Tartha

Wyld West

#fantasy #casualrpg #wildwest #weirdwest #cowboys #highadventure

Moderators: Tartha and ChaoticOkay

A forum-based roleplaying game about the wonders of the mythic “Wyld West.” A shadow stretches out across the plains and fields, a darkness which infects the spaces between shanty towns and camps. It cares not your background or circumstance, it takes what it wants and leaves little behind. In the small encampment of Vinegar live a few who have banded together to fight the new threat to the world.
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Imagine every cowboy movie you’ve ever seen, sprinkle in some steampunk nonsense, add an exaggerated version of shinto spiritualism, dye the whole thing with a creeping darkness, and mix it in a shaker made out of Deadlands.

The Gun Tree
The world is full of spirits, and one must appease and avoid them in turn to achieve their goals. In the center of most townships is a tree--well cared for, and thriving--which has guns hanging from its limbs. A gun is a powerful weapon, and the spirit of a gun just may overtake a gunslinger which doesn't pay it proper respects.

The Deputy's Badge
The star of the deputy--when the deputy acts in accordance to the will of their township--offers skills and power to augment the deputy's work: a strong eye for what motivates a man, a quick draw, and a sharp wit.

Items and symbols gain power through perceived power, attention & care, myth, sacrifice, strong emotion, and the other spirits which inhabit the world. The Shadow represents a pollution and corruption of the energy which fills the world.
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As the Pan Men traveled west, they found mountains filled with jewels. As they drilled and dug into these mountains they released a darkness that had long been sleeping. These evil spirits, seemingly in direct opposition to the gods of the land, have left their mountain prisons to feast on the flesh of the living.
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There are gods in every sigh of the wind and every magnificent sunset. They are as incomprehensible as they are manyfold: as likely to help as harm.

Magic has always existed. Folks have always left out milk for fairies. People know that if you meet a pale woman under moonlight and she offers you gold, you politely decline. But here, in the American West, squeezed between the force of colonial expansion (some would say "the civilized world"), the expansive power which the native peoples have nourished (others would say "the spiritual world") has begun to bubble as the Shadows of the far west begin to encroach. Never has it been so important to tread lightly. Never has it been so important to "leave the milk out." Nature grows stronger, and in the "lawless west" the spirits run wyld with power.
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List of Friends.
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Krake Varnus (he/they/it)

Krake Varnus

Weapon of Choice: Krake, like much of the shadow, has the ability to completely overtake/swamp an opponent with shadow energy, but he prefers a clean kill with a small blade to the throat. He keeps his heart written on a slip of paper in his boot.
Conflict Style: Krake acts as a precision assassin: he doesn’t partake in obvious or petty fights and chooses his prey carefully.
Brief Physical Description: Varnus, like most of the shadow entities that have achieved sentience, is capable of taking on a variety of appearances. He favors a tall man in a black trenchcoat with a black hat.

Coldfire (she/her/hers)

Coldfire

Weapon of Choice: Coldfire never fights directly, she prefers to inspire others to fight for her.
Conflict Style: Coldfire reaches into the hearts of humans and finds the shadow which lives inside them--she lets it take control.
Brief Physical Description: Coldfire, unlike most of the shadow entities, is incapable of taking on other forms. She appears as a woman of indeterminate age, with pale blue skin and white hair. She favors dark blue silks and gold jewelry.

Player: Tartha

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This is a free-form, high literacy*, consent-based RPG.

Free-form means that you can do basically whatever you want with “reasonable” constraints. This is mitigated by the presence of the moderators: Tartha and ChaoticOkay who act as Game Masters and may step in at any time and change any thing. We will endeavor to be respectful and use our powers only for fun.

*High Literacy is often equated with long posts: if what you need to say doesn’t need a wall of text, you don’t need to post a wall of text. In fact, excess/repetitive detail is unnecessary and not encouraged. If there is a conversation between characters that is rapid-fire, consider taking the conversation to a chat room (Discord) and then posting the final exchange to the forum.

That being said, if someone posts four pages of well-thought-out roleplaying and your response is “no” it is not sufficient. Additionally, grammar is necessary (no lapslock, etc).

This RPG is consent-based, and so you cannot control other player’s characters unless they have given you express permission to do so. Therefore, battles between players (and similar situations) must be discussed out-of-character to decide on final outcomes. These may also be moderated by the Game Masters or decided via dice roll as necessary.

Follow community guidelines. Take explicit adult content to private exchanges away from the community (no explicit adult content: US podcast rules).
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Useful Links
Forum RPG Guidelines | Deadlands | Discord
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*If you do not include credit for your character art your character will not be accepted.
*Character art may not be photographs of real people (even in costume or “CGed”).

Character Sheet

Character Name: Name

Pronouns: Pronouns
Weapon of Choice:
Conflict Style:
Brief History:
Brief Physical Description:

Personality:
Weaknesses:
Strengths:
Spiritual/Magic Connection(s):
Connection to Shadow:
Other Notables:

Picture Credit
Player Handle:
Player Discord Handle:

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(short versions)

Darren (NPC)

Pronouns: he/him
Weapon of Choice: Long Rifle
Conflict Style: Mediation & Conversation
Brief History: Unanimously elected as the sheriff of Vinegar due to his calm demeanor and natural leadership skills. Darren came to Vinegar after his sister went missing; he was accused of dereliction of duty when he explained that she had been kidnapped by “shadows.”
Brief Description: Approximately 6’6” with a dark complexion, Darren is a solidly built man, but rarely draws attention to himself--perhaps it is due to this that when he does speak, folks tend to listen.
Player: n/a

Gem (NPC)

Pronouns: she/her
Weapon of Choice: Black Magic
Conflict Style: Violent & Sudden
Brief History: Gem became infected by a creature which refers to itself only as “Decenter,” this creature wants to work with Gem to enact revenge upon the shadows.
Brief Description: Gem favors male-centric clothing, and doesn’t seem particularly intimidating at 5’2” with pale sickly skin, but she makes up for her size in attitude and power.
Player: n/a

Grift (NPC)

Pronouns: he/they
Weapon of Choice: Various
Conflict Style: Rarely starts conflicts, but usually finishes them through physical violence.
Brief History: Grift seems to be cursed--everyone he’s made a lasting connection to in the past three years has been disappeared by shadows.
Brief Description: Grift is a caucasian non-binary individual who has spent enough time in the sun to turn a permanent dust-brown. He has broad shoulders and stands at approximately 6’2 (although he tends to hunch).
Player: n/a

Silence (NPC)

Pronouns: he/him
Weapon of Choice: Music
Conflict Style: Silence avoids conflicts as much as he can, but that might be because when he does fight he brings overwhelming force.
Brief History: Silence left home to search for the cause of the sudden presence of malevolent shadows in the world. For reasons his own, Silence does not speak of his home.
Brief Description: Tall and fit, Silence has strong hands. Regardless of what else he may wear, he keeps his hair in black braids. He rarely removes his golden disk earrings.
Player: n/a

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Character Art
Grift - Gun by Alessandro Baldasseroni
Darren - Mr Deputy Mr Deputy by Radoslav Topalov
Gem - Lady Mechanika by Miguel Mercado
Silence - Piegan Warrior by Z.S. Liang
Krake - Shadow Person by Jake Lewis
Coldfire - The Proposal by Skyzocat