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    1. TheMerlin 4 yrs ago

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2 yrs ago
Current Wind's howling.
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2 yrs ago
Looking for group
2 yrs ago
Looks like I'm a casual roleplayer after all.
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2 yrs ago
Such is the role player's life
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2 yrs ago
Mummies were also used for paint and fertiliser. The more you know!
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Thanks for the show of interest, everyone. I'll start working on setting things up.
THE CROOKED LANDS



Greetings, Seeker.

I trust you've heard the tales, have you not? Of stone spires that rise and fall like the winter wheat, making an ever changing maze out of the place; or of spirits and demons that haunt every nook and cranny, looking for some poor sod to prey upon?

And of course there's the Wishmaker, dead at the centre of it all. Come down from the sky one day and BANG! Makes everything the way it is today... and if you're lucky enough to reach it, grants you powers above mortal men. The kind that'll make legends out of you. No shortage of those these days.

Or maybe you been there, done that and now you want more. Well whatever it is, I do hope you know what you're getting yourself into. Seen plenty of folk go in and never come back. Hard enough getting here, even harder getting out, y'know? Got to mind who you trust too. Place just takes and takes, so some folk do the same.

Anyway, welcome to the Crooked Lands. Hope you find what you're looking for and watch your step. It's mighty dangerous out there.





Just testing the waters for now, but the gist of it is a meteor fell from the sky one day and reformed the land around it into the Crooked Lands, a vast hellscape of towering stone spires that jut out from the earth in every which way. It doesn't end there however as
at the end of each day, new spires sprout from the ground like weeds while old ones come tumbling down seemingly at random, making it almost impossible to navigate.

The meteor itself, known as the Wishmaker, grants powers to any Seeker skilled or lucky enough to reach it, but between it and the Seeker camps at the edge of the Crooked Lands are the spirits of every living creature killed in the initial impact that now seek to possess any living body they can find. Those who do get possessed are transformed into demons, twisted into bestial half-human forms that lose their sanity as well as their humanity, making them dangerous and unpredictable.

With a strong enough will, it's possible to survive this process with one's mind and faculties intact. Such individuals are rare however and of the few that exist, most tend to form their own communities within the Crooked Lands as many Seekers tend not to make the distinction between those who haven't lost their humanity and those who have, which is always a possibility regardless of one's initial willpower. Still, as some small benefit, demons are no longer bothered by other spirits and are still able to receive powers from the Wishmaker.

The spirits themselves are intangible and capable of passing through solid objects, but they're also quite fragile and vulnerable against cold iron or steel. All one would have to do is to break their form with the swing of a sword. However, if a spirit is able to pass through a living body then they're likely to become possessed and transformed into a demon. The only known way to counter this, asides from the individual's own will, is a sudden pain response (often in the form of a slap) to startle the spirit and jolt them out of their target's body. A tell-tale sign of a spirit's presence is a sudden drop in temperature whenever they approach.

Some of the powers granted to Seekers who manage to reach the Wishmaker include enhanced strength, healing, resilience and even immortality. No doubt there are many more, but no matter the ability it is always temporary and there is no telling how long they may last. It could be only for a few days or years, but without exception, the power eventually expires and former Seekers must return to the Crooked Lands if they wish to regain it.

It is not possible to have more than one power at a time, so choose wisely when (or rather if) the time comes.

Setting is medieval fantasy.

There's a few more things I could mention about history and factions, but that's all the important bits for now. Anyways, lemme know if you're interested and if you are, I'll see about tossing up a thread.
I suppose it couldn't hurt to try.
Think I'll shelve this idea for now.
THE CROOKED LANDS



Greetings, Seeker.

I trust you've heard the tales, have you not? Of stone spires that rise and fall like the winter wheat, making an ever changing maze out of the place; or of spirits and demons that haunt every nook and cranny, looking for some poor sod to prey upon?

And of course there's the Wishmaker, dead at the centre of it all. Come down from the sky one day and BANG! Makes everything the way it is here... and if you're lucky enough to reach it, grants you powers above mortal men. The kind that'll make legends out of you. No shortage of those these days.

Or maybe you been there, done that and now you want more. Well whatever it is, I do hope you know what you're getting yourself into. Seen plenty of folk go in and never come back. Hard enough getting here, even harder getting out, y'know? Got to mind who you trust too. Place just takes and takes, so some folk do the same.

Anyway, welcome to the Crooked Lands. Hope you find what you're looking for and watch your step. It's mighty dangerous out there.





Just testing the waters for now, but the gist of it is a meteor fell from the sky one day and reformed the land around it into the Crooked Lands, a vast hellscape of towering stone spires that jut out from the earth in every which way. It doesn't end there however as
at the end of each day, new spires sprout from the ground like weeds while old ones come tumbling down seemingly at random, making it almost impossible to navigate.

The meteor itself, known as the Wishmaker, grants powers to any Seeker skilled or lucky enough to reach it, but between it and the Seeker camps at the edge of the Crooked Lands are the spirits of every living creature killed in the initial impact that now seek to possess any living body they can find. Those who do get possessed are transformed into demons, twisted into bestial half-human forms that lose their sanity as well as their humanity, making them dangerous and unpredictable.

With a strong enough will, it's possible to survive this process with one's mind and faculties intact. Such individuals are rare however and of the few that exist, most tend to form their own communities within the Crooked Lands as many Seekers tend not to make the distinction between those who haven't lost their humanity and those who have, which is always a possibility regardless of one's initial willpower. Still, as some small benefit, demons are no longer bothered by other spirits and are still able to receive powers from the Wishmaker.

The spirits themselves are intangible and capable of passing through solid objects, but they're also quite fragile and vulnerable against cold iron or steel. All one would have to do is to break their form with the swing of a sword. However, if a spirit is able to pass through a living body then they're likely to become possessed and transformed into a demon. The only known way to counter this, asides from the individual's own will, is a sudden pain response (often in the form of a slap) to startle the spirit and jolt them out of their target's body. A tell-tale sign of a spirit's presence is a sudden drop in temperature whenever they approach.

Some of the powers granted to Seekers who manage to reach the Wishmaker include enhanced strength, healing, resilience and even immortality. No doubt there are many more, but no matter the ability it is always temporary and there is no telling how long they may last. It could be only for a few days or years, but without exception, the power eventually expires and former Seekers must return to the Crooked Lands if they wish to regain it.

It is not possible to have more than one power at a time, so choose wisely when (or rather if) the time comes.

Setting is medieval fantasy.

There's a few more things I could mention about history and factions, but that's all the important bits for now. Anyways, lemme know if you're interested and if you are, I'll see about tossing up a thread.

In Ashen Skies 2 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
Corvo gasped as the blades zipped by his ear and bit into the surface of the door. Out of pure reflex, he immediately spun around and dropped into a combat stance, expecting the next blade to strike for his heart. What followed however were only the spymaster's words, yet spoken harshly as they were, they struck more truly than any weapon could and Corvo found himself unable to meet Gerhardt's eyes as the man exploded in fury and frustration.

At first the prince's own anger had evaporated into shame and guilt, subsumed by the greater storm before him and he quietly endured it. Admittedly, he had forgotten that Gerhardt had suffered just as much as he had, if not more. He wanted to say so himself, but the dam had broken and now all the weight of everything they had both endured from Belisio to here was spilling out in this room. All the words unsaid, the thoughts unshared, they were coming out now only when they had a chance to stop and the more Gerhardt spoke in honest anger, the more unfair it seemed to Corvo to not do likewise.

"You don't think I know that?" he said, quietly at first as Gerhardt made his predictions. Then the spymaster whipped his cup at the prince's head and whether it would have struck or not, Corvo deflected it anyway with the back of his fist as he shouted, "YOU DON'T THINK I KNOW THAT?"

The cup bounced violently off the other side of the room as the prince continued, "I was there! You don't have to remind me, beacuse i was right there! I am still there, every single fucking night and it's all I can think about! You don't think I know the consequences of failure? I just fucking lived it! We both did! How is it any different over here when we're just as surrounded by enemies? At least over there, I could... I could..."

Corvo wanted to say more, but found himself struggling to articulate his thoughts into words and in a sudden desire to breathe some fresh air, he hurried to open the door and step outside. He only meant to take pause to gather himself, but the spymaster was not done with him yet.

"Go ahead! Go and run! You'd best hurry 'your majesty'," Gerhardt snarked before adding.
"Grow a spine boy. Save your regrets and anger for when you're actually in a position to use them. But if I wasted and risked my life for an impetuous ingrate, by all means leave and save me the trouble of actually caring." He picked up the chair and made a dismissive wave to Corvo. "Either you put some faith in us or you fuck off and do whatever you think is best."

In response, Corvo slammed the door shut so hard that it rattled on its hinges, knocking the three blades loose and sending them clattering to the floor. It was no use. He had no stomach for bickering anymore and further argument would only lead to more hurt. Words were simply not enough anymore. All he could do was look up at the bright blue sky, glimpsing it briefly before closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. Then for the second time in his life, he let out a shout so fierce that it seemed to make the world shake.

Without thought or intention, Corvo had channelled all the energies of his soul into that shout and like thunder it rumbled through the air, causing the very walls of the house to vibrate. Imbued with so much ki, it would have carried enough destructive force to break through stone or tear a person asunder. Aimed towards the sky however, it harmed only the peace of the neighbourhood as well as the eardrums of whoever happened to be nearby.

Corvo however did not realize how loud it had been nor that his eyes had been closed until he opened them, seeing the old man named Castille who was still seated against the wall of the building. In that moment, Corvo had been blind, deaf and dumb to his own power, and thinking nothing of it, he pointed towards the door with a sheepish expression on his face as he said to the old man, "Sorry, I don't suppose you heard all that?"
In Ashen Skies 2 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
Owen's vague response only made Corvo more curious as to what an 'Ender' was and he was about to press the matter until Gerhardt spoke up, "Leongarde chose to let Belisio fall, because the relationship between the two countries has been strained for quite some time. In their eyes Belisio had become nothing more than a bully, regardless of how we might feel about such matters."

You dare, the prince thought as he tried to formulate a response, sharing Owen's look of incredulity. A bully? My nation burns and you dare to say it is nothing more than a bully? No... Leongarde. It is from their perspective, but why? What have we done to offend them?

Corvo received his answer soon enough as Gerhardt spoke on of mist harvesters, border disputes and the lives of mages within the Priestdom, which only served to further the prince's ire. So because they decide to shoot themselves in the foot with their own intolerance of magic, they let some minor incident dictate our fates? he wanted to scream, brooding in contempt as the brothers quibbled over mercenary business. Do they not realize that by allowing us to fall, they only stand to be next and all over a few harvesters?

The prince did not make a single sound or movement, nor even a change in expression until he caught the tail end of Owen's words, "... so I suggest you both eat and rest, cause if you’re set on this, I’ll take you with me tonight."

"No," Corvo said, standing up swiftly as he addressed the master of the house. "No, we've wasted enough time here."

Then with a scornful look towards Gerhardt, he continued, "If what you say is true then we will find no aid here no matter what. More aside, I will not bow and scrape for some blinkered theocrat when we could be back home rallying what remains of our forces, of our people, so that we might mount a resistance while we still can. For Gaia's sake, what are we even doing here in the first place?"

His spirit inflamed, Corvo turned hotly towards the door whilst declaring his convictions aloud, "We fled when we should have fought!"
In Ashen Skies 2 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
Corvo offered no protest as Gerhardt guided him through the marketplace, but he cast a final glance towards the direction where the Courtesan went and found himself hoping that they might cross paths again. Focus, he chided himself as he shook his head and snapped his eyes forward. You're here for a purpose, not to play around. Try as he might however, the image of the fiery haired Courtesan still lingered in his mind's eye and no amount of shaking could banish her from sight. Her beauty seemed ill fit for a city of Leongarde, but then again there was already much Corvo had seen that was seemingly at odds with the Priestdom's reputation.

After arriving at an area known as Hill Point, Corvo once again felt as though he had arrived in some other far flung part of the world, away from the hustle and bustle of the marketplace and into a relatively quiet neighbourhood. Where the market had been vast and grandiose, this part of the city was full of narrow streets and labyrinthine passageways. Without Gerhardt leading the way, Corvo was quite certain that he'd become lost.

After a few meandering twists and turns, they had seemingly arrived at their destination when the spymaster stopped before a tall stone building standing behind a wooden wall, though it lacked an entrance... Or so it appeared anyway. As it turned out, the wall itself was the entrance and when Gerhardt found the hidden latch that allowed him to open it, Corvo couldn't help wondering what would necessitate such a deception and whether he should expect to see anything else of a similar nature. Who was this Zathre character exactly?

Stepping through into a small courtyard, Corvo looked around as he tried to guess which of the people gathered there was the one they were here to see. Surely not the old woman hanging up laundry on a clothesline or the little boy apparently learning how to read, which left the elderly man who seemed to be teaching him, sitting in the sun the with the appearance of a wise sage, staff and all. Corvo was on the verge of introducing himself before the spymaster asked, "Is the master home?"

So not the old man then. Still, Corvo was shocked to see Gerhardt suddenly fall as the old man swept his feet out from under him with his staff. Even more shocking however was seeing the spymaster completely unbothered by such a way of greeting and going on to speak with the old man with such warmth and familiarity that it made Corvo wonder whether they were related. He had never seen this side of Gerhardt before, ever the calculating man of focus serving at his father's side. As he conversed with the old man, apparently named Castille, it occurred to Corvo that he never really knew the spymaster that well at all despite seeing him for many years.

When the man they were here to meet finally appeared, it surprised Corvo even further to learn that this Owen Zathre was Gerhardt's own brother and even more roguish in appearance than the spymaster himself. As Owen invited them inside the house and Corvo sat upon the chair offered to him, he began to wonder if Gerhardt was ever truly Belisian in the first place or a native of Leongarde and if so, how did he come to serve the kingdom?

With an eye of suspicion, Corvo listened as Gerhardt finally came to their point of business while conversing with Zathre, "So we came to you, we need a seal of approval so we can stay in the city and attempt to offer the young prince some time to grow, in both skill and in allies."

Owen sighed a heavy sigh rubbing his brow at that.

"Much of what was is gone, dear brother. Time are difficult. The merest inkling of a rebellion of any kind is crushed. If you’re going to do this, you’ll need to go up top to get their approval first before you can start recruiting and who is to say how long that will take? By the time you’re done Belisio will have ended under Vaim’s complete control, there will be nothing left for the Prince to rally. If I were the both of you I’d forget about this whole notion and start a new life. I’ll help you regardless of what you choose, but for the sake of your own skins, don’t raise your head up too high above the cornfield so to speak. You’ll be noticed by the Enders."

"What are Enders?" Corvo asked, speaking for the first time since he arrived. "And why did Leongarde not come to our aid when we needed it most?"
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