Once upon a time, there was a Faraway Land. It was a land of magic, a place of mythical creatures and dangerous monsters, the home of mighty heroes and deadly villains. It wasn't always that way, though. Many eons ago, it was a desolate place, whose simple inhabitants struggled endlessly for survival. Then, great vessels appeared in the sky and deposited humans upon the earth. These humans scattered abroad and remade the world to their liking, and in so doing, made it a better place. For the first time in millennia, the natives flourished, not merely scraping by, but truly living and enjoying life. Humans, too, lived in harmony with the planet, and in blissful isolation from their home culture, they advanced further than ever before.
But the peace didn't last long. One day, a hole appeared in the sky, and through it poured millions upon millions of black monstrosities from the underworld. They swept through the planet, killing and terrorizing everything in their path. The humans hastily constructed five mighty fortresses, called Havens, throughout the continent to repel the invaders, and a great battle ensued. But they were sorely outmatched. With billions of invaders piling along the edges of the continent, each one more than a match for any human soldier, the fortresses fell in a matter of hours. Humanity came to the brink of extinction on the world.
Then, from the dust of the ground, twelve tremendous beasts rose to existence. Bearing immense power over the elements, they fought the invaders and drove them back to the hole whence they came. The humans called them Guardians. The beasts sealed the portal and retreated to the furthest corners of the earth, where they would remain in case the invaders ever returned. Before they left, however, one Guardian gave to humanity power over magic. Using this newfound power, the survivors sought to rebuild their war-torn world. The environment had taken a turn for the worse, and the creatures that once lived in peace had turned violent. To facilitate survival in this new world, the survivors turned to genetic engineering. They designed the tough, hardy Orcs to live in the desolate north, the agile, perceptive Elves to live in the treacherous forests, and the short, durable Dwarves to live in the western caves. More importantly, if the invaders ever returned, they would have to reckon with the new and improved humanoid subspecies specifically tailored to defeat them.
Centuries passed. The memory of the war faded into legend, and thence into myth. The subspecies forgot their common heritage and began to see each other as aliens. War broke out, and it wasn't long before the entire continent was embroiled once again in a bloody struggle for superiority.
You will begin this story as a resident of this world. Whether you arrived here from the modern world through a portal or grew up here from your youth, you're here now. A dragon, one of the Guardians, has kidnapped the Princess of Dragan and holds her at the center of Stonehune Volcano, in Westhaven Tower. The King of Dragan has summoned All Able Adventurers to come to his palace to prepare for her rescue. On the way there, you'll receive a letter that changes everything...
An ancient fighter carrier repurposed as a city. Home to all kinds of races, the futuristic starship is a veritable goldmine of technology. While it is ostensibly ruled by representative government, its true rulers are an oligarchy of guildmasters. They're...not the easiest bunch to deal with. The previous monarch of Dragan, Queen Solorfainiel, once managed to shut them down with corruption investigations, but that was a hundred years ago. Thankfully, these guildmasters don't try to interfere much in the normal business on Skytown, but by the same token, they don't do much to stifle crime either. With the local government in their back pockets, things have gotten a little out of hand. If a hero or two were to set things straight, it could improve the lives of thousands for years to come.
Daily life is one of the brighter parts of Skytown. Most people live on nearby airships (propelled by the same fusion rocket technology found on the carrier), and people transport themselves by plane. Right now, airplane technology is a bit crude - they're little more than wood & fabric wings with a propeller, but it's miles more than what the surface dwellers have. As long as you have a trusty semi-automatic crossbow and your wits about you, you'll enjoy your time on Skytown.
NPCs: * The Black Knight, a mysterious warrior who fights the player characters every chance he gets, with every fiber of his being. He is thought to be incapable of communicating (except with maps, drawing, and hand signals); magic may be playing a role in this. Either way, he is a devastating opponent.
* King Alexander Dragan, reigning monarch of Dragan who summoned the players to his aid. He has a greater agenda that may be revealed in time. He seeks what is best for his kingdom, but there are a few skeletons in his closet that may come back to haunt him and force him to do otherwise.
* Carad'Loki, the dragon Guardian. He is older than dirt and wise beyond comprehension. Why he'd do something so foolish as to capture a princess is beyond the greatest minds of this generation.
Gorman stood back and watched the town go up in flames. Tomas stood with him, arms crossed, silent as always. As the warriors returned from battle carrying the spoils they'd saved, Gorman's eyes narrowed. His own squad had underperformed. Some of them were caught letting their targets go for one excuse or another, and it angered him. They weren't there when the alliance of humans, elves, and dwarves slaughtered his kin like they were livestock. They weren't there when the "heroes" decapitated women and children and celebrated it as a "righteous victory." These townsfolk didn't deserve mercy.
Then again, his warriors weren't there. They hadn't seen the atrocities committed firsthand. They couldn't be blamed for their inability to time travel. Gorman took a deep breath and closed his eyes to calm his temper. If no one else understood, Tomas did. Tomas was one of the few survivors of the massacre, and though he wasn't part of Gorman's army at the time, their shared experience brought them together as friends. He couldn't speak, or even read, but his unwavering loyalty struck a chord in the old Captain's heart.
Could Erjak teach him to read?
Gorman pushed all other thoughts aside as his warriors drew within shouting distance. "REPORT ALL YOUR SPOILS AND PILE THEM BEHIND ME! THEN LINE UP FOR DEBRIEFING!"
Hello! Welcome to my Interest Check. The premise behind this story is to give players a traditional fantasy experience so they are free to develop their story however they want. With so many weird (and wonderful) premises out there, I often found myself missing traditional fantasy. This is for you guys. __________
Once upon a time, there was a Faraway Land. It was a land of magic, a place of mythical creatures and dangerous monsters, the home of mighty heroes and deadly villains. It wasn't always that way, though. Many eons ago, it was a desolate place, whose simple inhabitants struggled endlessly for survival. Then, great vessels appeared in the sky and deposited humans upon the earth. These humans scattered abroad and remade the world to their liking, and in so doing, made it a better place. For the first time in millennia, the natives flourished, not merely scraping by, but truly living and enjoying life. Humans, too, lived in harmony with the planet, and in blissful isolation from their home culture, they advanced further than ever before.
But the peace didn't last long. One day, a hole appeared in the sky, and through it poured millions upon millions of black monstrosities from the underworld. They swept through the planet, killing and terrorizing everything in their path. The humans hastily constructed five mighty fortresses, called Havens, throughout the continent to repel the invaders, and a great battle ensued. But they were sorely outmatched. With billions of invaders piling along the edges of the continent, each one more than a match for any human soldier, the fortresses fell in a matter of hours. Humanity came to the brink of extinction on the world.
Then, from the dust of the ground, twelve tremendous beasts rose to existence. Bearing immense power over the elements, they fought the invaders and drove them back to the hole whence they came. The humans called them Guardians. The beasts sealed the portal and retreated to the furthest corners of the earth, where they would remain in case the invaders ever returned. Before they left, however, one Guardian gave to humanity power over magic. Using this newfound power, the survivors sought to rebuild their war-torn world. The environment had taken a turn for the worse, and the creatures that once lived in peace had turned violent. To facilitate survival in this new world, the survivors turned to genetic engineering. They designed the tough, hardy Orcs to live in the desolate north, the agile, perceptive Elves to live in the treacherous forests, and the short, durable Dwarves to live in the western caves. More importantly, if the invaders ever returned, they would have to reckon with the new and improved humanoid subspecies specifically tailored to defeat them.
Centuries passed. The memory of the war faded into legend, and thence into myth. The subspecies forgot their common heritage and began to see each other as aliens. War broke out, and it wasn't long before the entire continent was embroiled once again in a bloody struggle for superiority.
You will begin this story as a resident of this world. Whether you arrived here from the modern world through a portal or grew up here from your youth, you're here now. A dragon, one of the Guardians, has kidnapped the Princess of Dragan and holds her at the center of Stonehune Volcano, in Westhaven Tower. The King of Dragan has summoned All Able Adventurers to come to his palace to prepare for her rescue. On the way there, you'll receive a letter that changes everything...
Who's interested?
I gave the subtitle Resurrection for two reasons. 1: It's a reboot of the original The Faraway Land. 2: Death is not the end for the player characters.
@Thinslayer I suppose it really depends on how much you want to write :D If you're willing to do a fair amount of writing, option A is the clear one, and it provides a lot of player-driven interaction. This will hold especially true to any reprimands being made by our Orc Captain, and could perhaps set the stage for either future conflicts or personal affairs.
Option B will allow everyone to wrap up the battles their own way, but will still more or less be the same as option A. It may indeed require more work on your part since everyone will be making a post to respond directly to, as opposed to everyone being in a potential group :3 It's good if you're looking for a challenge or are dedicated, but I wouldn't recommend it.
The third option is the easiest, and can easily be the best if done well c: You can get across the brutality of the raid, the soldiers who disobeyed direct orders, and advancing plot points all in one go. It's the easiest to write and is personally my preference ^-^ It'll also allow for a little bit of freedom from characters to decide what they did and will do, though it could be the longest of the three depending on how you write it!
TL;DR: Personally I'd go with some time after, but each has its own pros and cons ;)
Skipping to the post-invasion march against the Alliance certainly seems easier, but it opens up the risk of plot-holes and skips some major drama we need to carry the plot forward. Wrapping up the characters' individual fights will have to be told in flashbacks, which are a little awkward in PvGM combat situations. It'll make writing the rest of the story a bit harder. Skipping to the immediate end of the fight is a bit easier because the characters have an excuse to describe what they did for the readers' benefit, and allows the introduction of drama with the orcish leadership needed to drive the plot.
So we'll skip the immediate end of the fight. I'll have to postpone the writeup until Monday morning/noon (it's 1:15am now, and I don't write well when I'm tired).
Anyone need me to help tie up some loose ends before the skip?
@Thinslayer Hey no worries man :3 A timeskip sounds alright to me! Need any help writing the post? ^-^
Thanks, man. I think if we skip to after the battle ends, I can start writing again. The point of this battle was to display the brutality of the orcs and the desperation of the opposition, and I think the point got across. But I could use a little advice: Should I start off with everyone still in town, immediately after the battle, or some time after, during the march against the Alliance?
I haven't slept properly in weeks, and it's destroying my ability to write. Plus, I've found that I REALLY hate rewriting posts. Once something is written, it's incredibly awkward to rewrite it. I'm considering a timeskip. Who's up for it?
Scrawl Banditta,
ConductorCore,
SilverPaw,
Rin,
ineffable,
Shadows Demons,
Lord Zee
