D
Dooley
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We sit upon the precipice of greatness. Such was my thought when I received word the King agreed to the Archbishop's proposition. Never had the order been given such an opportunity to present itself to the world. A solemn chance to exhibit the merits and degrees to which it excelled above all else. The Inquisition was my great hope. It was not until the first burning in Caelrida that I realized my folly. Behind our faith, our oaths, our discipline, we were still men. And in war men do terrible things. The Inquisition revealed the darker side of my order. It shown light and that which I wished was hidden still. If I had known truly what would come to pass perhaps I would have argued this course. Far too late now to turn back to such things however. We must see our mission done for the honor of the Ring, and glory of the Pale Lord.
-Exert from the writings of Grandmaster Gerrad Bullen
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Introduction
In the late summer months of 1236 SE, Nothlodar commenced the second full-scale invasion of Caeldeth to the north. A series of long and bloody engagements followed. With superior forces Nothlodar maintained a steady push into Caeldeth. As the war progress fatigue for both kingdoms mounted yet neither wavered. The sacking of Caelrida, Caeldeth's capital, appeared the push Nothlodar needed. By winter's peak the war had ended, and occupation had began.
The early months showed little in the way of discord, yet as time passed fear gave way to resentment. Natives of Caeldeth began to speak out against their overlords. Protests gave way to riots. Not six months after Nothlodar's occupation had began open revolt had set in. Putting it down was no great task but a distinct problem had arisen. Too many men had been lost in the fighting. If proper garrisons and patrols were to be maintained more would have to be brought in. With it's own forces dismal and still recovering, Nothlodar made request to the Church. It called on the forces of the Pale Ring.
The Church of the Pale Lord had been the dominant faith in Nothlodar for centuries. It held sway in court, ruled it's own lands, and most importantly; commanded it's own forces. The Pale Ring is compromised of knights in service to the Church. Though their number does not count near the number of Nothlodar's forces, it is significant. A few had fought in the war but the majority remained in Nothlodar. The hope was for them now to march north and help maintain peace in Nothlodar's newest territory. Yet the King was no fool. He knew the Archbishop would not so readily squander the Church's resources. So a decree was made by the High Council. The Church of the Pale Lord would have full authority in the apprehension and conversion of heretics in the lands of Caeldeth.
Now the forces of Nothlodar await the arrival of the Pale Ring, the Archbishop having dispatched the bulk of the Church's military north in a Grand Inquisition. A war of a different sort is soon to begin in Caeldeth.
The Story So Far
The Grand Inquisition is progressing smoothly. With it's forces bolstered by the presence of the Church, Nothlodar has been able to successfully lock down potential problem areas in Caeldeth's larger cities. The city of Tybalt was one such place, however; unlike many of it's king it presented little resistance to the invading forces. Instead, it's lord Duke Ulliam tentatively embraced his new overlords. Due to this Tybalt was reinforced with a hefty number of Nothlodar regulars of the forces of the Pale Ring. Quickly becoming the headquarters of the occupation for southern Caeldeth. Now a new governor has arrived from Nothlodar to oversee the new territory, and the forces of the Church continue their hunt for any remaining that refuse to convert. -
Creation
Character creation is fairly straightforward. Very few restrictions are placed upon writers when developing their concepts, other than what is outlined on the Character Sheet itself. It is important to note that Age of Ruin is set in a Low Magic World, therefore only Humans are playable. It is also important to note that there are three separate designations for the characters of this Role-Play. Primary; which must be Knights of the Pale Ring and are our initial protagonists of the story. Secondary; which can be anyone within reason, are meant to bolster the story and sub-plots or transition to primary characters at a later date. Then lastly NPC's; which are mostly unimportant characters used only for fleshing out a scene. More about them will be outlined below, as well as a few rules regarding them.
- You may only create one Primary Character.
- Your first character must be a Knight of the Pale Ring.
- You may create up to two Secondary Characters.
- Both Primary and Secondary Characters need approval.
Primary
These are the initial protagonists to our story. All Knights of the Pale Ring adapting to their current situation in Caeldeth. They come from many walks of life, in all shapes and forms. United solely by their dedication to the Pale Lord and their oaths to the Church. Some may relish their new positions, hunting down heretics and forcing their to convert. Others may loath their new lot in life, having to put innocents to the sword for refusing the Pale Lord's grace. Regardless of their view on things, they will have committed many acts in the name of the Pale Lord since the occupation of Caeldeth began. Generally speaking these characters tend to stay the focus of the Role-Play throughout it's run, however; it is possible for characters to be added or removed from their ranks.
Secondary
These characters are initially less important than our main heroes but more so than an NPC. They will mainly be used to liven up the scenes of others, or otherwise flesh out more of the Role-Play. They can be Caeldeth citizens fleeing the Inquisition, Nothlodar nobility conducting themselves, or anything in-between. A Secondary Character would be someone that makes a reoccurring appearance in the Role-Play, and who's presence serves a distinct purpose in advancing the plot. They should not be someone made with the intent of directly steering the plot as a normal character would. It is, however; important to note that a Secondary Character may become a Primary Character if the plot calls for it.
NPC's
These are typically unimportant characters that serve only as plot devices. Depending on the direct importance of a character the DM may create a sheet to flesh out a character.(Image Here. Realistic Only, no Cartoon/Anime.)
Name: (Medieval Fantasy Style Names.)
Rank: (Knight or Initiate.)
Gender: (21 or Older.)
Birthdate: (Current Year is 1238 SE.)
Height: (In Feet and Inches.)
Weight: (In Pounds.)
Eyes: (Blue, Green, etc.)
Hair: (Red, Brown, etc.)
Skill-Set: (One Paragraph Description of the Character's talents. Fighting style, thievery, etc.)
Equipment: (One Paragraph Description of the Character's Current Tools and Gear.)
Appearance: (One Paragraph Description of the Character's Appearance.)
Personality: (One Paragraph Description of the Character's Personality.)
Biography: (Three Paragraph Description of the Character's background.) -
Greetings
Hello all, and welcome to Age of Ruin! Many years ago and friend and myself started piecing together a custom tabletop campaign that stood apart from the good-time fantasy romps that most sessions seemed to consist of. We settled on a world where there were no clear good or bag guys. Where choices were often morally grey, and someone nearly always suffered because of them. A tale of Holy Knights that struggled to keep their faith while following questionable orders. That was Age of Ruin. Deciding to transition that to free-form play-by-post wasn't a hard one. We had always ran it very openly anyhow, so the lack of dice or defined stats doesn't hurt progression. In fact I would hazard a guess and say they it might even open up a greater flow of Role-Play. My sincere hope is that every has as good a time as I did the first time I stepped into this realm.
Going forward I will update this from time to time to reflect the status of the Role-Play, and various other goings on in our game world. For those participating, most of this information will be posted on Discord first so you can check there as well. Right now I am working on updating the various lore pages and setting up the Discord. An official start date has yet to be chosen, but I can say it will be next week.
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General
- No OOC in IC.
- No OOC bickering.
- Respect fellow writers.
- Discord use is mandatory.
- All Site-Wide Rules Apply.
Posting
- Must proofread posts.
- Must post 3 paragraphs minimum.
- Must post once every 24 hours or be skipped.
- After 7 days without posting writers are booted.
- Any RP done on Discord must be summarized and posted when finished.
Role-Play
- No Godmodding.
- No Metagaming.
- No Lore-Breaks.
- No Mary-Sues.
- Fade-to-Black for 18+.
- When in doubt refer to DM.
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General
Interest Check
In Character
Out of Character
Discord
Lore
The Church
Locations
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