Fantasy The Outlands

[Nogoodname]

The small ship creaked and groaned in protest with every crashing wave slamming against its hull, causing it to shift and sway in the open ocean. Up above on the top deck a storm raged, the rain coming down in droves, crashing against the wooden deck and slipping through the cracks to drip down into the lower decks where the exiles sat, awaiting arrival at their destination. The journey so far had been a miserable one for you and the small group of other exiles, kept down here for days, with little to do but think of the inevitable.. Once the ship hit landfall.. you would be in the Outlands... A desolate, hostile wasteland of a continent would now be the place they called home. The Outlands had made a name for itself as the home of the mad, and the foolish, rumors spread across the land of great treasures, guarded by even greater dangers, eagerly inviting the greedy to their doom. And now.. it was time for a new group to be sent out, made to brave the untamed wild against their own will. There would be no return for these people, and that was exactly what the king wanted.

The group of you remembered the day of your exile with incredible clarity. Woken up in your cramped cell early in the morning, only given a few hours to stuff your entire life into a small bag before being whisked away to the docks in chains. Maybe some had come to see you off, maybe they hadn't, already cutting their losses, and maybe you never had someone to mourn you in the first place... The guards had unchained you, only to throw you below deck with some other strangers, a rag tag looking bunch no more prepared for the endeavor. The ship had set sail shortly after.. and the beginning of your end was underway.

You know now that landfall is destined to happen any day now, you've been at sea for so long the outlands must be within view, but from the little information you overhear from the shouting of the crew above there's no mention of land. Maybe now would be a good time to take some inventory? Maybe make a new friend? Who knows when you'll have down time like this in the Outlands, best to put it to good use.
shadowz1995 Juju Mx.Trinity slim Scaleless seasonedcat Fluffy-Kat Archie

Important links:
CS: The Outlands Character sheets
OOC: The Outlands OOC
Extra pages: The Outlands Extra Pages

 

[shadowz1995]

FENRIR & ALYXANDRA ARKUS

What the hell was the point of it all?

For years, Fen and his family lived in hiding from the world. For years, they were happy and never bothered anyone. Vela was a mage, yes. Vela even practiced what those considered to be dark magic, yes. But Vela never hurt anyone.... at least, not while he had known her. They had lived peacefully.

Of course, that didn't matter when money was involved. One of the villagers Fen's wife had helped decided coin was more valuable then life she had saved. Coin was more valuable than that miserable prick's mother. He sold them out and they had to run. Alyx was barely five years old at the time that it all happened. She had been growing up happily, without a care in the world. Her earliest memories were of her sitting in between Momma's legs next to the hearth. She played with toys while Momma studied her big books and Papa trained outside.

Everything was blissful.

Life proved that happiness that great could not go unpunished.

While they ran, Vela tried desperately to teach her child the very basics of Arcane magic. She knew of her daughter's potential and talent. Simultaneously, Fen tried to teach her physical techniques. Ways in which to defend herself when magic or words failed. It was cruel and unfair but it was the life they lived. Vela was caught and executed..... but Fen could not stop running. He needed to keep their child safe, though her death caused him to grow cold and hateful. Two years they lived in secrecy and after two years, they had finally been caught.

For whatever twist of fate, they were stayed of execution and were instead banished to the Outlands.

Now, they sat together among a group of strangers, under the deck of a flimsy boat in the middle of a storm.

Fenrir was in his full armor and armed with his loyal weapon. The longsword that had served with him since his knighthood. Other than that, he brought a few blade sharpening utensils and some rations. The man was large and imposing, only amplified by his full armor get up. A very glaring contrast to the shivering, red haired child within his embrace. Fen was sitting down against the wooden walls of the lower deck and Alyx sat in between his legs, clutching to his arms which held her. She was cold, confused, and above all, scared. The events of the past few days still had her whirling and the only anchor she found was her father and the thick book she carried against her chest. "Papa, where are we going? Why is this happening? I want to go home..."

The questions were met with a hard sigh, the metal helmet making it sound disembodied and strange. " I do too, sweetheart. But we can't go home anymore." The little girl's eyes started to become filled with tears for what probably was the fifth time during this entire boat trip. Though, before she just cried. This was the first time her soft voice was heard since they boarded. It was also the first time Fen spoke. "Did we do something bad?" "No, we didn't do anything bad."

The young child cried silently and Fen could do nothing but huddle closer to her. He couldn't even provide her decent comfort. He had to be exiled with his armor and weapons on or lose them forever. That was the deal he made with guards. His time as a royal knight turned out to be useful in the end. But now, it was a struggle just to keep his daughter warm.

Still, her safety was more important than her comfort. Alyxandra was all he had left..... ​

 

[Juju]

With an irritating plop, a fat drop of water landed on Tahira's head. Again. She had shifted positions at least three times since the storm started but no matter where she went there was water leaking on her. This storm had lasted forever… so long that she couldn't tell how many days had passed.

Yet in all this chaos one thing was for certain; she did not belong here with these ruffians and criminals. Unlike herself, who had been wrongly accused of a crime, she was sure that every one of these people had aptly earned their exile. How? All it took was a look at the miserable sods. Scars and scratches and yes, missing limbs (Accident or punishment for thievery, she wondered) was enough to tell her that she wasn't in the presence of society's crème de la crème .They had even thrown in a child… just another sign of Albion’s lack of sophistication.

So how did she end up here? Well that was easy. When your entire life hits rock bottom then somehow finds a way to fall even deeper into the abyss one can often trace it back to one wrong move.

Never trust an Albionian [Albion? Albionese? eh, whatever, you know what I mean]

All of them were greedy, inbred pig-dogs whom would sell their mother if it meant a gold coin. Wormy little fiends, all of them! Tahira should have known better than to trust one as a business partner. That backstabbing cur. Had she known his little threat over dinner actually had some teeth she would’ve paid for someone to find a place in the river for his body. However, the blame could not be entirely on her scheming colleague. Albion itself was responsible for that lack-wit's success.

Among other countless flaws there was no civilized justice system, just a paranoid court filled with fools and shrewish imbeciles… but that was Albion for you. It was a wonder the kingdom was even considered a civilization at this point.The court spent more time accusing each other of treachery than actually dealing with public cases. The dancing monkeys sold in the Balthan Bazaar could’ve run the court better. At least that way the shit was thrown around, and not spewed out of the court’s mouths to be proclaimed as justice.

Instead of a trial -- what refined cultures can host -- Tahira was arrested in her home and told she had been found guilty of supporting rebels. It was a joke, or at least she thought so and wasted most of her packing time by arguing with the guards. Even now she could hardly believe what had happened… everything she had built up just taken away. Everything she couldn’t stuff inside a bag at least. Compared to these guttersnipes, that was quite a lot to be left behind. Hell, the contents of her bag was probably worth more than their entire life’s fortune.

Tahira opened her bag and took a peek inside to make sure everything was still in place. She was given hardly any time, no thanks to her heated argument, but she had still managed to scavenge a few things from around the manor. Half of the elaborate bag was filled with neat bundles of herbs -- primarily for dulling pain -- paired with the smallest mortar and pestle she could find. The other half housed a bit of food (a jar of honey, two loaves of spice bread, a slice of goat cheese and a handful of fruit) a blanket, wine-skin, change of clothes [priorities people!] and a worn deck of tarot cards. Tahira had no idea why she even decided to bring the last item along… but even though she hated those memories the thought of leaving the cards behind to be auctioned off made her skin crawl. The only thing that wasn't easily accessible was the silken sack of priceless gems she had squirreled away within a hidden pocket. It was small, but carried more weight than a carriage of gold.

With an annoyed sigh, Tahira shut her bag and leaned her head against the ship's wooden belly. She closed her eyes for a moment before another drop of salt water splashed onto her nose. There was just no respite from this hell. Sleep was not an option soTahira decided to take stock of the exiles around her. Amputee, thief, whining child and mystery man in the armor. The only ones who had spoken so far were the last two. A rather poor selection.

Tahira halfheartedly listened as the man comforted the child and couldn't help but scoff at his last comment. "Don't be like that, Sir Knight. That quality of steel doesn't just get shipped out to sea for an off day. Not even an Albion king is that stupid to waste a good sword during a time of rebellion." she said, looking at the craftsmanship of his armor. Her amber eyes flickered back up to his own, then narrowed as she tilted her head "I'm surprised they even let you take it with you, though by the state of this ship your the foolish one here. You'll swim like a stone. Maybe that was the point."

She gave a curt laugh, her smile fading instantly. "So what did you really do? Had to be something significant for such a prestigious knight to be unseated. Juicy secrets of the king? Rebel affiliations?... Maybe an illegitimate child that needed hiding?"

shadowz1995

 

[slim]

Velina Koll
The woman was surprisingly silent as the ship drew further and further away from land. She should have been seething at this point- getting blamed for someone else's crimes could do that to a person. Instead, she tried to ignore the chill that had set in her bones and caused the stump of her arm to ache.

She hadn't even bothered to see who her companions on the voyage were and instead kept her eyes to the wall in front of her with a gaze so strong it surely would've blown it apart if she had that kind of magic. Maybe she was in shock? Her mind was blank and she felt only a small tether to her body. Velina willed herself to break the intense gaze ahead of her and get back to her senses. Almost immediately, a feeling of pure fury rushed over her as every single image of the events that had led up to this predicament flashed through her mind. Ah.

Revenge was probably going to be nonexistent but now it was light at the end of the tunnel, something to strive for. Jolben would have to beg day and night for his life and she'd still end him but slowly. Betrayal really did hurt, especially when the person who did it was the last person you expected it from.

Velina ruffled through her bag to make sure everything was in the small worn thing. Her sword was in its scabbard and she ran her fingers over it for a few moments, it's presence reassuring her. She pulled it out and fixed it around her waist before looking at the other contents. Clothes, food that was going to taste like dirt but got her through the long nights during battles without going bad, Milk of the Poppy, and some flint. She was surprised nothing had been removed since she was seen as an enemy of the kingdom.

She caught wisps of conversation and she turned her head, finally acknowledging the other passengers. It was some woman and...Velina's eyes widened in surprise. It had to be Fen and his daughter, no doubt about it. It seems they hadn't been clever enough. The woman was addressing him, it seemed, and Velina raised an eyebrow at her tone.

"If I were you, I'd hold your tongue. Wherever we're going, I'm sure you'll be wanting a suit of armor." Velina remarked nonchalantly.

Juju shadowz1995

 

[shadowz1995]

Alyx's head twitched to the woman and her eyes just began to produce even more tears. Fenrir was holding his fury back for this whole situation but this woman off to the side poked at a beast that should be better left alone. Very, very alone.

That was one thing....

But to make his already distraught child fall just a bit deeper into that despair was unforgiveable. As previously stated, she was all the man had left. Cold fury glared at the woman through the eye slits in his helmet. The stare of a man who had killed more men than he could count and was now adding her to the list of the damned.

"You will be the first to die out there."

His words were like death personified. A foreshadowing that promised rather than warned.

For the first time on the trip, the child broke out of her stupor. Small hands flew to the armored man's gauntlet in a gesture of restraint, "Papa don't." The child's words quelled the fire growing in his belly and the man looked away with a harsh sigh.

It was then a familiar voice sounded off and Fen looked over to see an old traveling companion. "Velina... I see you didn't make it either. I'm sorry to see that." He said formally. They may not have known each other for long but they had still traveled together for some time had gotten along decently well.
​

Nogoodname Juju slim

 

[Juju]

It seemed the cripple had a voice after all, though it would’ve been preferable if she had been a mute. Telling her to bite her tongue? Clearly this beggar didn’t know who she was (...or was once). Tahira’s attention was brought back Fen and she blinked at him, taken aback by that malicious tone. It sent a shiver up her spine, a creeping feeling of dread that began with those haunting eyes.

"You will be the first to die out there."​

She could only stare at him with an expression devoid of her previous haughtiness, or anything really. It was as if she had been sleeping and then suddenly slapped awake, but when the child placed her hands on her father’s own she regained a bit of her previous composure. Whether he would heed his child’s words remained to be seen, but Tahira was willing to bet he would. At least for now. That may be useful later.

The threat was quite thought provoking… if it wasn’t somewhat dampened by the fact Tahira had already known that she was going to die out there. Such dark premonitions called for more wine. Tahira retrieved a wineskin from her bag and tilted it into her mouth. The sharp smelling liquid burned her mouth and throat as she swallowed it, leaving a spicy aftertaste. Much better.Truth was, it was unlikely any of the people here would be surviving so being told she was going to die was nothing really new.

She gave a curt ‘hmph’ and closed her eyes while leaning her head back against the ship’s hull. “If you think armor will make a difference out there than you haven’t heard half the stories. Giant serpents with fangs as big as swords, faceless shadows with a hunger for blood, plants that can eat a man whole. There’s a reason why the king sends we unwanted few there. An unforgiving land full of snarks an grumpkins. If you survive the latter, you'll die of the first." Tahira didn't notice nor care if people were listening to her rant or not.

Tahira was tucking the wineskin back into her bag when she noticed the change in weight since the beginning of their pleasant voyage. She held it up, rolling it in her hand a bit and came to the harrowing realization that it was half empty.“Bushna!” she swore, her eyes holding despair. If she was going to die out there, she needed wine. Her bitter mourning was interrupted when another drop of salt water fell onto her head. Stupid, Albion shit-quality ship. At this rate she wouldn't have to worry about The Outlands.

shadowz1995 slim

 

[seasonedcat]

Ah, the swaying of a boat on sea, the smell of salt, the dripping noise of leaks, and the sound of pissed off people. Nothing like a good ol' ride with tension and depression so think that it was basically sinking the boat on your way to the place you'll die. Great right? Of course it is. Adella sat in a poorly made chair that was worn from the salt of the sea water and the butts of the other losers who found themselves arrested and sent to die in the place known as Outlands. May it be by becoming a buffet for any of the many species out there, starving, dehydration, falling to death or maybe just normal things like disease or asphyxiation.

While the others began talking and having a few drinks before it was time to kick the bucket, Adella just sat there not really caring. She had survived as a rebel, the Outlands will be nothing. She will survive and become famous, proving to the people that their 'precious' king was wrong. Adella stood up stretching a little as she made her way over to Tahira. Ya Adella knew of her, the famous dancer who fell from fame, she might have something cool in her bag to keep her entertained while they continue their long journey.

Adella quickly shifted through the bag without Tahira's knowledge having done this time and time again, it was easy. A dagger made of the finest metal and had expensive gems on it sat in there ripe for the taking. Adella carefully picked it up and closed the bag again. "Dang this is a fine dagger." she said making herself now known to Tahira as she leaned on the creaky table. A childish smirk made it's way to her lips, "Hope you don't mind if I keep it..."
Juju

 

[Nogoodname]

After a few more minutes the group of you finally hears the word you've been dreading, "Land!" calls a crew member from above, no doubt you'll be arriving any moment now. The storm rages onward as if it's trying to spare the group of you from your fate with a more merciful death, but the capable crew is able to bring the ship into the docks. The sound of heavy boots echoed down the lower deck of the ship, and the arcane and divine sensitive of the group could already feel the presence of silencers. Ancient relics of the Albion/Orian war, Silencers were enchanted artifacts that suppressed a casters connection with Domum, as well as the gods above, rendering them unable to use their magic. In seconds the door to the small cabin in which your group is held was thrown open to reveal four men standing in the doorway, two in front flanked by the two guards who had kept watch over the room. The two men in front entered the room to address you, on the right stood an elf, a high elf, short blond hair with deep blue eyes that stared down at the group with a sort of fire to them, as if he was just waiting for something to start. He carried himself highly dressed in a decorative red and gold uniform, his long, clearly a man of high rank. To the left stood a human who seemed like a stark contrast to his companion, he seemed to be much younger, somewhere in his twenties if you had to guess, and seemed much more anxious, jumpy even. His long brown hair flowed just above his shoulders, and his brown eyes seemed to shift over each of you analytically, this one wore a brown long coat devoid of any flair or sign of rank. But the strangest thing about this human was the weapon he held, a long cylindrical piece of steel with a small handle, as well as a wooden stock. Some of you would identify this as a revolver rifle, a rather new piece of Balthian tech that used black powder to propel bits of lead to incredibly high speeds, enough to pierce flesh and bone, sometimes even armor. This kind of technology is incredibly rare, perhaps the first thing you've ever seen of it's kind. The elf gave a simple nod before addressing the group "It's time, grab your things and prepare to disembark" he ordered, leaving no time for questions as he immediately stepped out to guide you off the ship. When you were ready, the group of you were lead up to the top deck, the two guards and the elf leading, and the man with the rifle following behind quietly.

From the top deck of the ship is where you finally got a glance of your new home, the outlands... though the view you received was definitely not something that you had expected. Where you expected to see desolate waste you instead saw, a small town. Not necessarily the most well off place, even from this distance you could tell, but it was a town nonetheless. From this distance you could see farms.. houses.. even a building that seemed to act as an inn! A far cry from the empty desert that you'd been told about in stories. Further off you even saw the treeline of a forest far past the town. The guards were quick to usher the group of you off down and off of the small prisoner ship, leaving you standing on the docks without much further interaction, though a few guards stayed around to watch, just in case one of you tried to stick around.

(The map in the extra pages has been updated!)

 

[seasonedcat]

(Joint post of me and Juju )
{Also get a-writing ya scrubs no need to let a good RP die shadowz1995 slim Archie Nogoodname }​

“...This is a fine dagger. Hope you don’t mind if I keep it...”

Tahira was trying her best to ignore her impending doom, well as best as one could when every creak of the rigging heralded the shrinking distance between she and the Outlands. She was completely oblivious to the fact that she had been pick-pocketed.

“Hey! Give that back you filthy rat!” She hissed, taking a swipe for her dagger. “How dare you… you sniveling inbred cur!”

Adella effortlessly moved the danger out of her reach an amused look on her face, “Nah, that’d be no fun!” She then stuck out her tongue.

The Balthan woman’s face was practically purple with rage by now. She had had enough of low-born scum taking the fruits of her labor. “Why you...” she growled lowly. The alcohol wasn’t much help, which is why she launched herself at the rogue with her hands balled up into fists in an effort to punch the pickpocket right in her smug face. “...little whore!”

Adella moved back easily, the childish smirk on her face never changing. “Now, now. That’s not a nice thing to say now is it?” As Tahira stumbled Adella pushed on her back, sending her into some nearby barrels.

The disgraced dancer collided with a barrel heavy with freshwater, smashing her back against the rim and falling to the floor. She let out a cry of pain, her limbs unusually shaky as she hauled herself up onto her knees. It was too much. The pain, like shadows beyond a fire, was creeping into her bones again. It sunk invisible fangs into her joints and filled the holes with hot coals. Tahira grit her teeth against the pain to keep herself from screaming and waited for it to pass. Still, the worst injury was her pride. She brought her head up to give Adella a glare as pointed as the dagger she stole but just as she opened her mouth to say something the arrival of the guards promptly interrupted.

Adella’s gaze shifted from Tahira to the door as two men entered. She waited for one of them to say something as the blonde one stared at them with a fiery gaze, as if expecting one of them to jump at him, weapons raised. No doubt that that has happened before though. She watched as he spoke a short, simple sentence before turning on his heels and leaving. “That was quite rude…” Adella muttered before sheathing her new dagger into her empty sheath on her right thigh, the one on her left being the home of her old dagger. She then began following the man, not even looking back at Tahira who was most likely glaring at her. Upon exiting the ship she was greeted with the sight of a town in the distance, ‘How dull...’

Tahira on the other hand, couldn’t help herself from letting out a short laugh. Her mood had been dangerously gloomy throughout the whole trip here but at the sight of those ragged hovels was enough to cause a bubble of relief form in her chest. This was the Outlands? So much for a desert, so much for the unspeakable creatures. Here she saw humans and where there were humans there was bribery. Bribery meant that Tahira could make it.