Fantasy Adventure, Small Group, Freeform (Seeking Characters)

[MagicalPen]

Looking for a SMALL group of DEDICATED players who can post at least TWICE a week.
This is a FREEFORM game in a world of my creation. I will be both Player and GM in this game, moving things forward and describing the scene.
I am looking for characters that would fit into this world.
-Why are they in Tetrarch?
-Why are they about to go on a mission that will (most likely) result in their death?

Game Plot Summary:

The 13th Legion walked into the Wilds one foggy morning and have never been seen or heard of ever since. The Scion of the Commander, now an adult, with his much troubled past, has put out a treasure-hunting rumor based on an ancient map. In truth, he is hoping to find his Father and the 13th Legion - or what remains of it - whether it kills him or not. It would take a desperate person to go on this adventure with him - anyone who has ventured more then 3 days into the Wilds has never come back either.


The Town of Tetrarch

Tetrarch is really two towns - well, a Town and a Village. 95% of people - and everything that happens in Tetrarch - takes place in the town. Its established on the Southern Bank of the White River - a dangerous River that is crossable only half the year by means of a flat bottomed ferry which is towed across the river along a thick rope line. It can hold a few horses, supplies, or a dozen men at any one time and heads from Tetrarch to the little Village on the North Bank, at the edge of the Wilds.

The Village consists of mostly Hunters/Trappers Huts and the Red Falcon Inn, where they typically gather. The Wilds start perhaps 50 yards from the edge of this village as it is where the Trappers/Hunters make their living. The 13th Legion left at dawn from this village and were the ones who essentially cleared the area to make room for the village - which sprung up around their encampment before going through some changes to become what it is today.

As for the time of year, we can all assume it is the end of Summer/beginning of the Fall. Nights are slightly getting cooler now, especially this far North, though the trees have yet to change color.

Note #1: No Dwarves are allowed at this point. No Orcs either, but halfbreeds of the latter are.
Note #2: No full-blown wizards/mages/spellcasters either. LOW levels of magic only.

[MagicalPen]

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[b]Character Name:[/b]
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[b]Personality:[/b]

[b]Major Skills:[/b]
[b]Minor Skills:[/b]
[b]Innate Abilities:[/b]

[b]Additional Information/Secrets:[/b]


Character Creation Guide

Copy/Paste the following code into a PM to create your character. Remember to follow previously stated rules.

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[float=left][img padding=12 width=250]IMG HERE[/img][/float]
[b]Character Name:[/b]
[b]Character Age:[/b]
[b]Character Race:[/b]
[b]Character Profession:[/b]


[b]Background:[/b]

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[b]Major Skills:[/b]
[b]Minor Skills:[/b]
[b]Innate Abilities:[/b]

[b]Additional Information/Secrets:[/b]


Character Name: Character Name
Character Age: Age - something realistic in regards to background.
Character Race: What Civilized race are you?
Character Profession: All encompassing name for your character class/abilities

Background: Be detailed. Skills etc reflect background.

Personality:

Major Skills:
Minor Skills:
Innate Abilities:

Additional Information/Secrets:

Characters:

Group 1:

Connor O'Fearghail

Name: Connor O'Fearghail
Age: 24 Years Old
Race: Human
Profession: 'Assassin' - term used lightly.

Background: Connor comes from a mixed background. Born to Nobility, he was given an education from an early age. He can read and write, do math, and speak three languages including Common. And he has kept this knowledge secret for most of his life. He received weapons training as well - mostly with Sword and Bow. As a youngster, he could often be found practicing his Archery and joining the Hunters out in the woods, where he learned how to track and trap, along with stalking his prey. Little did he know how useful these skills would become for him.

He was always destined for the Legion, like his father, and as he neared his twelfth birthday, he knew that it would be only another 2 short years before he'd be able to join and receive proper training. However, that all changed in a cruel twist of faith. His father was the Commanding Officer of the 13th Legion and upon his disappearance, things quickly spiraled out of control for Connor and his family. People cursed his name and spat at him in the streets and the family name was forever tarnished, tarnished by events out of his control. The servants left, not wanting to serve such an unlucky family, and soon Connor and his mother and younger brother were cast out onto the streets.

His brother only last a few months, his mother a few more months after that, leaving Connor all on his own. He quickly fell in with a gang of street urchins, fighting for every crumb of bread. By the time he was 14, he had grown adept at stealing and had become hardened to street life, realizing that there weren't any rules when it came to fighting. Following rules meant the difference between life and death. Over the next 4 years he began to rise through the ranks in the Underground World - a world as dangerous as it is mysterious for those on the outside. It was during these years that his innate abilities began to surface - or become noticed. He was deadly accurate with a bow, eerily consistent in fact, and seemed to be able to sense when some one nearby possessed magical abilities.

Both of these facts aided him in his new profession - combined with the skills he had learned on the Streets, and what little training in tactics and fighting as a youth, combined with his education - that of an Assassin. It was work that came easy to him, feeding the hatred he felt towards those that had shunned him into his tasks, he quickly excelled in his role. It paid well on top of everything as well but came with its own dangers. One could slip while climbing along the rooftops, or be cornered by guards. Or an Assassin could run afoul with the Guild and find a contract out on their head as well.

From the age of 18 - 22, Connor was at the height of his game and feel ever further into a deadly game. His jobs quickly shifted from Guild Warfare and small time targets to the big leagues - contracts taken out by one noble against another. Here, treading carefully was the only way to survive, but soon Connor's name grew - the Shadow, as he was called, due to his uncanny stealth and impossible shots that he made, along with his ability to avoid detection by those with magic. But with great Fame comes great Danger and it wasn't long before Connor discovered that a contract was out for him.

Connor had remained friendly to those who had shown him kindness and knew that gifting the street urchins that he had run along with as a youngster was a good way to get information that was otherwise hard to obtain. They were also good at creating distractions for him and seemed to know things before anyone else did. It was through the Urchins that he first learned that a contract was out for his head and he ambushed the Assassin sent to kill him, hoping the rest would get the message. But for people in that line of work, danger was half the fun, and being able to claim the head of one of the most feared Assassins in recent memory would be a great honor indeed.

Connor managed to stay in the city for a few more months, fending off the attacks that became more frequent. Soon enough, though, the city was far too dangerous for him to remain in, especially at night. He made one last hurrah, assassinating the head of the Guild he had once worked for in an attack that would forever live on in legend. Instead of calming things down, though, it stirred a hornets nest. During the night that would be forever remembered as 'The Flight of the Shadow', Connor escaped what seemed like every Assassin, Cuthroat, and Guild Member in the city looking for him.

It was certainly a close thing, though he'd never admit it. Connor hit the road running and has never stayed in one place for too long, least his past finally catch up to him. But now that he is on his own, he has been able to learn more about his father and the rumors that swirl about the 13th Legion. With a full coin purse, and taking on the occasional job along the way, Connor has made it to Tetrarch - the last place he ever imagined himself going to - and has decided to put some distance between himself and his enemies by heading out into the Wilds. Why not search for his father and the legion, perhaps adding another ounce of Legend to 'the Shadow of Ribenheim' while he is at it?

Personality: Connor is wary of strangers - for good reason - and is rather cautious in new places. Old habits die hard and he is always on guard, only ever half asleep with one eye open and a dagger within reach of his hands. Despite this, there is also a hint of nobility to his hard shell, charismatic and charming while also intelligent and friendly. He values loyalty above all else but knows all too well that too much fame can break such loyalty.

Major Skills: Stealth Skills (Sneak, Climbing, Hide), Archery, Swordsmanship
Minor Skills: Alchemy, Acrobatics
Innate Abilities: True Shot, Detect Magic

Character Items:

Additional Information:

Ser Albrecht von Ravensburg

Character Name: Albrecht Von Ravensburg
Character Age: 37 years old
Character Race: human
Character Profession: knight

Background: Albrecht comes from the River Lands, the wide, rich plains dotted with forests, where an unsteady Emperor wages war against land hungry neighbor kings and struggles to keep his crown far from the grasping hands of his own nobles. His father was the second son of Hermann the Fair, loved and respected Baron of Ravensburg, and he was raised, during an unusual time of peace, as a young noble should. He learned his letters and his numbers, heraldry and religion, hunting with the bow and with the falcon, riding and proper bearing, but mostly, fitting a warlike country like the River Lands he was carefully, deeply and thoroughly instructed in the art of fighting. He became proficient with many a weapon, albeit mostly with the long sword, he learned to use a shield and to maximize the protection that an armor grants.

He was a merry boy, then a serene young knight, displaying his prowess at jousts and melees, winning some honors and prizes. Then his grandfather passed away and his uncle Dieter became the new Baron. The lands of Ravensburg weren't extensive, and his uncle wasn't the wise, clever ruler Hermann the Fair had been. He was greedy, proud and resentful, and before Albrecht turned 16, his home land was again at war: since he was a very talented and skilled knight now, he had to forget his jousting lance and seize his war weapons.

In the following years, warring in blood and mud, Albrecht point of view on knighthood changed, slowly, but unremittingly. Defending children, women and weak people became impossible, championing justice and truth showed useless, warring with honor and loyalty was proven dangerous and reprehensible. He fought for his uncle the Baron, for his Emperor, then for a king who wanted a rich port city, then to recapture lands, and so on. He sadly realized that every time he was called to war for the sake of justice, honor or some other high virtue, it was just a mask behind which hid the voracious greed of men. He became a remarkable, fearsome warrior, but a jaded, cynical and bitter man.

When he was 33, some kind of bloodstained peace was imposed on the River Lands, and he rode back to his neglected family - yes, he had married twelve years before and sired a couple of daughters - hoping for a little rest. He spent some serene years, ruling his small stronghold and his tiny village, caring for his wife and watching his girls grow. Sometimes people came to visit him, mostly young knight eager to learn something from the famous warrior or old comrades who wanted to share tales and mulled wine. His older daughter got happily married with a fine young man and moved to his mansion, far away on the sea. Life was looking better. Then he made a dire mistake.

A very rich noblewoman who lived a couple of days from his family's lands was charged with the poisoning of her husband. Albrecht was sure it was a fabrication: the husband at issue was a good, nice man, but sickly, and dangerously prone to lung illnesses, he died in his bed, burning with fever, coughing blood and clutching his beloved wife's hand until his last, ragged breath. Little he knew that the fabrication was aimed at seizing her wealth and her affluent, powerful accusers couldn't care less for murder or poison. So when the desperate noblewoman asked trial by combat, he was glad to champion her. And being the knight he was, he proved her innocence with lance, sword and shield: it wasn't an easy fight, his opponent was a skilled, experienced mercenary warrior, who fought with great strength and cunning till the bitter end. At last, when the duel was over and Albrecht was grudgingly declared winner, it was the wounded, worn out mercenary who rouse his hand, smiling and muttering You fight hard, for being a pampered noble knight!»
In the following weeks, Albrecht victory turned into disaster. In the following weeks, his wife and his younger daughter disappeared without a trace and a mysterious fire burned two granaries in his village to the ground. Then his wife came back. She'd been raped and tortured and scared to death. She ran straight to the Baron, to accuse Albrecht of dark sorcery. She testified that he got his famous warrior prowess from the devils of the Abyss, in exchange for worship and regular human sacrifices, that he had sex with demonic creatures and sometimes he even surrendered her to the minions of Abyss, to torture and defile for fun. So his victory in the duel was obtained through evil magic and thus worthless: the woman he championed was indeed guilty of murder, she was burned and her riches confiscated, and Albrecht himself was a worshipper of the dark powers. He understood that he was doomed.

When the soldiers knocked down his door to throw him in jail, he was already gone, taking what he could and riding north, far from the River Lands, heading from some place where he was nobody. When he reached Tetrarch, his faithful war horse was long dead, his purse almost empty and his soul burdened by regrets. He decided to answer the call for the Northern Wilds expedition with a twofold hope: if he earns a lot of money, maybe he can go back home and put things straight; if he gets killed, at least he'll know some peace.

Personality: Albrecht Von Ravensburg used to be a honorable, loyal, brave knight. And somehow he still keeps faith in his old ideals. But now this side of him is buried deep under a thick layer of pain. He's a jaded, cynical, bitter warrior, who cares very little about his own life. Despite his best efforts, he wasn't able to protect the ones he loved, so he's very careful not to grow close to anyone.

Major Skills: weapon and shield fighting, two handed weapon fighting, riding, jousting.
Minor Skills: heraldry, falconry, first aid, weapon repair.
Innate Abilities: resistance to mind affecting spells and powers, fearless.

[MagicalPen]

At the current time, I am looking for TWO FEMALE CHARACTERS as I want to keep the ratio even.

If enough interest, I am willing to expand it to 3 MALE and 3 FEMALE characters, but no larger than that.

[Chaosfox]

I like the concept behind this but I may have to much going to do it not sure at the moment

[Rajah]

Questions, which come with a free bump!

Can you give us an example of what a fight between two magical characters would look like? I've been trying to figure out how to design freeform games effectively and one thing that's worked in literally every case thus far is any time there's a setting element I'm unsure how to phrase in EXACT terms - "low magic" being a good one, but also things like "moderately steampunk" or "gothic subtext" - I can paint a pretty good picture of it by asking myself the question "well, what does it look like in a fight?"

Will there be opportunity for that portion of things to advance? That is, could one play a magical character and see growths in magical ability, or would it be pretty much static throughout the game?

What kind of animals exist locally? Fantasy Europe Standard, or do griffons hunt the woods?

What kind of religions exist in Tetrarch?

Are there any cultural aspects of life in Tetrarch that would be unexpected or stand out to the average fantasy-novel reader? People eat their dead, foxes are considered sacred, there's a weak but apparently immortal witch bound to the woods someone has to go decapitate mid-resurrection every seven years or so as a kind of village chore, that kind of thing?

[MagicalPen]

I am only accepting Female Players at this time.

[Chaosfox]

Id like to point out you said female characters If you wanted  female Players wouldn't it be wise to specify that in the intro? Just kind of curious thats all.

[MagicalPen]

If one were to read my On/Offs one would discover that that is well stated.

[Chaosfox]

I usually don't read those unless I plan 100% on trying to join an rp >.<  And I did say I like the concept but thought my plate would be to full never said I was going to join. But you do have a point.

[Rajah]

I am only accepting Female Players at this time.

If enough interest, I am willing to expand it to 3 MALE and 3 FEMALE characters, but no larger than that.

Well, you've got interest. In the spirit of self-promotion, it's not impossible that providing a few more details might attract female players on the fence as well.

[MagicalPen]

Questions, which come with a free bump!

Can you give us an example of what a fight between two magical characters would look like? I've been trying to figure out how to design freeform games effectively and one thing that's worked in literally every case thus far is any time there's a setting element I'm unsure how to phrase in EXACT terms - "low magic" being a good one, but also things like "moderately steampunk" or "gothic subtext" - I can paint a pretty good picture of it by asking myself the question "well, what does it look like in a fight?"

Will there be opportunity for that portion of things to advance? That is, could one play a magical character and see growths in magical ability, or would it be pretty much static throughout the game?

What kind of animals exist locally? Fantasy Europe Standard, or do griffons hunt the woods?

What kind of religions exist in Tetrarch?

Are there any cultural aspects of life in Tetrarch that would be unexpected or stand out to the average fantasy-novel reader? People eat their dead, foxes are considered sacred, there's a weak but apparently immortal witch bound to the woods someone has to go decapitate mid-resurrection every seven years or so as a kind of village chore, that kind of thing?

Magic is virtually nonexistant in this world, other then in minor forms like innate abilities. Such things are kept quiet due to witch-hunts.

All other regards, think of this as Medieval Europe in terms of creatures, technology, and religions.

Local legends and myths are widespread of various other creatures, but very few have ever been proven.