The Staff of Thunderbolts: ES-IH-RPG

[Kip]

(Had to shoehorn the Thunderbolt trademark in )

"The road goes ever on." ~Dumbledore

Welcome to the IH-RPG set in the Elder Scrolls universe, specifically Skyrim's Dragon Crisis as featured in ES:V. The purpose of this game is to test-run battle mechanics for a larger game to be potentially hosted in the RPG boards. These rules are largely co-opted from an existing board game, so they should be balanced and workable in theory - the question is whether the execution will translate well in the forum setting. Please keep this note in mind as we progress - for example, while the base rules are established, statistics for enemies and creatures still need to be designed, and other gameplay mechanics haven't been implemented yet. We will have to create these on the fly, and they might be awesome, they might be terrible, but that's what we're trying to find out by running this game!

Combat

You roll a die. Your enemy rolls a die. Higher score wins. DONE! You seem unimpressed. Don't be, just yet. There are plenty of modifiers, bonuses, and penalties that are added to this. However, the above is the extreme base system. It's simple. It's elegant. Most importantly, it's easy. The system is intended to be easy enough that any and all players can learn it and moderate it with little effort, so that dedicated moderators don't have to be present to keep things flowing. In fact, with online dice trackers like invisiblecastle.com, it may be possible for you to roll your own dice after making a move. However, with different types of weapons, different weapon qualities, and different character traits, you can figure out how to tip the odds in your favor so it won't feel like you're flipping a coin every time you run up to a spider.

Statistics

Characters each have a set of statistics that govern their abilities in combat. These statistics are boiled down into several categories, namely: "Skill", "Power", "Defense", "Attacks", and "Wounds". Skill: This value represents how skillful the character is with weapons. This skill is broken down into two sub-statistics, namely "melee" and "ranged". In melee combat, Sk is a tiebreaker; in the event that two characters roll the same score, the character with the higher Sk wins the combat. Ranged is a dice value that dictates accuracy - if you roll above the score required, your shot finds its mark. Strength: This value represents how deadly a character is. It may be physical strength (in the case of an orc or troll) or it may be an uncanny ability to find your target's weak spot (in the case of an assassin or veteran warrior). Defense: This value represents a character's survivability. It is a combination of their natural hardiness and their armor. When striking blows to wound, the attacker's strength is cross-referenced with the defender's defense on a table. The table provides a dice roll that represents a successful wound. Attacks: This value is the number of dice you roll in combat and wounding. In general, soldier characters only roll one die in combat, as in the basic example above. Larger creatures and more experienced warriors may roll 2, 3, or more dice in combat. Wounds: This value is the number of wounds a character may sustain before succumbing and becoming ineffectual (incapacitation or death). As above, ordinary characters only have one wound, but creatures and stronger warriors may have 2 or more. The basic statline of a humanoid warrior: Skill: 3/4+ Strength: 3 Defense: 3 Attacks: 1 Wounds: 1 The Wound Table:

Weapons, Equipment, and Artifacts

Equipment: One-handed weapons: functionally "neutral". They don't affect your dice in any way. Two-handed weapons: heavy and slow. These weapons add +1 to your wounding dice, but subtract -1 from your combat dice. It's harder to defeat your enemy, but easier to kill them. Bows: Attack from afar. Bows are typically weaker than their melee counterparts, for balance purposes. Shields: Allow you to "shield". "Shielding" allows you to roll +1 dice during combat, but you may not throw wounding dice if you win the combat Armor: Improves your Defense rating. Spells: Spells behave differently, depending on the spell. Some may behave like bows, while some may be reflexive. You'll learn more about these as your characters learn more about them. Equipment Types: I'll save the details for when you encounter different tiers of weapons, but we've designed it so that it isn't a simple rush to grab the next highest tier of sword. You may actually choose to wield Elven weapons over Glass, or Orcish over Ebony, depending on your character and the way you want him or her to perform on the battlefield.

Example

I will outline a brief example of how a combat might take place. In the red corner, we have a Nord. The Nord carries a two-handed Greatsword, and wears Steel armor (+2 defense). His stats: Skill: 3/4+ Strength: 3 Defense: 5 Attacks: 1 Wounds: 1 In the blue corner, we have a High Elf. The Elf carries a sword and shield , and wears Elven armor (+1 defense). He also knows the spell "Flames". His stats: Skill: 3/4+ Strength: 3 Defense: 4 Attacks: 1 Wounds: 1 Flames: When charging an enemy or being charged, you may roll 1 die. This functions as a "reflexive" bow with Strength 2. Battle commences. Round 1. The two warriors close ground. The Nord wastes no time and charges the Elf. As he is being charged, the Elf may use his Flames spell before combat begins. He needs a 4+ to hit. He rolls a 4 (hit). Next, we consult the Wound Table. Strength 2 vs. Defense 5: he needs a 6 to cause a wound. He rolls a 2 (fail). Combat begins. Nord rolls a 4, but he is wielding a two-handed weapon, so 4-1=3. The Elf rolls a 3. 3 vs 3 is a tie. Both characters have the same Skill, so re-roll. Nord rolls a (2-1 = 1). Elf rolls a 6. Elf wins the combat. Elf may strike to wound. Strength 3 vs. Defense 5. Elf needs a 5+ to wound. Rolls 1. Nord survives. Round 2. Combat is still engaged, so the Elf may not use his spell. This turn, the Elf elects to "shield". He gets to roll one extra die in combat, but if he wins, he will not get to strike wounds. The Nord rolls a (6-1=5). The Elf rolls a (2, 3). Despite his extra die, the Elf has lost the combat. The Nord now gets to strike a blow to wound. Strength 3 vs. Defense 4, so he needs a 5+ to wound. He rolls a 4, but his Greatsword imparts a +1 to wound. (4+1=5). Elf is killed. He cries "SKYRIM FOR THE NORDS" over the corpse. This is far from a comprehensive list, and certainly doesn't account for all the types of combat and circumstances we me eventually see. For example, if the Elf doesn't carry a shield, he might be able to use his Flames spell even while engaged in combat. There are hundreds of possible scenarios that haven't been codified into the rules yet. Already, I've noticed that I forgot to add a Defense bonus for the shield. These are the types of things we want to learn!

Registration

In order to register, choose a race and tell us all about your character. Bonus Traits are up for grabs, so wow us with your creativity. I've seen a hundred thousand badasses that murdered a platoon of Imperials/Stormcloaks and ran away from home, and I know you guys can do better *hint hint*. The starting premise: Whatever you are, and whatever your reasons, you are looking for work in Whiterun, and find yourself in the Bannered Mare. Here is your character's statline: Skill: 4/4+ Strength: 3 Defense: 4 Attacks: 2 Wounds: 2 Speaking from experience, the biggest decider in this rule set is the number of dice you roll. 2 Attacks is probably your biggest bonus early on. In addition, as with traits, effective RP can see your basic stats increased, and certain weapons and armors increase your stats as well so long as you're using them. You all start with an Iron Dagger (-1 to combat, - 1 to wounds), and may also choose 2 of the following as starting equipment: Iron or Fur Armor: +1 defense. Iron One-handed weapon: -1 to wounding. Iron Two-handed weapon: -1 to wounding (effectively, +0 to wounds). Iron Shield: ability to "shield". No Defense bonus. Firebolt/Ice Spike/Lightning Bolt Spell: Functions as a Strength 2 ranged weapon, but is more effective against certain enemy types, and less effective against others Longbow: Strength 2 ranged weapon.

I believe that's everything you need to know to get started. If you are confused (which I sort of expect, this was a rush job and I'm not sure I've gotten everything across as I'd like) please ask and I'll answer you below in the comments.


*Credit where credit's due: Most of these rules are courtesy of the Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game by Games Workshop! Played it in middle school. Had no money, had to quit. :/

[Dan the Man]

Where do I sign up, boss?

[Kip]

Right here is just fine

[Dan the Man]

Okay! Will certainly get to that tomorrow (and will also respond to your PM - thanks for reading, as always!) when I'm not so horrendously tired. I do have one quick question though: If we're all starting in the Bannered Mare, in a major city, what are players who choose to play Khajiit (if any) going to do? Last I checked they aren't usually allowed within the city walls, dirty skooma-dealers.

[Kip]

Dammit. Make it the Nightgate Inn.

[jacb547]

Ragnald, Nordic Scout

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Age: 37
Stats:
Skill: 4/4
Strength: 3
Defense: 4
Attacks: 2
Wounds: 2

Items:
Fur Armour (Minus Helmet)
Longbow
Iron Dagger


Bio: Born in Falkreath, his father was a renowned hunter and his mother died in childbirth bringing her only son into the world. Motherless and brotherless the bond he had with his father was great and even when he was too young to know what he was doing he would follow him into hunting trips, at five he could shoot a bow and at ten he could kill deer. Alas, that good life was not to last. The Jarl of Falkreath had long been feuding with an ambitious thane who wished to usurp his title, when he sent the guard to arrest him the pretender fled, unbeknownst to all however he had built a personal army of mercenaries and bandits and amassed a great host in the shores of Lake Illinata. Not willing to let that threat go unpunished the Jarl raised his armies in defiance, young Ragnald's father, a renowned archer, was called into service and take off to war.

Before he left his father left young Ragnald three things, a great yew bow that had been in the family for generations, a pendant that had belonged to his mother and a promise that he would come back. So Ragnald watched as most of the men marched out of town being shepherded by the Jarl, off to fight one of his wars, the young boy was sure however that his father would return, he had never after all lied to him about anything. And so it came that a month later a much smaller column marched into town, filled with wounded men and grim veterans, the Jarl himself was being carried by a great cart he was wounded by many cuts, but not Ragnald's father. At first curious if his father had remained behind he sought out his hunter friends who had returned much reduced from the war, they gave him a pat, a beer never-mind his age and told him the story. The Jarl was a young and vain man and had ridden ahead with his vanguard, outpacing the scouts, thus when he arrived in Lake Illinata he was faced by ranks of thugs, mercenaries and hired killers. Such was his pride that he charged headlong into the waiting enemies but, lacking scouts, he walked straight into an ambush when the pretender and many of his followers attack his from the woods and surrounded him, the fighting was fierce and bloody. The Jarl himself was gravely wounded by the ambitious Thane but was saved by his Housecarl who took the killing blow in his place, death and defeat seemed certain until the second part of the force arrived, the contigent of scouts where his father and his friends were. With the advantage of the surprise in their side the hunters fired a deadly volley and felled many foes, it took a second volley for them to figure out where they were being shot from and a third volley for the enemies to reach them. Although the scouts were valiant and their arrows true they stood no chance in a meele, so after half an hour of dense fighting beneath the trees victory was within reach for the pretender again but his fortune turned against him when the main body of the army arrived, lead by the Thane of Helgen, and attacked his remaining forces. The fighting lasted for another hour but in the end the rebels were killed or fled, many drowned when they tried to swim across the river for safety and the pretender himself was killed by an axe blow by the Thane of Oakwood, a fierce warrior. And although the day ended in victory there was no celebration that night for their dead were many, more than half the force had been killed including the Thane of Helgen and the Housecarl and most of the survivors were wounded like the Jarl himself, it was amid this mass that his remaining friends found his father body, pierced by a great spear and with two dead foes at his side.

Grief stricken and alone, Ragnald fled Falkreath even thought he was but ten and one, armed with his father's bow and wearing his mother's pendant he left to wander the wilds of Skyrim. First he went to Lake Illinata, there he found his father buried among the fallen heroes of the battle he wept and was desolate now all alone in the world. He spent many years hunting deer in Falkreath but eventually started wandering going from the craggy roads of the Reach to the plains of Whiterun, he paid homage to Azura in her shrine in the mountain and felt the cold wind at the throat of the world, he made deals with giants and hunted beasts of all kinds, he loved, killed and explored until this wandering life but finally started to wonder if this life was really for him like a force of nature he felt a calling to settle down and live somewhere. But to do that he needed money and the only way to earn money he knew was adventuring, looking once more for opportunity Ragnald found himself on the Nightgate Inn.

[Pericles of Athens]

Name: Ulf Giant-Slayer
Age: 23
Race: Nord
Stats:

• Skill 4/4
  
• Strength: 3
  
• Defense: 4
  
• Attacks 2
  
• Wounds 2

Starting Equipment:

• Iron Dagger
  
• Iron Great-Ax (Two-Handed Weapon)
  
• Fur Armor
  

Personality: Ulf is a short tempered alcoholic, notably making no attempts to quit the stuff either, he is boisterous and knows a number of drinking songs that he has been known to belt out loudly, out of key, and often. Ulf's sleep is plagued by nightmares, about what he refuses to share with anyone. When exposed to adrenaline in a fight he is liable to enter a a crazed and uncontrollable state fueled by a strange mix of blood-lust and uncontrollable wrath.

Physical Description: Ulf is a large man, even by Nord standards, standing an impressive six feet and nine inches in height and boasting a build equal to any well crafted stone wall. His hair (dark brown) is long, unkempt, and extremely unruly, branching out from his head in matted and filth coated clump at the worst of times. Coupled with a beard just growing back in, after he shaved it off a month ago during one of his drunken stupors on a bet he made with a local goat, Ulf has an extremely bumish look to go with his (often) heavily intoxicated mind.

Life History: Ulf was born in Whiterun into the house Giant-Slayer, a young and unimportant family founded by Signor Giant Slayer who (as you might have expected) slayed one of the giant-folk at some point or another in his life. His name never entitled him to much notice or respect, not among the great houses that shared Whiterun with his kin like the Gray-Mane and Battle-Born. If his drunken boasts are to be believed Ulf was born weighing twelve pounds and came out of his mother with a full beard covering his baby cheeks.

His parents tried their best to instill the Nordic belief system into their youngest growing boy, honor, loyalty, and a willingness of the heart. And by all accounts he lived up to his kin's expectation in every conceivable way, coupled with his imposing size and considerable strength he proved himself a brave and loyal man willing to do whatever it took to protect his kin and Skyrim as a whole. As his three older brothers went on to become respectable, if humble, city guardsmen and warriors he struck out on his own to become an adventurer or what have you. Only to return three years later bloodied, half starved, and clad in nothing more than rags for clothing. Though no one knows what actually happened in the three year interim (and Ulf himself is close lipped on the subject) most assume he failed in some spectacular way.

After his return it would seem his perceived failure drove him mad and straight to the drink, which only ate away further at any minuscule chance he still had at making an honest and respectable life for himself in Whiterun. Ulf became something of a permanent fixture in the Bannered Mare and spent more nights passed out on the tavern floor or in the gutter than in his own bed. He has earned a reputation as the local drunk in resent years, telling bawdy jokes and outlandish tales about his adventures and taking on the strangest of bets in his inebriation, bringing shame equally upon himself and the name Giant-Slayer. The denizens of Whiterun know that when he's sober he isn't one to be trifled with, in fact even when drunk he has been known to dominat in Tavern brawls (brawls often started by Ulf), but honestly put his sobriety isn't an often occurrence these days.

Recent events have pushed Ulf from his childhood home yet again, mostly being brought up on multiple charges of drunk and disorderly conduct which require mandatory payments that Ulf has no funds to actually pay. Now he finds himself lost and alone yet again, on a long and empty road but this time unable to return home.

[Watercress]

Name: Do'Kothre
Race: Khajiit (Cathay-raht)
Stats:

• Skill: 4/4+
• Strength: 3
• Defense: 4
• Attacks: 2
• Wounds: 2

Items:

• Iron Dagger
• Iron Axe (One-handed weaon)
• Firebolt

Biography:

A big, brash and boisterous Cathay-raht Khajiit, Do'Kothre makes his way in the world as a sell-sword spellsword. From in the humid jungles of southern Elsweyr, the homeland of the Khajits, Do'Kothre's family possessed a long history of service and loyalty to the Elsweyr Confederacy, and a hatred of the Thalmor untypical among their kindred Khajits. Consequentially, when the Confederacy fell to Thalmor backed coup, spiting into the client kingdoms of Anequina and Pelletine, Do'Kothre's family fled north, into Cyrodill. There they maintained their service to the Empire, playing a minor role in the ascension of Titus Mede II, as soldiers and auxiliaries in the Emperor's armies. Do'Kothre was himself born in the Imperial City, educated in a environment of martial discpline and excellence. His father serving and dying in the Great War against the Thalmor, Do'Kothre and his mother soon found themselves on the streets, unable to maintain their previously secure life. Lacking Imperial protection, and struggling through the midst of the disastrous war against the Thalmor, Do'Kothre lived hand-to-mouth throughout his youth and adolescence. Their lives would be imperilled by the Thalmor sack of the Imperial City, although they survived the attack. Frustrated from his ambition of following his father into the Imperial Armies with the peace of the White-Gold Concordat, when Do'Kothre came of age he joined a company of mercenaries.

His adolescence of struggle and conflict, combined with his sheer physical strength as a Cathay-raht, and a proud family tradition of martial service, ensured that Do'Kothre would soon excel himself among his comrades. He mercenary life would see him cross the continent and participate in many conflicts and feuds, some to his personal delight, such as fighting for the Redguards against the Thalmor in Hammerfell, and some to his personal disgust, such as participating in the strife of Bravil in 188, a conflict between two major skooma traffickers. Eventually drifting from his company, Do'Kothre made a name for his personal expertise and absolute commitment to a contract. As with all mercenaries, his work followed the conflicts of the region - and thus, he drifted into Skyrim. Althrough relatively new to the region, Do'Kothre sees great potential in the Nord Civil War and the Dragon Crisis, for conflict, money, and contracts. Arriving on the outskirts of Whiterun, he looks for opportunity in every cover, over the foam of his ale-flagon.

[Kip]

Opening the thread shortly. The first quest begins at the Nightgate Inn, so feel free to do the typical meet-and-greet type stuff before the adventure begins in earnest.

[Agamemnon]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I apologize for the giant image.

Name: Faolan Sauranach
Age: 32
Race: Reachman (Breton)
Stats:

• Skill 4/4
  
• Strength: 3
  
• Defense: 4
  
• Attacks 2
  
• Wounds 2

Starting Equipment:

• Iron Dagger
  
• Iron Sword
• Fur Armor
  

Personality: Once a merry (at least as merry as can be) miner in the Reach, since the crackdown in the Reach he's become cynical, dark, brooding, and angry. Now practically all anyone can read in his eyes is hate for the Nords and their false gods.

Physical Description: Very tall and strong for a Reachman, blonde, with bright blue eyes. It's been suspected that somewhere in his family is Nordic blood, given how Nordic he looks, but he vehemently denies it. However, given his muscular build, there is almost certainly some distant Orsimer blood in his veins. Furthermore, he proudly bears into battle the warpaint of a Forsworn warrior.

Life History: Faolan, named after the mighty Red Eagle himself, and part of the ancient and noble Sauranach bloodline, was until recently a miner in the Markarth mines. However, when the Forsworn Rebellion broke out, he took up arms and joined the Forsworn. The Stormcloak militia killed his wife, parents, and siblings, completely cutting all his ties with the outside world. Since then, he's lived in the wilderness of the Reach among the other Faithful, fighting against the infidels occupying his people's lands. Now, as part of the King in Rags's Forsworn conspiracy across Skyrim, he has been sent to Whiterun Windhelm as a sleeper agent, intending to wreak havoc when ordered. Until then, though, he has to support himself, and is therefore looking for a job in the city, which is rather difficult when one's only clothing is very clearly that of a group hated across Tamriel.

[Barry Goldwater]

Image

Name: Claude Dardaine
Race: Breton
Age: 27
Stats:

• Skill: 4/4+
• Strength: 3
• Defense: 4
• Attacks: 2
• Wounds: 2

Items:

• Iron Dagger
• Firebolt
• Ice Spike

Personality: Claude is a reserved and analytical man, one who doesn't actively disdain social interaction but who does try to avoid whatever he believes to be meaningless conversation, and like his father and grandfather before him he can be arrogant and bombastically overconfident. His pride actually is quite easily offended, but he prefers to fight back with sarcasm or passive-aggressive tactics - to him, beating opponents at their own word-games is a mark of civilization, and only uncultured barbarians who can't do so would wave their fists as their first resort. Granted, his wit has gotten him into his fair share of scraps in the past, but even there he's always preferred to sit back, let his companions do the bleeding for him, and use his magics to put the clearly thin-skinned opposition in their place instead. Claude harbors ambitions of bringing his family back to Wayrest (nevermind that he's never actually been there), and is always on the lookout for a good opportunity to advance this goal.

Physical appearance: Claude is a Breton of average height with a slim, lanky build, light brown hair and gray eyes; the Bretons' historical Elven heritage shows its clear influence in him, to be sure. In his early years, the other children used to mock him for his girly appearance, but he likes to think he's grown out of that by now...well, except for the hair which he's allowed to grow even longer than it already was in those days, but he happens to like it that way.

Life History: A little over a century ago, the Dardaines were an up-and-coming merchant family in the Breton metropolis of Wayrest; for another hundred years before that they were already making a tidy profit off of their glass-making business, but their fortunes truly began to soar when family patriarch Alain returned home from an adventure with Dwemer artifacts in tow, all of which he quickly sold off. Far from simply stashing his gold away, Alain proceeded to invest it into his new trading company, importing goods from across the Iliac Bay and as far as Skyrim for resale at higher prices. Alas, not long after catapulting himself into the circles of Wayrest's finest, Alain made many enemies among the older merchant families, who envied his newfound wealth and were further turned off by his natural arrogance. A decade after becoming one of Wayrest's citizens, the Dardaine business was destroyed by Iliac Bay's notorious pirates, paid by their enemies to target their trading vessels, and Alain himself was implicated in a plot against the King of Wayrest with false evidence planted by agents of his chief rival Pierric Horley. He was promptly arrested and executed despite his protests of innocence to the bitter end, while his wife fled first to Gauvadon, and later to Markarth in western Skyrim. It was there that Claude was born, the third of four sons to their grandson Amaund and his Daggerfall-born wife Mirabelle.

While his brothers and cousins aspired to join the Imperial Legion or otherwise worked as apprentices to his merchant father, Claude showed an interest in magic from childhood and made no secret of his desire to go to the College of Winterhold. So naturally, when his parents finally gave him their blessing a decade ago, he made the long journey there and secured himself an apprenticeship with a forceful demonstration of fire magic. Claude proved to be an able student, but his arrogant manner won him few friends among the other apprentices, and the teachers were disturbed by his impatience; like the other Dardaines, Claude was charged with winning a place for the family back in Wayrest and avenging his grandfather's honor, preferably by smiting the now-old and wizened Perric Horley - but where his brothers would rather sever his head with cold steel or slit his throat in the night, he was all for frying or freezing the man alive, and to that end he wanted access to powerful magics much more quickly than the College's scholars were willing to teach him. The deaths of his two martially-inclined elder brothers Anton & Caius in the Great War, after which his mother soon died of grief, and his father's murder by Reachmen angry at his lack of cooperation in the Forsworn Uprising only reinforced his desire for power, while also adding the Thalmor & the Witchmen to his list of enemies; Claude would leave the battered family business (now relocated to Falkreath) to his younger brother Michel and their uncle Phinis while he completed his studies at Winterhold and, presumably after that, pursued his revenge.

Unfortunately for Claude's high ambitions, half a year ago he accidentally killed a fellow student in a mock duel just off College grounds, arranged immediately after they'd both guzzled down one too many drinks and insulted each other's dead mothers. Needless to say, the College of Winterhold did not consider either 'he called my mother a fat troll' or 'I was drunk' acceptable grounds for decapitating another apprentice with Ice Spikes, and Claude was promptly exiled. Despondent and unable to pay off his own bounty, but still armed with ten years' worth of College education on top of his own forays into the world of magic in his earlier days, he now makes his way back to Falkreath to link up with the rest of his family. His next stop on the road? A certain Nightgate Inn.

[Dan the Man]

Name: Giren Norvayn


Race: Dunmer

Stats:

• Skill: 4/4+
• Strength: 3
• Defense: 5
• Attacks: 2
• Wounds: 2

Items:

• Iron Dagger
• Fur armor
• Firebolt

Biography: Giren Norvayn was born a lesser son of greater sires in Windhelm's infamous Grey Quarter. Giren's ancestors had migrated to the city with many other Dark Elves a couple generations beforehand after the eruption of Red Mountain and the Argonian invasion left their homeland in ruins. Growing up in the Grey Quarter was never easy, but things went from bad to worse when Jarl Ulfric took over Windhelm. Ulfric's "Skyrim for the Nords!" platform was extremely damaging and alienating to the Dark Elf community in Windhelm, and lowlifes from all corners of Ysgramor's city came out in droves against the town's largest minority. Alienation and discrimination turned into direct insult and sometimes even assault after Ulfric murdered King Torygg and the civil war began. So-called "Stormcloaks" flooded the city from every hold in Skyrim, and the oppression of the Dark Elves got worse and worse.

The Norvayn family was somewhat different from the other Dark Elf clans in Windhelm. Keeping mostly to themselves, wild rumors circulated within the Quarter about what exactly their roots might be. They were latecomers to Windhelm, among the last families to arrive in the city, and descended from very minor nobility back in Vvardenfell. The most popular rumor was that, somewhere in their ancestry, the family had once been affiliated with the Morag Tong, Tamriel's first and most infamous guild of assassins and the original organization from which the infamous Dark Brotherhood was descended. The Tong hadn't existed outside of Morrowind since the Second Era, and what remained of it in its homeland was mostly disbanded after the Red Year. In the minds of provincial gossips, it only made sense that the Norvayn family would flee to somewhere they could better apply their craft. Giren's father, Rilas, also had a tendency to disappear for several nights at a time. When he would return, nobody was permitted to ask him any questions. This reinforced the idea that Rilas, keeping with his family roots, had joined the Dark Brotherhood as an assassin, being unable to join back up with the Tong. It also didn't help that, from a tender age, Rilas raised his children to be skilled with a blade.

Whatever his family history may have been, Giren himself wasn't at all interested in learning how to wield a sword, nor a dagger, nor any weapon. From the time he was just a boy, Giren was infatuated with magic. He read every book he could find on the Telvanni wizards of Morrowind - hard to come by in Windhelm - and taught himself what few spells he could manage. All of this he kept secret, of course: Even before the Stormcloaks arrived, playing with magic was pretty unpopular with the local Nords since the Great Collapse of Winterhold. Giren dreamed of one day studying at the college and becoming a bona fide Dunmer mage. Then one day, it all came crashing down.

Giren's father had been out for three nights on 'business' and had not returned. It wasn't the longest he had been out, so the family was not worried just yet, until the night a woman in black arrived on a black horse and gave Giren's mother a letter, painted with a black hand. The letter was plain, besides that, and on it were scrawled the words "He joins the Dread Father. Hail Sithis!" It was in that moment that Giren knew it had all been true. The rumors, the mysterious disappearances, the training - all because his father was a member of the Dark Brotherhood, and probably his ancestors before him. And he had been working all of Giren's life to train him to do the same.

That was three years ago, when Giren was a young elf of no more than 16. Days later he left his home, hoping to get a job as a laborer on a farm or at a sawmill to finance his dreams of attending Winterhold. But the ghost of his father followed him wherever he went, and he found himself wandering Skyrim, picking up an odd job here and there but never staying in one place for more than a few months. Giren's life is now consumed with an internal conflict: Can he outrun his destiny? Will he follow in his father's footsteps and become a master assassin, or will he strike his own path and become the wizard he always hoped to be? The answer to this question began to be uncovered in tiny Nightgate Inn, a desolate halfway-house between Windhelm and Dawnstar.

[Gone 2 the Celts]

Name: Silent-Like-Shadows
Race: Argonian
Age: 61
Stats:
Skill: 4/4+
Strength: 3
Defense: 4
Attacks: 2
Wounds: 2
Items:
Iron Dagger
Fur Armor
Iron Sword
Personality: Silent-Like-Shadows is quite unlike his name; he is a gregarious reptile-man, often boasting of monsters defeated and challenges won. This nature makes him easily offended by the "slights" of others, which are solved by duels to the death. Needless to say, Silent-Like-Shadows has own them all, as he still breathes. When he's not in a fighting mood, a drinking contest will resolve the dispute, although Silent-Like-Shadows claims that he won all of those too.


Physical appearance: Like all Argonians, Silent-Like-Shadows is covered in scales and gills, with three prominent horns on top of his head. The scales across his body are a brownish-green color, not the most pleasant to look at, but quite an effective camouflage. Beneath those scales, Silent-Like-Shadows has rippling muscles that prove he can at least standup for himself in a fight, although his boastful stories seem a bit far fetched, given his age.


Life History: bWhile he is currently known as 'Silent-Like-Shadows', his real name is Taj-Topkap. After his parents were killed by imperial forces during a raid into Argonian occupied Morrowind, Taj-Topkap swore that he would not rest until Imperials no longer sat on the throne of Tamriel. He began training in sneaking, pickpocketing, and swordplay over the next dozen years so he could become an ultimate assassin.


However, Taj-Topkap's life took an unexpected turn, meaning he could not fulfill his life's ambition of being a member of the Dark Brotherhood. Instead, he was recruited to be the bodyguard of Slow-Swimmer, a prominent member of the An-Xileel*. This position allowed Slow-Swimmer to tutor Taj-Topkap in speech and political intrigue. Unfortunately, Taj-Topkap was unable to maintain them in his memory, essentially disqualifying him from eventually becoming a full-fledged member of the ruling council. Slow-Swimmer, disgusted by Taj-Topkap's disinterest in politics, sent him to kill the head Naga Al-Kasi, thinking it would be a suicide mission. Instead of failing, however, Taj-Topkap stealthily executed the Argonian without being seen. When he returned, Slow-Swimmer renamed Taj-Topkap to Silent-Like-Shadows, and began to use him as a spy in High Rock, Cyrodil, and Elswyr.


It has been forty years since Silent-Like-Shadows killed Al-Kasi, and Silent-Like-Shadows has aged considerably. Fights in High Rock and Elswyr have left him scarred and weak, decreasing his ability to fight with a sword or knife as well as he could when he was young. With the civil war brewing in Skyrim, the An-Xileel sent him to Skyrim to help weaken the Mede Empire. While this means his interests align with the Stormcloaks, he was banned from entering the city of Windhelm upon his arrival, sending him away to an inn called Nightgate with anger in his heart.


*The An-Xileel are the ruling faction of the Argonian controlled Black Marsh and Morrowind. They were responsible for the invasion of Morrowind, and the subsequent defensive skirmishes fought against imperial troops. While most reports say that the faction is content with their current political situation in Tamriel, the so called 'experts' are wrong. Sleeper agents have been placed in critical points of Tamriel, collecting intel and recruiting Argonian exiles to their cause.


edit/OoC: I know that the An-Xileel are content with their position, not power hungry, but I decided to spice some stuff up

[Dan the Man]

OOC: Two Nords, two Bretons, one Khajiit, one Dark Elf, one Argonian. I wonder if we can manage to get all nine races into this game...

[Xion]

Falicia Lirofin

Image Age : 55 Race : Bosmer Stats : Skill: 4/4+ Strength: 3 Defense: 4 Attacks: 2 Wounds: 2 Equipment : Iron Dagger Longbow Iron Sword Biography : Born in a small village located near the settlement of Moonmont, at the bottom of one of the mountain ranges of Valenwood, Falicia's early life was not that different from any other Bosmer child. At the age of fifteen, having shown some slightly above average skill for a Bosmer with a bow and basic knowledge of swordplay, she was recruited into a group of Bosmer rangers, who travelled across Valenwood as wardens of the forests, enforcing the laws of the Green Pact, and defending villages against raids from bandits, Khajiit, or the occasional Imperial border town in reprisal for killing several of their men attempting to chop down trees on the vaguely defined border of Valenwood and Cyrodil. At the onset of the Great War, Falicia had broke off from the group of rangers she was in two years prior and was living a quiet existence as a huntress outside of Lynpar March, selling hides and meat from her quarry in the local market. That changed when she heard of the war, and joined the Dominion's army as part of a levied archer company comprised of current and former rangers of Valenwood. At the onset of the war, the company of archers was attached to Lord Naarifin's army striking at the Imperial province from Elsweyr, spending most of the first year harassing any resupply attempts for Bravil, and fending off an attempt to break the siege coming from Anvil. The second year has the company, after a 'brilliant' idea of one of Naarifin's advisors, allowed to operate independently of the Dominion army in Cyrodil, and to strike at enemy supply lines, marching columns, and other tactics to soften up the Imperials in weeks prior to the Dominion's advance further into Cyrodil, the company moving ahead of the army in each case. Calling themselves the 'Wild Huntsmen' after the Bosmer ritual hunt, the raiders struck at outlying villages, caravans, and small Imperial patrols from the woods of Cyrodiil, using traditional Bosmer tactics. Falicia would become a officer of the company after leading a raid on Virtue, and would rise through the ranks over the course of the rest of the year and of the third year of the war as well. In the third year, the leader of the group was killed in the Crossing of the Niben, and at the order of Naarifin's command staff, were divided into two companies, one to continue raiding, the other to be merged with another Bosmer company that suffered heavy losses in recent battles. Falicia would be elected as leader of the raiders due to being the only experienced raider left, the rest having fallen in some of the company's riskier raids or moved to the new unit. As Nord Legions from Skyrim were reported by Aldmeri spies coming in as reinforcements, the company was ordered north to harass the Nords, to partial effect on the mountain trails before disappearing into the forests. In 174, the 'Wild Huntsmen' would be temporarily disbanded and merged with another archer company to serve in the assault on the Imperial City, after which they would resume the prior activities of the company. During this time, Falicia began to view the Green Pact less strictly, viewing it as only applying to Valenwood so she began learning herbalism and alchemy during the few reprieves her depleted company, about fifty archers out of the original several hundred, would recieve. Not being present at the Battle of the Red Ring, instead having been carrying out a fighting retreat towards Anvil, then being moved to Hammerfell to be part of the army fighting the resistance in Hammerfell. After serving in the two wars, she returned to Valenwood for some time, again being a ranger, although her outlook on the Green Pact and many things had changed from experience in the wars that she would leave Valenwood again several years after returning, originally becoming a mercenary in High Rock for slightly more than a decade, serving in many of the disputes of the nobility as a archer or raider, being granted some of the more dubious or vicious mercenaries and leading them in terrorizing the enemy's populace and supply lines. Two years ago, she heard about a very high bounty on a man from Hammerfell and chased him for a year and half playing a game of cat and mouse with him across Skyrim, finally cornering him inside a cave in Falkreath. Rather than actually engage him, she set a trap of rocks and a tripwire that crushed him. Now, having spent the last several months wandering in Skyrim making a living as a hunter, she finds herself near the Nightgate Inn..

[Prodigal]

Ooooooh... I would love to play this. When is the official start so I can know when to have my character in?

[Agamemnon]

The test has already begun, but today isn't too late. Official start for the RPG is whenever we get around to finishing the rules.