Name: Balthazar Lorekeep
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Appearance: Balthazar stands at a flat 6 feet tall. He is somewhat thin and lean, but is quite sinewy, having developed quite a bit of muscles thanks to his training. He has short light brown hair that almost borders on the color of yellow or gold. Balthazar typically wears a pair of eyeglasses when he has to examine anything up close, such as a book or something similar. When not doing anything particularly dangerous, he wears a standard attire of a polo shirt, a pair of black jeans, and some normal shoes.
Personality: Having been a scholar for many of the earlier years in his life, Balthazar is quite reserved. He is also highly inquisitive, having the desire to learn pretty much anything he finds interesting. He is also quite calm, not wanting to cause too much trouble. However, upon discussing a topic that he feels requires a bit more discussion, he will openly contest against the opposing argument with his own.
Skills: Balthazar is a quick learner, and a fast reader, mostly because if he is genuinely interested in the topic, he will learn it without incident. He also underwent some general physical training, which helped tone his body significantly. While he didn't have any specific weapon training, he is eager to learn how to do so, mainly with his own Divined Weapon.
Powers: Balthazar's mental fortitude is powerful, as he is able to resist mental intrusions from outside forces. He can also spread this defense outwards to protect other people from mental attacks, but at the cost of weakening the defense itself, and straining him depending on the amount of people he is protecting, the distance between these people, and the power of the attack he is defending against. That being said, enough power can break his mental defense, and the defense can falter under intense pressure(both physical and emotional).
Additionally, Balthazar can focus his mental energy to power his telekinesis. He mostly uses this in creative ways, such as bolstering his own attacks, or speeding himself up. However, this power drains energy from his mental fortitude, causing it to weaken. He may be able to strengthen both abilities later on, but this ability requires further training.
Bio: I really dislike doing this, but seeing as I'm a little short on time at the moment, consider it to be RP'ed. I may go back and fix this in the future.
Divined Weapon: Balthazar's Divined Weapon is the Grey Obelisk, a pillar of nearly indestructible stone with various carvings, inscriptions, and runes of power. The Obelisk is around 5 feet tall, and weighs around 300 pounds. The Obelisk acts as a conduit for Balthazar's powers, allowing him to strengthen both his mental defense and his telekinesis. When he activates his abilities, the carvings on the stone glows a bright color depending on his emotion. He mostly carries it around on his back, using his telekinesis to shoulder with most of the weight. In battle, the Obelisk can be used as a makeshift club, allowing him to bludgeon enemies into submission.
The Obelisk does have a secondary function, however. It carries the knowledge and memories that Balthazar has, allowing him to gain information about an enemy as he combats it. This also allows him to access his old memories at a moment's leisure, but it can be blocked by certain things, such as an opposing telepath actively scrambling the connection, or something of the like.
Other: Balthazar used to live on a farm, where he fondly remembers the apple orchards.
Reynald perked up at the question, but soon returned to his normally indifferent face. As much as he would love to, he had urgent matters to attend to back at the Visage. After all, he needed to report this situation at the headquarters. The lack of his armor still felt unnatural, but made him feel much more mobile. He looked to Beyvelea to respond to her question.
"Ah, unfortunately, I need to return to the Sentinel's Visage." the knight declared.
Upon hearing the dark elf's follow-up question, he decided to answer that as well.
"I'm sure he'll be here. Probably lagged behind in the crowds." he mused.
Reynald looked to Deus Oksizz, standing tall next to Beyvelea. The sight of the Exceed turned a few heads in his direction, but upon seeing the crowd of adventurers around him, the townspeople ignored it. The Exceed looked ready enough for the journey, but Reynald just assumed that he didn't require food or water. The knight himself was very-much equipped for the trek.
"Well then, I suppose you're ready then?" Reynald asked Oksizz.
With that, Reynald rose from his seat. He walked alongside Radon until he reached outside the tavern, where he mounted his horse. The trip to the marketplace was not inherently long, but the amount of people passing by made it difficult to traverse. That being said, being free of his armor did make the journey easier. When they had arrived at the rendezvous point, the knight could see both Beyvelea and Deus Oksizz patiently waiting.
"Greetings to both of you." Reynald said to his allies.
Reynald shifted on his horse for a moment before dismounting. He then stood straight as he reached for his flask. After taking a sip of spiced wine, his returned the flask to his belt. The knight looked to Beyvelea, then to Oksizz before standing there idly.
((Looking back a few pages, I believe nobody has examined the piece of paper in the skull's mouth. I could have Kaleth do it, but if someone would like to do so, that'd be great.))
The stone remained bright for several minutes. In that time, Kaleth was examining the wall closer. While he couldn't find anything of too much interest, or at least, none that he could discern, he at least knew that the stone was tied to the wall somehow. If his theory was true, then the stone was likely related to the writings on the book he read earlier.
An expression of surprise and confusion could be seen across his face as he put together the pieces of the puzzle.
Kaleth quickly knelt down and reached for the old tome he had found in the cavern. A quick scan of its passages confirmed his suspicions. This was not the first time the stone had done something like this. The book's words explained that the stone glowed a crimson light, much different from the green light he was familiar with. The dwarves were unable to decipher its meaning, and when they got close to finally uncovering its secrets, one of their allies became afflicted, and struck down the wizard who was about to reveal it to them.
It almost seemed like fate did not want them to discover the stone's secrets. The Thragon let loose a quiet, mirthless chuckle.
"I suppose history does repeat itself." Kaleth said to himself quietly as he brought the stone closer to his face.
"But what secrets do you hold..."
Suddenly, a loud noise drew away his attention. He quickly swapped the stone to his off-hand before drawing his blade. As Kaleth rushed outside to investigate, a gust of wind seemed to enter the cave. "Did something just fly away?" he asked himself as he looked outside. The Thragon looked upward, but he could not see the figure in the stormy night sky. He remained outside for a few moments before returning to his post inside the cave.
Kaleth kept his sword drawn as he examined the stone in further detail. The light seemed to be much paler now.
Drim went on to explain his plan to head towards the capital to investigate why none of the crowbirds have made it through. Reynald could recall that birds were often used to relay messages and such over long distances. If something stopped them from arriving at their destinations entirely, then something was definitely amiss. The knight considered offering his aid, but he had his own things to do. He decided to compromise, after all, Drim was very much capable enough to handle the situation.
"Crowbirds eh? Well, if you need my aid, seek me out at the Sentinel's Visage. If I am not already present there, then one of the others could direct you to me." Reynald declared. The Sentinel's Visage, or simply known as 'The Visage' to some, was the keep that the Silver Order used as their headquarters.
Not a moment afterwards, Radon had also arrived at the inn. The knight greeted him in kind. Drim asked if the golem would like to come along to the capital, where the construct could probably find some information about whatever he needed. Reynald could vaguely remember Radon asking about the artifact he had received from the knight-commander. At any rate, the golem decided to keep his options open.
Reynald mostly ignored the conversation about the birds between the pair. It did bring something to his mind however. The Exceed, Oksizz, had requested to come along with the knight. He wished to see if he could find information about his origin in the archives. Reynald doubted the likelihood of the exact information the Exceed would require, but perhaps it would direct him there. Then, the knight realized that he had not told where the Exceed should meet him.
"Ah. The Exceed, Oksizz must be waiting for me." Reynald said plainly. "I'm heading to the place where we had separated the night before. You are both welcome to come along."
Alyssa replied disdainfully towards Kaleth's rhetorical question. Understandable, he thought. She was tired, after all. Several minutes of cross-examination passed, resulting in a fruitless endeavor. He still could not comprehend the meaning of the symbols on the walls, and on the stone. Suddenly, the stone's light seemed to increase in intensity.
"What the..." Kaleth muttered as the stone grew brighter and brighter. With each passing second, the green light seemed to intensify. It almost pained him to look at it. Almost. He examined the carvings, and while they looked to be pretty much unaffected, the stone seemed to light up. Kaleth wondered what it could possibly mean.
Kaleth turned around to see his ally, namely Alyssa, stir from her slumber. She must be shielding her eyes from the glow.
"Apologies, Alyssa." Kaleth said as he slipped the stone into his pocket, causing the light to dim slightly.
Because I dislike multiquoting, I'll respond to your posts accordingly.
There will be a point system in play to hire new units, and to upgrade your character and your domain, most likely. If someone wants a special unit(like say, an elite specialized squad of units), then I'll likely allow it, as long as it stays within reason. Same goes with abilities or infrastructure. If you want more info, you can check the CYOA I based it on here.
As for the domain defense bonuses, I was thinking about making it so that Energy is the deterrent against invasions. Naturally, before attacking a domain head-on, you need to find ways to deplete that energy somehow. I can let players get creative with this, but I've got a few ideas already, like attacking their fonts of power first to deplete their energy and neutralize their domain bonuses. Alternatively, they could use subterfuge and such to try and displace the domain. Using smaller groups of elites instead of an army goes a long way to stop most effects, since energy-related defense are usually made via disrupting enemy logistics.
As for mechanics and such, I'll likely go for a hybrid system starting at mid-level power, mostly so that players more offensively inclined may go for attacking weaker domains off the bat. Of course, there's nothing stopping the larger domains from interfering in the player's affairs. How many points the player will start with, however, is still up to debate.
Considering your experience with this kind of RP, Meritania, I may call upon your aid later on.
The release date should be in a week or two. I hope you'll forgive me for this, but finals week is upon me, and I'll probably work towards that. Any free time I have will likely go to the RPs I'm in, and this one, of course.
((Since Riyguy seems a little absent at the moment, I'll take the liberty of advancing the storyline.))
With some semblance of a watch order in place, Kaleth took a seat on the ground directly opposite to the cave's entrance. Everyone was about to fall asleep when Kaleth noticed Garwend looking at the walls intently. He shrugged it off as exhaustion, but something told him that the walls could hold something of importance.
"What is it, Garwend?" Kaleth asked his new companion with curiosity.
The Thragon took a step forward, taking a place beside his companion. He examined the walls and found that there was something about them. After a few moments, Kaleth realized that there were carvings on the walls. The afflicted weren't known to communicate, so these must have been inscribed by the dwarves. Suddenly, Kaleth realized that the stone's carvings resembled the wall's inscriptions. He took out the stone, as it pulsed with pale green energy and did a comparison and found that certain symbols were similar, if not identical.
Kaleth then inspected the other symbols, namely the one with a long-haired woman. She was surrounded by various other symbols, but there were three that he could discern on the spot. There was a bandage, and a finger pressed to lips. Perhaps this was where the dwarves treated injured folk whilst silent? Kaleth couldn't really know for sure.
"What could it all mean..." the Thragon said absentmindedly.
Alright, so I've thought of some makeshift mechanics that may or may not see change later down the line. I'm trying to keep the system simple enough to grasp easily. For future reference, the 'unit' I will be using can differ from another 'unit' from another resource.
A domain's money and general income is determined by Wealth.
Wealth is a measurement of a domain's money. Whether their Wealth comes in form of gold coins, gems, or some other form of currency, Wealth is the domain's economic lifeforce. Wealth will be considered the domain's main form of currency, as you can use wealth to purchase Resources, make connections to increase your Influence, or hire laborers to improve your Manpower.
A unit of Wealth is worth a small fortune, two would be worth a sizable amount of money, and three could buy you a castle, complete with servants and all.
A domain's supplies are determined by Resources.
Resources are the measure of a domain's supplies. Supplies come in many forms, most commonly being food or building materials. Resources are very important, as they will feed your people and keep your infrastructure going. With resources, you could earn some Wealth by trading, secure a connection for Influence, or equip an army for Manpower.
A unit of Resources would be enough to keep an army fed for a week, or build a small village. Two units would be enough to construct a road, and three would be enough to build a fortified war camp.
A domain's political prowess is determined by Influence.
Influence is the connections you have with other domains, and the people of the realm. Influence also affects how well-known your domain is, complete with its advantages and disadvantages. Domains with more influence have a lot of connections, allowing them to gain Wealth, Resources, and Manpower quicker or easier, while domains with less influence can work in secret, away from the eyes of other domains.
It is more difficult to standardize a unit for Influence, but we can assume that a unit of influence would be a connection with a small trading company, while two units would be a connection with a large guild. Three units would probably be a connection to a smaller domain under your control.
A domain's population(whether it be military or working class, civilians notwithstanding) is determined by Manpower.
Manpower is how many 'bodies' you have working under your control. Manpower can also include how well-equipped your people are. Manpower is not limited to quantity of people. For example, we could say that a battalion of 25 soldiers are about as equivalent as 10 skilled warriors, or perhaps 1 extremely skilled lieutenant. You can use manpower to work Wealth or Resources, or conquer other domains for Influence.
We can assume that a unit of Manpower constitutes as a small army or workforce, while two represents a moderately-sized force. Three units could probably conquer a smaller Domain, if there is a minimal amount of resistance, at least.
A domain's link or strength towards their affinity is determined by Energy.
Energy is unique in the fact that it refers to the land's affinity, and to some extent, your character. A domain's Energy helps provide for both the people, and you. For example, fighting in your domain passively grants a bonus to your soldiers, but actively calling upon the power of your affinity from the land costs Energy. Energy slowly recharges after use, but the process takes time. Additionally, using too much Energy or otherwise disrupting the flows of the land may hinder the domain's Energy permanently. There may be ways to fix this in the future, but such ways are expensive.
Energy is hard to describe, as it is the primal source of power in the domain. Costs will adjust to what you wish to do.
((Copy pasted from another RP to generally inform the newer populace.
This is all I can think of off the top of my head, but is definitely not limited to this.
1. Extremely short posts (1 liners, or a couple of words)
2. Extremely long posts (not sure what determines whether a post is long or not, but it's there)
3. Suspicious links going to other websites
4. Repetitive words or phrases(in a sort of spam kind of way, like spamming the same word over and over)
5. Two or more posts posted in quick succession(usually, the forum attaches the posts to each other, but it may think you're attempting to DDOS)
6. Double posting, or posting a reply that seems quite similar to a one that you had previously done.
By posting 10 times in other subforums that aren't the forum games section(and by extension, the forum roleplay section), the spam filter becomes much more lenient towards you. Though if you have more than 10 posts and the filter keeps killing your posts, you can ask a mod for the details.))
I was lurking around 4chan's various jumpchain CYOA threads when I came across a particularly interesting one(or rather, multiple ones which I've merged into one). The basic premise is that the player character rules over a domain of some sort. Whether they are a lord, mage, or simply happen to be the one who owns the place is up to their discretion.
There is one thing that differentiates this character from everyone else though. They are... powerful. The idea was that the player character is THE boss monster of that realm. If this was a dungeon, you are the final boss. The strongest one, who has an army of people, monsters, and/or constructs at their command. The player character could be anything from a human to a dragon, from an angel to an otherworldly being, etc.
Additionally, there is something special about the domain as well. Most domains(domains being pieces of land, or planes of existence) have a natural affinity to a certain element. The domain the player character leads has this, but a much stronger tie to the element in question. For example, a domain situated in the mountains has an affinity to storms and winds, granting its denizens great power in that area of magic.
The player character has superior command over his domain. This means that the lands itself responds to the player character's command as ruler. Have an army invading the player character's Tempest kingdom? Powerful winds and storms disrupt their movements, making it difficult to traverse. Need a quick power boost when fighting on your land? Draw power from the domain to dish out tons of damage. etc.
In any case, this character then leads this domain to whatever purposes they have in mind. If they wanted to set out and conquer the world, they could do that. If they wanted to go on a journey of power accumulation, they could also do that. Hell, if they wanted to, they could even wage war on Celestials(angels) or Infernals(demons). Of course, that doesn't bar their other desires. They could live peacefully in their lands, or set out to just improve living conditions for everyone else. All a matter of preference really.
Then after seeing Meritania's Civ Island RP, I had an idea.
What if there were multiple domains where players interact with each other?
I may set off to make proper mechanics for this thing, but I've got a couple ideas already. I wanted some input though. Would you prefer a more game-like RP where mechanics are clear-cut, or one that is more freeform? Or maybe a fusion of the two similar to Solawind's TRPG? However, I think that players should start with a weaker domain and slowly gain in power. Whether or not the players can control characters that do not control a domain is under consideration.
In any case, I'll throw in an example.
Guy A leads the Kingdom of the Tempest Mountains. Because he leads a Tempest domain, he and his minions have a natural affinity for wind and lightning magic. Guy A is a human, but since he leads a domain, he is extremely powerful.
Guy B leads the Outsiders, a group of denizens from another plane. He leads a Void domain, a realm specializing in dark powers of destruction. Guy B is a Monster(needs better name), and harnesses the power of the Void for his own purposes.
Lets say that Guy B wages war on Guy A because he feels that destruction is necessary. Guy B's forces easily overwhelm Guy A's smaller army, but has much more trouble when they reach the domain in question. For the sake of argument, let's say that Guy B's forces are strong enough to prompt the direct assistance of Guy A. Now Guy A marches into the battlefield with storm weaponry in tow, easily turning the battle in Tempest's favor. This battle goes on and on, but eventually, Guy A dies in the battle, and his kingdom collapses. Guy B now has control over another domain.
Alright, so I've thought of some makeshift mechanics that may or may not see change later down the line. I'm trying to keep the system simple enough to grasp easily. For future reference, the 'unit' I will be using can differ from another 'unit' from another resource.
A domain's money and general income is determined by Wealth.
Wealth is a measurement of a domain's money. Whether their Wealth comes in form of gold coins, gems, or some other form of currency, Wealth is the domain's economic lifeforce. Wealth will be considered the domain's main form of currency, as you can use wealth to purchase Resources, make connections to increase your Influence, or hire laborers to improve your Manpower.
A unit of Wealth is worth a small fortune, two would be worth a sizable amount of money, and three could buy you a castle, complete with servants and all.
A domain's supplies are determined by Resources.
Resources are the measure of a domain's supplies. Supplies come in many forms, most commonly being food or building materials. Resources are very important, as they will feed your people and keep your infrastructure going. With resources, you could earn some Wealth by trading, secure a connection for Influence, or equip an army for Manpower.
A unit of Resources would be enough to keep an army fed for a week, or build a small village. Two units would be enough to construct a road, and three would be enough to build a fortified war camp.
A domain's political prowess is determined by Influence.
Influence is the connections you have with other domains, and the people of the realm. Influence also affects how well-known your domain is, complete with its advantages and disadvantages. Domains with more influence have a lot of connections, allowing them to gain Wealth, Resources, and Manpower quicker or easier, while domains with less influence can work in secret, away from the eyes of other domains.
It is more difficult to standardize a unit for Influence, but we can assume that a unit of influence would be a connection with a small trading company, while two units would be a connection with a large guild. Three units would probably be a connection to a smaller domain under your control.
A domain's population(whether it be military or working class, civilians notwithstanding) is determined by Manpower.
Manpower is how many 'bodies' you have working under your control. Manpower can also include how well-equipped your people are. Manpower is not limited to quantity of people. For example, we could say that a battalion of 25 soldiers are about as equivalent as 10 skilled warriors, or perhaps 1 extremely skilled lieutenant. You can use manpower to work Wealth or Resources, or conquer other domains for Influence.
We can assume that a unit of Manpower constitutes as a small army or workforce, while two represents a moderately-sized force. Three units could probably conquer a smaller Domain, if there is a minimal amount of resistance, at least.
A domain's link or strength towards their affinity is determined by Energy.
Energy is unique in the fact that it refers to the land's affinity, and to some extent, your character. A domain's Energy helps provide for both the people, and you. For example, fighting in your domain passively grants a bonus to your soldiers, but actively calling upon the power of your affinity from the land costs Energy. Energy slowly recharges after use, but the process takes time. Additionally, using too much Energy or otherwise disrupting the flows of the land may hinder the domain's Energy permanently. There may be ways to fix this in the future, but such ways are expensive.
Energy is hard to describe, as it is the primal source of power in the domain. Costs will adjust to what you wish to do.
More mechanics later on when this has racked up enough interest. You can check out the CYOA I based this on here.
((Eh, I'm sure yckud is a fair admin who doesn't kill off players for no good reason(RNG and affliction-plot-forwarding notwithstanding). I'd say you're fine.))
As Alyssa got to work on the campfire, Kaleth started to unfurl the bedrolls. The guards hadn't tampered with their equipment, and their food stocks were still safe. It was good that the supplies had an extra bedroll, otherwise one would have to sleep on the pile. In any case, when each sleeping spot was laid out for everyone, Kaleth got to cooking some of the salted alligator meat from before. He said a short prayer for their safety before eating.
After some time had passed, the topic of who's going to stay on watch came up. Kaleth felt around his face, still visibly injured, but would otherwise be fine. He looked to his companions before speaking up.
"I suppose I'll take first watch then." Kaleth said, still slightly cautious about his new companions.
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Name: Balthazar Lorekeep
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Appearance: Balthazar stands at a flat 6 feet tall. He is somewhat thin and lean, but is quite sinewy, having developed quite a bit of muscles thanks to his training. He has short light brown hair that almost borders on the color of yellow or gold. Balthazar typically wears a pair of eyeglasses when he has to examine anything up close, such as a book or something similar. When not doing anything particularly dangerous, he wears a standard attire of a polo shirt, a pair of black jeans, and some normal shoes.
Personality: Having been a scholar for many of the earlier years in his life, Balthazar is quite reserved. He is also highly inquisitive, having the desire to learn pretty much anything he finds interesting. He is also quite calm, not wanting to cause too much trouble. However, upon discussing a topic that he feels requires a bit more discussion, he will openly contest against the opposing argument with his own.
Skills: Balthazar is a quick learner, and a fast reader, mostly because if he is genuinely interested in the topic, he will learn it without incident. He also underwent some general physical training, which helped tone his body significantly. While he didn't have any specific weapon training, he is eager to learn how to do so, mainly with his own Divined Weapon.
Powers: Balthazar's mental fortitude is powerful, as he is able to resist mental intrusions from outside forces. He can also spread this defense outwards to protect other people from mental attacks, but at the cost of weakening the defense itself, and straining him depending on the amount of people he is protecting, the distance between these people, and the power of the attack he is defending against. That being said, enough power can break his mental defense, and the defense can falter under intense pressure(both physical and emotional).
Additionally, Balthazar can focus his mental energy to power his telekinesis. He mostly uses this in creative ways, such as bolstering his own attacks, or speeding himself up. However, this power drains energy from his mental fortitude, causing it to weaken. He may be able to strengthen both abilities later on, but this ability requires further training.
Bio: I really dislike doing this, but seeing as I'm a little short on time at the moment, consider it to be RP'ed. I may go back and fix this in the future.
Divined Weapon: Balthazar's Divined Weapon is the Grey Obelisk, a pillar of nearly indestructible stone with various carvings, inscriptions, and runes of power. The Obelisk is around 5 feet tall, and weighs around 300 pounds. The Obelisk acts as a conduit for Balthazar's powers, allowing him to strengthen both his mental defense and his telekinesis. When he activates his abilities, the carvings on the stone glows a bright color depending on his emotion. He mostly carries it around on his back, using his telekinesis to shoulder with most of the weight. In battle, the Obelisk can be used as a makeshift club, allowing him to bludgeon enemies into submission.
The Obelisk does have a secondary function, however. It carries the knowledge and memories that Balthazar has, allowing him to gain information about an enemy as he combats it. This also allows him to access his old memories at a moment's leisure, but it can be blocked by certain things, such as an opposing telepath actively scrambling the connection, or something of the like.
Other: Balthazar used to live on a farm, where he fondly remembers the apple orchards.
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Reynald perked up at the question, but soon returned to his normally indifferent face. As much as he would love to, he had urgent matters to attend to back at the Visage. After all, he needed to report this situation at the headquarters. The lack of his armor still felt unnatural, but made him feel much more mobile. He looked to Beyvelea to respond to her question.
"Ah, unfortunately, I need to return to the Sentinel's Visage." the knight declared.
Upon hearing the dark elf's follow-up question, he decided to answer that as well.
"I'm sure he'll be here. Probably lagged behind in the crowds." he mused.
Reynald looked to Deus Oksizz, standing tall next to Beyvelea. The sight of the Exceed turned a few heads in his direction, but upon seeing the crowd of adventurers around him, the townspeople ignored it. The Exceed looked ready enough for the journey, but Reynald just assumed that he didn't require food or water. The knight himself was very-much equipped for the trek.
"Well then, I suppose you're ready then?" Reynald asked Oksizz.
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May I reserve an app then? I've got an idea in my head. Will post it relatively soon.
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With that, Reynald rose from his seat. He walked alongside Radon until he reached outside the tavern, where he mounted his horse. The trip to the marketplace was not inherently long, but the amount of people passing by made it difficult to traverse. That being said, being free of his armor did make the journey easier. When they had arrived at the rendezvous point, the knight could see both Beyvelea and Deus Oksizz patiently waiting.
"Greetings to both of you." Reynald said to his allies.
Reynald shifted on his horse for a moment before dismounting. He then stood straight as he reached for his flask. After taking a sip of spiced wine, his returned the flask to his belt. The knight looked to Beyvelea, then to Oksizz before standing there idly.
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((Looking back a few pages, I believe nobody has examined the piece of paper in the skull's mouth. I could have Kaleth do it, but if someone would like to do so, that'd be great.))
The stone remained bright for several minutes. In that time, Kaleth was examining the wall closer. While he couldn't find anything of too much interest, or at least, none that he could discern, he at least knew that the stone was tied to the wall somehow. If his theory was true, then the stone was likely related to the writings on the book he read earlier.
An expression of surprise and confusion could be seen across his face as he put together the pieces of the puzzle.
Kaleth quickly knelt down and reached for the old tome he had found in the cavern. A quick scan of its passages confirmed his suspicions. This was not the first time the stone had done something like this. The book's words explained that the stone glowed a crimson light, much different from the green light he was familiar with. The dwarves were unable to decipher its meaning, and when they got close to finally uncovering its secrets, one of their allies became afflicted, and struck down the wizard who was about to reveal it to them.
It almost seemed like fate did not want them to discover the stone's secrets. The Thragon let loose a quiet, mirthless chuckle.
"I suppose history does repeat itself." Kaleth said to himself quietly as he brought the stone closer to his face.
"But what secrets do you hold..."
Suddenly, a loud noise drew away his attention. He quickly swapped the stone to his off-hand before drawing his blade. As Kaleth rushed outside to investigate, a gust of wind seemed to enter the cave. "Did something just fly away?" he asked himself as he looked outside. The Thragon looked upward, but he could not see the figure in the stormy night sky. He remained outside for a few moments before returning to his post inside the cave.
Kaleth kept his sword drawn as he examined the stone in further detail. The light seemed to be much paler now.
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Drim went on to explain his plan to head towards the capital to investigate why none of the crowbirds have made it through. Reynald could recall that birds were often used to relay messages and such over long distances. If something stopped them from arriving at their destinations entirely, then something was definitely amiss. The knight considered offering his aid, but he had his own things to do. He decided to compromise, after all, Drim was very much capable enough to handle the situation.
"Crowbirds eh? Well, if you need my aid, seek me out at the Sentinel's Visage. If I am not already present there, then one of the others could direct you to me." Reynald declared. The Sentinel's Visage, or simply known as 'The Visage' to some, was the keep that the Silver Order used as their headquarters.
Not a moment afterwards, Radon had also arrived at the inn. The knight greeted him in kind. Drim asked if the golem would like to come along to the capital, where the construct could probably find some information about whatever he needed. Reynald could vaguely remember Radon asking about the artifact he had received from the knight-commander. At any rate, the golem decided to keep his options open.
Reynald mostly ignored the conversation about the birds between the pair. It did bring something to his mind however. The Exceed, Oksizz, had requested to come along with the knight. He wished to see if he could find information about his origin in the archives. Reynald doubted the likelihood of the exact information the Exceed would require, but perhaps it would direct him there. Then, the knight realized that he had not told where the Exceed should meet him.
"Ah. The Exceed, Oksizz must be waiting for me." Reynald said plainly. "I'm heading to the place where we had separated the night before. You are both welcome to come along."
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Alyssa replied disdainfully towards Kaleth's rhetorical question. Understandable, he thought. She was tired, after all. Several minutes of cross-examination passed, resulting in a fruitless endeavor. He still could not comprehend the meaning of the symbols on the walls, and on the stone. Suddenly, the stone's light seemed to increase in intensity.
"What the..." Kaleth muttered as the stone grew brighter and brighter. With each passing second, the green light seemed to intensify. It almost pained him to look at it. Almost. He examined the carvings, and while they looked to be pretty much unaffected, the stone seemed to light up. Kaleth wondered what it could possibly mean.
Kaleth turned around to see his ally, namely Alyssa, stir from her slumber. She must be shielding her eyes from the glow.
"Apologies, Alyssa." Kaleth said as he slipped the stone into his pocket, causing the light to dim slightly.
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Because I dislike multiquoting, I'll respond to your posts accordingly.
There will be a point system in play to hire new units, and to upgrade your character and your domain, most likely. If someone wants a special unit(like say, an elite specialized squad of units), then I'll likely allow it, as long as it stays within reason. Same goes with abilities or infrastructure. If you want more info, you can check the CYOA I based it on here.
As for the domain defense bonuses, I was thinking about making it so that Energy is the deterrent against invasions. Naturally, before attacking a domain head-on, you need to find ways to deplete that energy somehow. I can let players get creative with this, but I've got a few ideas already, like attacking their fonts of power first to deplete their energy and neutralize their domain bonuses. Alternatively, they could use subterfuge and such to try and displace the domain. Using smaller groups of elites instead of an army goes a long way to stop most effects, since energy-related defense are usually made via disrupting enemy logistics.
As for mechanics and such, I'll likely go for a hybrid system starting at mid-level power, mostly so that players more offensively inclined may go for attacking weaker domains off the bat. Of course, there's nothing stopping the larger domains from interfering in the player's affairs. How many points the player will start with, however, is still up to debate.
Considering your experience with this kind of RP, Meritania, I may call upon your aid later on.
The release date should be in a week or two. I hope you'll forgive me for this, but finals week is upon me, and I'll probably work towards that. Any free time I have will likely go to the RPs I'm in, and this one, of course.
Thanks for all the support so far, guys.
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((Since Riyguy seems a little absent at the moment, I'll take the liberty of advancing the storyline.))
With some semblance of a watch order in place, Kaleth took a seat on the ground directly opposite to the cave's entrance. Everyone was about to fall asleep when Kaleth noticed Garwend looking at the walls intently. He shrugged it off as exhaustion, but something told him that the walls could hold something of importance.
"What is it, Garwend?" Kaleth asked his new companion with curiosity.
The Thragon took a step forward, taking a place beside his companion. He examined the walls and found that there was something about them. After a few moments, Kaleth realized that there were carvings on the walls. The afflicted weren't known to communicate, so these must have been inscribed by the dwarves. Suddenly, Kaleth realized that the stone's carvings resembled the wall's inscriptions. He took out the stone, as it pulsed with pale green energy and did a comparison and found that certain symbols were similar, if not identical.
Kaleth then inspected the other symbols, namely the one with a long-haired woman. She was surrounded by various other symbols, but there were three that he could discern on the spot. There was a bandage, and a finger pressed to lips. Perhaps this was where the dwarves treated injured folk whilst silent? Kaleth couldn't really know for sure.
"What could it all mean..." the Thragon said absentmindedly.
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Alright, so I've thought of some makeshift mechanics that may or may not see change later down the line. I'm trying to keep the system simple enough to grasp easily. For future reference, the 'unit' I will be using can differ from another 'unit' from another resource.
A domain's money and general income is determined by Wealth.
A unit of Wealth is worth a small fortune, two would be worth a sizable amount of money, and three could buy you a castle, complete with servants and all.
A domain's supplies are determined by Resources.
A unit of Resources would be enough to keep an army fed for a week, or build a small village. Two units would be enough to construct a road, and three would be enough to build a fortified war camp.
A domain's political prowess is determined by Influence.
It is more difficult to standardize a unit for Influence, but we can assume that a unit of influence would be a connection with a small trading company, while two units would be a connection with a large guild. Three units would probably be a connection to a smaller domain under your control.
A domain's population(whether it be military or working class, civilians notwithstanding) is determined by Manpower.
We can assume that a unit of Manpower constitutes as a small army or workforce, while two represents a moderately-sized force. Three units could probably conquer a smaller Domain, if there is a minimal amount of resistance, at least.
A domain's link or strength towards their affinity is determined by Energy.
Energy is hard to describe, as it is the primal source of power in the domain. Costs will adjust to what you wish to do.
That's it for now. Thoughts?
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Glad to see that this has picked up a bit of interest. If you guys have any suggestions, feel free to leave them here.
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((Copy pasted from another RP to generally inform the newer populace.
This is all I can think of off the top of my head, but is definitely not limited to this.
1. Extremely short posts (1 liners, or a couple of words)
2. Extremely long posts (not sure what determines whether a post is long or not, but it's there)
3. Suspicious links going to other websites
4. Repetitive words or phrases(in a sort of spam kind of way, like spamming the same word over and over)
5. Two or more posts posted in quick succession(usually, the forum attaches the posts to each other, but it may think you're attempting to DDOS)
6. Double posting, or posting a reply that seems quite similar to a one that you had previously done.
By posting 10 times in other subforums that aren't the forum games section(and by extension, the forum roleplay section), the spam filter becomes much more lenient towards you. Though if you have more than 10 posts and the filter keeps killing your posts, you can ask a mod for the details.))
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Noted. Putting up poll for that now.
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I was lurking around 4chan's various jumpchain CYOA threads when I came across a particularly interesting one(or rather, multiple ones which I've merged into one). The basic premise is that the player character rules over a domain of some sort. Whether they are a lord, mage, or simply happen to be the one who owns the place is up to their discretion.
There is one thing that differentiates this character from everyone else though. They are... powerful. The idea was that the player character is THE boss monster of that realm. If this was a dungeon, you are the final boss. The strongest one, who has an army of people, monsters, and/or constructs at their command. The player character could be anything from a human to a dragon, from an angel to an otherworldly being, etc.
Additionally, there is something special about the domain as well. Most domains(domains being pieces of land, or planes of existence) have a natural affinity to a certain element. The domain the player character leads has this, but a much stronger tie to the element in question. For example, a domain situated in the mountains has an affinity to storms and winds, granting its denizens great power in that area of magic.
The player character has superior command over his domain. This means that the lands itself responds to the player character's command as ruler. Have an army invading the player character's Tempest kingdom? Powerful winds and storms disrupt their movements, making it difficult to traverse. Need a quick power boost when fighting on your land? Draw power from the domain to dish out tons of damage. etc.
In any case, this character then leads this domain to whatever purposes they have in mind. If they wanted to set out and conquer the world, they could do that. If they wanted to go on a journey of power accumulation, they could also do that. Hell, if they wanted to, they could even wage war on Celestials(angels) or Infernals(demons). Of course, that doesn't bar their other desires. They could live peacefully in their lands, or set out to just improve living conditions for everyone else. All a matter of preference really.
Then after seeing Meritania's Civ Island RP, I had an idea.
What if there were multiple domains where players interact with each other?
I may set off to make proper mechanics for this thing, but I've got a couple ideas already. I wanted some input though. Would you prefer a more game-like RP where mechanics are clear-cut, or one that is more freeform? Or maybe a fusion of the two similar to Solawind's TRPG? However, I think that players should start with a weaker domain and slowly gain in power. Whether or not the players can control characters that do not control a domain is under consideration.
In any case, I'll throw in an example.
Guy A leads the Kingdom of the Tempest Mountains. Because he leads a Tempest domain, he and his minions have a natural affinity for wind and lightning magic. Guy A is a human, but since he leads a domain, he is extremely powerful.
Guy B leads the Outsiders, a group of denizens from another plane. He leads a Void domain, a realm specializing in dark powers of destruction. Guy B is a Monster(needs better name), and harnesses the power of the Void for his own purposes.
Lets say that Guy B wages war on Guy A because he feels that destruction is necessary. Guy B's forces easily overwhelm Guy A's smaller army, but has much more trouble when they reach the domain in question. For the sake of argument, let's say that Guy B's forces are strong enough to prompt the direct assistance of Guy A. Now Guy A marches into the battlefield with storm weaponry in tow, easily turning the battle in Tempest's favor. This battle goes on and on, but eventually, Guy A dies in the battle, and his kingdom collapses. Guy B now has control over another domain.
Alright, so I've thought of some makeshift mechanics that may or may not see change later down the line. I'm trying to keep the system simple enough to grasp easily. For future reference, the 'unit' I will be using can differ from another 'unit' from another resource.
A unit of Wealth is worth a small fortune, two would be worth a sizable amount of money, and three could buy you a castle, complete with servants and all.
A domain's supplies are determined by Resources.
A unit of Resources would be enough to keep an army fed for a week, or build a small village. Two units would be enough to construct a road, and three would be enough to build a fortified war camp.
A domain's political prowess is determined by Influence.
It is more difficult to standardize a unit for Influence, but we can assume that a unit of influence would be a connection with a small trading company, while two units would be a connection with a large guild. Three units would probably be a connection to a smaller domain under your control.
A domain's population(whether it be military or working class, civilians notwithstanding) is determined by Manpower.
We can assume that a unit of Manpower constitutes as a small army or workforce, while two represents a moderately-sized force. Three units could probably conquer a smaller Domain, if there is a minimal amount of resistance, at least.
A domain's link or strength towards their affinity is determined by Energy.
Energy is hard to describe, as it is the primal source of power in the domain. Costs will adjust to what you wish to do.
More mechanics later on when this has racked up enough interest. You can check out the CYOA I based this on here.
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((Eh, I'm sure yckud is a fair admin who doesn't kill off players for no good reason(RNG and affliction-plot-forwarding notwithstanding). I'd say you're fine.))
As Alyssa got to work on the campfire, Kaleth started to unfurl the bedrolls. The guards hadn't tampered with their equipment, and their food stocks were still safe. It was good that the supplies had an extra bedroll, otherwise one would have to sleep on the pile. In any case, when each sleeping spot was laid out for everyone, Kaleth got to cooking some of the salted alligator meat from before. He said a short prayer for their safety before eating.
After some time had passed, the topic of who's going to stay on watch came up. Kaleth felt around his face, still visibly injured, but would otherwise be fine. He looked to his companions before speaking up.
"I suppose I'll take first watch then." Kaleth said, still slightly cautious about his new companions.