Menagerie of Adventures - Sign-up Thread

Somewhere in the vast expanse of the Rift, there is a world among many others, blessed with the existence of the gods that call the Rift their domain.

Menagerie.

A single massive landmass, flanked by smaller islands and the sea which even infilitrates the core of the continent, split into many smaller lands by the races native to it, with their alliances and squabbles, and the everyday lives of common people. Life flourishes and withers in Menagerie like in any other world. And, as always there's work to be done.

Enter adventurers, the convenient answer to any generally legal task, like deliveries, guiding and escorts, monster slaying, bounty hunting, you name it. It's a catch all profession who hold little standardized skills across the group. They're hired on an individual basis for whatever skills they offer, be it strong arms, light feet, keen eyes or a sharp mind. Adventurers are the common person's solution to uncommon problems, offering convenience over trying to source a specialist service or just if you want to avoid causing a stir with what you need. So long as it's above board, an adventurer will likely take the job.

In the past, adventurers have been mostly self-styled and trained. However, as the years have gone by, these wanderers have been increasingly recognized as a valid profession. Adventuring academies began to be set up across Menagerie, aiming to train a new caliber of adventurers from the countless wannabes who crave the money, glory, self-satisfaction or thrill of the adventuring life. There are many reasons to become an adventurer, but one undeniable truth is that they help the people of Menagerie, either out of selflessness or because the coin is right.

It's nearing the start of the next academic year across Menagerie, and all across the public boards and adventuring guilds of Menagerie, posters and flyers are stuck up, advertising various adventuring academies, offering the chance to pave a road to the "thrilling" and "lucrative" life of an accreddited adventurer, a life of being your own boss taking the jobs you wish and wandering to all a manner of places. Among these flyers sits a new name.

Ainsworth International Adventuring Academy.

It was a rather unassuming flyer, the mark of a fledgling academy with much still to prove ahead of them. There was not much in the way of flowery language. It did, however, offer live training experience in the profession. It was not the first of its kind in this regard, but for a new name it was surprising. It also specified that it was interested mainly in "students with little to no prior experience. Novices welcome!". Situated near the town of Aegeum in Terraforma, near the Vandian border, and tuition at a fairly low fee, it was clearly aiming to attract those uninterested or unable to attend one of the more prestigious names.

And, perhaps, that's what drove people to attend this new name in the field.

"We look forward to seeing you at Ainsworths. Forging a new generation of adventurers with fire and foundation.:

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Hello everyone! Welcome to Menagerie of Adventures, a (mostly) light-hearted romp through the fantastical world of Menagerie through the roles of promising adventurers at Ainsworth Internation Adventuring Academy. As you can see above, adventurers are common enough profession in the world of Menagerie that an entire industry of education has propped up around the training of them, and you are one such greenhorn who has attended a new academy on the map in the hopes of becoming an adventurer with credentials behind their name. Of course, it's a long way to graduation, but the joy is in the journey from fledgling newbie who can barely swing a sword competently to capable adventurer. To those of you with Pathfinder/Dungeons and Dragons experience, think of your characters as starting out at level 0/0.5 characters. To those of you without experience with tabletops, the focus of this RP will be on the your characters' gradual improvement in skill and ability, so please keep that in mind before making a super skilled/talented character. In Menagerie, adventurers are not born, but made through skill and practice. In this sense, think of this RP as sandbox-lite with very slight Slice of Life elements.

This RP was the culmination of various inspirations, from the likes of Flash game Valthirian Arc 2 and the Trails/Kiseki series, with a smattering of things like Monster Hunter. I hope this premise of initially mostly-unskilled/weak characters growing in power through experience and practice offers plenty of opportunities. But anyways, onto a summary of important information about Menagerie! If there's enough interest, I'll make the discussion thread for more in-depth lore.

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Character Sheet

• Name:
• Age: (Adventuring academies don't accept anybody under 18, 17 at least if they'll be 18 within the year)
• Gender:
• Race:
• Country of Origin:
• Appearance: (Pictures or text both work fine)
• Personality:
• Skills and Abilities: (Please keep in mind that a heavy theme of this RP and world is that adventurers are made, not born, growing organically into the roles they intend to take later on in their careers through what they learn. If you have doubts, don't be afraid to ask. There is a heavy limit on any magical ability beyond sensing and tapping energy, and manifesting it in small, unshaped ways like a shower of sparks from their fingers)
• Backstory: (Where were they born? How did they grow up? What put them on their course to become an adventurer and especially to enroll at a new place like Ainsworth International Adventuring Academy?)
• Misc: (Anything that might not fall into the above.)

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Accepted Players

Freana Gasdvur, played by kkhohoho

Sieglinde von Brandt, played by Enirboreh

Shard Alegyris, played by Lily The Litten

Elliot Etirina, played by The Real Wren

Verona Auer, played by furnacedoor

Pick, played by kagescorpionakki

Xera Diamondbreaker, played by HilarityEnsues

Zyan Zyat, played by Michael Dj 54

Lac'ner Kineas, played by Skyzerk

Aniron Estel/Diantha Verboom, played by darksidevoid

Torhild Hedinfal, played by Blitz Train

Kai'tema Belenus, played by Omega Shadowcry

Vivien Solkish, played by Quirky Turtle 101

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Our Discord server. Feel free to pop in if you want to make a character and need some more clarification too.

The lore/worldbuilding thread

Roleplay thread

Edited by UndyingPhoenix on Aug 12th 2021 at 10:12:03 AM

• Name: Freana Gasdvur
• Age: 18
• Gender: Female
• Race: Artic Fenrir
• Country of Origin: Sigmun
• Appearance: Artic Frenir pickpocket ready for some ass-whooping. Is also 7'0 tall.
• Personality: Freana is fun-loving, sly, and adventurous. She loves sticking her nose in other people's business and has little respect for the law or authority. However, despite her natural abilities as a Fenrir, she has little love of fighting. She prefers to use her wits and only resorts to brute force as a last resort. Underneath all of that, she also has a heavy bitterness for the world and most governments, tempered only by her last few months living with Olgos. She can't believe that any society that props up the wealthy and elite and lets the poor live on the streets and suffer, either to line their pickets or purely on the basis of race, is worth supporting, and would tear it all down if she got the chance.
  • She's also somewhat impulsive. Living on the streets has taught her you only live once and that you can't waste a single moment, because you might die tomorrow. She treats every day like it's her last, and lives to the fullest. Or as best she can. As a consequence, she has a bad habit of not committing to any longterm goals or relationships, getting into quick flings only to go from one boyfriend (or girlfriend, doesn't matter which,) to the next. She knows it's an awful habit, but she also doesn't care. Ultimately, she tries not to have regrets, and beats herself up whenever she does.
• Skills and Abilities: Freana has the natural abilities of an Artic Fenrir, but she's also a skilled pickpocket and has years of street smarts. She's a half-decent fighter from the all the scraps she's gotten into on the streets, but she's also picked up few tricks from Osgol. She's not very literate, but she knows how the world works, and knows how to make a living off of nothing.
• Backstory: Freana was born in the slums of Skollmark, in a shack sitting in the middle of a backally. Like her, her parents were Artic Fenrirs, cast out from the inner city and forced to live in poverty. They loved their daughter dearly, but they barely had the means to raise her. They saved every penny they had, hoping they could one day give her the life she deserved.
  • They never got the chance. On Freana's sixth birthday, a gangwar erupted in the slums, with both gangs slaughtering anyone in their path. Unable to get home before the chaos started, her parents were caught up in the massacre, murdered just outside their home. Their daughter didn't dare to open the door until the next morning. But the first thing she was greeted with were her parent's rotting corpses.
  • With the death of her parents, Freana was forced to take to the streets to survive. Fortunately, as a Fenrir, it came easier than most. Learning from those kind and tolerant enough to teach her the ropes, she soon learned the ways of the slums, honing her instincts and becoming a skilled pickpocket and scam artist. Being so young, she eventually got over the deaths of her parents, but a small part of them remained on the edge of her memory. She loved and hated them. Hated them for leaving her to fend for herself, but loving them all the same.
  • By the time she was 18, Freana had become self sufficient, but also bitter and morose. She was still stuck in the slums, living in her parents' old shack, with no hopes or prospects for her future. Until the day she picked one pocket too many. Unbeknownst to her, her latest perp was Osgol Gasdvur, Captain of the City Gaurd. Having a rare moment of free time, he took a stroll around the city, dressed in plain clothes so as not to gain unwanted attention. Thinking he was some random schumck, Freana picked his pockets with ease. Only for him to notice his missing valuables moments after the deed was done.
  • He caught up to her and seized her by the wrist, but being off-duty, he didn't turn her in. Instead, her peerless act of thievery had piqued his curioisty. He sat her down to hear her story, taking pity on the girl and her situation while seeing great promise within her. Instead of arresting her, he made with a deal with her. She was to attend Ainsworth Academy on his recommendation and make something of herself. If she agreed, not only would she not be arrested, but he'd let her live with him until the start of the next semester. Not seeing any other alternatives, she agreed.
  • Over the next few months, she began to see Osgol as a father figure, but it wasn't long before she was sent off to Aisnworth. She was still bitter, but Osgol had given her some small amount of hope. And she was determined not to let him down.

Misc: Has a love for gambling and money in spite of her anti-capitalist beliefs. Is an expert at cards and other gambling games like coconut shells. Also adores cute things and makes no attempt to cover it up. 'Only live once' and all that. As such, she doesn't mind when someone thinks she's cute and fluffy, and completely owns it. She's even used it to pull off scams when it's suited her.

Edited by kkhohoho on Sep 16th 2020 at 8:34:43 AM

• Name: Sieglinde von Brandt
• Age: 19
• Gender: Female
• Race: Alvar/Human (Hybrid)
• Country of Origin: Vandia
• Appearance: 5'10".◊ Somewhat airy in movements, borderline graceful but not exactly extravagant. Seems to often have a vacant, serene look on her face in most situations, but can become surprisingly expressive if need be. Athletic, lithe build, and often wears lighter clothing to accommodate this—regularly neglecting shoes out of preference unless she's outright obligated to.
• Personality: Sieglinde often reads as distant and quiet on first impressions, seeming perfectly happy to venture off by herself and wander around while poking and prodding anything remotely interesting to her. Her curiosity is comparable to that of a child's, seeming enraptured by every minute detail in her surroundings—possessing an especially prominent adoration for aged architecture, natural wonders and wild animals. Though usually happy to keep herself as her own company, Sieglinde very rarely rejects those who come up to her—her perky mannerisms and genuine kindness indicating she's more off with the fairies than intentionally antisocial. Still, her near-constant distraction by things other than people often means she unknowingly ignores situations even if they occur right in front of her; having to be manually snapped out of whatever thoughtful daze she has fallen into in order to notice what's going on directly under her nose. Despite her poor attention span, when focused on something she's passionate about she pours out all the stops—either an unrelenting determination to complete whatever task is set in front of her as quickly and efficiently as possible, or a surprisingly frightening and vicious rage that wells up whenever she feels like a certain invisible line has been crossed. Overall, it seems that Sieglinde disguises her sensitivity behind an air of disinterest—even if it's most usually the opposite case in most situations.
• Skills and Abilities: Sieglinde possesses a natural flexibility and athleticism that has been refined somewhat over the years during her lone ventures through the forests of Vandia, but comparatively lacks severely in stamina and raw physical strength as a result. Her tenacity in dire situations can motivate her to push through the pain of injuries that don't actively debilitate her, and her inner rage can be a frightful motivator whenever it kicks into gear. She is naturally familiar with weapons such as bows, and possesses an affinity more towards knives than longer blades—emphasizing manoeuvrability and being in the right place at the right time moreso than raw fighting prowess. Sieglinde lacks any awareness or care of her magical affinities, however, and as a result she is insofar a purely physical sort. In more common skills, she's an expert in literacy and truthfully aspires to be a wordsmith more than a warrior.
• Backstory: Born to an elven mother and a human father, Sieglinde was raised in a small village relatively near to Kreiss and never truthfully attuned herself to the idea of training under strict guidance by others. Her dislike for stress and a preference for going her own path often meant she learned things through a more kinesthetic approach—developing a habit for wandering throughout the Vandian forests and fields in an effort to discover things at her own personal pace. Through an unconscious pressure and dissatisfaction with herself, Sieglinde began to feel despaired over her own lack of focused drive and tendency to lose track of herself—which was naturally a perfect time for the invitational flyer to arrive at her doorstep. Eager to finally take the opportunity she'd initially missed out of sheer fright, Sieglinde headed off to attend the Ainsworth International Adventuring Academy with the encouragement of her mother—hoping that her naïveté and lack of any true experience in the world won't be too much for the school even despite their apparent want for novices.
• Misc: Seems to find footwear downright uncomfortable; likely due to her upbringing from her mother putting no pressure on her to conform to such things. On a similar vein, she also accepts being referred to with neutral or even male pronouns—though this rarely comes up in conversation, as her preferences aren't strong enough for her to decide even for herself.

Edited by Enirboreh on Feb 17th 2023 at 3:13:09 PM

bork

Both look good and are accepted!

Also, I've lifted the restrictions a bit on how skilled a character can start out at. Just please keep the "adventurers are made, not born" and "zero to hero" themes of the RP in mind.

Edited by UndyingPhoenix on Sep 7th 2020 at 7:38:47 PM

Well, if this going up on my birthday isn’t an omen, I don’t know what is. I’ll get back to you once I’ve workshopped a character

Screw it, I'll make it up as I go.

• Name: Meridia Roguesblood
• Age: 18
• Gender: Female
• Race: Piscean (Quarter-Bogovi)
• Country of Origin: Iaia
• Appearance: Meridia possesses the gills and scaly skin inherent to Pisceans, along with fins on her arms and legs and a fishlike tail. Compared to most Pisceans, however, Meridia is quite large as a result of her Bogovi blood, standing at 6 and a half feet tall with a well-muscled build. As a desert-dweller, she usually wears a tunic and headwrap to protect herself from the sun.
• Personality: Meridia values practicality above all else, not usually one for sentiment and slow to warm up to people. That said, allies are very practical, so she attempts to ingratiate herself to those around her quickly, even if she internally dislikes them or finds them annoying. Some might call her two-faced, but in her mind she's just doing what's necessary to ensure the survival of all parties.
• Skills and Abilities: As a Piscean, Meridia is naturally amphibious, able to breathe underwater and operate freely in submerged environments. Due to her upbringing, however, she's not exactly a strong swimmer. Honestly, if she was capable of drowning she probably would have by now. In addition, her Bogovi heritage gives her great strength, about equivalent to a human bodybuilder. Finally, Meridia is a talented and experienced survivalist, able to find or create food, water, and shelter in exceptionally harsh environments.
• Backstory: Meridia's grandfather was an infamous thief and mass murderer known as the Bloodstained Rogue. After committing one of the worst crime sprees in the history of the Charybdis Sea, he was forced to flee the region with his wife and child to avoid capture, and spent the rest of his life hiding out in the deserts of Iaia. Meridia was born from the union of his son and a half-Piscean, half-Bogovi woman who came to the desert on a pilgrimage and fell in love.
  Growing up in the desert away from civilization, survival never came easy for Meridia or her family. Food was scarce, water was scarcer, and the sun was nothing short of an enemy. Aside from her parents, there was never anyone or anything for Meridia to get attached to. And of course, her father was unable to work or earn money because he was an illegal immigrant. Despite it all, her family was content in the small pleasures of life. Now that she has become a woman, Meridia feels the need to provide for her aging parents so that they don't succumb to the harsh desert, and has set off to Ainsworth to learn how to put her survival skills, her only real job skill, to good use.

Edited by PossiblyQuiteInsane on Sep 7th 2020 at 9:04:25 AM

• Name: Shard Alegyris (formerly Eugene Forebow)
• Age: 18
• Gender: Male
• Race: Human. He thinks. Come to think of it, he might actually be half-human.
• Country of Origin: Saorant
• Appearance: Yes, he's a guy. Yes, he only has one eye.
• Personality: Bubbly, cheerful, and somewhat annoying, Shard is unfailingly energetic, always throwing himself headfirst into any exciting situation. He's rather scatterbrained and clueless, but his heart's in the right place, and his optimism is second to none. However, he has problems with impulse control, and tends to get into dangerous situations because he acts first and thinks later. It's something of a natural consequence of never being taught to not let your emotions rule you. Fortunately, his emotions are usually varying degrees of "happy". The only thing that seems to really upset him is the loss of freedom—take it away from him, and he will rebel.
• Skills and Abilities: Shard has quite a bit of experience with escaping places and sneaking around, and is a somewhat decent thief. And, while it will probably never be relevant to adventuring, he's also a pretty skilled painter.
• Backstory: Shard was not always Shard. He used to be Eugene Forebow, born to a noble family in Saorant. Kind of. Sort of. Okay, he was actually born following his mom having an affair with someone (she doesn't remember who anymore). When the baby came out looking nothing like his supposed father, said mom broke down into tears and admitted her affair. Her husband, Simeon Forebow, completely flipped and imprisoned his now ex-wife, locked baby Eugene up in a tower, and disinherited the three children he'd (Simeon) had with her, because at that point, you might as well go all the way.
  • So Eugene grew up in a tower, raised by his not-father's least favorite servants while said not-father remarried and had some more kids. When he got old enough to not need the servants, he decided he didn't want to stay in the tower anymore. So he snuck out. And got caught. Then he snuck out again. And got caught. Repeat several more times until he gained enough experience to avoid the guards and explore the manor he lived in.
  • Shortly thereafter, he found out about magic. He "borrowed" a book from the manor's library and went back to his tower with it. On reading it, Eugene discovered a school of magic called astral magic, a form of Rift magic that used celestial bodies. Eager to give this interesting new magic a try, Eugene promptly recited one of the spells in the book without really thinking about it.
  • ...Yeah, that didn't end well. There was a massive explosion, the tower got wrecked, Eugene lost an eye, and Simeon was...displeased. Assuming that this was a botched assassination attempt, Simeon promptly threw him into the dungeons and ordered that he be executed at dawn. Fortunately, escaping places was Eugene's specialty, and he managed to slip out of the dungeon and flee the city.
  • Taking up the name "Shard Alegyris", he wandered his way through Saorant for about two months, unsure of what to do or where to go from there. One day, he happened across the Ainsworth flyer, and a lightbulb went off. Shard packed the few belongings he had and headed straight to Terraforma. He doesn't know what comes after this, but whatever it is, he's excited for it!
• Misc: Shard is doing his best to keep the whole "probably a fugitive in Saorant" thing under wraps. He kept his head down during his two months on the run, and he'll try to do so in Terraforma until he feels it's safe. He really doesn't need trouble with Terraforma law.

"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."

Well...I'm mostly done with the sheet. Gonna probably have to do a bit of editing and tidying up, not sure. >.<

• Name: Elliot Etirina
• Age: 18.
• Gender: Male.
• Race: Human.
• Country of Origin: Saorant.
• Appearance: Somethin' like that, I guess. About 5'9, wears comfortable, if plain boots.
• Personality: To put it simply, Elliot's somewhat sheltered and a little naive in being aware of how the world works. That's not to say he doesn't know what's right and wrong as the young man has a pretty solid moral compass. ...Having said that, he's pretty laid back with a smile usually on his face and an air of confidence.
  • ...Any attempts of sarcasm will pretty much go right over his head, though, which admittedly is part of the reason why he's actually here.

• Skills and Abilities: Elliot can be surprisingly astute and perceptive and has a proper education and somehow having a good sense of direction. The young man does have a tendency to write down a lot of notes quickly and making basic maps at a similar speed. And while he doesn't have magic or any adventuring skills to speak of, he's not afraid to try something new and definitely has an interest in the technology Saorant's proud of.

• Backstory: Being the first and currently only child born to the Etirina bloodline, a noble family considered somewhat...eccentric for their views and being considered 'good old-fashioned' with a viewpoint that the strides in technology will make humanity...and the other races complacent if they keep relying on it... Elliot wasn't so much spoiled as it was being excessively pampered and coddled to the point it was almost suffocating.

• It was a mostly solitary life, rarely getting to interact with other nobles like himself and the one friendship he managed to have was with a rather sardonic...or at the very least, quite sarcastic alvar three years his senior named Aleific (or 'Alec' as Elliot cheerfully nicknamed him) as even with most of his biting remarks went over the young man's head, both usually had a smile on their face when it came to just talking about what fancy technology thing Astary had.

• Things did gradually improve as the young scion proved himself a quick study and the almost oppressive pressure from his parents eased. Elliot happily buried in books, stars in his eyes when it came to stories about giant...almost labyrinths in a enormous tree that reached the heavens or tales of noble knights and their companions on quests to make the world a better place, traveling to realms Elliot wished he could see...yet was lucky to see anything outside the city walls, let alone the other lands of Menagerie, a fact that wasn't helped when Aleific simply...disappeared.

• It wasn't until four years had passed, not long after his 17th birthday that he finally saw Alec again, clad in armor and wielding an interestingly designed...if intimidating tower shield made recently in Astary and was working as a guard, explaining that graduating from the Ainsworth Adventure Academy would be just more proof of his qualifications for the job.

• Of course, that just made Elliot's eyes shine at the mention of adventure, let alone an academy for it made him wish to leave the city, find like-minded people and form a guild...with the sarcastic alvar remarking that he'd consider joining the would-be adventurer if he graduated from the Ainsworth Adventuring Academy, something that Elliot took seriously.

• Convincing his parents to actually allow him to enroll on pursuits they considered a waste of time was somewhat harder. until they eventually relented and gave the young man their blessing, even if they're half-expecting Elliot to simply lose interest or give up and return home.

• Misc:

Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.

• Name: Zoss Panopola
• Age: 21
• Gender: Non-Binary
• Race: Probably Terran, with some Human ancestry.
• Country of Origin: Terraforma.
• Appearance: Though Zoss' clothes look rather fine◊, they're old, worn-out and come in pretty drab colours, mostly shades of brownish-grey - the only splash of colour are in the black-and-red stripes of their puffy sleeves. Of course, the first thing most notice about them is the metallic supports on their right leg, the mitten on their right hand, and of course, the helmet, which they are never seen without. Seriously. They will go to extreme lengths to avoid taking their helmet off in public. If they need to eat or sleep, they'll make sure to do it somewhere private. The number of people who have seen their face under the helmet can probably be counted on one hand; if Zoss' own description is to be believed, it's a pretty gruesome sight. The other thing people tend to notice is that they're very short for a Human, standing at only 4'2'', yet not stout enough for a Terran. Combined with their slightly raspy, high-pitched voice and the fact they don't let anyone see their face, it's not unusual for people to mistake them for a child. They had to bring along their birth certificate just to prove to Ainsworth they were as old they said they were, which they hated because they don't like people knowing their assigned name and gender, either.
• Personality: Zoss is pretty snippy, snarky, and keeps few friends. Doesn't like strangers sticking their noses into their business, or asking too many questions. They don't enjoy acting like a jerk to keep people away, though - it's much more fun to Troll them with fake backstories until they get weirded out and leave of their own accord. If this gives them a reputation as 'the weird one', so be it. :V
• Skills and Abilities: Zoss' specialty is chemistry. Classical alchemy, 'modern medicine', natural poisons, snake oil, all that good stuff. If you've got the components - and the coin - they can whip up just about anything. Well, alright, they're not an expert - otherwise they wouldn't be at Ainsworth - they can't make the Elixir of Life just yet (they're working on it, though); in fact, healing potions in general aren't their specialty, much too obvious. They prefer the 'bad' stuff, things that jinx people, make them drunk or high, make them hilariously slip over on hallucinatory banana peels... oh yeah, and explosive compounds, can't forget those. They're also somewhat proficient with firearms, mostly pepperbox revolvers and the occasional blunderbuss. They tried using a crossbow as a compound-delivery system once, but they're unconvinced it was a success.
• Backstory: Zoss is purposely obtuse about their history, especially why they always wear that darn helmet. Throughout all of the wacky backstories they've provided, though, one can piece together a few recurring themes - born to a once-wealthy family, fallen on hard times, brewed snake oil potions to make bank, got roped into some heist scheme with a bunch of petty thugs that ended with a nasty alchemical explosion that took off a chunk of arm, a chunk of leg, and most of a face. Rather understandably, Zoss seems pretty keen to move on from all of that unpleasantness... whatever it was. Signing up to Ainsworth seems like their idea of a fresh start, even if they're mostly doing the same thing they were doing before, just with a different clientele.

Edited by PresidentStalkeyes on Sep 15th 2020 at 11:02:59 AM

"If you think like a child, you will do a child's work."

Alright, Meridia, Shard and Elliot are accepted, and Zoss on the condition of the prosthetics being made into supports as discussed. Welcome aboard!

We also have a Discord server now!

Name: Verona Auer

Age: 19

Gender: Female

Race: Alvar

Country of Origin: Vandia

Appearance: Verona is slightly taller than the average Alvar at 6'4'' - this height is typical for the cliff-dwelling denizens of her hometown. She always wears her dust-brown hair in a long braid; this braid is constantly snagging on rocks and getting yanked in fights, but she is too attached to it to cut it. Despite her typically-Alvar litheness, Verona takes up a lot of space just through sheer force of personality, constantly gesturing dramatically and otherwise chewing the scenery.

Personality: Verona is excitable and spontaneous, but flakey once an idea no longer appeals. She is highly imaginative and fairly friendly, but she lacks tact and will fight back when threatened, sometimes escalating situations which could have been defused.

Skills and Abilities: Because of her tendency to get herself into trouble, Verona has discovered a talent for improvisation, quick thinking, and creativity under pressure. Both in combat and in other tricky situations Verona tends to make the fullest possible use of her environment, leading to a facility with setting impromptu traps, developing unique strategies on the fly, and using improvised weapons. She is also relatively sensitive to the presence of magic, but this is as much a hindrance as a help due to the fact that this power takes the form of a kind of allergic reaction. As a result Verona is very avoidant of magic users and places which have magic. Verona also has no real weapons training of any sort despite her parent's urgings.

Backstory:

Verona was born to a small cliffside village in Northern Vandia, close to the Terran border. She lacked peers close in age, so spent a lot of time creating vast imaginary worlds populated by imaginary friends. However, her family was both protective and ambitious, and as she grew older their demands on her increased. Verona's parents saw her as a way to improve their family status, and if all had gone according to their plan she would have trained with any skilled locals who would teach her, picked up any martial magics she could, and entered military service as soon as she was able.

But Verona's magic sensitivity and tendency to attract trouble meant that, instead, she spent her adolescence getting lost while trying to avoid tutors, making a nuisance of herself around older teens and young adults, and generally not becoming a disciplined paragon of Alvar virtue. Still, despite her inability to live up to their expectations, Verona feels obligated to try and please her parents in some way, and guilty that she can only disappoint them.

It was during a period of heightened tensions with her parents that Verona learned of Ainsworth's International Adventuring Academy. A series of unfortunate decisions had recently left her stuck in a ravine for two days, and her 19th birthday had passed with no sign that she would be making anything of herself. Verona wanted two things that seemed to directly contradict each other: to ease her parents' disappointment and to get out from under their thumbs. So finding the Academy flyer being handed out from a traveling merchant was like a gift from the heavens.

By some stroke of luck, AIAA was located just over the border a few days journey from the village. It was close enough that her parents would feel comfortable, and also in an entirely different country from their guiding hands. They were leery of adventuring as a profession but after the ravine incident agreed that she needed some additional survival skills, and if this was the only way to get her to train in combat they would take it. Thus, for a temporary reprieve from her parents' watchful eyes more than anything, Verona enrolled at Ainsworth Academy.

Edited by furnacedoor on Sep 12th 2020 at 8:36:34 AM

• Name: Pick
• Age: Centuries
• Gender: Male
• Race: Mesmer
• Country of Origin: Riftlands/Saorant
• Appearance: The most notable thing about Pick is his height. He is tiny, standing only three feet tall. He appears childish, almost cherubic, making the soft glow of his body less unsettling than one would expect from most other Mesmer. His skin is pale, almost porcelain, and his hair is a light blonde, almost white. As expected of a Mesmer, his eyes are blank orbs of light, and his body is thin and frail.
• Personality: Pick is calm, and patient, to a slightly concerning degree. He is capable of standing in one place for hours, focusing on a single task in monotonous, robotic fashion. Despite this, he is not emotionless, and is indeed quite passionate about his desire to be an adventurer. His logical nature makes him surprisingly skilled at understanding others, as he is very aware of how ingrained biases affect communication.
• Skills and Abilities: Pick appears to be noticeably stronger and faster than one would expect from a being as weak-looking as he is. This is actually a trick; he instinctively uses his control of Rift energy to bend space, crossing more distance than he logically should and making his strikes impact with more force. He is, however, a terrible fighter; in fact, other than his Rift affinity, Pick has no real skills. But he's an attentive and fast learner, and believes this will make up for his lack of skill.
• Backstory: One day a Mesmer awoke in Saorant, just outside a small town, with no memory of his original designation or purpose. Nor did he know how he came to be in Saorant. In truth, he had wandered out of the Riftlands of his own accord, abandoning his mechanical nature for seemingly no reason, before his consciousness became self-aware just outside a human settlement. Casually strolling into town, the first thing he witnessed was two children playing with wooden swords. Enraptured by their play-fight, he joined in, picking up a stick and pretending it was a weapon. The children, not understanding what he actually was, merely laughed as they played with him.
• The father of one of those children was an adventurer. He spotted the Mesmer playing with his son, and approached cautiously. After an odd conversation, the Mesmer found himself invited to supper. He explained his lack of purpose, and his strange fascination with the imaginary swordfight. The adventurer explained his profession, then showed him a flier for the Academy. Something within the Mesmer ignited at the thought of adventuring, and he immediately declared his enrollment. By the next day, he had chosen a name for himself, and headed for the Academy, bearing a wooden sword given to him by the child he'd befriended.
• Misc: N/A

What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?

Both Verona and Pick are accepted. Welcome aboard!

We have started!

Sign-ups are still open until noted otherwise though, so feel free to drop your character here!

(As a note, the Discord link seems to have expired.)

• Name: Xera Diamondbreaker
• Age: 18
• Gender: Female
• Race: Bogovi
• Country of Origin: Iaia
• Appearance: Pictured here◊, she stands at ridiculously towering 7’10” tall.
• Personality: Xera is generally very calm and difficult to excite or frighten. Though she may appear aloof or uncaring at times, she is simply more reserved with her emotions than most other people. She loves a good fight, and will never shy away from getting into one with anyone who wishes to challenge her.
• Skills and Abilities: Xera’s has a burgeoning talent for bladed weapons, particularly greatswords and rapiers. She also has the very tough and strong physical prowess Bogovi are known for.
• Backstory: Xera was born to a typical Bogovi household - an upbringing from two fairly strict and devout parents. Her parents are both followers of Zyr, the Bogovian god of blades, and raised her up to follow in their footsteps. This didn't really take at first - she found herself having a great deal of difficulty wielding a rapier with the grace and finesse of a proper swordswoman, nearly causing her to give up the blade altogether out of frustration. It was only when she became much older that she started to become a bit more comfortable with her weapon, but by this point in her life, she found herself wanting more than the simple warrior-monk lifestyle that was customary for the people of her faith. Eventually, when she came of age, she decided to visit Ainsworth to learn about magic, adventuring, and whatever wonders this world had to offer her.
• Misc: Has a soft spot for small animals.

Edited by HilarityEnsues on Sep 14th 2020 at 7:53:44 AM

Hey Hilarity Ensues, character looks great, but she doesn't really have that "starting from level 0" vibe that this RP is going for. She seems far too skilled for the cast, especially at this stage in the RP.

Other than that, Xera seems fine. She just needs to be brought down a bit skill and ability wise to be in line with the other P Cs, whose training is informal at best.

Also, thanks for the Discord link being expired. It's been refreshed now.

Edited by UndyingPhoenix on Sep 14th 2020 at 10:22:31 AM

Sorry about that. Ended up editing the sheet considerably - hopefully it looks alright now.

Xera is accepted then! Welcome aboard!

• Name: Zyan Zyat
• Age: 20
• Gender: Male
• Race: Dragonfolk
• Country of Origin: Saorant
• Appearance: This handsome devil right here but...he sometimes tries to cover up his appearances.◊
• Personality: Zyan tries very hard to maintain the aura of "peace, calm and collection of the mortal soul, and bringing that peace to people around you as well". He tries so hard to be a peaceful fighter but...he has a bit of a hot streak. An anger problem. And he tends to fly off the cuff when that happens. That being said, he's fiercely protective of his friends, and tries to direct any and all anger to people that NEED it.
• Skills and Abilities: At the current moment, Zyan is, currently, a beginner in the form of martial arts by his hometowns resident "hero", who taught him what he needed to know, however reluctantly at the time. So in addition to Martial Arts abilities, being a Dragonfolk, he's also got the ability to breath some variety of elemental power: in this case, Lightning (being blue and all).
• Backstory: Zyan assumes he was born in the Dragonfolk Homelands but he ended up spending his entire life in Saorant, raised by a young couple and two sons. The Black Sheep of the family, Zyan never truly fit into the mold and was quickly reminded of his differences by his brothers and father. Soon having it grow to budding self-loathing only mitigated by his mother. one other thing that pushed him into wanting to be better was his admiration for the hero of his little hometown in Saorant, a "mystic fighter of his hands and feet, fighting for the injustices of the people around him". Wanting desperately to make something of himself, he followed in the footsteps of his hero and after some training, sought refuge at the Ainsworth Academy to finish his training, and to become a hero his family could respect. And in the process, learn more about the magical energies his kind were known for, so perhaps he could hide who he truly was if it meant people would like him more.
• Misc: Huge sweet tooth, liking candy and sweets almost to a fault.

Edited by MichaelDj54 on Sep 14th 2020 at 5:55:30 AM

Is it selfish that I'm happy as we pass the setting sun?

Looking good, Zyan Zyat is accepted!

Double post to say we now have an (in-progress) lore/worldbuilding thread!

Sign-ups are still open as well!

Here is my submission. Tell me if anything needs changing.

Name: Silas Ezasion

Age: 18

Gender: Male

Race: Dragonfolk

Country of Origin: Dragonfolk Homelands

Appearance: Silas is a rather odd looking Dragonfolk, tall and lanky with dark gray scales and a long neck that terminates in a head resembling that of a diplocaulid. A crest of yellow-orange travels from the base of his tail to the back of his head. He dresses in shabby dark robes that he assiduously maintains despite their sorry state.

Personality: Silas is energetic and approachable, ever inquiring into matters intellectual and academic. He is generally quite friendly towards his fellows students, though perhaps treats some with a hint of disdain. He is somewhat frustrated with being a student at Ainsworth, as he is quite competitive at heart.

Skills and Abilities: Silas has studied the magical art off purification. Because he lacks most formal schooling this is limited to effects like disinfecting wounds, decontaminating water and imperfectly warding against minor curses. He also has a breath-weapon in the form of a stream of adhesive slime. He is not particularly hardy, and becomes winded with relative ease.

Backstory: Silas was born to a family of farmers on the outskirts of one of the Dragonfolk homeland's many cities. He showed an interest in magic from an early age, but was unable to pursue it formally due to lack of funds. Most of what he knows is self taught and acquired from one of the many tomes he salvaged or bought second hand over the years. He lead a steady but dull life, hoping to one day to be accepted to an adventuring academy on merit. Of course due to lack of both prestige and money on Silas' part Ainsworth seemed to be his best option.

Accepted! Welcome aboard. Come on in to the Discord chat and we can talk about how to slot him into the story.

Is it fine if I want to have a Piscean with a more sea-cucumber/anemone-ish appearance?

Timers to measure time, thermometers to measure thermomets, mometers to measure mom, and measuring containers to measure measurements.

Sea anemone Piscean is definitely feasible. Pisceans are basically humans with aquatic creature features.

Edited by UndyingPhoenix on Dec 21st 2020 at 10:28:47 PM