The Quest (Fantasy request; Mostly female roles; Freeform; Long term)

[Purple Dusk]

Hi and thanks for looking!  This request is a bit of a long one as it come with quite a bit of material.  Most of this is me brainstorming and throwing my ideas around to give prospective players somewhere to start.

F.A.Q.

What is this all about?
An original fantasy adventure request – think Lord of the Rings with an Arthurian backdrop, with splashes of Dragon Age and a pinch of Disney (no musicals necessary!).  This story features a cast of six main characters - three male and three female - who's stories I'd like to explore and see how things turn out in the end.  This is a freeform game, and I'm picturing this as cooperative story-telling as opposed to simple roleplaying.  In general I picture this to be a story about the journey (much as it was for LOTR), but how they form should probably be a big impact on the end.

There's a lot of things here.  Is it all set in stone?
By no means!  I simply decided to put up everything I could think about so as to provide material to work with and would appreciate alterations and suggestions on how to make it work for you as well.  There are only very few things that I'd like to keep as presented.

What are you looking for?
Someone to play three of the six cast characters (preferably the female characters; whilst I'll play the three male characters as my confidence in portraying women isn't all that high).

Why play three characters and not just one?
This generally boils down to the fact that I personally feel a game of this kind will quickly turn stale with only two characters (one for you and one for me) to work through it.  In this sense I want to play around with different characters of different personalities and motivations and challenge myself a bit to work on the story from different angles.  I'm hoping it will catch the attention of those similarly inclined.

• Three characters are a bit much for me, but I still want to play.  What are my options?
  I suppose at least two characters are a bit more disposable than others, though it will still leave you to handle two.  Preferably, I'd still like to use all six, so I'm willing to have up to two players (each person telling the story of two characters, though one person will be in charge of a male and female character).

Will there be sex and romance?
Yes.  At least at some point.  I'm hoping this will remain secondary to the story, as in this instance I'm not looking for a game where people are jumping in bed with each other off the bat.

• Threesomes?  Moresomes? Polyamory?
  Whilst I love these, in context of this story (of which I'm placing higher priority over gratuitous indulgences) there would probably have to be some fantastic/profound character development/angsting for this to happen.
• Can it get kinky?
  As long as we give it the necessary character development to make it plausible - as it is, none of the characters are likely to engage in bondage (for example), as presented.

Overview of the Basic Story
Theme Music: Queen of Crows
A besieged kingdom has finally fallen to a dark army of orcs and goblin led by the Raven Queen, leaving her as the undisputed master of the continent.  Meanwhile, the crown prince of the realm and the captain of the royal guard embark on a journey to retrieve and safeguard the kingdom's exiled princess, who, born with the cursed gift of magic in her blood, may yet have the power to challenge and defeat the Raven Queen.

THE FULL STORY (LENGTHY)
If the above interested you...

In earlier and darker times, the divinely mandated King Mandus de'Lanserac succeeded in defeating the Queen of Shadows, a daemonic harbinger who had held the known world hostage to darkness and misery for nearly five hundred years at the head of an army of orcs, goblinoids, and darker things from the deep places of the earth.  Continuing from the legacy of his ancestor, King Leoric de'Lanserac of the Kingdom of Tarantia called upon allies to form a 5th Crusade to once and for all rid the world of the last vestiges of the ancient queen's dark armies.  The campaign was long and bloody, and during those times, Leoric found companionship with a woman, Lenora, from among the camp followers of his army.  Despite being a common whore, his advisors didn't press him too hard during the war, but once they had won, they became much more vocal.  Leoric brought her back with him to live in the palace as she had already borne him a son, Devin de'Lanserac, by that point.

After some time, the political pressure to take a proper wife and produce a legal heir saw him marry a noble woman named Clarissa Walachia through a chain of agreements amongst the nobility.  Though generally magnanimous, Clarissa was uncharacteristically jealous of the 'other' woman in Leoric's life and demanded that she and her son be put out.  Because of his obligations, Leoric found it hard to reject and was at last forced to relent.  Though the mother and child were meant to be well provided for, in an act of spite, Clarissa caused the loss of their fortunes that Leoric had supplied them with, leaving them in poverty on the streets.

Nearly two years later, the queen gave birth to a daughter, Cassandra de'Lanserac.  Clarissa's health took a great toll from the birth of her daughter as she was sickly at the time and she passed away on Cassandra's fourth year.  Though she was the beloved daughter of the kingdom, by the time she had turned five, strange occurrences began to occur around her and to great horror, it was discovered that she was able to use magic.  Swearing those who knew to secrecy, Leoric called upon a childhood friend Maria Valreaux, a warrior of great renown who had also served as his general and champion during the 5th Crusade.  Whilst the Tarantia mourned the untimely 'death' of its princess from unknown 'malady', Cassandra was spirited away to a monastery by Maria to be raised amongst its kindly sisters in secrecy.

Leoric had his son found and brought to him, publicly recognising Devin as his blood and stamping down decry from the houses when he named the boy crown prince.  Although resistance was stiff on this issue, it was insurmountable at even the suggestion that his mother should be allowed to return with him and she was forced to remain behind.  Devin went on to become a gallant warrior,  learning under Valreaux and later fighting in skirmishes and battles alongside her before finally leading companies of his own.  During these years, the kingdom regained a sense of normalcy and even began to thrive despite setbacks such as earthquake and plague – one such occurrence that claimed the life of Devin's mother.

Three years before the present, a new power arose in the darklands beneath the surface of the world.  A new witch, naming herself the Raven Queen and self-styled successor to the Queen of Crows, with a slew of rumours that she was the actual daughter of the Queen of Shadows, welds together hundreds of deep orcish and goblinoid tribes, raising an army that numbers in the hundreds of thousands.  By spring of the first year, a new dark army surges up from the dark subterranean depths, laying waste to lands unprepared for their coming and softened by peace.  Every other month, another country falls.  Tarantia holds out the siege for two years before succumbing.  During that time, several attempts are made to assassinate the Raven Queen by guile but her dark sorceries protect her even as they empower her armies and wither her foes.  With the fall of Tarantia and the death of Leoric at the hands of the Raven Queen herself, what few countries remain free can only start to count the days before they fall as it seems the Raven Queen will finally accomplish what the Queen of Shadows failed.

Maria Valreaux knows that this dark army is held by the will of its dark monarch and the only real way to dissipate its unity and power is with the death of the Raven Queen.  Together with Devin, she goes forward through a devastated kingdom into neighbouring lands to retrieve Cassandra de'Lanserac and keep her safe long enough that her powers of magic may be able to challenge that of the Raven Queen.

The following is the main cast.  For those of you familiar with Pathfinder, I've included some general character statistics to give a feel of what the character is, but this is NOT to be a Pathfinder game, though concepts and such can be used in the story.

PRIMARY CHARACTERS

MARIA VALREAUX
Age: 35; Height: 5' 10"; Weight: 155 lbs
LG Female Human (Paladin 12)
         STR: 14; DEX: 14; CON: 15
         INT: 11; WIS: 14; CHA: 16

Overview: The legendary protector of Tarantia and captain of the Royal Guard during King Leoric's reign, Maria is also secretly a holy warrior to an ancient pagan goddess, and much of her prowess is in large part the favour of her deity.  With a strong sense of duty, she sworn oath to see his two remaining children survive and defeat the Raven Queen.  Maria has a sort of Gandalf-like role, though with a more personal stake.

Personality: Courageous and valorous are two qualities she has in abundance.  She can often be blunt and doesn't like to mince words.  Whilst she projects an image of stately confidence and unwavering patience, Maria is past her prime as a warrior and has begun to feel the sting of advancing years, a fact that grates on her as she feels she cannot afford to show a weak front at a time like this.  Though humble, many years spent as Tarantia's chief champion has made her believe she need shoulder all of its burdens.

DEVIN DE'LANSERAC
Age: 25; Height: 5' 9"; Weight: 155 lbs
CG Male Aasimar (Cavalier 6)
         STR: 16; DEX: 14; CON: 14
         INT: 14; WIS: 11; CHA: 18

Overview: Crown prince to the kingdom of Tarantia, Devin is the image of the chivalrous knight and dashing warrior.  He is a natural leader and well liked by the people and the soldiers he led for his easy manner, generally good humour, and war-like disposition.  It is noted that the bloodline of Mandus de'Lanserac runs strongly in him.  Part of the inspiration for his creation is Dante (from DmC: Devil May Cry).

Personality: Despite an illustrious image, Devin is driven  by a hard pragmatic streak, and strong willingness to save the kingdom he views as in his charge.  He is secretly jealous of Cassandra's destiny to kill the Raven Queen, as he feels it will weaken his claim to the throne whilst reasserting hers should she be successful.  He is not willing to come to blows over it however, and would rather strengthen his claim by finding a way to kill the Raven Queen himself rather than deride or harm Cassandra.

CASSANDRA DE'LANSERAC
Age: 18; Height: 5' 5"; Weight: 120 lbs
NG Female Aasimar (Oracle 4)
         STR: 11; DEX: 15; CON: 13
         INT: 12; WIS: 16; CHA: 18

Overview: A princess in exile due to her manifesting the power to use magic.  Raised in a monastery of kindly sisters, she is very much a fairytale princess; kind-tempered, gentle, a hopeless romantic, and dreaming of the day when a dashing princess will come and sweep her away from the confines of her prison, which is the only world she really knows.  Like her half-brother, it is noted that the bloodline of Mandus de'Lanserac runs strongly in her.  The inspiration for her creation are Elsa (from Frozen), Belle (from Beauty and the Beast), and Belldandy (from Oh, My Goddess)

Personality: Despite being kindly and timid, Cassandra does have some inner fire and backbone that comes from the knowledge that she is of royal blood and that there are things in the world she cares about.  Whilst she prefers a supportive role and doesn't voice her opinions often, she will make sure her voice is heard on matters she feels strongly about.  Whilst not stupid, naivete colours everything she does, and as a young maiden she finds matters of romance easier to pay attention to than harsh lessons and uncertain futures.

SATHIS NIAL
Age: 43 (appears 21); Height: 5' 8"; Weight: 135 lbs
N Male Half-elf (Inquisitor 5)
         STR: 10; DEX: 16; CON: 12
         INT: 14; WIS: 18; CHA: 11

Overview: Sathis is one of the last of the bloodline of elves in the world who was orphaned shortly after the crusade.  He found his way to the monastery where he was taken in and raised.  His arrival was not as random as it seemed, for on occasion, Sathis still hears the whispers of the old gods that subtly guide his life.  By this, he has taken it upon himself to be the protector of Cassandra, though his experience with the world is no greater than hers.

Personality: Polite but secretive, cheerful but with melancholy moments, Sathis views himself as the personal guardian of a princess he knows is one day destined for great things.  Because of his obvious elven blood, he has very much been an outsider all his life, and lights up at any measure of approval - this was one of the first reasons he bonded so strongly to Cassandra because of her wholly accepting nature.  Despite this, Sathis generally downplays the fact that he has a sharp mind, preferring to be underestimated so that he can work from the shadows.

ZARASHKA DARK-KNIFE
Age: 24; Height: 5' 8"; Weight: 145 lbs
CE Female Half-orc (Slayer 7)
         STR: 13; DEX: 16; CON: 14
         INT: 14; WIS: 15; CHA: 12

Overview: An assassin sent forth by the Raven Queen as one boasting more subtlety and craft than her general minions.  Her task is to retrieve the last scion of the de'Lanserac line and return him to Raven Queen, which ultimately leads her to discovering that there are two, which complicates her mission.  Her extended time on the surface world also introduces her to the better sides of humanity which she has previously been unfamiliar to, which may ultimately cause her to have a change of heart.

Personality: Zarashka was the product of rape and was dragged into the darklands before she even knew what life on the surface was like.  She is well versed in all the baser emotions of orcs - violence, greed, self-gratification, and lust.  Unlike her full-blooded parents, Zarashka had brains as well which helped her grasp foreign concepts - she understands how to act like a kind person.  She has been used by the Raven Queen as an assassin on missions to the surface and is somewhat acquainted with urbane life and acquired a taste for finery that was wholly non-existent in the dark pits below the earth.  As a result, she can be vain and her sorcerous disguises is often that of a young indolent noblewoman.

MARCUS CONNOR
Age: 34; Height: 5' 11"; Weight: 160 lbs
N Male Human (Ranger 7)
         STR: 14; DEX: 18; CON: 14
         INT: 13; WIS: 14; CHA: 10

Overview: A talented mercenary who has decided that the victory of the Raven Queen is inevitable and has chosen to throw in his lot on the winning side.  Widely travelled, he has been assigned to help an agent of the Raven Queen, Zarashka, on her mission to track and bring back the last scion of the de'Lanserac's bloodline.  When confronted with the revalation that there might actually be someone who can defeat the Raven Queen, decides to hold back his opinion and see how things go before casting his lot.

Personality: Like any mercernary, Marcus is gruff and terse.  He enjoys simple and crude pleasures, living today like there no tomorrow, which may very well be the case.  He doesn't hold any illusions that the ultimate victory of the Raven Queen will ultimately meen the dominance of the orc and goblin, and he intends to live as well and wildly as possible before he dies.  He's willing to work with others as long as there is reward for his actions.

And that's generally it.  Any questions, inquiries, interests are much welcome.  Please note that this is not something I intend to jump into immediately, and there is likely to be much discussion before this gets off.  Thanks and hope to hear from you!