Sha'ib: City of Mazes (Arabian Nights/Fantasy Sandbox LGBT Accepting Characters)

Started by Crash, February 22, 2015, 03:19:52 PM

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Kuroneko

Ons & Offs//Requests//Where is the Black Cat?
Current Posting Time - Once a Week or More

"One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art" ~ Oscar Wilde
"I dream of painting and then I paint my dream" ~ Vincent Van Gogh

BeeJay

If anyone wants to link backgrounds with Farad the Clever, a bookish, entrepreneurial lady alchemist and artificer with a flair for adventure, message me!
O/O

Dhi

I'm probably not going to be done polishing my character any time soon, but I do want to link backgrounds once I have a solid idea to present. The story becomes more coherent when we do.

Revelation

I'm pretty interested in this and the detail for the setting is amazing. So many ideas kinda half forming in my head i'm trying to weed them down to a few and work from there.

Dhi

Quote from: Changingsaint on February 25, 2015, 03:41:52 AM
I'm pretty interested in this and the detail for the setting is amazing. So many ideas kinda half forming in my head i'm trying to weed them down to a few and work from there.
You should do it! It'd be like getting the old 13th Age group together again.

yesiroleplay

I am seriously interested in this.  Is it too late?

Also - Hi Crash and Dhi.  good memories from Doomtown

Sain

Been peeping at this with intensifying interest but don't think I can hold it anymore.
PM box is open. So is my discord: Sain#5301

Dhi

Hey! I do believe it's wide open.

Here's my character WIP:




Name: Farrah bint Khaleel
Player: Dhi
Concept:  Water cop
Trouble:  The greatest offenders to water waste are also the wealthiest citizens of Sha'ib. Farrah's maternal uncles are a constant trouble.
Sex: Female
Age: Mid-20s
Orientation: Lesbian
On’s: Water, charity, philosophical absolutes, intelligence, also this filth
Off’s: Classism, injustice, corruption, being praised on appearances
Race or People: Hadaree

Appearance:
Hair: Dense, warm brown, worn short to a warrior's needs
Eyes: Honey hazel with epicanthal folds called "slant-eyed"
Height: 5'10"
Weight:  172 lbs (200 fully armored)

Description:
Comfortable within armor, confident without by merit of acuity and trained fitness alone, Farrah carries only the lion cub's instincts of her proud warrior heritage, but rarely does a man speak past her. Chapped lips have weathered the hot desert with little luxury, suffered damage as a woman raised by her father, apart from the secret world of Sha'ib women. Dense, dusty brown hair would be full of vibrant body if she allowed it to grow out, but the bright jewels of her eyes are far too irreverent, the twist of a smile on her soft features too self-satisfied, to ever fit into that mold. This model of the stalwart nomad's wife has become defective through urban living and broken home, and she will never be like her mother's mother- she is a different beast entirely.

Her style, in dress, is drab and rust and ready for the mud, but so often it is not her choosing what to wear, and her shoulders shift uneasily in her kaftans, her butterfly abaya, her priestly bisht, and any kind of perfume is beyond her. Instead she carries the incidental scents of hot evaporation, mud-brick dust, and the quietly restrained strength of a body trained for war but put upon the path of peace.


One Unique Thing: At night Farrah dreams of an age long ago when all the Great Dune Sea was enveloped in frozen water. The meaning of these troublesome dreams is unclear.

Personality: A conscientious girl with an ascetic father grew into an idealist, a ponderer of truths, a righteous soul. The force of will leveled against an imperfect world was unbreaking as the sultan's marble, and Apsu gave it steel to wield, saying the moral truth you seek lies in these waters. Great Apsu was not wrong, and more than many Hadaree, Farrah has come to understand the custom of the Bedu, her heritage, her mother's people. A sense of humor and implacable love for her fellow man helps her to weather this haboob, but it is a sunless road, and all who brave it are ultimately alone.

Skills: Teaching, Water Science, Urban Tracking, Massive Animal Handling, Ankus-Fighting

Residence: A small private quarters within the priests' wing of the Madrassa dar Apsu, accessed by the parting of a bead curtain through a horseshoe arch, looking through mashrabiya windows to a rising sun which casts her chambers in sufficient light for prayer and rest but little else.

History: The Bedu family of al-Farani raised many fine daughters, each strong, lovely, and dutiful. To the ends of the Great Dune Sea they were married, bringing peace between Bedu houses through lines of blood. The stout hearts, steady aim, and breathtaking neeedlework of these wives were legendary, and they were, to their husbands, a complementary whole. There were few treasures more coveted.

And then there was Shahnaaz, whose name means bride of a king.

Shahnaaz was married to a Hadaree priest, Khaleel; a wealthy man with good standing in the ruling elite of Sha'ib. Khaleel had never known such thirst for life as with Shahnaaz by his side, and her companionship changed him. Khaleel began to introduce a relativist brand of philosophy to the teachings of Asaheem, and for this heresy his authority was stripped from him, and he was cast out by his peers. With Khaleel no longer a fit husband for such a fine woman, the family of al-Farani declared the marriage void and demanded her return. Shahnaaz's brothers hounded them relentlessly, for no child had been born, and by the old laws their marriage had not been sealed.

Shahnaaz and Khaleel loved one another without regret. Shahnaaz stood by her philosopher-husband against the tides of religion, politics, and family feud, and a dozen times they escaped death or separation, each an equally terrible fate. Khaleel the Ulama gained a devout following, and was called a prophet, and the coming of his first child was celebrated- now Shahnaaz and Khaleel could truly be man and wife, and no force could move them. The girl was named Farrah, and Shahnaaz bore her privately, without the aid of the matrons of Ashaheem nor the Bedu midwives. Though Farrah was born healthy and whole, Shahnaaz did not survive. Her loss caused Khaleel to surrender his ambitions, and turn his remaining vigor to raising a child.

Here ends the story of Shahnaaz and Khaleel, or perhaps it ends with the strong spirit of Shahnaaz debating the heavens for the admittance of the husband who will one day follow her.

Here begins the story of Farrah bint Khaleel.

A shadow hounded this girl from childhood. The shadow of her father's heresy made the church a sinister, disapproving place. The shadow of Shahnaaz's death created a distance between she and her father which could never be bridged. And there were strange men, her uncles, who would ride out from the deep desert and ask about her, how fares the girl? Have you begun to teach her the ways of her people? Their disapproving dark-eyed stares and swords scented of blood made Farrah afraid, and worse was her father's fear of them. Everywhere her efforts were met with displeasure.

Farrah bint Khaleel stood alone.

This girl, it is told, grew strong and fierce like the al-Farani maidens, like a weed against Khaleel's wishes. From a tender age she understood the philosophy of the great masters to win her father's approval. There was no time spent idle, no challenge Farrah would allow to defeat her. It was here that Great Apsu, Lord of Oases, entered her life. There was a true and absolute measure of morality, a social contract whose value was inherent to all men regardless of creed, and that measure was water. Farrah became a teacher for the madrassa, and in the tradition of her mother, she became a warrior, one role indistinguishable from the other.

In her role as Bull of Apsu, Farrah bint Khaleel has been called to resolve disputes over water. For her mixed blood, for her unflinching ethics, and for the reputation of her matrons, she was deemed a fair arbiter of water rights, warden of clean water, and judge of the immoderation. But these waters run as deep as the maze, and through them, there is blood.

Apsu stand with this girl, Farrah bint Khaleel

Equipment:
Damascened, electroplated ankus styled after a hippopotamus and two-pronged splash of water
Blued plate and lamellar armor blessed by the holy Jugs of Apsu for buoyancy and rustlessness in water
Fustian mud garb for gritty maze work, toughened against glass and sharp stones
Azure wrap for harsh desert climes

Crash

Yes we will always be accepting characters so those new interested players are most certainly welcome.

Working in connections with others is a great idea tht way you have something to work with once the game starts.  I play on making a few NPC's like my work in progress elf to give people something to work off of too.

I am still working out some details for setting and world guidelines so keep asking questions.  It is helping me fill out what I am expecting from the world and the players.

"Sorry, you must survive at least 3 games with me before we can chat like this."
Congratulations, you've unlocked Flirtatious Crash! - Envious

Phaia


la dame en noir

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Sain

Some quick question before I begin working on concept more, apologies for the repetition if they're already answered.

1 Its sandbox and player driven so does most of the conflict stem from what players cause among each other?
1.5 Then are somewhat antagonistic characters alright?

2 I get the impression that we're not supposed to make king of the city and similar influence level characters, is my hunch correct?
PM box is open. So is my discord: Sain#5301

Ouroboros

Sain, if you wanted to make a rather unsavory Djaffir noble type I would so plot with you there...
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Crash

Now we just need characters.  I am surprised I have not seen much in the way of daring thieves, belly dancers, Warriors and other such characters.  Mostly Paladins and Mages.

No kings.  Major Antagonists should be NPC's either GM or player made.  I will not accept "evil" characters.  You don't have to be a goodie goodie character and shades of gray are fine but no evil characters.

"Sorry, you must survive at least 3 games with me before we can chat like this."
Congratulations, you've unlocked Flirtatious Crash! - Envious

Sain

Ouroboros, how did you know I was looking at Djaffir :D Was looking for something that might fit this pic though so not sure how noble he would have been. Was thinking more along the lines of fugitive with plenty of murder charges on his head hiding in the maze or something, but the original idea of that might've been a bit too evil then...  also the body is a bit muscular for a Djaffir I guess. I'm gonna return to idea fountain, but maybe you could use that pic for some antagonist then?

PM box is open. So is my discord: Sain#5301

Crash

One standing rule I have is no murders.  Someone charged with a murder that has a good backstory explaining what happened I can see, but serial killers...multiple homicide types will not be accepted.

"Sorry, you must survive at least 3 games with me before we can chat like this."
Congratulations, you've unlocked Flirtatious Crash! - Envious

Revelation

Quote from: Crash on February 25, 2015, 04:04:17 PM
Now we just need characters.  I am surprised I have not seen much in the way of daring thieves, belly dancers, Warriors and other such characters.  Mostly Paladins and Mages.

No kings.  Major Antagonists should be NPC's either GM or player made.  I will not accept "evil" characters.  You don't have to be a goodie goodie character and shades of gray are fine but no evil characters.

Well! It's a good thing I may have this covered. Either this or a warrior type.

yesiroleplay

I am thinking about a harem girl.  Sequestered, pampered, used, and bejeweled. 
She'd be one concubine among many for some very important NPC Sheik or Raja or whatever. 

Why must he be powerful or important?  Because one of his consorts is a Guardian Wizir!  Assassins don't expect the eye-candy to be dangerous.

I'm calling dibs on this pic:


Sain

 
Just in case I'll dibs on. He'll be a slave trader or a brothel owner (or whatever such type or role is most common in this society) with distant efreeti ancestry which grants just some minor ability like better vision in the dark etc. Gonna go with a scheming manipulator from the slums whose main way of defending himself are words, contacts and cheap sleight of hand 'magic' tricks.
PM box is open. So is my discord: Sain#5301

Kuroneko

Quote from: Crash on February 25, 2015, 04:04:17 PM
Now we just need characters.  I am surprised I have not seen much in the way of daring thieves, belly dancers, Warriors and other such characters.  Mostly Paladins and Mages.

No kings.  Major Antagonists should be NPC's either GM or player made.  I will not accept "evil" characters.  You don't have to be a goodie goodie character and shades of gray are fine but no evil characters.

Working on something to fit this bill ;)
Ons & Offs//Requests//Where is the Black Cat?
Current Posting Time - Once a Week or More

"One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art" ~ Oscar Wilde
"I dream of painting and then I paint my dream" ~ Vincent Van Gogh

Paladin101

Quote from: Crash on February 25, 2015, 04:04:17 PM
Now we just need characters.  I am surprised I have not seen much in the way of daring thieves, belly dancers, Warriors and other such characters.  Mostly Paladins and Mages.

No kings.  Major Antagonists should be NPC's either GM or player made.  I will not accept "evil" characters.  You don't have to be a goodie goodie character and shades of gray are fine but no evil characters.

I think my guy fits as one of our warriors. I don't really see a dervish as a traditional mage, I see that magic as something that is used to enhance his swordplay, kind of like a spell blade type thing, along with a few extras. But maybe I think of a dervish different. Whenever I think of a dervish the thing that comes to mind is a spinning warrior wielding a sword dancing among his enemies faster than they can follow.

Dhi

Dervishes call to mind for me Sufi dance.

How widespread is polygyny in Sha'ib, and by the same token, polyandry? In what cultures can a woman inherit property?

MdG

Quote from: Dhi on February 25, 2015, 07:27:48 PM
Dervishes call to mind for me Sufi dance.

How widespread is polygyny in Sha'ib, and by the same token, polyandry? In what cultures can a woman inherit property?

In Roman society they certainly could, and were very active in trade and commerce.  Given the setting that may not be too applicable (unless there is a Byzantine analogue). I would note that pre-Islamic Persia, especially under the Sassanids, had female warriors, who may,at an earlier stage, have inspired the mythological Amazon's by way of proto-Iranian Scythians.

Revelation

Crash, while you've said 'no murderers', what about a character who might have murdered the people who he was once a slave to, or a bounty hunter who might have had to kill a mark? One character type I was thinking of is a warrior, but it is tricky to be a warrior type who has not killed.

BeeJay

I don't know how Crash will respond, but killing someone in pitched combat is not murder. A warrior isn't committing murder if he kills and enemy combatant.
O/O