The Mortal Realms are vast. Though the armies of Order are innumerable they can't, or sometimes won't, be available to deal with all the myriad issues that come up daily. When these issues need to be solved, the Gods instead turn to the Soulbound, an ancient order of divinely empowered champions who can go where no one else goes, and do what no one else can. Having been recently inducted as a member, it is now up to you to prove that the Gods were right putting their faith in you. Grab your guns, grab your sword, and for the mercy of the Gods, don't forget to grab your hat, young Witch-Hunter! Adventure awaits you in the Age of Sigmar!
Age of Sigmar: The Soulbound Society for Midnight Hunts
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Character generation 1
Soulboundplayer
Brutal Kunnin' Smasha Cunning Brutes
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Pain.
...
...
...
"You".
That was an interesting word. "You". Somehow, it connected with whatever it was that was experiencing the wracking jolts of pain, a spark of recognition.
Oh. That's why that word was familiar. You were the thing experiencing the pain.
If anything, it seemed like being embodied sped up whatever it was that was going on, as you slowly but surely regained sensation throughout your body.
A huge, golden man stared down at you, expression locked in a rigid mask of consternation, as he gently shook your body. Groaning, you managed to shift your body ever so slightly. The man noticed, your effort rewarded with a low grunt as the man lifted his head. "This one lives," he said, but with whom he spoke you could not see.
As your mind picked itself together from the ordeal it had just gone through, the first thought that came to you was that the ritual must have succeeded, because you were reasonably sure that if you were dead, the Undying King would have never let you come to in the first place. The ritual succeeding was a very good thing you knew, but the exact reason why eluded you yet. Straining your mental faculties as much as you could, you tried to answer a deceptively simple question: Who are you?
A Hunter.
The answer comes to you immediately, with a clarity and sense of purpose that is unlike anything you've experienced this far. Not a regular hunter, your quarry was not some animal out in the woods, scurrying about unknowing of its fated end in a stew. Nor were you a hunter of men, like those who received bounty from bringing in petty criminals and troublemakers, though you had moved among their circles many times. No, you were a hunter of the fell, the foul, and all that which goes bump in the night. The masses knew you as a Witch-Hunter, but a more accurate title would be an Agent of the Order of Azyr. Well, a deputized Agent, but that thought came with a pang of pain very different from what you had experienced before, but you were definitely not ready to tread down that path just yet.
You are a:
[] Human: More versatile in starting talents
[] Duardin: More stout
[] Aelf: More versatile in starting skills
Also you are:
[] Female
[] Male
With your identity once again firmly rooted in yourself, you begin to take stock of the situation. You are in a vast chamber, clad in adornments indisputably marking it as a temple of Sigmar. Being that you remember that you are currently in Azyr, your observation is rather redundant, but you excuse yourself by way of the pounding headache left over from just having had a part of your soul ripped out of you making it hard to think.
Oh.
The Soulbinding Ritual. The ritual to bring chosen champions of the Gods of Order together, so that their souls may be bound to one another by divine magics for all eternity, that the group would become more than the sum of their parts in order to fulfill missions given by the Gods. Right, you had volunteered for this, the thought that you had been found worthy enough to be chosen for such purpose bringing you such devotional ecstasy that it had at moments brought you close to passing out. Looking around more, it seemed like your prospective companions picked out to be bound together with you had also passed out. That was at least what you thought, until you realised, with a chill running down your spine, that only three of them were still breathing...
...
Thump
More pain....
Thump, thump
Something stirred, at the very edge of consciousness....
Thump, thump, thump
The stirring became more incessant, and something very deep and primal, from the innermost part of your psyche, gave up a groan."You".
That was an interesting word. "You". Somehow, it connected with whatever it was that was experiencing the wracking jolts of pain, a spark of recognition.
Light.
Suddenly, light had started forcing its way into the dark void you'd been floating in.Oh. That's why that word was familiar. You were the thing experiencing the pain.
Brighter light.
The process of realising that you existed didn't do much to soothe the pain, nor did it seem to have any effect on the light.If anything, it seemed like being embodied sped up whatever it was that was going on, as you slowly but surely regained sensation throughout your body.
The light exploded.
A huge, golden man stared down at you, expression locked in a rigid mask of consternation, as he gently shook your body. Groaning, you managed to shift your body ever so slightly. The man noticed, your effort rewarded with a low grunt as the man lifted his head. "This one lives," he said, but with whom he spoke you could not see.
As your mind picked itself together from the ordeal it had just gone through, the first thought that came to you was that the ritual must have succeeded, because you were reasonably sure that if you were dead, the Undying King would have never let you come to in the first place. The ritual succeeding was a very good thing you knew, but the exact reason why eluded you yet. Straining your mental faculties as much as you could, you tried to answer a deceptively simple question: Who are you?
A Hunter.
The answer comes to you immediately, with a clarity and sense of purpose that is unlike anything you've experienced this far. Not a regular hunter, your quarry was not some animal out in the woods, scurrying about unknowing of its fated end in a stew. Nor were you a hunter of men, like those who received bounty from bringing in petty criminals and troublemakers, though you had moved among their circles many times. No, you were a hunter of the fell, the foul, and all that which goes bump in the night. The masses knew you as a Witch-Hunter, but a more accurate title would be an Agent of the Order of Azyr. Well, a deputized Agent, but that thought came with a pang of pain very different from what you had experienced before, but you were definitely not ready to tread down that path just yet.
You are a:
[] Human: More versatile in starting talents
[] Duardin: More stout
[] Aelf: More versatile in starting skills
Also you are:
[] Female
[] Male
With your identity once again firmly rooted in yourself, you begin to take stock of the situation. You are in a vast chamber, clad in adornments indisputably marking it as a temple of Sigmar. Being that you remember that you are currently in Azyr, your observation is rather redundant, but you excuse yourself by way of the pounding headache left over from just having had a part of your soul ripped out of you making it hard to think.
Oh.
The Soulbinding Ritual. The ritual to bring chosen champions of the Gods of Order together, so that their souls may be bound to one another by divine magics for all eternity, that the group would become more than the sum of their parts in order to fulfill missions given by the Gods. Right, you had volunteered for this, the thought that you had been found worthy enough to be chosen for such purpose bringing you such devotional ecstasy that it had at moments brought you close to passing out. Looking around more, it seemed like your prospective companions picked out to be bound together with you had also passed out. That was at least what you thought, until you realised, with a chill running down your spine, that only three of them were still breathing...
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Introductory talk
Soulboundplayer
Brutal Kunnin' Smasha Cunning Brutes
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hi, I'm Soulboundplayer, and as might be assumed from my name, I like the Age of Sigmar rpg: Soulbound, made by the talented folks of Cubicle 7! I've fairly recently gotten interested in running a quest, and thus I decided to try my hand with this here little adventure. There is actually another story set in the AoS setting I really wanna do, but I decided I'll spread my wings a little first, since I've never made a quest before.
For this here quest, you'll be playing a Soulbound character, which essentially translates to "problem-solver" for the pantheon of order. Essentially, you'll be given a mission, and it'll be up to you and your compatriots to go out and deal with it. I'll be using the Soulbound system, which is a d6 dice pool system that I'll get to explaining more in detail as we go. I will be adapting some parts of it here and there "on the fly", but it'll still be recognizable for anyone who has played it before (if you haven't, you should, it's great!). As Age of Sigmar is a fairly big setting with a lot of stuff in it, I'm hardly an expert and may very well make some mistake with the lore. Complicating matters is that there is lore that might on occasion contradict itself, where I'll just have to pick an interpretation, and there is also some lore where I've simply decided that I don't like it and have better ideas. I totally understand that no one except me will be able to know for sure which of these three situations is playing out at any given point, so feel free to point out or ask me if you feel like I've missed something. I've already decided your "class" equivalent, called an archetype, which will be a homebrewed-ish version of an official archetype, Witch Hunter, but my idea is that the choices I've given you to vote for here, along with some that will come in future updates, will influence the final build. Don't worry too much about what you pick though, there are no wrong choices.
I would like to make that very clear, there are no wrong choices. I am not an adversarial QM. This is not a competition to make the most "optimised" character, and I'd rather not see this as just a game. I am interested in creating a story, and the reason I've chosen to make it a quest is because the possibly unparalleled power for collaborative storytelling they offer entices me as I think working together can make something great. Yes, there are dice mechanics, and I too like to see numbers go up, but I encourage and entreat any prospective reader to engage with the intent of making a fun story, through both good and bad things happening. Needless to say, this also means always treating any fellow quester with civility and respect, especially when disagreeing with their ideas or choices. Discussion is fine of course, but do not let it get heated.
With that out of the way, I hope the voting will work out because I'm sure I've probably missed something somewhere. Next I will be making another update with a basic run-through of the setting, an update letting you pick a bit more background option, and letting you pick your companions. Finalizing all of that will be a character sheet. I'm a bit busy currently so we'll see how much I'll be able to pump out, but I'll get to it in time. I'm sure there's a lot of unclear stuff, feel free to ask and I'll try to respond. Also, English isn't my first language, so if anything is unreadable, or if I've completely butchered some expression, do tell.
Edit: Worth mentioning, I'm thinking this quest takes place a in the Arcanum Optimar, the era before the Era of the Beast the setting is currently in. Likely, this won't effect the quest too much, but if anyone knowledgable in the lore wonders why I don't mention certain things, that's why.
For this here quest, you'll be playing a Soulbound character, which essentially translates to "problem-solver" for the pantheon of order. Essentially, you'll be given a mission, and it'll be up to you and your compatriots to go out and deal with it. I'll be using the Soulbound system, which is a d6 dice pool system that I'll get to explaining more in detail as we go. I will be adapting some parts of it here and there "on the fly", but it'll still be recognizable for anyone who has played it before (if you haven't, you should, it's great!). As Age of Sigmar is a fairly big setting with a lot of stuff in it, I'm hardly an expert and may very well make some mistake with the lore. Complicating matters is that there is lore that might on occasion contradict itself, where I'll just have to pick an interpretation, and there is also some lore where I've simply decided that I don't like it and have better ideas. I totally understand that no one except me will be able to know for sure which of these three situations is playing out at any given point, so feel free to point out or ask me if you feel like I've missed something. I've already decided your "class" equivalent, called an archetype, which will be a homebrewed-ish version of an official archetype, Witch Hunter, but my idea is that the choices I've given you to vote for here, along with some that will come in future updates, will influence the final build. Don't worry too much about what you pick though, there are no wrong choices.
I would like to make that very clear, there are no wrong choices. I am not an adversarial QM. This is not a competition to make the most "optimised" character, and I'd rather not see this as just a game. I am interested in creating a story, and the reason I've chosen to make it a quest is because the possibly unparalleled power for collaborative storytelling they offer entices me as I think working together can make something great. Yes, there are dice mechanics, and I too like to see numbers go up, but I encourage and entreat any prospective reader to engage with the intent of making a fun story, through both good and bad things happening. Needless to say, this also means always treating any fellow quester with civility and respect, especially when disagreeing with their ideas or choices. Discussion is fine of course, but do not let it get heated.
With that out of the way, I hope the voting will work out because I'm sure I've probably missed something somewhere. Next I will be making another update with a basic run-through of the setting, an update letting you pick a bit more background option, and letting you pick your companions. Finalizing all of that will be a character sheet. I'm a bit busy currently so we'll see how much I'll be able to pump out, but I'll get to it in time. I'm sure there's a lot of unclear stuff, feel free to ask and I'll try to respond. Also, English isn't my first language, so if anything is unreadable, or if I've completely butchered some expression, do tell.
Edit: Worth mentioning, I'm thinking this quest takes place a in the Arcanum Optimar, the era before the Era of the Beast the setting is currently in. Likely, this won't effect the quest too much, but if anyone knowledgable in the lore wonders why I don't mention certain things, that's why.
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Simple setting background
Soulboundplayer
Brutal Kunnin' Smasha Cunning Brutes
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I was about to say go ahead and vote in response to you, but I realised that perhaps some people would be interested in getting to know a little bit of the backstory of the setting, or at least if there are any huge differences between the species picks. I've decided to say go ahead anyway, because I'm terribly excited for my first ever votes, and it won't matter much for the story. Thanks for taking an interest!
"In eons ancient, the Mortal Realms, those eight great worlds representing the eightfold of magic, was ruled by terrible beasts and beings beyond comprehension. It was a harsh existence back then, with mortalkind barely scraping by, at best living off of scraps spared the titanic battles that raged across the continents, and at worst...
Then! Then came glorious Sigmar, riding through the void of the Cosmos Arcane upon the immense, twin-tailed comet Mallus. He had journeyed far and long, and upon finally reaching the realms he smiled. In those heavens above the heavens, the first being he met was great Dracothion, The Living Constellation, father of the Stardrakes and the progenitor of all things draconic. Being both wise beings, each recognised in the other a kindred soul, with whom the could share freely their goals and desires. Together, they descended upon the worlds, yet what they saw did not please them. Sigmar, compassionate, took pity upon the poor, destitute mortals he met, and vowed that he would bring ruin to all who had trampled upon them since time immemorial. Thus he and Dracothion began a great campaign, facing mighty foes one after another as they travelled, using the massive network of portals, the Realmgates, that connect each realm toall the others many times over.
Not every meeting ended in conflict however, for among those they met there were some who could see the sense in neighbourly coexistence. Sigmar freed the Duardin gods, Grimnir and Grungni, from great chains that trapped them atop a high mountain. The first repaid the favour by slaying a truly great beast named Vulcatrix, though the battle took such toll he too died. The second joined Sigmar aiding him in forging civilisations in the ages to come. Then Sigmar found mighty Gorkamorka, his prodigious strength useless as he was trapped in a prison of living amber. It is said that when Sigmar freed him, Gorkamorka's fury, so potent after having been imprisoned for so long, caused them to brawl for twelve days and twelve nights. When they finally fell together, exhausted, they both laughed heartily finding friendship as warrior kin. Gorkamorka joined Sigmar's pantheon, as their foremost hunter of the great monsters plaguing the lands. Then came the Aelf gods to Sigmar's court, for they saw peace and stability as the best way to tend the realms they claimed stewardship over. Alarielle, the realm of life, the twin brothers Teclis and Tyrion the realm of light, and Malerion, the realm of shadow. The last member of the pantheon came to be dread Nagash, ruler of all things dead and desolate. The God-king Sigmar, his heart opened even to such a being, agreed to an alliance, and for a time all was good. Civilisation blossomed to such a degree that it can barely be understood, but the age which we today call the Age of Myth would soon come to an end.
Nothing good can last forever, and though the mortals had received unfathomable blessings, deep in their hearts was a desire for more. Desire turned to thought, and thought turned to deed. Soon, They took notice of this growing unrest, and within mortal weakness they found purchase. Then it happened, the Age of Chaos came. Ripping countless wounds in reality, endless hordes of daemons spewed forth, to conquer and raze in the name of the Four Gods of Chaos. The gods and the armies of the mortals mounted an admirable defence, fighting tooth and nail for every step the daemons took. Sadly, it was in vain, for while there were mortal fools who joined with the dark powers, what truly fraught the defence was the gods themselves, as each turned away from their original alliance to focus on petty goals. Only Grungni stood by Sigmar's side through it all, and ultimately there was no choice but to sound the retreat to the realm of heavens, Azyr, the only place the foul taint of Chaos had not reached. Innumerable refuges were saved, but a thousand times more were left to fend for themselves once the Realmgate network connecting to Azyr was shut down.
However, it was not a broken folk that gathered in Azyr. With fire in their hearts, as one they decided immediately to begin preparations to one day take back the realms lost. Sigmar saw their efforts, and with the help of Grungni he began creating the Stormcast Eternals, the undying demigods that to this days bolster mortal efforts to reclaim what we lost! When at long last our reclamation began, it was named the Age of Sigmar, for the Storm King has sworn that he will not rest while there is yet a single daemon setting foot upon the soil of our ancestors. Our duty is to aid him, as he too aids us, for there must be no question that only together will we one day taste final victory. Join, join! No effort is to small to spare, no price to great to pay! The mortal Realms beckons you, and you must answer the call!
- Unnamed Sigmarite street preacher, holding a sermon by the side of a fairly quiet street
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Basic faction info
Soulboundplayer
Brutal Kunnin' Smasha Cunning Brutes
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Ah well, I'm not totally sure what a reservation is, but I guess I can just make a post or two and edit them later on. I'll just keep stuff up so people get that I've got basically no experience with this 
Thanks for the suggestion!
Thanks for the suggestion!Age of Sigmar has four superfactions, called Grand Alliances. They are Order, Chaos, Destruction, and Death. Each of these four are made up of various factions, a fair few split up along species lines but also some not as clearly divided Each faction can be found in each realm, with the exception of Azyr (The realm Sigmar retreated to in the Age of Chaos, the stronghold of Order) and the Eightpoints (a sub-realm acting as a junction for the eight realms, the stronghold of Chaos). Within these factions are a variety of subfactions often representing specific areas or cultures.
Order is the alliance headed by the Pantheon of Order, which includes the gods Sigmar, Grungni, Grimnir, Alarielle, Tyrion, Teclis, Malerion, and sort of Morathi. It consists of the factions:
Cities of Sigmar: The highly cosmopolitan mixture of Humans, Duardin, Aelfs, and anyone else really who wishes to live and work within the main body of Sigmar's Empire. These are the cities you hear about in lore, such as Hammerhal, Excelsis, Greywater Fastness, and Anvilgard, among others. Their armies can consist of any sort of mixtures of handgunners and battlemages, longbeards and runelords, black ark corsairs and dreadlords, wildwood rangers and nomad princes, as well as phoenix guards and their phoenixes, and even more. The Cities generally have quite well-developed technology and magic, though it can vary a lot from city to city. Usually the individual Cities are ruled by a large council elected from all strata of society, and function closer to city-states rather than full on nations. This is the faction Witch-Hunters (you) fall under, as the Order of Azyr's primary job is to protect them against chaos infiltration and corruption.
Stormcast Eternals: Sigmar's divinely empowered soldiers, magically forged bodies imbued with the souls of heroic mortals plucked from battle just at the moment of their death. When they die, their soul is sent back to Azyr to be reforged so that they may, in time, rejoin battle again. Unfortunately, this process leads them to lose more and more of themselves with every reforging. Generally found in the Cities of Sigmar in their Stormkeeps, great forts built around the local Realmgate of the city. Not terribly focused on technology, but they have ample magic, and dragons.
Fyreslayers: One of the two duardin-only factions. Warrior-priests one and all, these are the faithful adherents of the shattered god Grimnir. Being followers of a warrior god, and extremely mercenary to boot, you can always count on finding them where war is business. However, once they have agreed to something or given their word, there is no length they would not go to fulfill their obligations. They like building their magmahold in volcanoes, where they use the lava both for their forges and as natural defence. Not terribly technologically focused either, they eschew armour as cowardly, but they do hammer in magical gold runes into their body that gives them supernatural strength.
Kharadron: The second duardin faction, their enterprising and technologically developed society has seen them break completely with tradition, even the gods, building flying cities in the skies, with vast fleets of sky-ships to serve them. Their society revolves around Aether-gold, a magical substance lighter than air that drives almost all of their technology, which they constantly seek to mine more of. Having eschewed tradition, they have also broken with the traditional oaths favoured by other duardin, instead becoming extremely legalistic as they put their faith in incredibly detailed and complex contracts. A Kharadron would never break a contract, but they may very well feel completely comfortable only living up to the exact letter of it, no mor,e no less. One of the most technologically developed factions in the setting, they wear a form of power armour and have a significant focus on guns.
Lumineth Realm-Lords: The newest addition to Order, these aelfs are rather insular and very concentrated to Hysh, the realm of life. Naturally gifted in matters both martial and magical, they have a desire to prove themselves and often think that their way is the best, the other factions simply can't see it. While genuinely wanting to do good for the realms, a tendency to be haughty and somewhat obsessive in their interests have caused them species-wide issues before, which they today remedy by seeking and learning the wisdom of spirits of nature, some even bonding their soul with them in order to become humble(r). One of the most magically focused factions, backed up by martial prowess.
Daughters of Khaine: Another aelf faction, made up of the servants of Morathi, the high priestess of Khaine, the god of Murder. As much a religion as a faction outright, temples to Khaine can be found in every City of Sigmar, as Khaine is a very popular god among warriors. Morathi's influence can be felt to some degree in every temple, the Witch Aelfs eager to follow the words of she who speaks for their god. On the battlefield, the Daughters throw themselves into combat with disturbing glee, but they are very valued allies to the other forces of order, for rare is the warrior who can match even their regular members skills. Lightly armoured, they trust in their speed and skill to see them through through danger, witch-brews and the temporary miracles of their priestesses bolstering their abilities even further.
Sylvaneth: First-born of Alarielle, the goddess of Life, these inhabitants of the woods take many forms, often reminiscent of trees and occasionally adopting looks of ethereal aelfs. They are the wardens of the forests, one and all connected through the mystical spirit-song, with which they can communicate over great distances. When a Sylvaneth falls, their compatriots take their lamentiri, soul-pods, which when replanted will grow up to become new Sylvaneth. New individuals, but the memories of the one who's lamentiri they grew from, as well as the memories of those who came even earlier before, will be carried over to them, an unbroken line back to the dawn of their people. Not ones for machines and factories, they are magically gifted and adept at utilising nature's gifts.
Idoneth Deepkin: One of the most mysterious factions in Order, these aelfs shun the surface world, instead making their homes in the darkest depths of the oceans of the Mortal Realms. An isolationist species born with a dark curse, almost all children born to them lack a complete soul, meaning that unlike the other aelfs of the setting who can possibly live for millenia, they will at best see a lifespan in decades, unless infused with souls of other sentient creatures. Societally they have a caste system with the rare full-souled on top, who lead secretive raids upon all who live along the shores to steal their souls. Using magics of memory loss, and the strange Ethersea which allows aquatic creatures to swim and breathe in air as if it was water, they hit lightning quick, overwhelming defences, before retreating just as quickly, leaving the wider region none the wiser to what has happened. Magically skilled, with a variety of sea-beasts in their thrall.
Seraphon: The second, even more mysterious faction of Order. The Seraphon are lizard people under the rule of the Slann, huge, unimaginably ancient toad-like beings acknowledged as the mightiest mages in all the realms. The antithesis of Chaos, they follow The Great Plan, given to them by the Old Ones at the dawn of time, which they believe will one day lead to the true eradication of Chaos. Seers without compare, their actions are often inscrutable to their allies in Order, as in one battle they may come to their aid, but in the very next battle abstain from so much as even engaging with the enemy. The only thing that can be known for sure is that they are in it for the long game, and you can only hope that their plans does not require you to become a sacrificial pawn. The most powerful magic in order, and while it may not seem it also some of the most advanced technology as well, not needing to depend on realmgates for travel like most other factions due to having space ships.
Cities of Sigmar: The highly cosmopolitan mixture of Humans, Duardin, Aelfs, and anyone else really who wishes to live and work within the main body of Sigmar's Empire. These are the cities you hear about in lore, such as Hammerhal, Excelsis, Greywater Fastness, and Anvilgard, among others. Their armies can consist of any sort of mixtures of handgunners and battlemages, longbeards and runelords, black ark corsairs and dreadlords, wildwood rangers and nomad princes, as well as phoenix guards and their phoenixes, and even more. The Cities generally have quite well-developed technology and magic, though it can vary a lot from city to city. Usually the individual Cities are ruled by a large council elected from all strata of society, and function closer to city-states rather than full on nations. This is the faction Witch-Hunters (you) fall under, as the Order of Azyr's primary job is to protect them against chaos infiltration and corruption.
Stormcast Eternals: Sigmar's divinely empowered soldiers, magically forged bodies imbued with the souls of heroic mortals plucked from battle just at the moment of their death. When they die, their soul is sent back to Azyr to be reforged so that they may, in time, rejoin battle again. Unfortunately, this process leads them to lose more and more of themselves with every reforging. Generally found in the Cities of Sigmar in their Stormkeeps, great forts built around the local Realmgate of the city. Not terribly focused on technology, but they have ample magic, and dragons.
Fyreslayers: One of the two duardin-only factions. Warrior-priests one and all, these are the faithful adherents of the shattered god Grimnir. Being followers of a warrior god, and extremely mercenary to boot, you can always count on finding them where war is business. However, once they have agreed to something or given their word, there is no length they would not go to fulfill their obligations. They like building their magmahold in volcanoes, where they use the lava both for their forges and as natural defence. Not terribly technologically focused either, they eschew armour as cowardly, but they do hammer in magical gold runes into their body that gives them supernatural strength.
Kharadron: The second duardin faction, their enterprising and technologically developed society has seen them break completely with tradition, even the gods, building flying cities in the skies, with vast fleets of sky-ships to serve them. Their society revolves around Aether-gold, a magical substance lighter than air that drives almost all of their technology, which they constantly seek to mine more of. Having eschewed tradition, they have also broken with the traditional oaths favoured by other duardin, instead becoming extremely legalistic as they put their faith in incredibly detailed and complex contracts. A Kharadron would never break a contract, but they may very well feel completely comfortable only living up to the exact letter of it, no mor,e no less. One of the most technologically developed factions in the setting, they wear a form of power armour and have a significant focus on guns.
Lumineth Realm-Lords: The newest addition to Order, these aelfs are rather insular and very concentrated to Hysh, the realm of life. Naturally gifted in matters both martial and magical, they have a desire to prove themselves and often think that their way is the best, the other factions simply can't see it. While genuinely wanting to do good for the realms, a tendency to be haughty and somewhat obsessive in their interests have caused them species-wide issues before, which they today remedy by seeking and learning the wisdom of spirits of nature, some even bonding their soul with them in order to become humble(r). One of the most magically focused factions, backed up by martial prowess.
Daughters of Khaine: Another aelf faction, made up of the servants of Morathi, the high priestess of Khaine, the god of Murder. As much a religion as a faction outright, temples to Khaine can be found in every City of Sigmar, as Khaine is a very popular god among warriors. Morathi's influence can be felt to some degree in every temple, the Witch Aelfs eager to follow the words of she who speaks for their god. On the battlefield, the Daughters throw themselves into combat with disturbing glee, but they are very valued allies to the other forces of order, for rare is the warrior who can match even their regular members skills. Lightly armoured, they trust in their speed and skill to see them through through danger, witch-brews and the temporary miracles of their priestesses bolstering their abilities even further.
Sylvaneth: First-born of Alarielle, the goddess of Life, these inhabitants of the woods take many forms, often reminiscent of trees and occasionally adopting looks of ethereal aelfs. They are the wardens of the forests, one and all connected through the mystical spirit-song, with which they can communicate over great distances. When a Sylvaneth falls, their compatriots take their lamentiri, soul-pods, which when replanted will grow up to become new Sylvaneth. New individuals, but the memories of the one who's lamentiri they grew from, as well as the memories of those who came even earlier before, will be carried over to them, an unbroken line back to the dawn of their people. Not ones for machines and factories, they are magically gifted and adept at utilising nature's gifts.
Idoneth Deepkin: One of the most mysterious factions in Order, these aelfs shun the surface world, instead making their homes in the darkest depths of the oceans of the Mortal Realms. An isolationist species born with a dark curse, almost all children born to them lack a complete soul, meaning that unlike the other aelfs of the setting who can possibly live for millenia, they will at best see a lifespan in decades, unless infused with souls of other sentient creatures. Societally they have a caste system with the rare full-souled on top, who lead secretive raids upon all who live along the shores to steal their souls. Using magics of memory loss, and the strange Ethersea which allows aquatic creatures to swim and breathe in air as if it was water, they hit lightning quick, overwhelming defences, before retreating just as quickly, leaving the wider region none the wiser to what has happened. Magically skilled, with a variety of sea-beasts in their thrall.
Seraphon: The second, even more mysterious faction of Order. The Seraphon are lizard people under the rule of the Slann, huge, unimaginably ancient toad-like beings acknowledged as the mightiest mages in all the realms. The antithesis of Chaos, they follow The Great Plan, given to them by the Old Ones at the dawn of time, which they believe will one day lead to the true eradication of Chaos. Seers without compare, their actions are often inscrutable to their allies in Order, as in one battle they may come to their aid, but in the very next battle abstain from so much as even engaging with the enemy. The only thing that can be known for sure is that they are in it for the long game, and you can only hope that their plans does not require you to become a sacrificial pawn. The most powerful magic in order, and while it may not seem it also some of the most advanced technology as well, not needing to depend on realmgates for travel like most other factions due to having space ships.
A Soulbound is a mortal, chosen by a god to partake in an ancient ritual along with other chosen. This ritual dates back to the Age of Myth, and was a group project by Sigmar, Grungni, Teclis, Alarielle, Malerion, Morathi, Gorkamorka, and Nagash. Each one contributed a vital part, and their combined skill in designing the ritual made it so that any one of them can replicate it perfectly on their own without needing the others, though invariably some of their own quirks will bleed into the resulting binding. Essentially, what the ritual does is take a piece of the soul out of every mortal participant, mix them together, and then fill the result back into the soul-holes of the mortals. Each having a piece of the others soul, they are bound together in a way unlike any other. It also confers a variety of boons on account of the divine power going into the ritual, such as increased healing, strength, incresed resistance to mind-control and corruption, increased bravery, and the prevention of aging. Most powerful of all, they also gain access to Soulfire, a limited but replenishable "inner fire" that allows them to do push beyond their regular limits. Each binding is crafted by a god in order to handle some problem or issue where a small group coulds achieve successes an army might not. No one knows for sure how many soulbound groups are running around at any time, but even if you succeed whatever original task your group had, it is rare to get to retire as you are considered very useful, most soulbound facing a violent end sooner or later.
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Reserve 3
Soulboundplayer
Brutal Kunnin' Smasha Cunning Brutes
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I don't imagine I'll need more than this, I guess I can just delete it if I've made too many Yay for bungling stuff up and learning by mistakes, voting is open for real now (I think) 👍
Yay for bungling stuff up and learning by mistakes, voting is open for real now (I think) 👍
Companion selection and a tiny bit more Chargen
Soulboundplayer
Brutal Kunnin' Smasha Cunning Brutes
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[x] Human: More versatile in starting talents
[x] Male
[x] Male
Taking stock of the room, you realised that there were three more beings sprawled on the floor. Notably, unlike the first three you had already noticed, these three seemed to distinctly not be breathing. Another memory came crashing into your brainspace propelled by some preposterous force. There had been seven of you led into the chamber, seven of you who had accepted both the deal and the risks, but seemingly only four of you would walk out. You'd been given the briefest brief on your prospective bondmates, and you quickly go over the mental notes you've made of your new companions:
[] Blufolg Blisterhands, Maneater Leadbelcher Extraordinaire: Somewhat short for a member of the Ogor Mawtribes, standing only 7 foot tall, the frankly massive cannon he carries more than compensates for his stature. After a string of successful mercenary contracts fulfilled, he was scouted for recruitment in the aftermath of more or less alone having defended a small village from an overwhelming force of undead abominations. Tough, offers hard-hitting long range cannon support, decent in melee but no other great skills of note.
[] Belegrid Norgrimsdottr, Grizzled Aetheric Navigator: An old veteran in a profession that rarely gives second chances to those not up to the task, Fyrgrim is a Kharadron Overlords scholar through and through, if one with more practical hands-on experience than most. Having served on sky-ships of every size and make, she was offered the deal after a particularly obstinate captain refused to follow her meticulously planned safe route, leading to a catastrophic crash. Not much of a fighter, Fyrgrim utilizes advanced Kharadron gear that can support allies and hinder enemies, with a particular disdain for magic.
[] Talisia Tidesworn, Abyssal Isharann Tidecaster: Showing a profound connection to the depths ever since she was born, Talisia's placement as one of the Idoneth Deepkin's Isharann mages was never in question. However, while her talents were obvious, as she came of age she began a slow but steady rise through Isharann society that reflected her abyssal connection. Leaving opponents, detractors and those that did not give in to her demands crushed by the immeasurable pressure of the ocean, figuratively and literally, offering her services to the surface was all the ruling body could do to stop her advance. A mage of the Lore of the Deep, she is adept at area of effect magic that slows or debuffs enemies. Not one to put on the frontline.
[] Seleni Heartseeker, Witch-Aelf Performer: A young, idealist of the Daughters of Khaine, combat is as much of an art to her as it is an exultation of Khaine, her god. Finding it hard to comfortaby fit into the structure of the fairly rigid society she grew up in, the Soulbound expedition she has been sent upon is as much to get her out of the hair of her elders as it is them believing her particular set of skills will come in useful for the party. Murderblender in melee, no ranged options and very light on the defences, however she is adept at moving stealthily.
[] Byrun Volker, Bestial Battle-Mage: A skilled practitioner of of Amber magic, the Lore of Beasts, Byrun volunteered for the deal, saying only that he was looking for a "pack" to belong to. His motive aside, the Collegiate Arcane vouches for his exemplary service to the Cities of Sigmar, where he has used his command and knowledge of beasts to great effect in all sorts of manners in matters animal. Some buffing support, some utility, and the ability to take certain animal shapes for a period of time.
[] Jorik Lofnir, Tale-telling Battlesmith: A fyreslayer of the Lofnir Lodge, he claims to have received a vision that lead him straight to the door of where the binding was to take place. He speaks not on what it was he saw, but word from up high had been to accept him with no questions asked. Regarding almost anything else outside of the vision, he was more than happy to share, a favourite pastime of his regaling any audience he can find about the important facets of his lodge's history. A hardy duardin, his epic sagas invigorates allies, filling them with lust for battle, and the occasional entreat to Grimnir ensures that enemy foulness does not stick to his companions for long.
AN: Your future companions, those who have played Soulbound might recognize their archetypes, but don't worry too much about their exact skills and talents, they'll all bring tangible benefits and synergies to the party. Pick three, I'm of a mind to try out plan voting for this, so do use that. Edit: You know what, just vote for the ones you think are cool if you like that more, it's no trouble at all
Pondering the dead, your thoughts couldn't help but be tinged with sadness. Most folk, who had no close contact with your Order or its members, thought that your organization was made up of those most ruthless people, with souls of stone and grim resolve to annihilate all who cavorted with the dark powers, collateral costs be damned. Those sorts of hunters existed, you knew all too well, but they were few and far between. No, most of the membership was actually rather compassionate. Your tasks were often thankless, the trials and tribulations you faced gruelling, and retirement rare indeed. Yet these were costs you and many others gladly paid, for the pain you endured meant that so many more were spared many a terrible fate, and that made it all worth it. Yet, even your best efforts weren't always enough to save everyone, and sometimes, like now, there was simply nothing you could have done in the first place. It rankled, but it was a lesson every hunter had to learn and take to heart lest they fall to self-doubt and insecurity, and that way lay only ruin. After giving a silent prayer for the souls of the departed to safely find their way to the afterlife, you decided to focus on what would come ahead.
You and your new companions would complement eachother well. You'd always considered yourself something of a generalist, at home with both sword and gun, though you wouldn't say you were a master of either. Given that a significant part of your job involved investigating matters those you hunted would rather be left hidden, you'd developed a knack for convincing people to share things they might not be supposed to share with you, and you were no slouch when it came to intuit who might have something to hide either. You weren't exactly a scholar, but you had been trained in disrupting the arcane powers and rituals of the dark powers, and part of that included learning basic magic theory. Of course, your disruptive capabilities where dependent on your weapons, a gift from your Master, engraved with fine duardin runes that, if applied correctly, could rip a spell asunder in mid-air before it had the chance to take effect. All of that, you owed in one way or another to the Order, but before that, before you left as an apprentice to your Master you had been destined for a very different path in life. Though it had been a long time ago now, the foundations for that life had still been put into place, and every once in a while you found yourself drawing on that knowledge as well, the knowledge of a...
[] Noble: A son of a minor house, you were brought up with courtly matters in mind. With no real power to back your name, you learned to pass through the often vicious social life by guarding yourself behind tradition and the sort of flattery all nobles were weak to.
[] Merchant: You were brought up among ledgers, abacus in hand, to a decently successful merchant family. You were trained to understand the changes in supply and demand of trading goods, the day to day work of running a business, and all the little complexities of how merchants network with one another.
[] Guard: Your parents were members of the watch, working in concert with many others to ensure that the Cities of Order stayed orderly. It was expected you'd follow in their footsteps, and thus you were taught the generals of patrolling, the intricacies of which crimes to look out for and what it might be better to not see, and the common vernacular most any guard anywhere would be familiar with.
[] Underworld affiliate: Growing up, your parents were affiliated with the some of the shadier side of society. Nothing too bad or illegal really, just the sort of business that is simply part of life in any city. You were thought how to make contact with people who usually aren't too inviting, how to keep peace with guards, and a sneaky trick or two, just in case it might come in handy one day.
[] Farmer: Your family was the salt of the earth. Toiling the earth wasn't always much but it was honest work, and you learnt about what it takes for a farming village to work, both in terms of work to be done and the social bonds that tie such a community together.
[] Scholar: Your family was rather academically oriented, and while you hadn't followed that tradition you were still quite familiar with libraries and institutions of learning. You had learned to parse scientific papers well enough, and through experience know just what questions to ask to get scholars to tell you all about their research, something they enjoy very much.
AN: Backgrounds for you! These won't provide significant mechanical benefits, though you may find it somewhat easier to speak to members of groups that could relate to those backgrounds. Also, since it's mostly just for fun, you'll still have a general education even if you don't pick the scholar option, and the underworld affiliate option won't mark you out as a criminal for example. This vote isn't part of the plan vote for your companions, so just vote for it like regular.
Noticing that your companions were starting to groggily stir, you turned to the Stormcast who, it seemed, had been keeping an eye on whether you would survive. The word you would use to describe him was resplendent, the man towering over you, covered in golden armour polished so well it seemed to be glowing as it reflected the light of the chamber. No, you thought to yourself, even as the armour reflected the natural light, when you looked closely there was something like a faint glow that was coming of the man himself. Doubtlessly a mark of Lord Sigmar's favour upon him, it did remind you of the nervousness you felt being this close to the Divine. Nevertheless, you kept your composure, in no small part thanks to knowing that you had been chosen to come here for a reason, to see to a task that you had yet only been vaguely informed of. "Lord Stormcast, have we passed the ordeal? While I was told it would not be easy or pleasant, I'm afraid I failed to truly take heed of just what the ritual would encompass."
"Rest easy hunter, it is a rare mortal who can stand unbowed through a ritual of binding. As you've seen, some do not even make it through. For all that our Lord is, the power he wields is not gentle, nor easy to receive," the Stormcast's golden faceplate shows no change of course, but his voice betrays the barest hint of melancholy. "Nevertheless, you seem to have taken to it well. I'll show you to a room where you can recuperate until you're fully back up again. Your new associates will be shown to their own quarters once they've woken. In some hours, a meeting will be called, where the details and purpose of your coming journey will be explained to you. Now, follow along, it is not far."
AN: Well, I sure did not time the start of this adventure very well. I got way too busy over the last weeks, having to write a whole lot of words for a not very interesting report really took out the excitement to write for a while, and then there was just one thing after another I had to do. Here's something at least, a few more choices to make. In all honesty, I'm still not too well versed with how the voting system really works, but I think it should be fine to have a plan vote and a simple vote at the same time right? Voting is open, and will probably be for something like 24 hours.
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