent.

◼ STILL JUST A GIRL | When it comes to contests of pure physicality, Wri will never match up to a smith or a soldier or even any healthy adult. Maybe with years of training, or a diet that consisted of more than inn scraps and the occasional feast of a swiped pastry, or a larger natural physique, she would stand a chance, but as it is, she will never be remembered for her strength.

Ω N O T E S:

◼ Wri's clothing is ragged, but shows signs of relatively recent patch work. She traded half a week's carefully stockpiled coin for the fabric, thread, and skill of a girl in the Dens, a girl whose name Wri has already forgotten. Perhaps this girl would be a friend if such a thing were possible. Perhaps this girl isn't even alive anymore. Wri would have no way of knowing.

@Snowballe

Accepted; feel free to put your sheet into the Characters tab when you can. Well written, some solid personality built up with clear motivations and values. Excited to have Wri explore the world beyond Eerum.

The Blighted Kingdom

@Liseran Thistle What if he stumbled onto the main plot without even realizing it regarding the hidden road? Shoot, that's good. Guess I know how I'd rope him into the main plot if I were writing this in a book.

@GreivousKhan

All characters will begin the RP in Vasilius after an audience with High Lord Jocun, and will choose their first destination from there. Vasilius and the Palace will be consistent centerpoints to the RP and the plot-at-large.

Also, a (related) question for @Roman: Does slavery exist in-world? If so, where, and in what forms?

@Snowballe

Yes and no, and I really don't want to say much more; if it's something you need for your sheet specifically, PM me and we'll discuss.

@Roman //
I know you've got sheets to review and a lot more world expansion details, i.e factions and all. but, do me a favour and expand on the Mountain-Brave with me? Mostly in regards to the particular trials you briefly mentioned. I have some simplified ideas, terribly spartan and medieval really, but I'd like to get some generalized feed back about them.

My concept is loosely relative to the mountains and Mornfell, so.

@Rockette

Expect a PM shortly.

On a separate note, to everyone who's submitted sheets I extend a most gracious thank you for your fervent interest in this little over-baked cake of a world of mine. Reviews start this weekend.

The Blighted Kingdom

A man works, sees Infinity War, sleeps, and then goes back to work, and he comes back to 55 new posts and more sheets to review. I’ll get there! I will! Just not until at least 2pm GMT. Bear with me!

The Blighted Kingdom

@Roman How long has this plague been going on for btw?

@GreivousKhan

@Roman
For how many months/years has the stone blight been present in the realm?

@Searat

Undecided on a definite timescale but minimum a year.

I'm definitely interested in drafting up a concept, but I am a bit confused in terms of the breadth of what 'magick' consists of in terms of what a character could do. If such an idea like a magical character is allowed, I'd love to create something.

@OppositionJ

Safest bet is to draw up your sheet and i'll discuss anything that's out of line with you to find a happy medium.

I edited mine a little because I noticed everyone gave their skills cool nicknames. I hope that's okay.

@Liseran Thistle

I was at work all day and honestly this gave me a chuckle out of how sheerly...cute? It was? That might not be the right word.

As for everyone who have submitted sheets; thank you! I will get to reading and reviewing them in the next few days.

The Blighted Kingdom

@Roman
GM, do you think a character like this can appear in this world?
If so, which kingdom you think the character most fits in?

[+]

@Searat

It feels slightly too much AU-Modern Fantasy for the overall tone of the world; remember an image reference isn't mandatory, and you can always find a separate face claim and then describe his equipment as part of the sheet.

I also have another question, though not pertaining to the world. So I've never actually played dnd before, but I do understand the basics. When we put down the skills and weaknesses and shit do we have to put numbers? Like, is it on a scale of numbers? (Ex: This character has 40 strength, agility, etc.) Or can I spell it out in words like "so and so is THIS strong."

@Liseran Thistle

Generally in play-by-post games like these there are no formal sheets, no combat rolls, no hard and empiric way to measure the world and your interactions with it; it's all a lot more free-form and prose-based with the focus being on storytelling through written roleplay. Some games do have elements of more traditional table-top games and their rules implemented - but not this one. Your sheets should describe your character, their tics and manners, what they're good at, what they're bad at, the sort of things they carry, what's important to them and what isn't - it's a lot more personal and insightful than a list of numbers, spells and miscellaneous equipment.

The Blighted Kingdom

@Roman
Does any kingdom have some sort of elite guard unit?
Specifically those who use crossbows or weapons like it?

@Searat

Vasilius has the Crownguard, a special unit of the military dedicated to the protection of the royal family, often better trained than the usual soldier but rarely permitted to leave the sides of their quarry, so scarcely found beyond the walls of the Garland Citadel and the palace within; Mornfell has the Mountain-Brave, who aren't an organized military but Mornfell natives who take on an old and sacred trial and return victorious. Mechanized projectile weapons can be found by anyone clever enough to make them or rich enough to purchase them; bows are standard issue in the military but crossbows are not.

When I went to church their were like a shit ton of Baptist and Methodist churches all around, same with Catholic. So is the entirety of kafarrra dedicated to the one barbed church, or are there a bunch of other smaller churches around town?

@Liseran Thistle

Kafaara, being the home of the Barbed Church, does not tolerate other beliefs being openly peddled within its borders, although there are other religions around the continent. The Cathedral is not the only place of worship for the Barbed Church in Kafaara, as smaller temples and chapels are dotted around the further reaches of the city, and many followers construct small altars in their own homes.

<Snipped quote by CollectorOfMyst>

I dont rememeber it mentioning gods, just Magick? Is there also a pantheon or is it just like one sigular god?

@Liseran Thistle

The Barbed Church worships Magick in the same way as monotheistic religions of today do, though other beliefs, of both traditional monotheistic and polytheistic leans, do exist.

The Blighted Kingdom

Hopefully I will soon include a factions section under luminaries with a bit more detail about some of the groups that populate Vassidia, but until then feel free to ask me about anything specific you may require for character creation purposes.