The Heart of a Mountain

[Mowkie]

Hey, there, friends! Quick hello: though I'm not new to the world of writing, I'm more than a bit rusty when it comes to RP, so please forgive me for any momentary lapses as I get back into the swing of things.

*Also, please note that any artwork I post is not my own. I'm currently in the process of building a map for the continent this is on, so that will come later.*​

Woe to those who tread the Ashlands,
For sickness bears an icy grip,
On body, mind, and living spirit,
There's no return, no round trip.​

The Mountain

Dominating the horizon from nearly every part of the continent of Ethos is a mountain so tall, it is said not even dragons could hope to reach its top. Easily taller than all other mountains, this great behemoth stands as a beacon to entire civilizations. It is a directional point. A magnetic center. And an undeniably rich magical resource.

This mountain is the Ash Maw, the central point of not only the continent, but also the Ashlands, a desert of soot, ash, and disease. From the North-East and South-West sides stretch the remainder of the range that the Ash Maw was once at the center of, broken into two pieces and scarred by the black mark of the Ashlands.

There are several rumors that spread about the coming of the Ashlands, but it was over a thousand years ago. Who could possibly know for certain what caused the devastating eruption that continues even to this very day?

Two things are for certain, though: the ashes carried by the deep clouds that still rumble from the mountain center are imbued so heavily with the essence of magic that those ashes are in high demand by every civilization on Ethos; and something in the air within the Ashlands, themselves, causes every race to lose themselves to the desert, never to return home.

Well, almost every race.

Though not the largest civilization on Ethos, the race of varonians (human) have some form of natural immunity to the toxic fumes of the Ashlands. Because of this, an elite few are trained from a young age to become Ash Collectors in every generation. And it is the Ash Collectors that all other civilizations rely on.

The catch for varonians is nearly none of them can tap the Arcana - the magical essence - within the ashes alone. They require the aid of other races, primarily the wide variety of elves that dot the landscape farther away from the center of Ethos. In exchange for most of the ashes collected each quarter year, those who trade with varonians offer their services to help the varonians build their cities, farms, villages, and outposts.

That is how it has always been.

art by AbelardTullus​

The Ash Collectors

The work of an Ash Collector is difficult to say the least. Ash Collectors should never travel alone, but they also cannot burden themselves with heavy things, such as steel weapons. So, what are they to do?

The only job of an Ash Collector is to get as much of the ashes from the Ashlands as possible. The closer to the Maw one can get, the more powerful the ashes. Of course, if it were easy, then anyone would do it. The Ashlands are not a mere walk in the park. For beneath the dunes, the Ashborne slumber. These are the lost souls twisted by the toxic air, killed and covered in soot, then risen again with a magical energy so potent that it can infect anything it touches. Including those immune to the air, itself.

From great wyrms that may have once been ancestors or simply distant relatives of dragons to mutated beasts that roamed down from the mountains after the eruption to all of the elves, dwarves, and even varonians that were unlucky enough to be caught...all are still alive. At least, in a way. And it only takes one burning touch from these creatures to be Marked as the next Ashborne. There is no cure to the Mark; it is a death sentence.

Luckily for Ash Collectors, all Ashborne react to sound. And the sound of footsteps or even some fights can be easily drowned out by the constant rumbling of the ever-awake mountain.

If the Ashborne wasn't enough, varonians are not entirely immune to the effects of the constant rain of soot and ash. Though they are resistant to the toxicity of the air, breathed in ashes can slowly make even the strongest Collector go insane. As such, Collectors must wear specialized gear to keep them from coming into contact with the air as well as clothing that covers most of their skin to keep it from being Marked. Most of this gear is light, but it costs precious water, of which Collectors carry very little.

Travel light. Travel swiftly. Travel together.​

Our Story

Now comes the question of where our story begins and what part we play in Ethos.

Our story is simple: we are the Ash Collectors. Some of us are fresh, while others have made a few trips and seen a few things. We may not always get along, but we have a job to do, and our survival, as well as the survival of our entire race, depends on us.

But...something is wrong. The mountain is beginning to quiet, and the rumbles are not as fierce as they used to be. It's as though it is dying. So this next trip will be a special one: we must find out what is wrong with the mountain. And what we find is probably the last thing we expect.

Dragons.​

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More Notes from Mowkie:

• I'm not looking for a ton of people to join - this is for a small group (about four people). Again, I'm rusty, and I do have a lot on my plate real-time. But I miss the feeling of actively writing with other people. No matter how much writing I do on my own, it just can't replace the fun I have with others.
• All of my dragons (See Here) and more are available, and because of their unique problem, they will have certain modifications to them that we can get into with greater detail as we get into the story.
• While the story will start with baby dragons, there will be no time in the story - itself - for training. However, due to the nature of being an Ash Collector, each of your characters will already be well-trained in some form of close combat and possibly even ranged combat. We can totally work something out.
• If enough interest generates, I will finish the map quickly and show you where your characters can come from, the generalized culture from each location, etc. This will also come with an updated magic system, character sheets, and more plot points.
• We will probably use dice for this - to keep things fair - with modifications to each roll based on certain elements: how easily acquainted with Arcana they become, whether or not they can tap into the ash, weapon proficiencies, etc.
• Oh, and one more thing: I do live in Korea right now, so for the people in the States, especially, there will be long periods of time I won't be online...probably because I'm sleeping or getting what little time with family I can snag. For the sake of this, I'll have some things in place that will allow people to keep interacting with each other that can progress character development without pulling anyone out of the story. This way, we can stay active wherever possible and have fun without dragging people who aren't as active along.

If you are even remotely interested and would like to know more, please let me know. I'm going to let this thread sit and chill until the end of the month before throwing it in the bin and probably going back to my corner. If I generate enough desire to play this story out, then I'll be one happy mowkie. :3[/hr]

 

[Quake]

Just gonna toss my hat into the ring here. Love the concept/worldbuilding. Hope this garners enough interest.

 

[Mowkie]

You and me, both! I'll keep the interest check up for another couple of weeks to see if anyone else is interested. If we get one or two more people interested, I'll give it a go! :)

 

[Captain808]

I would like to join if possible

 

[Queen Sonia]

I am interested if this is still going?

 

[Mowkie]

Yes, it is! I'm in the process of catching up on some work, but once I've gotten through that list, I'll get started fleshing everything out.

Here is my to-do list, now that we have enough interest:

• Finish the Ethos Map, upload, and share
• Re-structure my Partheus magic system to fit the Ash Collector motif
• Post a Sign-Up thread with all the wonderful info on it

Man, you guys really made my week! I was starting to think I was never gonna get to throw myself back into the world of RP! THANK YOU!

To keep you guys interested, since I've yet to switch my dragons over to my new site yet, go take a look at the list on my old site here to get a general idea of the kind of dragon you would like to use. If there is a dragon on there with a name and no description that you are interested in, let me know, and I'll get it written up for you. If you want something a little different, send me a PM, and we can totally work something out! Not all of the pictures work, unfortunately (again, I'm in the process of moving all of these guys to a new website, so I'm not worried about the artwork not populating), but I'm sure you can find your own artwork that's near enough the description. The dragons WILL be slightly different, to account for where they are found and their unique properties, so keep that in mind.

Also, if you do want to start thinking about a character, here are a few details you should know:

• More experienced Collectors will have vitiligo as a side effect of traversing the Ashlands. If you want a backstory where your character has made multiple trips into the Ashlands, they are bound to be stained by its toxicity.
• Almost ALL Collectors are from the capital city of Cinidum with a few exceptions near the Outposts that lead to the Ashlands. Cinidum is massive with a wide variety of districts, which can make for a wide variety of backgrounds. Have fun with it.
• Becoming a Collector is a choice - no one is forced to become one. There are huge benefits, however, most notably that the Collector's family is moved to the Rune District, which boasts some of the finest homes and communities that Cinidum has to offer. They are also offered some of the more luxurious magics found within the city. And of course, they and their families are paid handsomely.
• Interracial interactions (ie between varonians and elves or dwarves) tend to be tense at best. Varonians find the other races' treatment of them to be unjust and unfair, but they see no way out. Elves especially seem to look down on varonians.
• Dragons - at least at the beginning of our story - are not a common sight near varonian settlements. They are so rare, in fact, that some older families believe they don't exist.

That's all I can think of right now. Gimme about a week to get things made, and I'll have a sign-up page hopefully no later than the end of next weekend. Thank you all again for your interest! I am very excited to see where this leads.

 

[Queen Sonia]

I like this dragon very much!
Alkzar Dragon (Blue Dragon)

 

[Quake]

I'm leaning towards the Aujyrx Dragon (Bronze) myself.

 

[Phi Chisym]

Oh boy, I'm tossing in my hat in this as well. Absolutely breathtaking! I'll read deeper into this and see if I can create someone worthy of all your hard work.

 

[Mowkie]

I love it, guys!! You got it!

And thank you so much for the compliment, @Phi Chisym ! It is very much appreciated. Go ahead and take a look at the dragons - you can claim whichever you desire or PM me to potentially make a new one.

My brother is also joining up, and he's helped me create a new dragon species, so don't worry about the list getting any smaller. He has also been a huge help with worldbuilding (as Ethos was recently transformed from something entirely different).

That being said, unfortunately, the last two days have been rough in regards to health...so I might be a couple days late getting everything up for you. I'm almost done revamping the magic system, and the map is also nearly complete. Those were my two biggies. Hopefully, I can keep to my deadlines, but nausea on top of a cold makes focusing rather difficult. I'll be sure to let you all know the moment I get it up, though!

 

[Captain808]

Take your time, Gonna put a claim on black dragon btw

 

[Phi Chisym]

I'm between Silhilyas and Yhinkh dragons. So, thinking about them further while I'm working out my character.

 

[Mowkie]

Awesomesauce! It's looking like everyone has a general idea, which is good. I'm also lowkey glad no one picked Yejir (Bloodstone), as they would kinda be off limits here...that's a Kabola-only curse. Thank you all for being so patient and working in the background on your own ideas on what you'll be doing with this world. I appreciate each of you!

 

[Gladis]

Hi there! Can I just start by saying that this looks like an absolutely awesome idea? And that I would be more than interested in joining. ^^

Just one question; would it be allowed to create a character who is not primarily an ash collector, but instead a scholar come to study the mountain?

 

[Mowkie]

Hey, there, @Gladis ! Unfortunately, no, you would not be able to go beyond the portrayal of the Ash Collector, mostly for the sake of the story's simplicity. I'm all about creative freedom, but a scholar with little to no training in combat or magic would be destroyed quickly and efficiently by the Ashborn. Plus such a character wouldn't have access to the gear necessary to traverse the Ashlands.

If you are still interested, do feel free to take a look at the dragons and pin down whichever you would desire. As I've told all of my other interested parties, if one doesn't catch your fancy, just let me know via PM, and we can work something out.

Oh, and for everyone brainstorming things up right now, let me know if you have questions about weaponry or skills, as the lore is not fully developed yet. My brother brought up a few very valid points about weapon limitations (as Ash Collectors are limited to a 5lb carrying capacity for their weapons), which begged the question of how Collectors could remain effective with weapons against sometimes monstrous creatures if we didn't break a few rules. If you're wanting something specific, and it won't match the limits, lemme know. We have elves and dwarves that have to trade for the ashes, after all. ;)

 

[Gladis]

Hey, there, @Gladis ! Unfortunately, no, you would not be able to go beyond the portrayal of the Ash Collector, mostly for the sake of the story's simplicity. I'm all about creative freedom, but a scholar with little to no training in combat or magic would be destroyed quickly and efficiently by the Ashborn. Plus such a character wouldn't have access to the gear necessary to traverse the Ashlands.

I never implied that they would be incompetent at magic or combat (a scholar proficient in magic would hardly be an alien concept to a fantasy world), but rather that their primary focus would be to study the ashlands, instead of collecting ash for profit. They could have a wealthy patron funding the expedition, providing access to the required gear. Or something along those lines. I don't know, just figured such a character could add some variety to the group, but alas, the decision is up to you.

I'll see if I can come up with another idea I like, but otherwise I might sit this one out. ^^'

 

[Quake]

Just a couple questions that came to mind while I was writing up a character. What sort of weapon era are we in? I see dragons, elves and magic and think swords and spears but having protective gear against airborne toxins on the Mountain makes me think we're slightly more advanced than that?

Secondly, how often do Ash Collectors go out to the mountain? I was thinking of having a character who comes from a merchant family and runs a store in the Rune District when he's not out on the Maw, but if they're going out there everyday I'd probably switch from "running a store" to just owning one. Not a huge deal, just curious.

Also how is Ash collected and returned? Like, is it just picked up and thrown in a bag lol.

 

[Mowkie]

Hey, there, @Gladis ! Unfortunately, no, you would not be able to go beyond the portrayal of the Ash Collector, mostly for the sake of the story's simplicity. I'm all about creative freedom, but a scholar with little to no training in combat or magic would be destroyed quickly and efficiently by the Ashborn. Plus such a character wouldn't have access to the gear necessary to traverse the Ashlands.

I never implied that they would be incompetent at magic or combat (a scholar proficient in magic would hardly be an alien concept to a fantasy world), but rather that their primary focus would be to study the ashlands, instead of collecting ash for profit. They could have a wealthy patron funding the expedition, providing access to the required gear. Or something along those lines. I don't know, just figured such a character could add some variety to the group, but alas, the decision is up to you.

I'll see if I can come up with another idea I like, but otherwise I might sit this one out. ^^'

While a typical fantasy realm would allow for magic use to the general populous, varonians on Partheus are exceptionally limited. Magic for varonians is extremely rare, and because of the amount of time to train in the use of Arcana (which will be explained in my magic system on the sign-up thread), most who would be adept enough to use Offensive Magic in any major capacity would be so aged that they wouldn't be able to defend themselves alone. As for combat, the question I bring to the table for you is how likely would your scholar character have the time to learn how to defend against anything more than a basic varonian attack? After all, they are spending a great deal of their time learning and researching, correct?

Cinidum is ruled by a nearly dictator-like Emperor. All ashes and ash-necessary resources go to the Emperor to then be doled out amongst his people (ie builders to help with growth, emissaries to directly trade with other races, who then help builders use the ash to magically enhance or grow what is needed by the varonians at the time of trading, etc.). While there are wealthier merchants, those merchants have absolutely no control over anything that survives the Ashlands. And this Emperor only really cares about using the ashes to his benefit and the growth of his people.

My suggestion, for now, is to please wait to make a decision until the fully fleshed-out sign-up thread is in place, so that you can make a decision based on all of the information about this particular world and story instead of fantasy as a whole. If you can truly find a way that answers every one of my questions and plot necessities, and you are willing to work with me one on one to figure out the details, I might consider it. After all, I've been that player before that wants to take the GM's story and make it their own - beyond the GM's restrictions. And that GM that I infuriated by doing so is still my best friend seven years later, haha!

Just a couple questions that came to mind while I was writing up a character. What sort of weapon era are we in? I see dragons, elves and magic and think swords and spears but having protective gear against airborne toxins on the Mountain makes me think we're slightly more advanced than that?

Secondly, how often do Ash Collectors go out to the mountain? I was thinking of having a character who comes from a merchant family and runs a store in the Rune District when he's not out on the Maw, but if they're going out there everyday I'd probably switch from "running a store" to just owning one. Not a huge deal, just curious.

Also how is Ash collected and returned? Like, is it just picked up and thrown in a bag lol.

We are mostly in the medieval weapon era, so mostly swords and spears, etc. Of course, you are not limited to medieval English weapons. In fact, for sharper weapons, most Ash Collectors choose the falchion for its lightweight, versatility, and exceptional ability to keep an edge. Those who want more distance between them and their foes will choose the bo staff (think quarterstaff but using a lighter, more flexible wood), and those who are ranged may use dirks and slings. You are by no means limited to this. For example, my brother's character uses a specially designed crossbow made by elves for varonians. The crossbow uses a special wood that severely lessens the weight while maintaining strength and flexibility. He also uses a specialized shield that is small enough that it only covers his forearm with a spike at the end (I can't recall off the top of my head the name of said shield), and we agreed that the shield's total weight is 2.5lb. Of course, some parts of their technology are just different or more advanced. Because of the fact that Collectors MUST cover everything, they will have suits complete with a specially-designed mask made of leather and a simplified filter similar to late-stage plague masks - though before the gas masks that started appearing in WWI.

I will state, however, that almost all sulfur found in great enough quantities to make explosives is guarded against all other races by the dragons. This doesn't limit every kind of explosive, but it does limit a key development feature that did take Earth forward from simplified weapons into firearms.

Ash Collectors will make trips usually bi-weekly depending on the status of the team. If injuries occur during a previous outing, the team is sent back to the capital from Outpost Four, where waiting Collectors stay before their next trip. That team must make a full recovery before making another trip into the Ashlands, and usually while the injured member recovers, the rest of the team will maintain their training at the Academy. Ash Collectors live, breathe, and sleep their collections. Because there are so few working teams, there is rarely time to go home to see one's family. There is a mailing system, however, from the Outposts back to Cinidum which allows the Collectors to send trinkets deemed safe by the Emperor's officials back to their families. Your character's family could absolutely own a store, but the Collector would not be back often enough to actually run it. Of course, I could see quite the party being thrown on the rare occasion they do return.

Collectors are given special canisters designed by dwarves that draw in ash after being submerged. I'll have a full description up on these canisters in the sign-up...and if I can find a picture of what I'm thinking, I'll have that as well. The entire canister is sent back to the capital - it's not even opened again after it closes, as every ounce is precious.

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I'm liking the questions! They're filling things in that I hadn't even thought about! Thank you guys for that.

 

[Mowkie]

I've been going ham for the last week on the full Ethos map. I go to finalize by naming everything when I suddenly realize that I made a massive, map-ending mistake that forces me to have to redo quite a bit of my work. BUT, for roleplay purposes, I have found a loophole!

I give you, the RP-area map!



Now that I have that, I'll be getting the thread up! Unfortunately, this is all I can do tonight (it's bedtime for this old lady), but the thread is going to be my top priority tomorrow. Thank you guys again for your patience!

 

[Mowkie]

For anyone checking the Interest Checks and not the Sign-Ups, we have openings! OPEN SIGNUPS - The Heart of a Mountain | Sign-Ups & OOC