[Interest Check] Trouble in Mirari

[Kurotsune]

Setting and introduction:

Part I – What hides within Breakspire Manor?

“My daughter,

I hope this letter receives you in good health. I will not mask my words with honey, my dearest. I know what I've afflicted upon you has no excuse, and this letter is not to apologize, but rather it is your call of duty.

You know the purpose of our family. For generations, we have kept it at bay. But now it has come loose. As I write this, I can feel it's dark tendrils corroding my psyche, making me tether at the edge of insanity... I do not know for how long I can stand. Yet I must, and I will, for it must be kept at bay. For now, I have sealed it within the manor, so that it cannot escape.

Hurry, my daughter. I know you have abandoned our family to seek fame and fortune as an adventurer, but I must ask you to return. I must ask you to gather your companions and return home. By the time this letter reaches you, if it does, you will be the last Breakspire. You must succeed.

You must.

Forever yours,

Sir Michael Breakspire,

Lord of Miltas”

The letter had reached her three days ago. Maria Breakspire read the letter for the fifth time. The Paladin was the leader of a somewhat famous group of adventurers known as the Slayers of Sthenos, after a monstrous, highly-violent Gorgon who they slayed during an assault at the village of Mirthweed. The woman toyed with the paper in her hands, peering at her father's handwriting, usually so polished and refined, this time shaky and rushed, barely legible. She could tell through a several different ways that the letter was sent in a hurry. The parchment was old and ripped, yet her prude parent didn't bother to replace it. The letter itself was encased in a leather pouch, which was not befitting of a noble family as hers, which implied her father grabbed anything he could and used it immediately. All these actions did not reflect the normal actions of Lord Breakspire, so often worried about appearances, so often focused on his musings on the arcane and his studies on the aetherius that when his own daughter professed interest in worshipping not his books and spells but the Just God, he quickly cast her out.

Yet this proud, prude, arrogant man meekly asked not for forgiveness nor for redemption, but for assistance. He mentioned a darkness as if it was something she should know of or remember; Yet she had no recollection of it.

The paladin did not like the way this whole situation sounded. The truth is, if her father was possessed by a demon, it's very likely he was already overpowered and this was a trap, the creature reading his memories to lure his family members in for the kill. Her father could also be tricking her for whatever reason - Tyr knows why, the man always seemed to enjoy toying with her and her faith.

One way or another, it was clear she would have to investigate. Whatever this darkness was – be it a demon, a joke, or an ancient tradition, the very existence of this evil offends the Just God. And so, as his Justicar, it is her job to deliver his divine retribution wherever evil may hide. Even if that entails going back home for a weekend.

“I can already see the assortment of parents who will comment on my height, weight, age, body and everything in-between” She muttered in a sigh.

Fine, so be it. Let’s at least get this over with quickly she mused, making her way out of her modest room and into the main hall of the Broken Fang Inn, the local hostel in Mirthweed her band was using as their headquarters.

Her companions, upon noticing her in full armor and the stern expression across her face, stood at attention.

“Listen up.” She started “We will be travelling to Miltas to visit my family in Breakspire manor. Something has happened, according to my father, and it bears immediate investigation.”

Her tone was final, and left little room for objection or denial. The others merely threw glances at each other for a moment and then stood up, departing to gather their belongings.

Grom Gladheart was the first ready to meet Maria outside. They shared one of their many knowing glances, a trait common in those with the shared past the two have. Maria met Grom almost ten years ago, when she was travelling through the lands of the Goliath, the country of Mruk’hur.

In her travels, she saw a small human settlement being harassed by a group of Goliath brigands. The Goliath are a humanoid race, originally thought to be bastard children of the unrealistic relationship between a human and a giant, in truth the Goliath are the result of an Elven experiment to enhance human lifespan, as they saw their short-lived cousins as a potential liability to their alliances due to their ever-shifting leadership. So the Goliath were born, not as an abomination nor shunned by society, but merely as something different. They became part of the the Concordat, the alliance between all humanoid races, but preferred to stay to their own, taming the frigid norths of Mirari and naming it home, the Goliath rarely entertained visitors in their inhospitable homeland, but when they did, they were welcomed with great hospitability and assistance.

Unfortunately every land has it’s bandits, and Mruk’hur was no exception. In true devotion to her God, the Justicar immediately rushed to the village’s aid, challenging the leader of the bandits to combat.

When he noticed the human’s bravery, one of the Goliath, a man named Grom Gladheart, stepped forward. He was a Mzelthek warrior, a member of a special order of Goliath fighters with great respect for honor and for those who fight against overwhelming odds, whom they call Mzelthir, a mruki word meaning “Doom-driven”.

Because of this, Grom requested to be her Champion in a duel of honor against his own chieftain. To the tribes, this was seen as an act of great honor to both parties, and so Maria was – to her great confusion – taken to the brigand’s Hold where a great feast was held in preparation for the upcoming battle.

Grom won in a close match against his now former chief, and so the brigands agreed to leave the human settlement alone. Grom, upon hearing about Maria’s devotion to the Just God, realized her destiny was to be Mzelthir to the day of her death, and so decided to follow her. They have been companions to this day.

The second to arrive was Caerwynn. The old elf muttered something under her breath as she stood up, some twisted word in a half-spoken language that echoed soundlessly through the inn’s halls; And thus in front of her materialized a staff, which she supported herself on as a walking cane.

Yes, Caerwynn was old. She was closer to the end of her days than to her prime, and yet the wizard was still a force to be reckoned with. Her assistance to the party during the battle of the Gorgon was what earned her place in the group, as it was her insight which revealed the Gorgon’s weakness, delivering a silvery bolt of arcane directly into the scales below its chest, peeling them off and revealing the beast’s bare heart for Grom to reach into and smash, causing the great serpentaur to fall. It was also her magicks that shielded the group from the Gorgon’s glare, known to turn to stone any who fall prey.

The woman stood to the side of Grom, who immediately reached up to place her over his shoulder, so that the old woman could be once again seated and rest.

The last to arrive was Thuri. It came wearing the visage of a voluptuous red-haired woman, in clothing far too revealing for them to be practical. At Maria’s clear glare of annoyance, the changeling shifted back to the form it most commonly used: A young, bald boy in unremarkable clothing and with a silvery metal skin.

Thuri’s people have many names. Doppelgangers, Changelings, Shapeshifters, it doesn’t really matter. They are a nomadic few, rarely seen in “civilized lands” both because they are often disguised, and because they stay to themselves. Thuri joined Maria out of interest, and never said what its intentions are. The only thing it says is that as long as Maria remains true to her cause, Thuri will remain true to her.

Understanding that the Changeling are oft in service of the Gods, Maria believes Thuri is a chosen of Tyr, sent to assist and watch over her, and for this she sees it as a friend. Thuri has proven invaluable to the party, often acting as the diplomatic front of the group due to his kin’s natural abilities. Not only able to change shapes at will, doppelgangers are experts at reading body language down to the smallest muscle movements, making them oft seen as seers or prophets. That is, however, far from true. In truth, their ability simply allows them to analyze the movements of those around them to identify moods, and predict attacks.

“Are we all ready?” Maria asked with purpose, glancing over her group before their departure. Upon their nods of agreement, they set off towards Breakspire Manor, and whatever waits within.

And now for the twist. We won't be using this forum to play the game, but rather, this:

Fantasy Grounds.

I'm a big-time D&D lover, and I've been wanting to do this for a while. Unfortunately, Fantasy Grounds is a paid medium, so if interest is shown but people don't want to pay, there is the sub par but free alternative, Roll 20.

Of course, if there is 0 interest in playing through either these mediums, we can still do it through forum, but I will advise that it will be a much less interesting experience as it's meant to be a simple two-hour campaign that quickly gets done with.

My idea is an ambitious project. Should this work, I'd like to reach a point where we can have a group of DMs and Adventurers set in a homebrew Reborn world, where these adventures can happen in short, up to four hour sessions and their logs posted here for future reference. This would solve at least one of my biggest problems - If this system was used with Gaelach Basm, it'd have ended in five lengthy sittings, but it'd have been, in my opinion, a much better experience.

So I throw the idea out there. If I have four players willing to use Fantasy Grounds, those four will be prioritized. If not, players willing to use Roll 20 will be prioritized, and lastly, if interest is not shown for either medium, the forum may be used as normal.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

Up for this

[Tomas Elliot]

As mentioned in a different topic, despite having spent a decade roleplaying I have never actually played D&D, so of course I would be interested in this... But paying? Ewwwwwww

[Felicity]

As mentioned in a different topic, despite having spent a decade roleplaying I have never actually played D&D, so of course I would be interested in this... But paying? Ewwwwwww

This

[Kurotsune]

As mentioned in a different topic, despite having spent a decade roleplaying I have never actually played D&D, so of course I would be interested in this... But paying? Ewwwwwww

Honestly, the price to have free access to all D&D material in the game is actually more than fair.

That said, like I've mentioned, there's the free alternative, Roll 20.

[Yash]

I am up for it if you are using Roll 20.. But I do have a question.. I am assuming that everybody will have to be online at the same time.. That may be a problem for me considering time zones...

[Kurotsune]

Yes, time zone will be a thing we have to discuss. But as mentioned, it's one game played across a couple of hours on one weekend... It'll hardly hurt anyone's schedule.

[Yash]

Considering the time zone difference between me and somebody in the USA is roughly 10-12 hours it could be slightly complicated.. But all the same, I'll try it if we can get a suitable time..

[Tomas Elliot]

Ah yes, time zone is kinda an issue for me too, given that I live in Ital it would be nearly impossible for me to be online at the same time as someone who lives on USA's west coast... I mean I understand it would only be for two hours per week-end, but if said two hours are 2 AM to 4 AM (in my timezone) then I don't think I could make it...

[Kurotsune]

I'd strongly suggest worrying about timezone after gathering the players. For now, just voice desire to join. Afterwards we can gather everyone who is interested and discuss scheduling.

[leocain]

It sounds good, I was always curious about D&D, but never got to play it. Can't really pay right now, so I'm more for Roll 20, if you don't mind giving me a crash course. Of course, there is the time issue (I'm from Chile and I'm in college), but I'm willing to try.

[Pixl]

I have interest. I don't have a card so I'd have to get some stuff set up before I can pay, but I figure I can work it out if I need to. So I'm up for whatever medium.

[Kurotsune]

Awesome. Since this is the first game, I'll take care of everything from characters to plot, but the idea is eventually creating a consistent party that gets together every week/month to play a different set of adventures through a homebrew world.I'm going to finish the thread by creating the character descriptions, which I've been slowly working on, and then we can discuss time.