Harrows (OOC)

[Ashen Star]

I have to admit that I've wanted to run a story for the longest time, and being stuck at home so much, maybe I'll be able to respond quickly.  Anyway, the idea for the game is a fantasy style setting.  The characters will be the heroes that come to the town of Harrows one way or another.  I'm hoping to keep things on the more mature and gritty side of fantasy since that seems to be what people prefer.  I'll give some setting first and see if people are interested.

Oy, now what are outsiders like ya doing bothering a simple badger folk like me?  Of course I can tell yer outsiders, wearing all that Zeritine satin or Spiris silks!  Round here folks were wool.  Wooool... like what ya make blankets from, eh?  Oh, those are silk too?  Well take yer silken sheets and shove em up yer... Oy?  Oh, ya want ta pay me ta tell ya about the town?  Three silvers for jawing?  Well... hmm... right then...

See this great slab of granite running along the valley?  It used ta be the main trade route between the Zeritines to the west and Spiris in the east.  If they don't cross here they have to go around for leagues along worse trails than this road.  Once there were always outsiders passing through with their coin, heading for one side or the other.  Since these are hostile lands, full of bloodtainted beasts, the safest place in Harrows is along the spine, so its a pretty cozy town.

Starting on the east is the Dawn fort.  Pretty impressive, eh?  Spiris paid for it ta make sure the town stayed open, course that was almost three hundred years ago.  It's where the militia gathers ta train and where the town guard operates from.  Lot of business there for mercenaries, or so I've been told.  Lord Cartley's family lives in the keep as well, but he's a good noble.  Keeps the taxes fair in tough times.  Rare for a human, eh?

Walkin west along the Trade road, which is the only road worth walking on if you want ta get anywhere, we got the town hall.  Mayor Gibbins runs it.  He's a good Beastfolk if you don't mind cats.  Cagey, he is, but he keeps the town running so he's got my vote.  If you're brave or a hard worker, he might have jobs for you.  And opposite it, yep, that's the Harrows Grand Opera.  Yup, our own Opera house.  Well... maybe it doesn't have all Opera.  They do plays there too.  The elf that owns it, Miss Tela, hasn't closed it yet.  Where she finds the money to keep it open is anyone's guess.

Right, little more east.  See that?  That's the Toweris Arecarium... but folks here just call it the red tower.  Not much to it now.  Two mage hunters keep the peace and laws, and the rest do their studies.  I hear Harrows is something of a retreat for them; get away from the distractions of the cities to try and find new and interesting ways to muck up the universe.  Don't worry none.  Nothing but red, green, and blue magic in there.  Leastways, that's what I hear.  Right past it is the narrows, skinniest part of this granite shelf.  There's room for the Trade road and that's it.  Go on, look over the edge?  Ha!  Long way down, isn't?  Near a thousand spans, I'm told.  See those holes dug into tha cliff?  Those are the barrows.  Graves, they are, but how they got carved in rock four hundred spans up boggles me mind.

Now we're at the west half o town.  Looks a bit more run down, eh?  When all the trade dried up, lots of folks moved to the east half.  Still, there's some liveliness here.  That's the Golden Hall, temple to the sun, farming, and coin all in one.  You bust a leg or get some plague, best go see em.  They'll want a favor in return, or a head full of coin, but is better than walking about all gimped up.  Opposite of it is the old trade hall.  Only opens on firstday when most of the wagons come.  Still, if you're looking for something special, you might have luck there.

Past the hall are the stores and shops.  Yeah, a lot of em are closed.  With no business, it's no surprise.  Still, that building over there is Marick's and Marick's, place for all your quality steelwork.  No, they're not related.  And no, the one doing all the hammering isn't the Dwarf.   Mari Marick handles the coin.  Meridian Marrick, the halfling, she does the hammering.  And over there is Pelts... now I know it's a legitimate business, but there's just something... unseemly... about a cow folk making leather goods.  Jan's apothocary is next.  Not a bad folk for a goblin, and he's always got jobs out in the wilderness to fetch this herb or that mushroom.  He can whip you up a tonic in no time.

This far west we're almost out of town.  Most of these houses are empty, or homes to squatters and worse.  Still, there's some reason to come out here.  That there is Fancy's, the local bawdy house.  Only one too... accidents always seem ta any others what start up.  You can rent a room and a lad or lady by the night, hour, or minute if yer feeling expedient.  Miss Fancy's... well... I'll not be saying ill about her, but she's got work... and... ah... work...  Past that is Things.  It's ah... um... well...  I suppose you might call it a pawn shop.  Always seems to have... stuff... what used to belong to someone else if you catch my drift.  Worse, it's owned by one of those Ophidius... so sane folk give it a wide berth.

And here's the end, with the Dusk Fort.  Not quite as... erm... impressive as the Dawn Fort.  Truth be told, it's the older and larger o the two, but it's virtually abandoned.  All kinds of unsavories live there, and its dungeons have been... well... repurposed.  But if you want a peek inside, I'll stay out here with my silver, thank you kindly.

Beyond the town proper... well east are the hills and moors.  Folks what don't stay on the road risk geting stuck in a bog or lost in the mists that pop up from time to time.  West, you can see the mountains separating Zerit's deserts from us.  The trade road takes the only decent pass through the mountains.  See it there?  North is the valley.  Call it the greensward.  Plenty of farms and lots of mucky muddy ground.  Course only a few brave folk live down there, since you never know when some bloodtainted monster's going to come out of the wilds and eat you.  South is the woods and the quarry works.  Yeah, folks have been taking granite out of there since before there was a Harrows.

Right.  That's tha tour.  If yer looking for a place to stay for a spell, and you're too smart to room at Fancy's, I recommend "Harrow's Hall."  Nice upstanding place with a kitchen that makes pies ta die for.  Owned and cared for by the nicest, prettiest, finest fox folk you ever met... Miss Vietta.  I'll take you there myself!  Right...  and make sure you mention Bill Threestripes to her, eh?  That's the ticket!

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Professions:

Martial professions abound as there is no lack of want for skilled fighters.  Knights, usually in the service of wealthy patrons, wear the heaviest armor and typically fight from horseback.  Mercenaries typically wear cheaper, lighter armor as they have to buy it themselves and walk from job to job.  Skilled archers and crossbowmen are in great demand, but sadly attract lesser wages as they are less appreciated.  The lightest armed fighters are duelists, a form of fighting fancied by fine gentlemen which has caught on with lower classes.  Using a foil or rapier and minimal armor, they try and kill each other with refined elegance or their raw bravado.  While few would ever call them so to their face, barbarians in the wilds are fond of heavy hides and massive two handed weapons with which they can slay tainted monsters more effectively.  Mage-hunters are magically trained and resistant individuals that hunt down arcane criminals and those who practice forbidden magic.  The temples' inquisitors do the same for demonic and fell forces that are often more subtle in their mischeif.

Criminal professions are just as common and some are even seen as heroic, thanks to a certain fox folk robbing the gentry for a generation and giving to the poor, and himself.  And there's also the halfling that stole a dragon's horde handful by handful.  Such stories are told by bards and entertainers, who aren't above robbing the truth to make a good story.  Theives and Robbers are common enough too, specializing in taking things; the former from locked rooms and homes, the latter from the people in question.  Murderers for coin are popular too, but only a fool would go around calling themselves an assassin.  On the flip side are cannibals, ex criminals employed by the guard to serve as eyes and ears and problem solvers.  Most cannibals are under arcane geas that promise horrible fates if they fail to perform.  Lastly are investigators who ironically commit crimes to solve crimes.  Many see little problem in breaking in or battery if it uncovers evidence.

Arcane professions are divided according to school of study.  Red magic studies forces, both natural and magical, and specializes in things that go 'boom', 'fwoosh' or 'zap'.  Green magic specializes on tangible aspects of reality such as living systems and matter.  Transmutation and alchemy are their prevues, and while they study life few green mages would ever consider themselves "healers" and only a fool would go to them for that.  Blue magic is magic of the mind, dealing with thoughts, memories, and perceptions.  While only the most powerful and infamous blue mages can control minds, illusions and other misdirections are common and blue mages are the closest one gets to a therapist.  White magic overlaps with spiritual occupations, and details the study of spirits, ghosts, souls, and intangible aspects of the universe.  Black magic is forbidden because it usually involves necromancy, spells that damage souls, or murderous side effects.

Spiritual professions deal with the supernatural.  Priests and Clerics are acolytes of the gods, with the former serving in temples and the latter traveling the world to advance their patron's ideals.  Shamans deal with spiritualism, interacting with the 'gods' of the land and nature.  Druids are even more remote, becoming so in tune with nature that they abandon civilization, and to some, sanity.  Philosophics are city folk who like to investigate the supernatural from an intellectual and skeptical perspective, much to the annoyance of the faithful.  Mediums specialize in the spirits of the departed and the restless dead.  Diabolists and cultists pander to fel spirits and demons, and often seek out bloodtaint to empower themselves at their own rot and ruin.

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World history:  The world was created by eighteen gods and goddesses.  All was well when Taint entered creation and started a war with the gods.  The battle was long and hard, with six of the gods being slain by the Taint in the titanic battle.  Their sacrifice drove the being from the world, and from their blood the mortal races arose.  However, taint contaminated the land and the bloodlines of many people.  Some saw the bloodtaint as a source of power and wanted to concentrate it, while others seal it away where it can do less harm.  No power, not even the gods, can destroy taint.  When taint is ingested, it makes one sickly, then twists and mutates the body as power increases until it explodes or is slain.  Worse, when such abominations die, there's just a little more taint than they originally consumed.
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Races

Humans are the most tenacious and varied of the races, defining themselves by economic class and culture than species.  They descended from the slain god Humar; whose nature and history has been twisted by conjecture by all members of the race.

Spirians: liberal, artistic, hedonistic, active, good intentioned, creative, libertine.
Zenthians: traditional, formal, hierarchical, honorable, productive, dutiful.
Caldo: Dull, simple, pastoral, faithful, informal, fun loving, community oriented.
Fenfaris:  Taciturn, tough, combative, rural, poetic, solitary, nomadic, adaptive.
Elric: Aggressive, argumentative, intellectual, ambitious, rude, ruthless.
Sadi: Lazy, obscene, perverse, underhanded, criminal, drug addled, intoxicated.

Beast folk:  The Folk are humanoids with animalistic characteristics.  They are more widespread than humans, and vary more in form.  The goddess Vivalis, queen of the woods, was said to be very friendly with all the creatures of the wild, and her offspring were gifted with her blood to achieve sentience.  With her death, they achieved independence.  Beast folk frequently identify themselves by the animal they represent, such as rabbit-folk or dog-folk.  These divisions vary greatly, but all regard themselves as Folk first, and call other beast folk as "cousin".  Aside from animal traits, they have instincts that help them to survive in the wild, and many have a knack for handing their feral cousins.  There is no Beast folk nation, but there are countless small towns and settlements.

Elves: For eons elves were to be envied; they mastered all schools of magic and invented others humans couldn't dream of; like the creation of magical intelligences, teleportation, and immortality.  Descended from the slain god Angelis, master of magicks, magic was in their very being.  Then their entire civilization collapsed following the assassination of their rulers by diabolists.  Noble turned on noble, house on house, elf on elf.  Atrocity piled on atrocity.  Today elves are a scattered and neurotic people.  All have dealt with loss, and most have committed horrors in the name of revenge.  Most remain immortal, but are now doomed to watch a new generation age and die before their eyes.  Still, they survive how they can, waiting for vengeance to find them.

Dwarves and Halflings: The children of the earth were born from the blood of Terras, Dwarves from her blood mixing with stone and Halflings from it mixing with soil.  The two races regard each other as siblings, with all good and bad connotations of such a relationship.  Dwarves were ambitious and artistic, while Halflings were more agricultural and merchantile.  Dwarves carved riches from the earth and shaped it into wonders, and halflings grew crops and created trade between the Dwarves and outsiders.  Then everything blew up.  The dwarven lands under the Goldenspires exploded in a titanic volcanic eruption.  Only a few thousand escaped to Spiris.  Without their dwarven backers, many halflings were left at a loss, but recovered by travelling farther afield and tending to crops.

Goblins:  When Rexxar, god of battle, finally died to Chaos it was a gloriously bloody affair and before it was done and Chaos driven away by the mighty Rexxar his blood had been spattered far and wide.  From his blood arose the goblins, and one thing can be said of goblins: they like to fight.  They fight with each other and outsiders with equal glee.  Some are slaughtering monsters, some are pugilistic terrors, and some are honorable combatants.  Most have short tempers.  Goblins very greatly in appearance, but most have sharp teeth, claws, leathery or scaly skin, sharp spines, and other natural weapons.  They are civilized, however, and few want to give them reason to unify against a common foe.  Goblins are not stupid, but few want to engage them in a debate that might end with a broken leg.

Ophidians:  There are some who claim Zyrris faked her death and the goddess of secrets lives on.  The offspring of her blood certainly aren't telling.  Ophidians are serpents that would never deign to call themselves "folk".  They resemble large hooded snakes with heavy scales.  Ophidians have natural telekinetic ability and float as easily above the ground as terrestrials walk upon it.  They can utilize telekinetic hands, adding 'hands' as they age.  They also are the only race capable of communicating telepathically.  Ophidians love secrets and knowledge, and they are smug and aloof.  Most exist to learn lore and think less of others.  Some say that when Ophidians gain enough knowledge they transform into dragons; most ophidians fine the idea of transforming into a massive rampaging thoughtless monster quite insulting.  Ophidians are too arrogant for 'culture', and instead set themselves up in places where their superiority can be more manifest.  They are also the only creatures that can safely handle taint without risk of contamination.

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(So, is there enough interest to put up a template?)

[VAE]

Hmm... this definitely looks compelling.. though i AM waiting for GM post in Deification ...
Ophidians are pretty neat, as is the thought of porting a version of my fursona - the last darker themed game he was able to fit in well died unexpectedly after about three pages...

[Ashen Star]

guess its not interesting enough.  Apologies.

[VAE]

 Not entirely.
I'd guess the main reason is saturation.
A number of *large* new games popped up recently (P. Sheppard's one, Deification) and well, every RPer has a physical limit of a few games he is actually able to follow and play in.

[e_voyager]

VAE does have a  point i can't keep up with even half the games that are currently going on in here not to mention my external D&D game

[Arcalane]

Not to show interest, but;

You've gone into a fair bit of detail regarding the classes/professions and species/races, but very little regarding;

1) The rest of the setting, re: factions and locations. Eg; Who are the Zenthians, where are their major cities, etc.
2) What might happen, and why the players might have wound up in what seems to be such a backwater town.

Plus there's also busy times ahead. Maybe a little post-Christmas exhaustion still.