Highlander: the Gathering - interest check

Started by Teo Torriatte, June 09, 2012, 10:14:39 AM

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Teo Torriatte

Would anyone be interested in playing a game based on Highlander? I am thinking it would only be original characters, but everything else would be as in the series. I would be looking for a small number of players to play immortals, at least 200 years old, and I would really prefer each to be unique in where and when they were born, i.e. we could have someone who was born in ancient Egypt and another born in ancient Rome, but not more than one of each. There is no real character sheet, just a basic description and brief history will suffice. One of the things I would like to do with this game if people want is to flesh out their character's pasts by writing flashbacks, either solo or with each other. They don't have to be full on stories, they can(and likely should) just be fairly brief scenes like in the series.

The basic plot I am thinking of would revolve around the time known as "The Gathering", when the immortals have dwindled each others' numbers to the point where there really seems to be a finite number of them, being inexorably drawn towards a final confrontation. That is not to say that the game will only last a few days, but just a sense that the end is drawing near.

Most of the player characters would be "good" types. I have a few ideas for some fairly despicable villains, but if I got a few players that wanted to play evil immortals, I would be willing to accommodate them, be it someone who wanted to play a major force of evil, or just a cameo as a two bit bad immortal destined to lose his/her head in fairly short order.

If we ever get to the point where only the good immortals are left, we could either figure out some way to end things at that point, or if enough players wanted, they could turn on each other until only one was left.

Oh, and if one or more people wanted to play Watchers, I would definitely be alright with that, as well. And for those playing immortals- let me know if you would be interested in me NPCing a Watcher or a younger student immortal for your character.

Pumpkin Seeds

Oh wow.  This is so awesome, used to love the series when it was still going on.

Beguile's Mistress

I've always liked the movies and the series because the basic premise of immortality appeals to me and the nature of these immortals makes them unusual and interesting.  I'd like to give this a try.

AribethAmkiir


Caela

I'd very much be interested! Used to love this series as well. Won't be able to make a CS until tomorrow as it's getting late here.

1SAZ

HEEEEEEEEEEREEEEEEE WE ARE! BORN TO BE KINGS! WE'RE THE PRINCES OF THE UNIVERSE!

And yes, that is be showing my interest.


Teo Torriatte

I think its safe to say there is enough interest.  :-)

I'm not looking for anything elaborate for a character sheet, just a simple physical description, personality and maybe a few highlights from their past

Remember, I would prefer if the immortals were at least 200 years old so there can be plenty of history between the characters. They don't all have to be intimate friends but I imagine that any given immortal would have crossed paths with at least a few of the other immortals at some point.

Any questions, feel free to ask them in here, so everyone can benefit from any answer or clarification. I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with!

Teo Torriatte

#8
Oh and I am going to freeze recruitment at the people who already expressed interest, at least for the moment. If all six end up making characters, then that will be enough players for sure.

EDIT- let me revise that statement. If all six of them make immortals, then I don't see needing any more immortals for the moment. If a few more people want to join and play a Watcher, then by all means please do. And if any of the above want to play Watchers instead, then I will have that many more openings for immortals. I hope that doesn't confuse things too much.

AribethAmkiir

#9
Name: Mariana Estevan
Aliases: Maria Estevan, Maria Murcia, Mary Ann Estevan, Marie Ann Murcia, Marie Estevan
Age: 685
Birthplace: Kingdom of Castile, present day Spain
Personality:  Mariana is a well educated and wise woman.  She has survived by adapting quickly, avoiding conflict, and taking advantage of her wits and charms when she couldn’t.  She has been taught and practiced swordplay since the beginning of her immortality, and knows several different styles with different swords.  She is a hot blooded and passionate woman who isn’t interested in winning the Game.  She is loyal to her friends, and doesn’t forget her enemies.  She does not follow any particular code, except for the rules of the Game, and if forced will do what needs to be done to survive.

Hisotry:I was born in the city of Murcia in the Kingdom of Castile in 1327.  Historians call it the dawn of the Modern Age.  The Renaissance had begun in Italy with the writings of Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio, and the artwork of Giotto.  In the neighboring kingdoms such as Aragon, neighbor turned upon neighbor over conflicts of religion.  The Papal Inquisition had been in effect for nearly a hundred years, and forced Muslim and Jew to hide or flee.  In Castile, the Muslims and Jews were not persecuted but were the type you did not associate with.  The Iberian Peninsula was still in control of the Muslims.  It is safe to assume, I was raised Catholic.  Like many women at the time, I was married at the age of fifteen to Felipe Gioate, a merchant and tradesman.  I never loved Felipe, but I tried to make him a good wife.  He always wanted children.

In 1348, I died for the first time.  Like hundreds of others The Black Death claimed my life.  It was only through chance that I was saved from the fire.  The woman, I would later call mentor and friend, was named Julia Aurelia a Sarmatian.  Julia took me under her wing and taught me how to survive “The Game”, swordplay, read and write Latin, Spanish, English, French, and Russian, and she taught me how to act like a highborn lady.  At the time I had met Julia she was already twelve hundred years old.

In 1356, I left Julia’s care and entered a monastery.  For the next fifteen years, I hid on holy ground and continued my education.  When conversation moved toward how youthful I still appeared, I knew it ws time to move on.

In 1490, I decided to go to court.  By that time, I had lived outside the monastery’s protection for close to a decade and had managed to find a young lord by the name of Estevan Castillo, who just happened to be the youngest son of a baron and as such had little pressure or expectation to provide an heir.  I was quite fond of Estevan, and after we wed I enticed him to take me to Ferdinand and Isabella’s court.  In the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century, the Spanish court seemed to be the center of the world.  Columbus’ voyages turned everything upside down.  Estevan and I were happy during the years we spent at court together.  It was possibly one of the happiest times of my life.

In 1503, I received my first quickening.  Estevan and I were on a picnic, and he was complaining that I hadn’t given him a child yet.  The feeling I had only associated with Julia until that day sent the, now all too familiar, warning sensations across my body and pulled my attention to a loan rider.  I believe he felt it at the same time.  The man initially approached Estevan, but when he came closer his eyes drifted to me.  The man drew his blade without ever introducing himself, and Estevan quickly pulled his.  I tried to persuade them not to fight.  I begged the nameless man to go.  Neither would listen.  Estevan fought bravely and even wounded the man, but in the end he was fighting an Immortal.  Even as the man’s blade was slick with my husband’s blood, I slipped a dagger between his ribs from behind.  Then, in grief and rage, I took my departed husband’s blade and removed the man’s head.

After that I spent some years in another monastery and when a decade passed I spent a century in England and France, attended their courts and masqueraded as a Spanish noblewoman.  Around 1745 is when I came to North America, and in 1803 I moved to California.  The gun became a close friend, and I made most of my wealth in the old west during the gold rush.  I did my part for Women’s Suffrage, marched, organized, and protested.  During the second half of the twentieth century, I divided my time between New York and Los Angeles, and in 1963 opened several preparatory schools for young women in California, Maryland, and Illinois which are still operating today.

Caela

Here's a loose CS Lunawuff, let me know if it works for you or if she needs tweaking! :)


Name: Born Citlalmina, Currently goes by "Kit"

Age: roughly 953

Appearance: Kit is a petite thing. She stands at only 5'1 but has a force of personality that can make her seem larger. Despite her short stature there is nothing "short" about Kit. She has long, shapely legs for her height and often highlights them with the height of the heels on the shoes she wears. The shoes also help emphasize the curve of her bottom and flare of hips that leads to a small waist, flat stomach, and firmly curved breasts. She looks out on the world from a pair of drowning dark eyes in such a rich brown as to be nearly black and is known to, sometimes, smile coyly from behind a mane of midnight hair. Depending on where she is living (and how much sun she is getting), her skin can range from a soft cream to a deep tan but is usually a soft golden hue.

Personality: Kit is, mostly, good natured and sweet. She honestly likes people and enjoys the press of a crowd, drawing her to large cities more often than small towns. She is honest and can be blunt to the point of rudeness if more, considerate, ways of saying something don't work first. Under the sweetness though is also an air of command that speaks of a woman used to getting her way and being listened to and a sharp mind that she has used her centuries of life to fill with a variety of knowledge that sometimes makes her seem a bit eccentric as well. She doesn't anger easily but when she does her temper can be a fearsome thing to behold.

Bio:: Kit, as she is known now, was born Citlalmina, daughter of an Aztec Chieftan as the Aztec Empire was taking form. Her name means "Shooting Star" and was given to her by a Priest because on the night of her birth there was an asteroid shower overhead and a few of those falling stars actually landed near enough for men of the village to bring them back and make them an offering to the Temple. The Priest declared that this meant she was destined to serve as a Priestess of Coyolxauhqui, who ruled the Star Gods. Not one to argue with a Priest, and having plenty of other daughters to marry off in political marriages, her Father was content to leave her teaching in the hands of the Priest until such time as he declared she was to be dedicated to her Goddess and she was moved from her family's home to the Temple of Coyolxauqui.

In the Temple she learned her lessons well,  serving her Goddess with a happy heart and rising swiftly through the ranks to claim the position of High Priestess. It was in this position that she died for the first time, not through violence, but poison. A rival for her position as High Priestess slipped a poison into her food killing her swiftly at their evening meal one night. What the rival hadn't anticipated was Citlalmina's rise from the dead and subsequent sacrificing of her rival to their Goddess.

After all the Goddess must want Citlalmina as her High Priestess to have survived the poison and returned her to her body from the dead!

From that day on her role as High Priestess was unchallenged and she served her Temple until a strange plague swept through her city and those who didn't flee, died, leaving her much alone in the world. For those that died she managed to perform last rites, sending their souls to the afterlife with the blessing of their Priestess and those items they would need to sustain them there. When her people were cared for, she gathered those items she would need to sustain herself and struck out on her own counting on her bearing and the garb that marked her as a Priestess to keep her safe.

Something they did until the arrival of the Spaniards.

With the arrival of the heathens from across the sea she felt both true terror, and the Quickening, for the first time. Fortunately for her the Quickening was instigated by an immortal garbed as a Priest himself who took the terrified native woman under his wing, and kept her safe from the predations of the soldiers he traveled with. Over time he taught her many things, Spanish, Latin, a smattering of German to read and write after the European fashion, about his God (whose worship she mimicked but never truly shared) and about what she was. Ever since her first death she had known she was different but not why, or entirely how. Now she understood that she could only truly die if her head left her neck and she redoubled her attention on the weapons lessons he taught her and, eventually, returned with him to Europe where she could study further.

Over time she has ranged far and wide across the world. Like many of her kind she learned to recognize items of value when she saw them and began to store them for later years when their worth would increase...and thus so would her own. Her own collection leans toward religious and military artifacts with various types of artwork thrown in to round it out when she came across something particularly beautiful that she just had to have. Her collection of swords is extensive but her favorite is her wakizashi, which seems imminently suited to someone of her own petite stature.

Her current residence is in (insert city here, not sure where you wanted to place them Lunawuff) but she has land, and homes, throughout the country if she needs to make a swift getaway. 

Jmorty33

Awesome, loved the movies and I would be interested in making a character for this idea.
Converted Mana Cost: 2 colorless 2 White 2 Red

+2 Target Player has writers block

+0 Target Player receives a post of two paragraphs or more.

-12 Player writes a novel.
THE BATTLE FOR ZENDIKAR IS HERE!!!!!

Caitlin

#12
Wow... This sounds like such an interesting and cool game. It sucks that I'm at/ near my limit as it is, if I had more spare time I'd definitely join in as well.

One question though; why only allow for the good guys? Doesn't it make a boring story without having any bad player characters around? My view of mankind might be a little bit pessimistic, but if I learned one thing then it's when it comes right down to it, it's everybody for themselves. Though that view is often seen as evil, I think it's more a neutral view and survival of the fittest. You could also have some great storylines with having one player as a main antagonist. :-)

I hope you all have a lot of fun with this game though, I think I'll bookmark the IC topic and read up on it as the story progresses. ;)

I do love a good story, even if I don't participate in it and I got several other roleplays bookmarked as well that I'm not involved in. ;D

Pumpkin Seeds

Working on mine.  Just alot of history to work through.

Elias


Beguile's Mistress

I haven't had a chance to get may character together so if someone wants my spot as an immortal feel free to take it.  I can wait until another character is needed or plan another type of part.

Teo Torriatte

Aribeth & Caela - both awesome characters  :-)

Jmorty & Elias - I don't see why I can't have two more, go ahead and make characters if you would like

Caitlin - I did leave an opening for someone wanting to play a villian, at least I think I did in the very first post. And if no one wants to play a villain, I will be more than happy to throw in a few, myself (which I was planning on doing anyway)  >:)

Pumpkin Seeds - no worries take your time

Beguile's Mistress - don't worry there is still time, if you need a few days to come up with something. If you need longer, let me know and I can work you in whenever you are ready. That goes for anyone, I may try to get something starting fairly soon so people can start writing, but if anyone who has already expressed interest still needs time, we can work in a few more characters as we go.

I'm still trying to decide what a good upper limit would be, and 8 seems as good as 6. I wouldn't mind getting a few Watchers but I can NPC those characters as well, as I know that playing an immortal is likely the main draw of a game like this.  :-)

Beguile's Mistress

Thank you, luna.  The basic premise of my character is a male of mixed Norse and Native American blood born during the time of the Viking visits to North America.  He's a dark character; perhaps a villain perhaps simply someone with the trappings of one. 

Azaria

I'm working on mine, will be ready either tonight or tomorrow, lots of fun I'm having in writing her history  ;D

Jmorty33

Thanks Luna, I'n making mine as a feudal Japan Samurai.
Converted Mana Cost: 2 colorless 2 White 2 Red

+2 Target Player has writers block

+0 Target Player receives a post of two paragraphs or more.

-12 Player writes a novel.
THE BATTLE FOR ZENDIKAR IS HERE!!!!!

Caela

Luna, glad you liked her! Can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with as well!!

Aribeth, your girl is awesome. I like the detail in her history. :)

CAO

Azaria is working her magic on me to pull me in, so I plan to join. :D


AribethAmkiir

Thanks Caela. 

I learned more history last night then I initially intended.  I actually contemplated an Aztec as well.  I just didn't feel like I knew enough to start.  I really look forward to writing with you and seeing where the story takes us.

Caela

Quote from: AribethAmkiir on June 10, 2012, 09:33:09 PM
Thanks Caela. 

I learned more history last night then I initially intended.  I actually contemplated an Aztec as well.  I just didn't feel like I knew enough to start.  I really look forward to writing with you and seeing where the story takes us.

I cheated a bit on her history...Google is my friend! lol I look forward to actually learning more as I write her. :)

AribethAmkiir

Did the same thing.  Google is so helpful as is wikipedia.