Tormented Soles - The Original Thread.

[Kalamos]

-> Kleptomaniac

Exactly my thought: let's have the chars gather and get to know each others [and themselves] before embarking in the full adventure.

A good ploy could be...


"Emperor Oralack died: no official successor had been appointed, and all blood heirs were either small babies or withered old fools.

Only three men, Oralack's nephews, stood and vied for succession - but the Geramorea - the Imperial Senate - rejected their claims and elected an infant as a puppet sovereign.

So the Galthari Brothers started worming their way in the shadows, by corruption and murder, to sway Geramorea's decision's to their favour. But when success and throne finally seemed at hand, a mysterious dagger took the baby Emperor's life and threw Empire into chaos.

Geramorea took power as a temporary measure, while House Galthari almost collapsed, torn by distrust.
Kin accused kin, distrust degenerated into hatred. Hatred into strife.

Each Factions accused the others of the murder - and the once proud House Galthari became a sorry shadow of its former self.

Geramorea passed strict laws to cement its power, and effectively barred from succession even the most collateral heirs.

The three Factions had been prohibited from fielding imperial troops to settle a family feud - officialy for the greater good of the populance - so they sent out agents looking for help elsewhere."

...

"They said it was just a rumor, but now you have hard proofs: it is true, the Galthari feud is for reals, and the Brothers are hiring out.

It was supposed to be a secret, but when money and war are involved, secrets rarely remain so.

Every rogue and ruffian knows the Brothers are dead serious: they are about to wage war against each others.
It is only a matter of time, they say. Maybe summer. Or even spring.

And when one will rise victorius from the strife... there is still that old Geramorea's score to settle."

...

"Your role in the forthcoming war, you ask? Why bother, you say?
Ah... riches, duty, vengeance. You name it.

Oh... so you want to stay neutral, eh? Your choice, but heed me well: either you help them, or you are against them.

They're starting proscriptions: before you know, you are on their black list, and you are as good as dead.

The agents are secretly scouring the cities for sympathizer of the enemy factions. Those they can't recruit, they imprison.

And when they got theirs paws on you... they know how to make you talk.
You'll better cough up a name soon, and the poor scapegoat will take your place...

Don't feel too sorry, it could be you in those dingy dungeons."


-> Cassandra

Excellent idea. 😀 We can do that. Of course, those who do not wish to join the soldiers/mercs can have another reason to arrive in Bisanthium.

I'd say that intro should help. 🙂

You will be in charge of deciding what tasks to give the soldiers, right?

No, they are in charge. I am only here to examine the would be recruits.

"We want no trouble makers if we can help it... plus, we don't want to attract Geramorea's attention just yet, right?"

Okay, that's a few more names we can use for the locations within the RPG. Kalamos, you should write fantasy novels now. 😀

😉



Reg's.

 

[Kalamos]

-> Kleptomaniac

Exactly my thought: let's have the chars gather and get to know each others [and themselves] before embarking in the full adventure.

A good ploy could be...


"Emperor Oralack died: no official successor had been appointed, and all blood heirs were either small babies or withered old fools.

Only three men, Oralack's nephews, stood and vied for succession - but the Geramorea - the Imperial Senate - rejected their claims and elected an infant as a puppet sovereign.

So the Galthari Brothers started worming their way in the shadows, by corruption and murder, to sway Geramorea's decision's to their favour. But when success and throne finally seemed at hand, a mysterious dagger took the baby Emperor's life and threw Empire into chaos.

Geramorea took power as a temporary measure, while House Galthari almost collapsed, torn by distrust.
Kin accused kin, distrust degenerated into hatred. Hatred into strife.

Each Factions accused the others of the murder - and the once proud House Galthari became a sorry shadow of its former self.

Geramorea passed strict laws to cement its power, and effectively barred from succession even the most collateral heirs.

The three Factions had been prohibited from fielding imperial troops to settle a family feud - officialy for the greater good of the populance - so they sent out agents looking for help elsewhere."

...

"They said it was just a rumor, but now you have hard proofs: it is true, the Galthari feud is for reals, and the Brothers are hiring out.

It was supposed to be a secret, but when money and war are involved, secrets rarely remain so.

Every rogue and ruffian knows the Brothers are dead serious: they are about to wage war against each others.
It is only a matter of time, they say. Maybe summer. Or even spring.

And when one will rise victorius from the strife... there is still that old Geramorea's score to settle."

...

"Your role in the forthcoming war, you ask? Why bother, you say?
Ah... riches, duty, vengeance. You name it.

Oh... so you want to stay neutral, eh? Your choice, but heed me well: either you help them, or you are against them.

They're starting proscriptions: before you know, you are on their black list, and you are as good as dead.

The agents are secretly scouring the cities for sympathizer of the enemy factions. Those they can't recruit, they imprison.

And when they got theirs paws on you... they know how to make you talk.
You'll better cough up a name soon, and the poor scapegoat will take your place...

Don't feel too sorry, it could be you in those dingy dungeons."


-> Cassandra

Excellent idea. 😀 We can do that. Of course, those who do not wish to join the soldiers/mercs can have another reason to arrive in Bisanthium.

I'd say that intro should help. 🙂

You will be in charge of deciding what tasks to give the soldiers, right?

No, they are in charge. I am only here to examine the would be recruits.

"We want no trouble makers, if we can avoid it... plus, we don't want to attract Geramorea's attention just yet, right?"

Okay, that's a few more names we can use for the locations within the RPG. Kalamos, you should write fantasy novels now. 😀

😉



Reg's.

 

[tukano_2]

Excellent plot Kalamos!!! It helps when you have some more accurate references.

...
Oh... so you want to stay neutral, eh? Your choice, but heed me well: either you help them, or you are against them.
...

Questa l'ho già sentita, in un contesto diverso... ;-)

 

[cassandra1]

Kalamos, you are just too good at this. 🙂 I take it that you don't mind if I copy and paste the story you just posted? It can be in the first post of the actual roleplaying thread. But of course, we would have to make adjustments to the names of the kings, factions (though we have been calling them 'kingdoms') and other little details to accomodate whatever had been stated in our character bios. For example, in my character Rachel's bio it was said that her father's name is Thoth, so one of the faction leaders must be named Thoth. Ditto for the other kings who have been mentioned in other bios.

 

[Kalamos]

Kalamos, you are just too good at this. 🙂 I take it that you don't mind if I copy and paste the story you just posted? It can be in the first post of the actual roleplaying thread.

Ok.

But of course, we would have to make adjustments to the names of the kings, factions (though we have been calling them 'kingdoms') and other little details to accomodate whatever had been stated in our character bios. For example, in my character Rachel's bio it was said that her father's name is Thoth, so one of the faction leaders must be named Thoth. Ditto for the other kings who have been mentioned in other bios.

That's really no problem: Empires are often composed of several smaller kingdoms.

In the past, kingdoms could be as small as a single castle and the fields around it.

Heir to the Imperial throne could be princes or kings themselves.


So, let's update the story a bit...

"House Galthari used to be the largest ruling family in the Empire - in the past two centuries, most Morean Emperors came from direct or indirect Galthari line.

With the murder of the baby Empire, House Galthari sundered and reverted back to the three national kingdoms it used to be composed of, and then Galthari heirs resumed their old title of kings.

Their authority does end where Maxiamorean bannisleuca - that is city authority - starts: Bisanthium and its ports are effectively independent.

Galthari influence extends over Maxiamorea through secret agents: they need the huge trading power of Maxiamorea/Bisanthium, but they can't take it by force.

They cannot use imperial armies to march against an imperial city.
They can't use their own private troops, since they'd risk a charge for treason, and lose any chance to get power in the legal way.
They can't knock Geramorea down either, since they would lose support from the populance.
They can't act alone, since each of the Galthari Kingdoms has about half the troops Geramorea has a its disposal - and the attacking faction would be immediately attacked by the combined might of other two and Geramorea's army.

They need to worm their way into Maxiamorea's goverment by stealth.
It is a secret race to power: each Faction tries to gain favour and power by corruption, murder and scandal.
Betrayal is the way, and triple dealing is the norm.

Who will emerge victorius and claim the vacant throne?"


Reg's.

 

[Kleptomaniac1]

Who will emerge victorius and claim the vacant throne?"

I will! 😀

Pay homage to my awesome power, and your death shall be a quick one!

 

[Kalamos]

"Mine"? 😀

 

[Kleptomaniac1]

Any free one. Lol. I'm just being silly.

 

[cassandra1]

If you have any more suggestions or plot details, feel free to add them.

 

[Kalamos]

Sure. 🙂


I'd say we can start playing. Kaphraktos beckons to us.

 

[cassandra1]

Okay, we can start the RPG now. The roleplaying thread is here:

http://www.tickletheater.com/showthread.php?t=13104

Sign-ups are still open, for those of you who wish to join when the RPG is already in progress.

 

[tukano_2]

I just saw the roleplaying thread: I think there should also be a brief explanation of what Kaphraktos is. I don't think I heard about this name before in this thread.

 

[cassandra1]

I just saw the roleplaying thread: I think there should also be a brief explanation of what Kaphraktos is. I don't think I heard about this name before in this thread.

According to Kalamos, Port Kaphraktos is going to be the place where our characters can meet one another at the start of the RPG, if we choose to do so. It is where the drillmaster is located, giving loner characters an excuse to work with other people if they want to be soldiers/mercenaries. Given that I already established Bisanthium (or "Santhium") as the city we start in, I guess we can assume that Kaphraktos is adjacent to it.

 

[Kalamos]

I just saw the roleplaying thread: I think there should also be a brief explanation of what Kaphraktos is. I don't think I heard about this name before in this thread.

I introduced Kaphraktos briefly on the other thread. 🙂
[Non chiedermi quale, sto cominciando a perdermi...]
It is the mustering point I suggested before.


"Port Kaphraktos is a military and trading center. While Santhium/Maxiamorea sprawls over two continents, Kaphraktos by comparision is much smaller: just a walled city built within a protected gulf in the Tharagyan peninsula.

Kaphraktos is less than a week far from its capitol, Bisanthium, on foot.
Less by horse. Much less or more on boat, depending on the season and the tides.

It should be noted, Bisanthium actually goes by several names. Maxiamorea is the official designation as the Trading and Moral Capitol of the Morean Empire.
Its older name is Bisanthium, although residents usually call it Santhium for brevity's sake.

Hautemorea [or simply "Morea"] is the older political and religious capitol.
It is located in center of the Thalanic [elsewhere spelled Talanic] peninsula - Thalas being the eponymous hero that, according to legends, wrestled power from the locals and founded Thalanis as his own town and center of his kingdom.

Morean kings come from Thalanic blood line; only a small colony in Thalanic kindom, Morea chose to exile the Thalanic priest-kings and seceded from Thalanis.

After some unrest, Morea became an independent city-state: a parliamentary monarchy developed. Geramorea was created.

Morea quickly expanded beyond and behind its older borders: it conquered Thalanis, the rest of Thalanic colonies, and effectively became an empire.

To make a long story short, Morea assimilated those foes it couldn't simply outfight or outtrade, and from a small colony of the Thalanic kingdom, it grew to be the capitol of a sprawling empire: the Morean Empire.

Recently, a dispute over succession degenerated into a small scale war: Maxian T'on Aygon emerged victorius and designated Bisanthium as the new imperial capitol city, under the name of Maxiamorea."


I should jot this stuff down. 😀

 

[Hue]

Character #5 Info.

Name: Night Raptor

Age: 10,250

Gender: Male

Race: Half Human, Half Dragon with Dragon Blood running in his veins

Occupation: Warlock/Assassin

Features: 6’ 9”, 325 lbs., long orange hair, bright black eyes, very muscular, and scar on his face (left side).

Weapon(s): Wooden Staff, 2 razor sharp knives, and a Scythe

Clothing: Red silk robes, and black boots

Bio: Human mother with Dragon father. Night Raptor is very short-tempered, and got his scar from his father when he was 142 years old. This caused Night Raptor to kill his father in cold blood. Night Raptor has the ability to transform into a full dragon and back into his human form. Night Raptor can destroy a whole town with just a thought, and kill off enemies just as easily. Night Raptor hunts only at night and is very fast, hence his name. Night Raptor can partially transform in to a dragon as well, meaning that he just grows dragon wings instead of the whole deal. He was caught once in his lifetime and was interrogated for days and days. The capturers did not get want they wanted from him by ‘normal’ methods, so they tried the infamous Tickle Torture on him. Uh oh, big mistake, Night Raptor CAN’T stand to be tickled and that causes him to loss control and go on a massive killing spree. 2 seconds after the tickling started, Night Raptor broke the bonds that held him down and killed every last person in that building by ‘bringing down the house’ from inside the dungeon. Night Raptor emerged from the rubble unharmed and flew into the air to seek more revenge on the human race, full blooded humans that is, by burning their fields and villages. Night Raptor became wounded in his right wing from an arrow and crash landed in the Woods of Turanox. NIGHTMARE, and Draco found Night Raptor and treated his wounds. When Night Raptor was fully healed, he went out and tested his abilities in the woods. A few weeks later, Robert showed up in the village where NIGHTMARE, Draco, and he (Night Raptor) resided. The way Robert defeated Night Raptor was a shot to the side towards the back. This brought Night Raptor down for that was the area in which the arrow struck him. Robert did not know that at the time, but he felt proud that he defeated someone taller and stronger than him. Night Raptor was going to shred Robert apart if it wasn’t for the intervention of Draco and NIGHTMARE. Night Raptor was the one who gave Robert the Sword, NIGHTMARE gave Robert the Sickle, and Draco gave Robert the Sais. Night Raptor is Robert’s 2nd in Command.

 

[Hue]

Last of my characters info. Member 4 of "The Fearsome Foursome"
Character #6

Name: Draco

Gender: Male

Age: 10,000

Race: Half Human, and Half Dragon, like his half brother Night Raptor, with Dragon Blood flowing in his veins.

Clothing: Black Muscle shirt, Gray sleeveless robe, Gold Cape, and Green & Orange boots.

Features: Long Green Hair worn in a ponytail, height = 6’ 1”, weight = 210 lbs., very muscular, not as muscular as Night Raptor or NIGHTMARE but more muscular than Robert, Blood Red eyes, and on the front of his shirt, is a flaming bright red ‘D’.

Occupation: Sorcerer

Weapon(s): Battle Axe, 2 Double Edged daggers, and a Double Edged Medium Broad Sword. He wears the daggers at his sides, the sword is belted on his back (right side) and the Battle Axe is strapped on the left side of his back when he doesn’t want to carry it in his hand(s).

Bio: Dragon father, and human mother. His mother is the same mother of Night Raptor, and he has a different father. “How can Night Raptor and Draco be related if their mother is human and they are 250 years apart in age?” is what you are probably thinking. Well, Night Raptor’s father gave Night Raptor’s mother a potion that would give her 300 extra years of her life; however, she could only bear his children. Once she gave birth to another dragon’s child, she would last only two days after the birth. Draco’s mother was heart-broken when Night Raptor killed his father that she fled from the cave and went out to hid from her son in order to save herself, that is when she got captured by Draco’s father and lived with him for 250 years and 2 days. 250 years after Night Raptor was born, Draco was born and 2 days later, his mother died from violating the potion’s commandment. Yes, Night Raptor and Draco know that they have the same mother and are half brothers. Like his half brother Night Raptor, Draco as the ability to transform into a dragon and back again at will, the one major difference between them, besides their age, is Draco is less sensitive to tickling than Night Raptor. Draco is ticklish, but he can last longer at receiving tickle torture than Night Raptor can, and the reason is that he doesn’t show off his power until the right moment. Anyway, Draco is the last member of “ The Fearsome Foursome” and his job is the arms master, meaning that Draco handles the weaponry of the group and keeping the weapons sharp and always ready for use.

 

[cassandra1]

Accepted again, Hue.

 

[country]

Name: Waylander
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Description: 6'6", biracial, mildly muscular and very agile, dark brown hair, wears black chain mail hidden by tunic and leggings of all black, skilled in a variety of martial arts and weaponry, but favors an all black samurai sword, the very sword used by his mentor, Grey Fox, in his younger days as an assasin. He is a quiet and methodical man who does not lose his temper for anyone.
Bio: A man of many arts and skills, a dangerous man of good virtue. An assasin/errand boy/heir/apprentice of his mentor, Grey Fox. Orphaned as an infant when his parents were killed by a large band of bandits, he was found by the old man and raised as his own, trained him, taught him everything he knew about anything. Waylander has been traveling since the death of his mentor 2 years ago. In that time he has helped a great deal of people, and hunted down an even greater number, in his travels, in search of a woman. Of all the orders and requests given to him by his mentor, this was by far the strangest. He had fulfilled all of them, from elliminating enemies to washing clothes, but to look after a woman he had never even heard of or seen before was just downright weird, in every sense of the word. But the old man had made it his dying wish, and he could not, would not disobey. His lack of certain physical feelings, thanks to a spell gone wrong cast by some low level necromancer who had hoped to paralize him in a battle but instead made him unaware of most feelings below the level of moderate pain or extreme pleasure, had both helped and burdened him throughout his years of peril, and had forced him to become completely aware of everything around him on a mental plain at all times. He had always been far ahead of most people when it came to mind play. But to pit his mind against that of a crafty woman on the run would be a welcome challenge.

 

[cassandra1]

Accepted, country.

 

[Tennessee]

New Character

Name: Reynaldo Vega
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Species: Were-human
Description: Latin features, long black hair flecked with gray, clean-shaven, gray eyes. He carries a pair of swords, one thin but razor-sharp in a scabbard on his leg and a larger broadsword strapped to his back. His body is wiry but strong. Well-spoken but very dangerous in a fight, and hesitant to make alliances due to what happens with every full moon--and his concern of what might happen to those around him.

Bio: For many years, there was only the sword for Vega.

The youngest son of five children of an affluent merchant of Port Kaphraktos, he knew there would be no inheritance awaiting him. Stirred by a restless nature, he left home and traveled to a variety of kingdoms, the free and despotic, large and small, learning a multitude of fighting styles. Slowly but surely he began to amass a reputation as one of the finest swordsmen in any land. He dreamed of becoming a general, using his skills and dashing good looks to reach the inner circle of one of the finest kingdoms--until that night.

On a cold, rainy night in a distant land, he encountered a snarling wolf on the rolling hills outside a small village. The ensuing battle left Reynaldo unconscious and wounded, and the beast dead. Vega had never seen a creature of that ilk... but one month later, he learned its identity, when The Change first took place.

The memory of the aftermath of that first bloody rampage under the full moon, the carnage he wrought, had a cataclysmic effect upon his psyche. The days of dreaming of life leading a royal army died. None would accept him, not a monster like this. Furthermore, the wolf within him had changed his personality. He found himself more aggressive, stronger and with greater reflexes.

So, Vega wanders the earth, working as a bounty hunter or hired mercenary while he tries desperately to seek a cure--or at least something to lessen the monster inside him.

And every month, he seeks the dark, secluded places of the world. Somewhere where he can hurt as few people as possible when the change comes...

 

[Taj]

Give this a whirl

Alright, I'll see if I can come up with something interesting and leave it up to Cassandra or Kalamos to decide.

Name: Stapleton

Race: Elven/Orc

Age: Unknown

Birthplace: Unknown

Sex: Male

Occupation: Basic training in the sourcery of sight

Since Stapleton was not of pure Elvan or Orc blood, his tribe (or village) never knew of his exsistance. His Father, Blyther of the Orc Village Mahk (Mah) had wandered past the safety borders of his lands in the mountains to the wooded lands down below, where he had met Orsillia, of the Elvan village Tosape, (toe-sap-eh) and heir to the thrown. He had found her, caught in an animal trap set by a careless hunter. Usually the Orc's did not interfere with the trials and tribulations of others, but something in her had caught his eye. Orsillia had been grateful for his assistance and to show her gratitude prepared a meal fit for a king. After eating and talking, the pair realized they had more in commen with eachother than what was anticipated. After that, they had met fallen in love and continued to meet in secrecy. For awhile all was well with the new couple. However, like every tragic love story, their world of love and laughter was torn apart when Orsillia announced her pregnancy to her lover.
Blyther, with his hot Orc temper exploded in rage, insisting Orsillia destroy the newborn immediately after birth. He reminded her time and time again that marriage, let alone children were forbidden between the two races. They would be outcasts immediately if not outright slaughtered in public. Orsillia was heartbroken, but finally agreed to Blyther's request. However, after the birth of her son, she could'nt bring herself to kill the new infant. Instead she fled with him into the woods and never saw her village or beloved again.
She had stumbled onto a small hut standing alone by a river, and collapsed at the door. She died shortly thereafter from hunger and dehydration, with her baby still held lovingly in her arms.
A hermit had returned to find the carcass and now weak baby. He was deathly ill and thin, but alive none the less. The hermit raised the child as his own, teaching him all he knew. Which really did'nt amount to much since he had lived alone for nearly all his life. But Stapleton took to heart all his addopted father's teachings. He learned to respect, be kind and to seek and offer friendship to others. He was also given the gift of sight but in a very limited sence. In order to forsee the future, he had to be within a certain distance of another person.
After the death of the only father he ever knew, he ventured out on his own and had travelled a great distance on his wits and services in exchange for passage. During his many adventures he befriended a fierce looking wolf. Or what appeared to be a wolf, judging by his size. The animal had wandered to him one day hoping for a scrap of food. Stapleton's compasion shined through and offered the wolf animal a large helping of what he had left. The two had been inseperable since. He named the creature Makambo after his addopted father. Stapleton's fighting skills are minimal, but his ability to anticipate a foe's move gave him a great advantage. Plus his travelling companion would lay down his life to save the man who had been so kind to him. Since raised by a kindly hermit, Stapleton is unaware of the customs or mannorisms of his birth rights. Physically he looks awkward. A below average height, but with unusually larger arms and legs than his frame should allow. His skin is a shade of olive green, with piercing black eyes, a too sharp a nose and a thin mouth. His smile was not pretty to look at. Neither was the rest of him to be honest. With long scraggly hair and ragged clothes he gave the appearance of someone who cared little about his appearance. Despite all this his personality is friendly yet very shy since his interaction with others has been, shall we say, severely limited? However he loves to help others and is usually eager to please, but has been known to show the Orc in him with a sometimes short temper. His anger is shown through yelling and sometimes physical violence.

Yea, ok I know its long, but once I get rolling...Anyways, go ahead and tell me what you think. If the character seems too far fetched, than don't accept him and I will bow out gracefully.

 

[Kalamos]

-> Taj



Interesting char. In most fantasy settings orcs and elves would be genetically incompatible BUT I like the idea of making orcs more than just irrational monsters.

They are savages, to the point of cruelty, but I like to think of them as "barbarians" rather than mindless killers.

Question is, would an elven woman be attracted to an orc? In this setting I never envisioned orcs to play a major role as "bad guys". They inhabit the wastes north and east of the Tharagyan peninsula, so while raids might be possible, they would rarely rise to the point of being more than occasional, if dangerous, robbers.

I think of them as Tartars or Mongols - nomads and hunters, not simple cannon fodder. Without a strong leadership, they wouldn't be able to threaten the southern Empire - and the Dwarven Thanate provide an effective buffer.

If played well, this char could be interesting - given the *great* racial tolerance most people enjoy in the Empire, he might even prosper.


About appearance: I envisioned the Morean Orcs to be short, stocky, with bowed legs and strong, wiry arms.
They look more "human" than, say, Warhammer's orcs.
Their skin tone is dark and greenish - much darker than the usual glowing green of traditional orcs.
They are somewhat hairier than humans, but their facial hair is sparse and the few hair they grow is worn in short braids.

They roam the eastern wastes in roving bands. Some of them are accomplished riders, but they only employ small, resilient ponies and war-wolves. They lack heavy cavalry in the traditional sense.
They are decent archers - something uncommon in traditional fantasy settings - but they lack the discipline to form anything larger than a hunting band.

They are related to other goblinoid races: Hobgoblins are very similar to Orcs, but they are more closely knitted and usually create larger, longer lasting war-groups.
Goblins generally fit a lower niche in goblinoid society, and they are usually Orcs' and Hobgoblins' serfs and pets.

Outside tribal groups, goblinoids can usually rise to any position they are capable of obtaining; goblins in particular are more likely to learn foreign languages, and engage trading, thus becoming accomplished traders and merchants.


Of course, I leave to Cassandra the final word.
But I think it *would* be possible to allow it in the ongoing campaign; it shouldn't be too unbalancing.



Reg's.

 

[ElFewja1]

Kalamos, refering back the Silmarillion, LOTR's history of the elves, I believe, if I remeber right, Orcs were shadows of elves. The real dark lord, not Sauron, but his master (I forget his name, Melkor I think it was) basicly captured a bunch of elves and corrupted them with torture and what not, end result was orcs. Technically, yea, its possible but.. well, if we're using the LOTR type orcs and elves, which I assume we are since its the basis of all orcs/elves/etc., then, Id say, elves would despise orcs above all else and etc/vice versa.
Just thought Id put in my 2 bits.

 

[Kalamos]

-> ElFewja

No, we are not. 🙂

I'm trying to making up something different, so Orcs aren't shadows of true Elves, just a very different ethnic and racial group.

As I'd like to portray them in this setting, they are more like GURPS's Orcs; all races are somewhat related. Races are more like ethnic groups - only Reptile/Dragon men are really different from most humanoid races.

All the others - elves, dwarves, goblinoids, and other "demi"-humans - are genetically closer to humans - differently from what traditional fantasy settings say.

Especially in Morean Empire, elves are much less "pure-blooded" than in most other fantasy worlds; half-elves are common, and many of them raise to positions of power, within the Empire. True-humans or True-elves are much rarer - only in the deep forest of Northwest live pure-blooded elves who resent contacts with humanity.


Hope you enjoy the setting. 🙂
Reg's!

 

[Taj]

Appearance

> Kalamos

Precicely why I left his physical appearance as basic as I could. After reading it I noticed I left out what he wears. So for all I know, he could have shown up naked! LOL. However there are times in fantasy games, or movies that the most unlikely of compatible species come together. In this case I envisioned Stapleton to be more on the friendly, "please be my friend" kind of character. However with a story line such as this, there's no reason he could'nt be turned to the evil side. With his gift of sight, perhaps he could be captured by one of the Kings and have his powers exploited, or he could be regarded in the negative light in the city from the get go, and throw aside the way he was brought up in the pursuit of riches and fame out of anger. The possibilities could be endless with that one.
The idea of a war-wolf that you mentioned appeals to me. I never considered giving him a means of transportation. But with him being abandoned, it might be hard to obtain one, what with being raised alone in the woods. I guess I could always say he befriended one in his travels.
Getting back to his appearance, I was less concerned with what he looked like and more concerned about his intelligence. I pictured the elves to be crafty, with high powers of perception. Though they could be trained to become skilled Archers, some believed that words were mighter than the sword.
Anyways we'll see what happens. Thanks for the input though.