So I finally finished my profile. I know it's accepted already, but I know a few minor details in the bio changed, so if someone would look over them to make sure I did not goof, I'd appreciate it. :)
Somehow I think I made the bio longer than the previous version...oh boy.
Rank: (If this is a new character, put "recruit" here. If this is an old character reformatted to the new system, part of the re-approval process is giving your character their rank.) Homeland: Freeholds / Wandering Mercs Biography: (It's a mercenaries life for me. Murderok has worked as a Mercenary since he was 13 his size and power a clearly desirable attribute by employers, and those early years a source of many of the scars he bears today. It was on his 15th year that he met Gryff who was only 12 at the time, but working as a Mercenary in support roles being taught how to patch up sword wounds, carry supplies back and forth. The two became fast friends and soon enough worked on contract basis as a pair, and well paid they were being a couple of large powerful mercenaries as they grew older the amount they were paid increased.
The two formally declared one another as blood brothers with an ancient and bloody ritual and have since that time been practically inseparable sharing pretty much everything from gold, booze and food, to literally the women with enough courage (and need for gold) to try and take them on in bed. Whether whores in brothels, whores not in brothels, women just plain willing to give it a go or not. Motivation: It's a yellowish colour and clinks when in a back with other similar objects. Gold. Gold motivates them. Though they do accept favours from whores in exchange as well. Though since the loss of Gryff it has become more personal as well.
Heavy Stat: 30.
Perseverance: 60.
Defender: 60.
Heavy Hitter: 80.
Combat Senses: 50.
Repositioning: 50.
Light Stat: 8.
Reflexes: 40.
Cloak of Innocence: 0.
Rapid Blows: 40.
Sharp: 0.
Dancer: 0.
Magic Stat: 2
Raw Talent: 0.
Mastery: 0.
Wells of Power: 0.
Pattern Weaving: 0.
Fortitude: 20.
Custom Traits: (Your custom traits. You create these! You start with ten custom trait points to spend on creating and upgrading custom traits.)
--Trait 1. Minotaur: Damn near ten feet tall, musclebound, no sense of direction, Murderok is a somewhat classical minotaur in the physical sense. Though somewhat more intelligent (so he says) preferring to wear armour and use weapons instead of being stupid enough to get locked in a maze... he hopes.
--Upgrade Minotaur: Monstrous Strength; Heavy Hitter? Certainly, but being a Minotaur certainly adds to the oomph of it. Now that Murd has grown stronger and more capable he's begun the natural outpacing of more humanoid types in the strength department.
--Upgrade Minotaur: Monstrous Toughness; Murd's very flesh is naturally that of a Minotaur, thus in addition to his chain armour, his own hide is as tough as the most well-made leather armour.
--Upgrade Minotaur: Inhuman Vitality; Murd's Stamina and Endurance are more durable than most humanoid races, allowing him to last longer on the run or in battle.. or most importantly for Murd, in bed with a dozen whores willing to try anything.
--Trait 2. Manbreaker is a Crossbow of unusual size built to Murderok's proportions. For most humans this qualified as more of a small sized ballista than a crossbow. The crossbow's name comes from the most commonly demonstrated fact whenever it hits something.
---Upgrade: Manbreaker; Murderok has well and truly ensured that he's learned how to craft the oversized bolts for the Manbreaker and has several custom head designs to affix upon them, such as the gutspiller, a wicked moon-bladed bolt head designed to spill a mans guts into the ground (or just bisect him completely if he's close enough) and a serrated design for biting into stone and wood to affix climbing ropes (or make it REALLY messy to pull out of someone)
--Upgrade Manbreaker: Explosive Bolts; With some aid Murderok has learned to make some powerful explosive bolts for the Manbreaker. Powerful, but their range is more limited by their weight it has the power of an explosive cannonball. But is resource intensive, Murderok can only afford to manufacture one between missions.
--Upgrade Manbreaker: Reinforced Arms; The Manbreaker can hurl bolts further and harder than ever before, as a side-effect of the arms of the great crossbow being reinforced so that Murd could use it without breaking the arms.
--Upgrade Manbreaker: Pavise Shield; Murd has had a special Pavise Shield crafted to use with the Manbreaker effectively allowing him to become a fixed point of defence.
--Trait 3. Gore; Murderok uses the heavy horns during a charge to gore his enemies, the sight is messy and hellaciously demoralising to most folk who really do prefer the sight of most people with their insides, well, inside instead of gracing a minotaurs horns like a necklace of sausage meat.
Story Traits: --Teamwork I: You work well with others, and are growing accustomed to doing so. You have a greater chance of success in any action if you perform it with an ally, rather than alone. (Minor bonus to anything when done with a compatriot, to a reasonable degree.) --Lucky: You took a guess, and it turned out correct... (Minor bonus to random actions, especially if they take luck.)
Equipment List:
Chainmail Armour
Steel Breastplate
Spear designed for a Minotaur... and used by one
Khopesh designed for Murderok's size.
Manbreaker
Flint and Steel
Very Large Tent
Backpack with cooking utensils and basic supplies.
Romance: He breaks it he bought it.
Does the Kouri Plushie Exist?: Does a bear shit into a gold-plated porcelain throne in NY Square?
IC IS NOW UP. OVER HERE! Players who were in the one on the Guild can post immediately even if I haven't verified your sheet yet.
Just duplicating the same OOC post from before, here. I'm also porting the missions info over, though they won't be made "pretty". Not right now anyway, I still have to work on TLB and ensure it meets its posting date, after all, no?
Guidelines
#1: Only five missions can be active. If you don't take a mission now, then it'll be treated as ignored and the faction will, generally, be detrimentally affected by that. #2: Each character gets a vote. Thus why I've been tentative to allow double characters with new people, and have selectively preferred older players. They know the world and have invested in it, they should have a slightly greater say in what goes. Votes also count as a mission select: If you vote for the Underdark with Bob, then Bob will go to the Underdark if it has a sufficient number of votes to become active. #3: The missions with the most votes will become active. Those who voted for other missions that didn't make it into the top five can move themselves into the top five. #4: Missions can only have a maximum of five "votes". There are five slots per mission, so if a mission gets five votes, it's guaranteed to become active as a result anyway. (Note: One mission will have a sixth slot added to account for having 26 characters.) #5: At this stage, while factions can lose territory, important NPC's, and more, a faction shouldn't be entirely wiped out by one failed or not taken mission. Keep in mind though that some nations may be more vulnerable than others, and no, I won't explicitly tell you. You have to figure it out amongst yourselves. #6: Y'all have a week to decide. Good luck. I may extend it to two weeks if people are having troubles deciding or want to pile on a whole bunch of last minute ball collabs.
Read the Skeleton to understand what the fields precisely mean. If you don't, that's your problem, not mine.
Request: The information about the mission/quest, in detail. Consequence: If you fail this mission or don't take it, the consequences as a result. Allies: Any allies you might have coming with you. You can also request allies if you feel it necessary, either from your contracts or from the nation making this request. Kingdom Condition Demon Invasion Potential: (Very low, low, medium, high, very high) How likely the nation is to be struck with an invasion as of this present moment. The greater the chance of invasion, the more likely it will occur if you don't take a mission here. If you take a mission here, it'll lower the chances two places, which means that in a very high state, it'll lower to a medium state. On the other hand, that does mean that in the middle of your mission, you could get swarmed with demons... Corruption: How corrupt in general the area, populace, and government is. The greater the corruption, the more likely you are to meet people allied to demons, under control of demons, and the less the nation will be able to resist in the case of an invasion. (Corruption makes it easier for invasions to occur not only successfully, but efficiently, meaning it'll spread to nearby kingdoms quicker.) Mage's Guild Presence: (Yes/No.) Mage's Guild presence provides safe zones, places to decipher magic, browse libraries full of information both past and present, and get some simple assistance. Locations that have a Mage's Guild Presence can also detect if Demon Agents are present, and travel times to and from these locations are cut drastically. Most nations have a Mage's Guild already. Current State: (Very poor, poor, moderate, good, very good) The general state of the nation independent of demon invasions. Like corruption, nations that are fairing poorly will have a significantly harder time stopping and holding back invasions. Demon agents detected: (Yes/No.) Demon Agents are the antithesis to Queen's Blades. They are consistent characters, like PC's, whose role it is to hinder you in missions and spread corruption in countries where they are present. They can move from country to country. If one is killed, their efforts are severely hampered and they may even stay dead, resulting in a weaker demon metagame. On the other hand, if a demon agent can operate uninhibited, they can, and will, try to kill, enslave, kidnap, or replace, an important NPC in that realm. Anyone from a queen to a peasant.
Kingdom of Renalta
Request: Mikan's spy network has found the location of the Carnival of Chaos in Renalta. (They weren't really good at hiding giant purple tents. Teehee!) Seeing as how they terrorized Arian village, Mikan thinks now is a good time for a little good old fashioned 'eye for an eye' treatment: Destroy the carnival in one, sudden strike, and end the problem now before it can get a chance to do any real damage. Consequence: Certainty unknown, likely continued acts of terrorism, violence, innocent lives lost, and maybe even an attempt at hitting the capital in suicidal revenge if the carnival is badly damaged by Renalta's defenders. Allies: General Hanus Wolfblood, Dean Hansen. A dozen soldiers. NOTE: Hanus, Dean, and the soldiers will attempt this mission with or without the Queen's Blades, as this is a domestic terrorism issue and needs to be stopped here and now. Kingdom Condition Demon Invasion Potential: Very low. Corruption: None. Mage's Guild Presence: Yes. Current State: Very good. Demon agents detected: Yes.
Unable to make a decision, Kouri intervened and chose that her kingdom should do its best on its own. Renalta stands alone.
The Imperium
Request: Across the blood sea there is an island near the official borders of The Imperium. On that island, within its singular large hill, is an ancient tomb where the Imperium had confiscated all the magical artifacts of the Mage's Guild of its time prior to being obliterated. Amanda doesn't know that it is there. Florence, on the other hand, and a handful of others, do. And before Amanda can catch wind of it and search there for more artifacts to confiscate to the Guild, The Imperium has officially penned a request for Queen's Blades to delve into the dungeons. Florence will be more than happy to accompany you, as well.
There is one artifact in particular that must be recovered. At the centre of the dungeon is the beating heart that keeps everything hidden from the supernatural senses of Sarah or Amanda, or any like them: The Eternal Soul Gem. Florence knows that this item would be a significant boon for the Imperium. Specifically for a reason only revealed shortly after the ball, in private: The Eternal Empress is dying. It takes a constant source of energy to upkeep her form and immense amount of power. The Eternal Soul Gem, coincidentally, is a near-endless source of power that she could use to stay alive for many ages. This would not only be a boon to the Imperium, but they could use this power to help secure and create a stronghold for the Queen's Blades on the northern half of the Blood Sea, just as Renalta is a stronghold for them on the south end of the sea. Consequence: The Eternal Empress will die and the Imperium will have to look to Florence to lead them, weakening them. As well, it would tranish the good relations between Renalta and the Imperium. Allies: General Florence Merryweather. Kingdom Condition Demon Invasion Potential: Very low. Corruption: Very low. Mage's Guild Presence: Yes. (NOTE: Only recently.) Current State: Good. Demon agents detected: No.
Kingdom of Rheinfeld
Request: The Rheinfeld Republic and the Templar Order, in an unprecedented move, are attempting to reconcile their differences and form an alliance to face off against the Papacy. They want to end it in one, decisive strike in order to keep the bulk of Rheinfeld's forces ready for the incoming invasions, seeing as how they think they will be a key player in stopping the nine hells and eventually defeating them.
There are only two problems, supposedly. First of all, the Papacy will do whatever it can to stop this from happening, and there is no reason to believe the Papacy doesn't know exactly when and where the diplomacy between the two factions will occur. Second of all, the exact details are points of contention on both sides. More specifically: Who will take charge in the interim until the Nine Hells are defeated once the Papacy has been removed from power.
Thus, Queen's Blades have been called to thwart any attempts on the lives of Templar Taigyn, and Alida Spiegel. If either of them dies, kiss peace goodbye. Consequence: The Templar Order & Rheinfeld Republic will have to settle the dispute through other, more violent means, causing widespread damage to farms and towns in the process and weakening the entire country as a result. Allies: The Templar Order & Rheinfeld Republic camps, including of course Taigyn and Alida. Kingdom Condition Demon Invasion Potential: Very low. Corruption: Low. Mage's Guild Presence: No. Current State: Good. Demon agents detected: ??? (No Mage's Guild!)
Kingdom of Liveria
Request: By request of Queen Kouri and Gabriel, Crown-Prince Xavier has revealed the location of the angel enclave being headed by Archangel Myria. In the northern mountain ranges on the edge of Liveria's claimed territory, within a large, artificial cavern dug into the side of a mountain and accessible only through flight. As such, Mira, the royal adviser and head of the witch hunters, will be accompanying you, as she can use her magic to lift the entire group simultaneously inside should it be necessary.
However, this isn't completely a charity mission by Xavier.
First of all, Princess Helénē will likely end up in this mission. Xavier has repeatedly tried to hold her back, but due to her "naive love of the Queen's Blades" she will force the issue until she gets her way. If she is harmed or slain, it could have nasty repercussions for the relations between Renalta and Liveria.
Second of all, and this is where it gets really complicated for us, the northern mountains are a festering ground for shadow bandits and brutish orc tribes. While both of these forces can be negotiated with, they often prefer to dole out in violence and other vicious activities. (Thus why the angels chose to dig out an artificial hole in the side of a mountain, rather than willingly live where either of these factions can reach them.) This is also likely the reason both Mira and Helénē will be accompanying you: There are reports of innocent Liverians being attacked recently by the orcs. This may be a show of strength by Liveria as much as it is anything else.
The long story short is, if you happen to leave a lasting impression on the local orc tribes on your way to the angel enclave... It would be appreciated. Immensely. Consequence: Unknown, but dire consequences... Allies: Royal Adviser Mira and Princess Helénē (Liveria), Gabriel (Angel faction). Kingdom Condition Demon Invasion Potential: Very low. Corruption: Low. Mage's Guild Presence: Yes. Current State: Very good. Demon agents detected: Yes.
The Goblin Holds
Request: Directly from King Xixis, the Queen's Blades have been requested due to his 'feelings' that something is coming from the blood sea. Something important, and something described only as 'foreign'. While sitting out on the docks looking for the strange feeling, Xixis watched a bottle pop out of the blood sea with a message scrawled inside. He had to get someone from the Imperium just to decipher it, and the only thing he got was a cryptic message telling him to toss dead bodies into the Blood Sea, and a request for a meeting with Queen Kouri. By name.
As well, there are reports that appear to be tangentially related of demonic incursion nearby. Xixis insists that his local guild is on par with that of the Mage's Guild in detecting demon threats. This may well be worth testing.
Needless to say, this requires further investigating. After all, whatever is going on from the Blood Sea can only spell great trouble for the Queen's Blades in the future if demons find it important enough to risk detection. Consequence: A new faction will appear that may be hostile if left only to the Goblin Holds to manage. Unchecked, the demon presence will manifest itself further... Allies: Local forces including Nash Skullbringer and King Xixis Madheart. Queen Kouri will also be present, regardless of whether Queen's Blades go or not, as she feels she owes Xixis the assistance. Kingdom Condition Demon Invasion Potential: Very low. Corruption: Very low. Mage's Guild Presence: No. Current State: Very good. Demon agents detected: ??? (No Mage's Guild!) (The local guild has yet to be tested!)
With their resources stretched thin, there was no applicable interest given towards the Goblin Holds. They stand alone.
The Free Holds
Request: Rashad has made his offer behind closed doors. He needs Deimos removed. Permanently. While the Queen's Blades don't ordinarily offer themselves as assassins, this case is different. He has provided very tangible proof that Deimos' right hand assistant is a succubi. Deimos himself may also be a demon in disguise. Regardless, they've been assassinating the various rulers of the Free Holds and replacing them with their own, puppet warlords which they've enslaved through demonic corruption. Seeing as how his own assassins have tried and failed to take out Deimos, he's resorting to one last attempt with Queen's Blades.
Thus, a straightforward assassination mission: Kill Deimos and his succubi second in command.
Thanks to Aslo's cooperation, there will be a clear map of the interior of their keep. You can either go in loud and violently with mercenaries in a bloody coup, or attempt to slip inside with disguises and eliminate Deimos that way.
Seeing as how Mikan is intimately familiar with the Hold in question (Southblood), and is useful in either decision, she will accompany any Queen's Blades sent on this mission. Consequence: Civil war will erupt in the Free Holds in an attempt to cut off Southblood & Deimos, and its surrounding small holds, from spreading any further corruption. Allies: Spymaster Mikan. Kingdom Condition Demon Invasion Potential: Very low. Corruption: Low. Mage's Guild Presence: Yes. Current State: Very good. Demon agents detected: Yes.
The Underdark Coalition
Request: While this alliance may be abrupt and surprising, this request shouldn't be. There is a temple deep underground which the Dwarves discovered and the Drow identified. Inside this temple is a crown that allows its wearer to control all the spiders in the area, a blessed crown of Llolth. Being that this is the Underdark, that is the equivalent of a small, venomous, eight legged, highly agile army that can be rendered at the disposable of the Queens to fight demonic incursions...
... However...
There is an Illithid Enclave--mind flayers--deep within, that claims the temple as part of their territory. Acquiring the crown would most certainly impress them, and a neutral party could potentially convince them that joining this temporary coalition is in the best interests of everyone involved. On the other hand, they may also simply see the Queen's Blades as brain food. That being said, the 'giant brain' for lack of a better term that is controlling them appears to be panicking about something. Figuring out what the problem is and resolving it may increase the odds of them joining the Underdark coalition... Or at least, leaving the Queen's Blades alone. "I'll put it simply for you: Infiltrate the temple, and acquire the crown for us. If you can, figure out why the Illithids are panicking, and resolve their problem, or at least tell us about it. The stronger our coalition grows, the greater your chances of success in defeating demon incursions... Trust me.
Sincerely, the Valsharess." Consequence: Since the Drow and Dwarves are putting such emphasis on this temple, the Illithids will likely put a greater pressure here as well and make it impossible for either of them to get in, allowing demons to acquire the artifact first. A demon with a small army of giant spiders in the Underdark could likely cause some rather severe issues for the locals. Allies: The Valsharess OR The Dwarven Champion, Duncan Rocklover. (Choose--They can't both accompany you, as one has to stay behind to manage the affairs of the coalition.) Sarah Darkhammer may also be in the area and there is no reason to assume that she is an enemy. Kingdom Condition Demon Invasion Potential: Very low. Corruption: Very low. Mage's Guild Presence: No. Current State: Very good. Demon agents detected: ??? (No Mage's Guild!)
The Valsharess has withdrawn her request for assistance this round. The Underdark stands alone.
Kingdom of Tuleria
Request: The Triumvirate has already stopped an attempted assassination of the King, Boann. It is aware however that there is an additional assassination attempt going after either Varro or Janelle. This request is being made of the Queen's Blades as further information has uncovered demon influence in the assassin that went after Boann, implicating that there is a greater threat that must be dealt with. First, the Queen's Blades must discover who the target is: Janelle or Varro. Second, they must stop the assassin. Third, they must leave him alive for questioning, so The Triumvirate can discover who, or perhaps more appropriately what, the true threat is. Consequence: The assassin will likely succeed in killing his target: Varro or Janelle, heightening tensions to boiling point and possible igniting a civil war. Allies: Local factions will be happy to assist you, so it's safe to say that should the Queen's Blades feel it necessary to request assistance, it will be available. Kingdom Condition Demon Invasion Potential: Very low. Corruption: Very low. Mage's Guild Presence: Yes. Current State: Very good. Demon agents detected: No.
With deepest regrets, the Queen's Blades were unable to spare any assistance for the Kingdom of Tuleria. The Kingdom of Tuleria stands alone.
The Amazons
Request: The Queen of the Amazonian people was brutally murdered by a monstrosity unleashed by the Nine Hells. A cursory investigation by Amanda has revealed it to be a powerful creature, one which if left unchecked could do serious amounts of damage to the local tribes. On the other hand, if it could be killed, or even captured, a great deal of knowledge could be extracted from it by the Mage's Guild, which could be used in all manner of ways, for all manner of reasons...
It should also be noted that the Queen fell in the middle of the Princess' ritual ascension into leadership. Therefore, while the Princess does retain authority, it is a limited one until she can complete her rites.
The Princess has, thus, asked for the help of the Queen's Blades in slaying the monster before it can do any further harm. Consequence: The Amazons will lose territory to the creature and take casualties attempting to slay it. As well, all the potential knowledge that could be obtained about the relatively unknown enemy will be lost if left only to the Amazons. Allies: Queen Alexandria will accompany the Queen's Blades by the Princess' personal request, should the Queen's Blades choose to accept. Kingdom Condition Demon Invasion Potential: Low. Corruption: Very low. Mage's Guild Presence: No. Current State: Good. Demon agents detected: ??? (No Mage's Guild!)
White: Traversable tile.
Black: Non-traversable tile, man-made. (Ex: Walls.)
Brown: Non-traversable tile, nature. (Ex: Cliffs, cavern walls.)
Red: Extremely heavy and resilient doors, cannot be opened without magical aid or a lever.
NOTE: Elrbetrt Westfeld's man servant isn't shown on the map as he is not relevant to combat and his presence would only prove to be needless clutter. For the sake of uniformity since everyone is tightly packed, your name is below your circle, always, until y'all break up a bit from that clump.
Elr_1=Elrithos.
Elr_2=Elrbetrt Westfeld
Sel=Ceann
And=Andrea
Gab=Gabriel
Ray=Rayvon
Prin=Princess
Mila=Mila... Duh?
POR=Possessed Orc.
ORC_A1 = First Archer.
ORC_A2 = Second Archer.
Orc_LEAD = Leader.
Orc_C = Champion.
??? = Smaller green creatures, possible goblins, possible half-breed orcs. Definitely Half-Breed Orcs.
HO1 = Half-Orc 1.
HO2 = Half-Orc 2.
DC = Dead Champion. (To differentiate him from the boulders better, as gray dots are corpses.)
Free Holds: BOOM. PATIENCE PAYS OFF DUNNIT?
Anyway, I'll likely throw out a map for y'all soon, likely with the dance, so Aëyr can get a general idea of where all the attention is being focused on her assassination attempt. Keep in mind that if Aëyr feels she can't get close enough to kill Deimos, Mikan will be guided with escorts to his chambers, and you'll have a second chance there, assuming his aura doesn't overpower one/all of you.
You may also want to ask for mini-collabs, though you do have permission to interact with NPC's in the area obviously. Just try not to draw too much attention to yourselves, or they'll know something is up and, well, you'll be in trouble...
Amazon: Pushing your mission ahead. You're having a pacing problem that is my fault, really. So let me resolve that for you by hitting the skip button on the cassette player here to a point where you won't have pacing problems anymore.
@Everyone: Gonna give everyone an extra week to acclimate. IC post will go up next weekend, not this weekend. If you need to do a collab to get back on your feet, so be it.
ALSO! Keep in mind the minimum number of paragraphs to post has been dropped to one. Really, just one, so you know... Go. *Motions onward* Skit skat skidoodle.
I also might drop doing the AutoREALM maps. They're a real pain in the ass. If anyone has any objections with that, let me know now.
EDIT
Also keep in mind that anyone who doesn't make it within that deadline will probably die.
Just throwing that one out there. It's been two weeks. I'm asking for one paragraph. Not to be snide, but, really? It's not that hard.
EDIT #2
I'm also considering changing LoR 2 and TLB to two week posting cycles instead of one week to help accommodate busy school schedules that some people have. It also gives more time for collaborative posts. Please voice opinions here.
Understood. I've been pretty tight this weekend, so I'll probably get to work on a post Sunday.
Also, I wouldn't mind a two-week posting schedule for LoR. I'm not exactly the busiest guy myself, but things do seem to be ramping up out here in the real world.
AMAZONIA GROUP:Just a heads up, Esylt does not have the capability to open up a channel for everyone to communicate across. She can send messages to people, but only other individuals with the power of non-magic telepathy can send messages telepathically back.
