Wow. I decided to write a little back story, as well as introduce the world, but I went a little overboard. If you are not interested in the overly long story just skip to the bottom. ---------------------------------------------------- A bell sounds out over the large walled city of Amas, which could scarcely be heard over the shouts of it's inhabitants. At the main gate a battle was raging. On the ground, lifeless puppets of flesh or bone or both rambled along toward the walls, often climbing each other in an attempt to breach them. These where the undead. A somewhat uncommon sight in this land, the undead must be controlled by an insane wizard often called a necromancer. Few are left, as the toll that must be payed is far to much for moral humans.
On the wall the human inhabitants of the city where firing crossbows at the army of undead, to great effect. While most of the soldiers where simply conscripts, they where well disciplined and brave. Bolts would fire from their crossbows, which have been modified to be larger and more powerful then the standard, and would tear threw their targets. While there where many, few where strong.
A man the main gate from somewhere within the city with a purpose. He was wearing the standard uniform of the city, a steel chain mail armor with a cap helmet. The only difference between him and the rest of the guards to the casual onlooker would be his cloak over his chain mail, which has been cut in half and had bulges around the pockets. The man currently had his hands in said pockets as he spoke to a second man walking next to him.
"An army of undead, you say?" Said the man with the cloak.
"Yes, captain. An army of undead. That is what the reports say." The second man was somewhat larger then the first, but stranger was his crossbow. While most are rather large in this city, this crossbow was the size of a normal man and was loaded with a javelin that could likely cut a man in half. He held it casually over his shoulders as he spoke.
"You are aware of how magic works, are you not?" Spoke the captain.
"I have heard rumors, nothing more." Replied the second man.
The captain reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin, a silver piece with a crown on one side and a gate on the other, and flipped it in the air. He cought it and stared at it as he spoke.
"To do magic, you must make a sacrifice. You must pay a tole equal to what you want to get done. For a little spell this might mean sacrificing a meal, if you wanted to create a small hearth fire all you would need to sacrifice is a bowl of soup. Larger spells take something more valuable. Most spell casters carry around something that they value and can handle. After all, a novice wizard sacrificing a statue made of gold would have the same effect as a more trained wizard sacrificing a dagger. Personally I prefer coins. I can take out an entire army with this" he said looking at the coin still. "Now, what do you think would have to be sacrificed to bring back the dead? Golums usually run on gems, but that is different..."
The other man nods slightly and looks at the gate.
"We are almost there, captain. Try not to burn down the city."
The gate was, in fact, coming into view. The guards where firing from the ramparts at the army below still, with few casualties that could be seen. The captain stretched with the coin still in his hand.
"Looks like an easy fight. I will just go up the..." the captain starts, only to be interrupted by the gate disintegrating in a burst of energy, followed by thunder. It was as if the gate had been hit by a bolt of lightning and nothing had been left. Standing where the gate used to be was a man, or what appeared to be a man, standing in the gate way next to two undead soldiers. The soldiers looked different than the others, they where completely skeletal and armed with a two-handed sword each and some primitive plate armor. Most of the other undead where unarmed, and bolts stuck out of the bone and armor of these undead warriors at odd angles.
"Don't waste the cities coin commander, allow me to take this one" Said the man with the crossbow. He brought the giant crossbow into firing position and braced himself for the inevitable kick. The man then fired with a loud "WHOOSH" coming from the javelin as it flew threw the air. While the man is still a good distance away, it hits him square in the for head and pokes out the other side almost a foot, as well as throwing him back a few feat.
"Nice shot as always. I am surprised it did not go right threw him completely" stated the captain casually. The man was currently reloading his crossbow using a strange machine that he held on his back next to a quiver of javelins. While it can take a normal conscripted soldier minutes to load a crossbow this way, this man reloads the monster of a crossbow in thirty seconds. The skeletal soldiers simply stood in their place while several soldiers came to assist the captain from a distance, firing at them to no avail.
But then everyone looks up in shock as the hooded man stands up, with the javelin still in his head, as he walks calmly back to his position. Once he returned to his position, he and his skeletons continued to walk forward.
"Impossible!" Muttered the man with the crossbow in disbelief. "My javelins are one hundred percent steel... I have taken down steel golems in one shot..."
The captain smiles slightly and stands opposite of the hooded man. "Well looks like I will have some fun this time after all" he says as he takes a silver coin out of his pocket.
The captain calmly flips the coin in the air and snaps while it is doing a flip. A jet of fire flew from his hand, directly hitting the cloaked man, as well as going past him and threw the gate and even beyond that. The blast was about the same size of the gate in width, and managed to even destroy almost twenty of the undead that where simply in his sights.
The two undead warriors had been reduced to ash, even the weapons and armor had been vaporized, but the man had simply been blown back. His robes had been reduced to ashes and the javelin seems to have been as well. But the hooded man gets up, and appears to have regenerated his cloak.
The captain simply laughs as he pulls out a new coin. "It has been a while since I had gone gold..." he says as he pulls out a shiny gold coin. The soldiers in the area start running for cover as he does so, making sure to get behind him and out of the blast radius. The captain then starts to flip the coin in the air, but before he can snap the cloaked man had disappeared. The man catches the coin before going thru with his spell.
"I don't think he is dead yet. Search the city!" the captain yells as he turns around.
On the other side of the city, the cloaked man continued to walk. He was about to enter a large building, what appears to be the hall where the leader would live and such. Normally there would be two guards, but they had been called away to help with the attack. The hooded man simply walks in the building and makes a turn for the treasury.
"Thinking of taking my gold, are ya?" says a knight, who had always stayed in order to protect the king and his possessions. "I'm not sure how ya even know where that is... have at ya anyway!"
The knight wielded a well polished longsword and shield, as well as wearing full plate armor over chain mail, yet he still had the dexterity to pounce toward the hooded man. He gave a yell of effort as he jumped, bringing his sword down in an attack that would have nearly cut a man in half, sending the hooded man flying back once more. "Hehe, got ya!" says the knight, but that swiftly changes to a look of surprise as the hooded man gets back up again and continues to walk toward the treasury. The knight prepares for another attack, lifting his sword in preparation for a crescent strike at the head, but was stopped in mid preparation by the sounds of screams erupting from the king's room.
"Grrr my king needs me. I will stop ya later" said the knight as he jogs off toward the king's room.
The man continues to the treasury. The room was bolted by a steel door that could only be opened by the king's touch, as it was magically enchanted. The room was further enchanted to protect from spells like digging or simply transferring themselves in. The door then disintegrates much like the gate did, with the same clap of thunder. The man continues to walk in, ignoring the massive piles of gold and jewels that littered the room. He walks to the back of the treasury, and another door disintegrates. In a room no bigger then a closet, a book sat alone. It was a pitch black book, with a scull on the front that acted as a key hole. It got disintegrated as well. The hooded man gave a small cackle as he opened to book. "Your book is in another castle, princess" it said simply. There where more pages, but the hooded man could not read them. He gave a curse, but cut it short when he realized that the location of the book would be stated in this book. He then teliported out, holding the book...
At the gates, the battle is nearly over. The captain had replaced the gates using a silver coin and magic, now a stone gate was placed where the old one is. Most of the undead soldiers had already been shot down by the time he had completed everything, so he just left it to the others. The man with a crossbow for one was able to kill several undead in one shot, as his weapon was so powerful it would tear threw the weak rotting flesh as it hit. Strangely, when the battle was almost done, the remaining undead simply died on their own... ----------------------------------------------------------
Wow. Still a lot longer then I had hoped to right. Ah well. I showed the Big Bad and some of the world, as well as giving an example of each class...
This is a pretty standard fantasy game, other then what was already said in the back story.
For the class, the three main ones are "Warrior, Wizard, Ranger". That decides what you will do. You do get additional ones, after a few level ups. For example if you start at "Ranger" you might become "Ranger Hunter", "Ranger Assassin", "Ranger Soldier" or any other job you can think of that would need to be a ranger, and I will give you skills to accompany that. Did I scare everyone off yet?
I just noticed that I did not mention race (How I managed to forget something in all that I don't know...) you can just choose the standard humanoid fantasy races and I will write them in if necessary. ----------------------------------
Character Sheet: Name:Jacque Dume Age:25 Class:Wizard Inventory: 5 Copper Coins Status: Well Rested Race: Experience 0/10 Skills:
Character Sheet: Name:Jacque Dume Age:25 Class:Wizard Inventory: 5 Copper Coins Status: Well Rested Race:Human Experience 0/10 Skills: Minor Magic control
You wake up in a nice room on a comfortable bed. Looking at the window, you realize that you are in the second floor of a tavern. Looking back in your memory, you remember working at the tavern last night in return for a room and some coin. Taverns like this often take in the aid of passing wizards, to do everything from entertain the guests with little tricks to doing chores.
You get up and get prepared to exit, putting on your cloths and gathering your things. The room was comfortable, you feel well rested and ready to take on the world. After you are ready, you exit the tavern without meeting anyone further. You come out to the city, looking around it seems like a nice place. The ground is cobbled with rocks rather nicely, making a path for passing merchants with horse carts going all the way around.
You then think of your next action. Your purse is a little light, you could look for someone willing to pay you for your services. You could go to the forest nearby and practice your magic as well, if you are not satisfied with your current skill. You heard there was a school nearby that teaches magic, but it costs money to get in and it requires more skill then you have. What do you do?
Character Sheet: Name:Jacque Dume Age:25 Class:Wizard Inventory: 5 Copper Coins Status: Well Rested Race:Human Experience 0/10 Skills: Minor Magic control
Character Sheet: Name:Jacque Dume Age:25 Class:Wizard Inventory: 5 Copper Coins Status: Well Rested Race:Human Experience 0/10 Skills: Minor Magic control
You walk out of the city, somewhat surprised that the gates are kept open. You have been told that the forest is a relatively safe place, but some leftover animals from some of the more insane experiments.
You walk into the forest, which is thick with pine trees. While the forest close to the town has been thinned out by logging, going further into the forest it becomes thicker. You notice this are walking into the deeper forest.
You notice that a creature is right above you. It is a large bat, about the size of a large dog, and it appears to have fangs of a wolf as well. It appears to be attacking you, you just noticed it in time thanks to its movement. What do you do?
Character Sheet: Name:Jacque Dume Age:25 Class:Wizard Inventory: 5 Copper Coins Status: Well Rested Race:Human Experience 0/10 Skills: Minor Magic control
Character Sheet: Name:Jacque Dume Age:25 Class:Wizard Inventory: 5 Copper Coins Status: Well Rested Race:Human Experience 3/10 Skills: Minor Magic control
You pull off a button on your shirt to use as a sacrifice for the light spell, since it would not require a coin. You put the button in your hand and clap your hands together, releasing a light more powerful then you thought it would. The starts to fly toward you, but the light surprises it and causes it to dive into a nearby tree. It releases a cry and flies off, defeated. You gain some experience from this encounter.
You continue to walk deeper into the forest as the trees continue to thicken. The trees start to block more and more of the light as well, starting to bring a creepy feeling to the forest. Nothing major happens for many minutes as you continue in, and you start to contemplate returning to the town when you start to hear what appears to be chanting. What do you do?
Character Sheet: Name:Jacque Dume Age:25 Class:Wizard Inventory: 5 Copper Coins Status: Well Rested Race:Human Experience 3/10 Skills: Minor Magic control
I head towards the chanting to see what is going on
Character Sheet: Name:Jacque Dume Age:25 Class:Wizard Inventory: 5 Copper Coins Status: Well Rested Race:Human Experience 3/10 Skills: Minor Magic control
You head toward the sound of the chanting. As you head toward it, it begins getting louder. You start to wonder what the chanting is for, as you can not think of any form of magic that requires chanting. The chanting grows louder, however you can not make out what any of the words mean.
You peek threw the trees, noticing a dozen men forming a circle around an object that you can not see clearly. The men seem to be poorly kept, with long beards and worn clothing. They are holding hands and chanting, as well as moving back and forth. Thanks to the trees for cover and the chanting covering up your noises, they appear not to notice you. They could help you, or they could be dangerous. What do you do?
Character Sheet: Name:Jacque Dume Age:25 Class:Wizard Inventory: 5 Copper Coins Status: Well Rested Race:Human Experience 3/10 Skills: Minor Magic control
I wait sneak around the trees and lean against one inside the circle waiting for them to finish
Character Sheet: Name:Jacque Dume Age:25 Class:Wizard Inventory: 5 Copper Coins Status: Well Rested Race:Human Experience 4/10 Skills: Minor Magic control
You go inside the circle and wait for them to finish. A few notice you, but the only indication of this is a quick glance as they continue chanting. Now you can see what is happening clearly, you notice the object in the center is the bat you had "met" earlier. The chanting continues for a minute or so, when the bat is then covered in a soft light, and appears to be completely healed from the encounter. You watch carefully and learn a little. The bat flies off in the direction you came.
When they are complete, the men in the circle start to come toward you in order to speak. They form a sort of mob in the clearing, with the one who appears to be the eldest speaking to you. He has the longest beard, which has almost completely become grey with age.
"Why have you come here, stranger?" he asks in a tired voice. What do you do?
Character Sheet: Name:Jacque Dume Age:25 Class:Wizard Inventory: 5 Copper Coins Status: Well Rested Race:Human Experience 4/10 Skills: Minor Magic control
"I was walking in the forest to find a place to train when I heard your chant. What kind of magic were you using by the way?"
Character Sheet: Name:Jacque Dume Age:25 Class:Wizard Inventory: 5 Copper Coins Status: Well Rested Race:Human Experience 4/10 Skills: Minor Magic control
The man looks at you and says "We can help you with that!" he then motions that you sit down. You do so, and the others sit in a circle much like they where when you first saw them. "We are the druids of this forest" he continues, sitting across from you. "I started this particular group of druids after an experiment had failed. I was a prominent member of the wizard's school in the nearby town, and one day had decided to do an experiment making a beast combining a boar and a bear. I wanted to make an animal with the taste and domestication of the boar and the size of a bear, helping peasants get food better. The experiment had failed, and I had released a monster as angry as wild boar and as strong as a bear into the world. While I managed to send it deep into the forest, I was so morally horrified by what I had done I had dedicated the rest of my life to helping the forest and it's creatures. Many of the others are in similar positions. Ah listen to me, an old man telling stories! We must get back to you."
"We don't have much contact with society here, and I was not much of a wizard, so we found out a way that we can pool our power. We make the circle, much like many powerful reactions need, using our own bodies. We then hold one of these" The man says, as he pulls out a wooden figurine. It is skillfully carved in the shape of a deer, you notice. "In one hand and have another person hold the other end of it, all around in the circle. We then must all focus on the same thing, which is what the chanting is for. The second we all focus on one single task, we all act as one wizard. All our power combines, as well as all the sacrifices, to make something more powerful then any of us could have done alone." He then laughs "Not that is useful to you, unless you plan to walk around with a bunch of other wizards. I am sure we could teach you something. We all know healing magic, as well as beast magic. We are not incredibly good, but we can teach you. Would you like to learn with us?"
Character Sheet: Name:Jacque Dume Age:25 Class:Wizard Inventory: 5 Copper Coins Status: Well Rested Race:Human Experience 4/10 Skills: Minor Magic control
