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Fantasy The Ashen- Dragonrider Roleplay

Selee-01

All according to my Scenario
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The Fields of Flame, all that remains of the Blasted North
Long ago, mankind lived in harmony. They sculpted towers of stone from the land, filled their weapons with the fire of the earth, drank deeply of the elemental magic that thrummed through the world. But when the greed of men overstepped the bounds of the natural order, defiling the rightful limits of their power, their magic rebounded onto them. Spells snapped like ten thousand chains, and a flood of destruction swept through the world.

The earth split, and its fiery blood spewed across the fertile fields. Black smoke mingled with the clouds, blackening heaven and quenching the sun. It rained acid, demon-glass, fire, and the onyx blood of monsters. Lightning and ice blasted the plains and mountains and cities of men. If humanity was to survive, they would need to unite and fight as one people.

And so they did. Humanity fled south, to the shores of the Endless Sea. There, warded by high mountains, and breathing air swept clean of corruption by the ocean breeze, mankind forged a new kingdom- the Principality of Arioch. Under the watchful eye of the mountains and stars, humanity fought back the darkness and a new Golden Age slowly but surely grew.

It has been five hundred years since those days of darkness and dread. Now, the Principality of Arioch enjoys a long and watchful peace... but it will not remain that way for long. Survivors of the Darkness are emerging from their caves in the storm-wracked North, and in the hungry dark they see the light of Arioch as a tempting prize.

You, as dragon-riders, the Ashen, are the best defense against the Northern threats. Riding fierce and formidable monsters, you are charged with defending the realm from raiders, reavers and would-be conquerors intent on snuffing out the light. Your mounts are fire-breathing, aggressive, stubborn beasts- gnarly, scaly, mean and hungry. No pretty show ponies are these, but ravenous fire-dragons who respect exactly one person: you. And even then, it’s a bit shaky. Sometimes dragons forget that they have a master and a task, and prefer to settle on the battlefield and start feasting on the blackened remains of horses and warriors.

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I’m looking for about 3-5 players, capable of posting a good 2/3 paragraphs per post. They don’t have to be super long, but you should be decently literate.

This is a dark fantasy, and although it’s not going to be super gory it will have some gore and violence. It’ll be on the high end of PG-13. Mature topics may be touched upon. Your characters are teenage soldiers after all, and will already be familiar with blood and death- dragons do not always accept a would-be rider. Nor do they always accept a rider the first time they try.

And as for the dragons, as I’ve noted they’re of the darker and more vicious sort. They do have a psychic, telepathic link to their riders, but they don’t speak so much as press their animal conscious on their riders. They’re two-legged and two-winged, tough, armored, and although fire-breathing they aren’t 100% fireproof- they can be scorched by prolonged exposure to dragonfire. They’re mean bastards, and love food more than anything except maybe their rider.

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Playable Dragon Breeds:
Whisperling: Light scout dragons, only 30/40 feet long and reliant on speed and agility to evade attacks. They’re lethally fast, but tend to lack in long-term endurance. More serpentine than other dragons. Tend to be high-strung and neurotic, but in battle this is a welcome trait- few dragons can sneak up on a Whisperling. Their razor-sharp horns and spikes can make even an armored Dreadnought bleed.

Strikejaw: The mid-range breed, typically 50/60 feet long, and the most traditional. These are the mainstay of the Ariochian dragon legions, a well-bred and stable breed which takes the most after the proportions of the wild dragon. Of the breeds, they tend to be the most tractable and obedient, but that’s not saying much. They have the most endurance of the dragons, and grow healthy and fast.

Scourgewing: The fiery, permanently-enraged terrors of the dragon legions. These dragons are no bigger than a Strikejaw in length, but are profoundly more vicious and aggressive. Their fires burn the hottest out of any dragon, and their ferocity is unmatched. In addition, these flaming demons are armored with greater capacity to withstand heat, but suffer from a lack of endurance. Their fireballs can melt towers and walls, earning these scourging beasts the moniker “siegebreaker dragons”. Their flames can reach hundreds of feet.

Venator: These 70/80 foot dragons are the preeminent dragon-killers of the dragon legions. Although only firing a small amount of flames, barely reaching a hundred feet in range, these dragons are built to hunt and kill other dragons. In the wild, this breed was known as cannibal dragons, or sometimes kingslayers, for their tendency to hunt other dragons- the so-called kings of the skies. Due to this cannibalistic nature, they cannot be kept in the same dragon pits as other species, and must be reared apart. However, prolonged acclimation to their fellows at least allows them to prioritize the enemy over their allies. Mostly.

Non-Playable Dragon Breeds:
Dreadnought: These colossal, 150/200 foot brutes are the largest of dragons. So huge are these beasts that they are almost never deployed, for their sheer size and volume of fire lays waste to friend and foe alike, and their formidable hunger exhausts the food supplies of armies. To see a Dreadnought take wing is to see the gods at war, for nothing can compare to a Dreadnought save perhaps a volcanic eruption or hurricane. To take down one of these brutes is to invoke a dozen Venators, or a hundred Whisperlings, for even mortal wounds cannot lay a Dreadnought low with any speed. They can rampage for days before falling, and their collapse would cause further destruction.

Firewyrms: Wingless dragons, these massive serpentine monsters are not ridden so much as aimed in the general direction of the enemy. Fundamentally wild animals, infant wyrms are taken and raised to obey orders, eventually taking on a howdah and striding across battlefields as living siege weapons. Spitting volcanic gouts of flame, these wyrms are the heaviest ground beasts used in warfare, and take an entire crew of men to direct.
 
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Here’s some general lore tidbits and some information on your characters. I’ll be writing up a character sheet soon-ish.

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Arioch is currently ruled by Prince Hazdahr III, the Pious. He reigns from the capital of Guardian City, which is where the seat of the dragon legions can be found as well. The heart of Arioch, Guardian City is located in the shadow of the Warding Mountains that divide Arioch from the North. Guardian City is only a dozen miles from the coast, and Port Imperialis.

As dragons loathe ships and anything to do with the ocean, they are kept in the Dragon Pits to the northeast and northwest of Guardian City. Due to the risk of attack, the Ashen are always to reside in the Dragon Pits, in special apartments and towers with easy access to their mounts.

Your immediate supervisor is Captain Kerian, who rides the Strikejaw Brimstone in battle. He’s only a few years older than the oldest PC at 24, but has proven his worth time and time again in the skies of battle. A bit of a renegade at times, but always gets results.

Your high commander is Marshal Damien, who rides the Dreadnought Wrath Unending. Although seldom seen in battle nowadays, he was and remains a formidable warrior despite his age. He’s stern, harsh, and strict, but fair to a fault, and always willing to listen to his subordinates.

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PC Info

Your characters come from a variety of backgrounds. Some of you are gutter trash, criminals and orphans press-ganged into riding a dragon to provide more bodies for the legions. Others are nobleborn scions of great houses, wealthy and eager to prove yourself. Wherever you come from, you’ll be front-line soldiers in the wars to come.

Your characters will range from 16 to 19, and have been in training for several years at this point. You’ll know your dragons well, and they will know you. Generally, you’ll be able to direct your mount without major issue. However, all of you will still be unblooded- you’ve never seen real combat.

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Basic Plot

The opening hook is that a wing of Northern dragons has been spotted crossing the Warding Mountains into Arioch lands and scouting out the territory. Your task will be to find these dragons, and capture one or more of them in order to bring them to Guardian City for interrogation.
 
Do the ashen get to choose their dragons or is it moreso their dragons choose them?
 
Do the ashen get to choose their dragons or is it moreso their dragons choose them?
It’s a bit of both- certain groups of candidates are sent to claim or try to claim specific breeds (such as, if there’s a shortage of Whisperling riders then the candidates would be sent to the Whisperlings). But the final choice is with the dragon, who may easily decide to kill and eat a candidate.
 
very interested! this fits an oc of mine quite well
 
question: are your dragon measurements a height or a length?
 
including tail? sorry trying to get a sense of scale of the big boi commander Damien has lol
 
including tail? sorry trying to get a sense of scale of the big boi commander Damien has lol
Yup, including tail.

Basically, a smaller Dreadnought is this big:

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20-foot skull, big enough to swallow a horse in one go. Weighing in at 500-600 tons, or in other words, being 5/6 times bigger in mass than the largest sauropod dinosaurs.


intringued in playing a venator rider
Nice! I’ll be getting a character sheet up soon.
 
Character Sheet

Name:
Gender:
Sexuality: Optional
Age: Ranging from 16 to 19
Appearance: Preferably a face claim and not a drawing. If you’re a really good artist and draw your own character, I’d allow it.

Personality: 2/3 paragraphs here.

Backstory: 2/3 paragraphs. Your origins range from a gutter rat picked out to serve as aerial fodder, the son or daughter of a farmer or similarly lower-class who went to hopefully win higher status for their family, or even a nobleman or the child of a long line of dragon-riders.

Dragon name:
Breed:
Coloration: Do note, most dragons are not brightly-colored. They’re realistically dull or simple in pattern and hue, as befits a massive flying predator. But feel free to play around within these limits!

Personality: 1/2 paragraphs on this.

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When you’re through, send me your sheet in PM!
 
let the search for a faceclaim begin 🔎
Preferably a face claim and not a drawing.
to clarify, you want real people claims?
 

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