Today, I seek to address the Revered Council. I implore that the attention of my honoured elders...
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- Location
- Australia
Today, I seek to address the Revered Council. I implore that the attention of my honoured elders be granted to me, that I might bring to you my grim tidings.
I regret to inform you that I have failed in my duties. The combined armies of Ashrin and Sindek were insufficient. Prince Vandi'laar marches even now upon the shores of our sacred lands, bearing with him the Blighted and the Taint.
We have retreated to the city of Lotherain, but I doubt that we can do more than stall their inexorable advance. My soldiers are weary; they are determined, but there is no hope to be found. We are doomed; we know this, and we accept this.
Our lives are forfeit. With them, we will purchase you time- time to prepare, and time to flee. Use it wisely.
- A missive from General Hallins, leader of the Golden Standard, commander of the combined armies of Ashrin and Sindek. This blood-stained note was found in the hands of a dead courier some three days past.
The city of Lotherain has fallen. Prince Vandi'laar, son of King Ysgreth, marches upon the lands of Ashrin.
Many brave heroes oppose him- mighty warriors, powerful sorcerors, skilled rogues and rangers and knights alike. Their causes are just, and their efforts noble, but the Taint is stronger than them.
No- we are here to watch this story unfold, to watch those who live through it, not to view those who would bring it to an ignoble end so soon. We will instead be following those few heroes of Ashrin, those alone who would save this land- or send it to an early grave.
So tell me. Which story do you wish to open with?
[] Let us follow the story of Fiona, a guardswoman in the city of Ashrin, as she prepares for the evacuation of their sacred city. Let us follow her as she witnesses the fall of her city, her land, everything she has ever known.
Fiona is a [Guardswoman], with the primary traits of the [Commander] and the [Arcane Initiate]. Fiona primarily leads troops, and prefers to avoid throwing herself in the thick of combat, staying back to help protect as many civilians as she can.
[] Let us look in to the silent city of Lotherain, where a knight treads the empty streets as the whispers of the damned echo in her mind. Let us witness the story of a knight long dead, raised and forgotten, left alone to wander the desolate ruins of a once-proud city.
She is a [Death Knight], with the primary traits of the [Arcane Knight] and the [Lifebound Sorceror]. She prefers to fight alone, being immortal as she is, but her enemies are few and far between; her story is one of isolation and forging herself anew.
[] Let us witness the story of Sentinel Athain, a Dawnrunner serving the Aspect of Life in the Silvermire Forest. We shall watch as he seeks to save his Forest and his people from the Archon, striving to end the threat to his people even as the Blighted armies march.
Athain is a [Servant of the Aspects], with the primary traits of the [Commander] and the [Silent Sentinel]. He commands the Servants of Life in Silvermire, the title given to him due both to his proficiency with tactics and his talent with a bow; both skills that will be necessary to end the threat of the Archon in time to defend against the encroaching undead.
[] Let us witness the story of Reaver, the chieftain of the Redspire clan of the Indeous, near Lotherain. Having watched his people be perverted and destroyed by Vandi'laar, Reaver wishes to satisfy his lust for vengeance by killing Vandi'laar himself.
Reaver is a [Redspire Chieftain], with the primary traits of the [Blood-Born Berserker] and the [Savage Warrior]. He is alone in a land flooded with those hostile to him- exactly the way he likes it.
I regret to inform you that I have failed in my duties. The combined armies of Ashrin and Sindek were insufficient. Prince Vandi'laar marches even now upon the shores of our sacred lands, bearing with him the Blighted and the Taint.
We have retreated to the city of Lotherain, but I doubt that we can do more than stall their inexorable advance. My soldiers are weary; they are determined, but there is no hope to be found. We are doomed; we know this, and we accept this.
Our lives are forfeit. With them, we will purchase you time- time to prepare, and time to flee. Use it wisely.
- A missive from General Hallins, leader of the Golden Standard, commander of the combined armies of Ashrin and Sindek. This blood-stained note was found in the hands of a dead courier some three days past.
Act 1
[The Fall of Ashrin]
[The Fall of Ashrin]
Segment 1
The city of Lotherain has fallen. Prince Vandi'laar, son of King Ysgreth, marches upon the lands of Ashrin.
Many brave heroes oppose him- mighty warriors, powerful sorcerors, skilled rogues and rangers and knights alike. Their causes are just, and their efforts noble, but the Taint is stronger than them.
No- we are here to watch this story unfold, to watch those who live through it, not to view those who would bring it to an ignoble end so soon. We will instead be following those few heroes of Ashrin, those alone who would save this land- or send it to an early grave.
So tell me. Which story do you wish to open with?
[] Let us follow the story of Fiona, a guardswoman in the city of Ashrin, as she prepares for the evacuation of their sacred city. Let us follow her as she witnesses the fall of her city, her land, everything she has ever known.
Fiona is a [Guardswoman], with the primary traits of the [Commander] and the [Arcane Initiate]. Fiona primarily leads troops, and prefers to avoid throwing herself in the thick of combat, staying back to help protect as many civilians as she can.
[] Let us look in to the silent city of Lotherain, where a knight treads the empty streets as the whispers of the damned echo in her mind. Let us witness the story of a knight long dead, raised and forgotten, left alone to wander the desolate ruins of a once-proud city.
She is a [Death Knight], with the primary traits of the [Arcane Knight] and the [Lifebound Sorceror]. She prefers to fight alone, being immortal as she is, but her enemies are few and far between; her story is one of isolation and forging herself anew.
[] Let us witness the story of Sentinel Athain, a Dawnrunner serving the Aspect of Life in the Silvermire Forest. We shall watch as he seeks to save his Forest and his people from the Archon, striving to end the threat to his people even as the Blighted armies march.
Athain is a [Servant of the Aspects], with the primary traits of the [Commander] and the [Silent Sentinel]. He commands the Servants of Life in Silvermire, the title given to him due both to his proficiency with tactics and his talent with a bow; both skills that will be necessary to end the threat of the Archon in time to defend against the encroaching undead.
[] Let us witness the story of Reaver, the chieftain of the Redspire clan of the Indeous, near Lotherain. Having watched his people be perverted and destroyed by Vandi'laar, Reaver wishes to satisfy his lust for vengeance by killing Vandi'laar himself.
Reaver is a [Redspire Chieftain], with the primary traits of the [Blood-Born Berserker] and the [Savage Warrior]. He is alone in a land flooded with those hostile to him- exactly the way he likes it.
- Location
- Australia
FAQ
Temp, what the fuck are you on about?
Haha. This is a bit of a problem with an original setting, I think; I'm throwing around a lot of terms that don't immediately make sense without context, which as of this moment is only available in my head.
I've compiled this post, which is actually really badly named because nobody has even asked these questions yet, let alone asked them frequently enough for them to be 'frequently asked questions'. Still, this post is here so I can try and provide a bit of context on the world and what the hell I'm on about well in advance of this material making it into the story proper, so you guys have any clue at all what's going on here.
So. Let's go.
What is the premise of all this?
Alright; this one's fairly simple. I'm throwing out a lot of terms like 'Prince Vandi'laar' and 'Blighted armies' and all that, so it's probably a good idea to give you some measure of context.
The main quest takes place on an unnamed continent, which contains within it five countries- Ashrin, Sindrek, Stesas, Ulin, and Erimar. These countries have generally been fairly well-off over the years, only having minor clashes, never anything that approached "real" war.
On the northern continent of Durosin, a country notable for its semi-freezing temperatures and seasons defined as 'wet' and 'dry', lies the Yorrik people. These people, like the people of Ashrin and Sindrek, practiced a form of ancestor worship, in which they venerated the wisdom of those who came before, and seek to honour their ancestors with their deeds. However, unlike the people of Ashrin and Sindrek, the practice of necromancy is widespread within the kingdom. Upon death, it is expected that one should give up their body as their spirits ascend to the afterlife; their body is then reanimated to form the lower class of citizens, serving as labourers and basic soldiers.
In recent times, for reasons unknown, Prince Vandi- now known as Prince Vandi'laar, given the title of the venerated leaders in recognition of his power and wisdom- has turned his gaze towards the southern continent. He now leads his Blighted armies of the undead south, intent on conquering all that stands before him.
Ordinarily, this may not have been an issue- but with him is a new weapon; the Taint. This weapon is a plague, a weapon that slowly kills all that it affects, then reanimates them as a mindless undead, subject to the control of the Prince or his knights of death.
The reasons behind this invasion are many and complex, and will be slowly explored over the course of the quest.
So how does the quest itself work?
This one's… slightly more complex.
The base premise is that we're not following a single hero over the course of the story; rather, we're following multiple heroes- the heroes of Ashrin, those who are here to witness the fall of the mighty kingdom from within.
As such, the story is split into two forms of structures; Arcs and Story Segments.
An Arc works pretty much how you would expect it to; it defines the various portions of the story. The first arc, for instance, is known as [The Fall of Ashrin]. This arc documents the fall of the kingdom of Ashrin, and follows a predetermined set of heroes from Ashrin. Over the course of this story, you'll be trying to save as many people in Ashrin as you can, as well as to get vengeance for the fallen.
A Story Segment is a smaller part of an Arc. A Story Segment is a small section of the Arc, during which we follow a particular protagonist doing a particular thing. You can only follow one protagonist at a time, which means you can only influence one at a time; however, you can leave lingering influences on a protagonist through your choices earlier in the quest, which will influence how and why they act later.
Plus, well, if it's vitally important that we see a segment of the story from a particular character's perspective- as will happen several times throughout the story, during formative moments for each character and sections of each Arc that need to be portrayed on screen- we'll double up on a story segment for that Arc, no harm done.
You mentioned 'Dawnrunners' and 'Archon'. What are the species of the world?
Alright. So.
There aren't really that many sapient species on the world.
As you'd expect, there are Humans. Humans are basically your run-of-the-mill humans, in that there's no central identifying trait to them. Some are stupid, some are smart; some are strong, some are weak. There are variances among all the races, of course, but Humanity tends towards having far more than the others.
There are also a lot of them. The other races are not exactly small, but Humanity outnumbers each of them by a fair margin. This large population has allowed them to spread out over the continents, allowing them enough differences in experience and knowledge that completely divergent cultures have emerged over time.
Next we have the Dawnrunners. The Dawnrunners are lithe, graceful humanoids that tend towards 'fair' features; some suspect that it is intermingling between the Dawnrunners and the Archon that created humanity.
The Dawnrunners worship the Aspects of the world- embodiments of the Five Elements, and the creatures responsible for keeping the world in harmony. Each settlement of Dawnrunners lives nearby to an Aspect, and will dedicate their lives to keeping said Aspect strong and healthy, that it might keep the world in balance.
The other races typically respect this duty, and will seek to avoid interfering with Dawnrunner society.
The Archon are the counterparts to the Dawnrunners. Where the Dawnrunners are graceful and beautiful, the Archon are brutish and rugged, to the point that based solely on their physical features, one might consider them to be barbarians.
That is not correct, however. In fact, the Archon may just be the most technologically advanced society still in existence.
Archon worship the old gods of the setting- dead gods that once walked the earth, but were struck down by mortal heroes who sought to end the influence they had over the world. All, even the Archon, recognize the necessity of the act, as the old gods had grown capricious and cruel- but nonetheless, the Archon recognize the power and dedication the old gods used to have, and wish nothing more than for the gods to awaken once more and resume their duty of protecting them against the threats that dwell in the starry skies.
Lastly, we have the Indeous. The Indeous descend from the great dragons that once ruled over the earth, before they were struck down by the old gods. Unlike their cousins, the wyverns and the drakes, the Indeous retain the cold intelligence that had made the dragons such a threat- and contain within them the same talents for the arcane.
The Indeous are the strongest of the races, standing taller and stronger than even the Archon, who occasionally rise to stand nine feet tall. To classify them in a single phrase, people often refer to the Indeous as 'Big, strong and mean'.
These scaled creatures are vicious and cunning, living in a society that values power above all. This does not mean they are not intelligent, however; in thinking of the Indeous as barbaric creatures, many societies have underestimated them, and later found their armies cut out beneath them.
Cassiemouse
Market Atheist
This looks somewhat interesting. I would like to open with the Death Knight woman. She looks fun.
This looks like a very interesting setting. I hope that it is continued. Will we have the option of choosing which side we will fight for or istheir going to be a designated enemy. The description given thus far seems to really villainize the forces of Prince Vandi'laar.
[X] Let us look in to the silent city of Lotherain, where a knight treads the empty streets as the whispers of the damned echo in her mind. Let us witness the story of a knight long dead, raised and forgotten, left alone to wander the desolate ruins of a once-proud city.
She is a [Death Knight], with the primary traits of the [Arcane Knight] and the [Lifebound Sorceror]. She prefers to fight alone, being immortal as she is, but her enemies are few and far between; her story is one of isolation and forging herself anew.
[X] Let us look in to the silent city of Lotherain, where a knight treads the empty streets as the whispers of the damned echo in her mind. Let us witness the story of a knight long dead, raised and forgotten, left alone to wander the desolate ruins of a once-proud city.
She is a [Death Knight], with the primary traits of the [Arcane Knight] and the [Lifebound Sorceror]. She prefers to fight alone, being immortal as she is, but her enemies are few and far between; her story is one of isolation and forging herself anew.
- Location
- Australia
Given the protagonists each have their own-
*sigh*
Yes, you'll be able to choose which side you fight for. Assuming you're not Fiona, who is here to witness the fall of Ashrin and the deaths of the people she is supposed to protect. And assuming you're not Reaver, who has a rather strong case of anti-hero himself, and would not help Vandi'laar if you paid him.
Both the Death Knight and Athain could end up joining Vandi, if you pushed their story paths down the correct roads.
Vandi'laar is currently portrayed as rather villainous because you're playing heroes that are either neutral to him or actively opposed to him. Eventually, come arc 2, you'll get to play as people from Vandi's side, or people who are at least more favourable to him.
Yes. Each story segment picks up after the previous one, unless there is something that I need to cover to explore the characters properly.
I will, of course, provide an explanation as to what each of the characters in their respective segments did while we were controlling the other protagonist.
[X] Let us look in to the silent city of Lotherain, where a knight treads the empty streets as the whispers of the damned echo in her mind. Let us witness the story of a knight long dead, raised and forgotten, left alone to wander the desolate ruins of a once-proud city.
More Tempera quests? Another victim of wdango virus?
More Tempera quests? Another victim of wdango virus?
Cassiemouse
Market Atheist
[X] Let us look in to the silent city of Lotherain, where a knight treads the empty streets as the whispers of the damned echo in her mind. Let us witness the story of a knight long dead, raised and forgotten, left alone to wander the desolate ruins of a once-proud city.
Fun times, in the city tonight!
Fun times, in the city tonight!
- Location
- Australia
I am a victim of a terrible schedule, a habit of delaying updates to fit with my schedule which results in me continually pushing off writing so I can avoid feeling guilty for not having updated sooner, and constantly stalling when players choose a vote that runs counter to character/setting concerns and I can't reconcile them.
So clearly, the answer to all these concerns is to begin the quest when I will soon have nothing but chances to write as I'll be sent to a place with no distractions beyond watching every season of Veronica Mars, and writing a quest in which I control characterization and players control actions and plot direction! And, well, provide you guys with mechanical incentives to follow characterization, you'll see.
[x] Let us follow the story of Fiona, a guardswoman in the city of Ashrin, as she prepares for the evacuation of their sacred city. Let us follow her as she witnesses the fall of her city, her land, everything she has ever known.
This sounds appropriately traumatic.
This sounds appropriately traumatic.
- Location
- Singapore
[] Let us follow the story of Fiona, a guardswoman in the city of Ashrin, as she prepares for the evacuation of their sacred city. Let us follow her as she witnesses the fall of her city, her land, everything she has ever known.
Fiona is a [Guardswoman], with the primary traits of the [Commander] and the [Arcane Initiate]. Fiona primarily leads troops, and prefers to avoid throwing herself in the thick of combat, staying back to help protect as many civilians as she can.
Fiona is a [Guardswoman], with the primary traits of the [Commander] and the [Arcane Initiate]. Fiona primarily leads troops, and prefers to avoid throwing herself in the thick of combat, staying back to help protect as many civilians as she can.
- Location
- Seattle, Washington
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Let us witness the story of Reaver, the chieftain of the Redspire clan of the Indeous, near Lotherain. Having watched his people be perverted and destroyed by Vandi'laar, Reaver wishes to satisfy his lust for vengeance by killing Vandi'laar himself.
Reaver is a [Redspire Chieftain], with the primary traits of the [Blood-Born Berserker] and the [Savage Warrior]. He is alone in a land flooded with those hostile to him- exactly the way he likes it.
Reaver is a [Redspire Chieftain], with the primary traits of the [Blood-Born Berserker] and the [Savage Warrior]. He is alone in a land flooded with those hostile to him- exactly the way he likes it.
Dream Logic
An offseason swallow
- Location
- In transit
[X] Let us look in to the silent city of Lotherain, where a knight treads the empty streets as the whispers of the damned echo in her mind. Let us witness the story of a knight long dead, raised and forgotten, left alone to wander the desolate ruins of a once-proud city.
Let's be the Death Knight.
Let's be the Death Knight.
[X] Let us look in to the silent city of Lotherain, where a knight treads the empty streets as the whispers of the damned echo in her mind. Let us witness the story of a knight long dead, raised and forgotten, left alone to wander the desolate ruins of a once-proud city.
The Death Knight looks like she would be fun to play.
The Death Knight looks like she would be fun to play.