Ephemeral Souls - (Dark Medieval Fantasy - Soulsborne Inspired, Freeform, Group)

[Tolvo]

Mainly the things around the sheet and basing things upon what's in the lore threads or if you wish to add things make sure it seems to fit and doesn't break other aspects. If you have any questions ask away.

[Giantmutantcrab]

I will read the lore as much as possible, and I will attempt to make a character to do your concept justice.

[Ironwolf85]

there's a lot of lore, I gotta do a heavier dive on it.

[Tolvo]

If you have specific things you need to know you can also ask, I can copy and paste sections or point out where to look. I've also added specific locations for specific places we can end up at in the RP.

Ephemeral Souls - Specific Locations

Essentially it is ready to start, but I'm not sure if I should start the IC yet. It is incredibly easy at this point for characters to drop in so no one would be left behind, but I know it can make some feel discouraged if the RP gets a few posts in before they have their character done. Unless everyone would be fine with that.

As well I'd just like to do a roll call for everyone still interested, progress, any questions or anything.

[Ironwolf85]

I'm thinking mostly about starting position, and considering leaving it up to you.

[Tolvo]

Well the plan is to have players reach a common area to set things up then let them decide to go from there(With freedom of choices from there). For multiple reasons I have ideas on how to do the start in a way that is in essence a tutorial(To ease people into the style, set things up, thematic to the series, help with defining motivations and the world) but it won't be something like starting in a prison(Pretty cliched and can be very limiting and boring to many who are tired of it). There are a few ways to do it depending on the specific player character, and whether they want to start in the introduction or lead up to it(Eventual death which is required to reach a place but not a punishment).

[IronQuill]

Player Name: IronQuill

Character Name: Bo Sing Ro

Age: 60

Archetype: Itinerant Assassin

Appearance: At a humble 5’6”, of indiscernible eastern stock and stout strength, Sing looks to all a man who walked the path of hardship. Sun baked skin on a stocky frame of broad shoulders and thick limbs, marked by scars left by beasts and blades alike. His head is clean shaven, a beard of a dark shade adorns his lips, flecked with strands of grey, a nose healed from being thrice broken and dark brown eyes centerpiece his grizzled visage.

Species/Race: Human

Weight: 180 lbs

Height: 5’6”

Attire/Armor/Gear/Worn: Where he hails, sandstorms flay the skin of the unprepared and the high hanging sun can roast even the hardiest of hides. The beasts are quick, and the bandits even quicker, so the seasoned wanderer needs to wear gear that reflect these harsh conditions. And a seasoned killer needs to know how to not look out of place in the myriad of drifters and caravaneers. At a distance, Sing looks like every other dirty drifter with a sword, under a wide rattan hat and a ragged scar, covered in a musty tunic and ragged half-trousers with cloth wrapped shoes. The only indication of swordsmanship is the segmented pauldron on his left shoulder, leashed to his torso with a harness, and the old brown sash girt around his belly that holds his saber.

Under those rags however, is enough armor to protect him from a lucky sword stroke. Affixed to the underside of his rattan hat is an iron cap with an aventail of chainmail. Under his tunic is a waist-deep hauberk of maille, and under that is a silk shirt that has caught more than its fair share of arrows.. Underneath the cloth wraps of his leggings are iron splints that protect his shins from slashing.

Weapons:

- Horse Chopper: A broad headed, heavy saber popular among wanderers and reavers across the east, history says it a holdover from an old dynasty that once ruled before Sīchóu Wángcháo, though why it is called a Horse Chopper is not known.

- Throwing Daggers: Hidden in his sleeve are quite a few flat, slender blades well suited for throwing at people.

- Short Shovel: More of a tool than anything, but the old blood stains on the head speaks lengths of Sing’s practicality.

- Clay Bomb: One of countless inventions to come out of Sichou Wangchao, hand sized ceramic pots filled with black powder especially mixed to burst than burn. Not as destructive as a fireball cast from a competent wizard, but the shrapnel and and concussive force is enough to knock out several fighters at once. Sing likes to keep a few under the folds of his tunic.

Inventory:

- Bamboo Tankard
- Hemp rope and grapple hook
- Rations
- Seax Knife
- Flint and Tinder

Personality: Keep moving forward. That has been Sing’s mantra ever since he was a little boy, from caravaneer, bandit and mercenary, to wanderer, through every trial, triumph, and tragedy, that has been his comfort, his sutra. Burn as many bridges as Bo Sing Ro has, and the only direction a man can go from there is forward. When knocked down, get back up. When pushed back, push back even harder.

He is wry, jolly, and possessed of hard won wisdom that turns into a brutal sense of pragmatism and a vicious type of low cunning. His loyalty can be bought, but his friendship must be earned, and his heart still beats with the fire of his youth. He can be a loving friend and partner, a passionate enemy, and one hell of a drinking buddy.

Dreams: The world is a big place, even if it is getting smaller and dying, and Bo Sing Ro wants to see more of it before death becomes a more permanent arrangement.

Nightmares: Even after going so many tribulations, Sing still fears the notion of being trapped in any circumstance before even his journey has been completed. Sing chooses where he goes and how he gets there, he does not want that taken from him.

History: Bo Sing Ro hails from the land of Jo’Rai Ce, a vassal kingdom of the Sichou Wangchao that rests nestled in the border between the empire and the Steppes of the Talkheer. It is a distant and terrible desert where the winds from the Steppes blow in and flay the skin of the weak, and brigands from the starving masses of the great empire’s dregs gather and hide between the dunes. No one can say who are the true inhabitants of this land, as the armies and hordes of the great empires cross this realm countless times. Those who choose to stay here are the daring and desperate, as cacti farmers, camel nomads, hunter of horrific beasts, or marauders. The fate of a man is decided by his own mettle here.

Bo Sing Ro was just a little boy when his mother was taken from him, kidnapped from his father’s yurt to be some other nomad’s wife. Since then it was just him and his father, herding camels from oasis to oasis. His father had only just begun to teach young Sing the way of the fist and sword, when his own life was taken by a rival’s arrow, and Bo Sing Ro was all that remained of family when he was eighteen years old. And alone, Sing had to survive the wastes of Jo’Rai Ce. Eight years were survived, and many more would have been until Sing realized that nothing good could be taken from this hostile land and so left Jo’Rai Ce for greener lands.

As he left his homeland for good, Sing embarked on an aimless exodus that took him to the far reaches of the East and beyond. In the capital of Sichou he learned the virtues of silence and cunning, creeping through the shadowed streets and thieving what he could to survive. In the lands of the ferocious and tragic Hunshi, he furthered his understanding of martial valor, mastering the sword and fist. In his travels through Gara, he learned the ways of music and art, although poorly at his own admittance. For years upon years Singtraveled, and learned so much from the lands he visited; Sing could have been anything he wanted, but in his heart he knew he was still a son of terrible Jo’Rai Ce, and a killer’s spirit ran through his family.

With all that he learned, he honed his skills as a killer for hire. He lent his skills to those who could afford it, and proved himself an accomplished slayer. He has killed many men and women, many who were deserving of their deaths and many who were not; but he does not regret any of them. Life has taught Sing that life was cheap, his own included, and so for many more years he lived this killer’s life he chose for himself, always walking towards the horizon. One day he realized that he had grown old, older than most mortal men could hope for. He felt… tired in that moment. He was in a sunny plain on that day, the wind was blowing gently, cooling his haggard body. He found a spot on the side of a hill, laid down, and closed his eyes for a nap. In that moment, decades of fighting and perilous struggle had finally caught up to the old wanderer and so when closed his eyes, it was for the final time.

But somehow, by the whim of the gods, or by the powers of something different, Bo Sing Ro opened his eyes.

Skills/Knowledge: Do not underestimate the man who grows old in a career that often kills the young. Bo Sing Ro is not a well known assassin, but he is one who does a very excellent job of being one. Time and old scars have waned his strength and hobbled his stamina, but his experience more than compensates for it.
- Accomplished swordsman and duelist.
- Savvy Pugilist
- Adept at stealth and ambush tactics
- A crack shot with a bow
- None too shabby on the saddle
- A survivalist to his core

Capabilities:

Uncanny Agility - Sing’s an old fella, but he is alarmingly spry despite that. His finesse and dexterity more than makes up for in what he lacks in brute strength. In another life, he could have been one hell of a trapeze act.

Linguist - Through a combination of sympathetic scholars, blind luck, and good intuition, Sing knows quite a few langauges. Talkheeri, Wangchaonese, San’airandi, and a smidge of Gottic.

Obfuscating - Nevermind what's been said before. Bo Sing Ro is just a silly old man who has drank too much wine and took in too much sunlight in his time. Nothing to worry about. Certainly not a seasoned killer who would kill a man for a pence. Nothing more.

Magic: None

Additional: Bo Sing Ro is a ninja in all but name, but in a more traditional sense than what has been portrayed in popular media. Dirty tricks, cunning tactics, and good old fashion swordsmanship is the bread and butter of this wacky old uncle.

[Tolvo]

So far the character is looking good Quill. ^_^

Going to post something here from the OOC.



Additionally I have finally made the WIP map public. Again as a reminder, it is a Work In Progress and currently contains only major lore regions that are established.

WIP World Map

Note: Subject to change, player contributions may cause changes.



WIP World Map Borders - Incredibly Simplified



WIP World Map

WIP World Map Full Size

[Kamakazi]

I really appreciate the effort you've put in here, the map looks great. I'd always planned for my character to come from a sort of fictionalised Britain, as can be seen in the bio I made. To that end, you can be certain that he was from Phrettania.

[Tolvo]

Thank you. I was actually just checking the combined character/word count of what ya'll can see.



And that sounds good, essentially I wanted there to be representations of all major cultures in the world. If someone wanted to make a character that looks like themself or a culture important to them, they can. And any I miss can be added. It has caused some overlaps(There are basically two Japans now) but that's fine, they're not 1 to 1 versions and are still separate things and concepts set in a fantasy world not of our Earth. Certain ones are still in consideration, like Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Ukraine(Kiev), Poland, Romania, Congo, Botswana, Cuba, Polynesia, Madagascar, Aboriginals(Australia), Pakistan, Afghanistan, and more. The Medieval variants of them(And often original populations not people who conquered them). But I'm also taking condensing things into consideration and I want to get regions but specific smaller kingdoms may not all have their own versions so it'll be region based or if someone wants a particular land.

[IronQuill]

Phew! Alright, Bo Sing Ro's sheet is done and ready for review!

Hope he's up to snuff, Tolvo!

[Tolvo]

I'll have to get to him tomorrow, just getting sleepy and I want to give the sheet my full attention. If you can please respond to this after(I can't double post in a recruitment thread of my own so it doesn't appear like bumping) to show you understand I'll get to it tomorrow.

[IronQuill]

Cheers, friendo

[Tolvo]

Alright everything looks good, perhaps talk a bit with Pdragon if you want to figure out in more detail the time he spent in Hunshi since Hunshi was Pdragon's concept. But otherwise your character is ready for the sheet thread.

[Giantmutantcrab]

I sadly need to remove myself from this thread. Not through lack of interest but lack of time.

[Tolvo]

Ah dang but understandable good luck in the future Giantmutantcrab.

[Black Mariah]

Hi Tolvo!

Firstly, it is amazing the amount of work that you have put into this

Are you still looking for a final character? I'm not sure if my skills are up to the mark but I have a character who could fit well into this world.

Best of luck with it all - if you are full I shall enjoy the read  :-)

Mariah

[Tolvo]

Thank you very much! I honestly worry if maybe I put in a bit too much work and it might seem intimidating or overload for some people(I have tried to even segment bits of information in spoilers so it's easier to navigate and doesn't end up as such large walls of links and things). But so far I'm glad to hear people really like all of the details.

Yep, technically not all have posted recently so I'm unsure if all of them still intend to fully join(Though they may have just been busy, don't post as often as me, etc). But in either case we do have a free slot if you wish to write up a character and join.

[Ironwolf85]

it looks like a lot of fun to me. Which is why I decided to play more of a fish out of water character. So he doesn't know as much and the grander lore can be revealed to him through interactions.

[Tolvo]

Thank you!

Characters actually can be fish in water and still end up learning a lot from others or having things revealed. A lot of things are unknown to most. And a common theme in the series and just in history is people not actually knowing things and using stories and legends and treating them as facts.

With the lore I've been very careful with the language but perhaps I made an error I haven't caught yet, but in essence, if something is said to be unknown that means people don't know it. But say for instance, "Stories say x happened" doesn't mean x happened, it means people believe x happened. Things written as facts are facts, history lore is probably the most explicit such as the time when events happened, and things pre-history we OOC know like when the universal genesis happened.

So you may run into characters who say very contradictory things, it isn't a plot hole, they believe different things happened or are true.

It's pretty common in the Soulsborne series such as the Chosen Undead Prophecy being false, NPC's can also just lie. But I'll leave hints and ways to figure things out(I don't like twists and reveals that are impossible to guess because there are no hints or clues, I prefer detective novels style where the evidence is there for keen eyed readers before the reveal).

And the lore also contains a lot of double speak and little hints already. For instance a sort of sneaky one maybe is that there are the descriptions of the natures of certain beings, but that doesn't mean they're only that thing. If there is a section for creatures that are magical, and one for creatures that are mammals, that wouldn't mean all in Magical are not mammals or all in Mammals are not magical. It is their core attribute that is the focus and allows for foreshadowed twists where the evidence can be pointed out after for people who didn't pick up on it. Probably reading certain sections people noticed some things that seem amiss or are just outright obvious(This says people view x as morally righteous, but x eats babies and that seems pretty evil).



One I can say as an example because of the location information is visible under Specific Locations, is Purgatory, which isn't mentioned in in the Afterlife lore because player character could not have known about it. And the reason why is hinted under the information of Shades, in that Shades come from the Afterlife and for some reason cannot share knowledge with mortals of the Afterlife. So players can deduce that no one in the world of the living knows about Purgatory because those who do know of it can't tell the living.

[PurpleJesus]

Is this still going?

[Ironwolf85]

WOOOOO life tried to destroy me for a few months.