The Ecstasy of Gold: A Mercenary Tale

So I tried this storybook once and it had great success... sadly my job as a professional reporter got in the way and I had to kill it off in order to get paid and not distracted by my constant daydreaming.

First, I would like to apologize to everyone who was part of the first version of this storybook. I jumped ship and I feel absolutely dreadful for that. If you would like to join this one, I promise I will not do so again.

To the new folks, I hope you join because this was a blast the first time we did it. This is a gritty, low fantasy so no wolf riding, dragon slaying, fairy loving, teenagers please. We should stay true to a very dark, low fantasy. Also, make sure to note that all posts need to be in 3rd person, so no 1st person narrative.

With no other introduction, let's get the party started!

Plot

War is coming. The Northern Wastelands are mobilizing for war as their evil warlords prepare their ruthless knights and countless militia for war. Their leader is rumored to be none other than the powerful necromancer Barrinthur. There have already been rumors spreading across Southern Kingdoms many of the border lands have been invaded by Barrinthur and his minions.


Example of a Northern Warrior.

The Southern Kingdoms are slowly gathering their state armies in preparation for war... and there is always room for mercenaries. The free people are going to need all the men and women they can get... even unsavory mercenaries!


Characters

There is room for quite a few characters in this story. I decided that there should be 10-15 characters, but there is room for more should this story become more popular. All the characters have to be part of the coop (or band of warriors). Though this takes place in Medieval Times with the addition of crude gun powder weapons like wheel lock pistols, matchlock weapons... etc etc. Huzza pointy swords and bows!

Obviously there is a lot of freedom to customize your character... which is what we want right? The only thing I suggest is we develop some kind of regional diversity. Let's be honest, different people from different regions will have different combat styles or equipment preferences, or cultural ideas… etc.

I currently have six kingdoms plotted, meaning your character can be from 6 different areas of the Southern Kingdoms. One of my friends is working on a map for us to use. I will be sure to add it to this post as soon as I can. If you feel like there are changes that need to be made, PM me and let's talk it over. I am always open to suggestions.

Calidan- Northest part of the Southern Kingdoms. This area is filled with mountains and other rough terrain. The warriors here are usually grim men and women who have seen too many winters and far too many enemies for their liking. They are in the buffer zone between the Northern Wastes and the Free Lands. These warriors are generally referred to as the Watchers due to their vigilant scouting against the enemy.

Minessee- The heath lands. This area is a flat land dominated by feudal lords who have large armies that are constantly fighting wars against each other over land disputes. People of wealth usually ride to battles on horses while the peasants and common folk are foot soldiers or archers.

Altridge- The College of engineers and military strategy. This college houses the great minds in warfare. The armies from Altridge usually are equipped with the best of the best weapons, even some experimental weapons that have not been seen in other state armies.

Helase- The Southest kingdom. This region is covered with dense vegetation, making exploration almost impossible. These lands run rampant with savage tribes and bandits on the few roads that run into the backwater towns. The locals are every bit as brutal as the outlaws and usually find it hard to trust others, but love money.

Raelheim- The capital of the Southern Kingdoms. Ruled over by King Albteris who currently holds the position of Overlord of the South. The cities in this area are extremely well designed and standing military is full of knights and royal guards. Very noble people with high opinions of themselves.

Wolfengrad- A small strip of land located next to the great lake. These people are basically Vikings. They live in clans and are giant like warriors who like raiding, burning, and generally all types of chaos. They have a strong distaste for the Helaseans. Their culture is obsessed with animal spirits, the most prominent being the wolf and the bear.

Rules!

No god moding- no one likes that.

No descriptive sex scenes, duh.

Ask permission before killing off any character with a profile

Swearing should kept in check. go ahead and make up some old fashion curses.

One thing that will really help the story move forward is if we keep the plot going in third person. I know all of us love writing first person narratives, but I encourage everyone to post in third person.

1 character per person

Try to post at least once a week so the story can continue on.

Most of all just have fun with it. Try to keep everyone's character in character. That's about all I got.


Profiles

Name: Fill it in!

Age:(ages 18 to 40)

Gender: (male or female)

Appearance: (whatever you like, but remember Medieval Times.)

Personality: (This part is under your control of course.)

Habits: (Same as above)

Other: Extra information?

That's about it. I hope this storybook really takes off. Cheers!

((I'd love to join this! I'll post a character here later today))

Woo Hoo! This looks fun. I haven't done anything like this before!

Name: Germine Taylors

Age: 19

Gender: Female

Appearance: Germine Taylors

Personality: She loves what she does. No ties when she killed. She loves her life of freedom, and loves to explore the world.

Habits: She keeps the souls of all she's killed in the orb that she carries around everywhere with her. When she is approached by a male whom is taller then her, she will instantly look down, and quit whatever it was she was doing. She is 6 feet 5 inches though.

Other: Up for love. Careful she can cast spells.

Excellent! Two so far. If you want to include which region they are from, that would be pretty sweet too.

Name: Captain Casion Romin

Age: 26

Gender: male

Region: Minessee

Appearance: Shoulder length dark brown hair. Deep blue eyes. He has a healthy amount of stubble on his face, but not a lot. 6 feet tall though he is not overly muscular but he isn’t a weakling either. Casion wears full plate armor excluding a helmet with a leather tunic. He carries a cavalry saber that is slightly curved. He also has a pair of Wheelock pistols and a long hunting knife.

Personality: Casion has a strong sense of loyalty and duty. He has a decent sense of humor, but is serious most of the time. Casion doesn’t trust magic or anything that can’t be explained by reason and logic.

Habits: He is not too keen on the idea of leading a band of mercenaries, but orders are orders.

Other: Although he is a good soldier, he lost his Colonel's trust when secretly courted Esther, the Colonel's daughter. When the Colonel found out, Casion was demoted from the regular (state) army to coordinating the irregulars or mercenaries into serviceable units. He is open for love.

Name: Brunn Mavalian

Age: 35

Gender: male

Region: Calidan

Appearance: looks older than his age. Weathered face with a scar running across his right eye from temple to jaw. This eye is clouded over and blind; his other eye is dark brown. Hair is grizzled and light brown with liberal amounts of grey. Expression usually a bit sad. Lean but still muscled, stands at a little less than 6 feet.
Carries a halberd, several knives, and a sword. Armor consists of a leather jerkin with metal plating in parts and a dented helmet. When he's fighting, he wears chain mail underneath the jerkin.

Personality: Doesn't get angry easily, but when he does it's a little scary. Grim outlook on life, sometimes surprises others with his dry sense of humor. Somewhat secretive. Very dependable and competent. Doesn't talk much; when others are socializing, he's usually brooding. He is best known for his skill in tracking and covert missions, as well as general survival tactics.

Habits: Often his reflexes will lead him to react to sudden movements by jumping up and pulling out a weapon. This is a little alarming when you don't know him, but you get used to it. Has a grey horse Gin.

Other: When people ask about how he got his scar, he changes the subject. All anyone knows is that it has something to do with his family, though he doesn't apparently have one anymore.

Name: Mikael Eisenstein


Age:28


Gender:Male


Region: Wolfengrad


Appearance: A beast of man, 6ft6 of angry berserker. Peircing blue eyes and braided blonde hair give him a strong but handsome look. Black leather boots and slacks with a crimson shirt covered by iron half plate.


Personality: Quiet and calm. In battle he becomes a vicious killing machine.


Habits: Regularly enjoys strong liqour and takes a mixture of herbs and rare mountain spice before going to war.


Other: Weilds a large warhammer and rides on a large mountain wolf. He worships the ox and the bear (the gods of strength and power).

Name: Tristin (i'll think of one later)

Age: 21

Gender: male

Region: Calidan

Appearance: Tristin is about average height with pale skin from being in the cold northern mountains so much. He is fairly good looking, but he has a wild air about him that causes few to really trust him unless he proves himself. He has short, blondish hair that he keeps very short. It tends to stand up on end in an almost mohawk. His eyes are an ice blue. His shoulders are broader than normal for someone his size, and he is very muscular, but still faster on his feet than most people lighter than him.

Personality: As a Calidan scout, he has seen too many battles, and this has effected him. He has been training since he was fifteen and in active service since he was fifteen. From the start though he was a natural killer. He had an instinct on how to move, and how to fight, but also in how to cause the most possible pain in the shortest amount of time. He loves a fight. Its almost therapeutic, but he has seen so many people die, some friends, that he knows when to fight, and when not to. He has a very dry and sarcastic sense of humor, and he cares little for living by anyones laws but his own (he has a special dislike of most rich people/southerners, because he believes they don't know what pain is), but he still possesses a strong but complex moral code. He may not be trusted at first, but once you prove yourself to him, he will risk almost anything for you.

Habits: He likes warm drinks, beer, coffee (not sure if we have that), anything. He always wakes before the dawn and meditates. Ill think of some others.

Other: he has a small scar over his left eye running across the eyebrow. Under his shirt there are dozens of scars, not all from battle. He always wears light clothes generally in shades of brown and grey. Carries a sword with a short, curved blade, at least five knives, and a hidden blade. Up for love i guess.

Great work so far guys and girls.

I posted a discussion thread so we can have some cunning plans on what to do from here. The map is almost completed! Will be up by tonight. It will include rivers, mountains, cities, etc. Everything a good writer needs for some background inspiration.

And so a storybook veteran returns once more. xD
Hello Tanith! It is nice to meet you.
I am interested in your storybook, and I would love to join. Usually I choose male characters but this time I am actually going to make a female to even the male/female ratio out. Though the males still are in the lead.

Here we go. xD

Name:
Wardwick Beckram, Bastilla

Age:
24

Gender:
Female

Region:
Raelheim

Appearance:
Her Eyes.
Reference 1.
Reference 2.
Her Armour
Oleg.

Bastilla is young and beautiful, heiress of a large fortune and a fortress, she is expected to be married off, or at least that is what her father is trying to do. She has pale skin (Reference 1), almost snow white and her hair is as dark as the night and pinpoint straight (Reference 2). Her eyes are beautiful and startling, with their blue and green mixture, the colour changing every day. She does not care about what she looks like nor does she want to be with anyone. She is fairly tall, and skinny, almost sickly skinny, but she is toned and muscled to fight.

Bastilla does not like whereing dresses, the clothing of the court, but rather her dragon armour, or her men's clothing. Her armour is elegant, almost a sepia red and her helmet looks as if it was part of a dragon, and rumour is that it actually was. She fights mercilessly with any weapon she may have at that point in time. She prefers a thin long sword, like a rapier, ready to pierce into heavily armoured oppenents, and she also likes using a great axe, a huge double sided axe which is incredibly heavy though she can swing it around like a two handed sword. It is lethal when used.

She rides a black stallion named Oleg. Oleg is beautiful and untamed. Her older brother was interested in horse breeding, and when they came back with this beautiful specimen, her brother was determinded to break it in. The horse ended up tossing him off and killing him, not wanting anyone else. Oleg was treated fiercely until he was in Bastilla's hands. She bribed it to do her bidding, not beat it to. She would not hurt it and it began to trust her. She is the only one who can actually ride this wild beast. He is trained to be a war horse.

Personality:
She never ever really knew who she actually was. Her father was abusive when she was a child, always hounding on her and her brother. After her brother died, it was directed at her, and he hit her around so much that she had passed out for days on end. Because of this she took her chance. Her father didn't want a girl to take a the throne, and she did not wish to be beaten any longer. She acted like an idiot. It became a charade for her to be stupid, to make it seem like she was no longer intelligent. She had been playing that for years on end.

Then she also played her mother, fierce and strong. Her mother was her hero, the person she idoled. Her mother wanted everything right to happen. Her mother wished good to the people below them. Marrying into her father when she was young, she ended up dying eight years after Bastilla was born. The stories of her mother lasted, and she was even worshiped as a goddess behind her fathers back. So Bastilla acted like that when needed. She acted the hero, standin up for the meek, she tried to help people because her mother did, and she tried to do everything right. It was that personality that she hid behind when she was with the few people who knew that she wasn't actually an idiot.

The other viel she his behind was the villian. Pretending that she truly was evil and spirited. She blended in great at court because of this, her invisibiliy and sadistic ideas masterminding with theres. She would pretend that he people meant nothing, and that she only wanted her fathers seat and control over his lands. Though she wouldn't show brilliance. Never once would she show brilliance to anyone except herself and Oleg.

Bastilla was a born actor, ever since she was beaten. She became the roles, and learned to adapt to whatever people needed her to be. And because of that, she doesn't even know herself anymore. She doesn't know who she is. Bastilla is actually very intelligent, and has great morals, yet she is does not know that he acting was for good. Bastilla also thinks higher of herself then others because of her nobility. Only at points this shows, but otherwise it can be quite clear. She can be as stubborn as her horse.

Habits:
Bastilla has a group of men she has with her when she travels. Because of this, she tends to be laid back and let everyone else do the work, after all, she is the one who they are supposed to be protecting. She does like to drink, which can be quite the problem, and when she drinks she becomes loud, irratable, and quite the person to contend with. Another habit of hers is to sharpen her sword or weapon, even fiddle with a knife. She doesn't feel right without something in her hands. She always has to be doing something.

Other:
In Reference 1, you see how she has blood coming out of her mouth. Well you see, that clips comes out of a horror film, but it gave me inspiration. Bastilla is sick. No matter how much she tries to hide it with her multiple acts, she is inevitably sick. She is dying, lungs being damaged when she was beaten. They never properly healed, so she gets random attacks and succumbs to illnesses very quick. That is also why she always has men with her. They are trained to keep her alive if she gets alive and are there to prevent her from getting sick. Bastilla's father, Erdrick, was trying to marry her off to a good man before she died so that he could have a male to give the fortress to and have an heir for that male also. The sickness is a dire secret.

I am not sure, but if there is romance allowed in this piece, my character is certainly up for love.

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

Done.
~Incognito

Six people so far! I am getting excited

Be sure to check out the discussion thread if you haven't already.

Sweet. I can't wait to start.

Name: Arabelle Piper (called Ara by close friends and Aaron by most people, she doesn’t give out Arabelle)

Age: 24

Gender: Female

Region: Altridge

Appearance: Looks like this but dresses like this.

Aaron never looks tired. Or scared, or sad, or “weak” in any way. Her smile isn’t anything special; it‘s there all the time, it won’t “light up a room”, but it’s hers, whether it’s the very corners of her mouth lifting up or a broad smile or a sly grin. It’s hers. She has gray eyes that can stare you down. She has a “Café au lait” birthmark on her right wrist in some weird shape that always made her wonder.

Personality: (I’m practicing with sort of the main character for a book I hope to write) Arabelle is a sweet person, once you get to know her. That’s the trick, though. (I know every other character is tough on the outside, sweet on the inside, but this is slightly different.) She’s still sweet… well, not horrible on the outside, but her personal self and what she shows to the world are two totally different things. To the world, she’s very sarcastic, to the point of rude at times. She makes it known that she is not feminine. At all. Ever. If you even think about thinking about her as “girly”, you may soon find your guts inside out. Nothing could make her show any fear. Ara manages to get men to respect her, but she still knows her place amongst those of higher ranks. She loves joking around with whatever friends a journey/job gives her, but when it comes to who matters most to her, that will always be herself (that’s where it might be fun for a lover).

But when she’s alone, Aaron’s quiet, a bit melancholic. She’s always wondering about her past, and what she does remember scares her. She might cry at times because of it. No one’s seen her like this because mostly it’s in her mind and at night. You can’t bottle everything up forever, though. It does show once in a while. When it does, she does everything in her power to hide. No one can know she’s a human like everyone else, who has human feelings and human weaknesses.

Habits: Not a drinker, really, but enjoys wine and brandy when available. As for actual habits, she snaps her fingers when she’s nervous and clicks her tongue when bored.

Other: Single-- uh, up for love. Her favorite weapon is a short sword, but she can use almost anything. Often carries top-of-the-line stuff from the college (if I’m messing up here, yell) she stole. She doesn’t talk about her past because fear caused her to have a slight amnesia, so she can only remember certain things

Name: Desmond Tamar

Age: 25

Gender: Male

Region: Helase

Appearance: Desmond is a little above average height, with an athletic build and a generally unkempt appearance as a result of living in the jungle. He has long, wild brown hair that twists in any direction it can. He has cheerful looking brown eyes, and usually a mischievous smile to go with them. He often dresses in the manner of a minor noble (including a slightly tattered, wide-brimmed hat), liking to appear at least vaguely fashionable while making sure his outfit is hardy enough to last more than a day in the Helasean jungle.

Personality: Desmond is quick-witted, but an excellent diplomat, always trying to ensure that people around him remain level-headed. He is, above all, a survivalist, and always has a contingency in one form or another. However, he also considers himself an honourable man, and tries to act as such. He is friendly, and at times, mildly sarcastic.

Habits: Tends to adjust his hat a little when he's nervous. Enjoys some spirits from time to time.

Other: Carries a rapier and gauche, as well as a pair of duelling pistols. He is a 'reformed' higwayman.

I am definitely joining this one!

Name: Rosaline Kayor (Ros for short)


Age:21


Gender: Female


Region: Calidan


Appearance: Rosaline She stands at about five feet and seven inches. Her blonde hair, predominantly tied up behind her, reaches to her shoulder blades. Her body is thin yet muscular.


Personality: Rosaline is an often outspoken, hot-headed lady. Her temper is quick to rise when situations seem periless, but fast to cool down. Despite her ire, she has a quick wit and an unmistakable ability to find the positive in everything. She is caring and loving, but battle hardened from the battles she has fought and seen.


Habits: Rosaline tends to cross her arms subconciously. When wielding a sword, her hand is almost always on the hilt. She also draws her weapon at the slightest noise.


Other: Up for love.

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This is the discussion thread. Please make sure to check in and make sure you are ready to rock n roll.

We have room for about two or three more posters.