[Pathfinder] Loyalty to One's King [NC] [4 players so far, looking for more!]

[GloomCookie]

Loyalty to One's King
A Pathfinder Game by Linna

It is the 32nd year of King Harold III's reign, and the country is at war.  Desert barbarians and raiders, seeking to rape and plunder their way through the kingdom and seize its throne, attacked several villages to the north.  Underestimating the strength of King Harold's army, they fought a brutal campaign for years, before being slowly driven back into their desert kingdom.  With the war near ended, Harold's most elite troops, his House Carls, are slowly being recalled from their campaigns.

The House Carls are Harold's elite troops, some of the best in his entire army.  Unlike most of Harold's army, which consists of conscripted men from villages during the non-planting and harvest seasons, the House Carls are dedicated towards war.  Swearing a personal allegiance to Harold, their loyalty is unwavering.  However, for one group of House Carls, returning aboard a ferry across the Sea of Death, the news is grim.  Harold III was dead, and his throne was now up for grabs.  His eldest son, Matthew, was on the run after his brother Phillip tried to use troops to kill Matthew before he could be coronated.  With his brother gone, Phillip had himself taken the crown, becoming Phillip VI.

The divisions between the brothers were threatening to tear the country apart.  Phillip lacked the leadership and skill of his brother, but he was now the king.  Matthew had declared himself King by right of blood, and was rumored to be building an army to oppose Phillip's own.  To make matters worse, the castle at Mirnan has come under attack by unknown creatures, determined to kill everyone and reduce the castle to rubble.  While the two would-be kings fight, this growing presence grows stronger, more powerful by the day.

When the ferry arrives, a decision must be made.  Join the rightful king, Matthew, and fight to defeat Philip's army?  Or join the crowned king, Phillip, and defeat Matthew's rebellion?  The choice is yours alone.

Hey guys!  Decided to start up a new game and get people interested.  This is a game where every decision you make matters, and it never gets easier or lets up.  The most obvious solutions could progress you quickly, or turn you around in circles.  Nothing is as it seems as you try and fight for who you think is best fit to rule the kingdom.  But be careful... the obvious choice to you may be different than the obvious choice to another, who will be trying hard to kill you throughout the game. 

I am running this for two reasons: to play-test a campaign of this type and to just have some fun.  I won't make anyone do anything they don't want, as this is going to be a completely open world.  Each decision affects everyone else in some minor way as things go.  A village destroyed might wind up drawing your enemies to you, or causing them to retaliate in their own way.  Don't assume I'm going to drag out the deux ex machina to save you if you end up in trouble... the most you'll get out of me is a little PM telling you to reroll a character because yours is dead.  Hopefully I'll get lots of interest in this.

Character Requirements:

• Race: Dwarf, Elf or Human
• Class: Bard, Cleric, Fighter, Monk, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Wizard
• Alignment: (Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic) (Good/Neutral)
• Stat Generation: Standard (4d6, count highest 3d6) [Example]
• Starting Level: 3
• Starting Money: 3,000gp

Player Requirements:

• Posting Frequency: 2/week minimum
• Dice Rolls: Invisible Castle, Chronicle LtOK [Example]
• Character Sheets: Register with DnD Sheets and link your character with your interest post or PM to the GM. [Example]

Game Rules:

• Cheating: Cheating in any way, shape, form or fashion will result in immediate ejection from the game.  This includes multiple dice rolls before posting the results, using OOC knowledge IC, or trying to alter past posts to gain an unfair advantage.
• Editing: If for any reason you feel the need to edit a post for quality purposes (Spelling errors, questions about actions, etc), PM the GM with the original post and any deletions scratched through and new text in red, then await approval.
• Factions: Each player is assaigned to a faction.  You may look in the other faction's thread, but do not use this information IC without consulting the GM
• HAVE FUN!

Character Application Template:

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Character Image (Not Required)
Character Name:
Character Race:
Character Class:
Player Name:
Link to Character Sheet:
Link to Stat Rolls:

Any questions or comments please don't hesitate to PM me :)

Approved Characters
Ada Stoneweiver (Sorcerer) played by Question Mark
Anica DeSotto (Fighter) played by Muse
Ausk Ner'zull (Cleric) played by Laughing Hyena
Galen Telfier (Ranger) played by Shaitan

Resources: (Still in progress)

Kingdom Map

Cultures & Traditions

The Dwarves
The Dwarves were rumored to arrive in Amaldan before the Elves, keeping their presence hidden in the mountains.  While no evidence has since been found to support this, many Dwarves consider their presence in Amaldan to be tied to every key event to ever happen, even if they don't have proof.  Their greatest city is known simply as the Marble Tower, and is home to over 150,000 people.

Deities
The Dwarven pantheon is smaller than the elves or humans, but their gods are, for lack of a better term, down to earth.  Dwarves are not ones for flowery rhetoric, preferring gods who will actually work to accomplish something.

The dwarven pantheon includes:

• Erastil
• Gorum
• Iomedae
• Irori
• Pharasma
• Sarenrae
• Shelyn
• Torag

Culture
The dwarves prefer seclusion inside their mountain homes, so much so that many humans are surprised the first time they see a dwarf, despite seeing items made by dwarves daily.  Despite having a smaller population than humans, dwarven communities are responsible for almost half the non-magical goods seen in Amaldan, from simple rings to intricate metal screens gracing grand cathedrals.  This penchant for hard work makes them view humans as being slightly lazy, but many dwarves find elves to be simply unfit for even the slowest forge, and aren't afraid to say it.  Their brash attitudes, coupled with their own long memories and tendency for drinking, leads to many arguments with elves.

Most dwarves get along with humans, seeing them as comrades in arms.  While it's much rarer than elves, some dwarves have married humans, despite being unable to mate with them.  No one is entirely sure why this is.  Adoption of humans became fairly standard during the Elven Wars, though many humans have slowly moved back to living with human communities, though the practice continues to this day.

Notable Figures
Battlemaster Girita Warfinder
Eldest daughter of the Warfinder Clan, Girita is one of the three most powerful dwarves on the Master Council, the group that reports directly to the human King.  Her stance on the human civil war is one of concern, having personally known King Harold and fought alongside him numerous times.  Because of this close association, she has chosen to remain neutral, despite requests for aid from both Philip and Matthew.  She maintains troops ready to intervene should the war spill into dwarven territory, but otherwise is letting events play out.  Until the war ends and she can count on solid support from the humans, she is unlikely to commit troops to the siege at Mirnan.

Forgemaster Hrihk Steelcutter
The eldest on the Master Council, Hrihk remains fairly content to let events shape themselves, stepping in only when he feels that the results of not doing so will produce problems.  His wise council makes his decision to support Philip in the human civil war a dangerous one, as many dwarves believe that it is destined then that Philip must be the victor.  Hrihk has urged caution, however, due to the ever fickle hand of fate that tends to punish those whose actions are too quick.  He has convinced many to adopt a wait and see policy, to let the humans deal with the issue themselves, before stepping in.

Cavernmaster Lrerr Redcarver
The youngest on the Master Council, Lrerr sees the human civil war as an issue that must be dealt with.  His reverence for the Forgemaster means he no longer pushes to move the armies to fight, but he also understands that eventually, action must and will be taken.  This has caused him to begin working in earnest to expand the vast underground cavern systems, seeking out new ores and increasing fortifications that have lapsed or become obsolete since the Elven Wars so many centuries ago.  While many applaud his actions in preparing, many of the outlying settlements have begun to treat visiting human troops with hostility, regardless of their chosen faction.

The Elves
The elves are the elder race among the three major races of Amaldan, and often considered to be the progenitors of the other races, at least amongst themselves.  Little is known about their origins, except that the region of Amaldan has remained settled by the Elves since before the Dwarves and Humans arrived.  The oldest Elven settlement, Eldamidri, is also the center of Elven culture, and is home to over 50,000 elves.

Deities
The Elves focus on art and justice, leading most to have a pantheon of Gods that include many that made their way into the Human pantheon, though some have fallen out of favor amongst the Dwarves. 

The Elven Pantheon includes:

• Abadar
• Calistria
• Desna
• Erastil
• Gozreh
• Iomedae
• Irori
• Nethys
• Pharasma
• Sarenrae
• Shelyn

Culture
Many Elves pride themselves on a sense of honor and justice, using their long lives to reap vengeance upon those who have caused ill or harm.  They are often found throughout Amaldan serving in the role of Sheriffs, especially in small towns where the King's law can be sparse.  Most Elves prefer the use of bows, though they have come to respect the sword and quarterstaff over the years due to light-footed humans and armored dwarves.

Most Elves tend to treat dwarves and humans with a patronizing air, though are often humbled before them when mention is made of the atrocities of the Elven Wars, a period of bloody conquest by the Elves that nearly ended the two other races.  Only a combined human/dwarven army had brought the elves to their knees, wiping out three out of every four elves in the process.  While no elf remains alive from these times, their long lives have made remembering the dark times easier, and the elves have sworn to never forget their past.  It is for this reason that elves no longer dominate the population of the other races, despite their longer history.

Notable Figures
Grand Duchess Celebriän Lissësúl
A shrewd politician and schemer, Celebrian rose to her rank as Grand Duchess more than 300 years ago, and shows no signs of wanting to give it up.  While controversial in her xenophobic attitudes towards both humans and elves, she is popular amongst the elven population that seeks to rekindle the pride of elves everywhere without returning to their warlike ways.  Her stance towards the civil war is that it is a human affair best left to humans, though she has recently opened the borders to refugees seeking to escape the bloodshed in exchange for their work as lower-class laborers.

Arch Bishop Elrond Carnesîr
As a lowly priest, Elrond spent many of his days enjoying too much wine and not enough time tending to his duties.  His penchant for arriving to sermons drunk earned him the moniker "The Holiest Drunk", and while his wine-drinking hasn't subsided, his ability to handle his alcohol has only gotten better with practice.  This ability to remain in control despite drinking more than people five times his size has made him a dangerous figure in the intelligence community, where he gathers information from taverns and from confessionals, and funnels this information to his own sources.  No one knows entirely who he supports in the human civil war, but it is rumored that within the elven community, if information is to be had, Elrond is the person to see.

Lady Tári Fëfalas
Lady Tari is a mysterious woman who lives in seclusion deep inside the Night Forest, mostly keeping to herself, and with good reason.  Lady Tari's true age is unknown, but rumors persist that she was alive during the Elven Wars, despite them happening over a thousand years ago.  Being one of the few Blood Elves to remain alive, Lady Tari's magical abilities are an unknown quantity, and it is rumored that any she catches, regardless of race, dies a slow and painful death while Lady Tari studies them like rats.  Despite numerous expeditions to sway her or kill her, none have seen her in over three hundred years, and the last person to do so was only able to escape by running as fast as he could for five days straight, collapsing in exhaustion and describing her to a nearby village before his body gave out.

[Siereis]

Ok well I am already quite interested!  Well written intro plot that doesn't restrict characters too much yet is detailed enough to not be lost.  However, I did have a few questions before I threw in my intention to join.

1) So I get that this RP will have fighting in it, yet how much did you envision it would have? Like would this RP be MAINLY fighting or would it be more drama based?  Sexual content?
2) Will anyone be in charge of the general world or will it be exclusively driven by character interactions? (hopefully that question makes sense).
3) If sexual content is welcome, what sorts of 'ons' might a player expect to encounter?

[Muse]

  I do echo Siera's questions, but here: 


Character Image:         
Character Name:         Anica De’Sotto
Character Race:         Human
Character Class:         Fighter
Player Name:         Muse
Link to Character Sheet:   http://www.dndsheets.net/view.php?id=38789
Link to Stat Rolls:      http://invisiblecastle.com/stats/roll/

[GloomCookie]

1) So I get that this RP will have fighting in it, yet how much did you envision it would have? Like would this RP be MAINLY fighting or would it be more drama based?  Sexual content?

Fighting depends.  Not every problem is a slash your way out type problem, but not all of them will be thinkers either.  I'll tweak it based on feedback I get.  It's a civil war so you can imagine there will be drama, but fighting will be important.  As far as sexual content goes, I have no plans for a sexual plot so any sex is going to be between players in their downtime.

2) Will anyone be in charge of the general world or will it be exclusively driven by character interactions? (hopefully that question makes sense).

I'm in charge of the world at large.  Not everything is player driven, but I'll be responsible for keeping both groups linked together via news and information, plus the whims of their commanders.  Also any NPCs you come across will be driven by me.

3) If sexual content is welcome, what sorts of 'ons' might a player expect to encounter?

Like I said before, sexual content is all character driven unless I get lots of requests for a few sexual side-missions.  Otherwise, if you stop off in a village and decide to frequent the whore house, I'm not going to stop you, but I'm not going to be concerned about how one whore ties into the epic saga of a nation at war.

Muse, everything looks decent on my end.  Your stats are a bit low and if everyone's winds up that way I might need to tweak my rules a bit just to make things a bit more OP

Link to Stat Rolls:      http://invisiblecastle.com/stats/roll/

This links to a dead page hun.  Just do a standard dice roll @.x

[PhantomPistoleer]

I am interested in playing as a Ranger.

I think that I would like to be a character loyal to the rightful heir.  I will work on my character.

[Question Mark]

I'm very interested.  I love Pathfinder, and the plot's at least trying to be unique   But seriously, it grabbed my attention, and I'd like to explore it a bit more.

I'll whip up a character now, but in the mean time, here's a few questions of my own:

• What sort of mileau are we dealing with here?  The names feel like Ye Olde England, but the fact we can be nonhuman races, as well as those mysterious creatures, places this in a fantasy setting.
• What war were our characters engaged in across the Sea of Death, and for how long were we there?

[GloomCookie]

• What sort of mileau are we dealing with here?  The names feel like Ye Olde England, but the fact we can be nonhuman races, as well as those mysterious creatures, places this in a fantasy setting.
• What war were our characters engaged in across the Sea of Death, and for how long were we there?

• It's a low-fantasy world.  You won't see overly exotic plants or animals, but you will see off-shoots of humans.  Basically imagine the other races and humans as having a common ancestor long, long ago.  The various races work together for the most part but there's still a bit of racism from time to time.  I'll work on a cultural background here in a bit.
• It wasn't really just a single war, nor was it against a single enemy.  Known simply as the Pacification, it was much like the Indian Wars of the 19th century in America.  Independent tribes would band together to fight against the more powerful enemy, often taking what they wanted before retreating back to their own territory.  I'll write it up too.

[Question Mark]

Ada Stonewrought
House Carl of Sirra, Banner of Mount Alister, and Guardian of Dragon Valley
Human Sorcerer, Brass Draconic Bloodline

Character Profile
Stat Rolls  (Racial +2 assigned to CON)
HP Rolls  (I misclicked the scroll down Menu.  WIS should be INT, and vice versa.)



Some random notes on Ada.  I don't have a comprehensive bio or whatever for him.  This is just some stuff I've come up with while creating his sheet.

• Currently the Carl of House Stonewrought, situated out of Sirra, a small town in the southeast of the kingdom.  Sirra is northeast of Mirnan, and lies in the shadow of Mount Alister, for which the region is named.  Dragon Valley is also nearby.
• He as only recently begun developing his magical abilities, and still largely favors the bow in combat.
• Speaking of archery, he is an expert marksman, having trained his whole life with the longbow.  He has inherited the Alister Bow (See image) via his title, and currently wields it.
• Has a serious problem with his heart as a result of a failed spell in his youth.  Severe stress or injury can trigger it, causing pain and dizziness.  This explains his low Constitution score.
• Has a wife and two children in Alister.  She rules in his stead while he's at war.
• Although he acknowledges the need for rules, laws, government, and so on in society, he is not personally fond of these social mores.  Ada can often be found drinking and gambling with his own soldiers, and prefers to do what is morally right as opposed to by-the-books right.  Often bends laws.

[Laughing Hyena]

Ausk Ner'zull

Character Name: Ausk Ner'zull, Noble Adventurer and Faithful Devout of Cayden Cailean.
Character Race: Human
Character Class: Cleric 3
Player Name: Laughing Hyena
Link to Character Sheet: http://plothook.net/RPG/profiler/view.php?id=7624
Link to Stat Rolls: http://invisiblecastle.com/stats/view/30392/
Link to HP Rolls: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3621845/

Notes: Incomplete Sheet. Must put down Skills, Feats and Equipment still Just figured to show my work so far.

[GloomCookie]

Thank you thank you thank you

Everyone, please look at Laughing Hyena's and your should be laid out similar to this.  If you have problems, let me know.  The reason I say this is because we still have broken links and missing items.  Please correct your information.

[NicciKotor]

Yays. I'll get a char up after work.

[Snake]

I'm interested but I"ve never used invisible castle before and all.

[Question Mark]

Grr, those two websites are infuriating.  Links vanish or redirect to a neutral page seemingly at will, the character sheet is glitchy and the interface for editing it is horrible.  Not to mention it took me half an hour just set up a profile.

I think I've got all the kinks worked out, but I haven't been able to recover my initial Stat Dice Rolls, since the unique link it provided me redirects to a different page.

[Snake]

I use myth-weavers and the E die roller or OMG do it by hand.

[Question Mark]

Linna requested it, so I stuck with it.  I prefer Myth weavers as well.

[Snake]

I will too just can't think of a char type to use . I want to go tiefling sorcerer but.... tiefling isnt' an opttion it seems.

[GloomCookie]

If you're pissed about the dice roller, point me to the one you like, let me look at it, and I'll tell you if I'm ok with it.  I just want to keep people from cheating, that's all.  Don't get snarky.

As far as the initial stat rolls, Snake, I'll let it slide this time.  ONLY this time.  Please use the Preview button to make sure your links work because sometimes, yes, they break the links because of their age.

I'm not a monster guys, so don't start making me out to be one just because I haven't had to use this before.

[Question Mark]

Hey hey, no one's calling you a monster Linna.  You just don't understand the agony and torture I endured trying to roll those dice and make that profile.  I had to snark; it was crucial to my survival as a human being!

Seriously though, I just had to learn the nuances of the site.  I'm good to go, don't you worry.

[PhantomPistoleer]

Linna, would it be possible for you just to roll my stats?  It'd be less of a headache.

[Shaitan]

I'm certainly interested, I've got a ranger concept that was originally half elven from a defunct game if it would be viable, ranger going mounted archer with what eventually becomes a dire wolf. The char is a ranger who has a view point of a knight melded with that of a ranger trying to make chivalry viable and practical. I can find the char sheet if you would be interested in it.

[Question Mark]

Fighters with CON penalties, sorcerer's who use bows almost exclusively, and a couple of rangers.  This game is turning out to be awesome! 

[Shaitan]

TBH I hope to just translate the sheet I have posted on myth weavers for the original character to the 3rd level and adjust equipment as needed (effectively just rebuying equipment with the 3k gp purse), stats aren't overly high powered or anything lol. Converting to human if half elven isn't viable isn't a problem. Hoping to save time and all since stats all happen to be pretty good for what the character does I hope to be able to be lazy and not to have to reroll them, subject to dm approval obviously if even interested in the character

[GloomCookie]

Linna, would it be possible for you just to roll my stats?  It'd be less of a headache.

I'm thinking of redoing the character rolls now (Don't hate me) to use the system like such:

Roll 4d6 for each stat, recording the values in order of highest to lowest (Example of 13, 12, 11, 10, 10, 10)

Ok, if you didn't roll an 18, take the lowest of the two middle numbers (11 and 10, take the 10)

Make that number an 18 to make it 18, 13, 12, 11, 10, 10

Assign points where you like.

This gives you a stat with an 18 as a power stat and still get to keep a dump stat.

Also, PhantomPistol, those are your stats

TBH I hope to just translate the sheet I have posted on myth weavers for the original character to the 3rd level and adjust equipment as needed (effectively just rebuying equipment with the 3k gp purse), stats aren't overly high powered or anything lol. Converting to human if half elven isn't viable isn't a problem. Hoping to save time and all since stats all happen to be pretty good for what the character does I hope to be able to be lazy and not to have to reroll them, subject to dm approval obviously if even interested in the character

Please convert to a human.  The reason is I do have a plot point involving why elves and humans and dwarves seem so similar, yet for some reason can't breed together.  I know, I'm sorry, but there's a genuine reason. 

[Muse]

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3623191/

Is that the roll reference you wanted?

[GloomCookie]

Yes, just reroll that 9 until you get 10 or better.  Same for everyone else.  Sorry, my brain was mush yesterday when I tried to explain things.