» Tue Dec 23, 2014 1:29 am Auxiliary: The RP
***
Setting
It is mid-summer, the year 4E 172. Cyrodiil is feeling the full effects of the conflict that will come to be called “The Great War”, with many cities already beyond the Empire’s control. Leyawiin was lost the year prior, Bravil early in the spring, and Anvil – the most recent Dominion capture – fell soon after. Only a month ago, the siege of Kvatch was broken, and remains in the Empire’s hands, but it is only a matter of time before it too, along with Skingrad, falls into Dominion hands. All across the Cyrodiilic theatre of war, the Empire’s legions are being felled, slaughtered by the relative flexibility of the Dominion’s armies. Legion victories are few and far between; only the recent breaking of the siege of Kvatch suggests that the Empire is slowly coming to terms with their new opponent and that the playing field is levelling.
But it is not happening fast enough.
In response to these events, the upper echelons of the Legion decide that a new breed of soldier is required, one that can support the standard heavily armoured infantryman. A jack of all trades that can fight on foot or horseback, fulfil the role of line infantry, scout, shock cavalry and anything else in between. A soldier that can effectively counter anything that the Dominion can throw at them. In the end, General Jonna is the one who takes up the initiative to find the resources for the creation of this new soldier, and decides to train them in Skyrim, as High Rock is too far for their needs and Hammerfell and Cyrodiil are too engulfed by the war.
It is agreed that instead of trying to convert existing legionnaires away from the habits of a lifetime that they will start with fresh recruits, allowing them to mould the recruits into a new tactical doctrine and keeping already existing legionnaires in the fight, rather than diverting them when they are needed most. It is also agreed that they will be trained in Whiterun Hold, as it is one of the few places in Skyrim that is ideal to train cavalry and has a variety of different terrains. So it is that the call is made; horses are bought, supplies requisitioned, weapons and armours smithed.
Now, in mid-summer, around a thousand recruits have been found; farmers, stable hands, woodsmen, apprentices, but few of them warriors. A few horses of their own, but most have their steeds provided for them. Fewer still bring any weapons or armour, outfitted with chainmail and leather and a standard sword or axe and shield. Yet, while they appear to be nothing impressive, they are all of them destined for greatness, for within each of them is the potential to be heroes. And so, with the man tasked with training and leading the newly created 1st Auxilary less than a few hours ride away, their training can begin in earnest.
***
Premise
“Auxiliary: The RP” will focus on a group of legionnaires that have been drafted into the same unit and follow their journey from fresh, untrained recruits at the start of their training, to the grizzled veterans they will be at the end of the Great War. This RP will span 172-175 of the Fourth Era, so most of the Great War, set in both Cyrodiil and Skyrim, and will feature time skips of up to a couple of months in order to keep the story moving. It will focus on a mix of character interaction and battle sequences. Looking for around eight to twelve members. So, if you’re looking for something that has a little bit of everything, I hope you’ll give it a go.
Rules
Most of these should be obvious by now, but for the sake of propriety, I’ll stick them here anyway.
1) No God-moding or uber characters. I’ll hit this point home later on.
2) No controlling other people’s characters without permission.
3) Romance is completely fine, but keep it tasteful.
4) Listen to the word of the GMs. At this point, it’s only me, but I’m hoping to get maybe one or two other people on board, depending on player numbers.
5) If for any reason you have to leave the RP let us know. There will be times when motivation leaves you or you hit writer’s block.
6) Most important than all the rest, HAVE FUN. This is why we are here after all.
A Note on Characters
I’ve seen a lot of RP’s in a legion style setting, but they were usually featuring a bunch of grizzled veterans or at the very least, people who were already pretty good at their jobs. For this RP, I want to turn this idea on its head.
The idea is basically, the character you play here doesn’t start off as a hero – as few heroes do – but starts off as the most regular person imaginable. They aren’t a great warrior or a renowned war hero, not at the start. But as they progress through the RP, they will grow with skill and develop in character, they will essentially be heroes in the end, the leads of this story, if you will.
This does limit some of the characters you can create. For example, if you prefer RPing as characters that are badass assassins, this probably isn’t the RP for you. Basically, the more ordinary, fearful and flawed, the better. Below are two character sheets of characters I’ll play in the RP.
Character Summary:
Targon Longstride (Nord, 38) is a recently promoted Legate in the Imperial Legion, current Thane of Whiterun and Patriarch of Clan Longstride. As with so many of his line, he is a stern and honourable man, loyal to the legion, his home and his family. He has been placed with the duty of training the 1st Auxilary, getting then ready for combat and then leading them against the Dominion in war.
Appearance:
Standing in at 6’6”, Targon towers over most men. Though he is not overly broad he still possesses a warrior’s body, even as he starts to exit his prime. His body is covered with scars from a lifetime of violence, each one earned in battle. Targon has relatively long face which features a heavily bearded jaw that matches his lengthy hair, both of brown and flecked with grey. Underneath a strong brow are grey eyes that have seen much death in their time. Overall, he is strong and authoritative looking.
Weapons, Attire, Misc:
Targon’s armour is the heavy steel plate and mail favoured by officers and heavy assault troops of the Legion, although the gauntlets and greaves are of a more Nordic design. His helmet however is of Imperial design, featuring a tall red horsehair plume that along with his red cloak, act as symbols of his rank. He also has a heavier grey cloak with a fur mantle for colder weather. He wears well-made leathers, furs and tunics when not wearing his armour. He also wears a silver signet ring on his right index finger, while on his left ring finger sits a simple gold band – his wedding ring.
As Patriarch of Clan Longstride, he carries the family ancestral weapon – a giant of a greatsword made of Sky-forged steel – named Sunstrike. However, Targon’s preferred weapon of choice is a longsword of exquisite craft, featuring hints of Nordic and elven design. As a backup, Targon also carries a curved elven dagger – a prize of battle. He owns a strong heavy white warhorse named Praetorian.
Skills:
As a Legate, Targon has all the necessary skills to lead men in battle – both at the head and from the rear – as well as composing strategies for when battle is joined. For years, he has trained in the use of heavy armour, bladed weapons of one or two hands and mounted combat. He also has skills in politics and bureaucracy.
Aside from his mundane skills, Targon had the rare privilege of studying under the Greybeards of High Hrothgar for a short time, who kindled his affinity with the Thu’um. As a result, he has access to a full strength “Unrelenting Force” shout, as well as the first words of “Kyne’s Peace” and “Dismay”.
Personality:
An incredibly stern and no-nonsense individual, Targon is renowned for his honour and sense of duty. His temper is also renowned, formidable when roused, but most of the time it is kept in check behind an air of stern disappointment. He is very calm under pressure, and not prone to losing his composure. He always makes his expectations clear to those under his command, and has little sympathy for those who cannot meet them. However, he is also very committed to the lives of those he charged with commanding and protecting, and will do everything in his power to get them home safe. He is brave and honourable to a fault, never shirking from his duty to his men, his family or his home. To the few he counts as friend, he reveals a much softer side, not just the warrior, but the father, the man.
History:
The Longstrides have been Thanes in Whiterun since the end of the third era, and long before that they were still one of the greatest noble families in the hold, rivalling the great clans Grey-Mane and Battle-Born. For as long as anyone can remember, they have served both in the Imperial Legion and acted as Protector of the Hold – the man in charge of the military aspects of a Jarl’s realm. Targon is no exception.
Targon was born in 4E 135, the first born son of Stafford Longstride, and the grandson of Thane Aedan Longstride. His younger brothers, Falhof and Bjorn, were born two and five years later respectively. As he grew older, it became apparent that Targon had an aptitude to learn the Voice, and so at the age of fourteen he was sent to High Hrothgar, where the Greybeards agreed to nurture his gift, an honour reserved for very few. In the same year, Thane Aedan passed away, and Stafford Longstride took up the mantle as Thane.
However, fate took a twist for the worst in 4E 155 when Stafford Longstride died in battle, defending Whiterun against a bandit uprising. Targon, now aged twenty, was visited by Falhof who beseeched him to return to Whiterun to take up his rightful place as Thane and Patriarch. Targon was counselled by the Greybeards that if he left High Hrothgar, he could never again resume his training. Targon accepted this fate, and left to become Thane of Whiterun.
However, he did not remain in Whiterun for very long, and he left to serve in the legion as all the other patriarchs had done before him. With him went Valorin, a Bosmer of thirty eight winters, also joined with him and acted as his lieutenant. Valorin had served the Longstrides ever since his own father, Valahil, had died in Thane Aedan’s service the same year as Targon’s birth. The title of Protector of the Hold was passed to Stafford’s Housecarl, Ragnar Barrowblade.
Targon rose through the ranks quickly over the next three years of his service. By 4E 158 he was one of the garrison commanders in Falkreath, responsible for a fifth of the hold’s legionnaires. In the same year, he met Freya Riverdane, the seventeen year old shieldmaiden who was daughter to one of Falkreath’s most powerful farm-holders. The two quickly became quite friendly with each other. Meanwhile, Falhof had taken up the mantle of Protector of the Hold in Targon’s absence, while Ragnar retired to a quieter life in Solitude.
But as was so often the case, the gods gave with one hand and took away with the other. Two years later, whilst on a hunting trip, Falhof was killed when they camped too close to a Cave Bear’s den. Though Bjorn was able to avenge him by killing the beast, it was too late for Falhof. Targon chose to break the family tradition and had Falhof buried in the Longstride crypt despite not being a patriarch.
In his grief, Freya tried to comfort Targon, and their relationship quickly changed into a shaky romance lasting two years until he finally asked for Freya’s hand in marriage in 4E 162. Initially, Freya refused seeing as she was still relatively young (21) and not quite ready to settle down, hoping for many more years of adventure before having any children and being wed. However, in the same year she nearly met her end at the hands of a Draugr while exploring an old Nordic ruin. While she survived the ordeal, the harrowing experience makes her re-evaluate her life and puts her off adventuring. In the end, she agrees to marry Targon and they are wed later that year.
With the birth of his son Jon in 4E 63, Targon resigned from the Legion with the rank of Praefect – only outranked by those carrying the rank of Tribune, Legate or General – and returned to Whiterun to live with his family and take up the mantle of Protector of the Hold. Bjorn having already earned much experience serving among the Jarl’s garrison joins the Legion, eventually attaining the rank of a garrison commander. The next year, Targon witnessed the birth of his second son Ned.
By 4E 171 and the outbreak of the Great War, Targon had earned an honourable reputation both in and outside of the legion. So much so that he was recalled by the Legions to fight in Cyrodiilic theatre of war, who needed all the experienced officers they could get. Leaving a heavily pregnant Freya and his two young sons, Targon rejoined the legion with his rank of Praefect and along with Bjorn and Valorin, was stationed in Colovia. Freya would give birth to Targon’s third son, Aedan, no more than a month later.
As 4E 172 began and winter ended, the forces of the Dominion – which had halted for the winter after taking Leyawiin and surrounding Bravil – began the task of completely occupying Cyrodiil. After taking Bravil, a second force took Anvil, allowing for direct resupply by sea. The two forces slowly started pushing northwards into Colovia. Targon was stationed with the Ninth legion in the Colovian Highlands. As praefect he was overall fourth in command, standing behind Legate Marius, Tribune Romulus and Tribune Attius.
Kvatch was besieged, and the ninth legion was dispatched to lift it at any cost. Hearing of the threat to the north, a large part of the dominion army was sent to meet the Legion army. The Ninth legion set up basic trenches and palisades near the Ayleid ruins of Talwinque and waited for the Dominion forces to arrive. Tribune Attius left with a group of men to scout for Dominion activity further west near County Skingrad to ensure the Ninth wouldn’t be flanked.
A few days later, word reached the Ninth of a group of soldiers from Northern county Kvatch that were coming to join the Legion in battle, less than a day away, and so Legate Marius and Tribune Romulus rode out to meet them with their guards. However, the message was false – a trick engineered by the Thalmor, who ambushed the Legate and Tribune. Only one rider escaped the ambush to deliver the news to the remaining officers. With all the highest ranking officers of the Ninth either dead or absent and a Dominion army just hours away, the command of the Ninth fell to Targon.
Despite the odds, Targon managed to lead the ninth legion to victory over the Dominion army, simultaneously breaking the siege of Kvatch in the process, as the remaining Dominion forces retreated back to Anvil.
It didn’t take long for Targon’s success to reach the brass, and for his valour in the field and for rising to the occasion of leading an entire legion, he was promoted to Legate. For a time, he remained with the ninth in Colovia, but he was recalled to Skyrim by none other than General Jonna herself. As someone who had managed to win one of few victories in the Cyrodiilic theatre of war at that point and a local of Skyrim, he was considered the best candidate to train and lead an entirely new kind of fighting force to fight the Dominion. So it was that Targon finds himself back in his home hold of Whiterun and on route to a muster field with little more than a year to get the 1st Auxiliary ready for combat.
Gwendoline Braddach (Breton, 19), affectionately known as “Gwen” is a young Reachwoman, one of many people who have joined the 1st Auxiliary. She has never fought a day in her life, but she has volunteered nonetheless, following in the footsteps of her older brother. Inexperienced, but full of quiet hope, she believes that her freedom is worth fighting for.
Appearance:
Bright green eyes and long jet black hair contrast with pale white skin. She is very slender in build and fairly short at 5’8”. She isn’t overwhelmingly beautiful, people would more likely describe her as cute or pretty. Her hands are already fairly calloused from a life of farming. She isn’t frail but clearly not overly strong, but still fairly fit. As is tradition among many Reachfolk, she has tattoos; thorned vines of blue snake up her back, over her shoulders and then to her upper chest, in a symmetrical pattern. She has a single scar on her left hip from when she took a fall from her horse.
Weapons, Attire, Misc:
Having been up until now a simple farmer, Gwen is unused to the chain hauberk and leather splint armour she has recently been given upon recruitment, nor the simple broadsword, dagger and round shield. She is marginally better with her hunting bow and arrows. She owns some plain tunics, one of legion red, as well as sturdy boots. She often wears a simple pendant around her neck of smooth mammoth ivory; a gift from her brother. She owns a simple bay horse, Epona.
Skills:
Gwendoline has next to no combat experience, although she is able to ride a horse fairly well. Most of her skills have laid in farming and to some extent hunting. However, long hours on the plough have made her somewhat used to manual labour and physical exertion, though not to the extent that she will have to become used to in the near future. Aside from this, she has some talent in singing and storytelling.
Personality:
Gwen is a usually quiet individual, but this changes in the face of perceived injustice. She is firm believer of fairness and sharing the load, and is quick to anger when someone doesn’t pull their weight. While not exactly an optimist, she does try to remain positive. She is someone who is utterly loyal and dutiful, though not one to blindly follow orders without consulting her moral compass. She has a deep love for her family, and ultimately it is this love for her family that sees her signing up to join the 1st Auxiliary.
History:
Gwendoline was born to a pair of farmers, the second eldest child after her brother, Faolan. Her family was always at odds with someone; because their clan didn’t push for Reach Independence as so many of their kinsmen did, they were often ostracised by certain clans. And because they were somewhat successful Reachfolk, they were regarded with suspicion by the local Nords. However, seeing as they lived on the borders of the Reach, they were not as heavily embroiled with the racial turmoil occurring in Markarth.
Gwen often dreamed of a life of adventure, though she knew that it was unlikely she would ever have the opportunity to live such a life, resigning herself to the idea of a quiet life, likely not far from the village where she’d been born.
Though Gwen was close to all of her siblings, it was with Faolan that she most related to, the pair being similar in humour and temperament. The pair were practically inseparable. This would soon change. Four years her elder, Faolan left when to join the Legion as soon as he was able, and was stationed in Cyrodiil near Leyawiin. And as a result, he was killed in the outbreak of the Great War.
The loss of her brother hit Gwendoline hard, close as she was to him, but convinced herself that he died a hero. And so when the opportunity came to honour his memory, she grasped it. Being close to the border of Whiterun, she heard of the muster taking place, and felt duty bound to enlist. Despite her family forbidding it, she took her horse and rode out to join the 1st Auxiliary
You don’t have to follow this format exactly, so long as all the details are there. The first character is obviously not the ordinary, untrained character I've spoken of, for obvious reasons. However the second character is an example of what I'm talking about.
So, I’ve talked long enough, I can’t wait to see what happens and I hope we have a fun time.
