Ecros: Homebrew fantasy needs YOU!
Bump the third, with the introductory post included!
Background
The Ose are no more.
The creator race of men, the Ose have disappeared a few hundred years past. Now the humans of Ecros pay homage to their shared heritage by attending the Pilgrimage; it is a generational event where people travel from one city to another to explore the Ose ruins that mark the center of every human capitol.
For the first time in human history there is a pressing existential danger; the wild and savage Dhuma are attacking coastal cities. The war presses inland, but the men and women of Ecros are a strong and bullheaded breed. They will not bow to danger, realized or imagined, and they make this journey on their own accord.
A group of pilgrims prepares to leave the safety of the village of Hornsey to journey northward to Galdalyne in the frozen expanses of Jedor. In their flock is an agent of unknown alliance who carries the key to human salvation in the Dhuma War. The humans have paid dearly for safe escort of their prized possession, but will the carrier honor their word? And even if they do follow through on the journey, will the transportation of this relic prove worth the trouble?
The first in-game post is as follows;
April 14th, Year 225 of the First Age
For six days the streets of Hornsey have been filled with dancing feet, rolling wheels of cheese, and gallons of spilled suds and wine. For the rest of Ecros this is a pretty standard festival; people are drunk in the streets, fights break out and people gorge on food and lovers unite for brief pairings. But in Akera, the Festival of Cheese is of almost religious importance.
For 358 days of the year the Shabi are calm, contemplative, and in-sync with peace and quiet. They have good manners and are patient to a fault. They can ignore and bottle up feelings of longing with grace and easy. But for the other 7 days out of the year, the Shabi transform into something almost unrecognizable.
The Festival of Cheese is an opportunity for the Shabi to have a week-long period of total freedom. They can bed partners outside of their marriage, throw fists at people who've pissed them off, and generally act like crazy animals.
Presently most of the attention in Hornsey is directed at the Main Stage. A comedy troupe has just finished their final act and are basking in applause and admiration. It's one of the final shows of the Festival and has been met with great attendance and celebration.
=====
Inside of Arty's Lounge a group of men and women in plain attire hide from the sunlight. The Tall Man sighs in derision at the commotion outside of the shuttered inn, "Animals. The one time a year they aren't tilling the fields they're locked in arms and dancing like circus animals."
The rest of the assembled pay no heed to the words spoken. The Tall Man returns to the table after sneering through the wooden slats.
"You'll take it, then? In exchange for... two hundred?", the gray-haired woman looked worn and ragged; without her formal attire the Lady of Akera looked like just any other peasant in the land.
A huff of laughter. "Two hundred? For transporting this?" The Raven-Haired Woman held up the wooden box and dropped it to the table carelessly. The assembled humans caught their breath at the callous disregard for their most sacred possession. "Three hundred, with a promise to revisit the final numbers in one year."
The Tall Man slammed his fist painfully onto the table, "Three hundred? Are you insane? There's no way it would go unnoticed."
The Raven-Haired woman snorted in reply, "Three hundred, or that thing stays here and never makes it to Galdalyne. If you've got someone better for the journey, you're welcome to it," she stood from her chair and made to leave the room.
"Wait," the Lady of Akera intoned, "Just... wait. Three hundred and fifty, and not a single soul more." She looked to the Raven-Haired Woman who replied with an accepting smile, "There you go, that's more like it. Three hundred and fifty."
She returned to the table and picked up the wooden item; it was the size of a music box but weighed considerably more. The Raven-Haired Woman dropped it into a deep pocket on her green robes, then rubbed her thumb and index finger. A soft buzzing, and suddenly the pocket disappeared from her dress. "It will reach Jedor before the end of the pilgrimage."
She left the inn through the back door. The Tall Man and the Lady of Akera traded uneasy looks. "She'll do it. I knew her father, and I trust her."
The Tall Man shook his head and replied, "And all it took was a few hundred of our own kin. I hope it's worth it."
The Lady of Akera nodded grimly, "It will be. It must be."
=====
A Festival Barker garnered the attention of every set of ears who could hear him.
"Come, come, yes! The end of the Festival it may be, but tomorrow at dawn the Pilgrimage leaves! Have you packed your things, arranged for the animals to be fed, closed your windows and your shutters? Hurry, now, for at dawn we leave! Leave your mark to join the journey!"
Not quite a sign up sheet, the group that was leaving from Akera in the morning did request traveling arrangements be discussed before departing. Nearly a hundred souls would be traveling north; the fastest riders would lead and make camp while the more tenderly-footed pilgrims brought up the rear. Groups were divided under three organizers, each responsible for organizing about a third of the group of people.
A plump man with ashen hair and red cheeks stands nearby; nobody else had approached him yet and he looked mildly distressed by the lack of interest in his group.
He catches eyes with anybody who seems remotely interested and says, "Oy, hello there. Care to join my own arm of the group?"
Check it out. If you aren't interested in a writing-intensive story in a human-centric world with low magic, this might not be for you. But if you're one of the few who has their interest piqued, check it out. The current in-game post count is almost entirely devoted to planning and the creation of a simple rules system; it isn't a chunk of OOC fluff. This is a story we've worked on creating and will see through to the end.
Please respond with interest or questions there, not here.
This message was last edited by the user at 15:02, Fri 12 Jan 2018.