THE PREMISE
Six explorers are bent on fully mapping a recently discovered underground maze, the last construction of the lost civilization of Ee that remains to the world. It will, by its nature, be perilous work; the labyrinth is sprawling, complex, theoretically impossible to navigate without the help of the long-dead engineers who built it. And there may be monsters in the dark; the refugees of another era, when magic ran wild in the earth. But the six all have their reasons for risking their lives for knowledge, be it ambition or curiosity or greed; and they will stop at nothing to finish what they have begun.
THE SETTING
The year is approximately 1752 or so, and although this realm is not Earth it could pass for it in a bad light. It is the age of exploration; men and women, their mind afire with a inexplicable lust for new lands and new people to war with, are staking claims in considerably more than four corners of the globe, and pushing the boundaries of civilization farther and farther in every direction. Magic is still very real, albeit in a greatly subdued form; certain learned individuals can manipulate the natural world in most unnatural ways, by the use of herbs and entrails and metal instruments that do not work as they ought according to science's dictates. On a more prosaic note, civil rights and gender equality are much more prevalent, because frankly it'd be a pain in the ass to find an excuse otherwise for women to come along and we have to have some romance in between all the nasty gory bits, right?
THE LABYRINTH SO FAR
The explorers have only reached the gates of the labyrinth, which are iron and set in the side of what looks like a burial mound and on which are wrought many strange, fantastic scenes - images of machinery and of hellish sorcery and of divine skies in equal measure; the gates they have opened, by leverage and magic to grease the way. Beyond is a half-lit gloom, and broad, shallow steps leading down.
THE CHARACTERS AND CHARACTER FORMS
While I leave it to your fancy, dear player, to design your new face, there is one jobs left to be filled: the historian. Preferably a female one. The two guards, the magician, the natural philosopher, and the cartographer are already waiting to play. Try to keep the gender balance even. Unless we want to add forbidden sexual orientations to the fun! Civil rights movements are coming along, but not, you know, that far.
Please fill out the following form:
Name:
Profession:
Age:
Gender:
Physical description (pictures are acceptable, but I'm just as happy with text*):
Personality and skills/weaknesses:
Background and reasons for joining the party:
Tools:
*If you do decide to write it, please include a rough description of hair, eyes, face, other distinguishing features, height, build, and if you like clothing, etc. You know. The basics, but for obsessive persnickety people.
I myself will be playing the cartographer. Thus:
1. Name: Mallory Broussard
Profession: cartographer
Age: 31
Gender: male
Physical description: Middling height, wiry and slight, fair-haired. He has slightly asymmetrical dark eyes, a small scar slanting up from one eyebrow, and a crooked smile, all of which serve to lend his thin, fine-boned face a lopsided look when he's cheerful.
Personality: He is narcissistic, intelligent, and charming in his way; his family is poor and genteel, which fact is reflected in his deference to his companions, although in his case that is half a deliberate act to get them to leave him alone when he's working on the map. He is a very good cartographer, a fine hand at drawing and sketching, with a good head for maths; geometry is absolutely necessary to his work, after all. He is also quite well-read and has some experience of exotic locales. That said, he's utterly miserable at self-defense and would be dead many times over were it not for the fact that the government recognized his talents when he was young and provided him with suitable, aha, back-up. He also is optimistic, despite his sardonic tendencies, and oblivious to the small evils of those around him, as well as to his own. His only vice is snuff.
Background and reasons for joining the party: Since I accidentally covered most of the basic background under personality, I'll just say that he is the reason for the party's existence - as soon as he heard of the place he wanted to draw the plans for it, and everything else spiraled out from there. In one word, his interest falls under curiosity, I suppose. It's just what he does.
Tools of his trade: compasses of both sorts, measuring tools, a selection of pens, drafting paper, lots of it, etc., etc.
2. Name: Elizabeth Herm
Profession: Guard
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Physical description (pictures are acceptable, but I'm just as happy with text*): She's about 5'4 and has long firey red hair that reaches her waist. Her skin is a milky healthy white with freckles on her cheeks and deep green eyes. Her outfit is of a white blouse covered by a tan safari vest along with cream pants tucked into her safari boots at her knee. Plus a hat.
Personality and skills/weaknesses: She has a challenging time not being offended by every comment a man makes. Men just in general annoy her. Elizabeth is coy, envious, and a little picky. She is skilled with fencing, although few women are, can track any kind of animal print, and is extremely good at holding her breath under water. Has a disastrous fear of heights and is terrified of dieing alone.
Background and reasons for joining the party: Couldn't give up the urge for adventure. Her father was a traveler so was her mom. It's in her blood so to speak, plus the money she's being paid froma certain royal figure helps. She's only being paid to do the job cuz her father and mother are off on some other distant mission, but she doesn't mind.(Will reveal more later)
Tools:
*a dagger in her boot
*a sword on her side
*rope and a hook
*her compass
*and a map thats in her backpack
3. Name: Jonathon Ashford
Profession: Guard/royal spy.
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Physical description: Jonathon is incredibly tall (6"2), usually standing tall above others. He is strong and has a medium build making him ideal for a soldier. With slightly shaggy redish brown hair, he appears almost dishevelled. He had a broad smile, but doesn't tend to show it often, and usually bears a stern expression. His features are slightly sharp, but still holds onto the naivity of a childs even though he has stopped growing. His eyes are the exact shade of that in the picture.
Jonathon carries around a musket, and with him he has a dog who is incredibly loyal named Chip.
Personality: Jonathon is quick at solving situations and has incredible reflexes. He is great at problem solving and heartless when making decisions. He does what is best for the group. He usually appears stern and silent, only chiding in sometimes his own oppinions. He doesn't like making eye contact, and can be incredibly awkward when caught off guard. He can seem harsh at times, but is incredibly honest. He actually tends to dwell on little matters that he did not think about before and keeps his emotions to himself. In his oppinion, his feelings and thoughts are rarely important.
He is skilled at shooting and fighting which made him perfect for the job. He is brutal and strong, and if somebody tried to overcome him, it wasn't like that they would win. He was a perfectly made soldier, and his musket never leaves his side. He also carries other weapons in multiple places.
Jonathon tends to hide his emotions and will persist that nobody should ever understand him. He is incredibly observant and analytical. Jonathon can hear extremely well, and has 20/20 vision. He usually is loyal to a fault, loyal to the government, loyal to his family, and loyal to anyone he has learned to trust.
Chip is a King German Shepherd and follows Jonathon making sure he is kept from harm. Chip would never stray from Jonathon's side and is wary about others when ever they are near. He is not afraid to attack anyone, and will bark vigorously to ward enemies away. He is well trained, and will listen to any order that Jonathon will make.
Background: Jonathon's family was charged by the royal family for treason and attempted murder against the Queen. For one night, at dinner, it was identified that there was poison in the Queen's wine and it was suspected that one of her ladies in waiting conducted this shameful act. Soon the blame was bistowed upon Jonathon's mother, and she was hanged. His father was brought to prison for allowing his wife to do such a thing. Their land was sold and there was not cent in Jonathon's name.
Jonathon was only a small child when this happened, so the Queen, giving him mercy, sent him to live in the stables and from there the Barracks. Soon Jonathon grew and from forth showed promise making him the ideal soldier. He was trained physically and mentally and was also trained especially for reconassaince missions. He has gone abroad many times.
The Queen, after a failed mission, sent Jonathon out from the Barracks without a home. The mission went horribly including being caught and ransomed. The royal family had to pay gruesomely. Jonathon became a free lance miltia, wandering and doing any odd jobs that would befall him. When he heard about this, he leapt on the chance.
Jonathon has owned Chip since Chip was a pup and he found him in the Barracks alone one night. That was almost 2 years ago. Chip now goes where ever Jonathon goes.
4. Name: Benjamin Lawerence
Profession: Natural Philosopher
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Physical description (pictures are acceptable, but I'm just as happy with text*): Tall and lean, brown hair cut casually. He wears a brown Jacket with a necker and all, pants like Incognito's character. He has bright blue eyes, almost icy coloured, with a bit of a stubble on his chin. His eyebrows are a little more arched, showing more of his expression, and his skin is fairly pale, almost albino like.
Personality and skills/weaknesses: He is terribly quite, his eyes always staring down things as if he were pondering every little thing he sees. His blue eyes give off an almost angelic feel to his pondering, and he walks at a slow, monotonous pace, and when he smiles it turns out to be more of a timid smirk. He's quiet but when he speaks, it's normally asking a question or making some sort of theory about things. He has a very smooth voice, and it usually surprises people when they hear it.
Background and reasons for joining the party: Benjamin is a scholar. He went to very high end schools, and studied as much literature as he could get his hands on at the time. His family is distant to him and his strange curiousity pushed him towards searching for new and exciting adventures.
He joined the party out of pure curiosity and a willingness to learn more about the world around him.
Tools: He had a bag filled with rolls of parchment and inkwells including quills and feathers that could be fashioned into more quills. He also has a small dagger he keeps on his belt for emergencies, but mostly doesn't feel a need for violence.
5. Name: Alyssia Toyer.
Profession: Magician
Age: 19- just out of her apprenticeship.
Gender: female
Physical description: small but quite wiry and strong. She's got long yellow-blonde hair which she usually wears in a crown of plaits, and green eyes. Medium pale complexion. Quite pretty, although not beautiful. Loves her clothes, and has a wide selection of leather, strong linen, worsterd and other such garments along with her.
Personality: Alyssia is generally friendly, with sarcasm laced edges. She can follow orders to an extent, but when she thinks she's right, she will argue until the cows come home. She's got a sharp mind and is insistent that others accept that. Loyal to those that are loyal to her.
Skills/weaknesses: Alyssia is good with magic. She especially likes to use fire and light, and water. It's useful that she can conjure water, sadly, however, not food. Her staff is a pretty good weapon too.
Her stubbornness at times definitely leads her astray, and when worked up she's bound to do something rash. Like all magicians, when she's angry, her magic is unpredictable and she can hurt herself and those around her.
Background and reasons for joining the party: Alyssia came from a wealthy merchant's family, the type that would be able to pay for the seven year's apprenticeship to a magician. However, when her master died shortly after she had received her hood and staff (the mark of a fully-qualified magic-doer), she was left with no job. Her family offered to support her, but she heard about the trip and decided it would be her first test as a magician without his help.
Tools: Her staff is her most important weapon. Apart from that, a few pots and pans, some rope, a small shovel, and a little ceremonial silver dagger.
6. Name: Johnathan (John) Spark
profession: historian
gender: male
Appearance: has long tied up hair and wears a purple hooded blazer with pinstriped trousers despite his protected appearance he's been through his more than fair share of troubles.
personality: he's a caring guy but also daring and witty he often puts himself forward when it comes to danger being very much unscared by death. He can also be very sophisticated a skill he use when speaking to people of power
Background: He has lived through many fights from the desert explorations and the first crossings of the mountains of lye *made up* he is your typical explorer and prides himself at what he dose he is well read in history and native foreign ancient writing and symbols. He wanted to come on the trip for honestly pride although it is only one of his many driving factors it also holds him back. He has met Mallory before on many occasions and considers him a friend he's also saved Mallory's arse a few times. He is happy to be on this excpodition and believes this expirence will change his life he also wishes to go on the trip because of the legends about monsters
equipment: Two handguns and a machet that he uses when as he says "shit their close". He also has bocks on ancient symbols that he carries in his bag.
ONE FINAL NOTE
This doesn't actually have to be all super serious doom and gloom, just for your information. It could as easily turn into an exploration of candyland. Or a D&D game. Or a chick flick! Well. That might be hard. But I'm sure you all could manage it if you tried. It's up to you what this becomes, if it grows into anything.
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