Shu

S̴T̴O̴R̴M̴C̴L̴O̴A̴K̴ : Rise of Tyranny (SHELVED, PM or DM me for inquiry.)

RESERVED

S̴T̴O̴R̴M̴C̴L̴O̴A̴K̴ : Rise of Tyranny (SHELVED, PM or DM me for inquiry.)

S̴T̴O̴R̴M̴C̴L̴O̴A̴K̴

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RISE OF TYRANNY

The year is 4E 205. Skyrim now stands alone, separated from the Empire as Ulfric Stormcloak takes the throne in Solitude. Voted unanimously as new High King by the Moot, Ulfric has taken the crown and now rules with an iron fist. The former Jarls who did not support him during the civil war have now been exiled with their families to Cyrodil and High Rock. The East Empire Company and other vocal supporters of the Empire were likewise driven over the surrounding borders, their properties and wealth confiscated.

Following the expulsion of Imperial sympathizers Ulfric then by royal decree absorbed the various chapters of hold guard into the Stormcloak army and - aside from ceremony - declared that the only banner to fly over any city, fort, or outpost in Skyrim would be the Stormcloak banner. One kingdom, one people, one banner.

This was followed by the crown’s “appropriation” of all shipping and mining across the holds. The labor for this reformed industry was in fact taken from Windhelm, specifically the Argonians and Dunmer who dwelled in the slums of the ancient city. The Argonians work the shipping industry while the Dunmer work the mines, allegedly in chains and under heavy guard. Many speculate this to be a sort of retribution for their not participating in the war against the empire while others attribute it merely to the xenophobia and exploitation of the new regime.

Ulfric may be the new High King, but the country is far from unified even with the Empire gone. The Forsworn have doubled their attacks in The Reach what with the freeing of their own king, Madanoch. The Orsimer strongholds are feeling the pressure of Nord expansion as emissaries from Windhelm and Solitude heckle their chieftains month by month, leading to dangerously frayed relations between the tribal Orcs and Skyrim. The various guilds and many among the nobility are also poorly adjusting to the new monarchy which leads only to Ulfric tightening his grip.

The new Jarls - all eager to both win Ulfric’s favor and leave their own imprint on this new Skyrim - have taken to their own rather drastic measures. Marshal law in Markarth, land confiscations and heavy taxation in Falkreath, heavy militarization in Dawnstar, tariffs on incoming goods in Riften, and the list continues.

Rumors circulate across Tamriel of the alleged tyranny of the new High King, particularly in regards to the acclaimed injustices against non-Nords. Skyrim’s neighbors are taking interest in this, Cyrodil and Morrowind particularly as well as certain parties in High Rock and Hammerfell. Indeed spies, operatives, and even assassins are finding their way over the hardened borders into Skyrim for various reasons.

But foreign interlopers are not the only concern for Ulfric Stormcloak. An underground resistance is forming against his his harsh rule, all it needs is a spark.

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Welcome to Stormcloak : Rise of Tyranny, a The Elder Scrolls inspiration taken direct from the TES V Skyrim. With the Empire having lost the war, Ulfric Stormcloak is now the High King of Skyrim. With Windhelm as his capital Ulfric has effectively nationalized most of the country. Guard chapters and militias have been absorbed into the new Stormcloak army with Galmar Stone-Fist as general. Mining, shipping, and specific aspects of the economy have been seized by the crown with indentured laborers taken from the slums and spread across Skyrim to work. Stormcloak propaganda pamphlets and advocates are everywhere and the dread Gray-Watch has eyes and ears in every city and every district. Mer, Argonians, and Khajit are treated as third class citizens and in some cases outright abused by the new Jarls and their courts.

In response to this an underground resistance if forming. Brunwulf Free-Winter, a veteran of the Great War and sympathetic to those suffering under Ulfric’s boot, and several others have banded together behind closed doors. For now they are focused solely on recruiting, stockpiling resources, and procuring armaments. Free-Winter has contacts in every hold capital in Skyrim who keep an eye out for any who are disgruntled by Ulfric or outright suffer under his rule. From this the Resistance will grow and soon proper action can be taken aside from scattered raids and subterfuge.

Ylva Gray-Watch - Ulfric’s spymaster - likewise regularly recruits operatives and any who share the “Skyrim for the Nords” ideal. Charged with rooting out enemy spies, taking down bandits and would-be guerrillas, and generally coming to her call, agents exterior to the military are invaluable resources for Gray-Watch.

This RP will be a mixed back of open battle, espionage and assassination, and classic dungeon clearing. All character classes and races can find a suitable role benefiting one side or the other. Even non-Nords if able enough can be taken on as Stormcloak operatives if nothing else to gain favor or avoid the eyre of the crown.

Players will ultimately have to choose a side - the Resistance, or Ulfric Stormcloak.

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WORLD STATE AND RULES

CURRENT WORLD STATE

• The current year is 4E 205, four years after the beginning of Skyrim.

• The Dragonborn - after slaying Alduin and scattering the surviving dragons to the wind - departed for Solstheim and has not been seen since.

• Between losing Skyrim and Titus Mede’s assassination the Empire is currently in disarray with something of a power vacuum in Cyrodil.

• The Reach is torn asunder by war with the Forsworn and Markarth is effectively under martial law.

• All Skyrim guild questlines are “complete”. The various guild leaders are AWOL. (Examples: The new Archmage of the College of Winterhold is on an expedition. The Thieves Guild Guild Master hasn’t been seen in months. The Dark Brotherhood is keeping its head down after nearly being annihilated again. Etcetera.)

• All canon pro-Stormcloak Jarls are still Jarls. (Jarl Elisif - while not pro-Stormcloak - is the probationary/client Jarl of Solitude.)

• Esbern and Delphine - last of The Blades - haven’t been seen since the Graybeard Summit. Disappearing into The Reach with their newest recruits.

• The Thalmor Headquarters in Solitude’s Castle Dour is now the personal HQ of Stormcloak spymaster Ylva Gray-Watch. Likewise the old Thalmor embassy on the nearby mountain is the headquarters of her spy network and operatives. The information and espionage center for the Stormcloaks.

• The Thalmor have sent fresh operatives - Khajit mostly - into Skyrim posing as caravaners and salesmen in an attempt to re-establish a presence in Skyrim.

• With the Dunmer and Argonians taking over mining and dock working/fishing more Nords are turning to homesteading, farming, milling, and shopkeeping. This has lead to various intrusions into Orsimer lands which is creating heavy tensions between Skyrim and the tribal Orcs. This paired with heckling by Stormcloak representatives in an attempt to press the Orcs for their lands.

• The new Nord-centric Vigilant of Stendarr chapter scours the lands hunting for Daedra, witches, warlocks, vampires, and the lot. Their methods of inquiry are rumored to be cruel and all magic users face their suspicion and harassment.

• Jarl Elisif is currently negotiating for the purchase/trade of Solstheim with House Redoran but the negotiations are making little progress.

• House Redoran has employed spies to investigate disturbing claims out of Skyrim.

• Ylva Gray-Watch has been frequently encouraging Ulfric to approach Hammerfell on the negotiating table in hopes of gaining Skyrim an ally. No action has been taken yet.

MORE TBA

RULES

• The usual no godmodding, flaming, bullying, metagaming, character-jacking, smut/lewd material etcetera.

• No double posting or constant posting between other people’s posts. I’ve seen RP’s die because of incandescent speed posting and no one wants that here.

• Please retain communication be it here in the OOC or in the discord. Real life happens but please do not leave us or someone awaiting a response hanging. It’s demoralizing and rather distasteful. If something occurs that disrupts your posting or overall presence here let me/everyone know please.

Any questions? Ask!

What Are You Listening To?

S̴T̴O̴R̴M̴C̴L̴O̴A̴K̴ : Rise of Tyranny (Interest Gathering)

The OP is undergoing constructions. The discord will be created immediately after and links to both posted here! Estimated OP completion time either this evening or tomorrow sometime. (6-24 hours from now.)

Also, for those who haven’t completed your characters, don’t worry you have time. :) IC posting won’t begin immediately and as stated I haven’t finished the OP yet.

This isn't working out

<Snipped quote by Shu>

I wanted so much to like John Ringo's books, but truthfully I couldn't get into it. Even his collaborations you can really tell which bits are his.

@Penny

To me he’s just overrated. He’s not the worst writer I’ve ever read by far but… still, overrated is he. He wrote a science fiction series that I tried to start a few months ago and the same outcome as with UAGS was “unimpressed”.

A HYM BEFORE BATTLE

This isn't working out

Any of the Under a Graveyard Sky books by John Ringo. I’ve never been a Ringo fan and honestly that series was just unbearable to me. I forced my way through the first book and honestly simply had enough a quarter of the way through the second. The characters are bland and hard retain, the dialogue is rather cringe at points, and the attempts at humor are so… pandering to the reader. That and there are other problems.

As someone whose an apocalyptic junkie and enjoys zombie titles I feel like that me hating that series says a lot about it. From my perspective anyway.

But yes those books or anything by Ringo and your in the negatives already.

Song Reference time

You who I called brother
How could you have come to hate me so?
Is this what you wanted?
I send the swarm, I send the horde

Then let my heart be hardened
And never mind how high the cost may grow
This will still be so
I will never let your people go

Thus saith the Lord
Thus saith the Lord
I will not
Let your people go

- “Ten Plagues”, Prince of Egypt, Rameses

Ban the Person above you

Banned for yelling.

Word association Game!

Clippers

S̴T̴O̴R̴M̴C̴L̴O̴A̴K̴ : Rise of Tyranny (Interest Gathering)

My Hider

• Character Name: Epesorn Mathmeldi (pronounced Eh-Peh-Sorn Math-Mel-Dee)

• Character Race: Altmer

• Gender: Male

•Character Appearance: I would actually really like to draw Epesorn at some point! I might update this in the future. Until then, I've only got a description: He has long, blonde hair that is light enough to border on silver. He typically braided it while in Summerset, but stopped the practice when he fled; it now hangs loose. He has no facial hair. Epesorn is tall and golden-skinned, being an Altmer. He wears nondescript robes that are a light gray with yellow markings. They are enchanted to boost his magicka slightly. At his side hands his elven shortsword. Epesorn has light yellow eyes.

• Short Biography:
Epesorn was born in Summerset Isle in 4E 177, making him 28. His immediate family, who were around during the Thalmor coup, had a history of dissenting opinions about the new regime, but had the common sense to keep their heads down to avoid persecution. Epesorn disagreed with his family; he took pride in his country and dreamt of joining the ranks of the Justiciars. Thalmor propaganda was an enormous influence on his perspective. He had never seen or interacted with any of the human races in real life, leaving him to the assurances of the Thalmor that they were a filth to be cleansed.
When he was of age, he began study, eager to make his extended family proud. Several years of Justiciar training gave him an edge in both combat and sleuthing. His teacher, believing him to be Thalmor material, decided he was ready for real cases, and secured Epesorn a spot as witness during an interrogation of a suspected Imperial spy; a Redguard who had gotten caught. Under torture, the Redguard confessed. Epesorn was unprepared for this and, despite the Thalmor ideology drilled into his mind, underwent a drastic paradigm shift. He was disturbed by the brutal treatment of the prisoner, which went contrary to his nature. Epesorn reunited with his parents and apologized, admitting they were right and the Thalmor were cruel. While both his mother and father were glad he was on the right path, they cautioned him to keep quiet or risk being targeted by the government.
But Epesorn, being young, rebelled against the idea of doing nothing while atrocities were carried out daily. He spoke to his friends and acquaintances, telling them what he had seen, and wondering about starting something; a rally, perhaps, some way to spread awareness of what was really happening under the surface. He even began plotting to free the Redguard prisoner he'd seen. Word got to the Thalmor - a mole in the group, maybe, or an eavesdropper - and Epesorn was brought to the very same interrogation room he had served as witness for, charged with treason. Being Altmer, they did not torture him, but he was made to confess with threats to his family. He admitted to working to destabilize the Thalmor's grip - the height of dishonor.
As a fitting punishment for his crime, he was cursed by his own teacher. If Epesorn spoke a command word - unknown to him - he would instantly and without recourse perish. This rendered him mute by choice for fear of activating the spell. He can still speak if he wishes, but every word is a risk. There are a few he's said accidentally that he knows are safe, but doesn't say them often because it's hard to explain his condition without speech.
Furthermore, he was exiled from the Summerset Isles and Aldmeri Dominion as a whole, becoming an apraxic mer. His family and friends were not informed of why he disappeared, but the suddenness of it was enough for them to get the message, and they remain unaware of whether he is alive. Epesorn was made to sail to Hammerfell, where he was met with hostility and occasionally violence; the Redguards of Hammerfell had no love for the Altmer, and Epesorn was unable to explain his situation. He travelled further north to Skyrim, where he now lives as an outcast.

•Personality and General Disposition:
Epesorn is very opinionated and was, before the curse, outspoken, which resulted in his expulsion from Summerset Isle. He has a strong moral compass and believes firmly in his values. He's bitter about the curse and has been working relentlessly to undo or disable it. Epesorn is a bit of a pacifist, and will search for alternate methods of conflict resolution before settling with violence. He believes combat to be an art form - in the Dominion, it was taught that battles between mer should be regarded as beautiful and tests of skill, whereas if men were involved, it was more of a nasty job, one that no one wanted, but that needed to be done. He doesn't believe the latter any longer, but agrees that fighting should be something of a spectacle.
He's willing to forge friendships in Skyrim, but given the climate towards non-Nords - and especially Altmer - he's very wary around others. Epesorn has no problem with the Daedric Princes, but is as of yet unwilling to deal with them in any respect. He's skeptical about Talos' divinity, though this could be seen as a byproduct of his upbringing, and if debated on it he might not be able to really muster an argument for himself. He prays to the Divines equally. He shares a couple views with the Stormcloaks - namely, that the Aldmeri Dominion must be stopped. But the rabid xenophobia and intense nationalism drives him away from them just as much as any other non-Nord.

• Allegiance/Loyalties: None - since becoming an apraxic mer he is a free agent

• Equipment/Gear: An elven shortsword, made in traditional Altmeri style, enchanted with simple fire damage upon striking. No other possessions; when he left he was stripped of everything save his sword.

• Skills and Abilities: As a Justiciar in training, he learned primarily destruction and alteration magic, plus the basics of restoration. He is by no means a master, but could reasonably defend himself. Epesorn knows how to handle his shortsword, and relies on it only when his magicka is low. He's always curious about other schools of magic, but never strays far from his comfort zone, preferring to read about the spells he doesn't know.

And just a note... I don't intend on him being a major, pivotal role in the plot anytime soon, because a lack of extensive speech would obviously be an issue there. But I am thinking at some point the curse will be lifted, that would be interesting. Any ideas on that front are welcome.
Also I'm surprised so far everyone's characters are male lol, I feel like I should have made a female character but I'll stick with what I've got.

@opticOpinicus

Seal 🦭 of approval. Accepted. I look forward to that drawing but for now your description works fine.