Last Stand of the Sorcerers - Sign Up

Game thread.

Discussion thread.

Witches and wizards, swords and sorcery, ghouls and goblins, kings and queens. These are the traits of the land of Elsira, a great and majestic realm stretching from the sea to the far away mountains. A great home from which mighty heroes and powerful spellcasters were born. Under the benevolent rule of generations of wise kings, this kingdom prospered like never before.

That's what the old stories say anyway.

To be sure, there are plenty of witches and wizards cursing people, swords and sorcerers to rob the helpless, ghouls and goblins to plague the land, and a king and queen completely indifferent to the needs of the people. But gone are the heroes of old, the great and wise mages and the valiant swordsmen. Instead a corrupt government rules a land that is the victim of constant attacks by the monsters that seem to spawn from everywhere. The great powers that fill the land are in the hands of a select elite who serve themselves first and foremost and offer only token protection to the masses.

That changed with the arrival of a man named Simon. Nobody knows were he came from. Some say he was a thief who broke into a nobleman's house, others say he was a noble himself in disguise. Whatever the case, Simon began going from town to town, village to village, asking men and women to come join him in learning magic to fight off the monsters that plagued the land. Many thought him a charlatan, or a madman. None but those in the highest social classes knew magic! But the few who chose to follow him found that Simon did possess a tome of spells. More importantly, he knew how to read the ancient runes and taught his new troops, if the ragtag bunch could truly be called troops. From farmers to barmaids, woodsmen to blacksmiths, a variety of the common folk joined Simon. The training was rigorous, not everyone had what it took to be a mage and a warrior and many had to leave, but many others excelled. Though few in numbers, they had spirit and a genuine drive to learn and help others.

For two years Simon and the Sorcerers, as they became known, took the battle to the monsters and brigands. From their base in the forest, a huge fort long abandon, they traveled back and forward across the land as a vigilante group dedicated to the safety and security of the common folk. Slaying monsters and defeating rogues, the Sorcerers quickly became a paramilitary organization fast growing and getting more powerful everyday.

Not everyone was pleased with the new upstart band of heroes though. The old wizards and nobles resented Simon for teaching commoners magic, and their prowess as fighters with ordinary weapons threatened to rival the regular army's. Alarm especially grew when the rank and file Sorcerers began calling for land and title reform once the lands had become safer. Frustrated with the lack of noble support, the Sorcerers and their sympathizers began to clash with the ruling elite and their loyalists. Events came to a head when Simon openly called for the Chief Warlock of Elsira to legitimize the Sorcerers as a royal military arm serving the kingdom.

To everyone's surprise the Chief Warlock accepted.

To the Sorcerers horror, the Chief Warlock betrayed Simon.

A day after the vigilante leader went to negotiate with the palace, his body was put on display for all the world to see. The Chief Warlock accused Simon of attacking him, of wanting to use the Sorcerers to launch a coup. The palace wasted no time in declaring the Sorcerers traitors and ordering their arrest. It did not take long for the situation to get out of hand and fighting broke out across the kingdom. Though at this point strong and experienced, the Sorcerers did not have the numbers of the army, the knowledge of the royal mages, or the money and material that the palace did.

Scattered across the kingdom, many Sorcerers were captured or killed before they even learned why. Those who managed to escape the clutches of the Chief Warlock retreated to their forest fortress, where protective spells have kept their enemies at bay.

Their leader gone, their brothers and sisters captured or killed, cut off from the outside world and now besieged by the military and their mages, the Sorcerers started off trying to be heroes, but what is shaping up to be their greatest battle may very well their last stand.

Hiya people! Hope you got through all that without falling asleep. Anywho, to make a long story short, you are one of the Sorcerers. A member of the paramilitary band of low level magic using warriors who normally fight to keep the public safe but have run afoul of the government and are now fighting for their very lives. If this was a book then we'd be at the climax after many chapters of political wheelings and backroom dealings.

Your last stronghold is surrounded. You're running out of supplies and no rescue is coming. Together with your fellow Sorcerers, you must decide if you are going to make a stand here, try to make a fighting escape, or if worse comes to worse give up and throw yourselves at the mercy of the palace.

You have fought nobly and bravely up till now. But is this a battle you can win?

CHARACTER SHEET

• Name: What do we call you?
• Sex: Boy or Girl?
• Age: How old are you?
• Appearance: What do you look like?
• Magic: See this post.
• Weapon: Do you fight with more than magic? What do you carry?
• History: Where are you from? What did you do before becoming a Sorcerer? Why did you join? What's you opinion on all this?

If you plan to make a sign-up right away just leave the magic section blank for now. I'm still working on the finer details for that. If anyone has any questions or suggestions don't hesitate to ask!

edited 18th Mar '13 7:04:47 PM by Parable

Super cool! I'll make sure to sign up. Also, do we need to be sorcerors, or can we do nobles who have defected?

You can be a noble who joined the Sorcerers. Perfectly fine!

Sweet! When do you think magic specifics will be up? I'm gonna refrain from signing up till then, so's I can avoid pre-emptive rule breaking.

Hopefully within the hour.

Looks fun, Par.

Quick question: Are we all humans?

Yes.

Further question! Describe the principles of what magic does and what we have available.

Sounds less like a question and more like a demand.

And one that I agree with.

Magic

I don't have to explain it!

Okay, yes I do. The original tome Simon taught out of consisted of many basic spells which all the Sorcerers learned before setting out into the world. In the two years since then they had acquired a few more books of magic that taught different or more advanced spells.

While most anyone can learn magic, it takes practice and time to hone one's skills in even the most basic spells. Its not uncommon for a would-be spellcaster to spend weeks studying to master just one spell. The power of magic is taken from the physical body, so in addition to studying and grasping the concept behind the runes in the old tomes, Sorcerers have to be physically fit in order to cast spells continuously throughout the day.

Basic Spells everyone should know even if they can't do them very well include:

• Light Orb: A small ball of light in the hand that illuminates the nearby area. Magical equivelant of a torch.
• Fireball: Ball of fire you can toss around.
• Wind Gust: Strong gust of wind aimed in a certain direction.
• Heal: Basic healing spell for cuts and bruises. Soothes pain.
• Plant Control: Allows for the mobility of a targeted plant so long as its roots remain the ground. Doesn't work on trees or cacti. For some reason few people bother to remember this one.
• Water Manipulation: Move a limited amount of water around.
• Shield: A semi-transparent telekinetic barrier coming from the hand.
• Levitate: Allows an object to float in midair.

As stated earlier, all Sorcerers were supposed to know these. In time more tomes were found and more spells learned. Some were based on the basics already learned, while others were entirely separate branched of magic entirely.

Characters should list what kind of spells they wish to specialize in and I will provide more advance magic from that area. Types of spells not listed may be allowed but subject to GM discretion. If you have ideas please let me know and I'll see if I can work them in.

Ok! Here's my signup, because I have nothing better to do.

Attempt 2:

Name: Tanner Jones

Sex: Boy

Age: 19. (If children are allowed, I'd like him to be a 12 year old.)

Appearance: Tanner has dark brown hair with green eyes. He's always been a little tall for his age. Definitely a Megane.

Magic: Tanner can cast most basic spells, and specializes in Emotionally themed magic. Heart Is an Awesome Power, after all, and his youth makes his emotions very unstable. The more upset he is, the more powerful his magic is. He also can mess with people's opinions, feelings, and other mental stuff.

Weapon: None, but Tanner is very VERY poor at Hand to Hand.

History: When Tanner was very young, his parents both subscribed to Simon. Naturally, when his family went into hiding with the remaining sorcerors, he was dragged into it. Sorcery is all he has known, so he is very defensive of his abilities.

Feel free to tell me if anything needs to be fixed!

edited 6th Mar '13 2:23:11 PM by mrminun

I have an idea for a character, but where he'd start off on the side of the nobles, trying to hunt the sorcerers down. Once he learns that the King never planned on giving him the nobility he wanted, he would switch sides. Is an Antihero like that acceptable?

mrminun: I cannot accept your character as is. Necromancy is high level magic that Tanner would have no way of knowing and would be considered criminal if he did. His history is incredibly lacking and while there is something to be said for brevity this is way to brief. Not to mention it describes him as accompanying his parents to the fort when he was very young but the Sorcerers have only been around for two years.

I'm also wondering why his name changed from Tanner to Megane in the Appearance section.

Theodore: At some point in the future that would work but at the start of the game the Sorcerers are on the ropes. Even if he was mad at the king for not giving him what he thought was his due, suddenly joining a branded traitor group is basically signing his own death warrant with no reason to expect he'd get anything in return.

I understand. If this antihero wouldn't work at the beginning, does that imply that it could work later on? You're right in stating my character probably wouldn't put all his chips on the Sorcerers if it's a suicide mission, but if the Sorcerers are strong enough to possibly overthrow the King and replace him with someone willing to grant my OC nobility, then he would definitely switch sides; first for his own selfish interests and later for the good of all.

It's just a thought; if you'd rather have someone else, just say the word and I'll come up with something.

Yeah, that character would work somewhere down the line, assuming the Sorcerers get out of their present situation alive, but at the present all starting characters much already be card carrying members of the Sorcerers.

I'm afraid the only sorcerer I've got is Prometh, and I'd rather not use him in two R Ps happening at the same time. :P

I'll wait to see where this goes, then I'll join with my wannabe noble. ;)

I don't think you're limited to just Squishy Wizard Glass Cannon types, in case that's what you mean by only having one sorcerer at your disposal. I plan on making a guy with an ax who uses plant magic. Probably. I hope.

The Sorcerers don't have to be squishy wizards you know. They come from different backgrounds and lifestyles and their lives from before reflect who they are now. Don't think of them as wizards who fight bad guys, think of them as warriors who also use magic to fight bad guys.

I understand, but at the moment I'm having some trouble coming up with a suitable character. Perhaps I'll think of one later, but for now I'll wait till my gentryman can make a move.

Ok, I'll fix Tanner's skill to not be so powerful, and I'll add some more history. Also, Megane is a trope...

Ah, Parable mentioned in a chat that he realized that after sending the message. Looking forward to see what you come up with next!

Meanwhile, here is my addition to the Sorcerers.

• Name: Former Sister Ariadne Bluerose
• Sex: Female
• Age: 33
• Appearance: Sister Ariadne is a woman with a well defined musculature, strong though not stocky. She has a height of 1,75 meters, with long powerful legs. Her eyes are deep blue in color, with a little mole underneath her right eye. Her blond hair is long enough to reach her waist and she usually wears it in a single braid. While she keeps her nun habit in her clothing chest, now days she mostly wears male clothes as well as armor.
• Magic: Ariadne is a bit of a generalist, never having specialized too much in a single spell while trying to master them all. Her side job in the rebellion as a teacher of knowledge as well as skill at arms and magic make it even more important for her to know to heart her base. Still, while in battle Sister Ariadne makes us mostly of Levitate, Shield, Wind Gust and Heal as well as advanced forms of those spells.
• Weapon: Ariadne's weapon of choice are spears and polearms, which she wields with deadly efficiency.
• History: Ariadne is an orphaned child given to the Bluerose Church to raise... a small stone temple on the outskirts of town where many stray and orphaned children wound up. Left there on a basked a few days after her birth, Ariadne never knew her biological parents. Still, the young girl never felt the need for them with the teachings of the Church and the care of the nuns of the Bluerose Temple. As a girl with a strong temperament she soon became something of a big sister figure for all the other orphans, even some which were older than herself. She in turn took on the responsibility for all of her brothers and sisters, doing her best to guide and take care of each of them in turn. Many of the orphans took off into the city once they became of age... but Ariadne always had a new batch of little brothers to take care off. To the point where she finally decided to embrace the teachings of the Church wholeheartedly and remain for the rest of the days in the orphanage as a nun. However, as a little temple on the outskirts of town, Bluerose ended up in the sight of trouble from monsters and bandits more than once. With a zeal brought of her desire to protect her own Ariadne always honed her body, not trusting anyone else but herself to keep her own safe. Armed with nothing improvised weapons (sometimes nothing more than a broom) she would keep watch for the weird noises that came in the night and more than once did she beat back the little threats that would come calling to her home. However, two years back there came a threat that no scythe, not broom and no pots would be able to overcome. An attack by a group of brigands seeking a new base of operations which targeted her Temple. Ariadne fought fiercely, but without proper training, weapons or support she was forced down and nearly beaten to an inch of her life. Everything seemed lost... until the moment where Simon and his fledging group of Sorcerers came to the rescue. In her moment of greatest lost, of greatest despair, she saw light in the form of those brave warriors and obtained a new hope. By the end of the battle, Bluerose Church was nearly a ruin, many of the nuns and some of the orphans lay dead... And thus, with the loss of her home burning in her heart, Ariadne's resolution became clear. She collected favors from her older brothers and sisters to take in the remaining orphans and then chased Simon's group to enlist as one of the most fervent believers in their cause. She took to training in both arms and magic wholeheartedly, with a passion borne out of zeal. She worked for nearly every waking hour until she became one of the best fighters in the Sorcerers. Then her fervor did not die out... but merely was directed elsewhere. The student became a teacher and driving terror into the hearts of the newest recruits while at the same time protecting and supervising them as they grew made Ariadne feel almost at home... and gave her heart a bit of peace. That is... until the betrayal the Sorcerer's faced and the death of the figure which had moved her heart two years before. Now her heart boils with righteous rage only tempered by her need to protect those close to herself. Now, she works to ensure the survival of her people... while doing her best to suppress her desire to march right to the capital cutting a bloody path to the traitorous Chief Warlock... and letting her tears of pain only show when she is alone.

edited 6th Mar '13 12:40:51 PM by daltar

Just to double-check, are you talkin' medieval tech with bows or crossbows, and not like, hand cannons and muskets or anything, right? Unless you are talkin' about that. I'm not going to give my dude a ranged weapon so this is more for curiosity's sake

Hmm... have actually been stalking this for quite a while.

Anyways, here's my sign up!

Name: Tyriel Darkwind (the last name he added it himself)

Sex: Boy

Age: 15

Appearance: This.◊Only that, he won’t be dumb enough to reveal himself in the open like that without a plan in mind.

Magic: In addition to be able to cast basic spells, he’s far more proficient in Wind-based magic, particularly in self-enhancement. This combined with his natural talent had certainly assisted him in many occasions. He can temporarily turn himself ‘invisible’ by manipulating the air molecules around him, creates wind current on his feet to allow faster movement, reduce sounds produced by his feet to allow stealthier approach and has limited flight capability(though he can only maintain this for a few seconds. It can still be used to jump over very large gaps or tall buildings). Offensively, Tyriel can utilizes his magic to perform ‘Wind Strike’, where he’ll unleash a rush of air that concentrates into several fast and hard-to-see narrow blades. Often times he uses this to disarm his opponents by attacking their weapon arms’, though depending on the circumstances he’ll have no qualms aiming directly towards them. Due to his mastery over the element of Wind, he’d discover the affinity of Sound. By closing his eyes, focusing on his surroundings through both the flow of the wind and his sense of hearing alone, even the faintest of sound will not escape his ears; thus allowing him to detect any anomalies around his general area. This requires intense concentration however, as he haven’t mastered it properly.

Weapon: A curved dagger, mounted wristblade on his left hand, throwing knives and a few smoke bombs tucked in his belt. While not a hand-to-hand expert, he does know a few bits on how to fight unarmed when necessary.

History: Being a street rat from an underdeveloped town, life was pretty harsh for Tyriel even at a very young age. His father in jail for crimes that he committed, his mother ill on bed, unable to move while his younger sister’s starving, still too little to understand the troubles inflicted upon the family, he obviously did what was necessary just so they could survive in this cold, unforgiving world. Over the years, he and his family had managed to come by(barely) with Tyriel’s thieving and pickpocket expertise. But as the threat of monsters and bandits rose, so too the townsfolk’s and the local guards’ awareness of the town’s security; to the point where Tyriel’s activities is severely limited and heavily monitored.

With Tyriel’s main source of income blocked, desperation wanes over him. One day while he was outside of the town presumably being chased away by the local guards, a group of people approach him claiming themselves to be mercenaries. While Tyriel would normally ignore them altogether, the outrageous amount of money they’re willing to offer had tempted the thief. With the ongoing banditry and monster attacks going on, his town are unwilling to trust outsiders and kept its gate shut but the band seems really intended to gain entrance and rest within the safety of its wall instead of spending the night in the open. All he needs to do is to find a way to open the gates and the bags of gold that could potentially change his entire life would be his. Through a series of events, he managed to do just that. By the time he got out of the gate tower, he was expecting his just reward…. Only to witness true carnage right before his very eyes. Villagers were screaming, the guards were shouting orders while hordes of bandits and horsemen charged towards the very opening provided by Tyriel himself. One of them stopped, the ones who tempted the thief in the first place, and gave Tyriel a malicious grin. A grin that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Either through sheer stroke of luck, Fate’s divine intervention or the bandit chief’s way of saying ‘thanks’, Tyriel had managed to escape throughout the entire ordeal, though not without injuries. While crumpling his way along the road, his vision blurred due to extreme tiredness. His last vision before he fell from unconsciousness was that of another group of people; possibly another gang of bandits, he presumed. The next day, he was awake, conscious with his wounds fully tended to. Which surprises Tyriel upon the discovery that he’s still alive and is lying on a bed in an unknown room. At which point, someone(a healer, most likely) entered the room and called the others once noticing that the boy’s awake. They treat Tyriel well enough, asking him some questions regarding on his health and the likes. When asked about his origin however, he merely kept quiet until finally spoke that he has nowhere to return to. Noticing the change in the atmosphere, he quickly asked about what are they and why did they help a random stranger on the road instead of just robbing him clean. That is when he heard about the Sorcerors, stories about Simon, the purpose of the organization and the likes which had greatly captivated young Tyriel. He also happened to hear that they were currently looking for new recruits among their orders. Having nothing else left to lose, not when he can never go back to his previous life before everything began to fall apart and act like nothing happened, he reluctantly volunteer himself to join among the ranks of the Sorcerors.

The first few months being a Sorceror was tough for him considering that his past trauma was still fresh in his mind. As time passes however, he began to grow more open towards others, actually enjoying his new life of saving others from the threats the world has to offer that he was no longer haunted by his nightmares. Then again, he may have done these as some sort of redemption to atone for his past actions. That, and he’s eternally grateful for having others to live for, the Sorcerors especially Simon for creating the organization. If this had continued on, he would’ve led a content life with the shadows of his past buried forever from his heart.

However, all good things must come to an end. The major incident of Simon being killed and displayed to the world had shook Tyriel hard. Simon’s not knowing what would’ve happened and the Chief Warlock’s betrayal had reopen his old wounds; wounds that he did not wish to remember. Will he stood his ground, trying to defend his new life even if it means impending death or would he succumb to the darkness within, abandoning everything once more?

Annnnd done!

Though I have to admit that I've overdone the History part of the Sign Up ^^;

So, is there anything that requires changing?

edited 10th Mar '13 1:56:12 PM by JustSomeGuy732

Name: Micahel Willowcove. Please don't call him Mike. Ever.

Gender: Male
Age: 20
Appearance: Tallish and on the lean side. For the rest, there you go (don't look too closely, I sort of whipped it up on the fly).

Magic: Aside from the basic stuff, I would like for him to be focusing on using light and heat to create illusions. Obviously, they wouldn't be able to withstand touch, nor are they entirely perfect and holding them for very long is hard...But he's working on it.

Weapon: Micahel favours the rapier, though he is familiar with other sorts of swords, including a slim dagger that he carries as back-up. Other than fencing, he's sufficiently proficient in hand to hand combat to defend his own life if he must...probably. He considers his brain to be his best weapon, though.

History: Micahel was born the heir to a successful trading dynasty. His family isn't quite nobility, but they are certainly wealthy and influential in every respect that matters.
They own a small fleet of trading vessels and sponsor a goodly amount of caravans, they run several smithies, shipyards and vineyards, they import and distribute luxury goods, they sit on town-councils and have people in all the major guilds – in other words, they have their fingers in pretty much every pie in the country and have intimate ties with many a noble house.
So all that was ever expected of young Micahel in return for all the wealth and privilege was to be...well, the perfect heir.
To that end, he was tutored by the best instructors money could buy in mathematics, languages, political and economic theory, geography and any other discipline that might come in handy to the head of a trading empire from the day he could talk – and he learned. He was drilled in navigation, riding, fencing and hand-to-hand combat, because any merchant worth his salt must be able to safely get his goods to his customers – and Micahel learned that, too.
Nobody ever asked Micahel what he wanted. If they had, he probably would have told them that all that he wanted was a quiet, warm study and walls lined with books. Because he doesn't care much for sales projections, taxation, inflation and profit. He's not interested in shady schemes, bribery and political agendas. He doesn't want to run a trading empire.
Because Micahel is no ambitious merchant. He's a bookworm. He likes to discover knowledge; to understand what makes the world tick. \\ So it probably isn't very surprising that he took an eager interest in magic. It wasn't even that far fetched an interest. His family might have bought him into an apprenticeship to a proper wizard with almost no financial strain involved...but the one time he broached the subject to his father, he was met with a cool and definitive, 'No', followed by an hour if listening to an equally cool lecture on family duty and responsibility. The Willowcove family could hire wizards to protect their shipments and caravans. The main branch could not hire an heir. Micahel was going to be his father's legacy, whether he wanted to, or not.
What followed were years of listless compliance and frozen, business-like relations with his family. Eventually, Micahel gave up resistance all together and settled for the numb drudgery of economics, rather than the excitement of exploration. He grew used to the exasperated sighs of the family elders, their open discussions of his 'insufficient performance' and his father's disappointed, trenchant looks. He resigned himself to never meet expectations. So what if he eventually started feeling like he was suffocating? It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter...
And then, one day, while he was accompanying one of his family's caravans in order to gain some experience, he was offered a choice. The caravan was attacked by high-way men, the wizard they had hired fled and those of the guard that didn't follow suit were killed. Micahel himself was left for dead – only to be found and saved by a bunch of Sorcerers.
To make a long story short, he saw his chance to escape the smothering demands of his elders and pursue his own interests and he took it. It took some begging and grovelling until he had convinced them that he wasn't there to infiltrate them, but, even though it was very reluctant, he was eventually allowed to join. Of course, that was a year before 'his people' became officially the enemy...
Now he feels like he is in way over his head, slithering from one uncontrollable situation into the other, all the while feeling like the people surrounding him might not quite trust him and his allegiances...It might be just his imagination and one too many history lessons, but when they look at him, he can't help but think that they are thinking things like '...after all, he was born and bred to look out for maximum profit and calculate risks; to get ahead. It's in his blood. What is to say that he wont sell us all out in order to strike a deal and get himself to safety?'
...and sometimes, Micahel hears a tiny voice in his head asking the same thing and telling him to get out of there while he still can.


Well, I guess it turned out a bit long...I hope this sort of character is agreeable to you.

edited 10th Mar '13 8:49:41 AM by montmorencey

Save me a seat, I'll post something when I get home.