Cylix
The Wanderer
Chapter One
They stood before the vast wall of fog in awe. The thick, mystifying fog rolled in from the edge of the forest, and expanded to either end as far as the eye could see. In this open plain, the eye could see all the way to the mountain peaks that trapped them in the valley. The fog moved inward, like the flow of ocean tides, moving in and out slowly. Each time it moved, it seemed as if the forest itself was breathing. Nothing could be seen beyond the fog expect for the line of trees which made up the wilderness ahead of them. Not even the evening sun, which cast its light from behind them just over the horizon, could pierce the thick veil.
The party that stood before the fog consisted of seven men armed to the teeth with swords, axes, bows, and spears. However, there was one among them that stood out from the rest. He wore blood red robes, and had long flowing white hair that nearly touched his hips. He stood at the front of the party, examining the scene before them. After a moment of silence, he lifted his hand to the sky. His eyes began to redden, until his once brown hued gaze turned a milky white. His hand moved through the air as if he was searching for something. But he couldn't feel what he was searching for. His breath became rapid and shallow, and continued until he fell onto his knees. "We cannot enter these woods…" He said with sadness in his voice. "Nothing in there that breathes, breathes with life. Only death. This place is the source of those… things. We will not make it."
One man from behind him began walking forth, passing the sorcerer just slightly. "Stay behind then. We aren't staying another day in this cursed fucking valley. We have nothing left here! No children, no wives, not even a fucking place to lay our heads! They have taken everyt-" The man, who suddenly spoke up from the party, had a hand quickly slapped over his mouth from behind by another. "…Shut your fucking mouth, mate. We got this far because we were careful, not because we were yellin' and screamin'. Say another word too loud and I'll throw you into that fog first. And that goes for you as well, sorcerer." The party fell silent. The Sorcerer remained on the ground, and would not move from his place. The man continued, with a whisper "Let's just do it how we've done it the whole way here. Take it slow, and stay quiet. If you see anything, hide first, run next, and fight last. Alright? Besides, we better hurry. The sun won't stay up forever and if we try and go back now, we will be caught out in the open."
The party moved onward, entering into the waves of fog, and slowly made their way into the forest. The sorcerer stayed behind without a word, instead remaining on his knees where he first fell. They did not try and force him to come, they hadn't the time or the concern at this point. All that mattered is that they made it to the edge of the cursed valley, where they had been trapped in a nightmare for the past five years. Now it was time to finally leave it behind them, for good. At least, that is the plan. As the men navigated around trees, brush, and the like, a strange sensation fell upon them. One of the men whispered "do you hear that?"
"Hear what? Are you shittin' yourself? I don't hear anything."
"Exactly… I don't hear anything. Nothing at all."
The party stopped walking, and they noticed a distinct silence from the forest around them. No sound of bugs or animals animated from it. Not even the sound of wind could be heard moving through the trees. All was silent save for the sounds of their own footsteps and breathing. That is, until they heard the scratching. A terrible and identifiable scratching. It was the sound of claws scratching against bones. Immediately, the party gathered together, creating a circle with their bodies. Each man, all seven of them, faced a direction outside of it with weapons brandished. Sweat started to fill their faces, and adrenaline was ramping up within them. "The sun's not down yet… h- how did they find us?" Fear filled his voice, which cracked at even the slightest noise.
"Gotta scratch the bones! Gotta scratch the bones…" An incredibly deep and in-human voice was heard around them, yet they could not identify the exact location. The terrifying words uttered by the creature was followed by an echoing laughter that vibrated through their bodies. "Your bones itch! Gotta scratch 'em…". The sound of a tree's limbs being broken off startled the party, and without hesitation, they all began to run. Unfortunately, this caused them to separate from one another. Before they could even run twenty feet, the sound of one man being grabbed and ripped apart was heard by them all. The sound of bones cracking, flesh tearing, and screams cut short were all too familiar to them. None of them dared go after their fallen comrade. None of them even thought to. All they knew was that they could be next, and so they kept running, and got lost in the fog. One by one, they were picked off by the creature, who seemed to move through the woods with un-matched speed and agility. They could hear its feet pounding at the earth behind them, catching up to them in just mere moments. It spoke behind them as it chased "Your bones… your bones… I need your bones." Eventually, only one man was left standing, and he knew it when everything went quiet around him. He stopped running, and took shelter behind a tree. His breathing was heavy and labored, from both fear and exhaustion. He put his hand over his mouth, trying to muffle the noises to be silent, but the sound of his pounding heart defeated any true sense of silence. He turned, looking around the tree from both directions. He could see only the wall of fog and a few dead tree limbs sticking out into view from surrounding trees. He reached down to grab his sword at his side, withdrawing it as quietly as possible. But before he could gather himself, a shadow cast over him. He looked the creature in the face. It stared at him, unblinking, with its dull purple eyes. Its skin dark and taunt over its gauntly face. The mouth opened unnaturally, wide, and the maw was filled with sharp and rotted teeth.
One last scream shot out, dying out as quickly as it came. The sorcerer, who was still on his knees outside the forest edge, heard it. In fact, he had been counting them, and he counted the last. He stood up, turning to the sunset behind him. His eyes were still a milky white, and for a moment, he looked as if he were at peace. The sun set completely, and beings began to emerge from the fog behind him. Tall, dark, ravenous beings whose eyes began to glow in the twilight hour. Reds, oranges, blues, purples, and whites were the many colors of their eyes. The sorcerer did not move, and instead closed his ghastly white gaze. He had already accepted his fate.
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You stand at the heart of Ravenhall, the capital city of the Marsh Valley. It is a land that carries a mysterious and terrifying curse. Each night, when the moon is hidden from the sky, monsters appear. They attack villages, towns, cities, and travelers alike. The creatures have no rhyme or reason to them. No apparent motivation other than slaughter, and they do not discriminate. For the past five years, this curse has blighted the residents of the valley, and they seek safety within the last standing cities; Ravenhall among them. Those that have tried to leave have perished. Even a large military unit that was sent out to seek aid from nations outside of the Valley have never returned. Not even the messages attached to birds have been answered. It seems that all are trapped here.
You have traveled here to answer a call from the Nightguard, a powerful military unit whose sole purpose is to destroy the creatures, and end the curse. Though they have managed to find ways to defeat the creatures, many of the Nightguard have perished for this knowledge. Thus, the people respect them and look to them for protection. Now they are recruiting brave men and women to help shape the future of the Marsh Valley. You have received word of their call, and wish to join them in the fight. Those who have answered have been invited to their guild hall, aptly named "The Night Hall" to speak with the recruiter. Will you join them, and seek the mysterious of the curse?
Creating a Character
In this roleplay, you have quite a bit of freedom in shaping your character. Detailed below will be some information to help you shape it to this particular roleplay. You may create a new one, or take a character you already have and make some adjustments. The choice is yours. Keep in mind that this is a high-fantasy roleplay, and thus will include races other than human, the ability to perform magic, and have enchanted gear. It is also largely a medieval-esque time period. Therefore, complex machines, guns, beam-swords, and aircraft of the sort of are generally not permissible. If you have any questions, let me know.
Obvious Demographic Things: Name, Age, and Gender (if available). You may also include things such as height and weight, but keep them realistic to your chosen race.
Race: The Marsh Valley consist of three main races: Humans, Elves, and Orcs. Elves are a woodland race that typically live in villages built in the heights of trees, and are naturally stealthy. They are excellent hunters and botanist. They are generally shorter than humans by at least a foot. Orcs are a mountaineering race that enjoy living in rocky terrain. They can be found making villages in underground caves, or high up in the mountains. They are known for their craftsmanship and fearsome combat. On average, they are taller than humans by at least a foot. Humans are a well-rounded people, and preferring to make their cities on flat land when able. They are known for their adaptability, and willingness to learn from other cultures and races when they can. Note: You can be other races if you wish, but there are no major settlements in which they will be considered a majority. Please ask first.
Combat Style: In this roleplay, you are answering the call because you believe yourself to be a capable combatant. In what way that is, is entirely up to you. You can be a fighter who uses melee weapons, a stealthy assassin, a marksman, a sorcerer, or anything you'd like as long as it has combat potential. However, if you choose to include magic in your character, make sure you look below to see how magic works in this roleplay. The former options are flexible and won't have an issue incorporating most things. Feel free to be a hybrid as well. If you'd rather play more of a support role, feel free to do so.
Background: Flesh out the history of your character. It doesn't have to be terribly long, but do include at least where you are from within Marsh Valley (there is a list of major locations below), or if you are an outsider that traveled in before the curse.
Personality: Self-explanatory.
Gear: The things you have on you. You should know that enchanted items are rare and also very valuable. If you wish to have anything of that nature, you can only have one and you must explain in your background as to how you got it. Note: I will not require you to count your ammo (arrows, bolts, etc). I will just assume that you have ammo at all times unless the item which holds (quiver, for example) the ammo is somehow lost.
Magic: See below.
Main Locations
Marsh Valley: The main location of the roleplay. It's a very large valley located between two mountain ranges. One to the north-east, and another to the south. There is a main river that flows through the center of the valley, which flows down from the northern most mountain. The entire valley is encircled by a forest (which is very cursed these days), and dotted by lakes and creeks.
- Ravenhall – Marsh Valley capital and HQ of the Nightguard. It is the most prosperous economically, and many come here for trade.
- Treetop Village – A village built within the trunks of massive trees in the Great Oak Forest. The trees here can grow to be hundreds of feet tall, and up to 50 to 80 feet wide. This village is home to the elves, and is built high up along the trunks to keep out unwanted visitors.
- Blackgate – A decently sized hold that serves as the barracks and training ground of new soldiers serving the commander of the Nightguard. It is well known for its heavily fortified walls and famous "black gate" that was cut from one of the trees in the Great Oak Forest.
- Highbridge – A mountainside settlement that is home to Orcs. The only access, other than perhaps flight, is via a long bridge that connects the settlement to the side of an opposing mountain. A massive mining operating is undergone here by the Orcs.
- Lakebed – Once a prosperous fishing village, this location is home to the largest lake in the Valley, and is a choice location for fishing. No longer does anyone live here permanently due to its lack of defensive structures. However, those who know how to hide in the night might make camp here.
- Toadstool – This town has always been known for having strange residents that are addicted to Toad, a common mushroom that grows there specifically. This mushroom is thought to give the occupants bizarre personalities and habits. Oddly, despite the lack of military presence and strong fortifications, they are still standing.
- Emerald Tower – A large, black tower dotted with emeralds. It was once occupied by the most elite sorcerers, and few others have ever been granted entry while they were there. It now seems abandoned, but every once and a while, people say they see green light animating from the windows in the tower. Most fear to go near it, and no one is exactly sure who built it.
Magic
Magic is largely dependent on your own imagination. You can do what you want, within reason of course. However, there are a few rules to follow. First, magic is categorized by how it is cast:
- Caltrop: The weakest of spells. These can be cast with mere hand gestures. Stronger versions can be cast in this way through catalyst, such as magical sources, wands, and staffs.
- Incantation: Spells slightly stronger than caltrops. These require a spoken word or phrase before they can be cast. Longer incantations tend to mean more complex spells. These words, to the trained ear, can give away what you are about to do.
- Charged: Followed by either an Incantation or hand gesture, these spells are first created, and then focused on to increase the energy provided to them so that they will not fizzle out from a lack of power. These leave the caster open, but are more powerful than simple caltrops or incantations.
- Ritual: The most powerful of spells. These spells require that the caster enter a meditative state for a prolonged period of time, gathering forces together to cast a spell. These rituals often involve the use of physical objects, such as sacrificial knives, ancient text, runes, magical sources, blood, etc, before they can be successful. Leaves the caster open immensely.
A few notes:
- Spells can be cast from enchanted items as well, but this often causes wear on the item and may even cause it to shatter if abused to frequently. Often, smaller items have fewer uses before they naturally recharge, and bigger spells tend to put more strain on the item. Shattered enchanted items tend to do so spectacularly, and can cause some collateral damage to the person wearing it, and those around them.
- Passive enchantments do not strain the item.
- There isn't really a concept of "mana" that is being used in this roleplay, but excessive spell use should make your character tired and vulnerable.
- You cannot use magic that alters time or space.
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