Shadows (Currently closed for new applicants)

[Roen]

This is my teaser, sorry for the longness. The setting is my own, there are some names and terms you might not understand included down there. Maridion is the name of the world, New-Evergreen is the name of the kingdom, Madagasken is a different continent, Maneheim is the name of a different kingdom, and also of a royal dynasty, Upidrumus and Isis are two of the setting's gods. Talking about your basic classic fantasy setting.

Teaser

"His royal highness, King Wartigen Lazaros Maneheim , wasn't an extraordinarily warm person. Neither his wife, Phauxia, his son, Angelo, his younger brother, Andrew nor any of his six cousins could have accused him of being overly kind to his fellow mankind. No, Evergreen's last king was a cold, cunning and calculated individual, who was more than capable to simple acts of sheer cruelty- much like most other self-fulfilled politicians. I should know; after all, I've been there to witness every calculation, scheme, thievery and rushed execution that our all mighty ruler has ever ordered. Ranging down from the poorest of men, throwing himself pitifully on the floor in front of him; Up to the cockiest of noblemen who would stride up to his throne, looking like he had not a care in the world (only to be dragged away shortly after, in shackles or with his head held in linen). My king obviously was not a kind one.
Nonetheless, I must say that, in spite all of his shortcomings, King Wartigen certainly was not the wickedest King in the history of Maridion.

For one, I know for a fact that the king was capable of love; after all, he loved me: his silly little court Jester. He loved me enough to throw a fancy shmancy funeral ceremony in my honor, the day after I died. So how did it come to pass that my dear king earned that most spiteful of titles? Funny story, so listen up, this is how it all went down:

It all started on the day of my funeral.
Every last Ass-kissing twat, who attended the ceremony, could tell how much my king loved me. You could tell from the day he picked for the ceremony- the very first day of the winter festivals; You could tell from the place, in which he ordered the ceremony to be held- The most luxurious royal Hall of Whispers, where only the most significant stiffs of the royalty got their shriveled respectable arses dragged to, for their last respects; And from the twelve hundred guests that were sitting their overly spoiled fats on the pristine chairs. Only the finest of the alliance nobility was invited- Kings and queens, princes and princesses, dukes and duchesses and all of their obnoxious little lords, all there to pay their respects to one lowly jester; An extremely unpleasant one at that, mind you, who never passed an opportunity to insult them to their faces (and then add a silly dance for good measure). You could see it in the two hundred choir boys and girls, ninety orchestra players, sixty professional mourners (all ready and willing to scream wail in the agony of my loss), fifty candle-carrying altar boys, twenty priests and priestesses to the various gods and goddesses of Maridion, eighty five new wall carpets spun especially to the colors of my clothes (black n' white o'course) and a fully assembled row of the royal honor guard- all dressed in black and white, carrying my luxurious coffin on their shoulders. Above all of the... well... above, was my king, who was sitting on his throne at the edge of the room, his face painted white with a single black star around his left eye. Yes, my beloved king did all of that, if only to entertain his last hope: That he would be able to hear, one last time, the sound of my hysterical laughter echoing from the heavens above.

The ceremony itself went pretty smoothly, in spite of the guests, who were all pretty shocked at the display of inappropriately honest grief. My king's face didn't even flinch as the high priest for Upidrumus started his speech. However, he couldn't help but get distracted by the giant copper bell, which was hung high above the heads of the coffin carriers.
He remembered then the day his brother, King Andrew of Maneheim- Madgesken, presented him with that ancient artifact, which has been passing down their royal bloodline for generations upon generations. On each side of the great bell was the embossment of what probably was once a snow fox, the ancient symbol of the Manenheim bloodline, both positioned in a way resembling the traditional roaring lion- standing on their back feet. The moment I've seen the bell, I commented that they looked like they were trying to knock each other out and how frustrated they must have been feeling, at the fact they could never reach one another, to end that eternal brawl. To portray my very astute theory, I started boxing one of the metallic felines, calling out in pain every time my whiskered opponent laid one of his powerful blows. That day the ancient bell apparently found itself a suitable rival, a fact everyone could agree upon, witnessing the great crack I've created on its lower left side. It was my firm belief that my king has never seen his younger brother opening his eyes so widely.

Indeed, after years of knowing me, his trusted court jester, Wartigen Lazaros Maneheim has learned to expect the unexpected, to mock the appropriate and carefully planned and to find the humor in any full blown catastrophe. However, no disastrous trick or foolish jest could have ever prepared my king for what was about to happen then, on the first day of the winter festival.

I believe that it was on the middle of the high priestess of Isis-the dead god- speech, that the lightning storm started; but it wasn't until the mighty red lightning struck the east wall and sent its brilliant electrical flows all across the great windows, that the disaster actually took place. Nathaniel, the youngest of altar boys, got startled by the electrical explosion and fell back on his bottom, losing his grip on his candle and tossing it towards Lady Viviana's very long dress, setting the ugly assembly of feathers, silk and down on fire! The pale duchess jumped from her seat and started running around and screaming her lungs out, making all of her servants run after her in an idiotic chase around the hall. The newly weaved black and white wall carpets- of which rushed spinning process did not include the protective sap- were the first to catch flames- sending all hundreds of choir members running towards the exit, pushing all noble men, knights and priests out of their way. Right after that, the entire honor guard simply left my coffin on the floor, rushing to protect their king, and Ol' Father Devenson hurried towards the exit. The old high priest somehow managed to open the great cedar doors, yet failed to notice the flicker of flame, which was already gnawing on the upper left corner of the right door. Thanks to him, the burning corner reached the very silk ropes that were stabilizing the great Pole of Whispers. The enormous iron pole, which bared the proud war tokens of the Maneheim dynasty, was unfortunately positioned next to the right door itself. So much win!

The panicked masses ran through the exit, screaming and crying, banging the great right-hand door against the now loosened pole again and again, slowly but surely tearing its foundations from the stone floor. The hall was halfway empty when the great iron pole finally gave, falling down fast- its end pounding powerfully against the giant bell, emitting this ears' bleeding, walls shaking, booming Gong! It was then when Wartigen raised his eyes upwards, as he heard a sound he thought he would hear again; not the unbearable ringing of the bell, but the distinctive sound of priceless and ancient silver irreversibly cracking. The old crack I once created widened and climbed up the side of the great bell, reaching the top and quickly going down, splitting the giant bell in two! Separating the two foxes once and for all. The loose half of the bell fell like a boulder from the mountain top, just like death's arrow, crushing my coffin under its outstanding mass.

You couldn't even see the wood chips flying out of the crushed sequoia coffin; actually, the only reminder to what was buried underneath the bell simply rolled away on the floor, right to the feet of the king's throne: that one king Wartigen easily recognized. It was my beloved wand- its head curved to the shape of a badger's head. Evidently, as the guards were trying to rush their king out of the burning room, he simply stood there, staring at the wand with tears falling from his eyes. For a moment there, the guards feared that their king was about to break under the burden of grief, but then the cunning old fox just burst out with roaring, heartfelt laughter, more hysteric and wild than I could ever master! His loud roars of joy were carried throughout and beyond the palace's halls. Evidently, they got as far as the streets outside his courtyard.

To this day, some still swear they could hear the king laughing; all the while on the outside, his people were being slaughtered in their masses, as the streets became home to the most wicked and deadliest of advisories, Maridion has ever known- marking the start of the most desperate war, which left very few to tell the tale. Finally, it was his laughter at time of crisis, which ranked Wartigen Lazaros Maneheim, New-Evergreens' last ruler, as the wickedest King in the history of Maridion.

Which, to this humble and simple Fool, seems completely uncalled for, wouldn't you say?"

Additional Info

Alright. This would be my first RPG on this site, so it seems XD Which is why the teaser is so long, most of you don't really know me, and you don't have any past RPs of mine to refer to, so I've decided to give you a little taste of what my writing and style is like. I'm not going to write posts that are this long on the RP itself, nut unless the plot requires them (for a cut scene or a flashback of some sort).

This will be a classic fantasy game, freeform, point is- no system rules, just my rules- which simply means common sense. This is an adventurers' game, fit for 4-5 active players, going to be an exploring-journey type of plot, lots of room for character development and meaningful roleplay. So yeah, there will be sex scenes, but they will be plot driven, as opposed to a sex-scenes-driven-plot. I'm not going to limit the types of sex scenes as well, you wanna go soft- go soft, you wanna go extreme- be my guests, look at my ons/offs if you want to see my own personal preffs (won't limit you to those, either).

My Rules and Dont's

So let's start with some of my rules:

Activity-
This is just for fun, I'm not gonna tell you that I want people to commit to 3 posts per day… but let's be reasonable and recognize that this game needs to be dynamic status, so I'd say… I'd be expecting players to do their best and post somewhere around once every 2-3 days, just try give it a try, and we'll work out the kinks. The game will keep people on their feet, so I would humbly assume that people would want to reply more frequently than that. RL needs will be taken into consideration, of course.

Player-Godmoding-
Talking about players including stuff like the results of their actions, NPCs actions or items that I did not describe in my posts. So no, absolutely not, not ever, if you want to include anything in your post, you ask me. If you're not sure what you may or may not include in your posts, use the PM system, I would prefer IM though (I'll give my MSN address, I'm almost always around). In Godmoding I  would include other characters control, environmental control, NPCs control, or determine the results of your own actions (unless they are given…let's say, don't tell me 'I'm trying to tie my shoes' when there's no reason you won't be able to succeed, sometimes there are special circumstances, but I'll be informing you about those). In order to make long processes short, just ask for my permission. I rarely say no, I don't always say yes, but if I don't- I'd usually find the middle ground, which will benefit both yourself, myself and the plot(self).

Character Names-
Probably the MOST IMPORTANT RULE here. Every GM has his own little peeves and quirks; this one is very dear to me. Whenever you write an in-character post, you need to write your character's name in the subject of the reply. Why? First- cause I said so, second- because it makes it easier on yourselves to remember each other characters' names.

Spelling and Grammar-
English is not my native language. I, for one, think in Hebrew, and that's how I plan out my writings and posts, long before I translate them into English. Sometimes it works and other times it can get tricky when I can't remember a specific word or how it's spelled correctly. I'm writing about that to make it clear that I can certainly understand people who can't write perfectly, I don't expect you to be flawless. However, you have a built-in spell-checker, use it. I type everything into Word, myself.

Posts Lengths-
I do understand people who get put off by one-liners. It's not a "me-doing-all-the-work" thing, it's more like: if you don't care enough to put some effort in, why did you join in in the first place?  I work very hard on my posts, I expect you to respect that and pay a tiny bit attention to yours. On the other hand, sometimes I write long posts, about 3-5 paragraphs long, and sometimes I write short posts, which can be 2-5 sentences long (though probably not a whole lot of those as a gm...) It all depends on the circumstances, the dynamic of the scene, and the posts I'm responding to. We're all mature enough to know what kind of posts fits where, so I'm not going to count your words, but I do want you to apply yourselves. If it's a one liner post, it better be one heck of a line :P

Character Creation Info

Alright, so like I've said already- I got room for 4-5 players, will be GMing the plot in my own setting, which is called the world of Maridion, but you will have access to most of the classic fantasy types of characters, just need to ask me first if what you want is doable. I do run a tight shift, but just because I believe that after true order is achieved, it is then that people can throw their coats, relax and have some fun without compromising their role-play or the flow of the game.

*NEW!*
Here you go, the complete Setting's Information!

Now, let's move on to the Character Sheets' Format:
Since I want to help you keep your characters' secrets, just to make things more interesting for the game itself, I'm going to ask you to create two types of character sheets, one for public view, and a complete one for my and your eyes only (via PMs).
Also, I've been asked whether I want you to create "good" characters or not, so I'll answer that publically: I want this group to be as versed as it goes, create whatever the damn you like, all the better for the plot and your group dynamics. Even if the game is all about fighting evil and saving the world, that doesn't mean "dark" characters won't have reasons to join such a cause. Just leave some room for flexibility, don't create a character that wouldn't be able to be a part of a group, even if it benefits him/her. Also, don't you all go dark, cause it might complicate things, a good thumb rule is to only go there if you have a great idea… being good can be interesting and satisfactory as well :P

Public Sheet Format:

Name:
Pic/Description: (whatever you think would describe your character more accurately. Both would be fantastic. Try to avoid anime drawings; it's somewhat anticlimactic to this sort of a game, which has a more classic western note to it. Also, if your character hides features of itself, like its race or anything else, don't include them here.)
Race: *unless you want to keep that a secret*
Age: (if you have a character that has a longer life span than humans, add a line for 'Human Equivalence)
Sex:*unless you have any roleplay related reasons to keep it a secret*
Sexual Orientation: * unless you want to keep that a secret *
D/S: D' for a dom, S' for a sub, V' for a switch or O' for do not participate.
Do's and Don't's for yourselves:
Do's and Don’t's for your character:

Full Sheet Format (the one you're to PM me):
Name:
Pic/Description: (whatever you think would describe your character more accurately. Both would be fantastic. Try to avoid anime drawings; it's somewhat anticlimactic to this sort of game, which has a more classic western note to it)
Race:
Age: (if you have a character that has a longer life span than humans, add a line for 'Human Equivalence)
Occupation/Social Status: whether the character is of nobility or other statuses, is he a man of trade? If so, what kind?
Class: Here is where you define your character by skill, art or training, like a warrior, a knight, a warlock, a ranger etc.
Bio: Your character's bio, be as descriptive and as creative as you can, I'll be using your backgrounds to enhance my plot.
Personality:
Sex:
Sexual Orientation:
D/S: D' for a dom, S' for a sub, V' for a switch or O' for do not participate.
Do's and Don't's for yourselves:
Do's and Don’t's for your character:

My MSN IM is available for all on my profile, so is my PM :)
Feel free to add me for enlisting and character development advisement. The best way to go at it is talk to me through creating your characters, this is my absolutely most favorite part of the RP preparations, so use and abuse me :P

My Main Characters (for the group)

Name: Angelo
Pic/Description: Angelo is a taller than average young male, his shoulders are broad by heritage, but he doesn't have much in the way of muscle mass, he is fit but slender. His face are fare, with noble and sharp features, and a hint of a strong jawline that still hasn't had a chance to take form, with his full rosy lips, sole (like the fish, with a steeper upper arc) shaped green-blue eyes and the perfectly well kept wavy dark-chocolate locks that frame his face, he is quite the attraction for men and older women. (Yep, he's a cougar snack XD)

Race: Human
Age: 17
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual, though leaning towards males.
D/S: S and sometimes V.
Do's and Don't's for yourselves:
Do's:
Romance
Dom/Sub
NC
Pain and Torture
VERY soft gore
Don'ts:
Scat
Vore
Crossdressing
Mutilation
Hard gore

Game is currently accepting no new players, thank you!

*NEW!*
OOC&Characters Thread
Ro, out.

[Xanthaine]

I'd be interested in this. :)

[Lithium]

I'm in!

[AribethAmkiir]

I'm going to express tentative interest.  I haven't read the entire teaser yet, but what I have read I like.

A comment/suggestion.  I've been in many games where the requirement has been to change the subject in some form or another, and in almost every single game nearly everyone forgets.  A standard tool used on the E forums is a tag, at the beginning of each post, which accomplishes the same thing you're wanting with the change of subject line.

A tag would be something like:

Code Select Expand


[b]Character Name:
Location:
With whom:[/b]

Just a suggestion.

[Roen]

Awesome :) thanks a bunch for that suggestion! I'll look it up once I get back. I'm liking the vote of interest so far, all we need now is a couple of sausages (males) and we can really get this thing going XD will be uploading settings info and character sheet templet as soon as I get home from work.

Ro

[Brittlby]

Well I don't fill out the sausage requirement, but I very much want in!

[Roen]

Shouldn't be a problem to fit you in, Britt :)
However, I'm starting to get worried about the lack of maleness >_>

[Frank Reshman]

Never fear! Y-Chromosome is here!  I am a guy and I'm super interested.  Let me know if you want me in your game :)

[Roen]

Absolutely I do :)
I'm currently working on the settings info, the character sheet format and a map, would probably upload it all tomorrow :p
Ro

[Brittlby]

How high is the prevalence of magic/fantastical elements? Are we talking Camelot or middleearth?

[windwhisperedsecrets]

I'm interested if you still need males.

[Roen]

How high is the prevalence of magic/fantastical elements? Are we talking Camelot or middleearth?

Not a Tolkien fan XD However, I'd say middleearth, or more like the setting for DragonLance- classic fantasy. I will explain it more broadly on my setting's info, but magic users are as common in there as are scientists today. However, true magnificent creatures, such as pixies, nymphs, dryads and other Fae's, as well as spirits(not the undead kind), elementals and other epic/immortal beings- aren't that common, and I would rarely prefer a player to create such a character without having a mindblowing backstory to support it. I want you all to do your best to play humanoids, it's important that your characters can relate to one another, to encourage more meaningful interaction and group dynamics.

I'm interested if you still need males.

Yes, I do.
And since we already have possibly 4 females, I'd like one more guy to join into the mix.
Also, is any of you (or the new possible guy) interested in a m/m situation? It's a group game and I'm guessing most of it is going to be m/f, but I also have a char that has needs :D

Ro

P.S- This, of course, NOT to say that the remaining spot is for a male that would be willing to do m/m, not at all, you're all welcome! :)

[LuciusLeche]

Male and...eyebrows perked. I do loves me the potential for fantasy lovin'. I can be a little more definitive with an answer in perhaps a day or two. Whats everyone else interested in playing?

[Roen]

Thank you all for waiting, I've got the info all typed out and ready, and will definately post it once I get back home.

[Roen]

*UPDATE*
Updated link to world's info and character sheet's formats!

[Roen]

*UPDATE*
uploaded my first character sheet and changed the character formats.

[Nighteyes8765]

I'm also interested. I ought to be able to work on this more either today, or tomorrow.

[Roen]

Alrighty, the RP is still open untill I have approved enough character sheets. It's not so much a 'first come first served' sort of deal, as I realize that some people might still drop out or wouldn't create characters that go along with the spirit of the game.

[TheHangedOne]

I am interested.

You mentioned no anime pictures, but does that refer to all art--i.e., you want pictures of flesh and blood people-- or just to the cartoonish style that predominates Japan?

[Roen]

the second one. I have nothing against anime, I love the all mighty bleach as much as the next awesome guy, but this is a western style type of RP, and anime artists tend to..errr...overdo their characters features and presentations, so no anime- any other form of art (including realist asian art, of course) is welcome. I'd also encourage you to describe the character in your own words here and in your IC posts (slipping in a descriptive sentence every now and then) to give people a good visual of what you had in mind.

[TheHangedOne]

That makes sense, and I'm glad to hear it. I, myself, tend to shy away from the cartoon-ish pictures.

Would something like this be acceptable?

Also, either way,r est assured I will make sure to write out his appearance and incorporate it into my posts, when appropriate.

[Roen]

That one is fine (:

[TheHangedOne]

Name: Jackolar "Jack" Harth
Pic/Description: He is tall and large, at five feet, ten inches in height, and 220 lbs. He has a well-muscled body, which is also home to numerous scars and marks. He has light brown hair with blond highlights, which is usually kept shoulder length, and his eyes are grayish-blue in color.  He has a preference towards blue dyed clothes, which he wears over and around a  particularly thin boiled leather cuirass. He wears cloth covered metal bracers on his forearms, and loose breeches held in place by a thick leather belt. Several pouches and containers are on said belt, and his back is usually occupied by a small rucksack. He wears two holsters on his belt; one for a thirteen inch dagger, the other for a 34 inch short sword.
Race: Appears to be a human barbarian
Age: About 30, by human reckoning
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation: Straight
D/S: V
Do's and Don't's for yourselves:
Do: Forced orgasms, light bondage, being dominated,
Don't: Scat, watersports, mutilation
Do's and Don’t's for your character: As above

[Roen]

Just to keep you guys and girls updated- the system information is linked in the opening post, and the character sheets' format is there for all to use, I'm practically always checking my PMs inbox and am now available on either MSN (which doesn't seem to work very well) Y!M (currently setting it up) and Googlechat (just ask) for any questions and advisory purposes.

If you're having some hard time dealing with the massive system info, just seek me out and we could figure something out. If you're not sure what you might wanna play, seek me out and we could figure something out. If you've previously shown interest in the game but are no longer interested in participating, I would appriciate a notice :)

That being said, Registration is always open! (until I say otherwise)
The RP will start as soon as I have enough players with approved character sheets.

Roen.

[Frank Reshman]

Name: Flynn Belnes
Pic/Description:

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

Age: About 17 or 18
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation: Straight
D/S: D
Do's and Don't's for yourselves:
Do: Bondage, extreme, noncon
Don't: Scat, watersports, mutilation
Do's and Don’t's for your character: As above