We are Musketeers: Redux

The land of Izunra is filled with mystery and magic. Monsters roam between kingdoms as if they were kings, magicians craft wonders from magic in the air, swordsmen of legend cleave mountains as easily as a knife might cut through warm butter. It is a land of storied history and wonders, from the Forgotten Age and its lost technology, to the current Age of Wonder. However this Wonder comes at a cost, the cost of those that are weak being crushed underfoot by those who are strong, the rich overtake the poor, and each day people cry out to the Saints and the Creator for justice only to see their cries disappear into the air without answer. The world is wonderful, but man is unjust and cruel despite their gifts.

But while man might be cruel, men can be merciful, kind, and just. Even if these things are in short supply there are those who have them, who see the world and wish it to be better, but know that wishing is not enough. So these men and women flock to the banner of the Saint of Sword, Count Loric of Ornament. The Count cast away his fortune and lavish lifestyle and took up sword and rifle in the name of the people, swearing an oath to defend those who were abused and who cried out. His legend grew and like minded people flocked to him. Under his training the first generation of Musketeers came to be, creating their own land outside of the control of any other kingdom. With freedom from any set law the Musketeers can deploy anywhere in the world from their hidden city in order to right the wrongs that are cast upon people.

A Musketeer will only hold themselves to three laws.

• I will forever strive to do that which is Just. Even what is Just is not lawful then the law is wrong and will be ignored. The right thing takes precedent over all other things, and I will not be held back from it. If I forget this I will lay aside my cloak and weapons and pledge myself before a lord, enforcing laws even if they don't hold my belief.

• I will endeavor to protect all human life, even the lives of my enemies. I shall only end a life if the following conditions are met. 1. The life which I am about to take can no longer be classified as human, but has descended into that of a demon. 2. By sparing the life of my foe many others will face execution in their place, in order to protect the world I will commit this sin. 3. The enemy whom I face shows such skill that I am forced to acknowledge that fighting at anything less then my best will result in my death and others. Only if one of these three is met will I end the life of another human. If I should forget this I will become a monster filled with blood lust, and will lay aside my cloak and weapons so I may become a beast.

• So long as my body retains strength I will never stop trying to aid others. Even if the entire world is on my shoulders and my back is bent like an old mans I will take the weight from others and carry it. My life is not my own, but simply a tool for which good can be done. If I should forget this and seek personally glory I will lay aside my cloak and weapons and enter the world of nobility, feeding my ego until I am crushed by its weight.

Those who hold these to be true shall be welcomed into the sacred order of the Musketeers and become servants of the people until the end of their days.

Classes

• Master of Arms- A Master of Arms is a Musketeer who strives to find power within the strength of their arms and their chosen weapon. Each has studied long hours and practiced each day in order to use their weapon to its fullest potential. In the hands of a Master of Arms a knife is as deadly as any sword. Beyond this they have honed their own bodies until they reach an understanding of self that allows them to move in a way that wastes no effort, their reflexes are the likes of which could run through a storm and not have a single drop of liquid upon them. They strive to end conflicts in a straight forward way, but despite their best intentions find issues of more subtle natures difficult to grasp.

• Rangers- Rangers are Musketeers who battle from range with a variety of hidden weapons and fast hit and run tactics in order to confuse their enemies. They utilize a wide variety of weapons, from the subtle throwing knife to the powerful Musket to end conflicts quickly. They train in the shadows to hide their natures until they can fully blend in to the background, becoming living shadows whose ever movement is wrapped in mystery. They are prepared for a variety of situations and prefer to be a step ahead of everyone. However due to their solitary nature they at times have trouble communicating their thoughts to others. Their hearts are in the right place, but their communication skills are awful.

• Seekers- Seekers are those who dare to uncover the secrets of the natural world by manipulating the natural mana in the air to form spells and perform wonders. At times what they do appears to be miraculous, as if they were reshaping the world itself to their needs. However this an illusion, the Seeker can only reach forward into the mana with intent, what they draw forth from it may not always be what they expect or plan. It is only with years of meditations and study that a Seeker can come to actually craft the wild mana of the world into a controllable form, and even that provides some difficulty. They are by far the most powerful of the Musketeers, but physically most are frail. The greatest drawback for a Seeker is their sight, which allows them to know others by looking at how the mana of the world reacts to them. Most go mad seeing only darkness in others and become Witch's who cause pain, but should a Seeker stay true they can inspire light into the world.

"Greetings to those who are known as Musketeers, I write this letter never knowing if it will reach you but praying to the Creator and each of the Saints praying that it does. I am the Crown Price of a large Kingdom by the name of Zorim, and I have seen such pain in my kingdom that it rends my heart. Without having made it known I have walked among our people and felt their despair, children dead on their mothers breast for lack of food, priests thrown from their places of worship so that they can be remade into the sanctuary of a witch. Nobles feed of honey and boar while the common people beg for rats. My peoples pain is my own, but I have no power, and even my father the King is made into a figurehead by the Nobles, holding our kingdom hostage with threats of pulling out their money and leaving us defenseless to the more aggressive Kingdoms. But I can no longer stand this, I can't live knowing that my people suffer. I do not ask for you to empower or serve me, I beg you to do what must be done for my people. I don't care if I am cast from my place on the throne and live the life of a commoner working on my hands and knees to scrub floors. Please I cast aside my pride and beg you in the name of the Saint's and the Creator, please save my people. I beg this of you.'

An old man lowered a crumpled letter onto a large wooden table in the center of a large hall, filled with figures wearing red robes with hoods that covered their faces. Also at the table was a pale blonde man with a saber at his side, and a young woman with raven hair and ebony skin who wore pistols on her sides. "This is the request that has come to us," the old man stated.

"I see," the pale man said, steeping his fingers together and looking forward. "If people are being abused then the only action we can take is to strive forward and save them." he smiled confidently and put a hand on his blade, as if he were going to charge forth himself.

The raven haired woman looked less sure. "And if this is a trap, we have never been friends to nobility before, having a Prince write us and begging for his people sounds suspicious to me." her words weren't meant to be unkind, but carried with them an air of realism to them.

"I must rebuke you at that," the old man put a hand over the letter. "This paper carries with it the soul of a gentle person, even with my weak eyes I can still feel the tears that splashed on it while he cursed his own weakness."

With a nod of her head the woman accepted those words. "Very well, but I would still recommend we send a group forward to observe teh situation before we gather all of our forces."

"I agree my dear." the old man replied with a nod.

The pale man frowned but accepted the words of his fellow Musketeers. "I see, then!" he stood up on his chair and looked to the various figured that surrounded the table. "I ask for volunteers for this mission, if you believe yourself ready state your intention so all may know who you are!"

• Character Sheet

"I, [Character Name Here], of the [Your Class here] division ask to be sent on this mission!" [Describe your character taking off their robes and revealing what they look like here]. "In the name of the Saint of Sword I pledge my [Favored Weapon or Magical Ability] and my life to freeing the people of Zorim. The creed I gave upon becoming a Musketeer, [State your characters personal creed, a reason why they have chosen to become a defender of the weak] stand strong and I will not let further injustice happen. Please choose me for this assignment, I ask this in the name of the Saints and the Creator!"

(Feel free to modify the introduction so long as it gets the same message across)

In addition

• Character Image: If you want to add a picture
• Weapon Image: If you desire to show off what your character uses
• Backstory: To give your characters history
• Personality: To give a view into who your character is
• Additional Information: For anything else that might need to be known.

The technology of this world is steam/magicpunk. When you think 'pistol' think a thing loaded with black powder. Bows, Crossbows, and other such technology is still viable in most situations.

Feel free to ask any additional questions.

"I, Fenris Fenborn, of the Master of Arms division, ask to be sent on this mission!"

Fenris takes off his hood, revealing a weather-beaten face and a mountainous physique clothed in animal skins and furs. He is dark-haired and dark-eyed.

"In the name of the Saint of Sword I pledge my greataxe and my life to freeing the people of Zorim. The creed I gave upon becoming a Musketeer, that I would stop anyone who stands in the way of the joy of the people, stands strong and I will not let further injustice happen. Please choose me for this assignment, I ask this in the name of the Saints and the Creator!"

• Character Image: 65 years old, 5'8" and 180 lbs.
• Weapon Image: N/A
• Backstory: Fenish Fenborn was NOT born in a fen, despite his name, but in the great and prosperous kingdom of Zorin. He eventually went to a college for bards soon after he entered adulthood. He traveled for a bit in his youth, joined the Musketeers, and one day decided to return to his beloved home of Zorim. Unfortunately, what he found was far from the place he knew in his youth. He found that both his parents had been killed for being debtors, and many horrors besides. Nonetheless, he wants to save his kingdom.
• Personality: Fenris is really, really, friendly and would buy you a drink if not for his financial woes incurred as a former traveling bard. Nevertheless, he tries to covertly help people as much as he can, and longs to pick up a lute again. Fenris is a fundamentally stout-hearted, reliable individual who is always there for his friends.
• Additional Information: N/A

Edited by JumpingFruit on Oct 6th 2019 at 7:14:26 AM

"I, Silos Salvarim of the Master of Arms division ask to be sent on this mission!" She removes her cloak, revealing a short but slim form and an outfit apparently thrown together from several wardrobes unrelated from her own. She has a perpetual smirk on her face, hazel eyes and brown hair. "In the name of the Saint of Sword I pledge my quarterstaff and my life to freeing the people of Zorim. The creed I gave upon becoming a Musketeer, that I would defend the innocent and vanquish all those corrupt, stands strong and I will not let further injustice happen. Please choose me for this assignment, I ask this in the name of the Saints and the Creator!"

• Character Image: 27 years old, 5'5", 122 lbs.◊
• Weapon Image: N/A
• Backstory: Born illegitimately and left to fend for herself as a street urchin, Silos Salvarim's earliest years were spent pickpocketing and purse-snatching her way through each and every day simply so she could afford to pay for a simple meal. It was her eye for precision and swiftness that eventually attracted the attention of a local fighter renowned for his skill with a quarterstaff. Her failed attempt to rob him of his money one fateful day prompted him to stop her and compliment her on her skills; offering up his teachings in an effort to give the then young girl the ability to properly defend herself against more unkind individuals. Eager to take the opportunity to learn a way other than running in the opposite direction how to deal with her assailants, Silos accepted and spent the next years regularly meeting with him to develop her skills with the weapon, eventually leaving the kingdom to travel the nations after she had been deemed worthy by him to wield her weapon alone. Hearing of the increasingly difficult conditions of the kingdom of Zorin, Silos couldn't help but throw her hat into the ring and volunteer with both the adventure of it in mind and her own sympathy for those suffering in poverty like she had once done.
• Personality: Silos has an unquestionable skip to her step and a spark of mischief in her eyes, but she's kept her experiences from having to survive on scraps of bread and drops of water each and every day and knows how to weasel her way out of conflicts with confusing words and general eccentricities. She is perpetually laidback and calm, somewhat aloof and stubborn to a fault; rarely showing sympathy outright except to those who she feels truly deserve it and otherwise acts in a way like she's playing some sort of long game. Silos is capable of improvising plans on the fly and this is reflective in her fighting style—a suitably chaotic but simultaneously composed display where she uses her environment and other people to her advantage if it means getting the drop on her target. Which is also a fitting description of who she is in general, really. Manipulative (but certainly not unkind), Silos has both the best and most petty of intentions, but she'd be damned if anyone around her got the short end of the stick if they didn't deserve it.
• Additional Information:
  • Silos suffers from kleptomania even to this day, and though she's mostly moved on from her past as a purse-snatcher and pickpocket she occasionally can't help herself to a few goodies when she feels like nobody is watching. Her outfit is a prime example of this; although the dress is custom tailored, the money used to do so was not hers and it has been slowly but steadily decorated with the knickknacks and trinkets she has ‘accidentally’ come across over the years.
  • Her short stature and thin form are due to her lacking in proper sustenance growing up, and has ended up reaching adulthood looking more like a child. She doesn't seem to mind it much, though, as it allows her to be more nimble and harder to catch—even if she's had to had her staff shortened for her so as to lessen the strain of carrying it.

Edited by Enirboreh on Oct 6th 2019 at 3:59:48 PM

• Character Sheet: "I, Leon Richler, of the Seekers division ask to be sent on this mission!" He removes the robe, revealing a tall, dark wavy haired and pale skinned young man with somewhat icy blue eyes, wearing a red and blue vest with various belts connecting to a pair of shoulder guards, interconnected plates forming gauntlets, leather trousers, and black boots. His build is athletic and muscular, making an impression through his clothes. "In the name of the Saint of Sword I pledge my [Ion Driver] and my life to freeing the people of Zorim. The creed I gave upon becoming a Musketeer, to give a free life to those around me so that I may be free as well, stand strong and I will not let further injustice happen. Please choose me for this assignment, I ask this in the name of the Saints and the Creator!"
• Weapon Image: His weapon is a long staff with an odd, large bell at the end, the staff itself has a number of embedded gems and jewels. When the bell "rings" it produces an explosion of lightning. The staff acts as a catalyst and enabler of powerful "Miracles" that he can unleash; verging from blasts of great force to fiery explosions to lightning blasts in a number of configurations, even involving healing. His strongest "Miracle" is called "Invocation of my Dear Sister", which summons a ghastly phantasm of his sister Leena, who died two years ago on her own mission. Leena provides further assistance in battle, but exacts a heavy toll on Leon the longer she stays active.
• Backstory: Coming from a family heavily involved in the Musketeers, Leon's sister died in a mission two years ago, and he did not let this divert him from his path he so chose in the slightest. Apparently he was dragged into a bizarre ritual by his father, Wolfang, who gave him the "Miracle" of "Invocation of my Dear Sister". Wolfang is a strange and controversial figure - a Noble cast out of his own for...certain practices. Wolfang is known as a healer, an alchemist, a seeker of knowledge...and a baffling, horrible tyrant to those around him. According to some, he comes from a lineage dating back to the ancient Forgotten Age. Leon has weathered the strange and horrid parenting of Wolfang, and came out of it his own man. Perhaps despite the best efforts of his father.
• Personality: Leon is driven to basically not be who his father is. The Richler Family has something of a stigma in the Kingdom - and Leon wants to move beyond the family's dire nature. He makes a good effort at being kind, merciful and decent to all those around him, but he's driven to resist the more destructive urges passed down to him. It could be said he is his father's son in more ways than one. Leon is also prone to "punishing" himself, in any number of ways, and is troubled by his own urges which seem in common with those of his father. He does not want to be a monster, and so makes every effort possible at having a good spirit.
• Additional Information: According to him, a relic he possesses called the Tongue of the Forgotten was made by his father and lets him hear what has gone on in locations just a day or two before the current day. Wolfang made it using his...questionable methods, and then badgered Leon into taking it with him.
  • There are a large number of Wolfang based horror stories, many of them completely outlandish...

"I, Loran Lupin, of the Ranger division ask to be sent on this mission!" The robe fell revealing a younger man with long black hair and dark eyes. A small tear was painted on his cheek just beneath the right eye. "In the name of the Saint of Sword I pledge my knives and my life to freeing the people of Zorim. The creed I gave upon becoming a Musketeer, I will use my hands to create a world where people can laugh without fear stand strong and I will not let further injustice happen. Please choose me for this assignment, I ask this in the name of the Saints and the Creator!"

• Character Image: This guy here
• Weapon Image: Several of these
• Backstory: As a child, Loran was part of a travelling circus with his family and the Laughing Palace crew, learning the tricks and picking up his talent as a knife thrower. But having seen more than a few encounters with both nobility and any lowlife causing trouble made him want something else of life, as he basically forced a teacher into raising him as a troublemaker, using his former training to become a respectable musketeer, even if his attitude doesn't make it obvious.
• Personality: As a former circus kid, Loran seems to have a hard time taking things seriously, and shows off more than necessary, but beneath that, there is someone who values other's happiness, and goes around trying to make others laugh. The clown personality and showy attitude helps him hide his skill, and most just treat him like a harmless fool before the time comes to start a fight. But he can be insensitive and let himself get carried away.
• Additional Information: Get you back on that.

Edited by Blueace on Oct 8th 2019 at 9:50:23 AM