A Tale of Heroes is a play-by-post roleplay created by AJ2000 and hosted on Serebii Forums.
It can be found here
. It started in 2014 and ran for two years before being abandoned in 2016.
Artus Callum
A young man and laborer from Nalan who landed in Galvez Prison merely because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Artus lived most of his life simply, though Diaz's forces made his family's life increasingly difficult. Not wanting to be forced into a life more uncomfortable than what he already had, he escaped his hometown, in order to head to a more neutral province. While travelling on the road to Winness to isolate himself from the effects of Diaz' forces, Artus was unwittingly caught up in some rebel activity, which led to him being rounded up during the mass arrest that ensued.
Artus at first glance does not seem to be a typical hero. Chronically lazy and hungry, a gambler and a flirt, he prefers to let others do the dirty work most of the time, while he kicks back and relaxes. He is, however, determined, generally positive and optimistic despite his work ethic. While many may underestimate or dismiss him because of his laid-back attitude and occasional obliviousness, Artus does possess much more strength and determination that most give him credit for, and should not be underestimated.
- Big Eater: Enjoys food, to the point of complaining loudly when he's hungry.
- Butt-Monkey: Usually on the receiving end of others' insults.
- Chivalrous Pervert: He likes beautiful women, and knows how to flirt, but he's a good guy overall.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He might be seen as very lazy and always hungry, and is more likely to avoid difficulties. However when push comes to shove, he is not to be messed with in battle.
- Light 'em Up: Also knows Light-element magic.
- Mighty Glacier: The slowest in the party, but has very high survivability and strength. A cross between this and Stone Wall.
- Miser Advisor: Displayed when he loudly complained when all his other teammates purchased new gear (which unfortunately included some bogus magic items) to replace their old, battered gear.
Kenna Keyes
The youngest daughter of a blacksmith family from Havnaar, Kenna once had a good life, with a loving father, a doting older brother, and a prosperous business. While she and her family had to deal with her bitter older sister Ria, the war was something that generally did not affect her life as greatly as most, until a string of unfortunate events took place, with her mother's death and culminated with her brother Henriq's disappearance when she was nineteen. Journeying to Mare De Sol in order to confront her sister, she was unwittingly hexed by Ria into using her own spells, causing her to be arrested.
Caring, attractive and sensible, Kenna could be described as motherly. She doesn't hesitate to help others in her own way, and is generally a compassionate young woman. She is, however, strong-willed and not without a spine, never holding back in voicing out her opinions and standing up for herself when she feels the need to, despite having a reserved demeanor most of the time. While generally quiet and calm, she is, however, the scariest person to anger; one really would not want to cross paths with an angry Kenna.
- Badass Cape: Gets a green one as part of her second outfit.
- Beware the Nice Ones: While not particularly violent, she will chew you out when provoked and make you wish that you never pissed her off in the first place.
- Brainy Brunette: One of the smarter ones of the gang, and actually appreciates books and reading.
- Combat Medic: Knows both healing spells and offensive ones.
- Daddy's Girl: Closer to her father than her mother.
- Feminine Women Can Cook: Subverted. She's just as bad as Rose in terms of cooking.
- Good Parents: Has really good, supportive parents. Even Rose thinks so. Naturally, they're both deceased.
- Lady of War: Uses a bow in battle, and has a more elegant battle style than Blood Knight Rose.
- Meaningful Name: Her name means "beautiful", and she certainly is very attractive to look at.
- Red Mage: Knows both offensive and supportive Water-element magic.
- Team Mom: Is caring, sensible and motherly, but doesn't hesitate to voice her opinion.
Valmiro Eberhart (Val)
Born to wealthy parents in the dark city of Ostrheinsburg, Valmiro was a promising scholar at a young age, skilled and intelligent enough to enter the prestigious academy of dark magic, where he soon discovered his dark powers. Honing his magic to the point of exhaustion, his obsession with the dark arts made him rise in the ranks, and he became the youngest student to enter the elite branch of the academy where, despite his age, he flourished as he continued to dedicate himself to the dangerous craft. His time there, however, was cut short by Diaz' forces marching into the city. While the academy put up a fight, many students were taken hostage, one of them Valmiro, due in part to the effects of pushing himself too far.
Possessing both great intelligence and great skill, Valmiro is a Faustian character; proud, ambitious and driven by his thirst for power and control. He is one whose proclivities run deep, to the point of influencing his actions and choices, morality be damned. Stealthy, skilled at mind games and manipulative to a fault, he knows his way around things and doesn't hesitate in using others for his own gains, as long as it benefits him. Callous, calculating and cold, people's feelings mean little to him whenever he makes decisions.
- Badass Cape: His second one is even reminiscent of the night sky!
- Black Mage: The most dedicated offensive mage character.
- Dark Is Evil: One of the more malicious characters.
- Fragile Speedster: Mixed with Glass Cannon. Val is fast and hits hard with magic, but is also frail in terms of defense.
- Hidden Depths: Proves to have a hidden romantic side, judging from how he feels about Rose, despite the latter's less-than-receptive attitude.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Is the only one on the team with red eyes, and one of the most dangerous ones.
- Squishy Wizard: Probably the most powerful magic user in the party, but is rather physically weak compared to some of the others.
- The Stoic: The least likely to display emotion in the gang.
Timothy Wolfe (Tim)
An intelligent, though shy, young man from the isolated Soluna Island, which was uninvolved with the war for the most part, Tim was born to a pair of mages and from a young age, was a target of bullying and had very few friends due to his timid nature. When he was ten, however, his magic manifested for the first time, ironically after he got bullied, which prompted his parents to take him out of school and place him under the tutelage of the best scholars they could find, in order for him to hone his magic. Particularly showing an aptitude towards healing and protective spells, he turned out to be a gifted mage and healer. Unfortunately, the peace at Soluna was not meant to last, and when Tim was eighteen, Diaz' forces swept the island, and took many of its citizens hostage - including Tim.
Due to his timid and quiet nature, Tim is apprehensive around people and would much rather keep to himself. Though painfully shy, Tim is a gentle soul who literally wouldn't hurt a fly, and has a special connection with animals because of it. He's idealistic, and has high standards of morality, which often causes conflict with more pragmatic people. He has a lot of pent up frustration due to his experiences being bullied, and is passive-aggressive because of it, particularly towards those he disagrees with. When pushed too far, Tim's personality takes a complete 180 and he explodes from his bottled-up anger, and could be very scary when this does happen. It takes patience and an open mind to really 'get' him, but his kindness really does extend towards people as well, and not just animals.
- Beware the Nice Ones: While normally timid, he can be scary when angered. Particularly when someone is cruel to animals for no reason.
- Big Eater: He likes all kinds of foods, although killing and eating animals does make him uncomfortable.
- Friend to All Living Things: To the point of scolding his teammates for killing "cute" animals to obtain meat! He also tries to befriend monsters rather than attack them.
- Making a Splash: Living on an Island, he is surrounded by water so he doesn't use it much, however he was able to fill a tub with water magic.
- Real Men Can Cook: He has a big appetite, and has the cooking skills to match.
- Reluctant Warrior: "I didn't want to do this, but I don't have any other choice…"
- Robe and Wizard Hat: Purchases a white wizard hat when he reaches Kale. Naturally, this hat is made fun of by Artus.
- Shrinking Violet: A male example. He speaks with a stutter, is easily scared, suffers from stage fright, and is generally shy.
- White Mage: Primarily focuses on healing and defensive magic.
Rozalia Faustyna Górniak (Rose)
Beautiful Rose was never intended to be a warrior from the time she was born. Rather, she was unwisely sheltered by her impoverished parents, both rebels in war-torn Szmaragd. She of course, resented her parents for not allowing her to become like them. Iggy, a family friend, decided to take her with him, and unknown to the girl's parents, trained her to survive and hunt, something which she quickly took to. Rose grew up to be strong and confident, the life of action suiting her well. The one time she fell in love with Aidan, she thought he was everything, but he turned out to be a spy for Diaz. This unexpected betrayal led her to murder him in cold blood, and to her arrest.
Rose is daring, rough around the edges and aggressive, never hesitating to fight, with a tendency towards using brawn and violence to settle things. She can be described as coarse and crude, being one who swears a lot and does not care for manners. While brave, fearless and excellent in battle, she lacks in people skills. Independent to a fault and a consummate loner, she is cynical and mistrustful, and as a result, is hostile and rude towards others. She is, however, very loyal to those she trusts, and cares in her own gruff, rough-handed way.
- Badass Longcoat: Wears a sleeveless one as part of her usual attire. Her second outfit features a black Badass Cape instead.
- Blood Knight: Loves battling and fighting.
- Daddy's Girl: Not towards her biological father, but towards Iggy, her foster father.
- Don't Fear the Reaper: While hostile, aggressive and far from friendly, if she learns to trust someone, she becomes very loyal, and though by no means soft or gentle, turns into this.
- Fiery Redhead: Rose is violent, passionate and foul-tempered. Naturally, her blood-red hair reflects this.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Very easy to anger. When she found out that the supposedly-magical fur pelt she bought was a scam, she lost it!
- Hell-Bent for Leather: Wears black leather gear.
- The Lad-ette: Very much. Rose loves to fight, swears a lot, and enjoys alcoholic drinks.
- Sensual Slavs: She's most likely Slovak, judging from her name and National Stereotypes.
- Tomboyish Ponytail: She wears a high ponytail as her usual hairdo.
- The Tragic Rose: A beautiful girl whose heart has been smashed by betrayal, to the point that she blames herself for her terrible judgment. As a result, she has trust issues and is hostile to almost everyone.
- Yaoi Fangirl: Implied from her choice of reading material being "Blood Moon", a subversive novel about two male lovers.
Tendrick Wilson
- The Bus Came Back: Will decide eventually to follow his teammates to the fort.
- Expy: Of Libra from Fire Emblem: Awakening, somewhat.
- Fragile Speedster: Is the fastest in the party, but can't take hits too well.
- In the Hood: Wears a white hooded cloak as part of his regular attire.
- Magic Knight: Uses a rapier and knows powerful Wind magic.
- Occult Blue Eyes: Not in a bad way. Pegs him as mystical, mysterious and possessing magic.
- Mystical White Hair: Fitting for his status as a monk.
- Put on a Bus: Decides to stay with the Minister in Kale to pursue religious studies.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: He doesn't wear a shirt regularly.
A Tale of Heroes contains examples of:
- Aerith and Bob: Exotic names like Artus, Kenna, Tendrick, and Valmiro mixed in with more common names like Tim and Rose.
- Combat Medic: Kenna and Tim both count. Kenna leans more towards "Combat", while Tim has more "Medic" tendencies.
- Elemental Powers: Lightning for Artus, Water for Kenna and Tim, Darkness for Rose and Valmiro, Wind for Tendrick. Later on, Artus gets Light, Kenna and Valmiro get Wind, Tim gets Earth, and Rose gets Fire.
- Expy: Tim is very similar to Fluttershy and Elsa.
- Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: Kenna and Rose, respectively. While both are beautiful, Kenna knows healing magic, wears light colors, wields a bow and is optimistic and openly caring, while Rose is physical in battle, wears black, wields a scythe and is difficult and rough-mannered. Also works with Kenna and her older sister Ria, who's manipulative, calculating and cold.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Rose is crude, daring, physical in battle and violent, while Tim is shy, uses healing magic and hates killing.
- Multinational Team: Each character seems to be an equivalent of a different nationality, from different places that seem to be counterparts of different countries. Among the clearer ones are Kenna (Swedish), Artus (Roman/Italian), Rose (Slovak) and Valmiro (Austrian/Germanic).
- Noble Male, Roguish Male: White-haired males Tendrick and Valmiro, respectively. Tendrick is a monk with strong morals and is polite as well as caring, while Valmiro is a cruel dark magician with an inclination towards curses, who doesn't feel the need to do the right thing all of the time.
- Weapon Specialization: Each character has their own preference, from Kenna's bow, to Tim's wand, to Artus' sword.
