It's not that they were lazy. Fort Derican has stood as a fortress in the sea, and bulwark against the dangerous creatures of the Most Far Continent. There simply wasn't enough manpower to do anything more than sit on that small island off the coast. But now the Righteous Empire has annexed all the lands of the Most Far Continent, and it's time to start exploring and making claims on it. And like every single annexation by the Righteous Empire, they are going to use an army of citizen-soldiers to do their exploration.
Citizen Soldiers are also known as Indentured Adventurers. Indats for short. These are the people who couldn't pay their taxes, and now will work off their debt. EVERY MONTH they have a quota given to them by the High Commander. This quota can be paid in gold or goods taken from the mainland and the surrounding area. Indats are taken by ship to whichever landing that they choose. To make sure they don't try to make permanent homes somewhere out where no one can find them, the magi of the Righteous Empire have devised a clever spell: A slow-acting poison magic tied into the Indat's spinal cord.
All you have to do to avoid its activation is pay your quota either on time or in advance. Simple, hmm?
The most important thing is that Indats are organized into bands of five. No more, no less. Bands have names, and bands have a Justicer appointed by the whim of the High Commander. The Justicer is supposed to have final say in when the band comes home, and is responsible for all the tough decisions that will have to be made. If someone in the band can't make quota on their watch, the Justicer is put into prison for two weeks -- but without their own quota being suspended. In practical terms, it's often referred to as a death sentence.
Okay, if you haven't realized it yet, this is a survival-focused game. You start out with very little, and you progress by taking magic items, and learning how to use them effectively. You start by picking your build: Strength or Dexterity. You then pick a knack, which helps towards what you're going to be focusing on as a character. Those things are the most important to the mechanics of what you'll be using.
Everything is going to be determined with the d20*, and I'll display the score you get on every action. Because I'm determined to not play favourites, the Justicer will be picked by random roll. The Justicer will be switched up every time you go out for another mission. If you are a dick as the Justicer, remember that someone else will likely be in a position to be a dick to you.
STRENGTH: Higher HP, better resistance to poisons, ability to wield heavier weapons better.
DEXTERITY: Higher speed, better reflexes, ability to work with delicate traps.
BUILDING: You have an understanding of how structures work, and a small set of tools to work with.
FIGHTING: You have devoted a lot of time to your martial talents, and you are better prepared to beat your way out of situations.
GOODTHOUGHT: You have a gift for talking with animals, and they tend to like you if they're not hungry.
MAGERY: You have a basic understanding of how magic works, and how to manipulate it.
MUSIC: You can put a tune together, and no one wants to hit you in the back of the head for singing off key.
ROPEWORK: No one can deny that you know your knots.
SKULLDUGGERY: You understand locks, the mean streets, climbing into places people don't want you, and sometimes the opposite sex.
THEOPHILIA: You are fond of the gods, and they are likewise fond of you.
HUMAN: ... uh, yeah, that's the only one at the moment.
RADIANCE: This is the principal religion of the Righteous Empire. It's all sunshine, and happiness. It's what the theocrats of the empire have deemed to be the official religion. It couldn't be that bad could it? It's only the reason they've decided they can annex the whole world.
ST THUMBER: This is a tolerated religion, spread by martial monks. They do a lot of charity work throughout the empire, believing in a philosophy of hard work overcoming adversity. They tend to have higher taxes as well.
PAGANISM: Anything else. Moderately tolerated, heavily taxed.
Name:
Gender:
Build:
Knack:
Religion:
Appearance: (Optional, but recommended)
OTHER STUFF:
"Every Indat is to be given a kit during their departure from the ship on their mission." Ideally, this means you will have fresh gear every time you head out to the wilderness. Unfortunately, not all kits arrive at the destination intact, and they cost gold to provide to you. When possible, try to conserve your supplies so that you can provide them for yourself during the next adventure.
Utility knife (1): A steel utility knife.
Rope (50 feet): Sturdy rope.
Autotorch (2): Thankfully, the magic to make things flammable is one that is rampant in the world. Autotorches create a bright fire for six hours once started by the magic wick. Putting them out is a harder proposition. You can use their fire to start other fires.
Biscuit (9): Each non-nutritious lump of hardbaked dough will fill you like an adequate meal. May contain protein in the form of weevils or maggots.
Blanket (1): A wool blanket that may or may not be fresh. Fresh ones are very valuable on the black market. These are the most likely items to be missing from a "full" kit.
Every Indat will be given a steel sword, but only one. It will never be replaced, and you will have to buy any weapon you want that isn't a utility knife.
DESTINATIONS:
Jungle Landing - A week's shipping from Fort Derican, Jungle Landing will put you in the middle of a forest that is entirely too easy to get lost in. Small rivers, deep ravines, and rampant ruins dot this little playground from hell. Watch out for the kobold tribes who believe that hiding treasure pleases their strange gods. They don't like the fact that you're coming to take their offerings.
Green River "Landing" - Five days from Fort Derican, this winding wide river has many points to get off at. The forest that surrounds it is said to be haunted by all manner of things. And of course, things that produce magic enough for hauntings are also going to be quite valuable.
White Cliffs Landing - Four days from Fort Derican. This rather large island features 4,000ft cliffs of white stone all around it. Kobold tribes have inhabited it for a long time, and you can find carved stairs, tunnels, and all kinds of strange rock formations. Intense interrogation of kobolds from the island has revealed the presence of a ruined city at the top. So far, no one from the Righteous Empire has seen it. Or, more accurately, no one has seen it and then returned to tell about it.
Whirlpool - Six days from For Derican. This extremely slow moving whirlpool will teleport any ship that spends five minutes circling with it. Four times out of five it will take the ship to a far northern coast where there are lots of little ruins around to exploit, and sailing out of sight of land will take you right back to the skirt of that whirlpool. That rule holds true wherever it takes you. Wherever it takes you...
RECRUITING BANDS:
Wide Eye Tigers
1: Goran
2: Ulrich Ironarms
3: Zoey Overbeck
4: Kaira Nelivan (CURRENT JUSTICER)
5: Kathryn Duvalier
Four Tooth Panther
1: (Doomblade character)
2: Atheros Alrazel
3:
4:
5:
GRAVEYARD:
empty
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Topic: Most Far Continent: You May Survive (Read 5767 times)