Swords, Sorcery, and Adventure...a Fantasy RPG(Its a Go!)

[MagicalPen]

Swords, Sorcery, and Adventure

A Century of War has left the world of Talamah decimated. Untold lives have been lost. Countless Villages, Towns, and Cities have been burned to the ground. Groups of Mercenaries, Soldiers, Bandits and Monsters roam the lands, raping and pillaging their way to fortune. Famine and disease stalk the land, following in the wake of what few Armies still exist. In a world so dark and desolate, every life is precious. In a world so dark and desolate, woman vastly outnumber the men due to the countless wars, leaving many bastard and orphaned children behind. In a world so dark and desolate, is their finally a ray of hope? Over a Century ago, Talamah was plunged into darkness. Every Kingdom, Country, and Duchy that could field an Army did so. The exact circumstances and reasons have long been lost to the annals of time. No one remembers why they fight anymore, just that they do. No one alive today has been untouched by War or not seen it first hand. Very few people live outside the walls of their community. Mercanaries-for-Hire roam the land, often acting as bandits themselves. Bandits, too, roam the lands. The soldiers sent to protect often go rogue themselves, adding to the danger. Creatures of the Night, tribes of Orcs, and other evil creatures - no longer hunted by man - are eager to get in on the action to. There is no end in sight. Or is there? Engineers and Soldiers are perhaps the most common of occupations in this new world of war. Villages, Towns, and Cities are armed to the teeth, often requiring service from all citizens to patrol the walls. Walls of at least 15 feet in height are constructed - of wood in the villages, and wood and stone in the Towns and Cities (if not larger). War Machines often grace the tops of the walls, the land cleared well away from the walls to offer the best of views. Merchants often travel in large caravans under armed escorts but even these are not immune from attack. Traveling solo is only done at your own risk - there are too many dangers out there, waiting to pray on the weak. Farmers as always, suffer. They have formed walled communities, only working their fields by day, long after the sun is up, often with men manning watchtowers, overlooking the fields, to warn of any approaching bands. This means less time in the fields which means smaller harvests, straining food supplies for all those that rely on them. Brothels are almost over flowing with women from all walks of life. The human-slave-trade thrives, though Humans are not the only race being traded. The divide between the wealthy and the poor is at an all time high, though when those up high fall, they fall hard and fast. Out of the ashes a new hope has risen. A powerful warlord-turned-King has managed to pacify a large area, claiming the ancient title of King of Ribenheim. Boasting a powerful, core army and a blossoming Navy, some sea-lanes have been restored a trade with the Western Isles has begun once more - a region largely untouched by the century of war. The Warlord-King, however, has passed away and his powerful Daughter has taken his place. She seeks to expand her control, surrounding herself with advisers and people of power - and those seeking to gain the favor of her ear.  She seeks an artifact of power in order to do so. But where it lies is still a mystery. Rumors of the artifacts location are widespread and varied. Her many enemies will also seek to find it. So she has tasked two groups of people to find it - one publicly, soldiers of her own, though there are merely a diversion. A second group, collected in secret, believing they are searching for something else, has been formed to seek this artifact of hers. With a plethora of mercenaries and soldiers-for-hire, forming this second, secretive group should not be an issue. Not with one of her Hidden People at its head. So complete has the destruction of what was once known in Talamah that there are no reliable maps anymore. Villages that once existed do not. Towns that did not exist do now. A century of warfare has much changed the landscape of Talamah. There are perhaps more ruins than inhabited places. And because of this, there are twice as many rumors - rumors about haunting and treasures, lost cities of gold. Sadly, the tales of things that go bump in the night are true more often then not. Many of the braver souls have gone exploring, many not returning. Magic is uncommon in Talamah. It is rumored that once almost all people had a touch of magic. These days, only the select few can say they can touch the ebb and flow of magic. Many of these people are employed by those who would call themselves rulers in Talamah. Gone are the days of Battlemages though the destruction they wrought is hard to forget - the ground torn asunder, areas where nothing still grows, places that set every hair on your body tingling. But their magic remains in places, tombs protected by spells, magical traps triggered by the mere presence of people. Mages today can often sense such places and traps though they do not always have the knowledge of how to disarm them. As such, most Mages are of the healing type though a few are known to have more destructive or illusive magic. Once magic is discovered in someone, they are often taken to one of the Mage Guilds Towers - fortified locations throughout Talamah where Magic is able to be practiced, usually free of outside interference. Often, these towers The Races of Talamah are, surprisingly, more diverse then before. People are often displaced. Women are raped. There are more half-races then before, while also more races living with each other. Racism and disdain of the others races is still prevalent and certain regions ban all non-humans from their villages and cities, though this is often dictated by wars and battles from the past. In the more pacified regions, such bans are not nearly as common.

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[MagicalPen]

Gnomes and Halflings are the rarest races. Their small stature often has them confused for children and they are clearly not meant for battle. Large communities of both have been wiped out and their numbers among the populace are dwindling.

The century of war has brought Dwarves out of their mountain strongholds, seeking work as mercenaries and blacksmiths. Not much is known about the Dwarves, their Mountain Kingdoms offlimits to outsiders. What is known is that Dwarven Steel is the best you can get, their arms and armor far superior to humankinds.

Half-Orcs are looked upon with disdain everywhere they go, the result of an Orc raping a human female. Orcs themselves are often killed on sight - sometimes Half-Orcs are mistaken too.

Humans and Elves have long been at war with each other. Elves are banned in certain regions and Half-Elves on both sides are more common than in the past.

[MagicalPen]

Desired Roles:

Class Stereotypes Wanted:

Thief - RubySlippers
Archer - Open
Mage - Open
Soldier, Spearman - Open
Soldier, Open - Open
Soldier, Open - MagicalPen

These are *rough* sketches of the type of classes I am looking for for this small party. When expressing interest, please also express interest in which Class you desire to play.
I would also like to keep this even between the sexes (3 Females, 2 Males + Me). However, if there is a lot more interest then that, I am willing to *expand* the part with a few extra spots.

Character Image Desired:
Pathfinder Art
Kings of the Realm Art

[MagicalPen]

Character Section:

Konrad Roht by MagicalPen

Name: Konrad Roht
Age: 34
Race: Human
Profession: Soldier / Hidden One

Background and Personality: Konrad Roht was born a bastard and was an orphan by the time he was 4 years old. To say that his life was a hard one would be an understatement - the village in which he was born no longer exists. With the death of his mother and the destruction of his village, Konrads life changed forever. Little is known of how he survived for the next year and it is not something he has ever talked about but what is known is that he made his way to the capital city of Ribenheim where the Cloaked Ones found him.

The next 12 years of his life were spent with the Cloaked Ones as they trained him and turned him into a Hidden One. The Hidden Ones, or the Hidden People, are assassins, spies, bodyguards, and masters of disguise. Much about them is superstition or rumor. What is known for fact is that a single Hidden One can take on, and defeat, half a dozen veteran soldiers on their own. They are trained from a young age in all types of weaponry, physical strength, climbing, agility, languages, disguise, alchemy and poison among other things. It is said that all of the Hidden Ones are Orphans, people without families, people with nothing to lose, who are brainwashed to serve - which is what makes them virtually unbreakable even if captured. No one knows who exactly they are or how many of them there are or even how far they have infiltrated into both Ribenheim and its enemies. They are the secret army, the death from the shadows that can strike at any time.

Konrad hides his secret and his past. He is fluent in several languages, knows the customs of several cultures and peoples, and is highly skilled with the sword. He is loyal to a fault and the leader of the expedition - a role new upon itself for him as he is posing as a hired mercenary. He can come across as cold and withdrawn while at other times lively and warm. He will guard your back but as soon as you betray him, he'll slit your throat while you sleep.

Major Skills: Stealth, Weaponry, Combat, Languages
Minor Skills: Woodcraft, Climbing,
Flaws and Weaknesses: Loyal - to a fault, Socializing, Archery

Items:

Additional Information:

Character Creation Sheet:

Code Select Expand


[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Race:[/b]
[b]Profession:[/b]
[b]
Background and Personality:[/b]
[b]
Major Skills:[/b]
[b]Minor Skills:[/b]
[b]Flaws and Weaknesses:[/b]
[b]Items:[/b]
[b]Additional Information:[/b]


[MagicalPen]

On Magic:

Magic is like your inner chi - it is something within you that you can touch, some have a greater ability to do so then others. Most people, however, can not sense this magic. In some places, it seems to well up and barely take any effort to touch. In other places it feels like being in a desert, dying of thirst - very hard to draw upon it.

Those who possess magic tend to have charms of some sort that help them focus in on their inner magic. Talismans and trinkets - its different for every person - and staffs. All tend to have some sort of magical properties and are highly sought after.

The most common form of magic is that of healing. Healing Mages are quite popular due to their ability to heal fatal wounds and infections, saving the life of many a soldier and warlord.
Mages that possess some form of destructive magic are rarer and often employed by the military (of some sort) due to obvious reasons. They, however, pale in comparison to the Battlemages of old.

Common Magics:

-Healing Magic:
Level 1 Healing --Ability to heal multiple minor wounds at only a small cost to the Mage (often with a headache and feeling lethargic)
Level 2 Healing --Ability to heal a few grievous wounds at a taxing cost to the Mage (often with a headache, bloody nose, feeling very tired and sore, hours needed for recovery)
Level 3 Healing --Ability to heal a mortal wound at great cost to the Mage, often resulting in unconsciousness for 1 - 3 days (all of the above, including feeling extreme weakness upon waking up)
Level 1 Poison --Ability to cure poisoning though often showing signs of the poison themselves (headaches, pallor to the skin, weakly feelings, upset stomach/nausea, vomiting)


Uncommon Magic:

-Destructive Magic:
Level 1 Destruction --Small balls of Fire that set everything they touch on fire. Used sparingly, equivalent to Level 1 Healing. Used continuously, equivalent to Level 2 Healing.
Level 2 Destruction --Burning Touch, grants the users hands to become searingly hot to the touch, often burning what they touch. Used sparingly, equivalent to Level 1 Healing. Used continuously, equivalent to Level 2 Healing
Level 3 Destruction --Telekinesis, the ability to move and manipulate objects around them, often at greater speeds than natural. Used sparingly on light objects, equivalent to Level 1 Healing. Used continuously, equivalent to Level 3 Healing, on heavier objects or people possibly leads to Coma and Death
Level 1 Poison --Ability to poison an object, usually a blade or an arrowhead. Equivalent to Level 1 Poison.

[Vercile]

Seal of Interest

[MagicalPen]

Vercile jumped the gun ^-^ but I think there is enough information posted at this point for people to express interest.

AT THIS TIME:

-I AM NOT Accepting Character
-I AM ACCEPTING people expressing interest in specific roles (might be smart to mark 2 or 3 roles you might be interested in)
-I AM ACCEPTING questions/comments/suggestions!

[Ollumhammersong]

Well this certainly seems like it could be damned entertaining. I might just take a stab at the mage slot, either that or spearman. failing those that would leave archer I suppose.

So most magic is healing magic? Are mages held to usual D&D armour restrictions? Is magic more like sorcery? Innate and conjured by force of will or like Wizardry? More studied and practised. Carrying around tomes for memorization and study and whatnot.

[MrBubbles]

I'm getting some hardcore Thirty Years War vibes from this game, which makes me want to play an unscrupulous mercenary type, probably a Landsknecht.

Which will become an issue since Landsknecht were typically two-handed swordsmen, which has already been taken (at least, that's what I assume "Swordsman" is.)

[Muse]

  I'm not seeing if this is supposed to be a pathfinder game, or freeform with heavy inspriation? 

[Zaer Darkwail]

I wonder same as Muse, is this freeform or system game?

[MagicalPen]

I've never played a dice/system game in my life, I just (generally) really like the artwork of Pathfinder that I've seen on the net (from searching for character pictures in the past).

Will provide more information/answer questions later tonight (running off to work now).

[MagicalPen]

Added a post about magic. Will perhaps expand on it later if needed?

[RubySlippers]

I'll play a half-elf thief if there is flexibility in concept.

[Ollumhammersong]

Hmmm.... Interesting concept on magic. Now would a healing mage only ever know healing magic? Are the two disciplines unable to host within the same mage?

I guess I am wondering that if I do become a healing mage, what else am I able to do as a mage?

[MagicalPen]

There certainly is flexibility in regards to character archetype. The 'generic' terms are more to give an idea of what sort of party I am looking for.

As for magic...think of it as having an affinity...to water, or earth, or fire, etc like you see elsewhere. You are aware of those other 'elements' but unable to tap them yourself. "Mage-School", as it is, teaches you to focus on that inner core of your magic, how to harness it more efficiently, how to control it, and how to channel it into something more powerful through artifacts etc.

[MagicalPen]

Added a little more to the Magic Section.

Not drumming up a whole lot of interest at this time - anyone else interested?

[Thufir Hawat]

I'm not really interested, but can offer a couple hints.
First, the thread title is kinda misleading with the "Swords and sorcery" part, which coincides with the name of a genre.
Second, I am pretty sure you'd get more interest if you remove the part of the first post that says "WIP Do Not Post In This Thread!"

[MagicalPen]

Thought I had removed the WIP part ^-^

EDIT: Any better suggestions for a game name? Came up with a new one on my own.

[akirakaneda]

Sounds interesting, I have to ask if a samurai-style warrior might be accepted?

[Menoru]

Sounds intriguing. I would be interested in playing a half-elf (or elf) archer, but would magic solely be restricted to mages? Or could other classes have magic as well, just not as advanced?

[MagicalPen]

No on the Samurai. I am sticking with the aforementioned art/style for characters which is a pretty Western approach to things.

I am also going to keep an eye on the Elf/Half-Elf ration. This a dominantly HUMAN kingdom, so I think only 2 of the 6 characters will allowed to be Elf/Half-Elfs...still a lot of racism and anti-Elf positions out there.

And no, due to the 'history of magic' you either have it or you don't. If you have it you have to focus on controlling it and understanding it. Little time to do enough training in Soldiering of any sort to be worthy in battle.

[MrBubbles]

Thought I had removed the WIP part ^-^

EDIT: Any better suggestions for a game name? Came up with a new one on my own.

I'm open for the other [Soldier, Open] position, but when are we getting the green light to make characters?

[akirakaneda]

No on the Samurai. I am sticking with the aforementioned art/style for characters which is a pretty Western approach to things.

Well, fair enough, I'm still interested in the soldier position

[Ollumhammersong]

I am still interested in the mage.