Winter Chilled Steel {D&D 4e - Interest and Recruitment}

[Ershin]

WINTER CHILLED STEEL

   

Currently searching for 4 - 5 players.

This advertisement will remain open for two to three weeks depending on interest. Positions in the group will be gained through application rather than first-come-first-serve.

The DM and the Adventure

• To be honest, this will only be my third time in the role as a DM, the last being four or five years when I moved to my current location, so please forgive me if I’m a little rusty. This is also my first time DMing for a Play By Post game, but hopefully this won’t put too many people off.

STORY

You, the players, will begin the story in the City State of Farran (see below) during the Mid-Winter festival after receiving a letter from Lady Cruagh, the resident Merchant Lord of Farran. Having heard of your past deeds, either as a group or separately, she has requested your presence for several tasks that require skill and prowess, though most importantly that those she deals with are unattached to the local guard. Full details are scant, explained on the letter as caution on her part lest the notice be intercepted.

The game will begin in Lady Cruagh’s villa in Upper Farran, however should people wish to start off individually rather than a full group, a short introduction will take place before events in the game kick off.

SETTING

Keep in mind that the following information was created using a “broad strokes” approach, feel free to come up with towns, cities, etc within the listed nations that you feel you might like your character to come from, or even make a nation of your own should you wish to. Anything should have a place in this world, as most of the below is concentrated on only part of the continent.

“LOCATIONS AND RACES”

Lyonesse Empire    -     Human, Deva, Genasi

• The largest nation on the continent, taking up most of the western landmass. Split into counties governed individually for easier management and control over the populace while the collective number are under the thumb of the Imperial Crown. Currently in an eight-month long war after the death of the previous Emperor for control of the crown. This includes the Emperor’s young son and his daughter working to keep the throne in control of the lineage. He remains in the Capital’s walls while she takes great pleasure in leading her father’s armies.
  
• The scholars of Biblio have surmised that if an heir is not established soon, the whole country may be torn apart and overrun by its neighbours to the north and east.

Aesir            -    Goliath, Dwarf, Genasi

• The northernmost land, a vast section was separated from the mainland by earthquakes during the Hadron disaster two hundred years prior, leading to the formation of the lands of Midgard on the continent, home to the Norse (comprised of dwarfs and goliaths) and Asgard further north ruled by the mostly female Valkyrie (goliaths and air genasi), attached by the great bridge Bifrost.
  
• While the Aesir are seen as violent and war-like by their neighbours, particularly Lyonesse, a majority of the populace are farmers doing what they can in their cold lands while defending themselves from attacks by frost and storm giants.
  
• Aesir is ruled over by the strongest of its inhabitants and the most likely to be able to defend the land, decided upon the current regent’s wishes when he or she feels they have become too old, frail or injured to carry on their duties. The ceremony known as the Holmgang tests a warriors strength, intelligence and cunning, the winner receiving the title of Allfather, no matter the gender. Allfather Odin currently rules Aesir.

Hadron            -    Revenant, Shardmind, Warforged

• Now known as the Land of the Black Sand. Two hundred years prior the land was said to be a paradise of science and magic, ruled over by a council of magi. However, when one attempted to seize power for himself and his peers responded it resulted in a vast war, culminating in the detonation of Hadron’s source of power, Heaven’s Heart. The devastation was vast, turning the country into a wasteland unfit for survival, forcing mountains to move and the earth to crack and shift.
  
• Hadron’s people survived however, in forms of undead flesh. Those whose bodies became rotten over the years eventually dug up humanoid puppets of ceramic, metal and crystal and fused their souls to the devices to become Warforged and Shardminds.
  
• Hadron is currently ruled over by a centuries-old lich, a necromancer who took her place upon the Hadron council long before the Heart exploded and wracked the land whose body is forever trapped in the form of a sixteen-year-old girl.

Hy-Brasil Isles        -    Human, Dragonborn, Shifter, Genasi

• At the southmost of the continent lie two tropical islands covered in lush forest, the largest of which is known by locals as Hy-Brasil, though both are generally grouped together under this title similar to how Aesir is comprised of Asgard and Midgard.
  
• Not truely a nation unto itself, the Hy-Brasil Isles are made up of small tribes of humans, shifters and fire genasi (living under a matriarchal rule) along with a populace of the reptilian dragonborn. The human tribes tend to be Matriarchal in organisation, their women seen to be faster, more lithe and athletic than their males and more suited to hunting in the jungle environs. The lizards tend to be more advanced, more organised with better technology and arcane proficiency.

Farron (upper)    -    Human, Half-Drow, Kenku, Changeling

• Farron as a whole is a vast City State lying upon the borders of Aesir, Lyonesse and Hadron Known in Lower Farron as planters, the people of Upper Farron are survivors of the Hadron disaster, and then only because of the proximity away from the blast. They were, however, eventually welcomed and the factions of Upper and Lower Farron still work to expand their City State. Offspring of the drow and humans are able and prefer to live in the upper city as their eyes aren’t as prone to darkness as their elven forebears.
  
• Upper Farron is home to the Carnival of Chaos, a cult which calls its bright, canvas tents a holy temple, their amusements sacred rights and their jesters holy converts. It’s sometimes easy for the populace to forget they they are, at heart, a cult devoted to anarchy.

Farron  (lower)    -    Drow, Gnome, Tiefling, Genasi

• The original site of the city of Farron lies beneath the soil, built long ago by a coalition of Elven tribes to avoid a plague that wracked the surface. Over generations these tribes became the Drow and Tieflings as they’re seen today, both adapting in their own ways to the dark environs. They were, of course, spurred along in their development when the wave from Hadron wracked their subterranean land.
  
• They were later joined by the secretive and cunning gnomes who lived underground through preference rather than necessity, and the Earth Genasi.
  
• Lower Farron is home to Midnight Steel, a militia which acts as peace keepers and law bringers in the society. Despite their name, they have little to no connection to the local Merchant Lord.

Both Upper and Lower Farron contain a range of attractions and marketplaces, boasting one of the greatest ranges of available products mundane and magical any other city might offer. In addition to the Upper and Lower sections, the city is further divided into districts. Each have markets, residential and warehouse areas, though it should be noted that the seedier red light district known as “Firelight” to the locals is located in Upper Farron rather than the Lower section.
Plans have also recently been drawn up to expand the city, digging deeper into Lower Farron and obtaining the magic or mechanisms of Biblio to grant Upper Farron a “sky sanctuary”.

Biblio            -    Deva, Tiefling, Human

• A collection of islands floating in the sky, Biblio is a site of learning and knowledge. Its civilisation is built around organisation, with each community built around one aspect according to where they lie on the caste system. For example, one community may be comprised entirely of agriculturists, while their neighbours may be engineers or military specialists.
  
• The ruling castes have for an age believed this helps them focus and become the best at what they do. Marriage or relations between castes and especially outsiders is strictly forbidden. Before the Caste system was introduced, Biblio was ruled over by a single, immortal king, still alive to this day and completely devoted to secluded study.

Jotun Archipelago     -   ? ? ?

• Little is currently known of Jotun apart from its location on the north-eastern ridge of the continent, though it’s speculated that this is the land where the frost giants who plague Aesir originated. Explorers who venture into the frozen lands never return.

”DEITIES and POWER SOURCES”

DEITIES

SOURCES

• Arcane - The most widely known power, but not the most trusted. Many have heard tales of wizards prowling the land, or the idiocy of the Magi of Hadron in their final days. Though able to pacify the common folk with simple tricks it takes great feats for an arcanist to earn respect rather than fear or doubt.
  
• Divine - The holy man, the healer, the defender of the downtrodden, these are examples of how people view divine power. Only occasionally misunderstood as the arcane power source, people are much more accepting of the divine source due to its positive reputation. That said, there are probably as many evil users of divine power as there are who abuse the arcane. Divine users are especially common in Lyonesse.
  
• Martial - The most widespread of power sources, the tool of the everyman, the loyal soldier and nefarious brigand. Any who can hold a weapon can channel martial power. Due to its comparative mundanity, martial characters are easily accepted in any society.
  
• Primal - Primal talent is regarded in much the same way as divine, however most believe it to be inferior, only of use to barbarous tribes of Hy-Brasil or the meat-heads of Aesir. That said, any would welcome a practitioner of this power source to give a goodbye to a deceased relative or save an ailing crop.
  
• Psionic - “Mind over matter” is the mantra of those who manifest psionic power. Similar to its arcane cousin in nature, while that affects the physical world psionics affect the mind. People, especially commoners, are as distrustful of displays of this power as they are of the arcane.
  
• Shadow -  The least known power source, it’ can sometimes be mistaken for arcane or martial prowess, however upon closer inspection those mistakes can easily be corrected. Favored in Hadron, but incredibly rare elsewhere. Believed to originate from Hadron’s Black Sand.

”PERSONALITIES / CELEBRITIES”

Farran

• Lady Sybil Cruagh - (human) The Merchant Lord of Steel based in Farran, Lady Cruagh openly supports the children of the former Lyonesse empire in their struggles, despite the City State’s assurance of neutrality to its neighbours. She owns a villa in Upper Farran from which she supervises her business, keeping an eye on her import and export negotiations while leaving physical work such as transportation to those below her. Primarily an arms dealer, it’s rumored she also operates a private military corporation. In addition she also holds a seat on the Farran City Council.
  
• Circusmaster Pennywise - (human?) The leader of the Carnival of Chaos (despite its dislike of leadership), generally considered to be the only one who can keep the carnival contained to its small location in Farran, that its influence spreads no farther than its temple walls.
  
• Sevran Banballow - (kenku) The militant commander of Midnight Steel, Banballow is a deeply religious old crow who prefers that darkness below ground rather than the open skies as his avian kin. Also known to be the owner of the Midnight Silk burlesque house, a building that is part of both upper and lower Farran.
  
  
  Biblio
• The Archivist - (thri-kreen) Former King of Biblio and Merchant King of the Skies, the supposed immortal is now content with the title of Merchant Lord of Knowledge. As the name may suggest, The Archivist is a keen hoarder of information, some of which is given away freely to the public eye through his vast library on Biblios, some sold for a price and more still kept to himself.
  
• The Librariat - (mixed) A group under The Archivist who maintain his library and the cencus, making sure castes are not mixed. It is also through the librariat that deals for the Archivists more precious information are brokered.
  
  
  Aesir
• Allfather Odin - (goliath) Current champion and king of Aesir, said to be the strongest man in the world. However, his age is beginning to catch up with him and he believes the next Holmgang shall be soon, lest his country end up as Lyonesse is now.
  
  
  Hadron
• Adrianna - (revanant/lich) High Lich Queen of Hadron, this seemingly small girl uses most of her power daily to hold her people together in body and spirit, transferring the damaged into bodies of the beautiful dolls left behind by the inhabitants long ago.
  
  
  Lyonesse
• Prince Rembrandt - (genasi) The younger of the former Lyonesse Emperor’s children, Rembrandt's youth and inexperience doesn’t lend itself well to the battlefield as his sister’s passion does, but the young man is said to have a brilliant mind for military strategy, diplomacy and economy. He and Saskia rally followers through the memory of their father’s rule.
  
• Princess Saskia - (genasi) The elder of the former Lyonesse Emperor’s children, due to Rembrandt's birth however, she is unable to ascend to the throne should her father have named his bloodline heir before his death. As such, she resigns herself to combat (something she at very least loves), pouring all of herself into the bloody campaign against rival aristocracy to claim her brother’s position between throne and crown. She is currently residing in the Capital, nursing a rather nasty wound obtained on the battlefield.
  
• Lord Albracht - (human) A noble with connections to the Imperial throne, a favored of the Emperor at court and claims he would wave wanted Albracht to rule in his passing. Rallies followers through funds vast enough to make a Merchant Lord blush.
  
• Archbishop Langley - (human) Head of the Empire’s monotheistic church who desires the throne to appease their god, rallying his followers through religious zeal.
  
  

I should probably make a wiki for this at some point.

SYSTEM
This game shall be run using the 4th Edition rules of Dungeons & Dragons. Any who are unfamiliar with and wish to try out the system are, of course, welcome to join in as well should you be willing to learn a bit of the system.
While there won’t be quite so many sexual escapades planned out from my end due to such acts not being the primary focus of the campaign, players are free to initiate such escapades with each other so long as things are kept to personal messages or another thread so as not to bog down the main thread, it should also help others not feel left out with nothing to contribute. In the same manner, there may also be consequences for actions which may lead to such acts.
I’ll also try and keep combats short and sweet, I’m well aware of how damaging long and tedious combat can be on any adventure. Unless the players would prefer combat, of course.


Applicant Information

• Starting Level: Level 4
     
• Stats and Starting Equipment: 22-point buy using the system found in the DMG and in WOTC’s online character builder. Standard level 4 spread of: one level 5 item, one level 4 item, one level 3 item + 840 gp. You also get an Expertise feat of your choice for free.
     
• Permitted Material: You may take any race, class, feat or item from  any official material up to but not including the introduction of the Essentials line.  This includes Dragon Magazine articles so yes, the Assassin class is permitted.
  http://foxxtrot.net/trad/index.php?title=Category:4e_Races (Partial permission)
  
  A restriction is in place for some races. In particular, these include Elves and Eladrin. That said, Drow are permitted, as are half-elves/half-drow.
  
  You may not make any mechanical changes to powers or races, but you may reskin them in any way you see fit, for example using a Warforged or Shardmind as a base and stating that it’s, a ghost inhabiting armor, a Modron, a clockwork doll given sentience, etc. Likewise, the mechanics for the above restricted races may be used in other forms.
  
  As DM, I maintain the right to veto any item or power picked up from Dragon Magazine articles.

Application Requirements

• First and Foremost:Please do not post character class, role, sheets or stat blocks here. If you make one, PM it to me instead. Why don’t I want these in the thread? Simply because I want people to play what they want to play, not just try to apply with the least picked role. It also helps to move away from your class being your identity.
  
  When it comes to making a sheet, please use Plothook.net
  
  Please use the following template (and keep pictures to a maximum width of 300 pixels);

Name / Age / Race:     "Description"     "Background"     "Four Aspects"     "Home"

CODE FOR THE ABOVE

Code Select Expand

[table][tr][td][list]   [*][b]Name / Age / Race:[/b]
    [*][spoiler="Description"]
[float=right][IMG width=300] IMAGE URL HERE [/img][/float][/spoiler]
    [*][spoiler="Background"][/spoiler]
    [*][spoiler="Four Aspects"][/spoiler]
    [*][spoiler="Home"][/spoiler]
[/list][/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

Still with me? Excellent. At this point you must be wondering what those final three requirements, “Aspects” and  “Home” are all about. Truth be told, they’re a little something I stole from another pbp application I took interest in on another board. Well. The first and third are. So now I’ll do my best to explain what they mean;
FOUR ASPECTS
Aspects are simple phrases that you would use to up everything important about your character. In this game, I would like the following Aspects:

• A Defining Aspect - this ideally should answer several questions:
  
• Who are you?
  
• What do you do?
  
• Where do you come from?

• What makes you unique and distinctive?
• Ambition - What do you seek? What is your goal?
• Triumph - What was your greatest victory before the start of the campaign and how do you hope it will influence your future?
• Conviction - Where do you draw the line? What do you believe in?

HOME
This is simple enough, where are you from? If you can, please describe your home town or settlement, going into as much or little detail as you feel like.



Well, that's about it. If you have any further questions, suggestions, etc, please feel free to post them in the thread or shoot a PM in my direction.

Most importantly, thank you for taking the time to read through the post. I hope I didn't shove too much information in at once... though I probably did.

[TheHangedOne]

I've only managed to read about half of all you've posted; I will read the rest later. I love what you've done, as it shows a lot of thought and time investment, and I am definitely interested.

Edit: Addendum: Finished reading up now, and I will eagerly be working on a character sheet. I should have it up some time Monday.

[Ershin]

Thanks for the interest, HangedMan. Looking forward to see what you come up with.

Also, is all that information on the world and such a little off-putting? It's probably a bit much at once.

[TheHangedOne]

It is a lot of information to take in, and I'm sure I'll be consulting it several times over the course of the rp.  It's a bit intimidating, even, but I did thoroughly enjoy it.

[Revelation]

I'll be making a character/submitting something tomorrow. 4e games are rare here, and I will happily support one as best I can.

[Ershin]

Thanks for your interest, Changingsaint. Take your time submitting something, there's a couple of weeks left to apply so there's absolutely no rush.

[EvilBeast]

Posting interest! So essentials are out, correct?

No worries. I'm sure I'll do just fine. :)

[Isengrad]

Count me interested.

[Ershin]

Oh god, I have absolutely no clue what I am doing. Did I do this right? Did I do this wrong? No clue. First crack at it, and all I've got are some vague online references.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

A table full of stuff

Right, first and foremost, thank you for your application and getting the ball rolling, it's greatly appreciated!
You might be having a little trouble with the table due to it being in HTML and not BBCode (or whatever the name of standard forum code is). I'll see if I can sort all this out and PM you a fixed version. It should just involve replacing every <  and > with square brackets.

You may also wish to read the red text in the Application section of the first post.

Posting interest! So essentials are out, correct?

Thanks for showing interest.
Hmm. If enough people wish to use Essentials, then I'll permit their usage. Most of the information should be available on the Character Builder, so it should be easy enough to check up on without actually having that line of books on hand.

Count me interested.

You too, Isengrad, nice to get people showing an interest in this.

[Isengrad]

I'm just happy to see a 4e game. There are so many people out there who curse the system..even going so far as to subscribe to WoTC facebook group just so they can bash the system every time there is a new announcement.

As far as essentials go.. Everything is being essentialized anyway. there have been multiple updates changing the classes that have been introduced into essential builds. even the new themes are built for essential type characters... I'm all for essentials.. they ad diversity to some of the classes or provide a throwback to 3.5 mechanics (the slayer for one)

[TheHangedOne]

It's not just the html thing, but also, I have never played 4th edition before. I don't hate it or like it; as I said, I've never played it, and I refuse to pass judgment until I have.  I'm just pretty damn sure I've screwed up at some point on the sheet (and I can do a plain text or an image sheet if that will be easier to read), but I'll be damned if I know how I did or how to fix it.

[Ershin]

It's not just the html thing, but also, I have never played 4th edition before. I don't hate it or like it; as I said, I've never played it, and I refuse to pass judgment until I have. 

That's fine, learning a new system has its ups and downs, breaking from what you know (such as defences all working like AC now that opponents have to hit rather than working as saves), but I and others who join will hopefully be able to smooth out the process and make the transition easier for newer players.

I'm just pretty damn sure I've screwed up at some point on the sheet (and I can do a plain text or an image sheet if that will be easier to read), but I'll be damned if I know how I did or how to fix it.

What did you use to make this, anyway?
Wait, no, doesn't matter right now, there's still two weeks left until the application closes. The important thing is to read the section I mentioned earlier, Plothook.net has an excellent online character sheet, though please, please take into account the red text mentioned;

Please do not post character class, role, sheets or stat blocks here. If you make one, PM it to me instead.

[TheHangedOne]

That's fine, learning a new system has its ups and downs, breaking from what you know (such as defences all working like AC now that opponents have to hit rather than working as saves), but I and others who join will hopefully be able to smooth out the process and make the transition easier for newer players.
What did you use to make this, anyway?
Wait, no, doesn't matter right now, there's still two weeks left until the application closes. The important thing is to read the section I mentioned earlier, Plothook.net has an excellent online character sheet, though please, please take into account the red text mentioned;

Ahh, sorry about that. I went and deleted the post, and I will PM you a much easier to read image. Also, I used the D&D 4.0 character creator that is available on The Pathology Guy's Website.

[Ixy]

What a fantastic-looking game.  Once I overcome the awe and get to my materials, I'll be glad to submit a sheet.  In the meantime, if I'm able, I'll send a wild idea or two so that, if you have time and are inclined, you can make suggestions for a route to follow in building the PC.

I really hope this works out.

[Revelation]

Just so people know, i'm thinking of going with either Fighter, Ranger (Two handed fighting), or maybe Barbarian. Undecided yet, but i'll be working on something more concrete.

[Oral addiction]

I know that you gave us a link for where you'd like character sheets to come from, but I wanted to ask if you'd accept them from Myth Weavers?  I have a bunch of ready made sheets as this is one of the other PBP sites I frequent.  If so I can have a character with back ground etc to post tonight.

[Ershin]

I know that you gave us a link for where you'd like character sheets to come from, but I wanted to ask if you'd accept them from Myth Weavers?  I have a bunch of ready made sheets as this is one of the other PBP sites I frequent.  If so I can have a character with back ground etc to post tonight.

Myth Weavers is fine, I mostly just suggested Plot Hooks because the 4e sheets there are color coded and every power/item box is collapsable/expandable.

[TheHangedOne]

Sorry, but I think I'm going to pull out of this. My plate's gotten full, so to speak. I hope you all have fun, though.  :-)

[Katina Tarask]

Hm... looks good.  I'll have to think up something fun when I'm not dead tired..

Interested in collaborating on something, Ixy?

[Ershin]

Sorry to see you go, Hanged Man. It's an understandable reason, spreading yourself a bit too thin can be tough.

And good to potentially have you on board, Katina. Nice to see people wishing to collaborate with others on concepts and backgrounds... or whatever it is you wished to do.

[Ixy]

Hm... looks good.  I'll have to think up something fun when I'm not dead tired..

Interested in collaborating on something, Ixy?

Always... I'll send you a PM to sum up what I've worked out with Ershin so far.

[Katina Tarask]

I look forward to it.

[Ershin]

Okay, I don't think my original intention of letting people play what they want without worrying about filling up certain roles is going to work. It MIGHT have if there had been about five to ten times as many applicants with varied tasted in the roles they wanted to play, but not right now. So far everyone who has submitted an idea of what they'd like to play class-wise has submitted a Striker. Wow.

So I'm disabling that rule, go ahead and post your desired classes/roles as you will, you no longer need to PM me with what you want to play. You can still theme anything however you want.

[Katina Tarask]

I'd say keep that rule in place.  One of the things about 4e is, you don't need the traditional balanced party.  Unless your team is all leaders or all controllers, you're fine; all strikers just means things'll go a lot faster, one way or another, and in PbP, that's a good thing.

[Ershin]

A fair point Katina, especially as power sources determine the secondary role of the character (such as Divine characters being secondary Leaders). To keep things fair and player-centric though, I'd like to hear from everyone who's expressed interest which way you'd rather go, the original concept of keeping your mechanical details hidden and doing whatever you wanted (even if this will give the possibility of a full Striker party), or if you wish to show your hands.

You don't have to tell anyone what you're playing until the final decision has been made.