Like the last time we did this, we are going to work together to create an RP, one that will go through hours of work and design.
Unlike last time however, I'm going to lay down a couple ground rules. Don't want things being as haphazard as last time.
The one Golden Rule is
Do your part.
Seems simple enough. Unfortunately activity tends to die off, once the initial hype and excitement for the RP dies down. This project won't work unless you invest some of time and effort. I do not think this is unreasonable. I understand that sometimes life can get in the way of leisure. If you have to put this on the backburners, because you have an exam, or family matters, just inform us. But if I contact you a month after I've asked you to write up the background to a specific part, and I find out you haven't purely because it's "too much effort," or you procrastinated, than we might as well call this thing off. If you want to see this succeed, just remember, the more you put into this, the more likely you'll get something out of it.
Now that's over with we move onto...
Assumptions of Roleplaying
I've compiled a list of assumptions I've made by summarizing the thoughts and discussions from the RP Theory and Design topic. My support for these assumptions will be over there, so read, and post over there if you have questions or criticisms
1. A healthy Roleplay is stimulated mainly by Player-Player Interactions Therefore we want a system that encourages players to be social, to engage with other players frequently.
2. Roleplays should have a driving conflict We want a system that rewards players for taking the risks of solving dilemmas. Also, paired with assumption 1, we may also want players to butt heads, and produce rivalries.
3. Worldbuilding is a key component in Roleplay Detailed explanations about setting, history, and NPC's should be added so players can operate on there own without the roleplay becoming stale in too short a time-frame.
House Eisern House Eisern was one the first Guilds to be established in the City of Guilds The origins of house Eisern can be traced back a century or so when Rex Eisern a wealthy nobleman in his good fortune, took an early lead in the mining operations of Gold. Having accumulated even more wealth, since then, he invested in other areas of the mining industry, and eventually gained the largest foothold for raw materials. Selling its materials at a marked up price, Eisern became a leading powerhouse. House Eisern employs a system inspired by Social Darwinism. The current leader Albert Eisern and members of the main family are treated essentially like royalty. Meanwhile the servants and workers the house employees are given the bare minimum for compensation. House Eisern’s believes money to have the largest say in matters. The house has a large history of solving its problems with bribery, or threats. They regularly buy out businesses that have a chance of threatening their sector, or paying politicians to promote their ideals, or strike down unfavourable bills. Get on House Eisern’s bad side, and they’ll change the financial situation around you until you end up the poorest and most desperate man in the city If that’s not an option, money is a good way to get someone to stab you in the back. The third leader of the house Aaron Eisern had a peculiar interest in artifice, and was a prominent Artificer, hoping to discover the secrets of eternal life. Though his dreams were never realized, they are still passed on from father to son. All knowledge of this trade are kept under tight lock and key, thus no one knows what sort of magic the house is dealing with in the rumoured basement laboratories. Scientists and engineers of City could achieve a status of power and prestige so long as they devote their services to House Eisern’s artifice projects. Eisern does not have the best of relationships with the other guilds. The House tends to come across as antagonistic and condescending towards all non-members. The only reason they receive any respect from their neighbours, is because of how much of the economy they control. With all these taints, if any Guild is attempting to take over The city of Guilds, one would certainly put House Eisern on the top of their list.
Important figures:
Cedric Eisern: Age 71: The current leader of the house. Cedric was known for his relentless methods of increasing the wealth of the House. Within house Eisern, he is regarded as one of the best leaders in history. Outside the house, the people complain how he’s leeching the city dry. Recently, Cedric was struck by a deadly illness and is now confined to his bedchambers. However, being a very stubborn man, he continues to lead House Eisern, his mind still sharp, though his mortal body whisks away.
Adam Eisern III: Age 29: Cedric’s son and heir to house Eisern. Adam holds a grudge against his father. Traditionally, the title as Head of the House was passed down once the eldest child had come of age. Cedric, however, did not obey the tradition and continued to lead the house well after. Needless to say his relationship with his father is on very rocky ground. This predicament had changed Adam for the worse. In an attempt to overthrow his father, he is constantly scheming of new ways to make his father look incompetent, or trampling over the toes of others in order to benefit himself. Now, however, he takes the safer option, patiently biding his time until his old-man kicks the bucket. Unfortunately Cedric just won’t die fast enough.
Olivia Eisern: Age 26: Cedric’s second child, and next line to inherit leadership next to William. Olivia is the least aggressive of the Eisern’s. In fact, she is one of the kinder members of the house, concerned with the well-being of everyone else, especially the common folk. She occasionally visits the slums of the City to do charity work for the poor. She secretly wants the title of Leader of House Eisern, as she can help more people this way. However, she is reluctant to play on the same terms as Gareth and Adam.
Vanessa Dennet: Age 30: An upper-class politician in the city of Guilds. Being a woman in power had its benefits, as she attracted the interest of House Eisern. Her relationship with Adam has no emotional basis, purely a political stunt. Though she holds no real loyalty to Eisern, she is essentially hedging her bets for the political storm that will inevitably come to pass. Vanessa’s primary concerns are about herself, buttering up the folks who can improve her status, and shooting down those who challenge her. Her personality oozes with arrogance, which people notice when she talks to them in a condescending manner.
Marcus Lee: Age 72: The head of treasury, and advisor of house Eisern. Being a long time friend of Cedric, and loyalty serving the house eventually landed him one of the best positions possible. Currently, Lee is in a bind, his loyalty is being tested in the event of Cedric’s illness, and Adam’s campaign to seize power, on top of his duties as treasurer. Lee is a rather passive individual, who does as he is told, and prefers to do it in the safety and quite of his own chambers. He dislikes conflict of any kind and thus growing very uneasy at the current state of affairs with House Eisern’s leadership.
Dr. Jean Brambleby: Age 38: The Head Artificer of the house. Jean was considered a prodigy, as he quickly mastered the arts of both Science and Magic. He was kicked out of University for routinely conducting experiments that crossed the line of ethics. His unhinged methods caught the eye of Albert, and he has been working for the house ever since. Jean is as close to a mad scientist as you could get. He will do anything to further his work, going as far as to harvest materials from the dead bodies of his colleges. And just like any stereotypical mad scientist he routinely cackles at even the smallest hints of progress. Although he has primary duties sent to him by Cedric Eisern himself, Jean operates on his own agenda. No one knows for sure what kind of dastardly devices he could be making in secret.
Society of Revolutionary Nourishment By Trickster
The Society of Revolutionary Nourishment, or SRN, is a relatively young guild being only sixty-five years old, built as the foundation of free speech and controversial ideas. Its members are educated in secret, taught the ins-and-outs of politics (both modern and historical), philosophy, and coercion. Its goals are to place one such member in a seat of great national power, so that he or she may make decisions that are ground-breaking, unheard of, and (most importantly) influenced by the guilds higher-ups. Its founder was one Alexander LeBell, a scientist whose theories and conclusions often contradicted that of the [INSERT MAJOR RELIGION HERE]'s beliefs. Tired of being censored, (both verbally and otherwise) he gathered a small group of followers and educated them. It was extremely difficult, being that they were all orphans or rejects who had never been to school. Yet his genius prevailed. He taught by rewarding them for correct answers, rather than punishing them for wrong answers, and so they were more determined to accept the teachings. In the end, he succeeded, and turned a group of city scum into the most intelligent party of individuals seen in recent years. These eight orphans, along with Alexander himself, are known as the "Physical Deities", in a sort of ironic worship.
Although originally secluded entirely, the guild has, over its sixty-five year existence, revealed itself slightly, manipulating politicians directly (rather than through scapegoats and proxies), hiring cut-throats and spies, and ultimately increasing the extremity of their beliefs from mere thoughts and hopes to actions with very real, very dangerous consequences. This is due largely to current Guildmaster Richard Tarkin's passion for the Guild and its ideals, feeling that it must overthrow the ignorance of society as a whole if there is ever to be any kind of substantial change. His son, Silva Tarkin, is not so passionate, remaining in the Guild by his father's side solely for the promise of battle, which he loves more than anything. Richard's daughter, Era, has no interest in the Guild's affairs whatsoever.
KEY MEMBERS (NPCs): Richard Tarking - Leader Silva Tarkin - Security Chief / General Lucas Bigg - Lawyer Harry Trutt - Political Representative Garreth Vollkern - Head of law "donations"
QUOTE (Nicsp @ Sep 25 2011, 06:26 PM)
The Falawmire Royal Family
Long before The City of Guilds was created, the land was filled with several spread out "clans" which mostly kept to themselves and had little to no contact amongst each other. Until one man, by the name of Alphonse Falawmire, a general of great renown from one of those tribes, started dominating all of the other tribes until he eventually unified them all under the same banner. Together, the city grew and evolved with Alphonse and his sons as the kings. As time passed, however, the guilds and merchants slowly started taking the political power, though the Falawmire Lineage remains, it is still mostly symbolical at this moment.
The current king, Cristoph Falawmire, does nothing but sit on his throne most of the day and give eventual speeches, the biggest participation he has in the politics is when worries and complaints from the people are voiced to him and he then transfers them over to the Guild leaders. The King's wife passed a few years ago, leaving the young Leanna Falawmire as the only avaible successor to the throne, even though she shows no interest in taking this position, neither shows to be proper for it. One thing is clear, as soon as Cristoph passes away, the monarchy won't last more than a few months in Leanna's hands.
Important NPCs
Cristoph Falawmire - Symbolical Monarch - Age 67
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Despite being a Monarch, Cristoph is well aware of the condition of his family and and the fate it undoubtedly awaits them. Even though generally regarded as a fool for the major populace for not doing anything to keep the guilds from taking over, he simply realized that there's no point in trying, for there is nothing he can do without simply speeding up the process. He is very gentle and always tries to be nice to everyone around him, even though that sometimes gets him into trouble for he doesn't seem to be able to realize he can't always keep everyone happy. He is awfully weak spirited and will give up easily regardless of the situation, he is most of the time either depressed or lost in thought, the only times when he even manages a few smiles is when he's together with his daughter, princess Leanna.
Leanna Falawmire - Princess - Age 21
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The heir and next of the Falawmire Lineage, Leanna is rather care free and distracted. Usually not worrying even a single bit about herself, others and the world around her. She thirsts for adventure and excitement at all times, being quickly bored by politics or other things of the sort. Due to her obssesion with finding adventure, she oftenly gets herself into trouble, to the point where Cristoph hired a bodyguard from the Red Steel (See below) to safeguard her. Despite that, she still tends to get herself into trouble quite often, which always ends up with her bodyguard, Norroar, dragging her out of it. As nobility, she had to learn a way to fight and defend herself, even if she had a bodyguard, as such, she's a proficient close quarters fighter, knowing several wrestling moves both for self-defense and offense. She has a rather tomboyish nature, being easily annoyed and agressive most of the time. She's also very childish and possesive.
Norroar Darkwood - Royal Guard - Age 23
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A bodyguard hired from the Red Steel Company, one of the guilds that control the City of Guilds. Because of his training and discipline received in the Red Steels, Norroar is always serious, his answers to each and any thing are short, logical and straigh to the point. He was born in a small farming village in the outskirts of the city so his knowledge is rather restricted. He is a quick learner, however, having grasped a little bit of experience regarding political affairs on his time as royal guard. (He also has learned on his time as royal guard how to properly carry a drunk princess back to the castle...) He holds no real attachment to the assignment he was given, but never shows any objection towards it, another consequence of the discipline he received in the Red Steel Company.
As the The City of Guilds grew, it became necessary the creation of a specialized military force to protect the city, from the monsters outside of it and from itself on the inside. At this moment, The Red Steel Company was created. The Red Steel are the city's army, police, jail, judge and executioner if it proves necessary. The Guild follows a positivist vow of "Order and Progress" and educates all of it's members appropriately, not only the trainer of the best warrior in the land, the Red Steel also supports heavily the technological advancement of the city, bearing a great disdain for the arts of magic in it's entirety. Enemies of the Red Steel, when small and unknow, are usually dealt with the use of violence and made an example of. Whenever someone start stirring up trouble for The Red Steel, it's quite common for said person to "disappear" for some time, if not forever, when they come back, however, they return weak and frail, and no longer dare stand up against the Red Steel.
The Red Steel Company is organized in a quite simple manner, everyone inside of the organization has a rank, the higher ranks give orders and the lower ranks obey, or fear incarceration. The Red Steel's objective is to make the whole city work in this manner and stimulate the industry as much as they can.
Important NPCs
Wilma Strois - Grand Master of The Red Steel Company - Age 31
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As the current Grand Master of The Red Steel company, Wilma has been focusing on catching up with the other guilds after the delay caused by the previous Grand Master. Wilma follows the Red Steel code to heart, being always serious, logical and direct. She gets aggresive when her authority is questioned or when she hears bad news, oftenly show in the form of slamming her fists into nearby objects, as such, her office's tables and walls are all slightly cracked. Wilma is very dedicated to the task given to her and intends to stimulate the Red Steel as much as she can during her time as it's leader, she is very strict with all of the other Guild members, with the exception of Navarro, for some reason. She is a skilled spearwoman. Despite the military background, she still takes pleasure in the "simple things" of life, such as jewels, pretty clothes and other frivolities, though she keeps herself from showing that side of her while guild members are around.
Eztyer Hineack - Grand Marshal of The Red Steel Company - Age 28
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Eztyer is Wilma's second in command and counsellor. Much like the rest of the Red Steel company members he's an expert fighter, his focus being blades. Following the Company's standard, he is very mature and logical, he is know among the major populace as the strictest and most violent out of all members of The Red Steel Company, sadly, he is also the one responsible for overseeing the judgement and execution of criminals in The City of Guilds. It is speculated that his behaviour towards criminals originated back way before he joined The Red Steel, when his sister was murdered and raped by a group of outlaws.
Daveth Dynale - Retired Ex-Grand Master of The Red Steel Company - Age 63
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After running the Red Steel for thirty years, Daveth retired and passed the leadership over to Wilma. Though he follows the Red Steel code, he is lazy, to the point where, even though he leaded The Red Steel company, he was rarely seen by anyone, spending most his time in the Guild's headquarters doing minimal tasks. While he was in charge, The Red Steel Company suffered a period of recession and loss of power, though it is recovering it slowly under new direction. Now Daveth spends his old age as a sort of counsellor for Wilma and all of the other Company members.
Ridvan Simyl - Marshal of The Red Steel Company - Age 29
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Ridvan is the responsible for the Police and Intelligence department, follows the Red Steel code. Even though Red Steel members are know for being quiet, Ridvan gets to the point where few people ever heard his voice. He seems to be oftently lost in thought and is quick to dismiss anyone who doesn't have anything urgent to tell him. Despite the outer quiet and anti-social shell, Ridvan is also know in another way around The City of Guilds, as a writer. While not on duty, Ridvan writes small novels and poetry and has published a wide variety of books. If one were to try and judge his personality from his literary works, one would conclude him to be a romantic and religious individual, holding a tight belief for the concepts of fate and faith. He is also an escapist, as shown in his works, he wishes to free himself from the shackles of duty and flee to a simply life on the fields and forests. He also constantly likes to speak about the beauty of little innocent things. Bluntly and rudely put, he's an effeminate fruitcake, the last person to refer that way to him disappeared. He is an expert marksman.
Navarro Darkwood - Marshal of The Red Steel Company - Age 26
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Older brother of the Darkwood family, Navarro is the Chief Medical officer of The Red Steel company. Unlike the other members of the guild, Navarro doesn't seem to take the code too seriously, following it only on public, when in private or in smaller groups, Navarro is a lot more talkative and extroverted, strangely enough, he is never picked on by Wilma for acting like that, even though when someone else slips they are immediately scolded by her. He enjoys helping others in any way possible, though he will rarely put other people's needs above his. He dislikes dirtyness and unsophistication, it is speculated that he has obsessive compulsive disorder, though he denies it while violently brushing the speculators faces with soap. He is an expert of hand-to-hand combat and uses his medical knowledge to his advantage, carrying with him a wide variety of poisons and sedatives.
So far the bestiary includes, other than non-fantasy creatures, the following.
Night Predators
The stuff of nightmares for people who travel outside of the city walls.
Boogeyman (A.K.A Slenderman)
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This tall and thin humanoid creature has the torso of an average human, but it's arms and legs are incredibly long, it has no face and it's skin is pitch black. Its skin feel slightly sticky to the touch, much like it was some sort of ink instead of skin. Its mouth is located right on the torso but it remain closed and is hard to see most of the time, once the Boogeyman immobilizes its victim by wrapping both of its arms around it, it follows by slowly pulling it closer and devouring it in a single bite. It's a strictly nocturnal creature, not only is the Boogeyman is it sensible to direct sunlight it also stands out quite a bit in broad daylight. As such, during daytime it usually spends its time waiting in caverns or other places where the light doesn't reach it.
Gremlins
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These small black and quick creatures usually hunt in packs at night, since they lack eyes they instead make low gnarling noises as they walk around with their pack, by following their companions sounds, they know where they have to go to follow the pack and know when there is prey nearby for them to focus their attacks on. They have very sensible ears and can hear things such as the cracking of a fire from over a mile away. As a weakness, however, several loud noises in unison tend to disorientate them and oftenly causes them to panic and scatter, alas, gremlins are pretty defenseles when alone.
Squidward Molusk men
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Usually lives in swamps or close to the shores, these creatures will try to pull into the water any unwary creature that gets too close. Once underwater, Molusk men paralyze their victim with a spray of poisonous ink which comes from amidst the tentacles in their mouth. They are a cowardly race, however, and rely on quickly dealing with their prey before it has the time to react, in the case that the victim isn't pulled in immediately by their tentacles or somehow resists their poison, it will immediately run away to safety.
Sylvans
Usually not aggresive, these creatures usually know basic speech and will not bother travelers unless said travelers attempt to do something harmful to them or to the flora around.
Ent
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With ages that can range from a few hundred years to millenia, these gigantic trees are the smartest and wisest out of their group. Though they lack any form of defending themselves other than Underground Horros (See below), their trunks are highly valued for being incredibly durable, oftenly causing them to be cut down for people seeking to sell their wood. Their fruit are also said to have healing capabilities.
Underground Horror
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These creatures, unlike their big, ancient cousins, are unable to generate their own food and energy through photosynthesis, so instead, they estabilish a mutualist relationship with Ents. While the Ents shares a portion of it's energy with Underground Horrors to keep them alive, they live in colonies rather close to the Ents and will rise to defend their benefactor, if necessary. They're not as intelligent as Ents, keeping mostly to themselves and being poor conversationalists, unlike Ents, who can ramble for hours if the mood takes them.
Human look-alikes
Some monsters grew an alarming similarity to humans and can sometimes manage to sneak into human towns unnoticed and live among the people convincingly, however, these are often hunted by The Red Steel or specialized monster hunting groups formed in the City. Though several of them are harmful towards humans, some try to fit in, though such situations are rare.
Two-mouthed Maiden
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An hermaphrodite race, these creatures can easily pass off as a beautiful human girl. All of these creatures have very long hair, which they can actually control as if they were arms if they so desire to. Their front mouth is merely a fake, it is unable to actually ingest food. Their real mouth, located in the back of their heads, has big squary teeth and feeds mostly on grains or meat. They are relatively rare, to the point they are considered mere myths by some people.
Shade
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A close cousin of the boogeyman. Shades are creatures with no definite form, though they tend to assume shapes that may call the attention of possible prey, which can range from the shape of a beatiful girl, a handsome man or even objects. When not in a definite shape, they are pitch black and sticky, having only a single red eye slides it's way across the body. They can take pretty much any shape as long as it has roughly the same volume as them, which usually is around 0,075m³ (The average human has 0,07m³), they can also hide by pretending to be other creatures shadows. They are intensively sensible to light, to the point being exposed directly to the sun can be lethal for a shade if they stay outside for longer than a few minutes. The only way to kill a shade is either by exposing it to sunlight or by putting under extremely low or high temperatures, since the wounds caused by slashing, piercing or blunt weapons will simply dismantle their form and possibly stun them temporarily.
Magic:
QUOTE
Runes: The primary magical method in the City of Guilds. Magic is controlled by the use of written symbols. Often spells need to be performed in a precisely drawn seals. The effect of the spells is determined by how many symbols are used, and how the symbols are arranged. For example, a single run for fire will produce a small ball of flame, but not much else. A detailed scroll on the other hand can produce a torrent of fire in the form of a serpent. Many sorcerers study the many combinations and uses of runic symbols. Popular methods of employing Runic magic range from ritual circles, scrolls, and even tattoos. Sorcerers are often employed by nobles for there services, there earnings used to fund further research. If a sorcerer finds himself out of work, selling scrolls in the market is also a good way to earn gold.
Alchemy: Based on the manipulation and mixing of ingredients to produce magical effects. Alchemy is distinct from chemistry, as it operates on symbolic and abstract traits such as love, vitality, or deception, as opposed to chemical level. For example, a sleeping drug may be produced by mixing the hairs of the most sluggish animals man can find.
Summoning: Magic based on summoning creatures from spiritual planes of existence.
Sacrificial Ritual: This magic requires an offering or sacrifice to seal an agreement with a spiritual being. This may be as simple as leaving an offering of grain, and wine at an altar, or horrible acts of ritual slaughter.
Artifice: Artifice combines the skills of crafting, runic magic, and alchemy to produce magical items, and constructs. Constructing golems, or life-like machines fall under the category of artificing.
This post has been edited by Ryuga: Sep 27 2011, 05:37 PM
Group: Global Mod
Posts: 4,600
Type: Writer
RM Skill: Intermediate
Rev Points: 5
I also have not actually seen Game of Thrones, but I like the idea of a struggle for power rather than a good vs evil motif. I'll have to read through that link as well, world-building is mighty important.
I think sign up sheets for NPCs may be a little too far. I was thinking we just do it like Carlos Ruiz Zafon (my current favorite writer). When he introduces a new character he goes into great depth on their history, even if they're rather minor. It usually looked something like the following: [name] was a [general description of character] with [general description of appearance] who frequently [personality quirk] which one time led to [interesting/amusing anecdote]/[dramatic revelation].
Done well it fleshes an NPC out to a paragraph or two of description, and it's really easy to do. For example: Marcus Ringwold was a kind, elderly gentleman who lived alone in his family's bookshop. He was well known in the area for helping people out of tough situations, and always having a sense of humor and optimism regardless of circumstance. Despite clearly having some money saved up, he dressed very modestly, often in old robes indistinguishable to that of a bums. His balding head made him look like some kind of monk, and despite his generosity, there was a pale colour to his eyes which made him seem troubled. On multiple occasions he'd managed to anger some of the youths in the area by intervening when they bothered his neighbors. Even while a frail old man, the community owed him so much that none dared to actually harm him. It sometimes seemed he'd grown fond of getting himself involved in other peoples' troubles, maybe it was all he had left. It was rumored his wife had died long ago when giving birth to his son, who later died early from complications, but few remembered the incident well, and none dared to ask him. Nevertheless, his affection for young couples, especially those with children, was endless, and it wasn't uncommon for him to buy presents for them during the appropriate festivals.
I think from this, pretty much anyone could RP as Marcus. And this is probably how we should introduce all important NPCs.
__________________________
Warning!this post may contain sarcasm, please re-read it in a funny voice The old spoiler was out of control, it had to be stopped.
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Sep 17 2011, 08:07 PM
