Posted April 28, 2019 (edited) ✴ T H E A M E N D E R S' G U I L D ✴︎ Earn your redemption. One morning, you wake up to find a mysterious letter laying at the entrance to your place of residence. Its dark blue envelope bears no markings, but is sealed with a rubbery blob of silver wax into which a cryptic symbol has been embossed— a dragon biting its own tail to form a circle. It is slightly damp, you note, probably from having sat there while the dew formed during dawn. It must have been delivered very early for that to happen; you suspect that a runner came by overnight. You break the seal and tip the envelope upside down to empty its contents. A snow-white piece of parchment, folded into crisp thirds, falls out onto your lap. A letter. And it makes you an offer that you can't refuse. An address is enclosed at the end, and should you wish to count yourself in, it says, you must send a reply expressing your commitment. For a couple days following your having received this strange postage, you simply keep it in your pocket as you go about your daily duties, debating whether or not to truly go through with it. But in the end, you feel that you have no other choice. You pen a quick letter before your misgivings overtake you again, and in only a few days, a response is delivered in the same blue envelope as the first letter. It congratulates you on your decision; names an address at which you are to be expected at a certain date; tells you to pack certain supplies. A ring of silvery metal is also included in the envelope, and you notice it's in the same shape as the symbol on the letter's seal— a dragon with its tail in its mouth. Wait, what's that? Something rough rubs against your thumb as you run it against the inside of the ring. An inscription has been carved into the band: I strive toward the light of day; the dark of night, I cannot wash away. You are an Amender. Welcome to the Guild. ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ P L O T L I N E Everybody has committed wrongdoings throughout their lives. Perhaps you bullied peers in the schoolyard as a child; stole something valuable from someone who trusted you; showered abuse on a dragon hatchling who did naught to earn it; sent a fellow man to his death. Whatever it may be— great or small, secret or well-known, punished or unpunished— you regret it deeply, and it weighs down your heart, your steps. Your hands are stained. Founded by Lord Osben Valherys, a powerful member of the King's court, The Amenders' Guild is almost like a community service group. A group of volunteer "sinners", united by the guilt they wish to scrub themselves clean of (it is up to them whether they will reveal the sources of their sorrows to their fellow Amenders), are hired to band together and take on (sometimes questionable) quests (that no respectable government worker wants to take on) for charitable purposes. By doing this, Lord Osben claims, by doing this kind of good work, it will counteract whatever evils they have had a hand in. They will have made amends to society— and perhaps this knowledge will help them forgive themselves. This roleplay follows the Guild as they travel through the Kingdom of Aethia and complete the tasks they are assigned... or not. WORLD-SPECIFIC INFO / F.A.Q.: The setting is within medieval fantasy. I'll be lenient with clothing, music, dialect, and certain weapons, but hey, no guns. Come on. The geography and politics are basically as follows: Six "states" are united into the Kingdom of Aethia under King Tomas Highwood, with regional officials to help keep it under control. Five minor states surround the main sixth, and each have numerous subcultures (which aren't listed here, so you may do as you please!). Attisa is the main state. It borders many biomes, is mainly wooded, and touches the coast, which allows for great fishing and trade as well as maritime militia development. Very populated. The Castle is surrounded by many villages, and hugs the coastline. This is where the King and his officials rule over Aethia. The cultures and ethnicities are the most mixed here. Hudea is the desert region. The Hudeans revel in matters of sciences; the inhabitants of this area are usually known to be teachers, scientists, researchers, inventors, etcetera. Some of the best minds of Aethia can be found here, though of course, merchants and artisans are also quite common. Tidour is a mild, densely forested region. Tidour seems to produce a lot of mystics and artists. Its subcultures are all very different and divided, due to the miles of verdure which, for some of them, almost completely separate them from the outside world. This usually leads to spotty states of education, technology, etcetera depending on where, but individual peoples have developed very distinct ways of life. Goura is a humid, rainforest-like region. Though the cultures developed are entirely different from Tidour's, Goura too contains many different and much-isolated ethnical groups. The people here tend to be skilled hunters and artisans. Merchants are also quite common. Kharus is a region with many wide, grassy plains. The Kharusians form many different subcultures and occupations, with equally varying ethnic makeup, but a widespread trend seems to be a focus on trade and artisanship. The most beautiful works of architecture and craftsmanship seems to come from this region. Farmers, too, are rather common. The people who live closer to the edges of the territory are usually nomads. Svaruk is a tundra region. Most of its subcultures form small, isolated villages that dot the vast, cold expanse of the state, and others live nomadic lifestyles as they participate in trade. Very little can grow in the harsh climate, never mind crops. Hunting is common, as well. Typical products here therefore include furs, bone, etcetera. Xithar is a neutral sort of state, and smaller than the others. Even so, its mild climate and good soil quality allow it to grow a wide array of plants, and it singlehandedly produces the majority of the kingdom's crops. Farmers and other agriculture specialists are typical here, though Xithar is also known for its formidable and well-disciplined militia force (rumored to rival even that of Attisa). Biomes will change throughout the story as they travel. Individual characters may come from all around. Dragons are part of the lore! Not as diverse and elaborate as that of Dragon Cave, but they do exist. As do people who work with them in breeding, taming, etc. No angels or demons. Sorry 'bout that. As for werewolves and vampires, please see me about them ahead of time! In a setting focused on character development rather than combat and/or special powers, it would be preferred that the majority of the Amenders were human. Believe me, there's still plenty to be done with that. Faith and religion differs among the various cultures here, as they do in real life. I've yet to come up with anything specific, but if you have a path in mind for your character, please feel free to include that in your writing! Currency & rations I've also yet to figure out a specific system for, but know that they will be given basic traveling necessities, a small individual allowance for sundry purposes (think the equivalent of 5 dollars a week), and relatively meager rations (they won't starve, but they won't be full) as part of their contract with the Guild. I can't say the officials would be very happy with them finding ways to get more of any of the above, but hey... that may happen. ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ G U I D E L I N E S OUT OF CHARACTER: Basic human decency, please, if anything. No harassment, bullying, etcetera. We're all here to have fun, and cause drama in character, not out. Speaking of in-character drama— for "sins" and/or other extra character traits to range widely is to be expected, but there will be no necrophiliacs, zoophiliacs (beastiality), or sex offenders. If you need to clear something with me, please send me a message and I'll let you know whether a certain trait is welcome or unwelcome content in this group. The line has to be drawn someplace. The roleplay basics— no godmodding (controlling another RPer's character), metagaming (giving your character knowledge they wouldn't have in-character), force-shipping, etcetera. A special emphasis on no-metagaming, given the material of this roleplay. Please discuss with me ahead of time any major plot-points such as deaths, pregnancies, fatal injuries, etc. Please give me a heads-up before going on hiatus (which will be permitted to up to a month, depending on the occasion)! Even so, knowing most of us are busy with real-life activity, the activity limit will be 1 week. You have that long to make a considerable text response in-character. Please let me know if you need more time for a reason, and I'll be glad to do so. No NSFW roleplaying on this thread. You may make jokes, use innuendo, and imply it between characters if it is so decided upon, but there will be no actual writing of explicit sexual material here. You may vary your writing length as you see fit. Just know that if a particular thing you're responding to is seven long paragraphs and yours is but one, that's going to be an issue for both of you. It's considered polite to match length, though it's understandable to do otherwise in case of preambles or situations where the long writing in question doesn't actually cover much action. Remember that conciseness is as great as elaborate prose! On that note, please remember that it's important to give your writing partners something to go off of. And never underestimate the power of body language. You may vary your formatting as you see fit. Do you use a certain font? Do you use a certain size? A certain distribution of paragraphs? Do you use gifs or pictures? Go ahead and do what feels right in communicating your characters' actions... but know it must be at least legible. Remember that long, unbroken text is difficult to read (maybe color/bold specific words for emphasis, or use paragraphs). Yellow or any very light color is also a challenge. As are fonts below the default size. Large image attachments make loading difficult. Third-person perspective, please. Because, as you know, your character is separate from yourself and it is already a difficult enough task to avoid making your character act/think the way you would in real life (a horrific habit that I also am prone to fall back onto), first-person will not be used in this group for roleplay purposes. Thank you for understanding. Up to two characters per player! Self explanatory. This may change as the group progresses. I may be playing more "NPC"-type characters, if you see me break my own rule. It is up to you whether your character's reason for joining the Guild is revealed. You may be frank and have your character reveal it right off the bat to their fellow Amenders, or you may drop hints. Also, if you don't mind an NPC letting the cat out of your bag, please let me know to volunteer (future villain ideas... wink, wink)! IN CHARACTER (Some are made to be broken for drama's sake... but within reason) : Loyalty is key. Stick together, and let your goal not be forgotten. There is a reason you are here together. Interpersonal feuds must be avoided for the sake of the entire Guild's wellbeing. Obedience is important. Stay on track; there are tasks of utmost importance to be carried out. No excessive merrymaking— remember you are here to repent your past!— or consumption of alcohol, etcetera. Pets / companion animals must be approved beforehand; interference with the Guild's objectives must be minimized. Size, power, and level of dependence will be accounted for. (...y'all get the idea) Failure to comply to set rules and/or orders made will result in consequences, which will grow in severity according to that of the infraction in question. ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ A P P L I C A T I O N (Please message to me for review before posting! Thank you so much.) (Here's a basic copy + paste I put together, but if you feel more comfortable using a template of your own creation, then do so! Just make sure we can read it and clearly distinguish the points of your character. List format is fine, as well— I just prefer straight-up writing for my own bios because I find the prose helps me link the character together better. The following is a random dude I made up for this example purpose and will not be using. For another example, see my character Arryn's.) ⎈ JOHN DOE ⎈ Born on June 23rd, John Doe is a fourty-two year old fisherman from Attisa. [He/him; cismale] He is naturally of a thickset and stocky build. While his job is not one of great prosperity, the strenuousness of the work has kept him strong. He is square-jawed and light-skinned (however blotchy and pink from the sun), and his hair is black and curly with gray streaks, its ragged edges suggesting a lifetime of perfunctory, self-administered haircuts. John typically wears rough clothes of hemp and wool (calico when soaked is deadly cold), over which he wears a protective fisherman's suit of a rubbery material when out on his maritime duties. He wears the Guild ring on his right pinkie, for it doesn't fit any other of his thick digits. When his sleeves are rolled up, one may see his tattoos of a mermaid, Aethian flag, and two red fish stretched over his muscular, hairy arms, which are also covered in numerous scars from the rough-and-tumble work. Yet he doesn't give off a threatening aura; on the contrary, he is loud and sociable. Especially once he's downed a bottle or two. Or three. Or six. John is not properly trained in combat; if provoked (or just that severely intoxicated), he counts on his physical strength and sheer brute force to help him win. He knows how to wield knives and spears to fish, and no matter what he may claim outwardly, is not looking forward to the possibility of having to use his limited skills on anything else. He cannot read or write, only remembering vaguely how to sign his name (as learned in school as a child), but he is still quite clever with words out loud, and has a fine baritone singing voice. Personality-wise, three positive traits that would fit him are bold, easy-going, enthusiastic; negative traits that would apply include being dishonest, self-centered, and disobedient. He is also known to drink excessively. It was this trait, and the violence that he was prone to cause in such states of inebriation, that caused his wife, Hadine, to leave him ten years ago. They were really very loving, having grown up together in the same area of Attisa and been childhood sweethearts that knew every corner of each other's soul as much as if it'd been their own; however, as the years passed and John took up the bottle to horrific results, it became too much for Hadine. She walked out of their little boarding-room and never returned. She hadn't even packed her things. John went on with his life, but after that day something changed within him; despite being unable to break free of his drinking habit, and not losing the lively laughter so characteristic of him, he grew less honest and truly open to the world. He also developed something of a martyr complex, or at the very least a careless, self-destructive tendency to throw himself into dangerous situations. Quote "She called me a monster that night." John stares into the hearth as he reminisces aloud, and the light of the fire is reflected in his eyes, giving them an unearthly gleam. "...And well as she might. Ne'er remember it well, while the bottle's in me hand. They say I smash things, hit—" his voice grows choked for a brief moment— "hit things... People. "I, uh, don' mean to. No, no, I ne'er mean to. And Hadine— my girl, y'see— she kept—" he breaks off, covers his forehead with a meaty hand, and sighs before continuing. "Well, I done drove 'er away, that's what I did. She was real patient with me. So I can't blame 'er. I'm something real dreadful, something mad when I drink. "And I can't help but think..." Even now he reaches to his side, takes a swig of liquor. "I can't help but think she's dead now. Where did she go? She didn't pack a single bag! Not a penny in 'er pocket, no, nor a roll of bread, nor a coat o'er her little back to shield it from th' weather... "...So that's I'm here. I need t' do something good. Maybe then th' Gods will forgive me drinking, and... whate'er I brought 'pon my poor Hadine." [Written by Playername || pronouns] MUST INCLUDE: Basic stats. You know the drill! Name, age, preferred pronouns, gender orientation, occupation, appearance, origin, etcetera. Three positive traits + three negative traits (remember to try and avoid more neutral adjectives, like "clumsy") An answer to the question: "What made you join the Guild?" GOOD TO CONSIDER: Weapons? What are they proficient in? Can they read and/or write? Given the time period, it's known that not everyone could, or even needed to that much, depending on the lifestyle. Their views toward having to work together? Etcetera! ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ⎈︎ ARRYN THEVALUR ⎈︎ Born on February 10th, Arryn Thevalur is a twenty-six year old wandering merchant/trader from Svaruk. [She/her; cisfemale] Appearance-wise, she is just above 5'1" and is of average build. Though lacking in brute force or bodily might, her lifestyle of constant movement as well as a simple diet (of things mostly gathered; she cannot afford to eat the things she sells, even if rich food comes into her trade) has helped to keep her healthy. She is light-skinned with brown eyes, and her considerably plain face is framed by dark curls that reach her shoulders. Her palms have become toughened with handiwork over time, with minor scars here and there; there's also another scar visible over her abdomen, running jagged across her skin but faded with time. The young woman is usually dressed in layered garments of fur and leather over a pair of breeches, which provide her warmth and protection from the elements. Nimble and constantly alert for signs of danger, it is rare for Arryn to have to use weapons, outside of her occasional hunting, but she is skilled with the bow and arrow, and despite her distaste for close combat, figures that her knowledge of how to work a knife (also usually for hunting purposes...) might come in handy. In her pocket is a child's shoe and carved-bone figurine of a rudimentary dragon curled inwards, almost forming a ball. She seems to find a private comfort in these little objects, and takes them with her everywhere she travels. She is considerably literate— she was fortunate to receive basic education as a child from her mother, a Tidouran woman of letters. It is also a trait that comes in handy quite often in her line of work, where the bottom line is often being able to read maps, signs, and the occasional deal-paper. However, reading full-bodied books and other complex literary works is still quite a struggle. She has continued to expand her ability, however, in whatever free time she can scrounge up, and has reached a respectable level where she can express herself in the writing. Personality-wise, three positive traits that would fit her are clever, humane, hardworking; negative traits that would apply include being irritable, mistrustful, and evasive. Her parents are dead; the only family member she has left is little Ivonik. He is her younger brother, she says, whom she has left in the care of a elderly neighbor back home. Most of her earnings from the merchant trade are posted back home to support his upbringing. Her work is too dangerous to have him tag along, and because it is often as lonely, she often writes rough letters (whether they are actually mailed or not) to him and his caretaker in her free time. Quote "When I was little... I took a dragon egg home." She pauses, eyes fixed on the ground. "But I didn't steal it. I had a friend, Enid. Her family bred dragons. She offered me an egg, and I was only too glad to accept. That is— against my parents' wishes. They always said that we didn't have room or time for a dragon." She breaks off for a while, leaning her chin into her shaking hands before continuing: "They were right. I raised the thing in secret for a little while, and... it burned the house down while we slept, one night. I was the only one alive." Arryn turns away; her expression is inscrutable. "I am responsible for the deaths of my parents. That's why I'm here." [Written by Soomin || she/her] Edited May 12, 2019 by Soomin Share this post Link to post
Posted April 28, 2019 Hello! I'm Mage, and I'm here to get your roleplay approved! First of all, I'd like to say that this is very nicely written, formatted, and developed. You have all the parts to get started, and the intro is very compelling (even though it took until the setting section to find out that the setting is one of medieval fantasy) It's very exciting! However, the signup template is pretty confusing as it is right now with its sample text. I think tossing it in quotes will help separate it, but I wonder if having just your sample application would be enough? 59 minutes ago, Soomin said: ⎈ FIRST LAST ⎈ Cupcake ipsum dolor sit. Amet sweet roll chocolate cake toffee bonbon cotton candy candy canes donut. Candy toffee candy apple pie gummies. Donut cotton candy cheesecake sweet roll jelly beans lollipop. Sweet roll cake tiramisu candy canes cheesecake marzipan pudding sweet roll. Candy canes bear claw chocolate cake lemon drops marshmallow. Tart bonbon pudding tart halvah icing pie biscuit jelly. Fruitcake ice cream fruitcake pastry gummy bears sesame snaps ice cream chocolate bar jujubes. Carrot cake soufflé apple pie strawberry rhubarb tart lemon drops gelato red velvet chocolate chip caramel. Macaron green tea raspberry toffee marzipan baklava lollipop. [Written by Playername || pronouns] Arryn's actual information paragraph is a little tough to digest too, since it's an entire block of text. While there's nothing wrong with a paragraph-style signup, it's a lot easier to find information with the typical list format. That said, this is a matter of taste and you leave it up to the individual. I did notice, though, that the text and line breaks do weird things on smaller screens that makes it downright impossible to read: ~ Gave the whole thing a check for grammar and spelling too -- I may have missed things, but it seems like most everything is in order. 42 minutes ago, Soomin said: Svaruk is a a tundra region. Little typo. ~~~ All in all, very solid roleplay. Looking forward to moving it once these things have been addressed. Share this post Link to post
Posted April 28, 2019 (edited) Hello - thank you so much for the feedback! Yeah, I... failed to consider how the biography would look on devices other than the desktop computer, and will do my best to clear stuff up with the biography template and the fantasy setting. I'll probably be able to fix things within the upcoming week. Edit: I forgot about my AP exams this week! I'm sorry - I'll be fixing this up a little later. Edited May 5, 2019 by Soomin Share this post Link to post
Posted June 11, 2019 @Soomin Hi there! Apparently, it went a little unnoticed that you had made the couple tweaks that @TehUltimateMage pointed out. Apologies for the wait. Since this does not strictly involve DC dragons, I'm going to move your thread into the Other RPs If you need an OOC thread, feel welcome to make one here in the Unapproved section and it'll be moved over to join the RP thread. Share this post Link to post
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