[Assumptah George]

The Rift, known for its beautiful autumn forests and rich rivers. However, nestled high in the mountains to the Southeast is an all but forgotten ruin of the ancient Dwemer race known as 'Rkund'. The mountains are the antithesis of The Rift's general climate. Here, it is dreary and often thick with overcast skies. Most days it is either snowing or a cold rain.

A mysterious note is passed out by various couriers, the note is a map labeled http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii97/Martyr_of_Death/BlackstoneSurfaceMap.jpg. For most, it is a fool's errand or a job for the adventurer, or, in rare cases, for those down on their luck seeking a new life. Upon the back is a letter to those literate or willing to hear what's written.

'To whomever finds this,

Opportunity awaits in the high passes of The Rift. My team and I have carved a staircase that can fit one wagon abriast up the mountain, but this by no means makes the trip safe. To those brave or desiring enough, the chance for money, honour and power await those eager to come to Blackstone, Southeast of the old Darklight Tower. Show this letter to the sentries at the gate and your wagon or yourself will be welcome through the gates. May the Nine guard your quest.

- Advar Ironvein, Lord of Blackstone'

After a long hard journey through Skyrim's rugged terrain, a queer sight meets the eyes. Two proud Dwemer towers stand vigil amongst grey stone bricked walls, with two small white pillars nearer to you. At the pillars are two bronze faces, menacing and foreboding as they look down upon you, as if silently judging your worth. Between them is a sturdy fence of wood, the tips sharp and deadly to those eager to sneak in. As you arrive at the gate, two armoured Dwemer peer over the stone walls, their helmets facing you. "Halt! Who goes there!". When you reveal the letter, one, a Dunmer woman with rich deep red hair removes her helmet and permits you through the gates. "Welcome to the cit-well, camp, of Blackstone. Just don't let Lord Ironvein hear you call it anything less. He only sees its potential. You'll like as not find him down in the city though the lift there." She points to the Dwemer tower nearest the high and unyielding mountain. "But you'll have to leave your carts out here." She hastily points you to the makeshift lumber and stone stables with horses covered in furs and fed with oat and grains in their trough.

A second sentry in Dwemer armour and a cowl over his head greets you as you arrive at the Lift, "Welcome to Blackstone, friends. Lord Ironvein wishes you well in your successes here. The Altmer looks at you and sees obvious curiousity and chuckles "I bet you're wondering why it's named Blackstone? So did I when I first arrived as part of the hired mercenary team to protect Advar, excuse me, Lord Ironvein. Well, you'll see why soon enough." The Lift groaned and moaned as it pulls to a stop and a huge bronze gate slides upon to reveal branching bridges over black waters and spires of stone below, but the walls of the earth contrast starkly with whites and bronzes of typical Dwemer craft. The walls themselves were as black as Obsidian, and sparkled gently almost as if they were wet gems in surface.

When your eyes gaze back to the railed bridge, you notice it offshoots left, straight and right. To the left and rights the sounds of picks and shouts of command rang from unseen voices through the halls. Straight ahead however was a well lit throne room, banners of rich crimson with golden hammers hitting a golden anvil. At each column stood Dwemer armoured sentries who word their helms and long pykes at the ready in any sign of trouble.

Upon the throne you see a bald Nord with a thick beard. He wears a simple black tunic and grey breeches with a leather jerkin arguing with his steward but turns his attention to you. "Welcome, I am Lord Advar Ironvein. Welcome to Blackstone friends."

[Louise Dennis]

Character Sheet:

Name: Advar Ironvein

Race: Nord

six: Male

Occupation: Lord of Blackstone, prior to this he was a knight in service to the Empire that took down the Stormcloak Rebellion of Ulfric Stormcloak.

Appearance: A man with a cleanly shaved head but a thick and well groomed beard and piercing blue eyes. He usually wears simple but formal clothing, mostly consisting of dark coloured tunics. He appears to be in his mid to late 30s. When in times of wear, he wears his old Steel Plate from his years as a knight.

Personality: Holds a strong sense of justice and duty. Loyal to the Nine, he has permitted a hushed makeshift temple with Nine altars in the city. From a young age he was taught all races are children of Akatosh, as such he holds no ill will to any one race and welcomes all comers with open arms. While he fought in favour of the Empire in Ulfric's uprising, he respected their cause, but felt supporting the Empire was better for Tamriel as a whole. He rules sternly but fairly. He tries to ensure everyone is given a courteous and warm welcome to his city and tries to encourage all those with problems to address him at court, which he holds daily in the old Dwemer throne room.

Personal Weapon(s): An Ancient Nord Hero Sword called 'Snowdrift' with an enchantment that is said to burn the opponent with the chill of Winter when struck.

If your character is proficient in a magic skill you may do so in the personal weapons category. I highly doubt I'll welcome it, but I MAY permit use of one shout to a few sparse users, but only if A. You provide a damn good background why and B. If you don't expect to be able to shout 24/7

If you wish to have a full fledged bio for your character, that is fine, but really, a couple posts indicating who s/he is and a little about them will do for starters. The RP will start once we get a couple users to join in. This will also be the thread where I will:

A. Be looking for a co-GM to work with

and B. Discussing possible plot expansion of the story.

Also, sorry for the off colour of the map in the OP, I just tried to make it look as close to parchment tone as I could.

[Melanie Steinberg]

Im interested in joining, but first, this is a town development RP similar to say the Warren, or Grayditch in the Fallout RP subforum?

[Farrah Barry]

You have caught my interest. I'll think up a character

[Emmi Coolahan]

Name: Havoc Gro-Nuhk

Age: 31

Race: Orsimer

six: Male

Occupation: Proletarian Laborer; Former Member of the Imperial Legion

Appearance: Havoc is a burly Orc that has several inches on most of his kin. He stands roughly the height of a well-bred Altmer. He has dull black hair tied back in a pony tail and an ever-present layer of dark stubble on his face. His eyes are a muddied yellow. He wears simple clothing: a well patched shirt and trousers secured with a rope that have seen better days.

Personality: In the beginning of the Ulfric's rebellion, when Havoc was younger, he earned his name. He was savage on the field, to the point when leading a small platoon of soldiers "Havoc" would break out. It took him a while to grow out of this stage, but once he became a prisoner of war in the the remainder of the conflict, he saw so many atrocities that unnecessary violence disgusts him. He will only pick up a weapon if what he needs to kill isn't human; if it is, he is a master with his fists. He has a natural aura of leadership along with a wiseness that only living seemingly forever in constant Hell could bring.

Personal Weapon(s): He has a pair of steel gauntlets that help with his punches. They've been repaired many times and have a small etching in the side totaling the fights he has won: 63.

[Damian Parsons]

This sheet is one I wrote up a few month back for an RP that died. I really like the character and so I'd like to bring him back. If he is too overpowered for this RP let me know,and I;ll make some changes.

Name: Volanare
Race: Imperial/Altmer(Altmer father and Imperial mother)
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Sign: The Lord
Home Country: Alinor

Faction: None. Though he is a fugitive of the Aldmeri Dominion.
Faction Description:The Dominion war machine is one of the most dangerous and efficient bureaucracies Tamriel has ever seen. Even the Legion cannot match its discipline and order. As such, to be put in command of one of its elite advance squadrons is an honor indeed, reserved only for the most skilled, commanding soldiers. With that discipline, however, comes harsh punishments; the Thalmor have little time for mercy, or fair trials

Appearance: At first glance, one would think Volanare is a tall Imperial. But a closer inspection would reveal several Merish traits including his golden hair and slightly pointed ears. Actually, the first thing people would probably notice would be the blindfold covering his eyes. Volanare is in fact blind. This being the result of him sacrificing his eyes to Clavicus Vile in exchange for power. Volanrae wears dark garmented robes on his upper body and equally dark loose pants. He carries around an Umbrella and an Akavari styled Katana as well as two rings. One a ring of detect life and the other a ring of detect undead.

Class: Blademaster(Maybe Samurai)
Class Description: All of Volanare's talents with the blade were given to him by Clavicus Vile in exchange for his eyes. Due to his blindness, his other senses are extremely sharp that Volanare can hear a pin drop in a crowded room and learn much of someone by their smell. His healing and recovery speed have also slightly increased. His great power comes at a price, however. In order to fight, Volanare must burn off large amounts of energy both magickal and physical. That being said, Volanare excels in one on one fighting but a prolonged fight with multiple opponents will leave him drained and vulnerable.

Personailty: Above all else, Volanare thirsts for power and will do anything in his power to gain more of it. Despite being power hungry and a little arrogant, Volanare is also kind and peaceful. He enjoys to drink tea and meditate and will help those in need of assistance if he can.

History: Volanare was born in Alinor to a cruel Altmer general and an Imperial concubine. For her crimes of breeding with an Altmer and giving birth to a tainted blood Altmer, Volanare's mother was publicly executed. The child however, was spared. Despite all his hatred and cruelty, Volanare's father couldn't bring himself to kill his only son.

Volanare had to grow up fast. His peers had been raised to despise him and would make it their goal to make young Volanare's life a living hell. They would humiliate and bully him to no avail. Often ganging up and jumping him when he least expected it.

Lonely and hated, Volanare turned to books for his comfort. They provided him an escape from his wretched life. Volanare also made up for his loneliness by excelling both academically and physically. Unfortunately for Volanare, the advlts also shared a hatred for the young boy and his teachers would sabotage his education and would always give him low marks no matter how much he excelled.

One day Volanare was pushed to his limit and snapped. All his rage of being treated horribly for the seventeen years of his short life that he kept inside finally broke loose. A particular snobby fellow student had insulted his mother, calling her a worthless Imperial [censored]. Volanre couldn't take it anymore and he killed the Altmer in a sudden burst of rage.

With blood on his hands, Volanare was forced to flee his home. With the help of his father, Volanare stowed away on a trading vessel on the way to Anvil. Volanare started fresh and worked as a dockworker for three years. He enjoyed his simple new life but felt like something was missing. He often would have dreams of a strange figure beckoning him-promising power. The dreams became more and more frequent until Volanare couldn't take it any more. He strove off into the wilderness in search of the source of his dreams.

By either chance or fate, he eventually stumbled upon the Shrine to Clavicus Vile. Volanare fell on his knees in front of the statue and begged it to stop harassing him. To leave him alone and much to his surprise, it talked back.

It told him its name, Clavicus Vile, and presented to him an offer. He promised to cease the visions and also to give him some gifts in exchange for a piece of him. Volanare dreaded what the Daedric Prince meant but would do anything to stop the dreams.

Volanare awoke in darkness, but it wasn't darkness. He could smell the trees around him and hear the wind rustle through their leaves. He also realized that he had a sword belted onto him (OOC: NOT Umbra). Not only that, but Volanare felt stronger. He could feel power coursing though his veins.

After his encounter with the Prince of power, Volanare spent the rest of his life wandering Tamriel and meditating. He would kill some bandits every once in a while or save someone from a wolf, but for the most part, Volanare spent his time concentrating and learning the full extent of his new powers.

Many years have passed and the hybrid heard of an expedition into the ancient Dwemer city of Blackstone. Feeling the need to settle down from his wandering, Volanare set out for the expedition and joined to try and start his life anew in the ancient city of Black stone.

[Nims]

I think I'll work on a character for this. Maybe have it up later today.

What pace will this be at?

[Angela]

It's KIND of a town development RP, but it will also have story events that drive on the plot at times. It IS an ancient Dwemer city that's been lost for thousands of years. The possibilities of discovering things long forgotten are very possible.

Eh, It really depends. Decently paced I guess? Its pace will vary. Right now for example the pace will be ultimately be slow so we can introduce the cast of players as they post. Then it'll pick up as the characters either intermingle or do their own things in the rubble. Also, a discussion with BTCollins,

'I have the idea for a grand library of an ancient and well preserved library of Dwemer texts, schematics as well as shelves of books of ancient Men. I'm thinking it'd have a lexicon or some kind of floating sphere. If it's a Lexicon, it'll have ruins on the pedestal indicating it holds the collective knowledge of the Dwemer. If it's the floating sphere, it'll be locked behind a complex Dwemer vault door in the library, upon cracking the door's lock, the Dwemer Sphere will radiate with an odd magic that would be perfect for a scholarly mage to want to work on or claim for his own.'

How do you guys feel about this being introduced?

[Carlos Rojas]

Sounds good, ill work on a sheet myself.

[Tyrone Haywood]

Name: Aethil Uncano

Race: Altmer (aged 170)

six: Male

Occupation: A wealthy scholar, who occasionally does projects to earn additional money

Appearance: Of medium build for an altmer, silvery-white hair. Bad burns cover parts of his body. He walks with a limp, clutching his cane made from dwarven metal.

Personality: He is eccentric and fidgety, constantly going through different experiments of his. He is very frank, and will speak his mind and grumbles a good deal about inconveniences. He will however, help out those in need.

Personal Weapon(s): His cane has a simple enchantment on it, delivering a shock. Its not designed to kill or disable powerful dwemer machines, but can certainly leave a petty thief dazed for several minutes.

Skills: Alchemy and Enchanting. He is fascinated by dwemer machines, and designs elaborate inventions for various purposes, combining alchemy and enchantments to complement each other.

Brief Background-

He was a wealthy altmer noble who spent decades adventuring. He was born under the atronach, so he could not produce his own magic. He wielded a sword and used potions to make up for this. He was captured by necromancers, who performed experiments on him, nearly killing him on more than one occasion and ultimately depriving him of all but the weakest of spells. The mercenary company he worked for, employed by the Empire to hunt down necromancers, rescued him, but he retired to the private life in the Summerset Isles after that. His magical abilities somewhat recovered, but he still most consume potions, and still, he uses magic only to aide his contraptions (for instance, he may to to heat, cool, or energize a specific component, which he may do. To another, however, it would feel like being burned by a torch, or maybe some static electricity). He creates complex contraptions, much like the dwemer, and even has a dwemer spider worker that he uses. He wants to come to Blackstone to continue his study of the dwemer and their machines.

Also, I'd be willing to be GM, although I've never done that before.

[Nikki Morse]

Pegaro, Disturbing, Dovakin- All accepted. Love the backgrounds for all three.

@Dovakin- Maybe, experience would be good, but really I'm looking for someone well versed in TES Lore as mine is a bit dodgy at times. My real concern is someone to shuffle the papers when I start slacking off at times. I just need someone to make fair decisions and enforce the rules. Right now the only real rules are:

1. No Godmoding

2. Shouting is strictly regulated, probably won't even be allowed in the RP with MAYBE one RPer, but only if their CS is damn good in explaining it.

3. Be respectful of other players. Don't CC them without the other player's consent.

4. Have fun.

Also, I want to keep this RP a community thread, so if people have thoughts and suggestions, they're welcome to post them and we can discuss where to go from there.

[Hella Beast]

I like that. It gives us something to build towards story wise.

I have no GM experience, nor Dwemer lore, so I don't think I'll be a prime candidate.

[Stacey Mason]

Come to think of it, I'm going to be gone for a couple weeks at the end of July, so being a GM would probably not work in that case.

[Robert Devlin]

So, according to your other thread, werewolves are acceptable. I understand no vampires whom are blood starved to the point of grey skin, yadda yadda. But what if they to fed, outside the ruins? Maybe on animals or such. I love both of them