LFP: The Serpent's War (A pathfinder campaign with mature 18+ themes)

                                                                In its apex, The Franca empire stretched all across the continent. Through diplomacy and trade, what once began as a small Kingdom in the western shores became a mighty confederations of many smaller nations. The Franca empire's first taste of conquest came when they came into conflict with the City States of Toro, ruler of the southern seas and the biggest economic power in the land. Toro had the strongest naval fleet in the land and a standing army of well trained militias. The fledgling Franca empire on the other hand, relied on its free knights, heroes and adventurers drawn from all corners of its provinces. Against all odds, the Franca empire came out victorious, annexing the city states. With their dominance over the trade routes secure, Queen Selyse of Franca led the nation into a prosperous age, but greed makes fools of even the wisest men. Soon, the chamber of senators proposed an expansion to the Southern continent of Haskur, the land of incense and gems. The Queen reluctantly agreed and sent her army, led by the order of the swan, free knights who survived the Toro mercantile war, they set out to control the ports of Haskur. For a while, everything went well and the expedition would return with riches from the distant world, but soon they drew the attention of Yana, the Serpent King , a man considered to be the richest Sultan in Haskur. Yana took great insult at the Northerner's invasion of his land and gathered his army to fight back. The order of the swan, unused to the deserts of Haskur, was eventually pushed back by the Sik-Anan , the sand children, Yana's elite guards and soon the expedition was called back. Yana's vengeance was not yet sated, with a fury, he united the many sultanates of Haskur and sent a fleet of ten thousand ships to storm the City States of Toro. Once they secured a beach head, Yana used his limitless wealth to bolster his army with mercenaries from both the North and South, scouring the land and taking kingdom after kingdom until only the Capital of Franca remained. Here, despite a brave last stand, the empire fell and Queen Selyse was taken as a concubine of the Serpent King, kept in his harem of a thousand woman. At the end of the war, the land was carved out amongst those who participated in the invasion. Imperial nobles were considered to be of the highest value, for they are the rightful ruler of the land, and the more nobles one have in their harem, the more land they would rule. A year after the fall of Franca, rumors began to stir that the order of the swan would rise once more in the form of a rebel force waiting to strike. You are one of the Serpent Guard, men and women chosen by the Sultan himself to protect the peace. A Serpent Guard can come from any origin, picked only by competence and hired during the war. You were one of the first to storm the Imperial Palace of Franca and you were rewarded with a noble to marry and thus earning you land. Now, the Sultan asks that you quell the rebelion before it spreads, and in return, he will reward you with both riches as well as nobles to marry, thus expanding your domain. ---------- In short, I am looking for a group of 3-4 players to play weekly. My timezone is GMT+7 and I tend to play at my nights during the weekdays and sunday mornings (saturday evenings for those of you in the west).  I would wait about a week or two to see who is interested, and pick the players based on their character applications. What to expect from the campaign -Political Intrigue -Storylines that involves both violence and sex (mostly done in passing, though it can be roleplayed more extensively in private) -A flexible schedule, played at least once a week -Text only What to include in your application -A background of your character, where is he from, how was he recruited into the Serpent Guard -A short term and long term goal for your character -A brief info on the noble given to you as a reward (to be used as NPC) -Your availability for playing -Picture for token (Optional) -A lvl 4 character sheet using point buy 20, core races, using any non-occult paizo class except synthesis summoner (can be done after players are chosen) If you have any questions, feel free to ask me :) you can post your application here

Most likely the games will be held  in the weekends, so my sundays are also good. but occasionally when all the players are around, we might do short games or mini quests (sometimes even solo quests) to make sure everyone gets a personalized experience. A monk is doable,  they would come from the western archipelagoes (the oriental equivalent of the setting). Occult classes (psionic) is new to me, I haven't read the rules much so I might get confused. If you think there's a class there that fits you and you don't mind me asking questions about them during the game, go for it

How about weekend afternoons? Which is your mornings

Ok, the week is fine, though the sessions would be shorter (2-3 hours per game)

How late at night (your time) do you want to start?  I like to play in the mornings, CST, but too early is difficult.

8 to 10 is ideal. We can play 2-3 hours

And this would routinely be on Saturdays?

I haven't settled on a day yet, but i'm pretty flexible, so it will depend on the party. Also, I edited the requirements, you don't need a character sheet just yet (just backgrounds and character concepts etc)

Also, I clarified the original post to mention that the game will be played via text

Since you sent me  link to this, do you need me to fill a particular roll?

No, I don't have a party chosen yet. As I mentioned, I can only accomodate 3-4 people so i'll pick after I see people's character concepts and time availability. Just make what you want, the game will be roleplay heavy so no need to worry that much about effective builds

I've never played a pathfinder game before but I do own the player's guide. I'l build a char and send you an application privately. 

More than the character sheet, I'm  interested in the background story though

Then I'll send it to you soon, It's rather late here though , so good night! I'll gt it to you when I can.

I'm possibly interested, but experience has made me wary regarding flexible play schedules. Too often, they end up with players missing one or two games because they cannot make the dates of the majority and ending up quitting, or the games keep getting delayed until everyone can make it. How do you plan to tackle this problem?

I'm very interested in this though i'm extremely new so i would probably not be a very good player since i hardly know anything about these games. ( I only played pathfinder) 

@Jerry: Just submit your background applications and I'll put you in consideration :) @Patrick: So far, most of the people seem to prefer weekend schedules, so it would most likely be saturday evening my time or sunday (my morning or my evening), so far it seems most people are free on both days

This sounds like it could be a lot of fun, I would be very interested in joining but I just have a few quick questions before I finish the app. Firstly how do you want HP to be handled, do you want us to just take max or roll for it? Second in reading the post it sounds like our characters will already be married at the start of the campaign so does that mean you intend for the group to be gaining a harem of sorts as this progresses or can that be open to suggestion? Lastly are their any particular race relations that should be noted, such as ones that tend to bicker or ones that do not hold as much status as others?  Now before anything is completely finalized I live in the EST zone but I am free pretty much from friday to sunday so I hope that I can still join in!

@ET: 1. I'd let you max HP out seeing as it's a small party. 2. Yes, there will be an option to gain a harem of ex-franca nobility in order to consolidate your power, but you don't have to, and if you wish to start without a wife, that is also doable (but you won't have land) 3. The setting itself is very humancentric, especially within franca. Dwarves are a minority though half elves are not that rare. Full blooded elves are however, quite few.

Alright good to know. Now I was thinking of doing a female half-elf, how would that play out considering that this seems to be very male centered? As for the land part the back story that I was looking at was her bartering for her brother's marriage (at his own suggestion) so that her family gains a title while she herself did not marry after the taking of the palace.

She would have to marry male nobilities of Franca. Unfortunately a big part of the game would be building up your provinces and land, so it would be difficult if you're not playing the head of your estate, and the only way to own the land in this game is by marriage, even if it was a functional one with no love.

Hmm I see your point. My plan was that she would now be seeking to claim the hand of a noble that she did meet after the fact, when her brothers marriage was already established but I can change that to her picking a husband. Since the group of characters seems to be already established lords in their own right are we going to have special considerations for weapons or will that be a conversation for later?

nana c. said: @Jerry: Just submit your background applications and I'll put you in consideration :) @Patrick: So far, most of the people seem to prefer weekend schedules, so it would most likely be saturday evening my time or sunday (my morning or my evening), so far it seems most people are free on both days That's unfortunate - I'm interested on any day that's not a weekend. That's family time, and one tabletop game I play face to face. Keep me in mind if there's more voices for weekday time slots, please?

Another option i can do is have your character be the real power (as in her brother listens to her and do what she says), but instead of marrying the women, she sends them off for her brother to marry and add to his harem, making her officially the B.S.E  (Best Sister Ever). That way you can remain unmarried and be in power..just not officially.

@Patrick: Of course :)  I also do some one shots here and there, maybe i'll contact you sometimes for it?

nana c. said: @Patrick: Of course :)  I also do some one shots here and there, maybe i'll contact you sometimes for it? That sounds like a plan, if being part of the regular group won't work. I'll send you a pm tomorrow, since I'm off to bed now.

Haha that actually sounds like a pretty good deal/that actually fits both of their personalities startlingly well! With all that in mind I should have a full app up soon! 

Alright let me know if I missed anything or messed something up, the background didn't turn out quite as nice as I would have liked but I will work off of it for now. Background:&nbsp; Tessaral's life began with a foolish choice. Her mother, Aella, worked as an herbalist, a difficult occupation for someone who lives in a desert but manageable if you knew the right people, and one year she found herself doing business with the successor of a very wealthy merchant family, Tannis. While the relationship started out as purely business both developed fond feelings for the other and less then two years after their first meeting Tessaral was born out of wedlock. Aella suggested marriage, but for fear of scaring her lover away she contented herself with their unofficial union for the time being, that is until a second child was born. Aella wished for a proper marriage unfortunately Tannis's family and fiance decided that enough was enough. Tessaral was never really able to get the full story out of either of her parents, but even as a kid she had a sneaking suspicion that many of the nicer things in their household were due to the father that she rarely saw. The times that Tannis did visit, while always gentle and supportive, his attention was mainly focused on Aella, Tessaral and her brother Findalon were treated as extensions of their mother and little more. Passing years saw Findalon learning the merchant's trade while Tessaral favored a more martial path. A local hunter became her mentor and under him she learned how to survive the desert and even make a living from it bring in animals both live and dead that her brother traded for a few extra coins. Unfortunately trouble was not far off, their mother fell ill and unable to find their father Tessaral had to choose a far more profitable career. With her brother tending the family business Tessaral turned towards hunting humans and other races for the bounties on their head. The money she made was better than the siblings could have hoped, and kept their mother alive and comfortable for another ten years before she passed. During that time Tessaral learned her trade well and with her brother staying behind as the face of her operations they did rather well for themselves. &nbsp;That is until about a year later when the ports were attacked by the Order of the Swan. Coming back from a town just outside the city's borders Tessaral did not even know of the attack until she saw black smoke rising into the sky. When she did arrive the city was in chaos, the local guards were doing what they could but the order had the advantage. In a panic she sought out her brother and found him desperately trying to stop the invading force alongside several guards. She arrived just in time to see one of the invaders stabbing Findalon through the shoulder.&nbsp; The battle was fierce and Tessaral fought it all the way to the beach, standing at the very end of the pier with her arrows chasing those who lagged behind until they were well out of range. She did not know then that the Sultan had seen her fighting among the rest of the soldiers and had been impressed. Findalon was scared to see his sister leave for distant shores, but he knew that to be a Serpent Guard was a great honor. Tessaral for her part was determined to stop those that had decimated the city and nearly killed her little brother, and while it was a long and unpleasant campaign she came out the other side stronger. Upon returning she was given rewards for her services, but she chose to give her brother a noble wife and the titles and land that went with it. It gives her the freedom to move as she pleases with her brother, ever the clever businessman, handling their estate and managing their resources trusting that his older sister will lead then both to infamy.&nbsp; Goals: Short-she believes that the Order of the Swan is dangerous and needs to be stamped out to ensure her family's safety and that of the kingdoms , so her goal is to completely squash the rebellion.&nbsp; Long-She seeks the power to protect against any threat that creeps in along her borders and to see her own lineage preserved.&nbsp; Prize: Loriani Reddawn 23 A quiet scholarly girl she comes from an old family. Raised to hold her own in a court she is quiet but clever with sharp senses so while she is not often heard one can be almost sure that she hears all that happens around her. Avoiding physical confrontations she will trade wit with the willing. Availability: I live in GMT -5 (so eastern standard time) I am available on Fridays after 5pm through to about 11pm-12am Sunday, so anytime in there I can work with, I am also free Tuesdays after 3pm however that might not really be an options considering the time difference.&nbsp; Pic: WIP Sheet: <a href="http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=631346" rel="nofollow">http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=631346</a>

I'm generating a character and I need to know the deities revolving around life and death.&nbsp;Also are traits being used?

Couldn't a noble fall in love with his harem girl, and listen to her also? It definitely happened in Egypt according to history =)

Poison said: Couldn't a noble fall in love with his harem girl, and listen to her also? It definitely happened in Egypt according to history =) I imagine the answer to that question is yes but it would probably be something like if a white man married a black woman in the 1920s, it was allowed but it wasn't accepted.

Doesn't that just make it more fun?

No but I didn't say anything about it taking away from the fun I'm just saying that's probably how it will be. By the way I'm using the official background generator

Mazilar grew up in the shadow of many. His Mother was the Orc Berserker Taldishra Razorgrin, a warrior both respected and feared in the lands bordering Haskur beyond the southern mountains. Leader of a Free Company formed from the ashes of her clan, Taldishra ruled the free company through meritocracy - strength came far before blood in representing one's place within the ranks. She took many lovers to her bed, finding the idea that a woman must surrender her sexuality to the beck and whim of a man to be one of many foolish concepts created by 'Civilized' races. As such, it can not be fully known who &nbsp;Mazilar's father actually is. His mother's tribe were not the craven brutes widely known to represent the orcish race, but deeply spiritual and disciplined people. They held the belief that the glory you achieve in life affects your place in the afterlife, and the grandest among them ascend to the heavens upon their death; becoming stars and constellations that watch over their race for all the years to come. Taldishra did not allow her pregnancy to hinder her in the slightest, and maintained her active lifestyle and warring ways right up until the ninth month. However, not all agreed with her acceptance of other races into the clan and this seed of discontentment inspired a lot to bring low the mighty Berserker. She commissioned specially made armor in order to protect her swollen belly, but the conspirators released acid upon the metal on the eve before the Free Company met a rival warband in battle; severely weakening its strength. Though the mighty Razorgrin sent a great many foes into the great beyond that day, this critical deception allowed a glancing blow to bite deep - gashing her womb open and marking the ending of her life. But so too did the felling blow endanger the fledgling child now thrust into this bitter world, and in desperation Taldrishra called upon her mighty ancestors to offer her son his rightful chance to gain a place among the stars. Neither God nor Forerunner answered her plea, but her cry did not go unanswered - the mighty Demon Narzorvalian appeared before her and offered a deal. None know the exact parameters of the agreement made that day, only that the Demon healed the grievous wound dealt to the babe and held Taldishra upon the brink of death long enough to grant her son a name. However, it is believed that both the pregnancy and demonic pact have cost Taldishra her place among the glorious forebearers - the shamans claim that she died without honor. The burden of glory rests upon Mazilar's shoulders. for not only is he expected to restore his mother's honor by proving her sacrifice valorous, but also to surpass even her uncounted glories and earn his own place among the stars. The Free Company raised him in a volatile upbringing, as the absence of Taldishra's unifying power brought the mighty mercenaries into petty infighting and frequent scheming to heap glory upon oneself regardless of the expense paid by your fellows The Demon's wicked power taints his blood, fermenting in his veins into a font of Eldritch power. Mazilar shares his mother's unspeakable bloodthirst, gripped by the same rage that raised high her name. His search for ever greater glory brought him to serve the Serpent King when the call to arms was issued against the hated invaders, first as one of the nameless conscripts and now as one of the mighty Serpent Guard. The towering half-orc brought his terrible strength to bear in the brutal campaign against the Francan empire, wading into battle with a towering totem carved with the many names and faces of his illustrious ancestors. Amongst the smoking ruins of the city, Mazilar met his destined familiar - the sloth he has dubbed Syklo. His sheer ferocity proved instrumental in breaking the capital's spirit, shattering doors that stood steadfast for uncounted years. For his valor, Mazilar ascended into the Serpent Guard and achieved the first milestone in his endless quest for glory. In aftermath of sacking the capital, Mazilar claimed the fiery Dahlia Elydrias as his first bride - an exotic beauty notable to him only because she stood her ground when the other noblewomen shrank away. Dahlia is an ambitious woman who holds no patriotism to her country, recognizing it as a conquered nation and the potential to rise above her assigned station by currying favor with her husband. She is far from stupid, and understands that she will be one wife among many in time - it is her goal to make sure that she is first &nbsp;among these many wives. In the short term, Mazilar seeks to heap further glory upon his name in service of Yana - loyal to the man who first raised him above the petty masses. While a simple goal to many, the nature of his quest adds significant nuance - failure will cost him much more than his life. Aside from his stated goal of becoming one of the coveted stars. Mazilar believes that the Demon that stained his mother's legacy lingers in the shadows - his greatest desire is to bring low this mightiest of foes regardless of the cost to his life.&nbsp; ________________________________________________ Mazilar Portrait: PENDING Dahlia Portrait: PENDING Availability - 5pm-2am EST/EDT Almost every day. If the game ends up being on varying days, my availiblity can be much more open; I do not work a set schedule but work morning shifts almost every day. My normal shift is 8am to 3/4pm, but my days off change weekly and I am available quite freely on those days. I am working on a sheet, but wanted to put forth the fluff before I delve too deeply into the crunch. I can change anything that you don't feel will fit.

Out of curiosity what would be the time frame for this because if this starts in late December I might have trouble playing because of Holiday constraints?&nbsp;

Given that there's been no news from the GM for a week now, with the game start approaching, I suspect the campaign is a dud. Sadly, that's not uncommon on Roll20 - from both player- and GM side.

I suspected as such, but I was willing to play the optimist. Sad, this looked like it was going to be a pretty interesting concept.&nbsp;

Actually, we started the game already about 2 weeks ago. Apologies, I should have posted that I am no longer looking for players, my bad.