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Preliminary Information
*Start is planned for somewhere in about ~~two weeks. By this time, everyone who wants to play will have plenty of time to write their quenta.
*All questions regarding skill elements and other details should be asked in the thread; this way I won't have to repeat myself and, for convenience, I will duplicate all my answers in a bottom post on the first page (there may be many misunderstandings in the descriptions, so it is better to clarify them before the start).
*The same applies to background information. Unfortunately, I do not possess a good ability to express my thoughts clearly when it comes to many details, so the text in the descriptions on the first page may not cover everything necessary. If you have any question (particularly regarding the culture of some country, or something like that) - feel free to ask me and I will be happy to answer, thereby providing other players with the necessary info.
*It is advisable to read the Prologue to better understand recent events, but in general, it is not mandatory. It is a piece of my old story that I never finished. It is here to demonstrate the situation in the country where the start will take place.
*This time, player characters will not be someone's mercenaries, as they were in all games before this. I doubted for a long time whether I should use such a format for the game start, but in the end, I decided to try it. Obvious downsides follow from this, but I hope that no problems will arise with it.
*The game lacks dynamic difficulty progression. "Difficulty" depends exclusively on intuitively own things - location and conditions of stay.
*I am not yet sure about many numbers (particularly damage and cost of magic spells), so they may change before the start. If you have thoughts on any changes or innovations (for example, some new things in same-sex skills or whatever) - speak them out and, if I like them, I will make the corresponding edits.[/COLOR]
— Only old folk and soldiers, — noted one of the travelers, nodding toward another corpse, whose head showed a huge dent made by something heavy, likely a mace. A steel helmet did not save him from the blow. — I presume the attackers were Tiliyan slave traders; islanders have never harbored love for Illiniar, and especially for King Engir. — The first of the travelers was a tall man, standing 75 inches high, which visually vanished due to a slight slouch. A young face with pleasant features was clean-shaven, his head covered by straight dark-blonde hair of medium length; discernment could be read in crystal-clear blue eyes. He wore brown leather trousers and a matching jacket, rich in various pockets and additional compartments for small items; on his feet were sturdy boots, convenient for both walking and running in the most diverse weather conditions. An elegant hilt of a dagger was visible at his belt, hidden in prominent same-colored own sheaths decorated with intricate patterns; nearby were an ordinary short knife and a small pouch made of simple fabric; a travel cloak fluttered lightly behind his back, from beneath which, besides a bulky bag, peeked the elegant pommel of a hand-and-a-half sword. — Let's not linger, let's go. — His name was Astin and he hated people. What he was now observing in this city seemed to him an ordinary thing, largely reflecting the essence of humanity; man is cruel, and his way of life is absurd — so he has believed for a long time and to this day, while not perceiving himself as a better representative of his own race; on the contrary — in his own eyes, he was the worst of all. His companion and childhood friend, Minami, was the only exception; Astin cared for her and loved her with all his heart, without fully realizing how much. She was twenty-two years old and five years younger than her only friend. Minami was tall enough for a woman in these lands and, like Astin, was in excellent physical shape. She had broad shoulders, long, strong legs; the waistline stood out little due to narrow hips and developed abs and oblique abdominal muscles. She could not boast great power compared to male warriors, but what she lacked in strength was more than compensated for by reaction, speed, and combat experience. Her face was quite simple: thin lips, a sharp chin, a neat nose, large, calm dark-blue eyes and long eyelashes; the hair at the back and sides was of one length slightly below the chin, shorter in front, its color reminding one of the wings of vultures that had flooded this city. She could not be mistaken for the beauties from fairy tales and legends, and yet she possessed no repulsive features and was good in her own way. Her clothes, apparently, were purchased in the same place as those Astin wore. An exquisite one-handed sword served as her weapon. In response to her friend's reflections, the girl made several hand gestures. She was mute, and further confirmation of this was an ugly scar that disfigured her neck: once the girl miraculously survived a throat wound from enemy steel, and after this incident, not a single word escaped her lips.
— Not so long ago King Engir entered his seventies, and along with that, he must have lost his mind. — Astin replied, continuing to move forward, recalling the map of the area as he went. — Erten is located quite far from the seashore, which means the islanders made a long journey by land after docking at the shore of Illiniar. This confirms rumors that Engir pulled the main part of the army closer to the capital, thus leaving the protection of provinces exclusively on the shoulders of the city guard. — Minami again showed some sign with her hands. — It is hard for me to understand the train of thought of kings, but from what you and I have heard, one can conclude that Engir suffers from paranoia and sees traitors and conspirators everywhere. — Erten had been a small farming town; here Astin hoped to replenish food supplies and rest in an inn after a long journey, however this option was no longer considered: the smell of smoke and rotting flesh did not motivate him at all to stay here for the night. — We are not alone. — Feeling someone's piercing gaze upon him, Astin reached with his hand for the sword behind his back. Minami followed his example. — Show yourself! — he commanded, but no one answered. On both sides of the road were ruined residential houses, a drinking establishment and, probably, a trading shop, or rather what remained of them by this time. Astin held his breath and listened: at first he heard only light gusts of wind, the cawing of crows, and Minami's breathing, but then his hearing began to distinguish even subtler sounds. Gripping the hilt of the hand-and-a-half sword with both hands, Astin confidently stepped toward the house to their right. Realizing he had been discovered, the observer left their hiding place and ran away toward the forest. The fugitive turned out to be a little girl about ten to twelve years old, most likely having miraculously survived the massacre in the city. Astin sheathed his sword and intended to continue on his way, leaving the girl to her fate, but glancing at his friend, he changed his mind. Minami said nothing to him, but her sad eyes spoke clearer than any words. — You are too kind. — he muttered, nodding approvingly to his friend, who in that same instant rushed after the fleeing girl.
Slowly moving away from the city, Astin pondered the situation in the kingdom. Due to Engir's actions, extremely unpleasant consequences await the country soon, primarily in the areas of economy, order and production. Who will feed the large cities if small settlements suffer the same fate as Erten? Moreover, the king's subjects may well become angry and go against the power of the crown which, undoubtedly, will lead to a civil war. In the end, the young warrior decided that the best solution would be to leave Illiniar as quickly as possible.
Minami caught up with him holding the girl by the hand.
— What is your name, little one? — he asked, leaning down slightly.
— Asalia, — the girl answered uncertainly, fearfully observing the strangers. — Asalia Tish. — During their first encounter, Astin had paid no attention to the appearance of the Erten youngster, but now he could not help noticing how lovely she was: amber hair and eyes of the same color, shimmering with gold, reminded him of summer; rosy cheeks were overflowing with life and innocent youth.
— All right, Asalia, — Astin had no experience communicating with children and felt out of place doing so, but it is unlikely that Minami, who unlike him loved children, would be able to talk to her and find out the necessary information, unless the girl knows the language of mutes. — Now you are safe, don't worry, everything will be all right. — Asalia lowered her gaze again and struggled not to cry once more. Astin felt ridiculous saying this to her. The little girl had not only witnessed violence and cruelty but had most likely lost her family. "Don't worry". Astin sighed heavily; it would have been much easier to grab her and without any talk carry her to the nearest settlement, where she could be left to the local residents. Minami smiled, observing his bewilderment. — Tell me, Asalia, do you have relatives living somewhere... Not here?
— Yes... — she managed to squeeze out with difficulty, sobbing.
— And what place is that and who lives there?
— Brother Rami lives in Gaddar...
— Do you want to see him? — Asalia nodded. — If I remember correctly, Gaddar is a fortress-city north of here. — Astin continued, this time addressing Minami. — In the best case we will need about ten days of walking but, most likely more; provisions are left for only a few days. — As always, the girl answered with a hand gesture that was understood only by the two of them. — Flower Vale?.. We will have to deviate significantly from the route but, perhaps, we have no choice. So we shall do.
The travelers headed west; Asalia quickly fell into a child's sleep as soon as she found herself on Astin's broad and strong shoulders.
Start
Player characters start in Gaddar - a large Illiniarian city with access to the internal sea and through it to the ocean. A center of numerous commercial organizations, various guilds, etc..
The "Lunayi" organization serves as a beacon for all kinds of adventurers and is engaged in organizing groups of people by interest.
In other words, if someone is tired of doing simple work, just wants to travel, or has a desire to get rich through some event - all these people and similar hopeless cases come to this place, knowing that here they can find company, as engaging in such activities is more profitable/interesting/safer in groups.
Since Illiniar allows representatives of all races on its territory, practically any character can end up in Gaddar without any problems. [/COLOR]
*Start is planned for somewhere in about ~~two weeks. By this time, everyone who wants to play will have plenty of time to write their quenta.
*All questions regarding skill elements and other details should be asked in the thread; this way I won't have to repeat myself and, for convenience, I will duplicate all my answers in a bottom post on the first page (there may be many misunderstandings in the descriptions, so it is better to clarify them before the start).
*The same applies to background information. Unfortunately, I do not possess a good ability to express my thoughts clearly when it comes to many details, so the text in the descriptions on the first page may not cover everything necessary. If you have any question (particularly regarding the culture of some country, or something like that) - feel free to ask me and I will be happy to answer, thereby providing other players with the necessary info.
*It is advisable to read the Prologue to better understand recent events, but in general, it is not mandatory. It is a piece of my old story that I never finished. It is here to demonstrate the situation in the country where the start will take place.
*This time, player characters will not be someone's mercenaries, as they were in all games before this. I doubted for a long time whether I should use such a format for the game start, but in the end, I decided to try it. Obvious downsides follow from this, but I hope that no problems will arise with it.
*The game lacks dynamic difficulty progression. "Difficulty" depends exclusively on intuitively own things - location and conditions of stay.
*I am not yet sure about many numbers (particularly damage and cost of magic spells), so they may change before the start. If you have thoughts on any changes or innovations (for example, some new things in same-sex skills or whatever) - speak them out and, if I like them, I will make the corresponding edits.[/COLOR]
Erten
Columns of dark smoke rose from smoldering houses and drifted upward, obscuring the sky and sun. Two human silhouettes moved slowly along a street filled with dead bodies, which by this time had grown cold and become food for feasting crows that had flocked from all around. — Only old folk and soldiers, — noted one of the travelers, nodding toward another corpse, whose head showed a huge dent made by something heavy, likely a mace. A steel helmet did not save him from the blow. — I presume the attackers were Tiliyan slave traders; islanders have never harbored love for Illiniar, and especially for King Engir. — The first of the travelers was a tall man, standing 75 inches high, which visually vanished due to a slight slouch. A young face with pleasant features was clean-shaven, his head covered by straight dark-blonde hair of medium length; discernment could be read in crystal-clear blue eyes. He wore brown leather trousers and a matching jacket, rich in various pockets and additional compartments for small items; on his feet were sturdy boots, convenient for both walking and running in the most diverse weather conditions. An elegant hilt of a dagger was visible at his belt, hidden in prominent same-colored own sheaths decorated with intricate patterns; nearby were an ordinary short knife and a small pouch made of simple fabric; a travel cloak fluttered lightly behind his back, from beneath which, besides a bulky bag, peeked the elegant pommel of a hand-and-a-half sword. — Let's not linger, let's go. — His name was Astin and he hated people. What he was now observing in this city seemed to him an ordinary thing, largely reflecting the essence of humanity; man is cruel, and his way of life is absurd — so he has believed for a long time and to this day, while not perceiving himself as a better representative of his own race; on the contrary — in his own eyes, he was the worst of all. His companion and childhood friend, Minami, was the only exception; Astin cared for her and loved her with all his heart, without fully realizing how much. She was twenty-two years old and five years younger than her only friend. Minami was tall enough for a woman in these lands and, like Astin, was in excellent physical shape. She had broad shoulders, long, strong legs; the waistline stood out little due to narrow hips and developed abs and oblique abdominal muscles. She could not boast great power compared to male warriors, but what she lacked in strength was more than compensated for by reaction, speed, and combat experience. Her face was quite simple: thin lips, a sharp chin, a neat nose, large, calm dark-blue eyes and long eyelashes; the hair at the back and sides was of one length slightly below the chin, shorter in front, its color reminding one of the wings of vultures that had flooded this city. She could not be mistaken for the beauties from fairy tales and legends, and yet she possessed no repulsive features and was good in her own way. Her clothes, apparently, were purchased in the same place as those Astin wore. An exquisite one-handed sword served as her weapon. In response to her friend's reflections, the girl made several hand gestures. She was mute, and further confirmation of this was an ugly scar that disfigured her neck: once the girl miraculously survived a throat wound from enemy steel, and after this incident, not a single word escaped her lips.
— Not so long ago King Engir entered his seventies, and along with that, he must have lost his mind. — Astin replied, continuing to move forward, recalling the map of the area as he went. — Erten is located quite far from the seashore, which means the islanders made a long journey by land after docking at the shore of Illiniar. This confirms rumors that Engir pulled the main part of the army closer to the capital, thus leaving the protection of provinces exclusively on the shoulders of the city guard. — Minami again showed some sign with her hands. — It is hard for me to understand the train of thought of kings, but from what you and I have heard, one can conclude that Engir suffers from paranoia and sees traitors and conspirators everywhere. — Erten had been a small farming town; here Astin hoped to replenish food supplies and rest in an inn after a long journey, however this option was no longer considered: the smell of smoke and rotting flesh did not motivate him at all to stay here for the night. — We are not alone. — Feeling someone's piercing gaze upon him, Astin reached with his hand for the sword behind his back. Minami followed his example. — Show yourself! — he commanded, but no one answered. On both sides of the road were ruined residential houses, a drinking establishment and, probably, a trading shop, or rather what remained of them by this time. Astin held his breath and listened: at first he heard only light gusts of wind, the cawing of crows, and Minami's breathing, but then his hearing began to distinguish even subtler sounds. Gripping the hilt of the hand-and-a-half sword with both hands, Astin confidently stepped toward the house to their right. Realizing he had been discovered, the observer left their hiding place and ran away toward the forest. The fugitive turned out to be a little girl about ten to twelve years old, most likely having miraculously survived the massacre in the city. Astin sheathed his sword and intended to continue on his way, leaving the girl to her fate, but glancing at his friend, he changed his mind. Minami said nothing to him, but her sad eyes spoke clearer than any words. — You are too kind. — he muttered, nodding approvingly to his friend, who in that same instant rushed after the fleeing girl.
Slowly moving away from the city, Astin pondered the situation in the kingdom. Due to Engir's actions, extremely unpleasant consequences await the country soon, primarily in the areas of economy, order and production. Who will feed the large cities if small settlements suffer the same fate as Erten? Moreover, the king's subjects may well become angry and go against the power of the crown which, undoubtedly, will lead to a civil war. In the end, the young warrior decided that the best solution would be to leave Illiniar as quickly as possible.
Minami caught up with him holding the girl by the hand.
— What is your name, little one? — he asked, leaning down slightly.
— Asalia, — the girl answered uncertainly, fearfully observing the strangers. — Asalia Tish. — During their first encounter, Astin had paid no attention to the appearance of the Erten youngster, but now he could not help noticing how lovely she was: amber hair and eyes of the same color, shimmering with gold, reminded him of summer; rosy cheeks were overflowing with life and innocent youth.
— All right, Asalia, — Astin had no experience communicating with children and felt out of place doing so, but it is unlikely that Minami, who unlike him loved children, would be able to talk to her and find out the necessary information, unless the girl knows the language of mutes. — Now you are safe, don't worry, everything will be all right. — Asalia lowered her gaze again and struggled not to cry once more. Astin felt ridiculous saying this to her. The little girl had not only witnessed violence and cruelty but had most likely lost her family. "Don't worry". Astin sighed heavily; it would have been much easier to grab her and without any talk carry her to the nearest settlement, where she could be left to the local residents. Minami smiled, observing his bewilderment. — Tell me, Asalia, do you have relatives living somewhere... Not here?
— Yes... — she managed to squeeze out with difficulty, sobbing.
— And what place is that and who lives there?
— Brother Rami lives in Gaddar...
— Do you want to see him? — Asalia nodded. — If I remember correctly, Gaddar is a fortress-city north of here. — Astin continued, this time addressing Minami. — In the best case we will need about ten days of walking but, most likely more; provisions are left for only a few days. — As always, the girl answered with a hand gesture that was understood only by the two of them. — Flower Vale?.. We will have to deviate significantly from the route but, perhaps, we have no choice. So we shall do.
The travelers headed west; Asalia quickly fell into a child's sleep as soon as she found herself on Astin's broad and strong shoulders.
Start
Player characters start in Gaddar - a large Illiniarian city with access to the internal sea and through it to the ocean. A center of numerous commercial organizations, various guilds, etc..
The "Lunayi" organization serves as a beacon for all kinds of adventurers and is engaged in organizing groups of people by interest.
In other words, if someone is tired of doing simple work, just wants to travel, or has a desire to get rich through some event - all these people and similar hopeless cases come to this place, knowing that here they can find company, as engaging in such activities is more profitable/interesting/safer in groups.
Since Illiniar allows representatives of all races on its territory, practically any character can end up in Gaddar without any problems. [/COLOR]
