Celestials (Open RPG - Game Topic)

o_O So this is it. Welcome to Celestials.
Here's the lineup for the statted and sheeted party (11 people)
Flasktoss55 (Douglas Linsenmeyer)
Prof. Vanguard (Charles Montebank)
Coggy (Daeron Coegal)
FoundDa Kiwi (Lucius Aurelius)
Slacker Hero (Nolan Grey)
Leniette (Anise Mockingbird)
NickisanEnigma (Sonia Corprosca)
Super Mega King (Asho Ewan)
Meatshield718 (Ellamin Loyalar)
Masterofkills09 (Bryce Adams)
Fattyboy (Krodius)

You guys will be directing your own actions by posting. The update after your (spoilered) character sheet is what's going on with you right now. Not all of you will have control of your characters right away, so hang in there just a minute. A lot of the rest of it is self-explanatory. Remember that you can use spells and such outside of battle. Questions? Ask me, send me a message or something.

There's four other people I'd like to mention--other characters that had a lot of work put into them or stood out in my objective opinion.
Tophat 44 (Ivar the Merciless)
BLACK SNOW 13 (Drakian Themon)
Harbinger (Thomas Maynard)
Dexta117 (Chenkov)

Though I might find an opportunity for you four to get involved in Celestials gameplay later in the story, I'm going to come out and offer you some special roles within Celestials now, should you choose to accept them. Such choices exist as me making your character or a character of your choosing into an NPC for the PCs to interact with. You could also make a cameo appearance that we could work out together, or your character could become a historical figure within the game's universe. Tophat also requested I make Ivar into a boss encounter, for example. If any of that sounds appealing to you, hit me up with a PM or try to get a hold of me somehow, and we'll work something out.

Everyone else that signed up, your support is much appreciated.
I don't intend to go back on the promise that everyone's character can play a part in the greater vision I have for Celestials. However, there's only so much I can manage.
I can't give you the same "gameplay" offer that I did to the four characters listed above, but I can posit the other things. Think you've got what it takes to be an NPC, cameo, boss, henchman, historical figure, or do you just have an idea for Celestials? Again, I'm not that hard to get in touch with. I'd love for everyones ideas to be involved.

Some more special thanks - thank you to Slacker Hero for offering help to some of the people working on characters.
I am really proud of everyone who signed up; yes, that's a legitimate thing. This has been a really fun process, and I'm hoping I wasn't the only one who enjoyed it for whatever reasons there may be. Perhaps you'll continue your support of Celestials by reading or contributing your ideas. Either way, the sign-up process has been plenty of fun, and the game is just beginning.

With all of that said, let's get another grand adventure underway. Here's hoping for a good one.

Asho Ewan (Super Mega King) | Spellblade | HP: 27/27 | MP: 48/48 | LV1

Spoiler:

Callestria Fishing Village

With a groan, you open your eyes. There is a window in front of you, inset into the simple wooden walls of the building; it is dark outside, probably very early in the morning, and a distance away, you can hear the ocean waves. You instinctively sit up, tossing brown linen covers onto your legs. Evidently, you've been sleeping on a cot prepared for you and stuffed with straw, somewhat itchy but surprisingly comfortable. The room is lit by a flickering candle on a desk against the wall; its light allows you to see that you're not the only one around. There are three more cots prepared, with arrangements identical to yours, and each houses a person that is sleeping or beginning to stir. Two women, one with perfectly ragged hair and a red blouse, the other with green tattoos across her ams and neck. The third, a man with brown hair and the insignia of a white eagle sewn into the shoulder of his shirt.

You're not sure who any of them are, nor do you want to chance waking them up.

The room's wooden door is slightly ajar, and footsteps are briefly audible down the hallway. They grow louder, approaching the room you reside in, but instead pass it by, and you hear a door open and shut elsewhere in the house. You feel safe here, and though you imagine no one would blame you for getting a few more hours of sleep, you imagine you've got bigger problems to worry about.

You have no clue how you got here.

Douglas Linsenmeyer (Flasktoss55) | Brawler | HP: 33/33 | MP: 16/16 | LV1

Spoiler:

Nolan Grey (Slacker Hero) | Rune Knight | HP: 39/39 | MP: 40/40 | LV1

Spoiler:

Daeron Coegal (Oo Coggy oO) | Redthorne | HP: 27/27 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Ellamin Loyalar (Meatshield718) | Thief | HP: 15/15 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Charles Montebank (Prof Vanguard) | Pathomancer | HP: 21/21 | MP: 52/52 | LV1

Spoiler:

Callestria City Dungeon

Down a wide, dead-end underground hallway with stone brick floors and ceiling, symmetrical, iron-barred jail cells face each other, five on each side of the hall. Each cell contains nothing but a dusty mattress. Five unique souls occupy the jail cells, two pairs facing each other, leaving the fifth without a partner. At the end of the hallway, there is a desk with a sword-wielding, armored guard behind it, who comes down the hall every few minutes to make sure no one is behaving out of line. There, crates hold the various equipment that was confiscated from the five of you when you were brought here.

While up to your usual business in Callestria, you were effectively assaulted by guards and thrown into jail without a fair trial. The accusation? Staging a heist on the city's museum, to steal precious artifacts known to be the "last remnants of the Celestials' influence on the world". The five of you were allegedly involved in this crime, with the help of a "black-cloaked thief" who was never caught, and who you've never seen. You had no hand in this, and it's becoming evident you're playing scapegoats. None of you even know each other, and through quiet conversation, you've discovered that the only thing you even have in common was that all five of you were on Crown Street at the time.

As much as you'd love to do right by the justice system, it's already done you wrong, and you're probably just going to be interrogated until you're sentenced to years in here. You think there's a mutual feeling of "jailbreak" in the room; you feel the need to find this black-cloaked thief and clear your name, or just get the hell out of here and on with your life. It'll probably be easy to disappear onto the Callestria streets, as there's always activity in the town, even this early in the morning.

Bryce Adams (Masterofkills09) | Cleric | HP: 27/27 | MP: 56/56 | LV1

Spoiler:

Oksana

Life in the city is enjoyable, if a bit sinful. You make the most of a simple life at your home in Callestria, but it is in the beauty of earth and of heaven that you seek to renew your soul from time to time. With the busy city at your back, you have retreated to a serene forest several kilometers out known as Oksana. It is the early morning, and you are well rested. A constellation you have known as the "Stars of Healing" since early childhood guides your path. A dirt road guides you safely through the forest; where the light of the Stars does not illuminate your path, an errant roadside lantern makes it clear to see. A distance away to the west, the tree line gives way to a grassy white stone cliff that overlooks the ocean, allowing you to see out for miles. To the east, the trees open up into a grove, where you have prayed to the Stars many a time.

The Stars have always consoled you, but you feel suddenly disconcerted. They dim slightly as you look to the sky, and brighten again almost immediately, beginning a slow pulsating pattern that invokes a strange compulsion in your mind and aura. A strange magic energy descends upon you from no particular source, and you begin to feel as if something is pulling you, attempting to beckon you off the dirt path and into the heart of Oksana.

What will you do?

Krodius (Fattyboy122) | Death Celebrator | HP: 30/30 | MP: 52/52 | LV1

Spoiler:

Oksana

From time to time you glance at Callestria from the forest's edge; sometimes, you think that's about all you'll ever get of the city. You've been a bit of a nomad in this area for quite a while, setting up camp wherever you can. It doesn't bother you that much, though. People don't like the kind of magic you practice. Necromancy is outlawed in many places throughout the world, and the people in Callestria seem to hate the very aura you give off. You'd much rather celebrate death and glorious battle elsewhere, until you find a town that's a bit more open-minded. You can see Callestria just fine from here, but you've resolved that the populace just isn't ready for a warrior like you to walk among them.

To avoid the potential societal repercussions of your "hobby", you've taken to slaying the monster tribes and oversized vermin that populate the spacious forest Oksana in your spare time. You've grown accustomed to detecting the various forces that inhabit the area, but a few unfamiliar ones have surfaced just now. You begin to wander down the dirt road, moving from lantern to lantern to combat the darkness of the early morning, as you mull over the magical energies. One seems largely unthreatening, while the other just seems... large. You draw your massive blade in preparation of anything that could happen. The latter of the two forces beckons you forth, over brush and thorns, toward what you believe is the center of the forest.

What will you do?

Asho: Look outside the window and survey the town. Then, as silently as possible, quickly examine the room for any supplies or armaments. If nothing useful is found, walk through the open door and search for someone to tell me what the hell is going on.

Krodius: Take a quick look around and look for a small insect to eat and indulge your need for something crunchy. Then head through the brush towards the center of the forest, your curiosity and whim at the time beckons you towards the center of the forest.

Ellamin- Look around to see who's in each cell. Check to see what the guard is doing.

After that, look around your cell. See if there is anything useful as a tool or could be made into a makeshift blade, and see if there is a window or other exit besides the door.

Daeron: Inspect the cell to see if there is anything of use. Sharp objects, etc.

Douglas: Examine the cell for weaknesses. Test the strength of the bars and looks for any cracks or potential openings in the walls. Also, ask and find out what my fellow cellmates are capable of doing.

Spoiler:

Bryce: Slowly walk to Oksana, feeling for any changes in the environment and your aura

Nolan: Look at the cell directly across from you. Then, if possible, survey if there are any cells to the right and left of you.

Flasktoss55 wrote:
Are the players supposed to provide the dialogue for their characters? If so, I'll edit this post and add it in.

Feel free.

Update soon.

Charles: Note who is in what cell, examine my own cell, and scan the hall and the guard for any sign of a key. Otherwise, stay quiet.

Douglas Linsenmeyer (Flasktoss55) | Brawler | HP: 33/33 | MP: 16/16 | LV1

Spoiler:

Nolan Grey (Slacker Hero) | Rune Knight | HP: 39/39 | MP: 40/40 | LV1

Spoiler:

Daeron Coegal (Oo Coggy oO) | Redthorne | HP: 27/27 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Ellamin Loyalar (Meatshield718) | Thief | HP: 15/15 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Charles Montebank (Prof Vanguard) | Pathomancer | HP: 21/21 | MP: 52/52 | LV1

Spoiler:

Callestria City Dungeon

@Ellamin - There is no cell to your right; you believe only a stone wall separates you from the guard's desk. Charles Montebank is in the cell in front of you. Next to him, Coegal, and Nolan in the next cell down the line. You have gathered that Douglas is on the opposite side of your own cell's left wall.

Aside from your bed, there is not much in the cell. A rusty iron ring is affixed to the wall, likely meant to have a chain attached to it; not all of the cells are equipped with this. There isn't much available to you in the department of tools, but it seems as if corners or small pieces of the stone bricks that make up the walls and floor could be chipped off with a bit of work.

There are no windows in any of the cells; you believe the dungeon is underground.

@Daeron - The status quo in your cell is almost identical to that of Ellamin's.

@Nolan - The cell directly across from you is empty. In the cell to your left is Daeron Coegal.

@Douglas - Old iron bars keep you from the outside, and the cell doors are locked tight. With significant force, they could likely be bent, but not broken; in addition, doing so by simply striking them would also probably create a racket. Were you somehow able to break the bricks to your right or left, you would simply land yourself in another cell.

You openly ask the others if they have any talents that could help you all escape. Nolan, in the cell to your eleven o'clock, begins to explain his abilities as a Rune Knight, but he is quickly silenced by the guard.

The guard yells, his voice muffled by a helmet. "Hey! Keep it down over there."

@Charles - Your cell offers you a decent view of the guard. He is seated in a wooden chair with greaves kicked onto his desk; a ring of keys is visible at his hip.

Asho Ewan (Super Mega King) | Spellblade | HP: 27/27 | MP: 48/48 | LV1

Spoiler:

Sonia Corprosca (NickisanEnigma) | Dominae | HP: 33/33 | MP: 48/48 | LV1

Spoiler:

Anise Mockingbird (Leniette) | Pirate | HP: 21/21 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Lucius Aurelius (FoundDa Kiwi) | Holy Knight | HP: 33/33 | MP: 28/28 | LV1

Spoiler:

Callestria Fishing Village

@Asho - You look out the window of the room. Seems you're in a small cottage, one of several in a line. All of them are of simple, wooden make, and though the shadows of the morning leave many details obscured, simple oil lanterns hang on several of the buildings in town, lighting the dirt path and making houses seem lived-in.

Hopping out of your bed, you begin to shuffle around the room. There's not much in here; you scour the nightstand, finding a small locked box inside one of its drawers, but that's about it.

You quietly open the door; thankfully, its rustic hinges do not creak. As soon as you stick your head into the hallway, the smell of hot food strikes your nose, and you hear whistling from down the hallway; it seems to open into another, larger room, but you can't see much from where you are now.

It seems that the people in the room with you are beginning to stir. The other three wake almost simultaneously; slowly, they rise out of their beds in a similar manner as you, exchanging confused glances.
((All players are now in control of their characters.))

Krodius (Fattyboy122) | Death Celebrator | HP: 30/30 | MP: 52/52 | LV1

Spoiler:

Oksana

You have a sudden desire for something crunchy; an insect would likely satiate your hunger, you think. One of the latent moths or fireflies would probably not suit your purposes as well, and the only insects populating Oksana other than ants are scarce, oversized, and relatively dangerous.

You decide, for now, to fulfill your other whim, and make your way toward the center of the forest.

Striding down the path for some distance, you feel yourself compelled over the brush, toward the center of Oksana; you cross several feet of high plants and bushes before you are suddenly startled by movement through the trees up ahead, and you hope that it will not serve to impede you from your goal. An even cover of bushes conceals whatever the source of the noise is, and it might just have been the wind; there's no way it could be something humanoid, or taller than a couple feet, as you'd be able to see it otherwise.

What will you do?

Bryce Adams (Masterofkills09) | Cleric | HP: 27/27 | MP: 56/56 | LV1

Spoiler:

Oksana

You slowly walk to Oksana, the place that you are already in. What an exciting journey this has been; oh, how it calms your soul to see the fog of the morning resolve itself into a dew?

The Stars of Healing continue to keep time, urging you onward into a deep forest.

What will you do?

Asho: "It doesn't look like any of you know what's going on either. I smell food downstairs so maybe someone can enlighten us." Follow the smell and greet the hosts.

Krodius: Precede towards the center of the forest, but first yell out and make a racket to try and scare whatever you thought you heard, if that does not work pick up a piece of wood or rock and throw it towards where you heard the noise.

Krodius yells

"Whatever is out there be warned if you stand in my way I will strike you down, if you do not then you are of no concern to me and I will leave you alone as you have done to me".

Lucius: "Seems fair enough, I haven't had a hot meal in days." Follow Asho to greet the hosts.

Daeron: Quietly gather the attention of the other prisoners.

"We need to think of a way to escape from here. Maybe if one of us were able to lure the guard close to either of our cells, then we could knock him out and take his key; or maybe even fake some sort of injury?"

Sonia: Be silently distraught over missing vial. Attempt to recall knowledge of English language from father. Agree that replenishing yourselves is a good first step to figuring out what's going on.

Byce: Whistle a friendly tune while walking into the dense forest.

Douglas: Very quietly ask Daeron "Do you have any special skills that could be useful in this predicament?" While he responds, quietly attempt to pry the anchoring ring in the cell loose, if such a ring exists.

Krodius (Fattyboy122) | Death Celebrator | HP: 30/30 | MP: 52/52 | LV1

Spoiler:

Oksana

"Whatever is out there, be warned! If you stand in my way, I will strike you down! If not, I will leave you alone as you have done to me." You yell at whatever creature is lurking in the forest. At this gesture, the movement in the bushes starts up again. They begin shaking, and the shaking begins moving down a vector towards you, eventually snaking off to the side and stopping between several other trees a distance away.

You continue towards the center of the forest. As you proceed past, you see the source of the sound and movement; a smooth, forked appendage rises up from the brush and sinks back down immediately, indicative of a large forest beetle or some other insect. These are one of the strange creatures that populate the forest; beetles are attracted to carrion, but also have a tendency to be warded off by loud noises or other glaring stimuli. If threatened, they will attack, and also have a tendency to fight eachother for dominance.

Will you continue into the forest?

Bryce Adams (Masterofkills09) | Cleric | HP: 27/27 | MP: 56/56 | LV1

Spoiler:

Oksana

Droplets of water gather on the hem of your robe as you cross over tall weeds in the dirt path. You begin to whistle to yourself as you make your way through the dense forest, contenting yourself in nature and in touch with even the slightest change in your own aura. Meters down the path, a deer darts into the light of a lantern and tilts its head at you before disappearing into the trees.

The dirt road persistently presents itself ahead, but you would quicker reach the disturbance you originally felt by taking a detour across the tree line to your left. What will you do?

Asho Ewan (Super Mega King) | Spellblade | HP: 27/27 | MP: 48/48 | LV1

Spoiler:

Sonia Corprosca (NickisanEnigma) | Dominae | HP: 33/33 | MP: 48/48 | LV1

Spoiler:

Anise Mockingbird (Leniette) | Pirate | HP: 21/21 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Lucius Aurelius (FoundDa Kiwi) | Holy Knight | HP: 33/33 | MP: 28/28 | LV1

Spoiler:

@Asho (& Lucius/Sonia) -

"Doesn't look like any of you know what's going on either." You glance around the room. The girl with the green markings seems slightly agitated about something, but she appears to dismiss it relatively quickly. "I smell food down the hall... there's probably someone around who can enlighten us."

The other man nods. "Seems fair enough," he says, "Feels like I haven't had a hot meal in days."

The tattooed woman speaks. "Replenishing ourselves will be a good first step to discovering the status quo."

You and the other man head out of the room and down the hallway. It opens into another room, what looks to be a combined kitchen and living room; you remain cautious, waiting at the hallway's edge. Though relatively small, the space is well furnished. A wide, wooden kitchen counter to your left has a simple range and roasting oven inset into it. There, a somewhat rotund woman with thin brown hair stands with her back to you, whistling a somewhat desolate tune to herself as she brushes some sort of sauce over a rack of ribs. Nearby, a kitchen table with an uneven surface seats six; in its center, an opaque white vase sits atop a lace cloth, holding tall green stems that open into trumpet-shaped flowers of a deep purple. A wicker basket sits on the kitchen counter as well; it is filled to the brim with fruit of a fuzzy, white skin, that give off a spirituous scent even from across the room.

To the right, a living room. You and the other man move to the left just enough to see. Simple leather furniture is arranged around a red rug on the wooden floor. A fireplace is set into the building in front of that. Above its mantle, strange and brilliant trophies are mounted to the wall; wide, vulpine heads stare down with open mouths full of fangs, and the long plumages of strange avian faces brush against the ceiling or hang down to touch the mantle.

The stout woman in the kitchen turns, but not enough to face the two of you, instead lifting the ribs and sliding them into the oven.

Douglas Linsenmeyer (Flasktoss55) | Brawler | HP: 33/33 | MP: 16/16 | LV1

Spoiler:

Nolan Grey (Slacker Hero) | Rune Knight | HP: 39/39 | MP: 40/40 | LV1

Spoiler:

Daeron Coegal (Oo Coggy oO) | Redthorne | HP: 27/27 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Ellamin Loyalar (Meatshield718) | Thief | HP: 15/15 | MP: 20/20 | LV1

Spoiler:

Charles Montebank (Prof Vanguard) | Pathomancer | HP: 21/21 | MP: 52/52 | LV1

Spoiler:

Callestria City Dungeon

@Daeron -

You motion to gain the attention of the other prisoners.

"We need to think of a way out of here," you say. "Perhaps if we could lure the guard close to one of our cells, we could knock him out and take his key... maybe we could fake some sort of injury?"

@Douglas -

You nod at Daeron. "Do you have any special skills that could help us in this predicament?" you ask.

Quietly you slip to the back of your cell and tug on the iron anchoring ring there. It is firmly nailed into the bricks behind it; you're able to rattle it a bit by pulling up and down, but it barely moves, though you can tell the old building is not incredibly structurally sound. You don't think it's impossible to remove, but it would take a bit more force to do so.

What will you do?

Douglas: Activate Mass-Point Offensive ability and attempt again to pry the ring loose.

Anise: sit up abruptly, and swing yourself out of bed. Wonder aloud what the hell is going on and where the hell you are. Smell delicious food, realize hunger. Raise an eyebrow towards other female occupant in room, and question who the hell she is.

Krodius: Be cautious and make loud noises while trying to avoid the beetle and an unnecessary encounter, after you are a safe distance continue towards the center of the forest.

Right before you are about to do this and get past the beetle, you remember your need for something crunchy and juicy, without thinking when you are about to get past the beetle turn around and charge it with a blood curdling scream.

"I could kill this bulbous beetle and eat him, this would satiate my craving."

Bryce: Take the detour

By the by, not every update will update for all players.
Unless all players, for some reason, are in the same area. o_O

Krodius (Fattyboy122) | Death Celebrator | HP: 26/30 | MP: 52/52 | LV1

Spoiler:

Oksana

You pass the beetle nonthreateningly, walking past it toward the forest's center until you're roughly twenty or so feet away. You look back over your shoulder, recalling your need to taste something crunchy. You let out a blood-curdling scream, immediately charging forth to attack the creature with sword held high over your head. Your yelling startles the creature, and you see its horn circle around in the grass as if unsure what direction it should run in.

Krodus attacks Large Forest Beetle, dealing 8 points of damage!

As you draw within proximity you bring the weapon down on the creature's carapace, able to get the jump on it before it even realizes which direction you're coming from. Your blade glances off the thick shell on the creature's back, but leaves a significant dent as it saws into one of the beetle's forelegs, spewing cold haemolymph into the trees nearby.

Large Forest Beetle attacks Krodus, dealing 4 points of damage!

The massive insect lunges forward as you draw your blade back and prepare for another strike. It catches you off guard, and its strong, sharp horn skims your leather vest, bruising the flesh. Clearly wounded, it begins stumbling backwards, turning into the forest before slumping onto its wounded limb.

What do you do?

Bryce Adams (Masterofkills09) | Cleric | HP: 27/27 | MP: 56/56 | LV1

Spoiler:

Oksana

You trend off the path and begin traveling through trees and high brush toward the center of the forest; however, you are not long for your detour before you hear a blood-curdling scream echo throughout the whole forest. You freeze in your tracks, and at once rustling begins in the knee-height plants around you. The dirt under your feet bulges and shears about, and divots of earth begin spewing up from the bushes like small volcanoes of mud, indicative of creatures burrowing their way out from underground.

The horns and antennae of forest beetles of a variety of colors and sizes begin to breach the tree line, and quickly they dart in the direction of the scream, stopping every several feet to get their bearings. They bump into the trees and some brush against your feet and your robe, but you remain still, and they seem largely uninterested, instead moving towards the source of the yelling, wherever it came from.

Still, the disturbance you felt before is a distance away. What will you do?