Terror Incognitia
25-04-2008, 03:28
We (myself, Frozopia, and Angermanland) are beginning a character RP based in an alternate somewhat fantasy history of my nation.
Basically this post is recruitment for two (possibly more) characters in this RP.
First I'm going to tell you what I want, then I'll show you why you want to join by giving the introduction...
We want someone to role-play a wheeling-dealing smuggler, with contacts high and low in society...morality questionable, origins mysterious.
Also we want someone to play the 4th in line to House Etralis. Oldest son of the junior branch of Etralis [insert character name here] is on the run from the House because of recent atrocities conducted on the orders of Count Etralis. So a young noble, child of privilege.
To apply for either position, or create your own, please give an introduction to your character, and their reaction to the situation they find themselves in at the end of this extract:
The date is 1507. The place, a road leading away from Derno, a relatively major city in the Incognitian heartland.
The scene...a column of refugees, young and old, rich and poor. Their unifying feature was that none were prepared to stay any longer in Derno. It simply wasn't safe any more, at least for those who followed the old ways...and with the unrest came a downturn in business, so merchants, smugglers and the like were on their way out too.
The Jowadists were coming; their supporters were rising in the city, and there were House Amada troops approaching from the north, or so rumour had it.
[Note: Jowadism. An aggressively monotheistic religion which rejects magic as devilry and proclaims the word of the One True God...as told to Felix Jowad.
Amada: Powerful great House, champions of Jowadism.]
And so the refugees had fled Derno...fled to the south, towards Nesais. A rag-tag group, protected only by merchant's guards, the few mages who had remained after the closing of the university, and a few mercenaries along for the ride.
They hadn't gone far, only a couple of days, before they'd realised there were Jowadists ahead as well as behind. Missionaries had been into the fens and forests, and where they'd been well received there were hotbeds of fanaticism. That, combined with old-school banditry, had led to much raiding of the scattered parties wending along the road.
So, gradually, they had coalesced into larger groups for mutual protection.
It used to be that roads in Incognitia were safe; that you were never too far from a town, whence the County or Royal Watchmen would ride to patrol the roads. Ever since Emperor Maximillian's assassination, however, there had been no order. The great houses strove to seize the throne, the lesser settled old scores...and beneath it all, Jowadism spread ever more broadly, and conflict rose between followers of the old Way, and followers of the new.
[The old way means worship of Order, Chaos, Time, Death and the Fates, the five deities, and following a philosophy expressing balance and order under the old system, including magic.
The new way means following the commandments of the One, and cleansing the world of the devil-worshipers who claim their powers are natural.]
So, when this hapless rag-tag coalescence of humanity, these dregs of Dernoese faithful to the old ways, had passed through the forest of Asher, they had had no real protection against the bandits and local Jowadists. They had slowly dwindled in numbers...but they couldn't really turn back.
And finally, they had come to a clearing in the forest. There they had been met by a man-at-arms, bearing the insignia of a minor house allied to Amada. The column concertina'd together, as those at the head viewed the armed man uncertainly; those with weapons fingered them gingerly.
"You people! You all must know, the old ways are over! The truth has been revealed to us, and the One's Love embraces us."
He paused, and gestured to his right and left, and more men-at-arms appeared on either side of the column of refugees.
"However, the One has commanded us to seek out devil-worshipers, concealing their demonic powers as 'magic' and claiming such things are natural. So you must all come forward and bow to the One, and pray with us, and swear on your hope of salvation not to harbour demons amongst you."
Obviously this was the very last thing this particular group intended to do; oh, some of the merchants went forward, and in return for a prayer (and most of their goods) were allowed on their way.
A few from the rear managed to slip away, before the carnage struck.
But most of those in the column were there when the mysterious crier put on his helmet and gave the command
"FOOOOOOORRRR-WAAAARD!"
It was a slaughter. Those few with much fighting skill in the refugee column either fought as heroes and died swiftly, or they managed to flee. Most, men, women, children, died where they stood. A few unfortunates (the younger women, and the young children) were taken away alive - the children for adoption by proper Jowadist families, the women...well, as much should be obvious, as every army has camp-followers, no?
Afterwards a few survivors found one another in a much smaller clearing. After an initial wariness, they began to help one another to recover from their recent ordeal, patching up wounds, sharing food, and getting to know one another.
OOC: Thus ends the introduction. This is the opening of a grand quest across Incognitia torn in two by both civil war and religious strife, and as stated we have two main characters signed up, Angermanland and Frozopia. I am running the story, as a form of GM if you will; my word is final.
We are recruiting for two characters as outlined above, but that's not set in stone, and if you write something better then alternative characters are acceptable.
No set number of characters has been decided, so feel free to apply to join until I notify entries are closed.
Basically this post is recruitment for two (possibly more) characters in this RP.
First I'm going to tell you what I want, then I'll show you why you want to join by giving the introduction...
We want someone to role-play a wheeling-dealing smuggler, with contacts high and low in society...morality questionable, origins mysterious.
Also we want someone to play the 4th in line to House Etralis. Oldest son of the junior branch of Etralis [insert character name here] is on the run from the House because of recent atrocities conducted on the orders of Count Etralis. So a young noble, child of privilege.
To apply for either position, or create your own, please give an introduction to your character, and their reaction to the situation they find themselves in at the end of this extract:
The date is 1507. The place, a road leading away from Derno, a relatively major city in the Incognitian heartland.
The scene...a column of refugees, young and old, rich and poor. Their unifying feature was that none were prepared to stay any longer in Derno. It simply wasn't safe any more, at least for those who followed the old ways...and with the unrest came a downturn in business, so merchants, smugglers and the like were on their way out too.
The Jowadists were coming; their supporters were rising in the city, and there were House Amada troops approaching from the north, or so rumour had it.
[Note: Jowadism. An aggressively monotheistic religion which rejects magic as devilry and proclaims the word of the One True God...as told to Felix Jowad.
Amada: Powerful great House, champions of Jowadism.]
And so the refugees had fled Derno...fled to the south, towards Nesais. A rag-tag group, protected only by merchant's guards, the few mages who had remained after the closing of the university, and a few mercenaries along for the ride.
They hadn't gone far, only a couple of days, before they'd realised there were Jowadists ahead as well as behind. Missionaries had been into the fens and forests, and where they'd been well received there were hotbeds of fanaticism. That, combined with old-school banditry, had led to much raiding of the scattered parties wending along the road.
So, gradually, they had coalesced into larger groups for mutual protection.
It used to be that roads in Incognitia were safe; that you were never too far from a town, whence the County or Royal Watchmen would ride to patrol the roads. Ever since Emperor Maximillian's assassination, however, there had been no order. The great houses strove to seize the throne, the lesser settled old scores...and beneath it all, Jowadism spread ever more broadly, and conflict rose between followers of the old Way, and followers of the new.
[The old way means worship of Order, Chaos, Time, Death and the Fates, the five deities, and following a philosophy expressing balance and order under the old system, including magic.
The new way means following the commandments of the One, and cleansing the world of the devil-worshipers who claim their powers are natural.]
So, when this hapless rag-tag coalescence of humanity, these dregs of Dernoese faithful to the old ways, had passed through the forest of Asher, they had had no real protection against the bandits and local Jowadists. They had slowly dwindled in numbers...but they couldn't really turn back.
And finally, they had come to a clearing in the forest. There they had been met by a man-at-arms, bearing the insignia of a minor house allied to Amada. The column concertina'd together, as those at the head viewed the armed man uncertainly; those with weapons fingered them gingerly.
"You people! You all must know, the old ways are over! The truth has been revealed to us, and the One's Love embraces us."
He paused, and gestured to his right and left, and more men-at-arms appeared on either side of the column of refugees.
"However, the One has commanded us to seek out devil-worshipers, concealing their demonic powers as 'magic' and claiming such things are natural. So you must all come forward and bow to the One, and pray with us, and swear on your hope of salvation not to harbour demons amongst you."
Obviously this was the very last thing this particular group intended to do; oh, some of the merchants went forward, and in return for a prayer (and most of their goods) were allowed on their way.
A few from the rear managed to slip away, before the carnage struck.
But most of those in the column were there when the mysterious crier put on his helmet and gave the command
"FOOOOOOORRRR-WAAAARD!"
It was a slaughter. Those few with much fighting skill in the refugee column either fought as heroes and died swiftly, or they managed to flee. Most, men, women, children, died where they stood. A few unfortunates (the younger women, and the young children) were taken away alive - the children for adoption by proper Jowadist families, the women...well, as much should be obvious, as every army has camp-followers, no?
Afterwards a few survivors found one another in a much smaller clearing. After an initial wariness, they began to help one another to recover from their recent ordeal, patching up wounds, sharing food, and getting to know one another.
OOC: Thus ends the introduction. This is the opening of a grand quest across Incognitia torn in two by both civil war and religious strife, and as stated we have two main characters signed up, Angermanland and Frozopia. I am running the story, as a form of GM if you will; my word is final.
We are recruiting for two characters as outlined above, but that's not set in stone, and if you write something better then alternative characters are acceptable.
No set number of characters has been decided, so feel free to apply to join until I notify entries are closed.