Fantasy Banners & Blood - OOC

[Wackadoodle0987]

You are a good writer Wackadoodle0987

Merci, merci. Honestly, I read a lot, and I've RPd for several years. I'm still a long shot from any decent author, but I do like writing. Believe me though, sometimes I'll re-read something and just cringe.

Still, I actually wanted to join this RP because you all seem like good writers. XD RPing with people that put the effort in takes the whole experience to another level, so let's keep it up. I will have bad posts though, no doubt.

 

[ShadTheWerepire]

Wackadoodle0987 the spider bit was great XD

I'm going to keep waiting a bit for the vampire stench to clear before I join in. I don't want to overwhelm the group with new recruits.

 

[Wackadoodle0987]

Wackadoodle0987 the spider bit was great XD

I'm going to keep waiting a bit for the vampire stench to clear before I join in. I don't want to overwhelm the group with new recruits.

You could always meet us in the city. Plenty of opportunities to bump into people there. I'd agree that my characters happening to be in the same 'neck of the woods' (I couldn't help myself) was quite the coincidence.

 

[frakncheese]

You could always meet us in the city. Plenty of opportunities to bump into people there. I'd agree that my characters happening to be in the same 'neck of the woods' (I couldn't help myself) was quite the coincidence.

the city is in ruins though, yes? i had considered it myself, but alas....

 

[Grammatic]

Wait what? When did we destroy a city? Why! What have we done!

the city is in ruins though, yes? i had considered it myself, but alas....

 

[frakncheese]

This post:

Having collected the bodies of Nemeia and Alysha, the group presses on. You collect together with Raes and Gillie's wagon at the bottom of the hill. Next to the road, embers smolder in a shallow pit. This was the fire burning in the distance. Next to it is a log for sitting. But, the campsite is empty. There is no trace of anyone. No footprints. The plants around the campsite stand undisturbed.

After a time, it is decided to push forward. Raes and Gillie are anxious to escape the Deep Wood. Hours pass trudging through thick mud and dense forest. There is no rest. The feeling of danger stays ever present. The more you pay attention to the feeling, the more it grows in your mind. Everyone feels it and it pushes the group to keep to the path and take shifts resting.

The morning and day attempt to pierce the forest's veil, but only a lighter gloom hints at their presence. The path through the trees winds and twists on. It climbs up and down hill after hill. A brook spears across the path with cool water from far off mountains. At no point as you travel have you seen or heard any wildlife. The forest keeps still and silent.

The forest embraces evening fast than you'd hoped. The darkness is near total again. Without the fog, the wood takes on a feeling of an cavern. No light and no escape. The path pushes up a steep hill like one last taunt of your travel. Getting the wagons up the hill takes time and it's midnight before you finish the long and gruelling work.

When you crest the hill, the Deep Wood gives way and lets go, finally done with you. But there is no time for celebration. Dark fields stretch to the horizon. Moonlight dances on reads and plants blowing in the wind for miles. Straight ahead, at the edge of the horizon, the ruin of Glewick city glows orange and red. Even at the distance of two-days travel, you can see the burnt husk of the trade city’s silhouette.

Further down the path, into the prairie, Raes makes camp. Nothing blocks your view all around you. There’ll be no way to sneak into camp tonight. Raes and Gillie build a small fire for warmth and pass around hardtack. “Just to lift spirits,” Gillie says as she hands it to each of you.

You all sit around the guttering fire with the moon high above and clouds slipping through the the sky.

Raes clears his throat. “So, does this change anything?”

Spoiler: Tagging

Teh Frixz , @Penumbra, Hestialuna , elie , @Ronan, @EAGERATI., @JohnEgbert, Grammatic

 

[Grammatic]

Oh shoot missed that.

 

[frakncheese]

...i think i might post a synopsis here of where everything stands before i jump in xD there seems to be a lot of missed information and i'll need to write my thoughts down anyway just for my own reference.
i also think i'll wait until the merchants are done speaking with the party to avoid a clusterfuck.

 

[ShadTheWerepire]

frakncheese Thank you for confirming I'm not crazy!!!! I knew the city was smoldering!!!

 

[WlfSamurai]

I don't think it's weird or out of the ordinary for people to be congregating around the city. All of you meeting up on the main road makes sense to me. Glewick was first a trade city. There was always comings and goings. Plus, I like it better when you all can get the chance to join in.

 

[Wackadoodle0987]

;-; M-my business is in flames. Anna's gonna be pissed.

 

[Teh Frixz]

Alright I have all the Noble Houses done!

 

[Teh Frixz]

Arcana Noble Houses

0 - The Fool: An elder family and one of definite Prestige, The Fool is a noble house of Traders, Explorers and Caravaners all on their own journeys to uphold their wealth and fame.

1 - The Magus: Powerful family of wizards with a sacred secret duty of sacrifice and effort as they keep an elder God prisoner beneath their hold and draw power from it.

2 - The Priestess: This House is full of Judges, Knights, and both men and women of Honor. Noble to a fault and recently nearly penniless, this House is known for their affiliation with Aasamir.

3 - The Empress: One of the wealthiest and most abundant families of the Arcana, those of the Empress are rich land owners, both in pocket and in the land they till.

4 - The Emperor: This Noble House is a shadowed one, the few male heirs left being exquisite specimens capable of great good but trapped battling their own personal demons. Charismatic, Bold, adventurous, the perfect men are molded in this House but tragedy seems to be befall all they interact with

5 - The Hierophant: Prophets, Sages, and Seers of all sorts. Those of this House have been touched at some point by visions. The elders used these visions to gain Noble status and favor, costing the remainder of the family to be cursed with eventual physical blindness

6 - The Lovers: Once two Allied Houses, this Noble House combined centuries ago. Their power doubling through their twin pillars of martial prowess and political maneuvering, once every ten years a pair of lovers must copulate publicly to ensure their internal loyalties

7 - The Chariot: The House of The Generals, this Noble group adheres to a Military bearing at all times and openly expect others to do so. Usually either extremely competent generals or Statesmen, their holdings are some of the most organized, richest, and well defended with considerable freedoms granted to their vassals not found elsewhere.

8 - Strength: The House of Dominance and Power, This Noble group owns no hold of their own but have carved out sections of territory within the holds of others. Slavers, raiders, and most notably Brothel runners, the House of Strength are present in every major City or Settlement

9 - Hermit: The lost House, The last Lord of the Hermits took his people into the wilderness and have not been seen since yet continue to ply their influence through sizable donations of untraceable wealth

10 - The Wheel of Fortune: From penniless vagrants to a Noble House, the Wheel is currently spinning well for the mining and industry family of the van Rutthe. Superstition regarding the wheel runs deep and those of this house divine their futures through their heraldry

11 - Justice: The House of the Execution, those in this Noble line are required to be Neutral in all inter -nobility manners and act as disinterested third parties. When called upon they act as the headsmen and hangsmen for public execution of nobles to prevent future squabbles

12 The Hanged Men: The House of Martyrdom, a large house of semi noble peoples whose lands are the very edges of the Human Borders. Acting as first responders to invasion they are awarded tithes by the other nobles for their sacrificial life

13 Death: The House of Science and Engineering. Those of the House of death are tasked with invention and liberal creation. Destruction of the past is their mission and their sciences are cutting edge throughout all Empires, Human and otherwise. The only House that has destroyed more than one Elder God, two alone by depriving the dead gods of worship.

14 Temperance: A Noble House of great artisans and craftsman, few Noble structures are without the marks of their chisels and planes upon them. Also known for their great Vineyards and Exotic Orchards where heavily armed guards patrol and prevent any from tasting their fruits ahead of schedule

15 The Devil: House of Conjuration, this small Noble family holds considerable power as their blood runs thick with the power of creation in regards to the material. Wealth, wine, weapons, all magically created but terribly limited in their time on this plane

16 The Tower: Saboteurs and agents of destruction, The House of the Tower are masters of swift destruction and siege. Subsequently master masons and quite wealthy as they are unscrupulous in their dealings

17 The Star: House of the Ether, the blood of this House is touched by another plane giving them other worldly knowledge, appearances, and patterns of thought. Often sought out as sages for radical advice at the edge of Human thought.

18 The Moon: House of Druids and Nature Mystics, these nobles adhere to spiritual beliefs and grow great forests where their children run wild and free and vassals fear their bestial changes at the full moon

19 The Sun: Great armies of choir singers proclaiming the House of the Sun in martial glory are all too common. Currently in Dominion over the Human Empire, This Noble yet martial House is the backbone of the Human Empire. Upfront, honest and plentiful, they are in the midst of their ruling cycle and it seems to be a good one.

20 Judgement: The House of Spies and riders in the night, the swift and clever House of Judgement gathers information and sells it to further their own mysterious ends.

21 The World: Former Rulers of the Human Empire, the Previous Emperor, the Child Queen Octavia, was dethroned and subsumed by the Sun. Their position as the Imperial House for many years is the reason for the rise in monsters and forgotten Horrors as they tie their fate to the primal affairs of the world.


 

[Teh Frixz]

These are the Noble Houses of the Human Empire which is currently the largest and most powerful Empire in existence with each Noble House having different laws and customs in their lands but using a standardized currency and aligning when external threats raise their heads

 

[Teh Frixz]

The House of the Sun currently holds the Arcane Throne of Nobility making them responsible for the international presence of the Human Empire and the final word of law in the Land. Displacing the Noble House of the World which is in hiding, the World which was apathetic to any sort of law and order at best, the Sun is still in the process of cleaning up the mess the World left behind.

 

[Teh Frixz]

Also I assumed the city was not in ruins but recently sacked by some unknown force, cities make money I thought a new group had taken over and was burning out the old

 

[Teh Frixz]

The Cards of the Arcane

Each Noble House has one article of particular note. A card. These Noble cards are as old as the Houses they represent if not older. The power of these indestructible cards waxing and waning with the power of their House and the Empire of Humanity as a whole.

It is not public knowledge that these relics contain great power and most of the cards are locked safely away in the Holds of the Nobles. However, many are still unaccounted for or being held not by their rightful owners.

The Power of the card can be both subtle or blatant. Merely holding one card brings a sort of passive fortune and power to the bearer. This can be good and bad, For instance those holding the Wheel can more easily and accurately cast their fortunes or choose to openly display the card and cast the fortunes of others. The Hanged Man will find himself capable of saving many others though at a great self cost or can display the card and take the life of a willing subject to restore the life of a dead human.

Great power is in these rare cards and they are highly sought after by those that know of them.

 

[Wackadoodle0987]

Teh Frixz - Make sure Amelie never finds out about them then. She would make it her goal to accumulate the lot.

EDIT :: Unless... you want to work out a history?

 

[frakncheese]

Day 1, Morning
The party has just set out; there's some discussion of the weather among the main convoy (which consists of two mentioned wagons, the supply wagon and Iiolete's wagon behind it) as well as some banter about storage space, while Tanner keeps to the trees, Voxi walks behind, and Eldor perches on the supply wagon sulkily. Tanner slips back to the convoy and performs a spell, presumably to detect life, and finds nothing. He goes largely unnoticed as Finch humorously complains. Ash becomes uneasy and orders the caravan to stop; hearing this, Tanner shares his concerns that they are being watched. Elias, of course, gets quite excited at hearing this, and issues a warning to the rest of the group. This tension leads Tanner to offer some of his booze to Eldor, which results in bickering between Tanner, Eldor, and Faythe (who has a horse). Tanner suggests that they help him hunt whatever is hunting them. Iiolete tries to caution him, but her words are lost as he and Faythe have already vanished into the woods and Eldor ignores her. She returns her attention to matters of storage. Voxi and Finch store their items in her wagon. As this exchange is happening, Ash and Elias are arguing over the gravity of the situation and how appropriate their current party is. Ash establishes a more optimized formation for the caravan.

Day 1, Evening
Tanner and Faythe, having parted from Eldor and the rest and spent much of the day scouting, talk about the fact that it's quiet.... too quiet.... They agree that all animals are gone or hiding except crows, which disturbs them. Then they notice that the fog has thickened to the point of physical resistance. As they are retreating to warn the party, an arrow that Tanner fires suspends in the air entirely. They continue to make their way back to the caravan, which has stopped at the sight of a distant bonfire. An old woman's singing fills the air - everyone can hear it, even Faythe and Tanner though they are separate from the party. Iiolete begins firing her rifles and singing loudly, in competition with the old woman's voice. She is reprimanded by pretty much everyone. However, the singing stops, and Elias makes his way toward the still-burning fire, followed by Tanner as well as Finch, who expresses suspicions that it might be a trap.
At this point, Ash, Nemeia, and Alysha are beset upon by three hulking figures who clearly mean business, judging by Alysha's screams. Ash manages to wound her beast but her foot is much worse for wear. Faythe, closer to the back of the caravan with her horse, is suddenly dowsed in darkness that she cannot fight. Frustrated with her inability to make progress, she notices two of the victims being dragged into the forest and gives chase. Elias and Tanner run toward the commotion, leaving Finch paralyzed by fear. Finch quickly snaps out of it and returns to the caravan, asking what happened and unsure of what to do with himself. Elias finds and rescues Ash, while Tanner discovers Nemeia's corpse and wounds the beast that took her. As Faythe arrives on scene, Ash observes that it was an Eldritch wolf that attacked them, not any normal wolf. Faythe offers to heal her, but it is revealed that Faythe can't work with Ash's blood.
Iiolete fires at the barrels she's set as traps in hopes of catching more of the eldritch monstrosities, while Voxi very flippantly scoffs at her and the caravan makes it, galloping, to the bottom of the hill, where the fire illuminates surroundings. One of her explosions catches a nearby tree on fire, much to Finch's concern. Tanner takes Nemeia's body back to the caravan. As the last wolf is killed, presumably by Iiolete's efforts, the fog recedes entirely, leaving Voxi and Finch to discover Alysha's body. At this point, Angel approaches, meeting aggression from pretty much everyone but eventually receiving permission to travel with the group.
The group packs the dead up to bury them later and moves on, sleeping in shifts so they don't need to make camp.

Day 2, Night
The group finally breaks free of the Deep Woods, but the trees no longer obstruct their view of Glewick City and they can now see it is destroyed. They are two days' ride from Glewick and half a day's ride from the bridge over the Sleepy River. The group weighs their options, eventually agreeing that each person could decide for theirself whather they would go into the city. Ash confronts Iiolete about her role in the injuries and deaths before turning her attention to Finch, who is helping her with her wound. Tanner slips away to have a moment alone to grieve the dead, and Angel sits off to the side and broods. Iiolete reads her Banner to get an idea of the challenges ahead and learns that things won't be pretty. Faythe notices that neither Tanner nor Eldor seem to be around. (By this point, Eldor hasn't done anything in a solid 24 hours and can be presumed lost). In an effort to feel useful, Faythe gets up to find them, disappearing into the trees.
Riders approach the party which puts them on high alert. Angel notices that the newcomers are vampires but does not say anything. Tanner noticed them coming and pops out of the trees, arrow knocked and pointed at the merchants. Eventually they reach a tense peace and weapons are lowered. As the two sisters move to pass by, Amelie casts an illusion on Finch's dart gun to make him think a spider is crawling toward him along its barrel.

And that's where we are now.

 

[frakncheese]

I don't think either Voxi or Eldor have been posted for in a while, are they some of the players that dropped? o:

 

[WlfSamurai]

Hestialuna , Eldor, is MIA from the RP. I’ve messaged her, but haven’t heard back. elie , Voxi, has withdrawn from the RP.

 

[WlfSamurai]

I love the Noble Houses. And the Cards of Arcana. So effing awesome.

 

[Grammatic]

I have an issue with the House of Sun and the idea behind it...but the rest I like. The Empire of Vrenal hasn't had an Empress since the Civil War, the title discontinued to eradicate all ties with the Vampires. The position has since been simply known as Imperial-Consort. The Emperor and his family remain strong through support of the Legate council, each who owe their positions and powers to the Emperor ages ago. The Emperor's family has direct ties back to the Rebel leader in the old war, and has remained an unbroken line since ages ago. Basically gods in their legends, and wouldn't stand for their removal.

Maybe the House of Sun has recently married into the Royal family, and is trying to assert more control? Maybe the Arcana could replace the Legate Council? So basically the legislation makers and diplomats, senators and what not. Teh Frixz

 

[ShadTheWerepire]

WlfSamurai You've inspired me to post, so I posted

If the other group wants to call out the cat instead that works too, I just figured the vampires were in front but maybe someone saw the cat past them I didn't know who to tag '

 

[WlfSamurai]

ShadTheWerepire , so you’re starting in Glewick? I like it. Do you mind editing a bit to add some detail to what’s going on there? There’s a tone to the place I’d like to keep there.