The Legend of Renalta (Updated: 03-06-2016)

[Brovo]

EVERYONE, GM post is coming either February 1st or February 2nd, dependent on my work schedule. This post will advance the timeline from the evening, to the next morning. Unless you otherwise specify, it will be assumed that your character found a place to sleep. (Thus, you don't need to specifically role play your character finding a place to sleep--it's assumed they found one. Much like usage of the bathroom: You don't need to tell me how you found a bed when they're freely available.)

This is a major point in the plot for two reasons.

#1: During the morning sequence, Kouri is going to be told by Gregory and others where they can go. There will be a small but important list of potential paths that the party can take to travel towards their objective, each having advantages and disadvantages. Player characters can directly contribute toward these and influence what choice Kouri will make. All of you get to choose where you will go next in your (now shared) quest to banish the Gods. You'll be given more information on your available choices when the time comes. Remember: Your choices will hold a direct and deep impact on the story later. The NPC's you meet, conflicts you resolve, and issues you confront, will be directly related to your previous decisions. Think carefully before making a concrete choice.

#2: This is the first limited recruitment zone. Whenever we reach these zones, additional spots may be opened in the story for players to create second characters, or for new players to join in the story. Limited recruitment zones have additional caveats to the usual character creation process, so as to ensure the story remains sensibly coherent in spite of new characters showing up to join Kouri's repertoire. If a PC has died prior to reaching this point, that player gets to automatically retake their own spot and create a new character. Otherwise, I'll quietly and privately invite interested persons, since there won't be much space opening up here--we already have a lot of players, after all.

If you are attempting to join Legend of Renalta with a new character, here are the caveats to consider.

1. King's Ranger: Your character doesn't have to directly be a King's Ranger, but they should at least be affiliated with them sufficiently so that they can be present in the King's Rangers base where Kouri presently is. You can read more quick Q&A notes here and here to better understand the world, including the King's Rangers. I will eventually compile all of this into the first post. Eventually. If you have additional questions about the King's Rangers and their affiliates, ask me (either over Skype, Steam, or in this OOC. If you leave it in the OOC, someone else may be able to answer it if I'm too busy to respond.) It would, of course, also be a good idea to read the first OOC post if you haven't already.
2. Witness?: Your new character may have directly witnessed the ceremony that proved Kouri's legitimacy. If they did, it may be helpful to read this post specifically, since it features the entire ceremony.
3. Start Condition?: Your character should have access to mundane equipment of many types, from light to heavy armour. As stated prior, they should have access to the King's Rangers base within the grassy foothills of the Renaltan Remnants, and have a relationship with the King's Rangers of some sort. They should be present in the base for a minimum of a couple days, so as to be able to cross paths with Kouri.
4. Motivation?: Your character will need a motivation to follow Kouri around. This goes for every character, but this is more of a friendly reminder. The fact that she's a legendary figure makes it fairly easy to find a myriad of reasons for desiring to follow her.
5. Training Limits?: None. Your character can be of any walk of life, so long as they're not deliberately evil. Characters who murder the innocent would not ever be given access to King's Rangers facilities. You can be a rogue, a warrior, a wizard--anything your imagination can come up with... So long as it isn't overpowered, of course.
6. Race Limits?: Be whatever race you want. The King's Rangers are a multiracial organization.
7. Homeland Limits?: If your character was born outside of the Renaltan Remnants, they'll have needed to have arrived there within the past two years to be able to generate enough of a relationship with the King's Rangers to have access to their base. Aside from that, they can be from anywhere in the world.
8. How Many Slots?: Three more slots are opening (to expand the total from 13 to 16). One is guaranteed to @Snakey (because nepotism) so it's effectively two.
9. Deadline?: Complete your CS and have it approved by February 6th in order to join this role play. That gives you over a week to finish your CS.
10. Will there be more limited recruitment areas in the future?: Yes, but they'll be restricted to whatever conditions make the most sense in the area. It would, for instance, make no sense to have a mage recruit appear in Rheinfeld--a kingdom that loathes all mages and wishes to see them all destroyed. So keep this in mind when making your character, it may not fit into future recruitment areas without heavy modification.

Good luck, have fun everyone. For now, second character slots are disabled--these slots will be given only to people joining the story. After this, if additional characters join, and we still have 16 players, I'm likely going to only allow secondary characters. So, knowing what that means...

Let's get it on.

Oh, and @Kadaeux is officially a Co-GM now, to help with the workload.

 

[HerziQuerzi]

Characters who murder the innocent would not ever be given access to King's Rangers facilities.

 

[Slade]

This'll be fun

 

[Gat]

And Skype is still just as bad a program as I remember it to be... glitchy as fuck and far from easy to use.

Anyway; 'gat_tayler' for anyone looking to add me, just be sure to put your iwaku handel in the message or i probably wont accept if the name differs on skype. I'll only be in it some evenings my time, so steam is still the more reliable way to contact me.

 

[RoranHawkins]

Races to the open spots, then dances, throws a Kouri plushie at Brovo and screams "Pick me, pick me!"



Ah, so you've decided to bring yourself to this adventure, have you? Crossed beyond the veil to make this journey? Then let me be your guide. From here on out, you may call me Fate, and I will help you to understand how to get started here. There are no stats, or traits, but some information is required for me to imbue your soul within the right body. Wouldn't want to accidentally put you into the body of a cat now, would we?

Name: Alexander Reuman
Age: 39
Sex: Male
Appearance: Alexander is a man with an unremarkable and stocky stature. He measures some 5'8 and has a fairly athletic build from a life of soldiering. He has carefully kept short brown hair topping off a square face. Underneath his constantly frowning brows he has a pair of sincere brown eyes. A scar runs over his cheekbone down to his jaw, where he sports a short beard which he keeps in respectable condition. He has an ugly, large and crooked nose which has obviously been broken a few times and his mouth, like his eyebrows, is stuck in constant state disapproval. Alexander has a hardly noticable limp from a fight a few years back which can make him stand out to those who notice. While he looks like a very average man, the way he carries himself along with his expression and scarred look makes him rather intimidating to behold.

His clothing indicates that he is of common origins, but his real wealth lies in his armour. He wears a well-maintained brigandine and mail shirt with plate arm- and leg protection along with two-piece head protection. He posesses a warhorse of respectable breed and owns a longsword, a poleaxe and a dagger designed to to very nasty things to people in armour.

(Image might be here soon )

Fate looks you over, and nods with approval. She starts to design your body, and motions to you to continue inputting further information.

Strengths:

• Veteran master of arms: Alexander has lived his entire life as a soldier after beginning his career as a Reinfeld crusader. He is proficient with many kinds of weapons and has the endurance, strength and skill to use them effectively. His battlefield experience makes him into a fearsome, calculating opponent and with his favourite weapons, the poleaxe or the longsword, he is cruelly efficient.
• Minimal magical resistance: Having been trained as a Reinfeld crusader, he has been blessed with a certain form of magical resistance. Immune to small and relatively harmless spells, any kind of serious mage will have little trouble of penetrating this rudimentary resistance.
• Man of principles: Alexander might have been a mercenary for a few years now, after his desertion he has decided a strict set of principles for himself which no man nor god could force him to cross. He already has sinned enough.
• Teacher: After a few years in the military Alexander's patience and skill was quickly noticed. He was employed as a teacher and trainer for a couple of years untill the need for manpower arose.
• Tactically and strategically apt: While not a genius of any kinds he has received a basic form of education of the matter and gained a lot of understanding through experience on the subject. He is a quick thinker who understands the matter more than he can explain it. Although he is capable of seeing the bigger picture on a strategical scale, he has trouble keeping track of multiple things at the same time and losing himself into details.

Weaknesses:

• Brutally honest: You can rely on Alexander to tell you the truth in all the nuances he knows. While this is a boon in some situations, he does not shun the painful or the akward, and spares no one with his honesty. This often leads him to be considered rude or hostile, and has even got him into serious trouble at times.
• No respect for authority: His experiences in life have led him to seeing authority as a suggestive power at best, and one that's probably wrong anyways. He will freely interpret clear orders to his own liking and he will have trouble harbouring respect for any authoritative figures or leaders unless they prove themselves to him, personally if need to be.
• Fear of magic: Having lived most of his life in Reinfeld as a soldier Alexander has an innate distrust for any kind of magic. Even though he has grown used to it and no longer sees it as foul and unholy, he still fears it to a certain extent. On top of that, any serious user of magic can without much effort harm or trick Alexander, and his awareness of this fact does little to soothe that fear.
• Man of principles: While adhering to his principles makes him a respectable fellow, not all of them are all that morally sound. This often makes him appear as a hypocrit given his pragmatic approach to life.
• Despises religion: Previously a champion of the Mother and the Father and a staunch believer, too many atrocities committed in their name through his hands have corrupted this belief. He considers religion to be the Gods' tool with which they brainwashe by the millions, and bathe the world in blood. Especially for Reinfeld's religion he cannot find a single friendly word.

Fate nods with appreciation, and ushers you to the final section. She then slips beside you, and whispers you to be careful about what you wish your life to be: It will have long lasting consequences, and may mean the difference between whether or not Kouri will accept you...

Biography: Born to parents he only remembers a description of, Alexander has been an orphan for as long as he can remember. Both of them crusaders , they died in service of Reinfeld, attempting to apprehend a fearsome mage. He was taken care of as a child by the priests. At a very young age he was learned to read and write and to value the Mother and the Father, to be pious and grateful, and to be absolutely intolerant of magic. At the age of ten he was considered old enough to make his decisions for his lot in life, and was released from the orphanage. Eager to make the priests who had been like a family to him proud, he joined the Reinfeld military in order to become a crusader. He passed the challenges and hardships of his training with silent perseverance, more than earning the respect of the priests. His new life was more than just the whim of a child however, and he quickly made friends in the military, and a few enemies too. In general however, he was respected. Seen as a dutiful soldier that would offer his life for the faith and the state, his pride and low ancestry were easily forgotten.

Over the years his skill only grew, and nine years after he had become a soldier of the faith he was deemed capable enough to train new recruits. Together with a few friends he considered lifelong companions at that point in life he spent a couple of peaceful years turning zealous young brats into zealous fighting machines, much like themselves. But that was not to last of course. When a shortage of manpower arose, he and his friends became active soldiers. He had already fought his first battle and killed his first foe years ago, but around this time he truly learned what war was. Having lost as many friends as months that passed, Alexander grew harder. It also went a long way to show his capabilities, and soon enough his eligibility for a templarate was considered. When the fighting was over however, it was a simple routine mission that ended it all. Led by the priest he had considered a father to him eversince he was a child, Alexander and a group of crusaders and templars attacked the hideout of some reported mages. When they found the parents of one of his best friends as the suspects, a life of zealous dedication to the Mother and the Father allowed him to execute swift judgement of the law where his friend could not. No word nor reasoning could calm his friend, and after a regrettable and chaotic fight with his oldest and most intimate companion, Alexander stood over his corpse, blood on his hands, tears on his face. When they found him he quickly realised what he had lost. Even though his connections with the upper ranks prevented a discharge over the incident, common talk and rumour between the men spread like wildfire. The story of how even the bravest would fall to the tricks of the mages, if they were not pious enough. Any plans of promotion were discarded and Alexander was relieved from his duties as a trainer. The following months he only participated in missions directed at rooting out mages. He was desperate to prove his piety and his rank, to prove himself to his compatriots. But he was also desperate to forget, and hoped to drown his doubts in the blood of the unholy, even though his once so steadfast faith had begun to waver.

Yet during one of these missions when he stumbled upon the figure of a crying mother, facing off against him with an eating knife protecting a boy and a girl still too young to understand the threat he represented to their lives, he snapped. The children with Kou reminded him of his own youth, where he had been told of his parents' heroic deaths, where he had cried alone and unsolaced by the gentle touch of a mother. He realised in that instant that he was no better than the mages he killed. When he dropped his sword and opened his mouth to tell the woman to run, she stabbed him in the armpit. After a short struggle, he declared his intentions to the woman and helped her escape, and in doing so, escaped from the military himself.

The years that followed for him were long and hard years for him, but he preferred them above those of his previous life. He felt free at least. Unchained from the brainwashing of his youth, the false ideals he was spoonfed during his childhood. Free from the merciless religion and the unquestionnable authority of the Mother and the Father. Yet he was not happy during those times. He could not forget the blood on his hands, and he could not forgive himself for it. He had killed and killed and killed again the name of religion and even when he had realised that this was not a righteous thing to do he had stubbornly continued in his ways. He had attempted to seek solace and reconciliation through zealous dedication to the slaughter of innocent people. He could not forgive himself for failing to feel remorse during all those years, for allowing himself to be brainwashed in the name of religion. The Mother and the Father were murderers, and for years he had been their willing servant.

It was during these years that he came into contact with the King's Rangers of Renalta. Their hidden cell here fought the agents of the Mother and the Father much like how they fought the Gods everywhere with every possible method. Alexander first became an ally to them on his personal quest for vengeance, and later a friend. While he had never been a known individual, his name became known as that of a stubborn rebellious element to the local authorities of Reinfeld, with good reason. He became enough of a nuisance to lay a trap for, and Alexander stumbled right into it. It was only due to the aid of the King's Rangers and his skills as a man-at-arms that he had survived, but he had been grievously injured nonetheless. He could no longer stay in Reinfeld, and he was brought to the remnants of Renalta to see one of the King's Rangers' most skilled healers. It was the purest irony when his crippled leg, the thigh brutalised by a couched lance, was healed by magic. The healing process took the better part of a year, and in that time he officially joined the King's Rangers. The last few years he worked with the King's Rangers in Reinfeld as both an instructor and a man-at-arms. Recently however the priests found out that he was still alive when a former friend recognised him during a fight. A captured crusader informed them of another trap being set by the very priest that had been like a father to Alexander soon after. His presence in Reinfeld slowly became a hazard to the operation of the local cell, and he was sent to the remnants of Renalta once again, missing the legitimation ceremony by a day.



As you finish writing information, Fate snaps her fingers, and the scroll you were writing upon vanishes. Darkness wraps around you, and you are born into the mortal realm, without any previous memories, to begin your life...

 

[Brovo]

His presence in Reinfeld slowly became a hazard to the operation of the local cell, and he was sent to the remnants of Renalta once again, missing the legitimation ceremony by a week.

Error: The legitimacy ceremony happened "today" by the IC's timeline. ("Yesterday" by the timeline of the next GM post, which is when you'll most likely start posting.) Being a week ahead puts you in the future, and by the time that point arrives, Kouri will have already left.

That last thought was rage-inducing and in one quick motion he planted the dagger into his shoulder, the would itself wasn't awful but the pain: Sisera was on his knees in an instant. It felt like hurricane after hurricane crashing into a boulder that crumbled away, and Sisera was the boulder. He gritted his teeth and endured it and with a gasp pulled it out and threw it at Marcus's feet.

Hey man, you're the one who said you were expecting emo jokes. You asked for it. Hehe.

Meanwhile: Four days to GM post. If y'all are doing collab posts, you might want to start thinking about wrapping them up and posting them soon.

 

[Tempest]

Due to numerous extenuating curcimstances, I am unable to activelt participate im this roleplay at this time. I must regretfully announce that I will be withdrawing Alexandra Somer and making her inactive until I time I will be able to... Afford time and energy to this project. This is nothing against any of you, and I would like to, when I can, pick this back up. I'm sorry.

 

[Snakey]

The Moneyed Veteran

Name: 'Sergeant' Ole Fischer.
Age: Forty-Six.
Sex: Male.
Appearance: Standing a respectable six feet tall and sporting a muscular build Ole Fischer is a contrasting figure, his rugged form playing against refined clothing revealing him a man of two worlds. His greying hair is retreating from the top of his head only to be found regrouping on his upper lip, forming a formidable line of moustache that his hawkish nose commands with dignity. High up his left eye lays by itself with only a pair of bushy eyebrows to keep it company, it's twin obscured by a leather eyepatch. Most striking though is his right arm, or rather the lack thereof, replaced by darkened steel prosthetic that moves separate from his body, almost as if it possesses a mind of it's own.

Normally the sergeant shuns the Ranger's signature cloak and hood, only wearing it when required. Usually he's seen wearing a fitted tunic, it's drab green dye almost doing a disservice to the fine cotton it colours. His pants are made of a similar fabric, though died a slightly more vibrant shade of green. Breaking up the green is brass, everything that could be made of brass is made of brass. Brass buttons, belt buckles, boot buckles, decorative studs around the stiffened collar and cuffs. When more fancy wear is called for he adds decorative silver pauldrons inlaid with yet more brass as well as a nifty red silken side-cape that helps obscure his unsightly arm.

Preparing for combat Fischer's wealth becomes far more apparent. The fitted steel half-plate he wears bears the hard angles of dwarven craftsmanship as well as intricate brass etching that wraps around the armour, anyone with the patience to look over the whole thing will be regaled with a visual tale telling of a humble man who rises to wealth on his own will. The legs are left bare excepting a short skirt of mail, the top of his head flaunting a wide brimmed kettle helm, the lower part of his face protected by the raised collar of his cuirasse. His left arm is especially well covered, as if he's afraid of losing it, while his right is left to protect itself on it's own material merit.

Kouri Plushy.

Strengths:

• Veteran: The sergeant has been fighting in battlefields all over the world for the better part of his lifetime and has managed to get through mostly intact. What's he missing in body parts he's made up with raw experience, he is a fierce, practical combatant capable of effectively wielding damn near any weapon you could think of. In addition, he is familiar with the less violent side of warrior life from everything to maintaining supply lines to proper waste disposal.
• Thunderer: Of all the weapons Fischer has wielded over his life his favourite would have to be guns. Rare as they are the sergeant has managed to handle all sorts of firearms during his long career, you'd be hard pressed to find a gunman with more experience in all of the known world. If he were whole he'd probably be a great marksman, however the loss of his dominant eye has rendered him all but useless at any range greater than thirty feet. This has not dampened the sergeant's enthusiasm (or lethality) for firearms, he's just had to learn how to effectively use them at point-blank range.
• Million Silver Man: One of Fischer's most striking features has to be his artificial arm. This large armoured limb is made completely of a dark steel and grant's the sergeant great, if not somewhat clumsy, strength. Powered by a magic similar to golemancy the arm is mentally requires active focus to be controlled, while he has all but mastered it's use in combat the sergeant still struggles with gentler effort and generally elects to use his good arm when performing tasks that don't require brutish force. As a quirk of the magic used to animate the arm it does need to be attached to Fischer to function, in fact it's simply held onto him by a harness and can be removed with relative ease should it be required to act separately. It's as creepy as you'd think.
• Copper For Gold: Unlike many of his fellow mercenaries who blew their hard-fought gold as fast as they earned it Fischer saved it and eventually invested it in his own private enterprise. He owns two productive copper mines as well as a forge to refine the collected ore, almost all of which is sold to the Rheinfeld mint. This has made the sergeant maddeningly wealthy, rivalling that of some noble houses. Though he funnels a significant amount of his money to the King's Rangers in order to keep them well equipped he still has most of his capital kept to himself, stored in banks all over. Though he doesn't keep much on his person Fischer has avenues to his cash in case he needs to utilize it quickly.
• Best That Money Can Buy: Fischer's affluence affords him access to the some of the highest quality equipment in the known world. He sports a custom made set of dwarven half-plate complete with a matching falchion, slightly oversized to take advantage of the strength his artificial arm offers. However, his most valued piece of hardware would have to be a firearm he calls The Thunder. This squat, double barrelled blunderbuss is curious article of mechanist technology, even with magicks reducing recoil it's impossible for a normal human to fire it without shattering their arm and it's too small to be reasonably used by anything larger. Most likely it was originally owned by a particularly sturdy dwarf, but it's unique properties happen to line up with the sergeant's unique conditions so well you would be forgiven to assume it was special made for him.

Weaknesses:

• Left Heavy: Most fighters would be rendered useless if they lost both their right arm and eye, Fischer himself is only still a viable combatant because of his artificial limb. If he were to lose it he would certainly be rendered just another broken veteran, albeit a rich one. His eye is of more concern as he's not managed to find a replacement. It's been more than a decade since he lost it and he's adapted, but still he has trouble judging distance beyond a few feet and his limited area of vision opens him up to sneak attacks.
• Over The Hill: Despite his claims otherwise the sergeant's age is catching up with him. Each passing day brings new aches and he's found that he's just not as spry as he used to be.
• Been Around The Block: Over his long career Fischer has sired at least a dozen children all around the world, many of which have grown into adults themselves. These children are none too happy with their wealthy, deadbeat father that left them and their mothers to fend for themselves while he stomped all over the world. Every city risks the possibility of abandoned progeny running up and demanding money, recognition, reunion, affection or revenge, none of which Fischer is eager to provide.
• Figure of Envy: Fischer's wealth has not escaped the eyes of the world unnoticed. Nobles look upon him as an aberrant fiend, shunting the natural order of things while his fellow commoners just see him as another overlord growing fat on the work of the honest man. He now sits in a sort of class limbo, only really able to identify with other independent capitalists, not exactly a plentiful demographic.

Biography:

As ancient as the organization is the King's Rangers are still subject to one brutal reality: Nothing is free. While the organization is more than capable of supplying itself with basic enmities and equipment more pricey purchases are generally out of reach. Enter 'Sergeant' Ole Fischer, copper magnate and the Ranger's primary financier. Whenever the Ranger's are in need new or more specialized equipment you can safely bet that it was bought on Fischer's coin.

He wasn't always rich, in fact he started out quite the opposite, a fisherman's son in a rural Rheinfelden village with no expectations in life but to follow in his father's footsteps. Fate seemed unsatisfied with this however and during the summer of his sixteenth year a company of mercenaries stopped by his quiet hamlet or replenish supplies. Though they were only there for a few days young Ole was enthralled by the excitement and danger of the mercenary's life and when they left the boy went with them, his parents watching on with stoic acceptance.

The mercenary life proved to be less glamorous than the lad was led to believe, for the first few months he was treated as little more than a errand boy fetching this and cleaning that. Such mundane duties did little to dampen his enthusiasm however and soon enough he found himself on the front lines, pike in hand. This is usually the point where a naive boy would break down, that din of clashing steel and screams of the dying coming down like a ton of bricks. Ole was not one of these boys, it was exactly what he signed up for and the greatest rush of his life. His lust for battle earned him a quick promotion from pikeman to crossbowman, where his uncanny aim and itchy trigger figure earned him even more fame, so much so that when his company procured a shipment of mechanist firearms he was immediately made commander of the newly formed outfit of musketeers, later dubbed The Fischer Kings.

The Fischer Kings quickly became a feared name on the battlefield and many contracts were made with their parent company solely for their services. This fame came with a price and soon enough the elimination of The Fischer Kings became the primary objective of any canny general he was put against. One such individual had hired a band of witch hunters with the sole purpose of ending them and though Ole and his men where able to weather the assault and drive the hunters off it came at a great cost of life as well as the commanders eye, put out by crossbow bolt. The Fischer Kings still managed to persist until one particularly inept general had them receive the brunt the charge of a line of Free Holds cataphracts, smashing the gunmen into the dust and taking Ole's fighting arm. That one mistake simultaneously ended The Fischer Kings and their leader's career in one go.

Twenty long years of fighting had earned Ole a small fortune that he could have easily lived on comfortably for the rest of his life, but he wasn't content with just sitting down and doing nothing worth while until he died. No, he still sought out thrills and unable to participate in combat he went with the next best thing; Free Enterprise.

The Renaltan Remnants became Fischer's new home, no pesky central government to demand taxes. With the help of a contracted geomancer he managed to find a rich vein of copper conveniently located near a reasonably large village. The opened mine was nigh bursting with ore, rendering both Fischer and the village wealthy. That as not enough for the former mercenary though and he did it again, this time in a more remote location with reputation for bandit attacks. This was easily solved by calling up a few favours and providing a few old friends with cushy positions as guards. Again the mine haemorrhaged ore and Ole was made even wealthier. Soon enough he cut out the middle man and started processing his own ore and selling it directly to clients, eventually securing a contract with the Rheinfeld mint.

It all slowed down after that, Fischer had far more gold than he knew what to do with, most of it rotting in banks across the continent. The only truly expensive purchase he made was a special made artificial arm, a product of strange magicks mixed the genius of mechanists. While the arm gave him the freedom to return to his militant life he now thought it inappropriate now that he owed responsibility to so many. Still he practised combat with his prosthetic, if only for his own personal entertainment.

Fate was again unimpressed with this stagnancy and sent an agent to mend it. A cloaked man approached with a request for a simple loan. He refused to tell Fischer what it was for and could only make a vague promise that his organization would even pay it back, normally Fischer would laugh at such an absurd proposition, but on a gut instinct he accepted it. The amount of money was small potatoes for the financier anyway.

Almost to his surprise he was paid back in a few short months at the end of which he was propositioned for another considerably larger loan. Again, the cloaked figure refusing to disclose their intent for the gold. This time curiosity overtook Fischer and he demanded to know the what organization he was working for, the hooded man hesitated before admitting he was working for the King's Rangers. Ole had briefly heard of the organization, but hadn't thought of them as anything other than a local myth spread by fanciful bumpkins. That satisfied his curiosity for that moment and he signed away the loan with no further issue. This act continued for years, a ranger would come asking for a loan or favour and in exchange would provide their financier with more information about the order. The whole thing seemed ridiculous at first, but eventually Ole was engrossed by the story of the King's Rangers. The seemed so much larger than life, an ancient organization trying for millennia to rid of the gods all while waiting for a legendary princess to just show up.

Eventually he asked to just formally join the King Ranger's as their financier and stop the whole farce of asking for loans every few months. After a short time of review, mostly to ensure Ole wasn't some sort of sleeper agent playing the long con, he was accepted in the order.

A few years later brings our story into the current day, with Kouri's confirmed return and the rangers preparing for action so rises 'Sergeant' Ole Fischer, armed to the teeth and determined help personally carve a new era with his own force of arms and the thunderous roar of gunfire.

 

[Brovo]

@RoranHawkins Might want to go over the rules section of the role play real quick. After that, I can approve your sheet. You'll see what I mean.

Here's a few points to keep in mind too, if you'd like, to help immerse yourself in the world.

• The Father is a God who represents strength, courage, and loyalty. He's most often worshipped by Rheinfelder warriors, including but not limited to: The Templar & Crusaders, Mercenaries, Assassins, The Nobility, et cetera. Though it is common for people to worship both of the major Rheinfelder deities, they usually favour one over the other depending on lifestyle.
• The Mother is a Goddess who represents family, compassion, and mercy. She's most often worshipped by Rheinfeld's poorest and non-warring religious, including but not limited to: Peasantry & Slaves, Thieves, Priests, Healers, et cetera. It should also be noted that devotees to The Mother are sometimes looked upon with disdain by followers of The Father if they should be warriors. After all, how can Crusaders show mercy to heretics and mages?
• Though it's been mentioned before, your character would know Rheinfelder and The Common Tongue. That's German & English each respectively. Use Google Translate if you don't know German. (Because I don't know German.)
• It's not impossible for mages to hide in Rheinfeld. It's quite difficult, but not impossible. Something your character would know from their hunting is that Mages can suppress their own talents to try and make it harder to detect them. Coincidentally, it's not unusual for Templar to develop a sense for detecting magic, to try and route them out. It's a game of cat and mouse between the most powerful among each. When mages do suppress their magical talents, it takes them a few minutes to "unlock" it again, meaning that if a mage is routed out by a Templar, nine times out of ten, that mage is dead in seconds.
• While the religious aristocracy despise magic, there is actually a certain kind of magic they'll accept usage of under generally hypocritical and often ignorant reasoning: "Holy" magic. Anything that is blessed by angels? It's totally okay to use that. Churches and Cathedrals that have been given a holy aura to harm demons and silence mages? Totally okay, bro, it's "holy" magic. So long as it's bright and shiny, acts against mages and demons, and can be waved away with "an angel did it," they'll accept it. The vast majority of the populace (being uneducated, illiterate savages, that barely understand not to fuck their own sisters), genuinely believes that such things are miracles and not magic. Your character likely understands that at least some "miracles" are produced by magic in secret by the theological dictatorship itself. Never personally witnessed it (because the pope's got that shit on lockdown, knowing what would happen if the general populace ever found out the truth), but would likely know some those miracles... Aren't.
• The theocratic dictatorship in question is ruled by a Pope. He claims to speak on behalf of the Gods, and sometimes, that's actually true. Other times, it's rather dubious. His power is kept in check only by the Templar, and the two are often in a rather cushy relationship, though previous Popes have been cut down by Templar before, so there's always some level of caution between the two. He directly rules over the priesthood, and whenever a Pope passes away, the priesthood combine to offer their votes for a new Pope. The Templar then get to evaluate the candidate, and decide if said Pope gets to rule. If the answer is "no", he's killed, and the process starts over again. It's not uncommon that, when Popes aren't busy doing their whole "speaking on behalf of the Gods" business, they do the rounds to every major town and city in Rheinfeld, to help reinforce the godlike nature of the religious aristocracy.

@Snakey Roboarm Guy is approvable. I need a bio though.

 

[Brovo]

Originally wrote this on my phone, so pardon odd spell correction errors. My phone is evil.

The Night's Events: This is a section detailing what each non player character (and Kouri) did during the night section of the story. It is entirely optional for you to write any material related to this. If you don't, it will simply be assumed that your character found somewhere to sleep.

As for Mikan's exploits, I will send a pm to the player that she, erm, visited during the night. It will be up to them to decide if anything happened.

As a reminder: While mature content is present in this role play (sex, grotesque violence, death, brain washing, emotional and physical torture/abuse, et cetera) this role play is NOT in the Libertine section. There are both adults and teenagers in this role play. Ergo, practice common sense: Groping, staring, having thoughts of lust, and so on, are acceptable. Outright descriptions of the sexual organs or acts of sex are not. If it would not be permissible in a PG-13 movie, it probably won't be in sections outside of Libertine either. Sex scenes and the like are simply fade to black. Have class, don't be crass.

Pre-meeting Affairs: These are activities which Kouri did before going to her meeting. The PNPC's (Mikan, Hanus, Marcus, James) are simply assumed to be constantly available for interactions until the meeting in the operations room takes place. Whilst also unnecessary for the continuation of the plot, if you want to get casual interactions in with Kouri or anyone else before the meeting, this is the time frame as to when it would be possible.

Yes, this does mean you can talk to Kouri in the bathing chamber. (Though not before she gets a bath towel on, perverts.) Or, if you want to take less risk and imply less sexual tension, the dining hall. Those pursuing a romance subplot with the princess, now is probably the first serious opportunity you have to try and get her attention, and see how she feels about you. What she likes. What she dreams of. Whatever you think might help you in the future. You're attempting to woo a refined lady, not a harlot.

Speed, or Stealth?: This is the meeting in the operations room. Here is the first major plot decision your characters can help influence with the princess. You don't need to use a collaborative post here either. You can post just 1-2 paragraphs of your character explaining what choice they would make and which they think is best. Or, which one is the worst choice. Remember, every choice has consequences...

Whispers From The Dark...: Another look into the POV of the antagonists, hinting at what's going on. As stated before, this gives you an idea of how your actions have affected them as well as your allies and neutral participants.

LORE!: Because more world building!

• The Silver Shield: A vampire hunting organization that prides itself on loyal devotion to the Gods themselves. They often use magic which Rheinfeld would classify as "holy", and thus it's not entirely uncommon for them to be allowed to traverse Rheinfeld, so long as they are on business for the Gods themselves. They are often considered the mortal right hand, and have been acting against the King's Rangers for centuries on behalf of the Gods.
• Hair Dye: Is a thing, but is also exceptionally cheap in most circumstances unless it uses magic, which is detectable. Most hair dyes are applied in water, and then solidify after a few minutes. After that, they can be washed off with water, or the rain, or any other form of liquids really. Even sweat can damage hair dye at the roots, causing hints of the original hair colour to come out, if one looks closely enough. Still useful for disguises though.
• Contraceptives: These exist too, thanks to magic and fantasy herbalism. However, most are usually only afforded to those who can either steal them, or afford them. Most peasantry can do neither, so recreational sex is typically found only in, say, brothels—which invest in them so as to keep turning profits. Or among the nobility, who can readily afford them with ease.
• The Abyss: Homeland of the Dark Elves, Mechanists, and a few other races. It is a large, cavernous network of tunnels a few miles underneath the surface that change shape on a regular basis. Sometimes as short as a couple days, sometimes as long as a couple weeks. Civilization here has thus adapted to be mobile and work in groups of no more than a few hundred typically. These tunnels stretch onward throughout the entire planet. One could theoretically walk to the planetary core, if it wouldn't kill them.
• The Dark Forest: A vast expanse of woods that stretches on for thousands of miles in every direction. It's named as such because after a few hundred yards, the trees are so tall and so old that they block out most of the natural sunlight, creating a chilly and perpetually dimly lit environment underneath. It has many predators evolved and adapted to this environment, and is extremely hostile for human civilization. How the elves manage to live here is a mystery to most.
• The Trader's Pass: A long and winding road traversed by thousands of people on a regular basis between Rheinfeld & Liveria. It's not uncommon to both find the remains of dead trader's towns, and newly sprouted ones. It's regularly patrolled by Witch Hunters and Crusaders, as both factions have agreed to protect it in the mutual interest of their peoples. It's also not uncommon for large groups of the religious to make pilgrimages through this pass, as angels appear on a semi-regular basis.
• The Mountain Border: A scar that runs for many miles across the horizontal plane of the continent. None know why it exists, but many theorize it was a disaster of some kind that made it. Nonetheless, the Mountains have ancient magical traps, Orcish tribes that raid nearby villages, and Bandit enclaves. Yet, it's marked with several places to duck low and hide, and is home to a few mysterious but powerful people. The mix of all these dangers has always made it too difficult for Rheinfeld to properly invade the Renaltan Remnants—and on most occasions, the desire isn't even there to make the attempt.

 

[Firemind]

*Reads the Post. Finishes the 'Whispers From The Dark' section. Adds 'Insatiable lust for booty.' next to notes on Typhon.*

 

[Snakey]

Oh look, I finished my bio.

I look forward to being told what's wrong with it :P.

Also, I gave him a helmet.

 

[rusty4297]

• Ah, so you've decided to bring yourself to this adventure, have you? Crossed beyond the veil to make this journey? Then let me be your guide. From here on out, you may call me Fate, and I will help you to understand how to get started here. There are no stats, or traits, but some information is required for me to imbue your soul within the right body. Wouldn't want to accidentally put you into the body of a cat now, would we?
  
  Name: Linston Iolin
  Age: 20
  Sex: Male
  Appearance:
  
  Image courtesy of Manzanedo
  
  Fate looks you over, and nods with approval. She starts to design your body, and motions to you to continue inputting further information.
  
  Strengths: (What do you do well? Below are three examples. You can have as many as you like, but remember that the more strengths you have, the easier it will be for you to enter Godmoding territory.)
  • Copycat: Linston, since he was young, has been watching, and repeating. The simplest modification to one's facial expressions or tone of voice to the shifting of one's stance when a subject is brought up... Linston's seen how people act, how they do this or that, and he's developed his ability to repeat it
  • Musically Understood: The best way to practice copy and repeat, is through watching someone else perform a song, and repeating it yourself. Linston's understanding of music is through seeing others play, and doing as they have. If he sees a musician play a few times, he can likely replicate the song, or make a similarly good song.
  • Illusionist's Starting Point: Due to his copying and repeating of how others act and react, he's begun to understand how others perceive the world around them. With these beginnings of an understanding and a bit of training, Linston has been taught how to deceive via magic. This deceptive magic is almost always used to create a false identity or to don another's identity, but can be used for minor illusions otherwise.
  • Social Butterfly: People make sense to Linston. Interacting with others is as easy as understanding what will get them talking on their own. The tavernkeep that offers a drink to the tired adventurer likely wants easy coin and a possible story. The tired adventurer, however, likely wants to rest his body and mind with a drink, talking about his adventures without a few drinks could make him guarded, etc. etc.
  
  Weaknesses: (What do you do poorly? Below are three examples. Note that mental weaknesses are not as strong as physical ones. You can have as many as you like, but remember that if you cripple yourself with weaknesses, Kouri may feel too much pity to allow you to join her.)
  • Weak Combatant: Although he can copy stances and recreate motions, he doesn't have the physical strength and energy to carry around a heavy sword and swing it at everything he meets, at best he keeps a shortsword with him, and in combat situations will attempt to utilize his magic and understanding of humans in general to make up for his lack of combat-based ability.
  • Odd Understanding: Due to having learned most things through watching and repeating, he can't always grasp things that he can't watch or hear in action. Illusion magic has made this easier for him because illusions were able to be used to show exactly what he needed to understand and repeat, but things that can't be represented in front of him elude him almost always, represented somewhat through his slow reading.
  • Fractured Face of Masks: Through attempts to copy and become other people, Linston has started to lose a bit of who he, himself, is. When attempting to be himself, he might accidentally take a trait he's copied in the past, or he might use words that someone he remembers might have used instead of his own word-choice.
  • Muddled Reasoning: Linston's not got a complete grasp of why he'll be joining Kouri and her Kouri plushie on this adventure... At least not yet. While his reasoning might partially coincide with the rest of the group's, he might also wish to use this as a chance to learn more magic during his travels, or as a chance to create a great story to weave into a song... He's not fully sure, and thus, might not always feel he should do things for the best of the group, rather than just the best of himself.
  
  Fate nods with appreciation, and ushers you to the final section. She then slips beside you, and whispers you to be careful about what you wish your life to be: It will have long lasting consequences, and may mean the difference between whether or not Kouri will accept you...
  
  Biography: Linston's family didn't have any special social or economic status. This isn't to say, however, that they were poor, no, they were more around the middle-class of wealth. Of course, to keep from dropping from this point, Linston's father had to work hard, doing all he could to ensure his financial status didn't fail. While his father was working hard outside the home, his mother was, stereotypically, home, keeping the house clean and raising Linston. However, her attempts to raise her child were simply a byproduct of attempting to live a happy life with her husband, leading to Linston's formal education not going very far before he began to branch off on his own. Linston began to explore the town they lived in, meeting many people that did many things. He passed by as many people interacted... Raising their voices, or speaking more quietly, faking a smile or hiding it. Linston saw people interact, and since his mother wouldn't pay much attention beyond the necessities, he began to interact with people at random. He started by making himself seem sad, then when the people around him reacted to it, he began to play a different part... People seemed like the easiest thing to understand. Linston thought that he could learn the world through people's interactions and his own interactions with others, but as he continued his scenes of a play written around him, he found musical performers singing and playing in popular areas. Music caught his attention, as it was yet another thing that could make those around him feel based on his decisions... All he needed to do was choose a quick, dark sound, and suddenly people were stirring, or a slow, light sound, and suddenly people were content or nostalgic... It was another way to see the emotions of those around him change, but was also fun for him. He decided that, to keep up his life as it was, he'd want to learn music. He asked his mother for a simple instrument, and since it would be another thing he could learn on his own, she got him one.
  
  With his new instrument, Linston went around playing, using what he heard and saw as both material and example for his own material. Soon enough, he was manipulating the emotions of those around him with everything he did, and others began to believe the stories he created through song. Some days there was a daring adventurer that escaped a dragon's maw, and other days perhaps a spy that brought back the secrets of another country, but no matter the story, the emotions of those around him changed almost predictably. As he developed his talents for music and social interaction, a passing illusionist found him interesting and offered to teach him illusions. Linston, thinking it another interesting way to manipulate emotions of others, took the offer. However, due to Linston's lacking experience in learning through teaching, the illusionist had to get creative, using his own illusions to create examples and show how Linston should manipulate magic into illusions. With the illusionist's creative teaching methods, Linston began to understand the basics of illusions and began to use them to practice being other people. He began to go hours as other people, discovering secrets from people that they never expected they'd be revealing. Eventually, the illusionist decided that Linston would be better off learning how to develop his talents more with his old friends. Linston said farewell to his mother and took off on his journey, following the illusionist away from the town.
  
  As they traveled, the illusionist told Linston stories... Stories about the ancient princess and her rejection of an angel, stories of protectors... Of course, Linston had heard the stories about Kouri, but beyond that, the illusionist gave many new stories. The illusionist made it clear that these stories were only that, stories, but seemed to, the entire time, be speaking from experience, as if the stories were his own life. Eventually, the illusionist brought Linston to the place where the King's Rangers stayed and trained. He told Linston that they were his friends, and began teaching Linston more in the ways of manipulation, the ways of being who you aren't. Of course, the illusionist didn't teach him everything regarding this... Some of the others in the group taught him their own tips and tricks, and finally, he was told that he had been trained to be a member of the King's Rangers.
  
  As you finish writing information, Fate snaps her fingers, and the scroll you were writing upon vanishes. Darkness wraps around you, and you are born into the mortal realm, without any previous memories, to begin your life...

 

[Brovo]

UPDATE 1.03

• Character List Updated: Alexandra moved to "Inactive." Alexander added. Fischer added. Linston added. One Spot Remaining.
• One Core Slot removed. Future characters will simply be put into a normal slot, whether they're replacing a dead character, they're a second character, or new players are joining the story. It'll be interesting to see how many of those slots survive.
• Q&A section updated with categories. Q&A section renamed to FAQ section.
• Disparate information scattered across the thread is now centrally located in the first post under the FAQ section. Information only gets centrally located if it remains relevant throughout the story, rather than a specific area.
• Information added by centralization: Posting order, collaborative posts, story structure, Mechanists, Kouri-related stuff, et cetera.
• Some information added by centralization has been reworked to be more accurate, more informative, or to coincide better with other points.
• Information added by this post: Heraldry.
• Story section added. Contains chapter listed points of major scenes throughout the story. Chapters have no defined "length", it's simply there so if you want to find a specific point in the timeline to read again months later for nostalgic purposes or otherwise, you can find it. Check out the first post if you want to see it, it has its own tab.

Heraldry

Q. Heraldry?
A. Many nobility and organizations have coats of arms that they embroider, smelt, or even use magic to apply onto armour, buildings, signs, clothing, weapons, and so on. The accuracy of heraldry is often a way to determine if something is falsified or done correctly with Renaltan artifacts, as it's difficult for someone who has never seen the embroidery of the Renaltan royal family to appropriately mimic it. Here's a list of currently known heraldry.

• Kingdom of Renalta: A shield which rests upon a tall, flourishing, green tree. The shield itself is positioned to protect the bark, without obscuring the leafs that decorate the branches above it. The shield remains blank, so as to be easily modified to represent other organizations which service the crown.
  • Royalty: A slight modification is given to royalty who wear the crest. The shield is given a light blue hue, and a glowing yellow-orange aura surrounds the shield. This modification is extended also to those whom the royalty have bestowed with the highest of ceremonial awards, and is extended onto other organizational modifications should the two coincide. (Ex: A King's Ranger who has been granted the highest of award honours would have this modification, and the King's Ranger modification.)
  • King's Rangers: The symbol of an all-seeing eye is decorated onto the center of the shield.

Races to the open spots, then dances, throws a Kouri plushie at Brovo and screams "Pick me, pick me!"



Ah, so you've decided to bring yourself to this adventure, have you? Crossed beyond the veil to make this journey? Then let me be your guide. From here on out, you may call me Fate, and I will help you to understand how to get started here. There are no stats, or traits, but some information is required for me to imbue your soul within the right body. Wouldn't want to accidentally put you into the body of a cat now, would we?

Name: Alexander Reuman
Age: 39
Sex: Male
Appearance: Alexander is a man with an unremarkable and stocky stature. He measures some 5'8 and has a fairly athletic build from a life of soldiering. He has carefully kept short brown hair topping off a square face. Underneath his constantly frowning brows he has a pair of sincere brown eyes. A scar runs over his cheekbone down to his jaw, where he sports a short beard which he keeps in respectable condition. He has an ugly, large and crooked nose which has obviously been broken a few times and his mouth, like his eyebrows, is stuck in constant state disapproval. Alexander has a hardly noticable limp from a fight a few years back which can make him stand out to those who notice. While he looks like a very average man, the way he carries himself along with his expression and scarred look makes him rather intimidating to behold.

His clothing indicates that he is of common origins, but his real wealth lies in his armour. He wears a well-maintained brigandine and mail shirt with plate arm- and leg protection along with two-piece head protection. He posesses a warhorse of respectable breed and owns a longsword, a poleaxe and a dagger designed to to very nasty things to people in armour.

(Image might be here soon )

Fate looks you over, and nods with approval. She starts to design your body, and motions to you to continue inputting further information.

Strengths:

• Veteran master of arms: Alexander has lived his entire life as a soldier after beginning his career as a Reinfeld crusader. He is proficient with many kinds of weapons and has the endurance, strength and skill to use them effectively. His battlefield experience makes him into a fearsome, calculating opponent and with his favourite weapons, the poleaxe or the longsword, he is cruelly efficient.
• Minimal magical resistance: Having been trained as a Reinfeld crusader, he has been blessed with a certain form of magical resistance. Immune to small and relatively harmless spells, any kind of serious mage will have little trouble of penetrating this rudimentary resistance.
• Man of principles: Alexander might have been a mercenary for a few years now, after his desertion he has decided a strict set of principles for himself which no man nor god could force him to cross. He already has sinned enough.
• Teacher: After a few years in the military Alexander's patience and skill was quickly noticed. He was employed as a teacher and trainer for a couple of years untill the need for manpower arose.
• Tactically and strategically apt: While not a genius of any kinds he has received a basic form of education of the matter and gained a lot of understanding through experience on the subject. He is a quick thinker who understands the matter more than he can explain it. Although he is capable of seeing the bigger picture on a strategical scale, he has trouble keeping track of multiple things at the same time and losing himself into details.

Weaknesses:

• Brutally honest: You can rely on Alexander to tell you the truth in all the nuances he knows. While this is a boon in some situations, he does not shun the painful or the akward, and spares no one with his honesty. This often leads him to be considered rude or hostile, and has even got him into serious trouble at times.
• No respect for authority: His experiences in life have led him to seeing authority as a suggestive power at best, and one that's probably wrong anyways. He will freely interpret clear orders to his own liking and he will have trouble harbouring respect for any authoritative figures or leaders unless they prove themselves to him, personally if need to be.
• Fear of magic: Having lived most of his life in Reinfeld as a soldier Alexander has an innate distrust for any kind of magic. Even though he has grown used to it and no longer sees it as foul and unholy, he still fears it to a certain extent. On top of that, any serious user of magic can without much effort harm or trick Alexander, and his awareness of this fact does little to soothe that fear.
• Man of principles: While adhering to his principles makes him a respectable fellow, not all of them are all that morally sound. This often makes him appear as a hypocrit given his pragmatic approach to life.
• Despises religion: Previously a champion of the Mother and the Father and a staunch believer, too many atrocities committed in their name through his hands have corrupted this belief. He considers religion to be the Gods' tool with which they brainwashe by the millions, and bathe the world in blood. Especially for Reinfeld's religion he cannot find a single friendly word.

Fate nods with appreciation, and ushers you to the final section. She then slips beside you, and whispers you to be careful about what you wish your life to be: It will have long lasting consequences, and may mean the difference between whether or not Kouri will accept you...

Biography: Born to parents he only remembers a description of, Alexander has been an orphan for as long as he can remember. Both of them crusaders , they died in service of Reinfeld, attempting to apprehend a fearsome mage. He was taken care of as a child by the priests. At a very young age he was learned to read and write and to value the Mother and the Father, to be pious and grateful, and to be absolutely intolerant of magic. At the age of ten he was considered old enough to make his decisions for his lot in life, and was released from the orphanage. Eager to make the priests who had been like a family to him proud, he joined the Reinfeld military in order to become a crusader. He passed the challenges and hardships of his training with silent perseverance, more than earning the respect of the priests. His new life was more than just the whim of a child however, and he quickly made friends in the military, and a few enemies too. In general however, he was respected. Seen as a dutiful soldier that would offer his life for the faith and the state, his pride and low ancestry were easily forgotten.

Over the years his skill only grew, and nine years after he had become a soldier of the faith he was deemed capable enough to train new recruits. Together with a few friends he considered lifelong companions at that point in life he spent a couple of peaceful years turning zealous young brats into zealous fighting machines, much like themselves. But that was not to last of course. When a shortage of manpower arose, he and his friends became active soldiers. He had already fought his first battle and killed his first foe years ago, but around this time he truly learned what war was. Having lost as many friends as months that passed, Alexander grew harder. It also went a long way to show his capabilities, and soon enough his eligibility for a templarate was considered. When the fighting was over however, it was a simple routine mission that ended it all. Led by the priest he had considered a father to him eversince he was a child, Alexander and a group of crusaders and templars attacked the hideout of some reported mages. When they found the parents of one of his best friends as the suspects, a life of zealous dedication to the Mother and the Father allowed him to execute swift judgement of the law where his friend could not. No word nor reasoning could calm his friend, and after a regrettable and chaotic fight with his oldest and most intimate companion, Alexander stood over his corpse, blood on his hands, tears on his face. When they found him he quickly realised what he had lost. Even though his connections with the upper ranks prevented a discharge over the incident, common talk and rumour between the men spread like wildfire. The story of how even the bravest would fall to the tricks of the mages, if they were not pious enough. Any plans of promotion were discarded and Alexander was relieved from his duties as a trainer. The following months he only participated in missions directed at rooting out mages. He was desperate to prove his piety and his rank, to prove himself to his compatriots. But he was also desperate to forget, and hoped to drown his doubts in the blood of the unholy, even though his once so steadfast faith had begun to waver.

Yet during one of these missions when he stumbled upon the figure of a crying mother, facing off against him with an eating knife protecting a boy and a girl still too young to understand the threat he represented to their lives, he snapped. The children with Kou reminded him of his own youth, where he had been told of his parents' heroic deaths, where he had cried alone and unsolaced by the gentle touch of a mother. He realised in that instant that he was no better than the mages he killed. When he dropped his sword and opened his mouth to tell the woman to run, she stabbed him in the armpit. After a short struggle, he declared his intentions to the woman and helped her escape, and in doing so, escaped from the military himself.

The years that followed for him were long and hard years for him, but he preferred them above those of his previous life. He felt free at least. Unchained from the brainwashing of his youth, the false ideals he was spoonfed during his childhood. Free from the merciless religion and the unquestionnable authority of the Mother and the Father. Yet he was not happy during those times. He could not forget the blood on his hands, and he could not forgive himself for it. He had killed and killed and killed again the name of religion and even when he had realised that this was not a righteous thing to do he had stubbornly continued in his ways. He had attempted to seek solace and reconciliation through zealous dedication to the slaughter of innocent people. He could not forgive himself for failing to feel remorse during all those years, for allowing himself to be brainwashed in the name of religion. The Mother and the Father were murderers, and for years he had been their willing servant.

It was during these years that he came into contact with the King's Rangers of Renalta. Their hidden cell here fought the agents of the Mother and the Father much like how they fought the Gods everywhere with every possible method. Alexander first became an ally to them on his personal quest for vengeance, and later a friend. While he had never been a known individual, his name became known as that of a stubborn rebellious element to the local authorities of Reinfeld, with good reason. He became enough of a nuisance to lay a trap for, and Alexander stumbled right into it. It was only due to the aid of the King's Rangers and his skills as a man-at-arms that he had survived, but he had been grievously injured nonetheless. He could no longer stay in Reinfeld, and he was brought to the remnants of Renalta to see one of the King's Rangers' most skilled healers. It was the purest irony when his crippled leg, the thigh brutalised by a couched lance, was healed by magic. The healing process took the better part of a year, and in that time he officially joined the King's Rangers. The last few years he worked with the King's Rangers in Reinfeld as both an instructor and a man-at-arms. Recently however the priests found out that he was still alive when a former friend recognised him during a fight. A captured crusader informed them of another trap being set by the very priest that had been like a father to Alexander soon after. His presence in Reinfeld slowly became a hazard to the operation of the local cell, and he was sent to the remnants of Renalta once again, missing the legitimation ceremony by a day.



As you finish writing information, Fate snaps her fingers, and the scroll you were writing upon vanishes. Darkness wraps around you, and you are born into the mortal realm, without any previous memories, to begin your life...

Approved.

The Moneyed Veteran

Name: 'Sergeant' Ole Fischer.
Age: Forty-Six.
Sex: Male.
Appearance: Standing a respectable six feet tall and sporting a muscular build Ole Fischer is a contrasting figure, his rugged form playing against refined clothing revealing him a man of two worlds. His greying hair is retreating from the top of his head only to be found regrouping on his upper lip, forming a formidable line of moustache that his hawkish nose commands with dignity. High up his left eye lays by itself with only a pair of bushy eyebrows to keep it company, it's twin obscured by a leather eyepatch. Most striking though is his right arm, or rather the lack thereof, replaced by darkened steel prosthetic that moves separate from his body, almost as if it possesses a mind of it's own.

Normally the sergeant shuns the Ranger's signature cloak and hood, only wearing it when required. Usually he's seen wearing a fitted tunic, it's drab green dye almost doing a disservice to the fine cotton it colours. His pants are made of a similar fabric, though died a slightly more vibrant shade of green. Breaking up the green is brass, everything that could be made of brass is made of brass. Brass buttons, belt buckles, boot buckles, decorative studs around the stiffened collar and cuffs. When more fancy wear is called for he adds decorative silver pauldrons inlaid with yet more brass as well as a nifty red silken side-cape that helps obscure his unsightly arm.

Preparing for combat Fischer's wealth becomes far more apparent. The fitted steel half-plate he wears bears the hard angles of dwarven craftsmanship as well as intricate brass etching that wraps around the armour, anyone with the patience to look over the whole thing will be regaled with a visual tale telling of a humble man who rises to wealth on his own will. The legs are left bare excepting a short skirt of mail, the top of his head flaunting a wide brimmed kettle helm, the lower part of his face protected by the raised collar of his cuirasse. His left arm is especially well covered, as if he's afraid of losing it, while his right is left to protect itself on it's own material merit.

Kouri Plushy.

Strengths:

• Veteran: The sergeant has been fighting in battlefields all over the world for the better part of his lifetime and has managed to get through mostly intact. What's he missing in body parts he's made up with raw experience, he is a fierce, practical combatant capable of effectively wielding damn near any weapon you could think of. In addition, he is familiar with the less violent side of warrior life from everything to maintaining supply lines to proper waste disposal.
• Thunderer: Of all the weapons Fischer has wielded over his life his favourite would have to be guns. Rare as they are the sergeant has managed to handle all sorts of firearms during his long career, you'd be hard pressed to find a gunman with more experience in all of the known world. If he were whole he'd probably be a great marksman, however the loss of his dominant eye has rendered him all but useless at any range greater than thirty feet. This has not dampened the sergeant's enthusiasm (or lethality) for firearms, he's just had to learn how to effectively use them at point-blank range.
• Million Silver Man: One of Fischer's most striking features has to be his artificial arm. This large armoured limb is made completely of a dark steel and grant's the sergeant great, if not somewhat clumsy, strength. Powered by a magic similar to golemancy the arm is mentally requires active focus to be controlled, while he has all but mastered it's use in combat the sergeant still struggles with gentler effort and generally elects to use his good arm when performing tasks that don't require brutish force. As a quirk of the magic used to animate the arm it does need to be attached to Fischer to function, in fact it's simply held onto him by a harness and can be removed with relative ease should it be required to act separately. It's as creepy as you'd think.
• Copper For Gold: Unlike many of his fellow mercenaries who blew their hard-fought gold as fast as they earned it Fischer saved it and eventually invested it in his own private enterprise. He owns two productive copper mines as well as a forge to refine the collected ore, almost all of which is sold to the Rheinfeld mint. This has made the sergeant maddeningly wealthy, rivalling that of some noble houses. Though he funnels a significant amount of his money to the King's Rangers in order to keep them well equipped he still has most of his capital kept to himself, stored in banks all over. Though he doesn't keep much on his person Fischer has avenues to his cash in case he needs to utilize it quickly.
• Best That Money Can Buy: Fischer's affluence affords him access to the some of the highest quality equipment in the known world. He sports a custom made set of dwarven half-plate complete with a matching war cleaver, slightly oversized to take advantage of the strength his artificial arm offers. However, his most valued piece of hardware would have to be a firearm he calls The Thunder. This squat, double barrelled blunderbuss is curious article of mechanist technology, even with magicks reducing recoil it's impossible for a normal human to fire it without shattering their arm and it's too small to be reasonably used by anything larger. Most likely it was originally owned by a particularly sturdy dwarf, but it's unique properties happen to line up with the sergeant's unique conditions so well you would be forgiven to assume it was special made for him.

Weaknesses:

• Left Heavy: Most fighters would be rendered useless if they lost both their right arm and eye, Fischer himself is only still a viable combatant because of his artificial limb. If he were to lose it he would certainly be rendered just another broken veteran, albeit a rich one. His eye is of more concern as he's not managed to find a replacement. It's been more than a decade since he lost it and he's adapted, but still he has trouble judging distance beyond a few feet and his limited area of vision opens him up to sneak attacks.
• Over The Hill: Despite his claims otherwise the sergeant's age is catching up with him. Each passing day brings new aches and he's found that he's just not as spry as he used to be.
• Been Around The Block: Over his long career Fischer has sired at least a dozen children all around the world, many of which have grown into adults themselves. These children are none too happy with their wealthy, deadbeat father that left them and their mothers to fend for themselves while he stomped all over the world. Every city risks the possibility of abandoned progeny running up and demanding money, recognition, reunion, affection or revenge, none of which Fischer is eager to provide.
• Figure of Envy: Fischer's wealth has not escaped the eyes of the world unnoticed. Nobles look upon him as an aberrant fiend, shunting the natural order of things while his fellow commoners just see him as another overlord growing fat on the work of the honest man. He now sits in a sort of class limbo, only really able to identify with other independent capitalists, not exactly a plentiful demographic.

Biography:

As ancient as the organization is the King's Rangers are still subject to one brutal reality: Nothing is free. While the organization is more than capable of supplying itself with basic enmities and equipment more pricey purchases are generally out of reach. Enter 'Sergeant' Ole Fischer, copper magnate and the Ranger's primary financier. Whenever the Ranger's are in need new or more specialized equipment you can safely bet that it was bought on Fischer's coin.

He wasn't always rich, in fact he started out quite the opposite, a fisherman's son in a rural Rheinfelden village with no expectations in life but to follow in his father's footsteps. Fate seemed unsatisfied with this however and during the summer of his sixteenth year a company of mercenaries stopped by his quiet hamlet or replenish supplies. Though they were only there for a few days young Ole was enthralled by the excitement and danger of the mercenary's life and when they left the boy went with them, his parents watching on with stoic acceptance.

The mercenary life proved to be less glamorous than the lad was led to believe, for the first few months he was treated as little more than a errand boy fetching this and cleaning that. Such mundane duties did little to dampen his enthusiasm however and soon enough he found himself on the front lines, pike in hand. This is usually the point where a naive boy would break down, that din of clashing steel and screams of the dying coming down like a ton of bricks. Ole was not one of these boys, it was exactly what he signed up for and the greatest rush of his life. His lust for battle earned him a quick promotion from pikeman to crossbowman, where his uncanny aim and itchy trigger figure earned him even more fame, so much so that when his company procured a shipment of mechanist firearms he was immediately made commander of the newly formed outfit of musketeers, later dubbed The Fischer Kings.

The Fischer Kings quickly became a feared name on the battlefield and many contracts were made with their parent company solely for their services. This fame came with a price and soon enough the elimination of The Fischer Kings became the primary objective of any canny general he was put against. One such individual had hired a band of witch hunters with the sole purpose of ending them and though Ole and his men where able to weather the assault and drive the hunters off it came at a great cost of life as well as the commanders eye, put out by crossbow bolt. The Fischer Kings still managed to persist until one particularly inept general had them receive the brunt the charge of a line of Free Holds cataphracts, smashing the gunmen into the dust and taking Ole's fighting arm. That one mistake simultaneously ended The Fischer Kings and their leader's career in one go.

Twenty long years of fighting had earned Ole a small fortune that he could have easily lived on comfortably for the rest of his life, but he wasn't content with just sitting down and doing nothing worth while until he died. No, he still sought out thrills and unable to participate in combat he went with the next best thing; Free Enterprise.

The Renaltan Remnants became Fischer's new home, no pesky central government to demand taxes. With the help of a contracted geomancer he managed to find a rich vein of copper conveniently located near a reasonably large village. The opened mine was nigh bursting with ore, rendering both Fischer and the village wealthy. That as not enough for the former mercenary though and he did it again, this time in a more remote location with reputation for bandit attacks. This was easily solved by calling up a few favours and providing a few old friends with cushy positions as guards. Again the mine haemorrhaged ore and Ole was made even wealthier. Soon enough he cut out the middle man and started processing his own ore and selling it directly to clients, eventually securing a contract with the Rheinfeld mint.

It all slowed down after that, Fischer had far more gold than he knew what to do with, most of it rotting in banks across the continent. The only truly expensive purchase he made was a special made artificial arm, a product of strange magicks mixed the genius of mechanists. While the arm gave him the freedom to return to his militant life he now thought it inappropriate now that he owed responsibility to so many. Still he practised combat with his prosthetic, if only for his own personal entertainment.

Fate was again unimpressed with this stagnancy and sent an agent to mend it. A cloaked man approached with a request for a simple loan. He refused to tell Fischer what it was for and could only make a vague promise that his organization would even pay it back, normally Fischer would laugh at such an absurd proposition, but on a gut instinct he accepted it. The amount of money was small potatoes for the financier anyway.

Almost to his surprise he was paid back in a few short months at the end of which he was propositioned for another considerably larger loan. Again, the cloaked figure refusing to disclose their intent for the gold. This time curiosity overtook Fischer and he demanded to know the what organization he was working for, the hooded man hesitated before admitting he was working for the King's Rangers. Ole had briefly heard of the organization, but hadn't thought of them as anything other than a local myth spread by fanciful bumpkins. That satisfied his curiosity for that moment and he signed away the loan with no further issue. This act continued for years, a ranger would come asking for a loan or favour and in exchange would provide their financier with more information about the order. The whole thing seemed ridiculous at first, but eventually Ole was engrossed by the story of the King's Rangers. The seemed so much larger than life, an ancient organization trying for millennia to rid of the gods all while waiting for a legendary princess to just show up.

Eventually he asked to just formally join the King Ranger's as their financier and stop the whole farce of asking for loans every few months. After a short time of review, mostly to ensure Ole wasn't some sort of sleeper agent playing the long con, he was accepted in the order.

A few years later brings our story into the current day, with Kouri's confirmed return and the rangers preparing for action so rises 'Sergeant' Ole Fischer, armed to the teeth and determined help personally carve a new era with his own force of arms and the thunderous roar of gunfire.

Also approved.

• Ah, so you've decided to bring yourself to this adventure, have you? Crossed beyond the veil to make this journey? Then let me be your guide. From here on out, you may call me Fate, and I will help you to understand how to get started here. There are no stats, or traits, but some information is required for me to imbue your soul within the right body. Wouldn't want to accidentally put you into the body of a cat now, would we?
  
  Name: Linston Iolin
  Age: 20
  Sex: Male
  Appearance:
  
  Image courtesy of Manzanedo
  
  Fate looks you over, and nods with approval. She starts to design your body, and motions to you to continue inputting further information.
  
  Strengths: (What do you do well? Below are three examples. You can have as many as you like, but remember that the more strengths you have, the easier it will be for you to enter Godmoding territory.)
  • Copycat: Linston, since he was young, has been watching, and repeating. The simplest modification to one's facial expressions or tone of voice to the shifting of one's stance when a subject is brought up... Linston's seen how people act, how they do this or that, and he's developed his ability to repeat it
  • Musically Understood: The best way to practice copy and repeat, is through watching someone else perform a song, and repeating it yourself. Linston's understanding of music is through seeing others play, and doing as they have. If he sees a musician play a few times, he can likely replicate the song, or make a similarly good song.
  • Illusionist's Starting Point: Due to his copying and repeating of how others act and react, he's begun to understand how others perceive the world around them. With these beginnings of an understanding and a bit of training, Linston has been taught how to deceive via magic. This deceptive magic is almost always used to create a false identity or to don another's identity, but can be used for minor illusions otherwise.
  • Social Butterfly: People make sense to Linston. Interacting with others is as easy as understanding what will get them talking on their own. The tavernkeep that offers a drink to the tired adventurer likely wants easy coin and a possible story. The tired adventurer, however, likely wants to rest his body and mind with a drink, talking about his adventures without a few drinks could make him guarded, etc. etc.
  
  Weaknesses: (What do you do poorly? Below are three examples. Note that mental weaknesses are not as strong as physical ones. You can have as many as you like, but remember that if you cripple yourself with weaknesses, Kouri may feel too much pity to allow you to join her.)
  • Weak Combatant: Although he can copy stances and recreate motions, he doesn't have the physical strength and energy to carry around a heavy sword and swing it at everything he meets, at best he keeps a shortsword with him, and in combat situations will attempt to utilize his magic and understanding of humans in general to make up for his lack of combat-based ability.
  • Odd Understanding: Due to having learned most things through watching and repeating, he can't always grasp things that he can't watch or hear in action. Illusion magic has made this easier for him because illusions were able to be used to show exactly what he needed to understand and repeat, but things that can't be represented in front of him elude him almost always, represented somewhat through his slow reading.
  • Fractured Face of Masks: Through attempts to copy and become other people, Linston has started to lose a bit of who he, himself, is. When attempting to be himself, he might accidentally take a trait he's copied in the past, or he might use words that someone he remembers might have used instead of his own word-choice.
  • Muddled Reasoning: Linston's not got a complete grasp of why he'll be joining Kouri and her Kouri plushie on this adventure... At least not yet. While his reasoning might partially coincide with the rest of the group's, he might also wish to use this as a chance to learn more magic during his travels, or as a chance to create a great story to weave into a song... He's not fully sure, and thus, might not always feel he should do things for the best of the group, rather than just the best of himself.
  
  Fate nods with appreciation, and ushers you to the final section. She then slips beside you, and whispers you to be careful about what you wish your life to be: It will have long lasting consequences, and may mean the difference between whether or not Kouri will accept you...
  
  Biography: Linston's family didn't have any special social or economic status. This isn't to say, however, that they were poor, no, they were more around the middle-class of wealth. Of course, to keep from dropping from this point, Linston's father had to work hard, doing all he could to ensure his financial status didn't fail. While his father was working hard outside the home, his mother was, stereotypically, home, keeping the house clean and raising Linston. However, her attempts to raise her child were simply a byproduct of attempting to live a happy life with her husband, leading to Linston's formal education not going very far before he began to branch off on his own. Linston began to explore the town they lived in, meeting many people that did many things. He passed by as many people interacted... Raising their voices, or speaking more quietly, faking a smile or hiding it. Linston saw people interact, and since his mother wouldn't pay much attention beyond the necessities, he began to interact with people at random. He started by making himself seem sad, then when the people around him reacted to it, he began to play a different part... People seemed like the easiest thing to understand. Linston thought that he could learn the world through people's interactions and his own interactions with others, but as he continued his scenes of a play written around him, he found musical performers singing and playing in popular areas. Music caught his attention, as it was yet another thing that could make those around him feel based on his decisions... All he needed to do was choose a quick, dark sound, and suddenly people were stirring, or a slow, light sound, and suddenly people were content or nostalgic... It was another way to see the emotions of those around him change, but was also fun for him. He decided that, to keep up his life as it was, he'd want to learn music. He asked his mother for a simple instrument, and since it would be another thing he could learn on his own, she got him one.
  
  With his new instrument, Linston went around playing, using what he heard and saw as both material and example for his own material. Soon enough, he was manipulating the emotions of those around him with everything he did, and others began to believe the stories he created through song. Some days there was a daring adventurer that escaped a dragon's maw, and other days perhaps a spy that brought back the secrets of another country, but no matter the story, the emotions of those around him changed almost predictably. As he developed his talents for music and social interaction, a passing illusionist found him interesting and offered to teach him illusions. Linston, thinking it another interesting way to manipulate emotions of others, took the offer. However, due to Linston's lacking experience in learning through teaching, the illusionist had to get creative, using his own illusions to create examples and show how Linston should manipulate magic into illusions. With the illusionist's creative teaching methods, Linston began to understand the basics of illusions and began to use them to practice being other people. He began to go hours as other people, discovering secrets from people that they never expected they'd be revealing. Eventually, the illusionist decided that Linston would be better off learning how to develop his talents more with his old friends. Linston said farewell to his mother and took off on his journey, following the illusionist away from the town.
  
  As they traveled, the illusionist told Linston stories... Stories about the ancient princess and her rejection of an angel, stories of protectors... Of course, Linston had heard the stories about Kouri, but beyond that, the illusionist gave many new stories. The illusionist made it clear that these stories were only that, stories, but seemed to, the entire time, be speaking from experience, as if the stories were his own life. Eventually, the illusionist brought Linston to the place where the King's Rangers stayed and trained. He told Linston that they were his friends, and began teaching Linston more in the ways of manipulation, the ways of being who you aren't. Of course, the illusionist didn't teach him everything regarding this... Some of the others in the group taught him their own tips and tricks, and finally, he was told that he had been trained to be a member of the King's Rangers.
  
  As you finish writing information, Fate snaps her fingers, and the scroll you were writing upon vanishes. Darkness wraps around you, and you are born into the mortal realm, without any previous memories, to begin your life...

Did you know that you're approved? Goodness me.

So, one of you is probably familiar with the drill, but the other two might not be, so I'll make this as quick as I can. A lot of posts end up being collaborative efforts, if you don't know what those are, just ask. The timeline is "fluid" in the sense that multiple people can collaborate with the same character at the same time, and I'll easily just mend the timeline if there's an error. While it can simply be assumed that your characters already announced they were going to travel with Kouri, if you'd prefer to collaborate that, it might be a good way to get yourselves into the story.

There's three different times you can role play in right now, their explanations are located here. You'll likely want to use instant messengers as they're faster for collaborative efforts, though private messages are also a useful alternative.

If you have any questions, please ask. Otherwise, thank you for joining. Try not to die too quickly now.

 

[HerziQuerzi]

There's three different times you can role play in right now, their explanations are located here.

Are you trying to tell me we can't roleplay during the Whispers in the Dark segment

 

[Brovo]

Are you trying to tell me we can't roleplay during the Whispers in the Dark segment

It'd be a generally poor idea to try.

 

[Snakey]

Try not to die too quickly now.

I make no guarantees.

 

[Snakey]

For all the poor lonely bastards out there who need a strong man in their life, Fischer is available for collabs.

 

[Kadaeux]

For all the poor lonely bastards out there who need a strong man in their life, Fischer is available for collabs.

.

To ask where they can find a strong man, right?

:p

 

[Snakey]

.

To ask where they can find a strong man, right?

:p

You sir have earned Samuel five comical name mispronunciations.