[D&D-5e] The Land of the Dead

[Arkanis]

The secrets should be something related to your character. A storyline hook that I can use to flesh out and develop further in-game. For example something like "my character doesn't know that he is adopted".

I wouldn't worry too much about getting an application in before I go off on holiday, the reviews are not being used as a basis for selections, its just immediate things I can pick up on that can be adjusted. I'll do something similar for anyone I select that I don't get chance to review beforehand.

I'm going to say no to custom backgrounds sorry.

[krossingkhory]

Application (Completed) Part1 Name: Idumu-het Race: Aasimar (Monsters of the Multiverse) Class: Cleric (Grave Domain) Alignment: Lawful Good Home Plane: Faerun (The Sword Coast; Neverwinter) Investigator (Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft) Trait #1 I have morbid interests and a macabre aesthetic. Trait #2 I must know the answer to every secret. No door remains unopened in my presence. Ideal Revelation - I must know what lies beyond the mysteries of death, the world, or the Mists. Bond I use my cunning mind to solve mysteries and find justice for those who have been wronged. Flaw I know the ends always justify the means, and I am quick to make sacrifices to attain my goals. Appearance: Aasimar tend to look like angelic versions of regular humans, and Idumu-het is certainly no exception. His darkly tanned skin almost sparkles, as if with glitter, even when he is dirty from having dug around graveyards or investigated another crime. He is bald, with deep brown eyes and a chiseled chin. Not overly tall, the black and brown and grey robes he chooses to wear hanging loosely and comfortably over his muscular yet wiry frame. He prefers hard boots, what with having to walk through and around rather rocky and dirty areas, and he always keeps a pair of gloves at the ready on a thin leather belt at his waist. He could very well easily be mistaken for someone who is not part of the clergy, save for the rounded gold coin emblazoned with a black jackal that proudly displays his devotion to Anubis. Personality: Idumu-het is a bit of an odd egg, having a dark sense of humor and a macabre outlook on life. Perhaps all the time he has spent looking over and at crime scenes has warped his ability to be perfectly sociable. Maybe it's his devotion to Anubis and to preparing to help shepherd the sick and infirm to the other side that has stripped him of any semblance of empathy. All he knows is that his life is the way it was meant to be. He was meant to solve the puzzle of life, and of how it was taken from others. He was meant to look towards the other side, knowing a devotion to something stronger than any other that would give him a sense of worth. It was the will of Anubis that he would seek to find justice for those who were wronged by the evils in life. This is what drives him; this is what he was meant to do. Beyond his macabre sense of style and humor, Idumu-het is very detailed. He is never without a few pages of parchment and a writing stylus or inkwell; he takes constant notes, making sure that no detail goes unnoticed, for you never know what piece of information will solve the problem. He realizes that he sometimes can spend too much time looking over something, fearing that he has missed some small detail or that he has overlooked some critical clue. He is simply, at times, unable to stop himself; he must know the answer. Not to lord it over anyone else, and certainly not because he is being painful or obtuse. No, he is curious and inquisitive, if even a bit odd. History: Idumu-het's childhood was, for all practical purposes, rather boring and normal. He was born into a modest house, his parents not wealthy, but they made enough coin through tailor-making and art that they were able to provide a small house and enough food to keep their family of 6 fed. He was the youngest of the bunch, born several years after the third child, and more than a decade after the first, so that when he was old enough to start playing with his siblings the oldest one was already out of the house and the next close enough to being so. He was a bit alone, wanting to be with his siblings but knowing that the age difference made connecting with them hard. His parents loved him, and his siblings had no animosity towards him, but he still felt that he was on his own. As he grew, he discovered he had a fondness for reading. The local sage-guild allowed him to read from small parchments and innocuous-looking scrolls, but he quickly read through everything they were willing to give him - and his parents could simply not afford the cost of an apprenticeship - and so he had to find a new place to get access to books and tomes to satisfy his young mind. On the very last day that the sage-guild allowed him to read, a funeral procession was passing by just outside the guild-house. An old man, a priest in the service of Anubis, had passed of natural causes, and his body was to be interred underneath the local temple to the god of judgement and death. He stood with mouth and eyes wide open; he had never seen one of these before, and his young mind was intrigued by what was happening. Symbols dedicated to Anubis stood high on poles, carried by men and women wearing jackal-masks, solemn music crooning out from pan flutes and sitars, all while several strong men held a casket on their shoulders. He followed the procession to the temple and, although he knew nothing of the priest who died or the religion that so fondly carried him, he stayed and watched the proceedings with great interest. All the venerated rituals were new and fascinating, and, even though a child, he did not even think of turning his eyes away when they removed the body from the casket and prepared it for its final destination. He was wonder-struck...and the clergy-woman watching him the whole time had noticed. She said nothing during the service, observing the need to remain as silent as possible when it was not her turn to speak, but when the service was over she approached the young Idumu-het, a smile on her face, a tome in her hand, and a kindness in her voice. "I saw you watching us today," she said to him, her black hair falling over her face and masking her eyes. "Most your age would recoil at the thought of a dead body, but you...you stood with wide eyes and questions." Idumu-het dropped his head a bit, almost ashamed that he had been seen where he shouldn't have been. "I apologize for interrupting," he spat out, obvious fear in his voice. "I promise I shan't do it again." "There is no need to apologize, for you have done nothing wrong," her kind words came. "You have a curiosity for our rituals that Anubis cherishes. Have you heard of him, and his teachings?" The young Idumu-het shook his head, signaling that he was not in-the-know on such topics. "Come, take my hand," she cooed. "The book I hold can start to teach you of Anubis, his place, and yours." And so the boy took her hand, and she his, and he entered into the service of the god who would bring him literature, religion, and a purpose in life. And in death. part 2 RP Sample: A steady rain fell, the water droplets hitting the ground and making a mess of the street. Muddy pools of water formed along the sides of the street, water running off in streams towards the businesses and houses the lined the once-crowded avenue. The corpse of a young man lie in the center of the street, the water carrying the blood that had started to pool underneath him, his lifeless body twisted and contorted in an odd way. "We have to move quickly," Idumu-het stated, his voice a bit louder than the splashing of the rain. "This storm is contaminating the crime scene, and all the evidence will be washed away if we don't collect it." He kneeled down beside the corpse while another young man dressed in black started walking up and down the street, his eyes going over every inch of the man's body, looking for clues as to what happened. And once he was satisfied that there was nothing obvious right in front of him, he carefully started to roll the man over, from his back and onto his stomach, to get a better look underneath. And he found more of the same underneath - no clues as to what happened or why. There was a cut on the back of the man's head, blood coming from it, but too small to have been the death blow. No, that cut was probably crafted when the man dropped to the ground, hitting his head on the hard flagstone. Idumu-het patted the man's back, checking for any obvious injuries or deformations. But alas, again, nothing was found. The young Cleric let out a small sigh, hanging his head a bit before allowing the body to roll back into the position he found it in, back on the pavement and greyed out eyes staring blankly at the sky. He stood up and look around, up and down the street, both directions. He shook his head, sighing again. "Well, there ain't much here to go on," he said, finally turning fully towards the other young man who had finished his sweep of the area. "Might as well start knocking on doors." He started towards the first door of the first house right across the street from where the dead man lie. "I bet nobody heard or saw anything," the man in black said, a wry smile coming across his face. "Nobody ever sees or hears anything," Idumu-het said. "If they did, we'd be out of a job." Lastly I would like to know a little bit about the player behind the application. Could you answer the below questions for me as part of your application. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions, it just allows me to tailor the game to meet individual expectations: 1) What is it you would like to get out of the game? What kind of things appeal to you in a PbP game? As a player, I enjoy a good mystery. I like the role-play aspect of things, and I am hoping for a chance to have my character - and the rest of the party, for that matter - to get to do some digging. Role-play, research, investigate what is happening in the world around them. 2) What sort of things do you not want to see in a PbP game? I am a firm believer in using mechanics...but only where it's appropriate. Too many people get hung up on "That enemy doesn't have that ability" or "They shouldn't be able to dodge when I rolled a 19". The story is far more important than any one dice roll, so as long as the story makes sense and the reason is cinematic, I'm ok with the mechanics getting tossed aside once in a while. That isn't to say that mechanics shouldn't be used; they absolutely should. But in some instances where it makes sense? I'm ok with a bit of hand-waving or cinematic license on the part of the GM. I want to see everyone get the chance to be in the spotlight. Too many games have one or two people do everything and hog the stage, leaving everyone else behind and forgotten about. I want things to be equal and even, with everyone feeling special and involved. I'd like to "fade to black" on topics that skirt the line of what is allowed by the site. I know this is a game of blood and guts and gore and such, but that doesn't mean we have to be graphic in every detail. Nor does it mean that we need to investigate every possible topic that could come up. Common sense should rule the day, really. 3) What is it that made you want to apply to this game? As I said in a previous post, ancient Egypt already holds a special place in my heart due to its mystique and lore. I literally just joined the site like 3 or so days ago, and I see this game get advertised? It's almost like Fate herself guided me here. Doesn't mean I'll get accepted. But I can't ignore the sign, you know? 4) Do you prefer PbP games that are predominantly focused on combat, or predominantly focused on role-play? Or a mixture of the two? I prefer games that have a good mix of both, but I'll lean more towards role-play and investigation than towards combat. Combat is the primary driver of the genre, and much has been said about how the game wouldn't be where it is unless Gygax and his friends didn't do a whole lot of monster killing early on. But there are ways around combat, and I like to try and find them. Sometimes you have to use aggressive negotiations, but that shouldn't be the only option.

Credit to Alemar for the format of the post; I hope it's ok that I used it!

[Tin Can Herder]

Name: Ffard Trugáred
Race: Half-Wood Elf
Class: Monk (will be Way of Mercy at level 3)
Alignment: Neutral Good
Personality Traits: I see omens in every event and action. The gods try to speak to us, we just need to listen.
I idolize a particular hero of my faith (Kane), and constantly refer to that person’s deeds and example.
Ideal: Charity. I always try to help those in need, no matter what the personal cost.
Bond: I will do anything to protect the temple where I served.
Flaw: I put too much trust in those who wield power within my temple’s hierarchy.

Appearance: Tall (6'0"), slim but muscled (175 lbs.), fair-skinnned with short but shaggy brown hair. He tries to stay clean-shaven, but his beard grows as a ferocious rate. He dresses in simple clothing: grey vestments when serving in the Monastery, but standard traveller's clothes otherwise.
Personality: He is quiet unless he observes injustice; in that case, he will speak out loudly and clearly against the imbalance he perceives and, if words do not serve, he will act decisively.
History: Ffard was left at the Friary of St. Amahl's as a baby and raised there by the clerics of St. Sollars, followers of Ilmater. When he was 6 years old, a cleric named Father Perleon who was on his way to the Monastery of the Yellow Rose (headquarters of the followers of St. Sollars) encountered him and convinced the friar to let him take Ffard with him for training in the ways of the Order of the Rose, a suborder of the followers of St. Sollars that specialize in fighting evil.
He had most recently been sent back to St. Amahl's to investigate some reports of trouble. He was near the Friary when the Mists of Barovia took him.

RP Sample (a scene from the character’s perspective):
Ffard was departing the inn when he spotted a beggar with an injured leg. He spoke to the man: "I have no gold for you, brother, but I believe I can help you with your leg." However, as he approached the man, his sharp eyes and astute judgement led him to realize that the injury was faked. "This is dishonorable, brother. There is no shame in being poor, and I am more than willing to share what little I have, but lying to people, explicitly or implicitly, is wrong."
Ffard moved on, leaving the false mendicant behind... or so he thought. As he rounded a couple of corners on his way out of town, he realized that he was being followed, and by more than one person. He stopped, turned, and limbered his whip. He then spoke out clearly: "You must be desperate indeed to stalk one of Ilmater's chosen; to raise your hand against the Order of St. Sollars is a despicable crime indeed and I must ensure you cannot repeat it."

I would like you also to think about two secrets for your character. The first is a secret the character is aware of, and the second is a secret that they are not aware of. Please put both of these in secret text to me.

What do you like to see in a PBP game?
I am not sure I have every played a true PBP game other than a Call of Cthulhu adventure. I would hope to see what I hope for in an RPG with friends: fun exploring and fighting, some humorous and some serious roleplay, and a general attitude of "we're all here to have fun".

What do you not like to see in a PBP game?
Player animosity (I don't mind character animosity so much, esp. if it is warranted by or drives the story) or being a roadblock to everyone else's progress.

What piqued your interest in applying for this game?
The setting sounds fascinating: I have always been interested in playing and running Curse of Strahd, and I have always had an interest in Egyptian mythology and heiroglyphs. The darker tone of the campaign is appealing, and the recruiting period wasn't over yet, so I might "get in on the ground floor".

Do you prefer PbP games that are predominantly focussed on combat, or predominantly focussed on role-play? Or a mixture of the two?
I prefer a mixture, I suppose; I enjoy puzzle and mystery solving probably foremost, and those are intimately related to both combat (as environments with puzzles often have enemies) and roleplaying (as one is rarely equipped to solve a mystery on one's own).

[Arkanis]

Hey all, first of all apologies to do this to you, but I think in hindsight I'm overextending myself by adding this game on top of what I already have on. I'm going to put this on ice for now until I revisit it at a future date. Simply put, I don't think I can run this without negatively impacting the other games I am either playing in or GM'ing at this point.

Apologies all.

[JohnStone]

Originally Posted by Arkanis

Hey all, first of all apologies to do this to you, but I think in hindsight I'm overextending myself by adding this game on top of what I already have on. I'm going to put this on ice for now until I revisit it at a future date. Simply put, I don't think I can run this without negatively impacting the other games I am either playing in or GM'ing at this point.

Apologies all.

Thanks for letting us/me know. I had a lot of fun crafting my character and im sure i can find a place to use her elsewhere (though it would have to be ravenloft or dragonlance)

If you are interested id love to know what you thought of her. Asteria Majere

[Seekr34]

No problem, we all know about RL and of course, being in too many games doesn't help either, especially as a GM. On the bright side, this game never got off the ground. Best time for game to fold then later one during the campaign.

[krossingkhory]

A bummer to be sure. But, totally understandable! I can't speak for anyone else, but I'd rather you be able to devote the proper time and energy into a game instead of just throwing it together and half-phoning-it-in all the time. You do what you gotta do, and come back to this one when you've got more time!

[ratchett]

Agreed on the bummer'ish'ness.
Ditto on thanks for pulling the plug before anything got started!

[The Rat Queen]

For the sake of tidiness, I'll delete my subscription here. But if you ever get things going again, Arkanis, feel free to holler!

[Arkanis]

Act in haste, repent in leisure I’m sure somebody wise once said. As it turns out, since I posted that above my schedule has cleared up a bit making this game plausible for me. So if you’re still interested and want to proceed that’s great, with the caveat that since I’m now nearly halfway through my holiday I will not have time to review remaining characters when this game closes.

So if that’s ok with you all, let’s do this .

[Ghrimm]

For my part I'm still interested.

[silveroak]

interested

[The Rat Queen]

D'oh!

*hastily begins resubscribing*

Okay, Ielenia's back in the running!

[krossingkhory]

Originally Posted by Arkanis

Act in haste, repent in leisure I’m sure somebody wise once said. As it turns out, since I posted that above my schedule has cleared up a bit making this game plausible for me. So if you’re still interested and want to proceed that’s great, with the caveat that since I’m now nearly halfway through my holiday I will not have time to review remaining characters when this game closes.

So if that’s ok with you all, let’s do this .

So, does this mean that only those characters you have already reviewed are eligible? Because I was nearly done and would at least like the chance to finish

[Arkanis]

No, everyone is eligible, as well as anyone else who wants to apply in the remaining time period. The reviews themselves have no bearing on final selections.