Either Needed Endzeiten - Cold Blows the Northern Wind [Interest Check]

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Either Needed Endzeiten - Cold Blows the Northern Wind [Interest Check]

Hey all! Just popping in to link the two (more like one and one eighth) lore posts I cobbled together this morning: Magic and the Profane. Magic will be expanded to include more definitive information on the different types of casters and their capabilities, I promise. The Profane post will soon include descriptions and information on the inhuman evils that beset the world, and that the party will have to confront if they are to prevail.

Again, apologies for sparse content but, the weekend draws nigh.
 
Another quick question: how does a year on Pteia compare to a solar year here on Earth? is the difference worth considering when listing the age of a character or should we generally treat it as a similar length and note ages as we would if the character lived on Earth?
 
Another quick question: how does a year on Pteia compare to a solar year here on Earth? is the difference worth considering when listing the age of a character or should we generally treat it as a similar length and note ages as we would if the character lived on Earth?

I would say it is roughly analogous, I haven't nailed down exact dates (@humon asked me the same thing) but I figure ballparking somewhere around an Earth year would work. Honestly, I'm fine with keeping things vague and roughly earth-like as far as time is concerned (for now) just for ease of access, and because I will forget whatever length of time we decide upon and I'll start just going off Earth time again lol

Bwahahahaha

I was wondering if anyone would notice lmao
 
I copied the character template. Loved its look.

Full Name: Kalegen - Kah-leh-gen

Title: The Rookies tend to call him Sir, mostly because given time - he is more than happy to teach if they are willing to learn the craft.
Others just either call him Kal.

Monikers/Aliases: Eyeshine. Mostly from how his eyes catch light when inducing his own powers. Think Riddick.

Age: 42

Gender: M

Race: Hooman

Ethnicity: Not a local, his skin seems touched with a bit of sun, his clothes not suited to the same lands as these.

Social Class: Warrior

Bloodline: For him, this is something he wouldnt understand. Most part he is human.

Occupation: Mercenary, Sell Sword and when work is short, hired bodyguard.

Latent abiltiies:
Due to his blood and past, his powers manifest through the skills acquired by fighting. Most, tend to miss it and percieve him merely as having naturally good reflexes. Each time there is more of a cost to pay, each sequential use and duration. In most large scale battles, he has used it to the point of bursting vessels within his eyes turning them pink or blood red. Only to sleep for almost a week once the battle is done. The last time he fought to save a man, almost killed him in the process.

The powers are from a mixture of induced tachipsychia and on the rare occasions - short electrostatic discharge that leaves motes of flickering energy behind. Only once did he figure out in a hand to hand fight to channel it through his fists and feet, but that memory is long ago and eludes him to this day.

Tiers:
Tier 1, 2 - 3 seconds of induced tachipsychia, repeated use after the first goes into drawing fatigue. As if you hadn't slept well. The first four uses, cost little to nothing. More, well, fatigue will start to creep in. An ache behind the eyes that adrenaline can mask for a time. Aches in the joints, heaviness which slowly creeps into feeling once the adrenaline burns away like a crashing wave - as if he fought longer than a day. The most he has ever used, was thirteen times in a battle. Only once all the fire within him was used did he collapse exhausted.

Tier 2. Abnormally fast bursts of speed, execution or technique. This cannot cover long areas of ground, more so a side step, a parry. A way to stretch and allow time to snap back. Repeated use of this, is incredibly dangerous as it too burns brightly but its tolerance is short. Either resulting in vertigo, or dizziness.

Tier 3. Rare occasions has be been able to glimpse moments into the future - premonition either two or three moments ahead. But never back in time. This comes without warning and sadly with little notice. An example being, rounding a corner into an attacker. You know the attacker is there as you round it and only through luck evade the first killing blow. That or cheat at dice - which he refuses. On rare occasions has he used it. However - <OTTOMAN an idea is you coin toss or something and either reveal something to me unexpectantly> the trade off is, even after using it, food and drink loose taste and smell, but the worse parts can induce nausia.





Character Bonds

-- Pending. And Open for others.







Twelve Questions


What are your memories of home like?
- There are times where I get short glimpses, though most are blurred. Fields, flowers, smells. Sounds. Though in all, I feel sadenned I will never know its name,



What is your family like, blood or otherwise?

- I was young when they came, I remember my mothers hands and my fathers reassuring voice. But their faces or if I had siblings, to this day it eludes me.
- The only ones who were my family - were the Dark Steel Ravens and although few survived. Those I once held dear are now echoes commited to memory.


Have you ever been in love?

- Love. I have felt love. I have made love. But in this path, to be in love is the most dangerous place to be. Not because they could be harmed, but in your death would harm those for a lifetime.
While I had admired from afar, I have understood that my path - even after comming this far - is for blade and fist.


Is there anything that you find delightful?
- Good food n drink
- Good friends or good hospitality



Who taught you to survive?
- Formerly I was a slave, in the pits. I escaped and broke into a school and at first - the students there tried to fight me thinking me a assassin. I fought like any - for my desire to survive was stronger.
In doing so, while defeating some but not all. I impressed their teacher and indoing so, was taught the arts of fighting, later my craft in the use of my peoples skills in drawing out that power we all had. Finally - I learnt to weild a blade before being sent to make my path in the world. My teachers taught me to survive, honed what potential I had into a craft.


What is it that makes your blood boil in anger?
- Those who needlessly harm others, or animals for cruelty rather than necessity.
- Liars, Cheats and slavers above all.
- Those who loudly spout their gods, inciting harm on others simply because of difference.



When was the first time you ever killed someone? What was it like?
- To take a life, the first time - to see a body like you broken down to that of mere beast than man. I felt sickenned, horrified by what circumstances brought me to this. In the pits it was fight till your opponent was dead, be it former friend or family. I was lucky, I killed only one older man many times my age. But I regret it all the more.

Do you put any stock in the divine?

No, I spit on them. No god came for when my home was raided. No divine to aid when we were starved to madness as slaves.
For naught I give them no thoughts or kind words, nor respect.
If they were to come before me, they would find I have no time for them.


What in the world terrifies you?
That my people have shorter lives than yours. Be it in my blood or craft.
I have so much to be done and now so little time. I do not wish to die so soon.



What is the thing you fear coming to pass the most - rational or otherwise?
Dying in a bed than dying on my feet.
I would rather go out fighting for something, than dying alone.



What do you value most in the world?
Honesty.
Compassion.
Integrity.
Humility.




Do the ends always justify the means?

That is subjective, my instructors once said, it means that a desired result is so good or important that any method, even a morally bad one, may be used to achieve it To believe that the end justifies the means and will do anything to get the results, who is the greater fool, the one who sacrifices the good of themselves for the short term gain or the one who lies, steals, cheats to become rich.
My answer is no. Not all ends justify the means.

BackStory:
-- Pending --
 
I've just finished up a portion of my character sheet. There are a few things in my character's answers to the questions that I wanted to make sure don't fall out of line with your vision for this world, though, @Ottoman. I figured I'd post it so you could have a look. Also, apologies for the jank formatting. Somehow I didn't even think about the fact that you formatted your character sheet with the correct codes for everything to look nice and neat.

Full Name: Suadaisos
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Race: Elf
Ethnicity: Khallic
Social Class: Tribesman
Occupation: Mercenary

Questions:

What are your memories of home like?
Fondly recalled and deeply cherished. To a Khal, there are no people quite like the Khallic, and so, no home quite like one among them. Life among mercenaries was as close a likeness as I've ever found. Still, the differences between myself and my largely human fellows often inspires a wish to see my village and family again. Perhaps one day, soon.


What is your family like, blood or otherwise?
My father taught me that a warrior with self-respect dresses to show as much to all around him. My mother taught me that just the average foot of difference in height between a Khal and a dwarf can make it surprisingly difficult to get a good angle to take their heads off. I imagine that my father would be proud of the condition I've kept my attire in. My mother would likely still be displeased with the raggedness of the neck-stumps I leave behind; I never did learn to get the angle quite right without her guidance.

Have you ever been in love?
There was a woman, Betuata, from a nearby village. Her skill with the spear was entrancing and she made fabrics and clothes finer than any others. I spent some time with her before I was made to leave, but we never came to know each other as deeply as I wished we might have. Since, I've only found myself taking part in brief trysts with local women of whatever cold hole we find ourselves in between campaigns. There was a rather kind half-elf that I took a shine to for some months, but my romances otherwise ended rather shamefully.

Is there anything you find delightful?
Both as a child and now, there are few things I enjoy more than a good recitation of the Khallic and Hallic histories.

Who taught you how to survive?
My parents and my village trained me to fight well enough that I wouldn't bring shame to the Khallii the first time I picked up a blade. Duanrus, a druid, instructed me on the finer points of wilderness survival in the years leading up to my exile.

What makes your blood boil in anger?
I'm a largely even tempered man outside of the clash. I've never had much reason to be angry. However, even I have trouble containing my ire when a dwarf calls me "Hallic" as though the word cut his tongue before it passed his lips.

When was the first time you ever killed someone? What was it like?
It's not uncommon for Khallii in northern Novo Hallia to draw their first blood against some small caravan of dwarfs or Leaguers traveling at the feet of the mountains. I was no different. The first person I killed was a dwarf who, at the time, was barely shorter than me. Even with the element of surprise on my side, he was far from an easy first kill. I often wonder if I would have fared so well in an even fight. After the skirmish ended, I vomited twice; first, out of excitement, then, when the smell hit me. I shook the whole trek home.

Do you put stock in the divine?
May Orina glimpse my savage conquests and delight.

What in the world terrifies you?
The Osiruk deeply unsettle me. I've only ever seen one Osiruk with my own eyes, but he seemed like a creature that should have long left this world and taken his knowledge with him to the grave.

What is the thing you fear coming to pass the most - rational or otherwise?
That when I finally stand before the Four Mothers, they will judge that my people were right to cast me out.

What do you value most in the world?
In complete honesty, I'm not sure. I value my people more than anything else I can think of. But, I've been wandering so long away from them that I wonder if maybe some crucial part of me has been disconnected from the Khallii for too long to truly be a part of them anymore.

Do the ends always justify the means?
If anyone should take that much issue with my means, then they're welcome to kill me and let what's done be done. I'll harbor no ill will towards them after I travel beyond this world and into the next.

I'll have the rest finished soon!
 
Are we going to have a special thread for character sheets to go into? I've never played in a group RP on this site, so I don't know how it works.
 
Are we going to have a special thread for character sheets to go into? I've never played in a group RP on this site, so I don't know how it works.

I've reserved a post in the OOC thread for sheets, feel free to link your sheets there and I'll get them plugged in and catalogued.

I've just finished up a portion of my character sheet. There are a few things in my character's answers to the questions that I wanted to make sure don't fall out of line with your vision for this world, though, @Ottoman. I figured I'd post it so you could have a look. Also, apologies for the jank formatting. Somehow I didn't even think about the fact that you formatted your character sheet with the correct codes for everything to look nice and neat.

You're good man no sweat on the sheet lol, I am sorry to have kept you waiting!

Full Name: Suadaisos
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Race: Elf
Ethnicity: Khallic
Social Class: Tribesman
Occupation: Mercenary

Questions:

What are your memories of home like?
Fondly recalled and deeply cherished. To a Khal, there are no people quite like the Khallic, and so, no home quite like one among them. Life among mercenaries was as close a likeness as I've ever found. Still, the differences between myself and my largely human fellows often inspires a wish to see my village and family again. Perhaps one day, soon.


What is your family like, blood or otherwise?
My father taught me that a warrior with self-respect dresses to show as much to all around him. My mother taught me that just the average foot of difference in height between a Khal and a dwarf can make it surprisingly difficult to get a good angle to take their heads off. I imagine that my father would be proud of the condition I've kept my attire in. My mother would likely still be displeased with the raggedness of the neck-stumps I leave behind; I never did learn to get the angle quite right without her guidance.

Have you ever been in love?
There was a woman, Betuata, from a nearby village. Her skill with the spear was entrancing and she made fabrics and clothes finer than any others. I spent some time with her before I was made to leave, but we never came to know each other as deeply as I wished we might have. Since, I've only found myself taking part in brief trysts with local women of whatever cold hole we find ourselves in between campaigns. There was a rather kind half-elf that I took a shine to for some months, but my romances otherwise ended rather shamefully.

Is there anything you find delightful?
Both as a child and now, there are few things I enjoy more than a good recitation of the Khallic and Hallic histories.

Who taught you how to survive?
My parents and my village trained me to fight well enough that I wouldn't bring shame to the Khallii the first time I picked up a blade. Duanrus, a druid, instructed me on the finer points of wilderness survival in the years leading up to my exile.

What makes your blood boil in anger?
I'm a largely even tempered man outside of the clash. I've never had much reason to be angry. However, even I have trouble containing my ire when a dwarf calls me "Hallic" as though the word cut his tongue before it passed his lips.

When was the first time you ever killed someone? What was it like?
It's not uncommon for Khallii in northern Novo Hallia to draw their first blood against some small caravan of dwarfs or Leaguers traveling at the feet of the mountains. I was no different. The first person I killed was a dwarf who, at the time, was barely shorter than me. Even with the element of surprise on my side, he was far from an easy first kill. I often wonder if I would have fared so well in an even fight. After the skirmish ended, I vomited twice; first, out of excitement, then, when the smell hit me. I shook the whole trek home.

Do you put stock in the divine?
May Orina glimpse my savage conquests and delight.

What in the world terrifies you?
The Osiruk deeply unsettle me. I've only ever seen one Osiruk with my own eyes, but he seemed like a creature that should have long left this world and taken his knowledge with him to the grave.

What is the thing you fear coming to pass the most - rational or otherwise?
That when I finally stand before the Four Mothers, they will judge that my people were right to cast me out.

What do you value most in the world?
In complete honesty, I'm not sure. I value my people more than anything else I can think of. But, I've been wandering so long away from them that I wonder if maybe some crucial part of me has been disconnected from the Khallii for too long to truly be a part of them anymore.

Do the ends always justify the means?
If anyone should take that much issue with my means, then they're welcome to kill me and let what's done be done. I'll harbor no ill will towards them after I travel beyond this world and into the next.

I absolutely adore this! You have done a wonderful job so far, Red. I'm excited to see what's to come!

EDIT: Alright, got a partial post up on the Profane, I'll aim to outline the Kobold and Abominations later on. I hope it was worth of the wait!
 
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I absolutely adore this! You have done a wonderful job so far, Red. I'm excited to see what's to come!
Thanks a ton! And don't even worry if it ever takes a while to get back to me. A few days is hardly a wait, anyways :)

And, if anyone wants to have bonds with my character, just let me know! I'm happy to collaborate with any one of you!
 
How long would Suda have been working with our mercenary group, Steitz's Salvation?

Or Kalegen for that matter?

Or anyone else?

I've been working with Ottoman in PMs to put together an account of what the company was up to over the last three years, starting from the point where my character Lothar joined it. There should be plenty of opportunity for our characters to have done stuff together as part of that company. And then we can find some warrior-themed bonds that would make sense. I already suggested one in the OOC thread for Kalegen.

Mostly the history I've got involves small scale skirmishing across a broad wilderness area, with a couple major sieges that are being handled by a larger mercenary group, while Salvation is providing limited support, for example by keeping the roads clear so that supplies can move freely.


Question for Otto von Mann: This Long Night stuff with the dead rising up to eat the living... is that something that happens every time there's a long night, or is it more of a unique thing that will be happening for this campaign? I want to know if fighting the undead is something that everyone should have some experience with, if it's something that happens regularly. And then if so, what are the rules about how to destroy them? Is it like Walking Dead where you just have to destroy the brain? Or more like Evil Dead where complete dismemberment is what it takes? For example, if I shove a spear through the roof of a zombie's mouth, is it going to drop, or will it just grab my spear and wrench it away and keep coming at me? Fighting with a sword, will beheading them work, or is it better to target the limbs? And what about fire? Would it have any effect? Does bright light repel them, or does it only make them easier to see?
 
i imagine that my guy at least is fairly new to the group, maybe the summer campaign was his first with them. but intrigued to know the timeline of stuff you've figured out! maybe there's stuff there that will help decisions. but if lothar was already a part of it before my so-far-unnamed-dhallii, it's possible he could've been his hook to join considering their history. going to kill northmen would be very appealing!

my stuff is still all in waffly note form, but getting a pretty good sense of him now i think. i'll try to get something more concise written up soon for the character sheet to help brainstorm for bonds and things
really excited to see the updates here and what people have been working on!
 
@Dhaeric - Happy for Kalegan to either be the mentor to your new addition to the team.
 
@Keillen if it's a natural one through which he can learn more about ostland then sure! but i think a straight up offer to be a mentor would absolutely be taken as an insult and result in a fight hahaha
 
Kalegan's attitude would be more along the lines of - you're new, unarmed, untested.
Could be interesting for a fight - though for him the view of mentorship is learning from experience - he'd just see him trying to start a fight and promptly set him back into his space.
"You call me Sir, if its a fight you wish. Then make it worth my time,"
I think the fight would be a wonderful dynamic for these two later to become friends.
 
an interesting dynamic indeed! let's plan more in pm? or can wait til i get my sheet up too.
sounds like kalegan may be underestimating him though, he's absolutely experienced in battle - has grown up practically living it - he's just new to the north!
 
Oh, so many posts, I love it!

I've been working with Ottoman in PMs to put together an account of what the company was up to over the last three years, starting from the point where my character Lothar joined it. There should be plenty of opportunity for our characters to have done stuff together as part of that company. And then we can find some warrior-themed bonds that would make sense. I already suggested one in the OOC thread for Kalegen.

Mostly the history I've got involves small scale skirmishing across a broad wilderness area, with a couple major sieges that are being handled by a larger mercenary group, while Salvation is providing limited support, for example by keeping the roads clear so that supplies can move freely.

Aye! My next project will be doing up some history, perhaps even a post, on the various mercenary bands of the land, especially those that will have been relevant to the main story as well as those from y'all's backgrounds. I'll probably be coming forward with a few questions down the line. Beyond that, I'll be dropping a couple of characters to ensure we got some extra space for bonds and such.

Question for Otto von Mann: This Long Night stuff with the dead rising up to eat the living... is that something that happens every time there's a long night, or is it more of a unique thing that will be happening for this campaign? I want to know if fighting the undead is something that everyone should have some experience with, if it's something that happens regularly. And then if so, what are the rules about how to destroy them? Is it like Walking Dead where you just have to destroy the brain? Or more like Evil Dead where complete dismemberment is what it takes? For example, if I shove a spear through the roof of a zombie's mouth, is it going to drop, or will it just grab my spear and wrench it away and keep coming at me? Fighting with a sword, will beheading them work, or is it better to target the limbs? And what about fire? Would it have any effect? Does bright light repel them, or does it only make them easier to see?

Every time, and it's more than just the dead that stir. Most people under arms will have experience fighting some form of profane forces, undead are certainly some of the most common! I'd say leaning more Evil Dead, maybe not complete and total dismemberment, but since we're working with mystical zombies and not infection zombies, the rules are a bit more loose. Decapitation may not remove the threat, though taking the limbs off will greatly reduce it. Smashing skeletons is the best way to deal with them. Fire is one of the best methods, burning them entirely is one sure fire (heh) way to ensure their destruction. Bright light does not repel them, however, if it is not sunlight. If anything it will attract their attention.
 
How quickly does fire kill them? Is it like you throw a torch at a zombie and it stiffens up and falls over? Or would you need to wait for the flesh to burn away, which gives it time to keep attacking you?

Evil Dead rules sounds like bad news for archers. But good to know, so the general strategy then I guess is that when the dead rise and you can't get behind high walls, the first thing you should do is draw a sword. One comes at you, you hack off its arms so he can't grab you, then take out one of the legs so he can't follow you anywhere. Same way King Arthur defeated the Black Knight.

I suppose if you've got an axe or mace you could also try just smashing the shoulder joint so the arm is dislocated and useless. Then break one hip I guess, so it can no longer stand.

But the first rule for surviving a long night should be to shelter in place, I wager. Have a stockpile of food, bar the doors (and the city gates), and wait it out.

What other kinds of monsters do we frequently see?

i imagine that my guy at least is fairly new to the group, maybe the summer campaign was his first with them. but intrigued to know the timeline of stuff you've figured out! maybe there's stuff there that will help decisions. but if lothar was already a part of it before my so-far-unnamed-dhallii, it's possible he could've been his hook to join considering their history. going to kill northmen would be very appealing!

I'll let Otto post the details when he's ready, but a brief summary of what I proposed to him is:

Before 1319, Steitz's Salvation was operating outside of Ruhigreich, perhaps in Oberheim or elsewhere.

In the summer of 1319, they were hired by the Duke of Ruhigreich as an emergency measure to help repel a northern invasion which had broken out that spring. Steitz's Salvation happened to be operating close by at the time. Lothar joined around this time, finding them in the city of Hoxter shortly before they were sent north-eastward to a place called Modtal on the west bank of the Eider river (which flows down from Myrskor and joins with the Ruhig River). On the east bank, the northmen were gathering to attack. The primary objective was to defend Modtal, and the secondary objective was to hunt down northman raiding parties that were crossing the river and attacking villages all up and down the region. A bounty was paid for every kill.

In 1320, the Salvation crossed the Eider river and took control of a fort in the wilderness hills, in a region northwest of Sagard, called Rygils. Most of the year was spent skirmishing with groups of northmen that were lurking all over the hills, while the real battles were going on further east between the city of Sagard, at the mouth of the Ruhig, and the city of Bernholz by the sea coast, where the northmen had control of Bernholz. By the end of 1320, Bernholz was under League control, thanks to a large and sophisticated mercenary company called the Ahran Bull. After the liberation of Bernholz, Steitz's Salvation spent the winter in Sagard.

In 1321, the Ahran Bull launched a campaign further north to liberate a fortress called Narkila from northern occupation. Steitz's Salvation was put under the employ of the Baron of Sagard, and was tasked with patrolling the coastal road from Sagard to Bernholz to Narkila, to keep it clear of northern raiders that were coming by sea and trying to disrupt supply lines. The story begins in the late fall of 1321, with Steitz's Salvation returning to Sagard to rest for the winter, while the Ahran Bull occupies Narkila.



So Dhaeric, you could have encountered Lothar in early 1319 while he was traveling by river from Neuveria to Hoxter. Perhaps at some stop along the way he was asking around in taverns about who was hiring mercenaries in what regions, and your character happened to be doing the exact same thing and recognized his face. So then they traveled to Hoxter together and joined the Salvation at the same time. Lothar would have introduced you to his friends, including a veteran ratman, Palladius Glyca, who had been with the Salvation for many years ever since retiring from the army in around 1315-ish.

Keillen, perhaps Kalegen would have known Palladius for many years in that context, as a fellow hard-boiled veteran, and one of the few experienced leaders in the company. A prickly personality, but honourable to the core.
 
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