The Holy Land - RPG Session

[zkajo]

Hello there lads! Hereby I declare my first RPG session on this forum "The Holy Land". Stay awhile and listen...

Norway, year 1096 of our Lord. Eric I Evergood of house Estridsson, rightful King and ruler of the realm now faces dangers of division between Christians and persecuted followers of the Scandinavian gods. Now, that the Crusade has been called to retake the Holy Land from the hands of the unfaithful, many followers of Christ decide to make their way east in order to find salvation and reward for their struggle. You, are one of them.

The story I have given is very short and vague, but definitely enough to get us started. I do not want to give away too much, I can only promise it is going to be a blimmingly interesting session. The following is required in your Character Card (registration).

Name (Surname not required as many at the time did not have one, or simply used place names such as "Ulgwar of Brika". Nicknames are OK as well if you do not want to reveal real character's name).
Gender (men will get a much, much lighter ride. Women will have to try hard to even get on a ship, and I may be very harsh and leave them behind if they don't give me a good reason to take them on board We're keeping to the reality of medieval era ).
Age
Religion*
Story**
Equipment***

*Christian or Norse. Why could a Norse go to a crusade? Well, for riches and glory, or to kill other Christians? Use your imagination. If you are of Norse faith, you do not have to reveal it to other characters. They will not know, unless you tell them, but in your character card you have to include real religion. Religion will have a huge impact in game.

**Story is by far the most important aspect of your CC. This is because the longer the story, the better you will get treated. People who write an in-depth story will definitely be looked at in a more lenient way. The story you write will dictate what Attributes and Skills you are granted. I would like to see a variety of characters. Being a lord will not save you from an arrow - so do not worry about riches. Game will be fair for commoners and them rich people alike.

***Whatever you write, you will have. I do not want to see heavy plate armor on a peasant. Keep realistic. Your equipment has to be reflected by your financial abilities presented in the story.


I am looking for no more than five people. I think this will be a sufficient number. I may take a few more, but I do not want it to be huge, so I will pick the best selection of candidates.

-----------------------------------------------

I would like to point that English is not my first language, although I am a very competent speaker. I still have problems with "the" and make some grammatical mistakes, so please keep it in mind Anyway, enjoy and register for the game in this topic


ACCEPTED:

king hannibal

Spoiler

Gender: Male
Age: 29
Name: William (Orphaned with no parents, so he doesn't know his last name)
Religion: Christian

Story: Left on the steps of a Danish orphanage as a child, William grew up with an intense love of nature bred from long walks in the woods. During these walks, he carved himself a simple bow, with which he learned the basics of archery. At age nine, he took a job as an assistant blacksmith, and used his wages to pay for a nice bow. From then on, he worked towards archery perfection, practicing with a nigh inhuman dedication. He is a lone wolf, and his only companion is his horse, Tussle. When William was nineteen, he joined the army and eventually became a scout: a group of elite archers and woodsmen who go before an army. There, he trained for months before seeing his first big piece of action during a fight against some Norwegian rebels. They engaged them at the Fris River, and the rebel pike-men formed a solid wall at the only bridge. The scouts were sent to find a way around, and William discovered a ford. He then led a contingent of heavy cavalry around the bridge and flanked the rebels in a devastating charge. During the charge, William was thrown from his mount and had to fight his way back across the bridge to get back to friendly lines. During this scramble back to home, he lost his right middle finger. However, he s still an expert archer.

After that, William was promoted to lead scout, a post at which he has served for half a decade. He is an expert woodsman, able to move silently and blend into the shadows easily. A cloak made for him by a servant breaks up the colors of the forest with different colors (Camouflage). When he embarked on the crusade, the servant made him one geared towards the desert.
He now is serving his duty to God by joining the Crusade.
Equipment: Short bow, Long bow, 6 throwing knives, a horse, a sword and a dagger. Also, two cloaks, one for the woods and one for the desert. Cheap clothes.

Traits (added by Game Master):
Master Archer: Able to use long and short bow alike, this character is proficient in archery.
Horse rider: This character is proficient in riding on horseback.
Ranger: This Character is proficient at tracking animals and men alike, and a decent scout able to move silently and use the terrain for his advantage.
Poor Swordsman: This Character's abilities with a sword are nowhere near as good as his proficiency in other weaponry.

Spectre17

Spoiler

Name: Nicholas Estridsson
Gender: Male
Age: 29
Religion: Norse

Story: The third son of King Eric, Nicholas was always far more adventurous then his brothers. At 19 he headed north and, against his fathers orders, began exploring the northernmost reaches of Norway. His father thought him dead and was astonished when his son turned up, 3 years after he had left, with a request for a squad of men to help him clear out the massive number of bandit hideouts which were used to raid southern Norway's northernmost towns and villages. The King, ridding himself of what he saw as an embarrassment sent Nicholas north with a squad of men to destroy what were considered the "demons of the north".

The bandits were feared so much that once Nicholas and his men reached the southernmost hideout everyone in the squad deserted. Nicholas, knowing he could not return south without having tried to defeat the bandits, headed north and infiltrated their largest hideout pretending to be a new recruit. He served for 2 years with the bandits improving his knowledge of the local area, creating a detailed map of the location of the Bandit hideouts and training some local men to fight in the dark forests and high mountains of the area. Then he decided to act. At first some of the outlaws started disappearing then small parties of bandits were would head out and not return then Nicholas begun destroying the outlying hideouts. Three years after Nicholas had headed north to confront them the last bandit stronghold was taken and the outlaws were crushed.

Nicholas returned to the capital for a few months before he again grew bored and headed south to fight in some of Europe's many wars. His journey's took him all the way to the Holy Land were he joined the ranks of the Emperors Varangian Guard. Using his skill at camouflage he effectively became the Emperor's personal spy, scout and explorer. In the 2 years that he was in the Middle East he came to understand both the Muslim and Byzantine cultures and politics as well as the natural life of the area and it's geography.

With the coming of the Crusaders Nicholas will support his rightful liege, Alexios I, in his attempts to regain lost land for the Byzantine Empire and secure it's position in the new Middle East.

Equipment: Varangian Guard: 1 Heavy Double-sided axe, 1 set of Chain Mail, 1 Large Round Buckler, 1 Sword
Imperial Scout: Bastard Sword, Long Bow, short dagger, 4 Throwing Knives, set of leather armor, Cloak, Horse

Traits:
Unwanted royal: This character is of Royal Blood, although he does not feel well with it. His family would have him denounced at any occasion.
Leader Blood: This character's leadership abilities flow in his blood. He is a natural born leader.
Horse rider: This character is proficient in riding on horseback.
Cartographer: This character is proficient at recognizing areas and judging their scale. He is able to draw accurate maps.
Average Bowman: This character's skill with a bow is somewhat average.
Cunning: This character's combination of traits and skills allows him to fool many others (spy).
Globetrotter: This characters knows far more about cultures and religions of different peoples than any average person.
Skilled Swordsman: This character's proficiency in the use of white arms is rather decent.

SweetHalcyHS

Spoiler

Name: Gotfred Djevelsson
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Religion: Norse

Story: Of Anglo-Danish origin, Gotfred came from a family of Danish settlers in Northern York. He was not granted the opportunity to make many memories with his family, however, as they became victims of a fierce Viking raid in 1071, where the disgruntled Danes pillaged the English coast, unable to contest for its throne. In a situation where numerous other babies would die, he was miraculously found and saved by a monk who brought the baby to St. Paul's Abbey by the River Tees, where he was raised.

Gotfred consistently proved to be born for great things, as he eagerly progressed through his ecclestical education, even becoming literate and skilled in Latin at his young age. Fate had other things in store for him, however, as he once again found himself without a home when Northumbria rebelled in 1080. The Normans, true to their ruthless nature as shown in the Harrowing, brutally crushed the rebels, and the abbey with them.

The young boy killed a man for the first time that day, and with the sword he had looted from him, resorted in petty theivery and mugging to survive. His clumsy attempts were quickly met with failure, and came to the footsteps of death when a bandit had taken pity on him. He took him to their band where Gotfred was taught and became proficient in the art of combat, and although reluctant at first, of pillaging and looting.

His third home was razed to the ground in the fall of 1083, where the local baron's forces decided enough was enough and set on a campaign to eliminate the pests from his lands. He was the only survivor.

Gotfred, left on his own once more, tried to follow the only way he knew to live. His luck seemed to fail, however, when he was caught attempting to raid a Danish merchant's ship. In another of a series of miraculous events, Gotfred was instead taken in by the merchant as a guard, impressed with his skills. And with him, he left his birthplace of England and sailed across the North Sea, to the realms of Denmark.

He ended up leaving the merchant, grateful as he were; the life of a sailor was not for him. Instead, he was recruited into the Danish army, which was preparing as part of Canute IV's plans for an invasion of England. The invasion never happened however, and by 1085 Gotfred was out of work.

By this time, Gotfred was no longer a child. He had grown up to be a hardend young warrior, skilled in his craft. He soon found work as part of a Danish mercenary company, through the connections he had made in his stay at the army. His skills in arms, and his fluency in latin - one of the last remnants he had left from his childhood, were soon found valuable as the company headed south, into the chaos of the Holy Roman Empire, pillaging and working for the nobles who were embroiled in a conflict between the supporters of the emperor and the pope.

At what was first supposed to be a brief employment for a few months at best, became the longest and most influential part of his life. For a decade, he wandered around the lands of Europe, fighting, looting, and surprisingly, practicing etiquette for the next time he had to have dinner with the local noble to negotiate their pay - he was the only one out of their group that could speak latin, after all. He grew from young boy to a hardened veteran, all too familiar in the ways of war.

And, it was there, he threw away the last vestiges of his childhood, and abandoned Christianity for Norse paganism. He had long become disillusioned by the cruel god reigning from above, and from the virtues it preached only to face the cruelty of reality. He found comfort in the valor, and camraderie in combat; of the great epics and legends of old, which all felt closer to him, than the distant promises of love and peace.

He took his adopted name of Djevelsson - the son of the Devil. He never could remember the name or face of his father, and was called the devil by many at sight of his "barbaric" ways. He found the name amusing and took it on himself.

But, even this life came to an end. On the spring of 1095, their company came into dispute with a noble who kept delaying them their pay. Months went by, and after weeks of nothing, the company was disgruntled and on the verge of starvation. Angry and desperate, the company decided to get their pay in another way - by looting the local villages nearby.

Their attempts failed horribly, as they were drawn into a trap, all killed in a bloody massacre as the noble sneered before them, never having intended to pay at all. And once again, Gotfred was left, all alone, in a miraculous stroke of luck that just wouldn't seem to let him die.

For a few weeks, he wandered through the countryside, contemplating his next action, and without much to do, decided to return to Denmark, where he would claim his company's assets and loot as its sole survivor, and using it, rest a while. It was then, the call for the First Crusade rose throughout Europe, as its inhabitants rose in a fury of religious fervour that seemed to dwarf the world. And Gotfred, rose, with them, following the only way of life he has ever lived.

Equipment: Longsword, Composite Bow, Quiver, 200 arrows, Chainmail, Brigandine, Splitting Maul, Clothes, Kite shield, Wool clothing, Wool bandages, Horse, Pouch of coins (Danish and Imperial)

Traits:
Latinate – This character is able to speak Latin to a good level
Learned - This character has received some formal education
Skilled in Combat - This character has had some real combat experience with a wide variety of arms
Persuasive – This character has had many chances to practice his persuasion skills on various courts of different realms
Well Built – This character’s posture and build may seem very threatening

 

[king hannibal]

Gender (men will get a much, much lighter ride. Women will have to try hard to even get on a ship, and I may be very harsh and leave them behind if they don't give me a good reason to take them on board We're keeping to the reality of medieval era ).
Age: 29
Name: William (Orphaned with no parents, so he doesn't know his last name)
Religion: Christian
Story: Left on the steps of a Danish orphanage as a child, William grew up with an intense love of nature bred from long walks in the woods. During these walks, he carved himself a simple bow, with which he learned the basics of archery. At age nine, he took a job as an assistant blacksmith, and used his wages to pay for a nice bow. From then on, he worked towards archery perfection, practicing with a nigh inhuman dedication. He is a lone wolf, and his only companion is his horse, Tussle. When William was nineteen, he joined the army and eventually became a scout: a group of elite archers and woodsmen who go before an army. There, he trained for months before seeing his first big piece of action during a fight against some Norwegian rebels. They engaged them at the Fris River, and the rebel pike-men formed a solid wall at the only bridge. The scouts were sent to find a way around, and William discovered a ford. He then led a contingent of heavy cavalry around the bridge and flanked the rebels in a devastating charge. During the charge, William was thrown from his mount and had to fight his way back across the bridge to get back to friendly lines. During this scramble back to home, he lost his right middle finger. However, he s still an expert archer.

After that, William was promoted to lead scout, a post at which he has served for half a decade. He is an expert woodsman, able to move silently and blend into the shadows easily. A cloak made for him by a servant breaks up the colors of the forest with different colors (Camouflage). When he embarked on the crusade, the servant made him one geared towards the desert.
He now is serving his duty to God by joining the Crusade.
Equipment: 2 bows, 6 throwing knives, a horse, a sword and a dagger. Also, two cloaks, one for the woods and one for the desert.


This good?

 

[zkajo]

Gender (men will get a much, much lighter ride. Women will have to try hard to even get on a ship, and I may be very harsh and leave them behind if they don't give me a good reason to take them on board We're keeping to the reality of medieval era ).
Age: 29
Name: William (Orphaned with no parents, so he doesn't know his last name)
Religion: Christian
Story: Left on the steps of an English orphanage as a child, William grew up with an intense love of nature bred from long walks in the woods. He is a lone wolf, and his only companion is his horse, Tussle. When William was nineteen, he joined the army and eventually became a Royal Scout: a group of elite archers and woodsmen who go before an army. He now is serving his duty to God by joining the Crusade.
Equipment: 2 bows, 6 throwing knives, a horse, a sword and a dagger.


This good?

Hmm... Perhaps I didn't make it clear enough, but I thought it was self explanatory that the characters should be of Norse heritage (so Norway, Denmark, Sweden etc.)
Rewrite the story to fit the realm. Also, your history is quite short, and it doesn't allow for a lot of traits :/ The longer the better.

 

[king hannibal]

Ah, the Thomas of Wessex example was rather misleading.

Changing it now.

 

[zkajo]

Accepted

I will add your character to the first post later on and assign you specific traits based on what you written

 

[Spectre17]

Name: Nicholas Estridsson
Gender: Male
Age: 29
Religion: Norse

Story: The third son of King Eric, Nicholas was always far more adventurous then his brothers. At 19 he headed north and, against his fathers orders, began exploring the northernmost reaches of Norway. His father thought him dead and was astonished when his son turned up, 3 years after he had left, with a request for a squad of men to help him clear out the massive number of bandit hideouts which were used to raid southern Norway's northernmost towns and villages. The King, ridding himself of what he saw as an embarrassment sent Nicholas north with a squad of men to destroy what were considered the "demons of the north".

The bandits were feared so much that once Nicholas and his men reached the southernmost hideout everyone in the squad deserted. Nicholas, knowing he could not return south without having tried to defeat the bandits, headed north and infiltrated their largest hideout pretending to be a new recruit. He served for 2 years with the bandits improving his knowledge of the local area, creating a detailed map of the location of the Bandit hideouts and training some local men to fight in the dark forests and high mountains of the area. Then he decided to act. At first some of the outlaws started disappearing, then small parties of bandits would head out and not return and then Nicholas begun destroying the outlying hideouts. Three years after Nicholas had headed north to confront them the last bandit stronghold was taken and the outlaws were crushed.

Nicholas returned to the capital for a few months before he again grew bored and headed south to fight in some of Europe's many wars. His journey's took him all the way to the Holy Land were he joined the ranks of the Emperors Varangian Guard. Using his skill at camouflage he effectively became the Emperor's personal spy, scout and explorer. In the 2 years that he was in the Middle East he came to understand both the Muslim and Byzantine cultures and politics as well as the natural life of the area and it's geography.

With the coming of the Crusaders Nicholas will support his rightful liege, Alexios I, in his attempts to regain lost land for the Byzantine Empire and secure it's position in the new Middle East.

Equipment: Varangian Guard: 1 Heavy Double-sided axe, 1 set of Chain Mail, 1 Large Round Buckler, 1 Sword
Imperial Scout: 1 Sword, 1 Bow, 1 daggers, 4 Throwing Knives, 1 set of leather armor, 1 Cloak, 1 Horse

Is this ok?

 

[zkajo]

Both of you accepted, I have also added your characters to the list in the first post. Traits were assigned.
I am bending the rules a bit by letting you play son of the king... but hey, why not. We will see what comes of it.

 

[unmerged(271387)]

I would like to join but I don't have the time to write the story write now so could you please reserve a place for me?

 

[etranger01]

I'm posting this on behalf of Halcy, whose account is currently being verified.

Name: Gotfred Djevelsson
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Religion: Norse

Story: Of Anglo-Danish origin, Gotfred came from a family of Danish settlers in Northern York. He was not granted the opportunity to make many memories with his family, however, as they became victims of a fierce Viking raid in 1075, where the disgruntled Danes pillaged the English coast, unable to contest for its throne. In a situation where numerous other babes would die, he was miraculously found and saved by a monk who brought the baby to St. Paul's Abbey by the River Tees, where he was raised.

Gotfred consistently proved to be born for great things, as he eagerly progressed through his ecclestical education, even becoming literate and skilled in Latin at his young age. Fate had other things in store for him, however, as he once again found himself without a home when Northumbria rebelled in 1080. The Normans, true to their ruthless nature as shown in the Harrowing, brutally crushed the rebels, and the abbey with them.

The young boy killed a man for the first time that day, and with the sword he had looted from him, resorted in petty theivery and mugging to survive. His clumsy attempts were quickly met with failure, and came to the footsteps of death when a bandit had taken pity on him. He took him to their band where Gotfred was taught and became proficient in the art of combat, and although reluctant at first, of pillaging and looting.

His third home was razed to the ground in the fall of 1083, where the local baron's forces decided enough was enough and set on a campaign to eliminate the pests from his lands. He was the only survivor.

Gotfred, left on his own once more, tried to follow the only way he knew to live. His luck seemed to fail, however, when he was caught attempting to raid a Danish merchant's ship. In another of a series of miraculous events, Gotfred was instead taken in by the merchant as a guard, impressed with his skills. And with him, he left his birthplace of England and sailed across the North Sea, to the realms of Denmark.

He ended up leaving the merchant, grateful as he were; the life of a sailor was not for him. Instead, he was recruited into the Danish army, which was preparing as part of Canute IV's plans for an invasion of England. The invasion never happened however, and by 1085 Gotfred was out of work.

By this time, Gotfred was no longer a child. He had grown up to be a hardend young warrior, skilled in his craft. He soon found work as part of a Danish mercenary company, through the connections he had made in his stay at the army. His skills in arms, and his fluency in latin - one of the last remnants he had left from his childhood, were soon found valuable as the company headed south, into the chaos of the Holy Roman Empire, pillaging and working for the nobles who were embroiled in a conflict between the supporters of the emperor and the pope.

At what was first supposed to be a brief employment for a few months at best, became the longest and most influential part of his life. For a decade, he wandered around the lands of Europe, fighting, looting, and surprisingly, practicing etiquette for the next time he had to have dinner with the local noble to negotiate their pay - he was the only one out of their group that could speak latin, after all. He grew from young boy to a hardened veteran, all too familiar in the ways of war.

And, it was there, he threw away the last vestiges of his childhood, and abandoned Christianity for Norse paganism. He had long become disillusioned by the cruel god reigning from above, and from the virtues it preached only to face the cruelty of reality. He found comfort in the valor, and camraderie in combat; of the great epics and legends of old, which all felt closer to him, than the distant promises of love and peace.

He took his adopted name of Djevelsson - the son of the Devil. He never could remember the name or face of his father, and was called the devil by many at sight of his "barbaric" ways. He found the name amusing and took it on himself.

But, even this life came to an end. On the spring of 1095, their company came into dispute with a noble who kept delaying them their pay. Months went by, and after weeks of nothing, the company was disgruntled and on the verge of starvation. Angry and desperate, the company decided to get their pay in another way - by looting the local villages nearby.

Their attempts failed horribly, as they were drawn into a trap, all killed in a bloody massacre as the noble sneered before them, never having intended to pay at all. And once again, Gotfred was left, all alone, in a miraculous stroke of luck that just wouldn't seem to let him die.

For a few weeks, he wandered through the countryside, contemplaying his next action, and without much to do, decided to return to Denmark, where he would claim his company's assets and loot as its sole survivor, and using it, rest a while. It was then, the call for the First Crusade rose throughout Europe, as its inhabitants rose in a fury of religious fervor that seemed to dwarf the world. And Gotfred, rose, with them, following the only way of life he has ever lived.

Equipment: Longsword, Composite Bow, Quiver, 200 arrows, Chainmail, Brigandine, Splitting Maul, Clothes, Kite shield, Wool clothing, Wool bandages, Horse, Pouch of coins (Danish and Imperial)

 

[zkajo]

Great story indeed! Halcy surely has a place with us but I will require him to make adjustments to the story.
1) The boy killed for the first time when he was five... I will let that pass, but, you know...
2) He learned latin by the age of 5... it is possible, but then again, still feels slightly pushed.
3) At the age of 8 he became a guard to a merchant? Now that is just a bit too much
4) They would not accept a 10 year old boy into the army
5) If born in 1075, the character would be 21 years old, not 25.

Other than the age inconsistency everything is brilliant! Please change it, and we will have you on


Videofan, I will do my best to keep you a place Make sure that when we start, you follow along.

 

[SweetHalcyHS]

Oops, born in 1071. Shift everything back by 4 years and it would be fine, lol.

 

[zkajo]

OK! Halcy added. Please guys, keep a lookout. I think Thursday will be a good day to start our story, as unfortunately I will not be on for most of the evening or day tomorrow.

 

[SweetHalcyHS]

Any news from either our GM and/or videofan would be nice, in my opinion.

 

[esemesas]

I would also like to join, if this is actually happening.

Name: Rune
Gender: Male
Religion: Christian
Age: 21/22 (born in 1074, exact date unknown)

Story: Rune was born and raised in a now destroyed village in the far north. Due to his low birth, he never learned to read or write. The boy spent his teenage years learning the craft of blacksmithing from one of the local men and became his apprentice. Due to his large stature and good health, Rune became quite adept in his trade, although his master could not teach him to make sophisticated weapons or pieces of art. He was barely seventeen when consumption hit the village. Amongst the victims of this disease was his master and his mother. With no real blacksmith remaining to fix their tools and make new ones, the villagers had no choice but to trust Rune's skills. And he repayed that trust with hard work and enthusiasm. He found great enjoyment in his work and found peace in life.

This idyll continued for a couple of years, until disaster struck. It was not long after his wedding when a large Norse settlement to the west was raided by the local baron's men. The Norse, defeated but not broken, retaliated by sacking any village they happened to come upon. Rune's village happened to be one of their targets. He only found out days later, after returning from the baron's castle with supplies for his trade. Hoping to find his family alive, he trekked the nearby hills and woods, but only happened upon some of the village folk. They explained the situation to him and for the first time since he was still a boy Rune felt the blood in his veins boil with rage. He set out to find revenge without even bothering to find a weapon. Lucky for him, soldiers found the raiders before he did. With the realization that everyone he ever loved was dead, the young man returned to the now deserted village and gathered what he could still salvage from his home. He still had the tools he needed for smithing, but could not produce anything without a furnace and an anvil.

Rune spent the next couple of years wandering the Norwegian wilderness, hoping to find a village where his services were needed. He had no luck in finding such a village, as settlements were few and far between in the north. However, this period gave him a harsh lesson in survival. By the time he was twenty Rune knew which berries and mushrooms were poisonous, which plants had edible roots and even some herbalism. He also became more adept at hunting and using a bow - skills which he had somewhat neglected in the past.

After hearing about the lack of blacksmiths in Trondelag, he set out to find the city and hopefully some work, too. However, he wasn't the only one who heard of this rumour and by the time Rune made it to the city, it no longer had much need for his services. Cursing his luck, the man made his way to the nearest church for mass. It was there that he heard the about the crusades. Rune thought that by killing heathens he would be able to at least partially avenge his killed family. Being a simple man, he thought that meant arming himself and moving north to crush the Norse pagans. He had no idea his vow would take him to a far away land.

Equipment: hunting bow, ~30 arrows, iron axe, blacksmith's tools(various hammers, files, tongs, water stone, etc.), two hunting knives, two sets of clothes(linen for summer, fur/leather for winter), cooking pot.

 

[Stuckenschmidt]

Bump?