Hercine, City of Wonders and Magic - Intest, Worldbuilding and Signup

• Name: Romanus Eidin
• Species/Race: Human
• Gender: Male
• Age: 26
• Appearance: With dull green eyes and short red hair, Romanus is less pale than may be expected and can usually be found dressed in the baggy, well worn black robes of the Church of Epharys*
  Basically, a death deity. The church also carries out assassinations, but this is something all but unknown to most people - I'd be happy to go into more detail or rework things if it is not acceptable or clashes with something
  . Average in build, he is generally unremarkable.
• Possessions:
  • A short sword named Thanatos. It's generally unremarkable aside from having a groove which can be used to poison the weapon.
  • A small wallet - members of his religion generally don't get rich by any stretch of the imagination, aside from the highest clergymen.
  • A pair of gloves, one of which has a tiny flintlock*
    Or whatever the appropriate equivalent would be
    gun sewn into it. It's extremely unlikely to do serious damage to an opponent; it is simply designed to maximise surprise. It must be manually reloaded after each shot, and Romanus only carries five shots to use. As well, there is a risk that he can set his own clothes on fire if he isn't careful, and so its' use is very telegraphed.
  • His robes and a set of commoner clothing underneath it.
  • A few vials of poison.
  • A stiletto that can also be poisoned.
  • A deck of tarot cards he took from his first kill.

Romanus lives in the dormitory wing of the Church of Epharys, but he occasionally ventures outside it.

• Personality: Romanus is possessed of an unusually morbid disposition that strangely manifests itself as calmness, and hardly ever seems to treat anything except serious situations with any amount of urgency. At first glance he can appear slow to act and dim, but he is fairly studious. He tends to take his superiors' (whoever they may be) words at face value. He doesn't tend to concern himself with major debates unless he has a stake in it. Despite all of this, he craves new experiences.
• Skills: Romanus is quite stealthy, and he is fairly skilled with unconventional weapons and small weapons. He is also somewhat nimble. Unusually, magic within a certain radius (to be decided by the GM - probably not too far away) is weakened and acts unpredictably. Fireball spells become weaker, enchantments fail to act, and so on. Furthermore, he can "charge" magical energy sent his way and use it to create small blasts of antimagic.

However, this ability is not without its' drawbacks. He cannot be healed via magical means, and if he picks up an enchanted item it is only as good as its' unenchanted counterparts. He also cannot affect certain types of magic and magitech (i.e. the airships and so on). Stronger spells can blow straight through the field. Too much magical energy can also overwhelm him.

Romanus is also ineffective with anything heavier than light armour and light weapons, and even the former hampers him somewhat.

• Bio: Born in Hercine, Romanus was given over to the Church of Epharys relatively quickly for unknown reasons. There, he absorbed their teachings and quickly proved to be a fervent follower and a surprisingly effective assassin. Prior to the adventure he has mostly stayed in the church, although as mentioned above he has went around Hercine a few times. He has also recently yearned to explore the city more and more often, wishing to see what it has to offer.
• Other: The Church of Epharys is nowhere near a major religion in Hercine. It mostly teaches that all are equal before Epharys (which also behaves as a general personification of death) and that all shall meet him in due time, and thus it is crucial to establish a relationship with him. To this end, his followers pray to him daily, and also try to comfort distressed souls who come to the church. However, there is a less peaceful side to the church. With enough persuasion, they may decide that it is prudent to hasten someone's appointment with death. As a consequence of their beliefs, they tend to put not too much stock in quarrels and grudges - death shall claim them eventually, and justice shall be meted out.

---

I sincerely hope that I'm not doing anything that clashes with the setting, and that I also have avoided making my character too overpowered. I also hope that I have not overstepped my bounds.

edited 16th Jan '12 12:44:22 PM by Flanker66

Locking you up on radar since '09

Not the GM but daltar did say the tech level was around late 14th/early 15th cent so there probably aren't any pistols or rifles at all. You may want to substitute a miniature crossbow instead.

Trump delenda est

Oh. I can always make her teach a different class with the swordfighting as a hobby. What type of classes do they teach specifically?

Lots of magic theory stuff. Also history, math and an assortment of sciences.

Though as I said a swordsmanship professor is doable so you don't need to change anything. Anyway approved

Flanker66: Romanus seems mostly okay, though there are some things to modify. Even rudimentary guns have not being invented mostly due to magic been the easier alternative. I would recommend changing it for a magic missile crystal or mini fireball launcher but the anti-magic field really does put a hamper on that. Hmmmm I'm tempted to break my own rules and letting you have a mini flintlock pistol that was made for your guy specifically because of his circumstances. As for the antimagic... If it's a field I would rather phrase it a damper than a nullifier. Magic around him goes haywire but it isn't negated. Stronger magic could not get negated but it would at least lose some of its potency. At the current level, a fireball cast by an NPC mage of regular skill would only by a warm breeze by the time it touched him.

Anyway, if those terms are alright by you Flanker66 your character is approved! Otherwise we may keep discussing until we reach an agreement.

If I'm sure of something it's that I'm not sure of anything.

Made a few minor changes to her anyways. Namely getting rid of her pegasus in exchange for a dragon bred for flying and got rid of her bartender job.

Dragons are a bit out of limits as mounts. They tend to be too, smart and proud to provide good transportation. If you want something similar however there are Wyverns. They would be to dragons what monkeys are to us.

If I'm sure of something it's that I'm not sure of anything.

Hm. What other type of mounts that fly would work?

Well daltar just said Wyverns...

Some people say I'm lazy. It's hard to disagree.

Yes, I know. I meant other than Wyverns and Pegasi.

Griffin, Hyppogriff, Giant Eagle... That sort of stuff.

If I'm sure of something it's that I'm not sure of anything.

Hi you still acceptin Daltar, I was going to join in the RP's infancy but got side tracked.

"Insert philisophical/funny rambling here"

What about a falcon instead? Only giant.

edited 16th Jan '12 6:21:55 AM by Chariot

Well, that works.

Feel free to join up!

If I'm sure of something it's that I'm not sure of anything.

@Daltar:

I fully accept those terms. I'll happily change things for you.

I'm unsure about the glove weapon - any of the suggestions (like the mini crossbow) are fine by me - so I'll let you decide what's best.

Locking you up on radar since '09

Don't worry, you may have your flintlock hidden gun.

edited 16th Jan '12 12:55:53 PM by daltar

If I'm sure of something it's that I'm not sure of anything.

Ah. Can you check over my sign-up one last time to make sure that I'm managing to follow your rulings? I'm not sure I worded it right.

Also, how are we going to justify the pistol? It's not like the guy has a lot of cash (or many connections, I wager), so it seems a little strange that he could get something so unusual.

Locking you up on radar since '09

Maybe he did a job for a mechnical genius who repaid him that way? or it was a gift from his Church in recogniton of service? A Cult of Assassins would probably have a Q Branch.

Trump delenda est

I was thinking his Church might have arranged for it. Some of the scholars within the Academy could certainly come up with the design. While they concern themselves mostly with magic they have some pretty good all around knowledge.

If I'm sure of something it's that I'm not sure of anything.

Someone may have asked, "could we do this without magic?" at some point I guess.

Perhaps a combination of the two approaches (i.e. some guy in the Academy decided to see if he could make something without magic, and then the Church approached him and acquired the weapon)?

Anyway, thank you very much - I guess I'd better make my presence known in discussion.

Locking you up on radar since '09

Sorry for the delay Daltar but here is the Commander of the Red Guard in Hercine you asked for

• Name: Sigismund Garland.
• Species/Race: Human.
• Gender: Male.
• Age: 43 years old.
• Appearance: Even when you first look at him it's clear that he is a veteran of battle with his entire body covered in scars, of paticular note is one scar that goes from his temple down to his chin. If one looks past all the scars in his face he was still not that handsome, but he has a mighty square clean-shaven jaw and a harsh expression. He does in short looks like he was born to be a commanding officer. His hair is short and black with a stripe of white originating from the scar on the temple.

He is built impressively with large muscels and a great height, standing about 2 meters tall.

• Possessions: Sigismunds weapon of choice is a mighty bastard sword, which when it's tip touches the ground it's pommel still reaches up to his armpit and his armor which he is almost never seen without consists mostly of the standard of the Red Guard: a suit of plate and mail, a scarlet crimson tabard emblazoned by the emblem of the order and a greathelm. But this suit of armor also have some additions that signifies his rank: A special shoulder pad with five stripes and a crimson cape, it too with five black stripes.

\\ Sigismunds office and residence lies in the Red Guards barracks by the Plaza of Faith, near the Cathedral of the Hand and like all Red Guards he lives on the monthly budget and donations.

• Personality: Sigismund is a strict man who enforces a hard dicipline on the men under his command, making sure that they obey the rules and that despite being in a rather peaceful station they are kept in shape according to the standards of the Order. Other than that he is a model for them, pious and devoted to the Hand and their rules albiet jaded and sarcastic (of the Deadpan Snarker variety). When performing his duties in court as the Orders representative in Hercine he often tries to give the Doge his viewpoint of things
• Skills: Sigismund is a skilled warrior, especially with his sword but also with lance and horse, but surprisingly enough his true talent lies in his adminstrative abilities and leadership.
• Bio: The first and most important fact about Sigismund is that he is a Red Guard of the Commander rank and the one in charge over all the members of the Order of the Crimson Sword in Hercine, that is untill someone of higher rank comes and visits of course.

But of course he had a life before he became a Commander. Sigismund was born as the youngest of four brothers and three sisters to a minor noble family in a country somewhat up in the north that had the church as a state religion and because of that he was intended to serve the Church of the Hand one day. But while he certainly was pious he was also a skiled warrior so his father decied that he was going to serve The Order of the Crimson Sword, the unofficial military branch of the Church. \ Since then his life was rather eventful and he rose through the ranks till he reached Commander level. Sigismund was amongs other thing a veteran of the Great Pelugion Cleansing, a campaign in wich a large force from the Order purged the vast underground ruin complex of Pelugion in which a long lost and very important relic was found from monsters, in there he earned about a third of the scars he now carries. Eventually he was stationed in Hercine as the Order's representative in the court and the commander of the force they have in the city.

• Other: Sigismund is a Semi-NPC so to speak, Daltar is allowed to do whatever he wishes with him, but sometimes if he is not currently used I willl take control of him. That is if this is acceptable.

Approved, Clawthewolf.

You may use him as much as you want to and since you made him semi NPC I might move him around when you are not if I have the need to.

If I'm sure of something it's that I'm not sure of anything.

Understood but for now I must go

I don't know if I'll even be joining this, despite liking the idea so much, and I don't know if this character even fits the setting, but... I kinda had to do it. She's, um, based on probably my favourite D&D character that I've ever used, so, um.... Yeah. You can probably see what kind of D&D player I am just from this, ahah. Here's hoping I can somehow slot myself into this.

• Name: Faith Hope Charity, Paladin (Third Class) of the Temple of Our Maiden of the Valley
• Species/Race: Human
• Gender: Female
• Age: 16
• Appearance: An astonishingly pretty girl, with long blonde hair tied into a stylish braid and green eyes. She's a bit on the tall side for a girl her age, but not to the point that she towers over others. Faith possesses a somewhat toned physique, although it doesn't look nearly enough to pull off the feats of strength she routinely does. Her expression is almost always a vapid, gormless smile. When not wearing her armour, she usually wears something stylish, yet practical. At all times she wears a cute pink beret on her head.
• Possessions: Faith wears a suit of intricately decorated plate armour, which has been enchanted to be both light and provide a bit more defence than regular armour would. She is armed with a powerful hammer, a holy ancestral relic that is large and heavy enough that most men would struggle trying to weild it two-handed. As a holy relic, it deals more damage against unholy and undead targets (not that it has any trouble causing vast amounts of damage to any target, seeing how strong and heavy it is). She rides about on a large, sturdy white warhorse named Bissonomy, an exceptionally strong and intelligent steed that would be considered the brains of the two were it not for her inability to speak.
• Personality: Ditzy, airheaded and more than a little dim, but capable of occasional flashes of insight and common sense. In D&D terms, she'd be a high wisdom/low intelligence build. She's always cheerful and gets along with just about anyone, although this is likely because she's too dense to realise when someone doesn't like her. The only real exception are elves. She is horribly, horribly prejudiced towards elves, thinking that they are nothing but a bunch of aloof treehuggers who look down on everyone else.
• Skills: Whilst her intelligence is somewhat questionable, Faith's physical abilities are incredibly impressive. Although she doesn't look it, she's astonishingly strong, able to lift and swing her hammer one-handed despite its size and weight. She's also exceptionally skilled in combat and can use just about any weapon she picks up, although she favours her hammer. As a paladin, she possesses low levels of white magic, mostly healing charms, physical buffs and protective wards. She usually has no problem with finances, as her father's adventuring career has left her family exceedingly rich.
• Bio: The daughter of a famous hero who was rumoured to have saved the world from some ancient evil back in his prime. However, whilst her father was raised on the streets and had to work his way up to the top, she has had the luxury of being born into the upper class, and has never really known any hardships in her life. As her parents were often rather busy whilst she was growing up, she was instead put into the care of the Temple of Our Maiden of the Valley, a temple dedicated to a great female saint and war hero from ages past. However, other the years her word and scriptures had been corrupted, turning an order originally dedicated to good appearance, proper etiquette and serving the community into a vapid, shallow cult obsessed with such things as fashion and fitting in to be popular. Faith has been seen as something of a problem child for the temple, as she seems more of a throwback to the original meanings of Our Maiden of the Valley's word rather than what it has degraded to. However, as her father is in such high esteem (and is very, very rich), they couldn't just excommunicate her, so instead she's been sent out on a quest to find the true meaning of Our Maiden's word.
• Other: Faith speaks in a rather strange dialect she picked up at the temple, one that would probably seem less out of place in, say, 90s California. "Like, I totally don't get what's, like, so wrong with the way I, like, speak, girlfriend!"

Question: would you even consider accepting a serial killer?

If not, I have other ideas~

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