Riders of the Storm

Valen

Well-Known Member
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Behind the walls of an impenetrable mountain range, deep within the Unapproachable East, there lies a kingdom of unimaginable beauty. A kingdom where the walls are set with beautiful rubies, and where the streets are lined with gold and inlaid with glittering gems. There, inside this lost kingdom, the streams run with silver, and the people that live within.....they live lives of idyllic tranquility.

It was not always so.

Once, many hundreds of years ago, there dwelt an evil warlord by the name of Tan Chin. The ruler of a fell realm of demonic oni, the warlord travelled down the Great Silk Road, deep into the mountains of this mysterious realm, and he spied the hidden kingdom of unearthly beauty. Tan Chin, desirous of this kingdom, vowed to conquer it and bring its subjects under his rule. Returning to his realm, he raised an army of demons and hurled them against the kingdom in his obsession.

This hidden kingdom, this Shangri-La of humankind was not defenceless though. Inside its walls, the fiercest monks and martial artists gathered, and with the courage and blessing of the Padhrasattava, stood against the approaching demon army. Standing at their head was the blessed of the gods themselves, Tsenya Garbo, their leader. Tsenya, realising that hundreds of thousands of lives would be lost in the battle, instead challenged the warlord Tan Chin to single combat. If Tan Chin won, he would have Tsenya's realm for himself. If he lost, he would have to take his army and leave, never to return for five hundred years. In his pride, the warlord accepted the terms, so convinced was he that he would win the duel.

The two of them battled with both sword and spell for three days and three nights in a war that seemed that it would never end, so perfectly matched were the two. Yet at the end of their bloody conflict, Tsenya Garbo finally emerged victorious.

Defeated and bloodied, the warlord nevertheless honoured the terms of their battle -- the gods themselves demanded no less. Taking his army, Tan Chin retreated to the empire of Solon, and there he consolidated the grip on his throne. As he did so, he kept his jealous eyes on the beautiful realm he so desired for his own, even as he once more built up his power. And as years rolled into decades rolled into centuries, the warlord remained patient, for the time would come when the terms of their conflict would pass, and the time would come to strike once more.

And as the years passed, Tsenya Garbo grew old and complacent. So certain in his belief that he was protected and beloved by the gods, he became nothing more than a shadow of the man that he once was. And as the armies of Solon gathered their strength once more, and the warlord began to dream his dreams of conquest, his victory seemed all but inevitable......

Five hundred years have passed since that fateful battle, and whilst Tsenya Garbo has forgotten that which came before, the warlord once again turns his gaze eastwards.....

***​

Soon, the Unapproachable East will erupt into the bloodiest and deadliest conflict that the world has ever seen. And into the middle of this conquest, a group of adventurers will stumble into the centre of this deadly situation. Lost and alone, they are tasked with averting a war between two kingdoms. Soon however, this mission will become one of deadly import for them.

And thus begins an epic quest set in a mystical and beautiful part of the Realms that has only been seen by the luckiest few. This will be a tale of life, of love and heroism against almost unimaginable odds. This is a tale of beautiful princesses, a tale of fearsome dragons, of demons and the living dead, and of knights in shining armour. It is a tale that will live on, both in this world and the world beyond. It is a tale that you will carry in the deepest parts of your heart and soul for forevermore.

Will our heroes become the destined champions that fate would decree them to be, or will they be lost in the shadow that sweeps over the land?

Come forward my champions -- come be the protectors of the weak, and the heroes you were always destined to be.

This is an epic quest the likes of which the world has never seen before....and will never see again.
 
Hello all, a year ago I attempted to run the above game. This is a reboot of said campaign posted to see if there is any interest in this game.

My name is Valen and I am proud to be the storyteller of a game set within a little explored region of Faerun called the Unapproachable East. You will begin the adventure on the outskirts of the region, in a city called Shou Lung. For more information on the region and of Faerun in general, please click on the preceding link and also here.

From there, you will begin the adventure of your lifetime.

In terms of the tone of the game, think a cross between Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and the Neverending Story and you will not be far wrong.

For those brave and stout of heart to stand against an unstoppable evil warlord, here is a quick guide as to what I am looking for in an application:

Name:
Race:
You can select from the following :- Human, Elf, Dwarf, Gnome, Halfling, Half-Orc
Class/Occupation: You can select from the following broad archetypes: Warrior, Rogue, Wizard, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk
Gender:
Age:


Provide me with more detailed information on the following:

Appearance:
Personality:
Backstory:
Tell me how you came to Shou Lung, and what your life has been like since you arrived.
Strengths/Weaknesses: Provide me with three of each
Aspirational Powers/Abilities: These can be anything you can think of - however I'm thinking along the lines of abilities such as Pick Lock, Find/Remove Traps as a Rogue, or spells for a Wizard/Cleric/Druid you would like to gain during the course of the game. Be as creative as you like. I'm looking for a list of ten such powers from you and you will gain these abilities at certain story milestones throughout the game.

I will be looking for five people to join a character of my own for the trip. If I receive more than five applications for the game then I will review each of these before making my selections.

Good luck in advance for all those who apply.
 
So the names give me a sorta Mongolian feel, are all races Asian-ish, or just humans? If the other races aren't, what are they? Will this be a dice-rolling roleplay or no?
 
Not all. Predominantly Asian but there are a mixture of cultures here. No dice rolling, it will purely be rp based.
 
Awesome! Just a few more questions: Are the elves specifically moon elves or any type? How do you feel about non straight and/or non cisgender characters? Do you care whether a picture and/or a written description is used?
 
I’m still interested in running it, but will likely need a bit more interest. Ideally between 4 to 6 in total but I’d be happy to kick it off with 4.
 
If this is still open I have a character for it:

Name: Adine Dunne

Race: Human

Class/Occupation:
  • A kind of weird warrior/wizard if that’s alright with you. I kind of heard a bit of the legend of Cu Chulainn, read about the geas stuff, and extrapolated from there. If this won’t work, I’ll write another character.
Gender: Female

Age: 22

Appearance: Straight dark brown hair in a bob cut, green eyes, somewhat tanned skin, lean & toned build. Slightly taller than average. Typically wears patched-up chainmail over a worn light gambeson, reaching to slightly below the knees, along with a slightly dinged up kettle helmet worn with a chinstrap. Wears a belt with pouches and a rondel dagger on the right side, carries a ~7ft halberd when she can get away with it and a staff when she can’t.

Personality: Very straightforward; goal-oriented and practical. Habitually honest. Views duty, honor, and determination as important character traits to judge people by. Curious enough to wander halfway across the world to see what’s out there. Can be a bit talkative when explaining herself. Tends to fixate on details.

Backstory: Tell me how you came to Shou Lung, and what your life has been like since you arrived.
  • Born a peasant in Not!Europe and apprenticed to scholarly wizard at 12 with intent to have an eventual career in violence. Learned about geasa and some other types of magic there while working as wizard’s assistant; focused on geasa.
  • Took combat lessons from standing army in Not!Europe while apprentice; started when 14.
  • Mercenary when 18; hired as guard for caravan.
  • Wanderlust. Worked for a caravan. When that reached its destination, volunteered for another caravan. Repeated until halfway across the globe from Not!Europe. Currently horrendously and gleefully lost.
  • Recently arrived to Shou Lung; currently exploring city while looking for a new job.
Strengths/Weaknesses: Provide me with three of each
  • Geas – holding self to an oath in return for strength/ability proportionate to limitation; breaking of geas causes harmful backlash reducing self to a state weaker than they were to begin with. Oathbearer is aware of whether or not an action complies with an oath. Currently limited to affecting self and voluntary recipients. Bonuses determined by GM.
    • Forsake dedicated ranged weaponry – forbidden from using weaponry created with ranged use as a main goal; bows, javelins, firearms, siege engines, rocks chosen with the intent to use as projectiles, etc. Increased skill and attributes (e.g. strength, speed, dexterity) when using melee weaponry proportionate to inconvenience caused by lack of ranged weaponry since swearing of oath. Sworn when 16, held through some combat training and years of mercenary work.
    • Sworn to honesty – forbidden from knowingly lying, deceiving, or misleading. Increased strength of geas – both positive and negative effects – proportionate to inconvenience caused by oath since swearing. Sworn when 13, held through most of apprenticeship, training, and years of mercenary work.
  • Skill with melee armaments; mostly two-handed polearms with a bit of dagger to be used when opponents pin said polearm and try to get close. Currently uses halberd and rondel dagger. Some experience with other melee armaments (swords, shields, axes, etc.) from training.
  • Unfamiliar with local language; only fluently speaks Not!English and trader’s cant. Only knows a few phrases in other languages. Multilingualism probably isn’t very common in a nation as isolated as the Unapproachable East (seriously I don’t know if it’s intentional or even the real name of the place but the name/title “Unapproachable East” just screams isolationism and xenophobia); will likely leave a bad impression on NPCs and interfere with diplomacy, possibly giving Adine new enemies.
Aspirational Powers/Abilities:
  • Forced geas – compel another person/creature to abide by a geas; typically must bind self too or require sacrifice of strength/power for it to hold.
    • Examples:
      • Enchantments that apply a geas over an area; basically like saying “everyone here must do this.”
      • Forbidding entry to an area except through a designated entrance
      • Forcing those who fight Adine to use straightforward combat, as opposed to ambushes and illusions, etc. along with Adine herself.
  • Fluency in High Shou
    • Literacy in High Shou
      • Eventual understanding of using High Shou characters as runes.
  • Leaping – basically a skill to perform swift, rapid jumps capable of reaching large distances (~100m max, maybe? Distance should probably start out small and require training to increase) and survive the fall.
    • Provides speed boost, a way to reach opponents that are out of reach (flying, in fortification, etc.), a way to control the range of a fight (leaping away to a range more suited for polearms when opponents close in, or close to a ranged fighter), another way to dodge, etc.
  • Knowledge of High Shou magic.
  • Enhanced perception; better senses or noticing more details from current senses
    • Provides boost to perception both in combat (resulting in faster reaction time) and out of combat (detecting ambushes, poison, eavesdroppers, etc.)
  • Arrow/projectile blocking
    • May require enhanced perception to notice projectiles in time to block
  • Literal body hardening; training that makes flesh, skin, and bone more durable, to the point that at high levels it acts as natural armor.
    • May require dedicated practice and upkeep to maintain to a great extent (i.e. armor-levels).
  • Instinctive combat; martial skills so ingrained that combat becomes as habitual as walking; choosing every attack, defense, counter, etc. requiring as much time and mental effort as deciding where to place your next step.
    • Makes actions and reactions faster.
    • Enables complex planning mid-combat (as opposed to short, simple plans like “mage chanting stab him before he magics,” “oh god arrows nope cover now,” and “short shield sword light armor long range and get his leg”) or just an increase in skill with greater focus.
    • Enables multitasking in combat (things like casting a spell mid-combat).
  • Stab the incorporeal – does exactly what it sounds like and a bit more. Familiarity with weapon allowing the user to treat it as literally an extension of the self, infusing spirit/ki/lifeforce/soulstuff/whatever into it, giving the physical weapon spiritual presence and thus making it interact with and stab the non-physical, i.e. souls/spirits.
    • Includes but not limited to ghost-stabbing, curse-stabbing, spell-stabbing, etc.
    • When skill active, weapon acts as direct conduit to and from the self on the same level as the body.
      • Since the weapon acts as part of the self, weapon contact can trigger spells that require physical contact when skill is active.
    • May have negative effects; since the weapon is considered part of the self, damage to the weapon may harm the self.
  • Edge refinement – spell that enhances the sharpness and cutting ability of a weapon in exchange for durability, i.e. preparing a single strike that can pierce through heavy armor and cut through weaponry at the cost of a weapon. Durability sacrifice can cause weapon to break if blocked.
    • Damage to weapon can range from blunting to the weapon shattering.

If anything here won’t work, I can always rewrite it.

Also, I’m kind of wondering if any opponents or NPCs will have some of the aspirational skills/abilities, and if other characters might be able to learn them. That seems like it would be fun.
 
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Game is still open. If you’re interested then post me a character application below and we can take it from there.
 
Name: Yaling, Lianchen (Family name, given name. Translated, with artistic usage, to "Graceful Spiritual Being, the Lovely Willow of the Morning.")
Race: Human
Class/Occupation: Bard
Gender: Female
Age: 15

Appearance:
Lithe, supple, with long, midnight black hair that is often tied into a bow with two sets of curly braids until two tails shoot free and down her back. Light green eyes frame her smooth, light face with soft angles that solidily set her apart, but no less fair, than the elves. Lying above her developed bosom is her birthmark. A strangely shaped flower, almost a tattoo, with green petals and a stem as a bolt of blue lightening.
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Personality:

  • Introvert.
  • Dance and music lover and player.
  • Upon called to perform, she shifts to a confident form that carries her through her task.
  • Shy.
  • Nervous around strangers.
  • Avoids physical touch.
Backstory: Born and raised in Shou Long upon the Spring Solstice at the crack of dawn. Upon such omens, her parents knew that she'd be blessed and their first confirmation of such belief came as soon as they held the babe in their arms and beheld the strange, flower like tattoo on the nape of her neck. Green petals with a blue stem as a bolt of lightning. And it remained evident as, born into a family of wealthy merchants, she remained a hidden flower from the world in an early, child beauty. Leaping to and fro across the grounds and gardens. Singing children songs with an unnaturally clear voice and moving with grace greater than her years. It wasn't long before her parents sought her a tutor, seeking to develop her talent. Lianchen did, at an astonishing rate, taking not to one, but many instruments that Shou Long offered. But, for the jealousy of her parents, she would have rapidly become one of the many topics of the town. However, her talents were kept secret from the other inhabitants of the land by her parents who feared she would be taken from them.

Lianchen was oblivious to this for many years. Happily learning and playing with the other household children. It wasn't until she reached her early teen years did she start turning her mind start turning to the world outside her home. Soon she began to ply questions at her parents, friends, teachers, servants, anyone she could to the world outside. Curiosity drove her to seek after the hardly tangible answers she got and, at the age of fourteen, when she was early growing into her womanhood, she smuggled herself out with a few of her friends. One nightmare night later, and she was back in her room with a knife that she never wanted. The next day, a monk came and, through the power of the monastery, took her, her instruments, her birthmarked body, away. For a year she has remained with them, still being trained in her practices and, finally at fifteen, she'll be told what her purpose to the world is.

(Valen, PM as to what happened when she turned fourteen to make sure it's allowed and ok with your lore and to figure out how she should fit in it.)

Strengths/Weaknesses:
STR:
  • Poise
  • Strong Voice
  • Gifted Instrumentalist
WKS:
  • Stageless Social Situations (social anxiety)
  • Low Combat Training
  • Continued Night Terrors (insomnia)

Aspirational Powers/Abilities:
(Let me know if I should delete alternatives.)
1: Perform (generic performances that have hints of power behind them, but not much magic yet. Can influence people's bearing and inspire others. Will grow in time.)
2.a: Joyous Trill (Birds are singing. Flowers are blooming. On days like these, kids like you...should be playing! Magic power starts to develop, joy seems to follow her song...even her foes.
b: Enticing Sway (Eyes on her and stay on her as she sashays across the room, even if you wouldn't look
normally. Same magic level as a.)
3.a: Perky Demeanor (Her natural charms and friendliness resurfaces as she talks to others, helping her comrades make friends with most common folk, even some old foes.)
b: Ingratiating Demeanor (Her higher birth and class starts to emerge again as she talks to others, helping her comrades enter upper echelons forums and in creating useful connections with blue-bloods.)
4. Mystery of the Flower (Every performance that her heart is in now accompanied by a slight glowing of her birthmark, empowering her magic.)
5.a: Glowing Performance (Growing in confidence and relative happiness, she radiates her joy to other around her as she commits to the path of Spring.)
b: Wilting Dirge (A final cry to innocence lost as she turns from Spring and commits the path of Shades. Forever she now focuses upon all twisted methods that will help her comrades.)
6.a: Revitalized Song (Her choice has brought Lianchen into full bloom, never will she fade! And when her song reaches the ears of her comrades, they feel the youth and energy of childhood, whether or not they had it.)
b: Femme Fatale (Her choice has brought Lianchen into full bloom, all else wither for the sake of her bloom! And when the song reaches the ears of her foes, they begin to feel their lives wilt as she sucks their life into hers.)
7.a: Dance of the Sugar Plums Fairies (Even in the darkest of Winters, Lianchen can pluck up some joy from her strings and embolden her allies. Such joy is nigh on toxic to demons who struggle to resist her song and are disheartened by its power.)
b: Seductive Performance (Few can now turn their eyes away from her lest she commands it and their desire aroused as she moves across the floor, blinding them to all else that moves and even the threat she poses.)
8. Truth of the Flower (Fully armed with the knowledge of her birthmark and the power born with it, her powers are severely enhanced as her chest glows with spring or fell light as she performs.)
9.a: Spring's Petal (Plucking at her chest, Lianchen pulls a petal out from her birthmark and places it upon another. Such a boon of life keeps life within any she calls her comrade beyond most means. Must retrieve petal before plucking another.)
b: Shade's Petal (Plucking at her chest, Lianchen pulls a petal out from her birthmark and places it upon another. Target rapidly succumbs to an unblemished death and dyes the petal red. Must retrieve petal before plucking another.)
10.a: Soul of Spring (Birthmark blooms into a flower upon her chest as she performs such a dance of beauty and life that only the mightiest of wills can withstand her charms. Think Luthien dancing for Melkor and his court.)
b. Fallen Bloom (Brithmark blooms into a flower upon her chest but is dead as she draws her target, through her performance, in for the kill. Blood feeds the flower and strengthens her for her next mark.)
 
While we're waiting for more players, would you mind telling us more about the setting? Specifically where we're starting; stuff like geography (bodies of water, mountains, mountain passes, forests, etc.), roads, ports, trade routes, size, population density, location, walls, landmarks, etc. My character arrived by caravan and is used to traveling with them, so stuff like that seems like things she'd be used to taking note of or figuring out ahead of time.
 
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