Post by Andy on Dec 5, 2010 18:00:19 GMT -5
'The Wanderer' is a new RP idea which was being discussed by Deon, Jinx and myself. I decided to post this as a thread here to allow for more open and thoughtful discussion of the lore.
I must stress this is not intended to replace or detract from '4D'. I believe both RPs can be run parallel successfully.
The Setting
'The Wanderer' takes place in a kingdom following a devastating civil war between Royalists, who supported the absolute monarchy and the established Church, and Magocrats, who supported instead a society governed by sorcerers. An industrial revolution sparked in the Royalist south gave them a powerful military edge over their opponents in the form of advanced steam-powered technology. As morale lowered amongst Magocrat ranks, their cause was crippled further by a schism between totalitarian and liberal sorcerers. This resulted in a decisive Royalist victory.
The Church then began a series of ruthless and mostly indiscriminate purges, executing anyone suspected of sorcery, or being magocrat sympathisers. These executions combined with the destruction of sorcerer literature made sorcery a rare and presumably dying art. The land, particularly in the north, is ravaged by the war and teeming with monsters, created by irresponsible sorcerers. The Kingdom is attempting to re-inhabit these nigh-inhospitable areas, but progress has been slow. The wastelands, as a result, are virtually lawless.
True sorcerers have gone into hiding from a society paranoid and hateful of magic in general. Magocrats are a divided front. Some sorcerers seek to reunite the old movement to overthrow the monarchy, but others only act in self interest, either living as reclusive and subsistent hermits, or actively seeking to eliminate non-magical folk, seeing them as lesser creatures.
Technology
Technology as previously mentioned is 'steampunk' in nature, ie: steam powered technology advanced far ahead of its time. Because the industrial revolution behind the development of this technology took place during the civil war, its uses are mostly oriented towards the military (for example, steam-powered weaponry, or mechanical limbs).
Sorcery
Magic in the world is viewed as inherently evil by the Church, but their powers can be used for good or ill - this is a moral decision by the sorcerer. It can be categorised into three types depending on what it manipulates or what is required to perform it.
Blood sorcery involves the use of blood. Blood sorcerors may draw blood from a source (typically themselves) to mend wounds or cause pain to others. Some blood sorcerers may drain blood from victims to mend themselves.
Bone sorcery is the manipulation of bones. A bone sorceror can mend broken bones, grow bones out of their body as improvised projectiles or melee weapons, or force inanimate skeletons to do their bidding.
Death sorcery is the most versatile, yet most difficult. To perform it requires the sorcerer to commit a murder. From there the sorcerer may manipulate the power of the victim's soul to perform almost anything they desire. However, the difficulty of manipulating a soul, and the disastrous consequences for failure, make death sorcery rare.
The Characters
The player characters could be anything from sorcerers, to magocrat sympathisers, or even non-partisans simply out for themselves, either living to survive or seeking to rebel.
Arthur Kingsley
Andy
Biography: Kingsley came from a well-to-do family with a long history of armed service from the Kingdom's capital, Londinium. Although his interests in scholarly pursuits were minimal, he proved a competent swordsman, and was drafted into the Royal Guard for the Duchess of Castor, in the north of the Kingdom, far from the capital, at the age of nineteen.
The civil war began when he was twenty-one, and Castor was on the front-line. Kingsley soon learned the excitement of battle, and hatred for all who bore the 'magocrat' label, but his renown (or his notoriety) as a soldier only truly developed during the Industrial Revolution, when he was twenty-four. He may have been only a competent swordsman, but he was an expert sharpshooter. His weapons were now a steam pistol and rifle, and Kingsley dropped magocrats like flies, be they soldier or civilian. A particular decisive battle in the civil war made Kingsley infamous amongst magocrat ranks, earning him the nickname 'The Butcher of Witch Hill'.
The war was won when he was twenty-five, but he found no glory in it. Now twenty-six, he looks back on his military career with disgust, seeing the royalists as the monsters rather than the enemies he once thoughtlessly despised. Kingsley currently undertakes work as a hired assassin.
Appearance: Kingsley is a man of average height, with wiry black hair, piercing blue eyes and an aquiline nose. He is slender and pale-skinned. His attire is that of a gentleman: a white shirt, burgundy waistcoast, with a dark blazer, trousers and shoes. When travelling, he wears a black oilcloth duster and matching brimmed hat to conceal his identity, keeping his pistol hidden within the coat and his rifle disassembled inside a nondescript black case.
Strength: One thing is for certain: Kingsley is frighteningly good at his job. If a target gets word that the Butcher of Witch Hill is tracking them down, it's not a question of if he'll find them, only when. And once he does, he eliminates the target cleanly and precisely.
Flaw: Kingsley's jaded cynicism following his war years has left him sarcastic and aloof. For this reason he is not considered very personable.
Character Sheet
Please PM all character submissions to me.
I must stress this is not intended to replace or detract from '4D'. I believe both RPs can be run parallel successfully.
The Setting
'The Wanderer' takes place in a kingdom following a devastating civil war between Royalists, who supported the absolute monarchy and the established Church, and Magocrats, who supported instead a society governed by sorcerers. An industrial revolution sparked in the Royalist south gave them a powerful military edge over their opponents in the form of advanced steam-powered technology. As morale lowered amongst Magocrat ranks, their cause was crippled further by a schism between totalitarian and liberal sorcerers. This resulted in a decisive Royalist victory.
The Church then began a series of ruthless and mostly indiscriminate purges, executing anyone suspected of sorcery, or being magocrat sympathisers. These executions combined with the destruction of sorcerer literature made sorcery a rare and presumably dying art. The land, particularly in the north, is ravaged by the war and teeming with monsters, created by irresponsible sorcerers. The Kingdom is attempting to re-inhabit these nigh-inhospitable areas, but progress has been slow. The wastelands, as a result, are virtually lawless.
True sorcerers have gone into hiding from a society paranoid and hateful of magic in general. Magocrats are a divided front. Some sorcerers seek to reunite the old movement to overthrow the monarchy, but others only act in self interest, either living as reclusive and subsistent hermits, or actively seeking to eliminate non-magical folk, seeing them as lesser creatures.
Technology
Technology as previously mentioned is 'steampunk' in nature, ie: steam powered technology advanced far ahead of its time. Because the industrial revolution behind the development of this technology took place during the civil war, its uses are mostly oriented towards the military (for example, steam-powered weaponry, or mechanical limbs).
Sorcery
Magic in the world is viewed as inherently evil by the Church, but their powers can be used for good or ill - this is a moral decision by the sorcerer. It can be categorised into three types depending on what it manipulates or what is required to perform it.
Blood sorcery involves the use of blood. Blood sorcerors may draw blood from a source (typically themselves) to mend wounds or cause pain to others. Some blood sorcerers may drain blood from victims to mend themselves.
Bone sorcery is the manipulation of bones. A bone sorceror can mend broken bones, grow bones out of their body as improvised projectiles or melee weapons, or force inanimate skeletons to do their bidding.
Death sorcery is the most versatile, yet most difficult. To perform it requires the sorcerer to commit a murder. From there the sorcerer may manipulate the power of the victim's soul to perform almost anything they desire. However, the difficulty of manipulating a soul, and the disastrous consequences for failure, make death sorcery rare.
The Characters
The player characters could be anything from sorcerers, to magocrat sympathisers, or even non-partisans simply out for themselves, either living to survive or seeking to rebel.
Arthur Kingsley
Andy
Biography: Kingsley came from a well-to-do family with a long history of armed service from the Kingdom's capital, Londinium. Although his interests in scholarly pursuits were minimal, he proved a competent swordsman, and was drafted into the Royal Guard for the Duchess of Castor, in the north of the Kingdom, far from the capital, at the age of nineteen.
The civil war began when he was twenty-one, and Castor was on the front-line. Kingsley soon learned the excitement of battle, and hatred for all who bore the 'magocrat' label, but his renown (or his notoriety) as a soldier only truly developed during the Industrial Revolution, when he was twenty-four. He may have been only a competent swordsman, but he was an expert sharpshooter. His weapons were now a steam pistol and rifle, and Kingsley dropped magocrats like flies, be they soldier or civilian. A particular decisive battle in the civil war made Kingsley infamous amongst magocrat ranks, earning him the nickname 'The Butcher of Witch Hill'.
The war was won when he was twenty-five, but he found no glory in it. Now twenty-six, he looks back on his military career with disgust, seeing the royalists as the monsters rather than the enemies he once thoughtlessly despised. Kingsley currently undertakes work as a hired assassin.
Appearance: Kingsley is a man of average height, with wiry black hair, piercing blue eyes and an aquiline nose. He is slender and pale-skinned. His attire is that of a gentleman: a white shirt, burgundy waistcoast, with a dark blazer, trousers and shoes. When travelling, he wears a black oilcloth duster and matching brimmed hat to conceal his identity, keeping his pistol hidden within the coat and his rifle disassembled inside a nondescript black case.
Strength: One thing is for certain: Kingsley is frighteningly good at his job. If a target gets word that the Butcher of Witch Hill is tracking them down, it's not a question of if he'll find them, only when. And once he does, he eliminates the target cleanly and precisely.
Flaw: Kingsley's jaded cynicism following his war years has left him sarcastic and aloof. For this reason he is not considered very personable.
Character Sheet
[b]Character Name[/b]
[b]User Name[/b]
[b]Biography[/b]: (The important details of the character's life up until now. At least 1 paragraph.)
[b]Appearance[/b]: (What the character looks like. Textual descriptions only please. At least 1 paragraph.)
[b]Strength[/b]: (What is the character's absolute best quality?)
[b]Flaw[/b]: (Conversely, what is their absolute worst?)
Please PM all character submissions to me.