The Gryphon's Guild

The Protectorate was man kinds oldest kingdom, or daln, the first one to discover the arts and science behind magic. What had once been many squabbling city nations they united under their rule. Even though they left much of the ruling structure in place much still changed, even though the defeated kept their titles and lands they owed allegiance to the oligarchs of the Protectorate and had to pay tithes and their authority was greatly reduced, their every decision subject to the scrutiny of an appointed vizier appointed by they magistrate, the appointed leader of the oligarchs. If you didn't have the talent you could never rose to a true position of power always being a second class citizen. If you weren't noble or from a wealthy family you were third class, which meant you weren't worth much more than livestock to those who ruled.
Their mastery of magic gave them an advantage that no one could surpass, except maybe the dwarfs and the elves but they kept to themselves. The longevity of the mages allowed them to keep the government stable and outlive anything that might have opposed them in their own realm. But ideas and dreams are ageless themselves. So there were always people who wished to aspire to more and break out of the caste system which eventually arose after centuries of rule by the oligarchy.
The few dissidents always disappeared quietly. Until at one point one of them was a king, who had the backing of the wealthy and who had outwitted the vizier appointed to him. By the time the magistrate was informed that something had to be done to contain the situation it was to late to do so discreetly. Rather then risk a civil war because even with their powers they still relied on the common man to inforce their laws, they negotiated with the rogue king and he agreed to take his people into exile.
The magistrate of the time expected them to survive but also to fragment into many faction much like the land had been before the rule of the oligarchy because of the short lifespans of their rulers.
Somehow though that didn't happen. It was rough but eventually the exiles formed the kingdom of Freydaln. Their history is fragmented so the names of their first rulers are forgotten, the ideas of them lived on.
Eventually both empires met again and the oligarchs were surprised to find a well ruled kingdom instead of the squabbling baronies they expected. A lot of things weren't as they expected. Freydaln discovered it's own schools of magic, similar but still different to those practiced for almost millenia in the Protectorate.
Another change was the attitude of its citizens towards many creatures of the wild.
That many of the magical and fantastic creatures were as intelligent as any man did not mean much to men who saw fellow men not being worth more then animals themselves.
Creatures like dragons, gryphons, unicorns, centaurs, etc. were seen as ingredients for potions by mages, pests by the others and the former two as sources of income even because of their habit to collect valuables.
In Freydaln they would sometimes be hired instead and were mostly seen as equals, still envied though by most human standards they and especially gryphons and dragons are insanely rich.
Both nations are just starting to really engaged in diplomacy again, war isn't practical for either of them.
The Freydalns want to just be left alone and the Protectorate wants to bring them back into the fold or failing that keep them from influencing their own population. Life has improved in the Protectorate but they still have their quasi caste system going on.

Guidelines
Since I wanted to keep this closer to fantasy there won't be any firearms, sorry besides a good bow or crossbow will do just as well just not as loud.
Both Freydaln and the Protectorate use symbols, runes and gestures for spells in the former more emphasis is placed on the thought behind the spell while in the latter the emphasis is placed in exact execution of the gestures and so forth.
Magical and fantastical creatures have magic as well but for them it tends to be more passive, helps them fly, makes them more resilient what active magic they do have would focus on themselves as well. Of course no one has ever tried teaching them spells so who knows.
In addition the Protectorate also does summoning magic.

Geography
Freydaln is backed to a mountain range east of the Protectorate.

Plot
It will focus on more of what goes on on the sidelines and under the table when two powers collide,
The sidelines would be those who get caught up in the events, bystanders, adventurers out for their own, merchants etc.
under the table would be more spies, assassins, mercenaries, etc.

The situation that you get caught up in or get hired for is this.
Ancient ruins, seemingly older than the Protectorate, have been found in the ancient southern forests (thinks of really old mixed forest), which is south to both kingdoms.
Both sides send agent/parties out to investigate. Nothing big since they don't want to escalate the situation to much.

I post this in hopes of getting it off the ground, if it works great if not well I'll try again another time.

Name Ferru Gyns
Age 19
Gender Male
Species Gryphon
Description Head and front are avian along the lines of a hawk, while the rear is that of a cougar, ears feline and pointed, beak talon and claws are black, head, front legs and underside are white while the top and tail feathers are a dark navy blue. The fur is a light brown almost buff. His tail has a feather tuft at the end and at the base he has a forked tail much like a swallow. He is 6'2" long and has a 3' tail his wing span is 21'2", which makes it somewhat difficult for him to land and take of in more confined areas. Eyes are orange.
Magic Like magical creatures he is sensitive to magic being worked near him. Wind magic comes to him naturally so he can fly easier as well as quieter. He has dabbled in active wind magic but not much. He relies more on his martial skills when it gets tight.
Background He was orphaned shortly after he learned how to fly, raiders of the Protectorate attacked the eerie where he lived and killed his parents as well as the other gryphons to get to their hoard. He survived because he had disobeyed his mother and gone flying at night. Still he would have not made it on his own, because his small size meant he would be able to hunt effectively, if one of the other gryphons had not been away and returned to find him. Without a horde they both drifted because no eerie would accept them. So naturally they hired on as mercenaries when they found their way to Freydaln. Since he grew up on the wing his social skills are a bit odd but he managed to remain kindhearted spirit even though he harbors no love for the Protectorate. He enjoys a sharp wit, puns and likes to see thing from the positive, mostly humorous side. He is one of the scouts that Freydaln sent to investigate the ruins.

hmmn...interesting plot and well thought out settings...I will join this if it takes off, either using Lazurkri or Bakher as my character (Or possibly both; not too sure yet)... I'll wait until we have a few others before making my choice. Looks good though, really look forward to joining this if it proves popular.

I think this sounds pretty interesting, forgot I had read this before. I can already think of ways to work into it. I'll post a bio shortly, maybe that will help lure in more attention too.

I'm interested too! I gotta figure out who I'd use, though!

I've been thinking about a way to get a character into this as well.

Name: Almona Lardunn
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Species: Bipedal Dragon(due to magic mishap)
Description: Almona is(now) a human shaped dragon. Her body is covered in small fine scales of almond color, except along the underside of her chin, neck, and down her front are a slightly lighter shade color. The scales are very similar to most western dragons, however a bit less resilient than a true dragon. She only stands about 5 feet high, her body is thin, almost scrawny, hiding a much more impressive physical strength. Arms and legs end in nearly human hands and feet, save small talons at the end of her digits, and a ridge of scales along the top of each toe that merge into a single ridge going up her leg to her knees. Her face is short snouted with small, sharp teeth, the canines poke out of her mouth a little when her mouth is closed. She has very defined scaly ridges above both eyes and down along the middle of her snout, curling out around either nostril. Her eyes are a burning red, scarily reminiscient of burning fire. Her ears are short and fairly equine like, long raven black hair flowing from between them and down her neck. She wears whatever is available, being she is not very used to this shape. She has no wings, only small bulges where her wings would have grown from in this shape. She usually wears black steel ringmail atop a simple black leather tunic. She also wears a pair of black steel bracers, and black leather boots that lace halfway up her shins, and short black leather shorts to encourage mobility. Her twin short swords are equally black with silver inlaid engravings of draconic runes along the blades, and small crimson gems in the center of each hilt that quite often look as though a real fire burns within them.

Magic: Enhanced strength and durability, occasional ability to pick up fragments of thought and emotion from others, and heightened resilience to fire. She may have further magical affinity to fire, but she does not know what or how right now in this form.

Background:Almona was born a quadrapedal dragon. She is fairly accustomed with human habits and ways because when she was young and restless, she often travelled against her brood's wishes to examine
them, and terrorize their crops and cattle a bit. Eventually her little brother was drawn to follow her adventurous spirit and began to tag along with her. This displeased their family and relatives even more. But the final rift came when her brother was killed while they were toying with a village, flying low and swooping near people to scare them. Her brother was hit in the wing by a spear and grounded, and the angry villagers immediately swooped in for the kill. Almona was unable to pry them off her brother in time to save him, and they began to turn on her. Finally she was forced to flee, only to meet exile at home, blamed for her brothers death. Her wings were forcibly removed and cauterized, and she was sent away to learn tolerance and respect for other races.

Infuriated at humans and at her exile, and unwilling to accept responsibility for her own influence on the situation, she took her anger out on every village and city she came across. Numerous people died and many towns starved for lack of food. Finally one day as she descended on a young, poor farmer man, a younger boy ran at her from the side. His punches and kicks did nothing against dragon, even being small for her kind, but his screams to leave his brother alone hit her hard. Uncertain what to do or think, she tore away from the farm and ran, leaving them to live. Beginning to question her own actions and motives, she began to explore other activities, finding humans with large loads to move or pits to dig, fires to be started, helping in whatever way she could. They often surprised her with gratitude, even if still nervous, and the limited hostility she encountered did not deter her. Eventually, pleased with what she was learning about humans and how she was changing, Almona returned home. They accepted her back, with a bit of trepidation, and she told them of the good deeds she had been doing, only leaving out a couple burned villages in her earlier travels.

This acceptance was short lived when a group of industrious Protectorate mages came raiding their nesting hoping for creatures to fight in their coloseum. Her brood immediately blamed her, calling her a liar and a demon, and flew to safety, leaving her wingless and unable to escape. The mages got a fight in their efforts to dominate her, but eventually with two remaining they won out, managing to sedate her and tow her back to their city near the Freydaln border. Upon arrival, they spared no time in setting up their colloseum. They placed her in a large open ring, reinforced by numerous layers of magic to keep her from crawling out since she could no longer fly. The spectators filed in and they began summoning various creatures to test her strength. She pummeled each of them with ease in all her anger, throwing them back through their portals in dusgust before continuing to test the walls. Finally one of the mages began to get angry, the crowd was growing displeased that their subject wasn't getting at least a bit bloodied.

So this female mage hastily tried to summon something much bigger, however she rushed a bit too much. Protectorates were known to put great emphasis and perfection into the symbols and gestures of their spells, but she was sloppy and it turned out completely wrong. The 'portal' that opened swiftly malformed into a rising pillar, beginning to twist and pull horrifically at it's surroundings. It punched through their magical barriers, and the spectators fled in terror before it's true gravity began. Only the woman casting the spell and Almona were unable to flee, the woman managing to catch hold on the edge of the ring's wall. Almona had less to grip to, but large sharp dragon talons dug into stone as she pulled her way closer to the wall. There was certainly no true escape for her, but she would be damned if she did not take at least that one mage with her. Reaching the wall, she clawed up it shortly, and jumped, catching the mage's leg in her jaws and taking them both into the twisting
portal. Almona could feel it tearing at her, but it did not quite seem to be in a physical sense, and it hurt, but not unbearably. Her whole body was washed with unusual sensations, her senses going haywire as she smelled all manner of things, grass, brimstone, bread, fish. Many colors swirled about her as she heard the sounds of screams and laughter, great loss and the happy murmurs of a new mother. With great effort, she reached out and found stone to claw at again, trying to pull herself free once more.

It was night when she awoke on the cold colloseum floor. Nobody was around, including the mage she had pulled in with her. She found herself curled up into the fetal position, hugging two oddly human legs with changed arms. It was startling and confusing, her arms ending with dexterous human hands, the fingers capped by small talons. At the end of her human legs, her feet were nearly human except ending with small talons, and ridges of scales along her toes that flowed into one ridge going up her leg to her knees. Naked and unable to walk on her new legs, she dragged her way out of the colloseum and into the wilderness, finding a dull sword and some poorly fitting ornamental armor on her way out. She made a goal of learning to walk and wield the sword, and once she could do that enough, figuring out what she had to live for. Even as she learned to use her new body, a deep depression began to dig it's claws into her. With nothing better to strive for, she went off in search of a rumored kingdom called Freydaln. She had heard rumors that it was accepting and open minded, and she now harbored a deep hatred for the Protectorate nation. She had learned enough to not judge the race of humans as a whole, but a nation, that was something she could loathe.

Arriving in a city in Fraydaln, she found the best human environment she had encountered yet. The first people she met were a trio, one human, one unicorn, and one gryphon. They were closer than any siblings she had ever seen, and they immediately took her in as an equal. Enjoying her new family, she was able to put aside her anger for the most part as they helped her out of her depression over her new form. Eventually she became an armed escort for political and market caravans, finding herself unable to ignore the draw of travel and adventure entirely. This led her to guard a small group on a mission south to explore some new unusual ruins.



[ Updated with clothing at end of description. She enjoys black. ]

Thanks for the interest. I'll see to it that I get a starting post up, so that anyone who wants can can start posting.

Name: Lunare
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Species: Human (mage)
Description: Lunare is a middle height, willowy sort of woman. She has long dark brown hair that she usually keeps in a pony tailed braid, although strands constantly seem to be escaping and getting in her face, and brown eyes. In general, she wears long light brown trousers and a tunic in several colors of blue.
Magic: The standard rune, symbol, and gesture based magic of mages in both realms, although she's best at anything using gestures, and she is very precise, like other Protectorate mages. She breaks with tradition in that she does everything without ingredients from any of the magical creatures, unless by some chance she has procured donated ingredients, like cast off feathers or shed fur or scales or horns.
History: Lunare received the same education as any other mage in the Protectorate, although she's still relatively young to the training. She shows promise in the gestured spells, but is merely adequate at runes and symbols, not having a mind for memorisation of things which are written down. Her family comes from near the border with Freydaln, and she grew up under both Protectorate and Freydaln influences. Because her family was considered somewhat backwater, they were mostly ignored, although they had plenty of money to send her to learn magic, when the time came. She was spared the worst of Protectorate society, and isn't entirely aware of the problems with the caste system. She had just completed her schooling when the ruins in the southern forest were discovered, and several of her tutors suggested she be sent.
Personality: As a result of her upbringing and somewhat sheltered lifestyle, she's incredibly naive. Open, friendly, and trusting, she doesn't understand exactly why the Freydalnians want their independence so badly. She strongly disapproves of using the various and sundry magical creatures in magic, which is why she figured out how to do magic without the ingredients. She's slow to anger, and pretty sensitive, so harsh treatment will shut her right down. Rarely certain of anything she does, she has cultivated a confident bearing so that no one else will realise just how little confidence she has in her abilities.

Name: Saren Amberdawn
Species: Astrean (see below)
Gender: Female
Age: 25
viewtopic.php?t=18111

Appearance: Stands about eye-to-eye with most humans. Her coat is a dark charcoal colour - almost black, with lighter patches of gray on her chest and belly. Beak and Leg scales (front and back) are a slightly lighter colour gray than her feathers. Very monochromatic. Her eyes however, are a golden colour - amber even, as her name implies.
The only thing she will almost certainly be wearing at all times is a small sapphire necklace around her neck.

Personality: Cynical, sardonic, sarcastic. She doesn't make many friends. She prefers being in charge of a situation and not having to take orders.

Specie: Astreans are quadrupedal birds. Not mammals, halfmammals, monotremes or whatever. Feathers cover their body, not fur. They have talons and scales on both their front and back legs. Long tail feathers. Astreans must be very light in order to sustain flight, so they weigh much less then they look. Most of their muscle is devoted to flying. They usually stand about eye-to-eye with an average-sized adult human. They are NOT gryphons, even though they do look similar. They are their own complete race, not a chimaera. viewtopic.php?f=15&t=18111
Ask me about other 'anatomy details' if you really want to know.

Background: Saren was recently captured by the humans of the Protectorate. She was caught while scouting near the outskirts of one of their cities, but instead of killing her they decided to use her magic-sensing abilities to assist them in an expedition to a recently discovered set of ruins. She doesn't have any choice in the matter.

I like the ideas and looking forward to seeing how this develops. I'll also try to get another post up tonight.

Interest is piqued. I'm in, if you'll have me. Is it alright if I use Lazurkri, my Xor'Drei'Ras character for this? I'd work out a Bio that should work here, but he's more Anthro than not, so I'm wondering how he'd fit in in this RP universe.... If it is not possible for him to work in this RP, I'll use Bakher, my other character...What do you think would be best? the Gryphon, or the Wraithwolf?

How well would a horse character fit into this world? Say...one who looks like a normal horse but has been influenced by magic enough (either naturally or maybe someone was testing out spells on her at one time?) that she's very intelligent and can speak, but can't work magic of her own. She prefers to 'play dumb' and act like a normal horse, which would put her in a good position to be a spy or somesuch.

If that won't work just let me know. This sounds like an interesting rp, I'm just trying to figure out which character I want to submit.

Moonraker: If you want to join go ahead. I don't think using either of your characters would be a problem, if you can introduce them into the world. As far as whether gryphon or wraithwolf thats your call. Looking forward to see you when you join.

Dinogirl: Either explanation is plausible the only catch that I see is that if she acts like a regular horse she'll probably get treated that way which won't leave much room for spying and such things that regular horses don't do..
The idea of a spy of either faction or an unknown faction sounds good.

Thanks for clarifying. I'll be using Laz. heres what I've come up with him so far.


Name: Lazurkri Kest'ak'ain
Species: Xor'Drei'Ras (Wraithwolf)
Important physical details: ( Pretty much the same as what I have in the facets and facades page, but with a few alterations)
Extensive scarring around face and neck, as well as scarring down left side. Wears light armor with a 'cloak' of feathers down his back. aso carries a pair of Asian style swords.
Magic abilities: Magic sensing, limited resistance to magic, ability to tap into magic power lines ( Leylines), some magic, mostly in the manipulation of the elements, but does have small skill in manipulation of matter.
Bio:

Comes from a race created by a powerful Magi known merly as 'The Tinkerer". After his death at the hands of another Magi, the race settled lands outside what would eventually become the Protecterate. The humans of the Protecterate being as they are, with a disdain for magical creatures, attempted to wipe them out. Twice. The 'Wolves drove the Humans off each time, eventually winning a uneasy truce with the Protecterate; 'Wolves are still sometimes hunted down for 'Harvesting', but no armies invade the 'Wolf homelands.

Laz was born twenty five years ago, near the end of the last 'Wolf-Protecterate War, and witnessed his entire family and clan butchered by Protecterate forces.Having nothing left for him, he left his homeland over a decade ago, and never looked back. He quickly found a job hunting down rogue or traitorous mages, but owes no alliegance to the Protecterate- they may be his employer, from time to time, but he does not trust them. He briefy did a stint as a creature hunter, but found murdering creatures like himself too much, and left, but not before commiting a atrocity he regrets to this day. Privatly,he has considered going over to Freydaln, were creatures like him are tolerated and accepted, but decided against it as long as the Protecterate honors its truce with his kind; besides, the pay is too good in the Protecterate. He is currenty between jobs.

Heeeeey the board is letting us post again! Yay! But I am not sure if it is my turn or not- are we really taking turns, or just posting when we feel it's relevant?