D
Dervish
Guest
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We were a proud people once.
The Northern reaches of Tamriel in the lands the Atmorans would call Skyrim was once our home, our chosen domain when our ancestors split from the Aldmer and would claim our own independent identity. We were prosperous, we were wise… we were arrogant. It was us who started the war with the humans, the seemingly barbaric Atmorans who came from lands far to the North across the seas. We could not have known that in trying to rid them from our lands they would come back with a fury of such scale and ferocity we would never recover from. Never in our wildest imaginings could we have ever foreseen that a mere 500 humans would drive us into the arms of our cousins, the dwemer… and never could we have ever foreseen that it would have led to the extinction of our culture and our people. Turned into slaves, and then twisted into feral, heartless beasts, the Snow Elves disappeared from Skyrim forever more, save for us brave few who have remained hidden from the prying eyes of Tamriel to preserve what was left of our people, our culture. To the dwemer and the Atmorans, we were extinct, but in truth we have survived… for a price.
Desperation makes even the wisest of us do foolish things that we will one day come to regret. One does not deal with demons and emerge from the bargain the victor, and the actions of a few who have strayed from the light of Auri-el may exact from us all a terrible price. Centuries of isolation, watching from a wary distance the chances of the wider world will have to come to an end if we hope to survive. We have no choice but to entrust our fates to the ancestors of our bitterest rivals and enemies. We reach out to any who are brave enough to hear our plight and take it upon themselves to deliver us from a fate worse than death.
Phynaster preserve us.
The year is 4E 208, seven years after Alduin the World Eater was slain by the Dragonborn and the Stormcloak rebellion ended with Ulfric Stormcloak's execution in Windhelm, Tamriel sits at an uneasy peace as the Mede Emepire and the 3rd Aldmeri Dominion sit the knife's edge of conflict, maintaining adherence to the White-Gold Concordat while quietly preparing for a war that may come sooner than anyone could expect. While the Empire's 4th Legion defeated the Stormcloaks in a brief but brutal civil war and brought a measure of peace throughout the Empire, Emperor Titus Mede II did not live to see the conflict's resolution as Dark Brotherhood assassins killed him aboard his flagship during a visit to Solitude to meet with General Tullius. His son, Felix Mede, a powerful man in his 40s, had ascended to the throne and is reputed to have been particularly vocal against the signing of the White-Gold Concordat. Many are fearful his leadership may lead to a war of such scale that either the Empire or Dominion will be the sole survivor. However, neither side of the border is ready for a conflict, despite the Great War having ended 33 years ago – an eternity for the short-lived memories of man.
However, despite the lofty ambitions of their rulers, the common people of the Empire and the Dominion alike are enjoying an extended period of peace and prosperity, although the territories of Valenwood and the kingdoms of Pelletine and Anequina, formerly the Elsweyr Confederacy, still chafe under the rule of their Thalmor overlords. However, with the death of Alduin and Miraak in the following year, there's an air of tranquility few are accustomed to. While bandits and cruel mages lurk in the wilds, there's a sense of security and hope that many had long gone without overall. Skyrim has rebuilt under the fair rule of Queen Elisef, and while rumours of Stormcloak sympathizers are abound, the remnants of Ulfric's army are treated like bogeymen, stories to scare disobedient children. While the Empire's presence in Skyrim is stronger than it had been in years, the Legions provide a sense of security to the citizens of the cold, hard land, as if to say that they understood what could happen if their gaze wandered from the North for too long. At it's heart, Skyrim is still a wild, untamed land with a spirit to match. The simple fact it had risen up in rebellion was sign enough of that.
In an event that had shocked the Empire, Emperor Felix had been murdered two months ago by one of his newly formed Praetorian Guardsmen, an organization of unspecified function comprised entirely of skilled battlemages that seemingly only answered to the Emperor himself. His young son, Tactus Mede, an untested man who is yet to see his 20s, has inheirted one of the most powerful sovereign states in all of Nirn and is fully aware how both friend and foe alike is watching his every move to see if he will live up to his legacy, or leave a weakened Empire ripe for exploitation. Deciding to make his inaugural appearance at the 7th anniversary of the end of the Stormcloak Rebellion in Windhelm, a lavish ceremony was planned with attendance comprised of people from all walks of life across the Empire to observe the occasion. In an attempt to mend the discord his father had sown with the Dominion, the Aldmeri Dominion was invited to send a diplomat and their retainers to mark the occasion as a victory for the preservation of the terms of the White Gold Concordat, despite the Dominion's secret ambitions for Ulfric Stormcloak to emerge victorious. It was to be a celebration of peace and unity in the face of chaos and adversity.
On the second day of the festival, a visitor to the ancient gates of the oldest human city in Tamriel would shake Tamriel to its core.
Emerging like a wisp in the blistering cold, a pale woman in ornate white robes with hair to match approached the gates of Windhelm, asking for the Emperor by name. When the guards demanded her identity, the pale woman smiled, simply stating. "The Snow Elves are ready to open diplomacy with the Mede Empire."
The snow elf, Vylewen, held an audience in a guarded chamber with Emperor Tactucs and many hours were spent behind closed doors, isolated from the increasing din of the city. The third day of the festival, Emperor Tactus held podium at the steps of Candlehearth Hall, stating that an isolated community of Snow Elves had survived in isolation for these many centuries, chosing to keep hidden from the world to preserve what little remained of their people. These survivors had come forward to the Empire to seek assistance in a matter of dire urgency, one that could mean the end of the community and what has survived of the Snow Elf people. Emperor Tactus informed the crowd that in three day's time, an expedition of volunteers in the Empire's employ would see Vylewen back safely to her people and learn of this threat first hand while acting as guards for the elven diplomat and the Imperial Ambassador.
A small party had been assembled and are set to ride North the morning of the sixth day of the festival. However, not all is as it seems, as a handful of Thalmor-picked agents ride among them, for purposes of their own. What would occur in the days to come would change their lives, and Skyrim, forever.
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Welcome to The Elder Scrolls: Resurgence of the Frost, set seven years after the events of Skyrim. You will take the roll of a band of volunteers who will be accompanying Vylewen back to Auri-el's Harborage on behalf of the Empire. Your characters will have one night in Windhelm to get their affairs in order, enjoy the festivities, and meet the other volunteers for the expedition. However, amongst the ranks is a small number of Thalmor agents who are GM and player controlled who have signed on like the rest of the volunteers, their true allegiance a secret. There will be a limited number of slots for Thalmor controlled players, as it will be a smaller number than the the rest of the party. Their true allegiance will not come apparent until much later into the game, and any players who are accepted as Thalmor characters are requested to not have their character blow their cover due to game-wrecking implications. The Thalmor characters will all be beginning in the same room for a bit of establishment, and players will be PMed the Thalmor plot to keep it confidential and something of a surprise. That said, since nobody should be godmodding, we are choosing to let the fact there's secret agents amongst the ranks be a widely known fact so players aren't unintentionally segregated or feel as if they're competing with one another. We, the GMs, are often fond of doing "MEANWHILE, IN BAD GUY'S LAIR..." esque scenes to flesh out the story a bit for the players' enjoyment, so having information only known to select characters isn't necessarily going to be withheld from the group at large. After all, we're here to have fun and make some new acquaintances and friends while writing a kick-ass story that can (and will, player participation depending) last for years. Our last game lasted a bit shy of 3 years, so if you're the dependable sort who can keep active, expect to be in this for the long haul!
Another thing to note is that important NPCs are going to be the sole domain of GMs, but that doesn't mean characters like shopkeepers or people encountered on the street can't be created and played by players when they are writing their scenes. Due to a huge problem in our last game where several players ended up bringing in several NPCs that were related or acquainted with their characters that acted like tag alongs that ended up, ironically, keeping those players from interacting with other player characters, we are going to ask that you focus on your own characters and not bringing in a zoo's worth of NPCs to accompany them. Now, with that in mind, we're suckers for player initiative and ideas and we love trying to integrate player ideas and plot points into the narrative since really, we want this project to be a game where everyone feels invested and important. Ultimately, we're invested to making this game work and to keeping you, the players, happy and involved, so we do ask that players do try to keep a regular activity and post in the OOC. In our experience, keeping a healthy OOC discussion going is key to a long-term RP, so we do ask that those who apply are sociable sorts who want to talk about what's going on in the game, the characters, and so on so forth. A lively discussion is definitely part of the key to keeping any RP working. And so, with that in mind, there will be a Skype group in this game for general bullshiting and game related discussion. We'd like to become friends with you guys, hope you feel the same way!
Oh, a quick note: Please don't feel pressured to write giant posts if other players do, while we sometimes enjoy writing long posts as I'm sure some other players do, please bear in mind that GM posts will usually be longer due to things like NPCs, scene descriptions, and so on so forth. This will also be a game where your character choices and values will matter, and it is possible that your character's actions can very much shape the world around him or her. Deeds will be remembered, and actions will have consequences. What legacy will you leave behind? Begin this journey and find out...
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THINGS TO NOTE
- This takes place 7 years after the events of Skyrim
- The Empire had won the Civil War, Ulfric Stormcloak and his rebellion were crushed. Strict laws on curfew and weapons have been enacted in Whiterun and Solitude, as well as all former Stormcloak cities. Expect to be relieved of your weapons upon entrance to a city and questioned and/or detained if violating curfew laws. Daggers of all kind are still managed to be smuggled in by those with the know-how. The wearing of armor while inside the city walls is also regulated, in that if the helmet covers any part of the face or has any attachment able to fulfill that purpose, the helmet is not to be worn and is to be turned in to the City Guard for the duration of the owner's visit.
- The College of Winterhold is flourishing and possesses the Eye of Magnus.
- The Mage's Guild in Cyrodiil was abolished after the Oblivion Crisis and hasn't existed for some time.
- The Dark Brotherhood has been entirely eliminated; the Night Mother has been captured and destroyed by the Praetorians prior to the events of this RP.
- The Dovahkiin has disappeared from Skyrim following the end of the Civil War. He did not take sides despite criticisms and is rumored to have gone west to Hammerfell or High Rock.
- The Companions of Jorrvaskr are largely intact and still operating out of Whiterun. However, due to strict laws post-Civil War, the Companions seldom venture beyond Whiterun Hold, contributing to the seemingly unchecked banditry along the roads.
- The Fighters Guild is still flourishing in Cyrodiil.
- Morag Tong is enjoying a resurgence of power after the destruction of the Dark Brotherhood, being the only professional assassin organization of its size in Tamriel. However, it still operates almost exclusively in Morrowind with the very seldom involvement outside of that province's borders. Because of the void left in the underworld's economy on assassination, freelance assassins and smaller organizations have steadily increased in business outside of Morrowind.
- The Thieves Guild is alive and well in all parts of Tamriel, some chapters are doing better than others. The Skyrim Chapter of the Thieves Guild is the only exception to this, as the strict curfew laws put in place in former Stormcloak cities have effectively suppressed the Guild's capacity to take part in thievery.
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CHARACTER SHEET
Name: Character's name and any alias they may go by
Race: What race they are (Altmer, Argonian, Bosmer, Breton, Dunmer, Imperial, Khajiit, Nord, Orsimer, or Redguard.)
Family Origins: Where was your character born and raised? This may affect their cultural outlook. It can be anywhere in Tamriel, just bear in mind that, for example, a Cyrodiillic cosmopolitan orc will have a different culture and mentality than a Skyrim stronghold orc, or a Summerset Islands born and raised altmer may hold different values than one who was born and raised in Morrowind.
Appearance: A detailed description of what your character looks like and a picture or screenshot, if possible. Please, for the love of The Nine, no anime. The more people have to reference, the better if is for role playing purposes.
Age: How old your character is. Age brings wisdom, youth brings strength and energy. Keep in mind elves tend to have longer live spans than men and beast races. For instance, dunmer may end up having about 100 healthy, strong years before going into elderly twilight years where they will likely make it for another 20 to 30 years. Wood elves are likely similar, and Altmer may live for a few centuries.
Note: Dervish will happily make your character in Skyrim and take a screenshot for you if you are unable to do so yourself. It may take a bit of time, however. The better detailed the appearance, the closer he can get it.
Equipment: Weapons and armour. As you fill this out, ask yourself, if you were your character, would you be able to carry all of this stuff? More stuff= more encumbered. Less stuff= less encumbered, but less resources at your disposal.
Miscellanea: Things like lock picks, food, smithing materials, scolls, potions. The weight thing applies as well. Doesn't necessarily have to be things from the games.
NOTE: Please keep track of your inventory use!
Favored Skills: This section gets a bit more complicated. Using the main skills of the game (two handed, smithing, destruction, illusion, lock picking, pick pocketing, shield, et cetera) things are rated by proficiency. You may have 1 highly proficient skill, 3 moderately proficient skills, and 3 somewhat proficient skills. You may, however, move up a class at the expense of another skill of the level below it (e.g. you pick 1 highly proficient at the cost of 2 moderately proficient). Likewise, you can gain more skills if you downgrade a skill (1 moderately proficient becomes two somewhat proficient, for example).
Note: Skills from Oblivion and Morrowind are also fair game!
[SPECIAL NOTE FOR MAGES: For a quick understanding, Highly Proficient skills are equivalent of expert level spells, Moderately Proficient is Adept Level Spells, and Somewhat Proficient is Apprentice level. Keep that in mind when playing your character and picking your proficiencies. Please stick to spells you see in the games, but I'm not against combining some of them if it makes sense, but keep in mind your character would have to be exceptionally talented to do so. Run spell ideas by the GM if you aren't sure for approval, but if you see it in the games, you should be okay.]
Character Background: A decently descriptive backstory explaining who your character is and how they developed into the person they now are. You don't have to go too crazy, but a few well-written paragraphs would be nice. It gives us an idea of your ability as a writer.
Fighting Style: Explain how your character approaches combat and their particular skills and talents. This will help the group decide who is best suited to deal with particular situations.
Personality: Briefly explain what your character's personality is generally like, including quirks, faults, and so on. The goal is to make a believable person, not a Mary or Gary Sue. There's a special place in hell for those kinds of characters.
Font Colour: If you wish to use a font colour for your character's speech and thought, state the colour here so people know what everyone else intends to use during the game
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS1. I'm a bit rusty but does block at all have a use with hand-to-hand fighting or can one logically assume that someone who practices fighting with his hands can also do somethings like parry and block (although obviously not block blades with his hands)?
Hand to hand would encompass knowing how to block and parry in fisticuffs. Block refers to the weapon skill, so shields and weaponry.
2. Sweet, also, should we be focusing on skills found in Skyrim or does mix-matching work?
Secondly, how would skills like athletics/acrobatics translate? In Morrowind without them your character was quite slow and unlimber, but would they be required for a character to be able to do some things like that your RP?
I'm a bit unsure if I need to have things like unarmored, athletics, and acrobatics or if those type of skills have been collapsed under "sneak" or the character theme.
Any of the last 3 games is totally fair game! Mixing and matching is encouraged if it strikes your fancy!
And not as much... things like athletics and acrobatics tend to end up with really absurd consequences like running faster than The Flash and jumping over the walls of Imperial City. Things like that I'd say it's more about how you describe your character.
Sneak, however, is still an important skill if you're making a stealthy character.
3. Would the Gray Quarter, the Dunmer Ghetto still exist in Windhelm?
The Grey Quarter still exists (keep in mind it was originally established to house all the refugees from Morrowind; it's not like you can just relocate all those people again), but efforts have been made by the Jarl to address the dunmers' concerns. There's still some lingering resentment from some of the older Nord population because they essentially gave up a quarter of their city up for the refugees.
4. What is a reasonable number of spells for someone moderately proficient in a form of magic?
I don't really have a set limit on the number of spells, I trust players to use their own digression for that. However, all of the spells have to be journeyman and under skills.*
*A source of confusion, I had copied this from a chat log like all the other answers. The player asking the question only had somewhat proficient spells and was asking how many they were allowed to have. I should have expanded on this here, my apologies.
5. I look forward to the RP, can't wait to see your characters, also a question. Are we using skyrim rules where you can't cast a spell unless you have a free hand?
No, absolutely not. We refer to common sense and use very reasonable speculation, because if you have spells, you should be able to use them. You see people casting spells with gauntlets on their hands so I don't think casting with something over your palms/hand is a hindrance. Casting with the hilt of a sword or something should be treated the same.
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GAME SUMMARY
A festival commemorating the seventh anniversary of the end of the Stormcloak rebellion is being held in Windhelm, drawing people from across the Empire, as well as a delegation of Thalmor who were invited as a goodwill gesture by the young and newly crowned Emperor Tactus Mede, to observe the grand occasion, seen as many as the Emperor's first step in establishing his rule. The ceremony receives a shocking surprise when a snow elf visitor appears at the gates, requesting the aid of the Empire against an unnamed threat that the snow elves can't handle alone. The Emperor assembles an escort party of Legionnaires and sellswords as a goodwill gesture and to help resolve the snow elves' plight. Unbeknown to the escort party, the Thalmor planted three agents in the sellsword contingent to fulfill their own secret agenda.
Shortly after leaving Windhelm, the group is ambushed by white-cloaked assailants who claim the lives of a few Legionnaires and acts as Vylenwyn's, the snow elf, first test of character to those who swore themselves to protect her, and she begins to establish herself as a cold and somewhat ruthless individual who does not appear to be one concerned with mercy for her enemies. It is discovered that these ragged attackers were former Stormcloaks who refused to surrender after the war and are have spent years eluding Imperial patrols and causing small, isolated incidents across Skyrim. This attack marks the boldest and most devastating event in years, as their numbers have dwindled and their resolve to their sworn cause slowly fades from memories. The group moves on and a terrible storm is on the horizon.
The weather turns for the worst and forces the escort party to seek shelter, finding a roadside cave to see if they can wait it out. While the Legionnaires set up positions and camp outside, the sellswords and a few Legionnaires wander inside to scout the position. They come across a group of white-cloaks, like earlier, standing eerily still and seemingly unaware of their presence. When the Legionnaires attempt to apprehend the white-cloaks, they spring to life and set upon them, killing the Imperials with savage but expressionless strikes. Now engaged in battle, the sellswords find these adversaries to be wholly unnatural and almost like the undead, seemingly oblivious to pain and enduring bodily harm that no mortal could. The battle was lost, although many of the sellswords were injured and several Legionnaires, the Ambassador for the expedition, and one of the Thalmor agents were killed by the horrifying attack. Vylenwyn reveals that she's seen something like this before and appears to be aghast that it has begun to spread.
The group is resting and healing their wounds and awaiting orders to move out.
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RULES
1. No Godmodding or power gaming of any kind. We're telling a story, not having a competition to see who is the biggest badass. Not to say you can't do awesome things when it comes around time for combat, but know your limitations. This includes self-insert characters, backstories that are designed to give the character access to abilities, skills, and equipment that would be considered an unfair or overpowered advantage, autokilling NPCs during fights with virtually no effort put into it, taking on a room full of people single handedly, meta gaming, trying to have everyone treat your character like they're something unique and special, your character knowing things they shouldn't, et cetera. The goal here is believable characters.
2. The writing standard is intermediate. Read what you wrote over before you post, and ensure you have acceptable spelling and grammar. That said, we're not perfectionists, and mistakes are made by everyone. Just make an honest effort and we'll get along just fine. Posting expectations are at least 2 detailed paragraphs per post, probably more. If you think short paragraphs and single lines are the best thing in the world, then we direct you elsewhere. We expect one post per week, unless notice is given for an absence.
3. No speed posting. This means give other people a chance to post before you do. There won't be a strict posting order, but if we notice the same two people posting back and forward in a short time span without giving others involved in that group or conversation or whatever a chance to reply, we will not be happy. That said, if you have two characters conversing with each other, feel free to reply steadily back and forward if things are going slow. Just keep in mind posting expectations and if serious actions are taken during those posting, others will have to be taken into consideration.
4. If you are going to be absent for any length of time, please let me know. we're not going to kill of your character or kick you to the curb because stuff came up. Real life comes first, but that said, do try to be fairly active. Your character will be controlled by a GM until you return. If you vanish without word for an unreasonable amount of time with no notification, there is a strong possibility your character will be killed off. If you're going to join this RP, be somewhat active. The GMs are putting a lot of effort into making this enjoyable for the players, so please be committed and be in this for the long haul.
5. If you disagree with contents of someone's posts, don't turn the OOC into some horrible flame fest. We're all hopefully mature enough to settle disagreements through logical discourse. If things start to go into flame war territory, we will warn the players. Failure to STFU will lead to your banishment from this RP with nothing more than an angri faec to accompany you and your character being killed off brutally. Probably after through ogre rape.
6. If you want to do something, and you aren't sure, ask in the OOC so it can be discussed. Or, if you want it to be a surprise, PM the GMs. If it's a good idea, we'll work it into the plot. We like to encourage creativity and think that all good RPs involve ideas from all their players. Sometimes this leads to amazing subplots and character development.
7. If you have questions or ideas for events, PM the GMs. Your input will help keep you not only invested, but it'll give the GMs more fuel to work with for upcoming encounters and plotlines in the RP.
8. As heavy and serious business as this may all seem, the point is to have fun and build a good comradary with your fellow role players. There will be inappropriate screwing around in the OOC, and people will be off topic quite a bit. This is normal. This is fun. It's also a great place to shoot around ideas and discuss how things are going. Keep invested in this and we promise it'll stick in your memories as one of the best damn things you've done on this webpage.
9. If you feel the need to start a romance between characters, that's cool. This isn't exactly a rated role play, and it's bound to happen. We GMs personally like to graphically describe violence and swear quite a bit, but if you feel the need to indulge in smut, please take that stuff to PM. 4 pages of graphic sex isn't going to save the world; it'll just cause everyone else to feel really awkward and need a cold shower afterwards. It is known.
10. Gary and Mary Sues will have a Morag Tong contract put on them that they will never, ever escape from. Probably because their legs will be eaten by ice wraiths and their body horribly maimed by hordes of angry hornets before the assassin gets to you. He's a local, and his name is Joe. He will ruin your day, Mr. or Miss. I Have No Flaws and Everyone Loves Me.The GMs will be doing background checks to find out if you're reliable and generally write at an acceptable quality, so beware that even if your character sheet is outstanding, if either OlNosoul or myself discover you're argumentative, write at an unacceptable level, go AWOL frequently, power game, and so on, there's a good chance you WILL NOT be accepted.
Game Related Rules and Regulations
1.-Iron, steel, and leather: Very common and easy to come by and easy to afford. If your character possesses anything under these categories, you don't need to justify having it.
-Elvish and Orcish: these are somewhat easy to come by, and both have their unique advantages. They both happen to be fairly expensive and aren't nearly as common as the previous category. Elvish weapons tend to hold an edge better than steel and are very sharp, as well as being much lighter and more flexible than most metals. Orcish material is very hard, very durable, and very heavy. It's more difficult to work with and shape, but once it will never fail and requires virtually no upkeep while not being quite as sharp or flexible as elvish works. Please explain how your character came to obtain these items somewhere in their backstory due to their uncommon nature.
-Dwemer, or dwarven: This is relatively common in Skyrim, Morrowind, or Hammerfell if your character has been in the ruins. Most of their machines and defenses are still working, so chances are, your character is brave and tenacious if they got their hands on this stuff. Stores would sell limited stocks at pretty marked up prices considering how hard it is to obtain it.
-Ancient Nord: Really old weapons that somehow hold up over the years, they're crude and quite common in ancient nord temples, tombs, and ruins. The only problem is you usually have to deal with the drauger. And obviously, they're not nice zombie people. Stores wouldn't sell this stuff (it would be like going to a gun store and asking for a Brown Bess when there's the newest Remington rifle on sale).
-Solstheim Nordic Steel: Weapons made by the Skaal of Solstheim, it's excellently crafted steel weaponry and armour of the highest caliber, but is quite rare to find outside of Solstheim, given its association with the Skaal.
-Stalhrim: A special, magic ice-crafted set of equipment that can only be forged by the greatest masters using techniques only known by the Skaal. Chances are, your character will have neither access to stalhrim, the equipment to mine it, or the knowledge to do anything with it. It is exceedingly rare stuff.
-Aleyid/Akavari: Similar to the ancient Nord weapons and gear, a long gone elvish civilization left behind a lot of Cyrodiilic ruins and the invaders from across the sea to the East in Akavar. However, no armour examples are known to exist and what little katanas they had left behind are extremely rare to come across. Please don't write up a whole backstory of how your character obtained these because 'lol, Japan is the best'. However, what examples remain are expertly crafted swords that have held up well over the years.
-Falmer and Forsworn: Both sets of weapons are crude but effective, and Falmer gear usually has poison chambers due to being constructed from Charrus chitin and other parts. Forsworn stuff is built out of raw materials from nature, much like how a native American would. You'd only ever obtain either by killing a Falmer or Forsworn, and even then, would you really want it?
-Glass and Ebony: Both of these are high-end, expensive, and extremely well made weapons and armour that you'd be lucky to ever find. Ebony gear originates in Morrowind, so it would be found among the rich and powerful there, and likewise, Glass gear comes from the Aldmeri Dominion and is usually only found on their elite soldiers. While some examples find their way into Skyrim and Cyrodiil, it's very uncommon and you are a very attractive target for having them. Would you walk around with a rapper's amount of gold chains around your neck at night in a dark alley? Kind of the same thing. However, their quality is absolutely top-notch and while both weapons require a fair deal more upkeep than other materials (both incorporate types of glass in the construction in addition to metal), they are very desirable and dangerous. Please don't make a backstory just to justify having these weapons or armour.
-Dragon: Dragons are all but extinct, and whatever remains are enslaved or in hiding. As such dragon scales and bone are extremely hard to come by. You can only find this in Skyrim, but as such, much of it has been confiscated by the Empire for archiving, equipping their own elite soldiers, or as museum pieces. It is extremely hard to work with dragon scales and bones, so even if someone obtained them, they'd have to be among the best to do anything with it. You very likely will never possess dragon materials.
-Daedric: The Oblivion crisis ended over 200 years ago, and as such, the presence of the daedra in Tamriel is so rare they may as well be myths to most people, and the few that do manage to cross dimensions certainly aren't going to hand it over. Even harder to obtain than dragon materials, a master smith would be hard pressed to find a daedra heart, and likely wouldn't know the process to create daedric metals and shape it into armour and weapons. You very much won't have possession of these, at all.
Any enchantments: Possible, but you'll need to find the soul gems to charge them. Also, they're expensive as hell if you're trying to buy them, and only talented mages know how to soul trap. Best become friends with an enchanter if you're poor. If your character is an enchanter, it looks like you may be popular. Keep your enchantments limited to the level of skill your character has in the skill section.
-Daedric artifacts: No. Just no.2. You can only carry so much on your person at a time. Think of real life, are you going to be carrying a bow, a claymore, 3 daggers, a staff, 400 arrows, steel plate armour, just as many potions and scrolls, and every book out of the public library? Keep it reasonable, keep it realistic. Collecting loot should never be your goal. You should also specify how your character is carrying around most of their inventory.
3. No matter how strong, talented, and experienced your character is, you're still only mortal. If you're running into 15 bandits, your odds don't look good. A troll is going to be the fight of your life. Herd of mammoths? Run like hell. You sustain injuries; you may die if you encounter a situation that is suicidal. (We're lenient; we're not going to kill your character off without your permission, unless you break one of the cardinal rules above or put your character in a situation with no chance of survival).
4. Potions take time to work in most cases, so you're not going to get gutted by an axe and then look brand new by chugging Tamriel Energy Drink. It'll help your body mesh the wounds and heal you, and it takes time for it to eliminate poisons and disease. In short, be careful. On that note, chugging potion after potion isn't going to happen unless you happen to be a whale with the body mass to do so.
5. Scrolls take time to read, so if you're reading one in combat to cast something, make sure you have someone watching your ass and there isn't a group of Falmer looking to rip your arm off ten feet away.
6. Damage is realistic(ish), if you're hit by an ice spike or an arrow; you're going to need some serious medical attention if it hits something vital. But since this is Elder Scrolls, and potions work in ways that a platypus would say, "that's fucked up." People also aren't going to die of an infection from a blade wound after three days of sickness or something. Point is, your character is mortal and will be taking wounds in combat.
7. Keep in mind that whatever weapons and armour you do have does not reflect how well your character is going to do in a fight or survive, so don't doctor a CS around trying to make sure that they're the best equipped person in the game so you have a combat advantage. There's going to be badass bandits out there running around in fur armour and iron weapons who've killed more people than your character has ever met who will not care if your character is decked out in full ebony armour, a shield, and a long sword. He's light and fast, you're low and heavy, and experience trumps expensive weapons and armour almost every time. Try to give your character equipment that makes sense for who they are and what they've been through.
8. Weapons do not necessarily have to be what you find in the games, but follow it as a template. As such, things like spears, throwing knives, throwing axes, glaives, halberds, javelins, and flails are fair game, even if most of that didn't appear in any of the Elder Scrolls games. However, that isn't free reign to try to put something that is high-fantasy or just ridiculous into the game. Do try to keep things lore appropriate where possible, as well.
9. Keep in mind religious symbolism is limited to aedra and daedra. Please leave real-life stuff like crosses out of it. We shouldn't have to say this, but we've seen it happen. As such, lore established divines and other deities are the only things that will be acknowledged.
10. Vampire and werewolf characters are a potential possibility, but this is similar to the weapon rules where it's going to be based more around role playing than stats. People aren't going to react well to finding out their companion could turn into a flesh hungry monster at any minute, and many of the religious, paranoid, or sensible types will likely try to kill them for it on the spot. If you do decide to go this route, your application will face higher levels of scrutiny than others because we need to make sure that you can actually properly role play somebody who is struggling to control their disease and accept that if it's discovered, they face a very difficult road ahead.
11. Keep in mind the age or your character in relation to their physical ability and skill as well as personal experience. Older characters may not be as strong or have the vitality of younger characters, but they have experienced much and had much longer to master skills, as well as they will generally be much more mature and rational, but will take longer to recover from physically demanding situations, wounds, and may be very set in their ways. Younger characters have the raw strength and vitality that comes with being at the peak of your physical prime, and chances are, they are rasher and less disciplined than other characters as well as being susceptible to new ideas and will be generally inexperienced with the world. Basically, just think of how people are in real life. We do not want to see an entire roster of late teenagers to mid-twenty somethings who are master mages, swordsmen, and thieves. If your character is excellent at something at a young age, there better be a damn good reason for it.
12. Please avoid cliché and tried backstories and personalities and go for something a bit more diverse. This is a major reason we will be doing background checks. If you basically make the same story over and over, you're not getting a pass. Do something interesting and don't go with some tragedy staple for cheap drama in an attempt to make your character look deeper than they are. This doesn't mean you can't go for the dead parent/ orphaned/ mentor figure/ village burned down/ badass loner/ insert something you've seen in every RP thread ever, this one not being an exception. It just means we want to see a solid backstory where something like that isn't used as a weak justification for your character setting out for exploring and never mentioned again or pulled up whenever you feel like your character needs to have an angsty/sad moment. If you actually feel it serves a purpose and makes sense for your character's development and history, than by all means. Just make sure it's understandable and a relatively believable subplot.
13. If you are trying to omit something in your character sheet saying that it will 'be revealed later in the RP', we expect to be private messaged about it for approval, but chances are something like that will set off a red flag unless there's a good reason for it. Since nobody's meta gaming,we expect everything in the backstory section of the character sheet to be revealed there. Most of the time, this comes across as lazy and that you can't be bothered to write something half-decent. -
ACCEPTED CHARACTERS
Zaveed, Khajiit Corsair - Played by Dervish
Sevari, Khajiit Enforcer - Played by OlNoSoul
Paints-With-Blood, Argonian Hedge Knight - Played by Mosis Tosis
Juin, Vampiric Legionnaire - Played by Pellegrino
Viryn Moslpus, Imperial Veteran - Played by Artorias
Gelina Vautte, Breton Survivor - Played by Robeatics
DROPPED/ DEAD CHARACTERS
Allectus Valeres, Imperial Noble - Played by Cpt Toellner
Jyttril, Altmer Agent - Played by Tick
Drevin Sarandas, Dunmer Sellsword - Played by BKenScout
Wets-His-Blade, Argonian Gladiator - Played by Voltair
Reigenleif, Nord Archaeologist - Played by Sundered Echo
Ja'Kiefer, Khajiit Vagabond - Played by Library Cat
Markain Anuthian, Reachman College Mage - Played by Wittiford R. Eference
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