It is finally here! Thank you for the wait. I am very sorry for some of the delays, but now we can officially start.
I will be closing the admissions to this game for a bit of time- no new players can join as of now. This WILL change in the future, but, as in most stories, new characters are added along the course of the tale. This is no different, except the players will be playing AS the characters in the stories. You probably already knew this, but I say it anyways. How will this game be played? Im glad you asked. Essentially, right off the bat, we are splitting the players into two groups. This is known in the world of rpgs as railroading, and it is our goal not to do this frequently. (Railroading Is when the GM gives you little room for choices outside the ones he has in mind). We are creating this split because we have two GMs- myself and @feathers34 . This does not mean that you can join forces later, but for right now, you will be forced to take a side. This game will be run in a party system, where the GM will reply to you individually as well as a collective group.
If you have any questions, please contact me at my profile, or, preferably, in the CoK OOC thread (Chronicles of Katlega Out of Character)
For Every Ending There Is A Separate Beginning....
Memories. You aren't sure where you are. Are you alive? You are not sure. Memories....surge through your mind in violent pulses, bringing nausea to you. One moment you were on the cruise ship. Then,
Screaming.
Chaos.
Darkness.
But now, your eyes are opening. You let your eyes adjust to your surroundings. There is a painful amount of noise where you are, people shouting. You take a moment to look around.
You are inside of a building. It seems to be some sort of.. temple? It is in a different style than what you are use to. In fact....
It seems you just came surging out of pond.
('A pond indoors?' you might think)
There are about ten of you. Different ages and sizes, but all wet from the water. The pond is about 30 ft in diameter. A polished oak table meets two sides of this pond, as if they cut out a part of the table to put the pond in.
How strange.
The voices continues, "Yah hesdui' revyp! Passydemb dui Wodilr ah Piovi!"
On one side of the table there are about ten people... maybe more. Men dressed in heavy armor that resembles that of ancient Sparta...or some Greek land. They are armed with bows, and swords, and many other types of weaponry.
The other side is a an array of twenty people. These people are not all uniform. Some don red chainmail, others wearing Scarlett robes. These people seemed to be armed with more strange weaponry, such as quarterstaffs, chains, and rapiers.
There seem to be loud shouting from both ends.
"Tuiri God-sent oli uili da gaem ayl maxsi voyri!" shouts the side with larger numbers.
A large man on the Spartan-looking side stands up, furious with what the other side said."Ibmalomd dloedalr!" He stomps his giant fist on the table. "Tuii' vess mad sid i'ay... LEN ah ayl uapisomk!"
On both sides, weapons are drawn. You are confused and very scared. When it seems both sides would end up charging, a third group interrupts, shouting louder than anyone else in the room. The voice of one Grey-bearded man, coming from directly in front of you.
This third group (monks, by the looks of it) silences everyone in the room. They speak loudly, and everyone seems to listen. To you, it sounds like a foreign language, but you have no idea what.
These men approach your small group of 10, who are sitting silently. What I going on?
The leader, the grey bearded one, speaks in gentle words.
"Follow me, Special Ones".
You do not know what else to do but obey. You are escorted by the monks down a large passageway til you are led into a room. You are told to sit.
This graybeard man clears his voice.
"It was told in famous prophecy that you would arrive. You are Godsent. 'Tis your title. Your people have arrived in time of dire importance numerous times throughout our history.
"But lets back up. I am Luka of the Silver Order. We are an organization dedicated to serving the people of Frej, (this lovely city), and all of Katlega itself.
"Katlega is the world you know live in. I know it may come as a bit of shock, but I have faith in you. You are all very special, even if you do not realize it. The people of this land idolize you and you are very important. Why?
"Our land is named Katlega. It is named so to honor a mighty warrior and leader in our history, a man by the name of Katlego. Katlego appeared through the same pond that you did moments ago- the Waters of Life- over thousands of years ago. Katlego united our people to defeat a mighty beast, and later an army of demons.
"Your people, the Godsent, are natural heroes. Never before has such a large group appeared. Your timing has a great significance as well.
"Alton the White, a Godsent, was a holy man that proclaimed the teachings of Christ, converting many parts of Katlega. It is because of him that many are able to speak the tongue you call 'Englysh'- it was popularized after his death.
"Alton the White, in his final days, left Katlega with a prophecy- that the Fourth Era would be marked by the arrival of more of his kin. Through the Christ, Alton knew that there would be ten to arrive. And here you are.
"You couldn't have arrived at a more stressed time. I hate to have you pick sides, but it is inevitable. There are two armies at war.
"This is not some petty disagreement. This war has the potential for incredible bloodshed- more than our land has ever seen before. Both sides mean well, but their pride gets in the way. You must choose one to join. Baralus- is a city in the southern woods of Katlega. is a city built by the strong and for the strong. They a hardy people of warriors and tradespeople, though perhaps a bit stubborn. They are very conservative, and that is the reason this was sparked. Zenen is a city known for technological advancements. They accept Foreigners- those who live past the Sea of Sand, and their practice of Magic.
Why are they fighting?
The main cause for the civil war is the presence of foreign influence within Katlega. Although most of the city states are loosely held together by traditional alliance, Baralus and some other states agree that magic is not something that should be a common influence in Katlegan culture. Katlegans should be focusing on domestic products instead of foreign magics. Although the Western Province States (the Foreigners) are not directly involved in the war, they send aid to Zenen. Zenen is a city state that openly embraces the infusion of technology and magic and has opened up factories and a small college for Techmaturgy. Baralus is afraid of Zenen growing industrial power and needs it to be stopped. Baralus and Zenen hold a conference to discuss some sort of agreement on restricting this magic, before they turn aggressive and try to conquer Katlega.
Do you have any questions to ask Luka, or the members of the Silver Order? You all may have one question. Use it wisely.
"He won't tell us anything. If he would he would have already done it. We are going around in circles because They won't tell us anything! If they told us all the facts then we could actually do something!"
Luka appears to be done with the debate.
"ENOUGH."
All talking ceases.
"You expect me to tell you the history of two large nations in mere minutes? If it were my choice the war meeting wouldn't be happening here in the first place!!"
Luka points to the people that said I (@Saphire24 @etg2002 @etg2002 ) and tells them to follow him. At this time, another man enters into the room- this one not dressed as a monk and having a full set of hair. Luka getures at him. "Emirhan, please watch them. I will hopefully be back soon."
Luka departs with the chosen Godsent
'Emirhan' is a handsome fellow, appearing to be in his late twenties. He has a flow of long blonde hair that is in a ponytail. He stands somewhat tall, perhaps about 5'10. There is something of elegance about him- such as someone in a position of royalty.
As soon as Luka is out of earshot, the prince like figure orders all of the monks out of the room. "I would like to speak to these..."Godsent".... by myself.
All of the monks depart, many reluctantly. As soon as the last one is out he shuts the door and scans the room.
"You are safe to ask questions now," he says. "I am Emirhan- one of the six Lords of Frej. I am one of the leaders that help maintain stability in this city."
He pauses, meeting eye contact with some. He continues, starting to pace, "Our leader Luka is wise- he can sometimes be unclear, but he means well. Please forgive him he is under a lot of stress.
His brow furrows. "But to be completely fair, Luka is not the one to be giving information. He has... biases." Emirhan grins.
"Now what questions do you have? Im sure a lot- and hopefully I can answer more later. If it Is a question on my validity, just know that I became a Lord at such an early age for a reason. Most of my colleagues...are...well... a bit antique in their views. They can be stubbern. I wish to be your friend- not because your are some...Godsent... but because this world will not allow you to sit quietly, unfortunately. Anyways, what questions do you have?"
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Luka leads the three Godsent- more like escorts- back to the room. The long ornately crafted wood table is there, with the pond in the middle. The two sides sit anxiously.
"Well?" says a black faced man from the Zenen side, to the eastern side of the open room.
"I would like to thank you for your patience," Luka begins, " The sudden arrival of the Godsent has sent everyone into a state of panic, more or less. You are aware of this. The topic of who controls who is a bit barbaric. These Godsent seem to posses great intellect, although they know nothing of this world. To expect them to join your conflict is absurd, especially without knowing anything about either side.
"I would like to ask that both sides withdraw from Frej for right now. The Godsent need to be educated properly."
The same black faced man stood up and walked a bit over to Luka & the Godsent. As he draws closer, a wicked face is revealed, a face that was snarled with black streaks. He grins "I would like to hear from the Godsent themselves."
I quickly look to the child saying I, I kneel beside him so our eyes are level, "Are you sure that is a wise decision child? You cannot be more then fifteen and yet you wish to march against trained men, men whose lives are to kill others. You would surely be killed." I say in a soft tone, worry creeping into my voice. "Is this what you truly want to do?"
"I'm trapped here. What could i do? I'd rather help in any way."
OOC: If i played as a 3yo, i wonder what'd happen...
(right of the bat, i would like to know what happened when Luka pulled us out.)
what i would like to know is, what in Neptune happened to your face? and, although i would not use the same wording, i agree with Eltrus, meaning i am confused. oh boy, when i do that stuff, my logic circuits are most definitely gone. dont expect me to be understandable at times. *to self* i really need to repair those...
"I assume you are Not a priest, not some Zealot." I say still hanging near the door, annoyance creeping into my calm demeanor, "I will not apologize to him, had he been more informative then we could have avoided all of this arguing but he refused so I will refuse to apologize to him." I sigh, "I will say the same thing as I said to him; Tell me everything about these two countries. Politics, history, foreign relations, governments, ideologies, rulers. Everything. There is no point making a decision until all the facts are gathered. I understand this may take some time but I am willing to wait to get these answers."
Tell me everything about these two countries. Politics, history, foreign relations, governments, ideologies, rulers. Everything. There is no point making a decision until all the facts are gathered. I understand this may take some time but I am willing to wait to get these answers."
(OOC is there any confusion? Right now some of the players are out in the main part of the building, while the other players are talking with Emirhan in the other room.)
I will respond later
"I just want to know what makes us a Godsent. Are we just figureheads, or does something set us apart from other people?
I guess what literally classifies you as Godsent is the fact that you emerged from the Pond of Judgment, the Sobovea. But to understand the meaning of the 'Godsent', you must go back far into Katlegan history.
He pauses-"I am no historian, but this is generally how the story goes.
"Long long ago, a man named Katlego emerged from the pond. Back then it was known as just a normal pond. Frej did not exist, instead it was a city-town named Ulun.
"Katlego did not speak the language of everyone else, therefore, he was isolated and became a beggar- That is until the Gibson clan (a high ranking clan) took him in. One of the elders had a vision where this beggar would have incredible importance. So they took him in, and taught him to speak and become a member of society.
"Now at this time, a horrible beast was ravaging the land. It would migrate around the lands of Povoh (what the known world was known as back then) killing and destroying villages and towns. Many were afraid. It was a dark time.
"The Beast lived in a cave in the Western Mountains- that's where mankind tracked it. Every town or city tried to kill it- all failed. No one wanted to work together. They all were so different that they were unwilling to work together. It was Katlego that convinced neighboring cities to work together and set apart differences.
"So with the help of many Povoh cities, Katlega and the town of Ulun vanquished the Beast.
"Katlego was hailed a hero, and people actually believed him when he said he came from another world. He was the first one to be given the Godsent title, the Gakrimd. He had successfully united Povoh for the first time in recorded history.
"It was to be tested. A few months later explorers from across the Great Sands arrived. Im not sure how or why, but a war arose between the foreigners and the Povoh region. These foreigners had possession of magic- something that was unknown to the Povoh.
"I will skip a lot of detail. Basically, both armies were lined up to fight when a THIRD army appeared. They were an army led a man without a name- he is simply known as The Nameless One. The Nameless One was the first Forsaken- the product of magic infused with flesh. They are inherently evil and seek destruction. No one knows much about the origin of the Nameless One.
"The Nameless One struck King Artturi dead. (King Artturi was the leader of the other army- he was a powerful spellcaster armed with a magic crystal of intense purity.)
"Pretty much, The Povoh and the Magic people (We call them the WPS modernly) teamed up and destroyed the Nameless One and his army- which was made of raw chaotic energy formed into people. Or something like that.
"Katlego took Artturi's crystal and dual wielded magic with sword- something never done before. Katlego dueled with the Nameless One, who's armor self repaired- making it impossible to pierce for very long.
"Knowing the only solution, Katlego quickly pierced the armor, and shoved the crystal inside, then quickly stabbing the crystal.
"An intense explosion erupted, killing the Nameless One and saving both the WPS and Povoh from the slaughter of the Nameless One.
"Katlego was a martyr, the explosion killed him in the process. As tribute, the land of Povoh was renamed to Katlega, to honor him.
"I may of gotten some of the facts wrong, but like I said, Im no historian. Godsents seem to possess incredible potential. Stories like Katlego's pop up in our history- and records show that these heroes all come from the Pond of Judgment. Those who come out are now seen as important. Sure it may be a figure-head thing, but there is no denying that the previous Godsent have completely shaped our history, even when they had no intention or desire to be immortalized in lore."
(OOC- THAT was a long post. I have to go to work, if I can tonight I will work on the other perspective- the people talking with the generals.)
(OOC thanks man- more will come. I already made 95% of the major history- but it is a separate challenge when you retell it through someones bias haha)
