Only one faction seems to thrive off the chaos that this has caused, and that faction is the Dark Brotherhood. Having found itself back to its old glory with its even older traditions, the Guild of Murder hasn't seen a day go by without several contracts being brought to them. Travel has been perilous with the mistrust and suspicions from the governments of the various provinces, though, so several murderers within the guild have found themselves doubled, tripled, even quadrupled up for protection. Despite this, though, the Brotherhood has continued to keep their eyes everywhere...but whose eyes are upon them? This game is set 50 years after the events of Skyrim, focused on the going ons in the Dark Brotherhood. The Brotherhood has risen back to power, with its traditions back to the way they were in Oblivion: the Black Hand, the Five Tenets, and of course, the Night Mother. Ranks certainly have grown in 50 years, with several sanctuaries being made and rebuilt all over Tamriel, but they are still small, with only veteran members in them. New recruits are sent to the Dawnstar Sanctuary in Skyrim, it being the most populated and most hospitable. While it is in Skyrim, most members in that sanctuary are still sent to other provinces of Tamriel, as there are just too many contracts for the other sanctuaries to keep up with.
Characters should be of the ten playable races in the game, and no others. I advise against any of them being brooding, anti-social creatures of the night, but of course also suggest they not be completely-innocent souls, as well; after all, murder is the name of the game, and cold-blooded murder, at that. I will
NOT be accepting vampires or werewolves, as I find they grind the story down to a halt at times to suit their special needs.
Some other important things to consider for characters is that this game is going to be a little more lore-friendly; in other words, certain luxuries handed to you by the video game at higher levels are not as readily available to most. Ebony, Daedric, and to an extent, glass materials aren't easy to come by, and are very expensive to obtain and work with. I'm not saying you can't have these things, but it will have to be very-well justified. In the long run, however, equipment strengths won't affect too much; this is a freeform game, so having strong, expensive gear will only get you so far. There's going to be a sense of realism to the game, so armor, no matter what make or material, will have spots that will leave a character exposed, and there may come times where that will be in play.
Skills that a character has will affect how easily things can come to them, of course, but do remember that no one is a master of everything; keep the amount of skills and how good a character is at them to a realistic level. For example, a character devoted to sniping from the shadows most likely has dedicated a lot of practice to perfecting it, so there's a good chance they may not have taken the time to hone any magical-based skills, like destruction, enchanting, and what have you. The backstory is what I'll be checking to see if the chosen skills make sense.
Another thing to consider is that having a good motivation for actually joining the Dark Brotherhood is key. Just because a character committed one murder doesn't automatically mean they're willing to commit another. Do they just like killing? Are they in desperate need for gold, and the Dark Brotherhood can provide that for them? Is there a need to belong somewhere, anywhere? Does the sound of being a part of a family provide comfort? Just some things to keep in mind when writing up the backstory.
Also, in the backstory, I would like to see how they were approached by a Speaker, who their initiation murder target was, and how it was carried out. There's no need to go into explicit detail, just enough to give a good idea of how the character operates when seeking to end a life. If you want to know more about the Speakers in the game, just shoot me a PM, and I'll come up with which Speaker approaches you.
The last thing to remember is that I'm looking for new recruits; any character that is already an established member of the guild will be rejected. New murderers trying to grasp at what they've become is something I'm looking for here. Those that want to join just for the thrill are fine, too. It's just to help get a little more invested in the story, really.
At minimum, I require the following to be in a character sheet:
Name:
Sex:
Orientation:
Race: (Pick one of the ten core races only: Altmer, Argonian, Bosmer, Breton, Dunmer, Imperial, Khajiit, Nord, Orc, or Redguard.)
Age:
Birthsign: (These will not have too much bearing on characters' development, but can affect certain abilities as much as the player wishes)
Physical Appearance: (can be an image, but a paragraph or two should also suffice)
Personality:
Skills: (pick a few, but not a lot; characters shouldn't be good at everything right off the bat)
Backstory: (include upbringing, events of first murder, and decisions behind joining the Dark Brotherhood. Backstory should also include the approach of the Speaker that invited them, as well as the initiation kill performed before given the location of the Sanctuary. "Figure in a black cloak" is an acceptable description of the Speaker.)
Equipment: (weapons, armor, etc. Don't include legendary or heavily-enchanted equipment. Daedric equipment will need to be well justified, and alchemical ingredients from Daedra will also need to be well justified.)
Name: J'Skar
Sex: Male
Orientation: Straight
Race: Khajiit
Age: 40
Birthsign: The Steed
Physical Appearance: Standing shorter than most from his race, his fur is a dark-brown with jet-black stripes running along his sides and back. The tip of his left ear is missing, and he has a long scar down his left eye. His green eyes always seem to hold a happy expression, as does his lips, always curled to show his pointed fangs glinting in the light.
Personality: Typically upbeat and happy, he likes to talk with his fellow family members. Slow to anger, he is fearsome when his rage does show. He gets focused on tasks given to him or of his own making, and will not stop focusing on it until it is done, though he will acknowledge outside communication.
Skills: Archery, Sneak, One-handed
Backstory: Born in the city of Dune, located in the kingdom of Anequina in Elsweyr, J'Skar seemed to be just an ordinary Khajiit cub. When he was young, he was known for always having a charming smile across his lips. As he grew older, though, he would get himself in trouble a lot. He liked to sneak around the city, getting into places he shouldn't have. His favorite hobby was to scale the tall walls and roofs to snipe at birds with his bow until the Aldmeri guard caught him. He would always laugh when he was taken back to his home, despite at how angry his parents got. Fed up with him, his parents kicked him out of the house, and he shrugged it off. When caught raiding an Aldmeri storehouse for Moon Sugar so he could make his next meal, however, it was quickly decided that he should be exiled from the entire kingdom.
When escorted to the city limits by Aldmeri guards, J'Skar, allowed to take only a bow, some arrows, and the clothes on his back, had a smile on his face like it was no big deal. The Altmer felt that he was insulting them, so one held him by his arms while the other slashed at the left side of his head with a sword. The result was him losing the tip of his ear and a deep gash under his eye. The guards let go of him, leaving him to die without checking his condition, and for the first time, the happy Khajiit felt rage flowing through him. He slowly got up to his feet, drew his bow, then let an arrow fly expertly into the back of one guard's neck, unprotected by his helmet. He ducked behind a rock, leaving the other guard to run past it, making him an easy target for his next shot. J'Skar took some time to admire his kills, watching the blood pour onto the sands of the desert, and he started to purr. He didn't make it too far before the bloodloss and the heat got to him, and he felt that he was at his end. He was approached by an Argonian dressed in black at his most desperate hour, however, and she saved him from certain death. From that day forth, he had become one of the Dark Brotherhood's most prized snipers, and he felt nothing but loyalty to the family that saved his life, and allowed him to take the lives of others, especially the Altmer that cast him out of his home land and left him to die.
During one of his first contracts, he was paired with a newcomer; an Argonian female named Kud-Neeus. They talked while heading to the target, and found out that her parents had been killed, and she was searching for their real killer. He felt for her, and they were paired for a few more contracts after that. He fell in love with her when he was sure she wasn't just using her illusion magic to charm him, and in a year's time of them dating and killing together, they were wed. Kud-Neeus changed her name to Kud-Skar, and whenever together with his wife, he would always purr.
Equipment: Two longbows, arrows of varying types, a sharpened steel dagger, black leather armor, a wedding ring, and a contagious smile.
Name: Dahlia Worstrom
Sex: Female
Orientation: Bi, male lean
Race: Bosmer
Age: 65 (around 25 in human appearances)
Physical Appearance: Tall and lithe, the red-headed Bosmer has hair that runs to just above her shoulder blades. Her skin is sleek, seemingly fragile but actually resilient. Her muscles are surprisingly tone, given her figure.
Personality: Usually quiet, she tends to not say much when spoken to, unless it's about her profession as an assassin and locksmith. She isn't shy, just rarely has anything to say.
Skills: Sneak, Lockpicking, One-handed, Pickpocket
Backstory: Dahlia was born in the city of Arenthia in Valenwood, during the time when the Thalmor still had an alliance with Valenwood and Elsweyr in the third Aldmeri Dominion. She was used to seeing the Altmer patrolling the streets as she walked around with her mother, her father having gone off to join the ranks of the Thalmor, if only to keep his family safe. Her life was relatively peaceful, though she fell into a rough crowd when she was young, and found herself in trouble every once in a while, whether it be making too much noise when having fun or getting caught trying to break into an abandoned building. It became very clear early in her life that she understood locks very well, and understood how to pick them even more; her parents soon gave up trying to lock her toy chest and instead just hid it from her.
When she was sixteen, though, the Green Pact Rebellions started, where the Bosmer of Valenwood rebelled against the Thalmor for breaking their Green Pact when a Thalmor agent attempted to cut down one of the great migratory trees that held the city of Falinesti because he felt that members of the royalty were mocking him. She had no real idea what was going on during that time, but she knew that with the ensuing chaos, there was a lot she could do that she wasn't supposed to. She started to loot the houses of people she didn't like and took a few valuables here and there, and she looted the markets for jewelry she liked. She was having a lot of fun with it, until her father came home abruptly. He told his family that he was no longer a part of the Thalmor, as he believed that the rebellion was right, and he was going to protect them. The violence hadn't reached Arenthia at that point, so they assured him they would be alright, but three days later, the Thalmor came looking for the traitor. Breaking down the door to their home, Dahlia watched in horror in the hidden room of their house as her father sacrificed himself to save his family from the wrath of the Altmer, a longsword plunged through his stomach.
In a fit of fury, despite her mother's protests, Dahlia sprang out of the hidden cellar, and caught by surprise, the three Thalmor didn't have time to react when she dug her dagger, given to her by her father should things gone bad, into each of their necks, narrowly dodging a panicking swipe of the third one's bloody blade. Her mother ran out to try and stop her, but in her rage, Dahlia stuck her dagger right into her mother's eye, stabbing her through the brain. Devastated, Dahlia fled her house, just as the rest of the Thalmor started to lay siege to the city. She fled past the border of Valenwood into the Colovian highlands of Cyrodiil, over the Strid River, and found refuge in an abandoned house. She cried herself to sleep, only to be awoken by a figure in dark robes. She was offered a safe haven in the Dark Brotherhood, and she figured that she belonged there; if she could kill her own mother, she could kill anyone.
Equipment: many lockpicks, a steel dagger, a shortbow, a few arrows, and a practice lock.
Post your character sheets here! I will be looking to accept, at maximum, eight players, and at minimum, two players. When I feel I have enough character sheets to start the game, I will notify those accepted and create the OOC thread in the Extreme Small Groups board.What to Expect
Expect a slow start to the game, where characters can introduce one another, set up any goals they may have, and get to know the family in the Dawnstar Sanctuary. All characters brought forth are going to be new recruits; under no circumstances will a character be a previously-existing member of the guild. After a few contracts, events will be set in motion that will pose a threat to everyone within the Guild of Murder. The players will become an integral part in the survival of the Brotherhood, having to make tough choices, commit questionable acts, and travel all across Tamriel to keep their guild from falling. Decisions made while out on contracts can have an impact on the story as a whole. There will be many situations where characters have chances to have horrible things done to them: rape, kidnapping, torture, and possibly death. All these elements will be discussed on a case-by-case basis. Sex is not going to be a driving force in this game, though it will not be discouraged; there will be plenty of opportunities and downtime where smut is possible. There will also be times where side-quests for additional, helpful loot can be scored. While this is going to be a freeform game, having such loot can and will prove most useful later in the story. There will be much direction in the game, though during these side-quests, some sandboxing is perfectly fine. NPCs will be handled by myself, except in rare cases where I may ask a player to portray a certain one. NPCs will also react organically to kills, with investigations held that may or may not result in players being sought after for bounties, should precautions not be taken.
What I Expect
I expect players with at least an average knowledge of the Elder Scrolls universe, though a deep understanding of the lore is not required. Characters with backstories that can be easily implemented into possible scenarios are most welcome, such as past rivals that may make appearances, or loose ends that need tying up. Those able to post at least once per week will be most considered. Characters with complex motivations and personalities that can either clash or meld easily with others are to be expected. I expect applicants to be willing to go through rape, kidnapping, torture, and other dark elements. Characters are expected to be able and willing to kill again, whether for thrill, pleasure, or necessity.
If there are any questions, or something you think I may have accidentally left out, feel free to ask in this thread or PM me. I've had plenty of time to plan this out, so there's very little I haven't already planned on. With that, I hope to see some of the best--or worst--Tamriel has to offer!
