71 replies to this topic

[Wynn]

Act 1: Peace Through War

 

The land of kings and princes have seen better days. War between two powerful houses has ravaged the Western mainland for near a hundred years, leaving numerous villages and towns in fire and ruin. Fields are painted red with the blood of soldiers, sellswords and servants. The smaller kingdoms cannot stay idle and have to choose a lord to pledge allegiance to, lest they be put to the blade next and their throne given to a loyal pretender. Yet, the larger empires nearby merely watch and wait. Caravans of fleeing civilians are denied refuge from these bordering empires in order to maintain the illusion of neutrality. It was a horrible war. 

 

Yet unbeknownst to everyone witnessing this spectacle, a much larger evil was lurking in the shadows. For someone like you though, the foe of tomorrow may not be a problem if you won't live to see the next day.

 

Setting: A succession war between two noble houses has sparked a war of unintended massive consequences. Feudal life for you might have always seemed bleak as the minds of the ruling class are easily swayed by their whims yet it is your fellow man's body that is paid for that price. You are anyone who is a non-noble/non-royal/non-clergy. For the sake of me not being able to figure out if they actually are considered nobles, you can be a knight.

 

The opening post will have you all in one of those caravans that are running from the battles. No set template for characters, and we probably won't have "battles" that are drawn out for more than a page or so. Questions?

 

[Kingroy]

I dig it. A Sword and shield RP. I'd like to cut some people up.

[The Dream]

Sounds good. I'm assuming our characters would have to be the few with no combat experience?

 

Also, any age restrictions and content guidelines (how explicit it can be)?

Edited by The Dream, 06 February 2015 - 11:53 PM.

[Wynn]

You guys can be anything reasonable.

 

That's all I want to say :v

[Ralor]

Hell yeah RP's :D also i'm in

[Valor]

I'm down.

[Dion]

I'd be down if your reputation wasn't as bad as mine when it came to RPs.

(but yeah im down)

[Wynn]

Sweet. Hopefully we get to start soon once everyone gets their character sheets posted.

 

Also Dion, I have a feeling this one will go better than all the other ones.

[Valor]

Any outlines for what you'd like in a sheet?

[Dion]

Yeah, I'd like to know as well. Character fields etc?

[Rose]

Sounds interesting, km down.

[Wynn]

Well aside from the basics of Name, Age, Gender, History and Personality, we should probably include Occupations, Weapon Affinity and Allegiance. Your Occupation should reflect the amount of knowledge you have upon a certain subject and your Weapon Affinity should include the type of weapon that you know how to wield (if any) and how good you are at it. Allegiance is merely which noble house you serve, if any. I can't think of anything else we'd need at the moment.

 

Also let's add some details to these so far faceless kingdoms and factions.

 

Empire de Oriflamme: The major continental power of the Western mainland. The Oriflamme Throne has ruled over many vassals over the course of its existence, the majority of which can be found within their borders. Until recent, this had also included the neighboring Isles of Shires, from where its main rival resides. The majority of the inland provinces are loyal to the Oriflamme king, Charles the Valorous.

 

Kingdom of Coventry: A relatively new power that was formed in the Isles of Shires. Their army is lesser in numbers but their magnificent navy controls the channel which separates them from the mainland. The current ruler of Coventry, Edward the Lightning, had successfully unified most of the Shires with only the northern Highlands and the eastern Clover Isle resisting their advances. The Oriflammian army intervened, fearing that Edward would seek to contest their mainland dominion afterwards. As they had correctly suspected, the Lightning was ready to strike them next.

 

The Empire of Besancon: The closest continental power that borders both warring houses. The ruling emperor himself, Philippe de Vergogne, is known to be a war monger who employs mercenaries to be the bulk of his army due to a lack of manpower. However, the elite standing army of Besancon is personally lead by the emperor. His favor is currently sought by both sides in order to sway the tide of battle. The most recent act of appeasement was when Charles the Valorous ceded three major provinces within his empire to Philippe, effectively making the duchy of Little Besancon within Oriflamme's borders.

 

The Iver Plates: A tri-kingdom peninsula that neighbors a coastal trade republic. Located south of where the majority of the conflict lies, they are rumored to accept refugees from the war but have officially declared neutrality. The kingdoms are ruled by the three brothers of house Trastemare, collectively known as the Lazy Kings of Iver. The Crowned Republic of New Iver is currently under the rule of the equally passive Doge Aves de Sardinia.

 

The Order of the Cross: Holy men of the True Faith. They answer to His Holiness and are revered by all men, lest they be branded heretics. Their main purpose is to act against heresy and avoid the political conflicts at hand. The Order can only grant safe passage to themselves, effectively damning the refugees that seek safety from them. 

 

As a side note, feel free to make smaller kingdoms within the Empires of Oriflamme or Besancon.

Edited by Wynn, 07 February 2015 - 11:39 PM.

[Kingroy]

Name: Zeke "Flare" LaFlair 

 

Age: 18

 

History: Zeke's born to David LaFlair and Wilma LaFlair as their only child. In school, he was always the "bold" student, willing to go beyond his peers for adventure and the out of the ordinary in order to escape the mundane. Initially working in his father's hunting group, he decided to become a swordsman, maybe even a sellsword. He would've made his decision if the war hadn't broken out. Deciding to take his parents to safety, he bought a sword, which was all he could afford at the time, and took to a caravan. 

 

Personality: Zeke has a fierce soul and is slightly arrogant, albeit truthfully brave. He has a good heart and is usually willing to go the extra distance for another if they seem to be a good person. His ignorance of a real battle allows him to confuse true bravery with bravado, and thus he comes off as a bit cocky to those who are a bit more mature.

 

 

Description: Dark skin male with gray eyes and rugged short growth hair. 5'11 in height and 150 in weight. Scarred and scratched up from head to toe due to his adventurous ways.

 

Occupation: Hunter 

 

Weapon Affinity: Sword

 

Allegiance: Empire de Oriflamme 

 

[Wynn]

Alright, first character in our quest for peace. Accepted.

[The Dream]

Name: Abda Uhuru

Age: 16

Gender: Female

Occupation: Servant Girl

Allegiance: N/A

 

Weapon: Danish axes/throwing axes - Adba knows how use these in close combat, however she has not mastered the art of throwing them. 

 

Personality: Adba appears to be a timid and quiet girl, however she is brave, selfless and outspoken. She despises ignorance and arrogance and has a fiery temper, one that would scare an entire army back to their mothers. She tends to be somewhat motherly in situations where she is in control but dislikes the idea of being considered as such. Her level of maturity ranges from an upset child to a seasoned knight.

 

Physical Description: Abda has a surpisingly fair skin tone. It is the colour of a cup of sweet milk tea, occasionally being more bronzer in the sunlight. Her hair is a dark shade of brown and goes down to her shoulder blade. It is slightly curly and unusually silky, usually she ties it up her hair to make it more compact. Her eyes are a light shade of brown, hazel in appearance under natural light, and deep in appearance. Her long eyelashes only increase the feeling of indulgence felt when they're looked upon. Her lips are naturally pouty but average in size. She is 175 centimeters tall and is of an average build, apart from her arms which have minor muscle tone from the physical labour experienced during her work.

 

Her clothing is nothing spectacular. She wears a typical white blouse, frilled at the ends which stops and hugs her halfway down her forearms, and a chocolate brown dress which covers the lower parts of her torso like a corset then goes down to cover the rest of her body like a typical maidens dress. She has a single belt around her waist with sections where she could place a weapon or items securely. Around her head she wears a white cowl to cover it when travelling, lowering it only when she serves her master. On her hands she wears brown gloves, covering the remaining skin on her hands and arms to maintain decency in public. Her shoes are flat and light brown, made out of leather like the majority of footwear.

 

History: Abda was born into the slave trade. She didn't know who her parents were and was forced to grow up rather quickly. She doesn't remember much of her childhood other than the few traumatic events she had witnessed which were attached to the slave trade. She was 9 when she was bought by her master and brought to the strange lands of Oriflamme. Thankfully she was somewhat lucky in life from this point on. Her master was kind and made sure she was fed, clothed and had a place to sleep. Her fellow servants didn't make sleeping much of an option however. They would pull nasty tricks on her and treat her poorly because of her foreign traits and background. Also because of the attention their master would give her. They once set an angry bull after her which nearly ended up puncturing a large hole through her stomach. Thankfully her master came in time to save her from the insane beast.

 

It was around the age of 12, however, did she get assigned to work more closely with her master. She would be by his side at all times and would provide him with the services he required. He was always gentle, however, which was what made her more lucky than other. Abda had only ever been beaten when she was still the property of the slavers and the first few years she was working under her master. Occasionally she may have received a slap when working more closely with her master however he was never the one to deal it.

 

When the rumours that a war might reach their doorstep her master had her train herself to learn how to use an axe as a weapon. Mainly for his own protection but hers as well.

 

When the war eventually did reach their doorstep, however, it was not enough. Nearly everyone on the estate was massacred, some being tortured without mercy before being slaughtered. Abda was about to be killed after a few men had found her, however her master attacked and distracted them long enough to tell her to run, telling her that he would be right behind her. He lied.

 

Abda was left alone and had nowhere to go, and so decided to seek refuge on a caravan.

Edited by The Dream, 08 February 2015 - 11:19 PM.

[Wynn]

I would assume mercenaries were the perpetrators of the pillaging, as the standing armies of the lords probably wouldn't randomly raid farm estates. Or maybe disgruntled grunts?

 

In either case, Abda is a great addition to this RP.

[The Dream]

The raid was more to take over the land to aid the war effort and provide another win to the opposing army. It wasn't random. It was a lot of land and the lord owning the estate wasn't going to give it up. As far as I know people were very violent during the 1400's so a forceful taking of this land wouldn't sound too far-fetched. However it'd be safe to say it was a group of mercenaries that cleared out the land.

[Ralor]

So I'm going under the assumption that magic is not a thing, would basic medieval chemistry have evolved to allow someone such as a metallurgy or someone otherwise skilled with poisons and remedies?

[Valor]

Name: Sam Abernathy
Age: 23
Occupation: Priest
Allegiance: Order of the Cross

Weapon Affinity: Bow and Arrow

Personality: Outspoken and blunt at times, Sam has no issues standing up for themselves and speaking their mind in any situation to anyone. However, he is a people person and knows exactly how to grease the wheels of anyone they come in contact with. The only thing slicker than his words, however, are his fingers.

Appearance: Sam has a tanned face, even now after his three years working at the chapel where he had been stationed. He is a slender short, with slumped over posture and thin arms and legs. Often people would comment that he should put more meat on his bones. His eyes are a chestnut brown, and his smooth, shaven head still has remnants of his golden locks he had brandished in his younger days. He wears a simple white robe, as most of the Order do, though most of the colourful accoutrements are left behind. When he's not wearing a robe, he is often seen wearing a loose fitting shirt and plain, stained pants. Often he will go barefoot, enjoying the feel of the soil squishing between his toes as he tends his garden.

History: Sam is a private person, and doesn't share much about their life before they donned the cloth. Growing up with his father in the serfdom, Sam is used to a life of labor. Often when they would find free time, his father would teach him how to hunt rabbits and other small pests on the grounds. Due to this, Sam has quite the marksmanship, though he says he hasn't touched a bowstring in seven years. No one is quite sure what happened to Sam during these years, but he appeared at the Cathedral of Saint Anthony three years prior and was accepted into their fold. Since then he has lead a relatively quiet life of prayer, meditation, and offering respite to any he could. He would oft remark about the hypocrisy of the Order labeling some heathens while also claiming to be a bastion for the unwanted.

Sam found himself on a caravan, caked in mud and dirt. His soft eyes fixated on a miscolored plank of wood making up the floor, which he apparently found more interesting than the soft murmur of frightened conversation around him. In his wiry hands were gripped a simple shortbow made of warped wood and frayed string.

[Wynn]

So I'm going under the assumption that magic is not a thing, would basic medieval chemistry have evolved to allow someone such as a metallurgy or someone otherwise skilled with poisons and remedies?

 

With the current state of the war, metallurgy is exclusively under the administration of the states. Anyone skilled with such knowledge is either forcefully recruited by the kings or executed on the spot. Herbalism is a more common practice and has no urgent value for the armies.

 

And I'm glad to have Sam on board since one of the characters I'll be primarily using is an official of the Order as well :D