Zink

Well, writing off an old character is more or less dependent on who they are, not only as a person, but other defining attributes, like species. If they're born from a species that can, ultimately, live for several centuries, they might have a broader perspective on life, and perceptions of time might shift as well. Many human attributes that we use for thinking can't be applied there, so I'll just stick to regular people for the time being. A really, really nice detail in writing an ancient character is that, ultimately, everyone can grow tired of living. If they're a person, like a human, who has somehow exceeded their life expectancy, either by amazing health, magical/mechanical interference, or a gift of 'immortality', the farther they go up the line, the more things they'll see. The more things they'll see/do, the more experiences they'll get. Ultimately, they'll reach a peak, and then come crashing down. Everything will become tedious - boring, even. Sensations will dull, things that were once pleasant provide no sustenance. As they go on and on, if they have no discernible purpose for being, they will most likely try and do more and more brave/stupid/insane activities to either inspire them, bring some entertainment to their lives, or simply kill them. Age is a very important thing to consider when making a venerable character, as while it is kinda limiting, you might wish to consider what person they'd be at that age, rather than making the person first, then slapping on an age. An extremely ancient character who's lived hundreds of years past his natural life expectancy might view the world with some dissatisfaction, personal interactions as 'been there, done that', and they very well could consider everything boring beyond imagination. A character on that path, but not exactly there, would probably start to get bored of some of the more mundane things, their personality still being shaped by their experiences, but it's starting to stagnate. You can see signs, here and there, that they're getting bored, dissatisfied, or simply tired of it all. Not quite there, but it's still a good thing to implement in character development.

It's not wrong to be concerned with it - but the destination should never be a sedentary concept in your mind, unless you've got a really good grasp on what you're doing. It's nice to dream and get inspired about what you think your character might do, and maybe use some inspiration as to actually move forward, but if you get your mind too set on an endpoint you'll most likely find a roadblock that stops you, and then lose interest. I like to daydream what might happen with my character, and that's kinda kept me interested with him, despite never having been able to actually use him. You're not as bad as you think, dude. I'm sure you'll work out the kinks with character creation. Practice makes perfect, stuff like that

Re-read that a couple times to get the point, but yes, I understand what you're saying. However, the character is inevitably still being railroaded down towards that 'gimmick', and you're effectively concerning yourself with the destination, not the journey. While he may 'develop' and such along the journey he takes, ultimately the decisions he makes will be irrelevant, as you're still steering him towards that one endpoint, which in this case, is killing gods or something?? For a strong, solid concept, you're best off making a well rounded character with a fleshed out backstory. Just enough, depending on their age, to get a feel for their personality, what they like, what they do, and as you delve farther in with each roleplay, then should the character's destination start to become more and more apparent. It might not even be something you wanted, or intended, but planning it from point A to C and saying B is 'Whatever inbetween' will ultimately not go very well. Hope this response helps. I'm not very good with words.

Yes and no. Is that their only purpose? What drove them to go after such a suicidal task? Are they even capable of 'handling' something like that? If you're building a character on that gimmick alone, rather than it being happenstance that he's going after these 'targets', I guess it's kinda believable, if not a little weak in concept of execution. If he's some random dude who just decides "I want to kill 'x' one day", then the suspension of disbelief only goes so far. I can't say much more about it, since it's just an idea. You can either execute an idea really well, or completely destroy it. Even a bad idea can be done really well, and ultimately lead to something good.

Maine coons can get big, but they aren't as big as Norwegian Cats. I forget the specific breed, but there's ones that are just a biiiiiit bigger than Maine coons. Though, I gotta say, I love Maine coons to death - I actually have one at my house, and he is nothing but a fat lazy blob of fluff, that happens to be the size of a small dog. They like to 'talk' too, a lot, usually just meowing at people until they figure out they want food, or something of the sort.

What even are cats

'I also like Zink.' delet this Hi wolf

Oh hey, an excuse to post for once, nice If I felt like being lazy, I guess I could say that Letholdus doesn't have very good sight, though I made sure to have him possess plenty of problems and weaknesses. I guess the biggest thing is his desire to 'do good', really. He wouldn't want to inadvertently hurt someone, he always strives for the best possible outcome - and it completely destroys him whenever he fails at protecting others/accomplishing his goals. He's also not exactly good with talking to others, alongside having very little motivation for, well, anything - outside his sense of duty, of course. It is always good to have a character with weaknesses, whatever way they manifest, as it adds more to the slate. Much like asking yourself "How is my character a bad person." If the answer is 'he's not', it's not well constructed. If your character doesn't have weaknesses, it's not a very 'good' character, though that's mostly subjective IMO

https://youtu.be/enkEiD8PC5o When it comes to Dark souls games, Ash lake (Otherwise known as The Ancient Dragon in the ost files) was honestly my favorite. Mostly because it was very soothing, but the real appeal came from how the game executed it. See, it starts playing when you look up after you enter - as in, pan the camera to see the great horizon. Naturally, the way down left me paranoid, so I was looking down for traps and pitfalls, so when I looked up it kinda kicked in and I was left stunned. Really, any of the souls games have great OSTs, except maybe 2? Two was decent, but none really come to me, so I guess that means they weren't the best.

In all honesty, I've considered it one of the more shameful moments of my young life, but I discovered roleplay through facebook, of all things. Mostly half-life stuff, surprisingly, but I moved onto steam a few years later and discovered Warhammer40k's setting. So naturally I started role playing that, found some forums, drifted around forums, and generally just improved from cringy *stabs u* roleplay from my young years to paragraph stuff at the least. And now I'm here, I guess.

"Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave so La'Ruta might exist through thee." "Speak the truth, even if it leads to your death." "Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong." "Remember The Great North. Remember this Oath." This portrait depicts House Lochsaer (Lead by Duke Maximilian Balian, the Central-Right figure) in combat against presumed dissenters to House Beauchene's rule - Roughly Five years before the Great North's slaughter through Orisia. The painting is one of the few surviving relics of House Lochsaer's Legacy. General Information Name: Letholdus Balian Pronunciation: LEH-THOL-DUO-US BAH-LAH-AH-EN Monikers/Titles/Aliases: Heir to House Lochsaer, Son of the Coward, Zealot, Knight-Brother, Brother-Magus, Balian, Letho/Leth Allegiances/Factions: Order of The Black Heart Faction Rank: Knight-Brother, Innate Magus [Tier 3] Occupation(s): Knight-Brother of The Black Heart Religion: La'Ruta (The Path) Culture: Orisian (Mixture of Cobanite and Izabalite teachings) Birthplace: Orisia, Izabal Race: Human Gender: Male Date of birth: [Will elaborate once I find out how the dating system works here] Age: Twenty-eight Height: 170cm, 5'7ft Weight: 84kg, 186lbs, 13st Physique: 'Average', muscular Skin-tone: Pallid Eye-Colour: Dulled blue Hair-colour: Light-Brown, faded. Physical Description: Constantly draped in the Iron mantle that is his armor, Letholdus' form is rarely seen, nor blessed by the touch of sunlight - leaving his skin a pallid white, only a few shades away from being akin to the pallour of a cadaver, or the skin of a Vampyre. His form is bulky - though not too much above what one would consider 'average' of a man his age - His musculature only barely hidden by a thin layer of fat, one born from a life without want - thought it does not mean he is weak. Indeed, the life of a Knight requires a bountiful reserve of stamina and vitality, which allows Letholdus to move with his armor as if it is a second skin. Very little scars or imperfections are present across his body - a testament to the strength of his warplate, no doubt - the only few that cover him seeming to be old wounds, most likely incurred while he was but a young child. Small streaks of raised flesh, along with darkened, sunken holes marr his back - almost disturbingly consistent with wounds of torture, though the man has never divulged to where he acquired them - let alone shown them at all. The most peculiar feature on Letholdus' body at all, no doubt, would be the extremely intricate and complex series of runes, inscribed in a dead language unknown to him, that line his entire form. No part of his body is untouched, the runes overlapping in a way that only few spots of his pallid skin are exposed. All the lines lead directly to his visage, wrapping around his eyes before ending at the deep recesses of his tear ducts, in a remarkably precise finish. His face, which is almost ever-presently concealed behind the Iron casing that is his helm, is soft - as if moulded not from hard rock, but soft clay, gently sculpted into the visage of what one might call a handsome young man. His features are rounded, ever so slightly, while a faint curve of the lip has him almost ever-presently grinning, despite any situation. His hair is rough and scraggly, cut short only out of necessity, but it is more akin to rough wild-grass, rather than a gentle field. His eyes, a dulled blue, were a feature uncommon to his family - said to be inherited from his mother, who was little more than a whore from Izabal. Running up from his neck and along his cheeks are the endpoints of the runic tattoos that drape his form, swirling upwards and under his eyes until they reach his tear-ducts. These runic letters swirl like an iradescent stream, imprinting black, ingrained tears that fall from the base of his eyes and down his pale cheeks. Abilities Skill at arms: Born of noble-birth, regardless of his treatment, he was tutored from a young age on the handling of weaponry, a skill that has thankfully stuck with him throughout the years. While he is adequate with most forms of weaponry, the usage of Halberds, Lances, and Spears has stuck with him greatly, the lattermost being an iconic symbol of his late father, who preferred the weapon for its capacity to strike from afar, as well as slip through the smallest cracks in an enemy's armor. Magic Potential: Assessed soon after the reformation of the Crown, Letholdus was deemed fit as one of the many who were more attuned naturally to La'Ruta and its magics, sequestered away to be instructed and honed in skill. While, in the end, his potential is quite limited, he has found a remarkable number of uses for what he has made available, though his preferred element to use is that of Fire, a rather common, if not stereotypical element to use. The most basic of skills he has available is the usage of his weapon - a halberd, as a Foci for his affinity, the polearm's ends reinforced to withstand the heat that is transferred into them, turning the edges of his weapon red-hot from the focused energies. Such an effect does damage and deteriorate the quality of his gear, and as such, he has gone through many a blade and polearm that had not warped under the heat or turned to ash from exposure. Sight: Though it is difficult to explain, Letholdus has always had an odd affinity towards La'Ruta. Born of some magic potential, the child, while hidden away during the chaos of the Great North's assault, had grown lonesome and bored, and in this time of stillness for him did he notice La'Ruta's presence in the world around him. To the child, La'Ruta manifested itself in the most simplest of ways, burning its magics into his eyes as he was able to, at the very least, vaguely perceive the underlying energies that flowed through every being. While extremely crude, this ability was discovered, and focused, by the Magi who had come to initiate him on the path. Runes were burned into his body, focusing an intricate set of wey-lines across his form and to his eyes, focusing and supplanting his natural sight with that granted to him by the path. Though, the runes purpose is doubled - they are to limit and restrain any sort of influx of energies, asides from the beneficial exchange that grants him sight - for such an occurrence is unheard of, and should the boy's abuse of his gift go unchecked, it could potentially cripple, or outright kill him. Over time, the natural sense of sight he had been born with faded away, being continually worn and replaced by the natural magics that channel through the runes that allow him to maintain such an effort. His armor has come to reflect this as well, the Helmet being completely seamless, only possessing two small indentations of glass for his natural sight, which even then has atrophied to near uselessness. To say that he 'sees' with La'Ruta is misnomer; It is more akin to feeling, if anything, the energies that flow through everything, from the rock in the ground to the blood in the veins of men. It is thankful he was born in such an age, where the magic of La'ruta had begun its resurgence, otherwise the man would have been simply blind to its presence, or even blinded at birth. Some joke that the man is simply blind, which is partly true. Discerning finer details is rather difficult, and the vague awareness, in reality, just that - He has lost all fine perception, and is quite helpless when it comes to tasks that require actual, visual details. He pains himself to admit it, but he can barely read anymore. He has taken to learning Braille, which is a scarcely used language in and of itself, in an effort to overcome this. Faith: Though one might wonder how such could be even considered an 'ability', to Letholdus, Faith alone is what sustains him. His father dead, his bloodline shamed, and his title lost, the man has very little left but the Teachings of The Path. With this alone he (at least tries) to overcome all adversity, knowing that his place in the world is absolute, and that he must do all he can to help preserve the balance and peace. In situations of duress - when his body fails him, when his wounds grow too grievous to bare, when the strength ebbs from his body, Faith alone has pushed the Knight through it all - Rising from wounds that would incapacitate normal men, striking blows when his stamina is all but exhausted, and enduring past the breaking point. He has earned the title 'Zealot' by some, and one would wonder how such a peaceful teaching that is La'Ruta could earn the attention of such a driven individual. Equipment Halberd: A simple, yet deadly weapon, the Halberd allows its user to strike from afar, as both a spear and axe. The bladed protrusion at the rear of the blade acts as a sort of hook, used to impale and bring down mounted knights or riders from their steeds. Letholdus' training with such a weapon allows him to precisely manage his weight while swinging, allowing the blunt, bladed axe to hit with the strength of a hammer. Such an odd weapon, fit for more of a soldier among many in an army, is all the Letholdus has to remind himself of his heritage. His father, Duke House Lochsaer, carved a bloody path across Orisia's nobility during House Beauchene's rule on the throne, and his favored weapons were one such as this. Adorned armor: Though not of his choice, this blackened suit of iron platemail, gifted at his departing by House Lochsaer, is rather beautifully adorned. Sleek in appearance, the Armor's joints seamlessly flow together, exchanging some degree of movement for protection. Swirling, intricate lines run across every inch of the suit's surface - save his helm - almost as if parallel to the Knight's own tattoos which adorn his entire body. Were it not for the blackened finish, the suit might possess some measure of luster, the subtle beauty of the design lost under the darkened shade, unless one takes a closer look. His helm completely conceals his head, as a good helmet should, but this one is much more peculiar than most, in the aspect that it conceals just about everything. Save for two exceedingly narrow vision slits, and a small indent at his neck for breathing, the helmet is completely sealed, almost alien in its appearance. An armored gorget juts out from his neck, covering any exposed neck, fully sealing most, if not all of his armor. He wears this suit always, for it is his shelter, his safety, and he, quite frankly, cannot live without it. Around his waist is a leather belt, lined with pouches that are filled with assorted items of want and need, as well as an aged book, detailing (outdated) practices of La'Ruta. History To understand Letholdus Balain, one must understand the rule of House Beauchene, and the Great North. During the waning, the ending point of House Beauchene's reign on the throne, one Minor Noble house stood out, and soon gained both size and infamy. Proclaiming themselves to be loyal to the Crown, The Duke of House Lochsaer, Maximilian Balian, imposed it upon himself to seek out and destroy dissenters to the throne, in and effort to curb favor, and prolong the life of his own House. While no open rebellions, revolts, or civil wars occurred, those who had retained some modicum of power and 'honor' still doubted the rule of the Crown, and true followers of La'Ruta could not stay silent about such selfishness and greed, going against the Major tenants of their way. Of course, such words were heard, and the Duke had sprung to action. His fiefdom, positioned between Corban and Izabal, on the coast of Vortex Bay, allowed his reach to stretch out towards many dissenting Houses, back when such a term was akin to a named band of cravens, commoners, and power-mongers. While his force was small, the man was a remarkably sound tactician, as well as charismatic, forcing Lords and ladies out of their own personal kingdoms, and butchering them and their followers in duels of 'Honor'. Pillaging and absorbing those they quelled, the House only grew in size, and while it was never enough to draw the real attention of the Crown (They cared not for outside affairs, after all), it left them in a fair position at the end of House Beachene's rule - and the beginning of the end. The Great North had come, and slammed upon Orisia like a tidal wave. While a slight distance south more-so than Izabal, the noble house was one of the first to encounter and attempt retaliation at such a threat. They launched themselves at the invaders with fervor, convinced they were to beat the invaders back, and secure safety among the crown's chosen. The notion that they had some sort of 'Chance' was disabused, and quickly, as battle after battle was lost, the Genesarians cutting deep into the land, and subsequently, House Lochsaer territory. The Duke, knowing full well what awaited them, ordered his forces to press on, leaving command of his 'army' to his loyal knight-captains, who were plucked from the hands of dead lords with no-one to serve. Taking his family, which consisted only of His trusted servants, and his escort, he fled under cover of night for the Areder mountains - knowing well that, if they survived the journey, the Genesarians would not dare approach such inhospitable land. Their betrayal and cowardice was not discovered until the House's collapse, and House Lochsaer was no more, at least for the moment. There the survivors waited, until the Genesarians advance halted, and they withdrew, and emerged back to their burning and ruined hold. Attempting to reform House Lochsaer during the twenty years of madness and chaos across the Island, the Duke had been reported to become more and more unhinged and paranoid, attempting to sire heirs to his 'throne', as he called it, his belief that the Crown had perished alongside everything else. He was only successful in siring one child, a boy born from a woman of ill repute in Izabal, before his past crimes came around once again. Survivors of the Duke's armies, most notably the (self proclaimed) Lord Captain Reynold Tedric, came before him in his lands as if they were long lost friends, greeting the duke with kindness, and lulling him into a sense of security. Out of nostalgia, and a misplaced trust in his former Knight-Captain, he allowed the men to serve as part of his personal guard - a request they insisted upon, as was their duty in the old days. Several days after the new guard's induction, the Duke was brutally murdered in his chambers - killed by the Captain, who sought revenge for the man's cowardice and betrayal. Assuming command of House Lochsaer, Maximilian's son, Letholdus, was only spared to silence complaints of the more 'Loyal' members of the House, claiming that 'When the time is right, the boy's position as Heir will be fulfilled'. Truthfully, the boy was to be exiled from the beginning, and the discovery of his magic potential was an extremely convenient excuse to have Letholdus sent away. Barely old enough to fend for himself, he was sent away to be trained under the esteemed Magi of the Path, though he knew full well he was not allowed to return. Letholdus, left with nothing, absorbed the teachings that were given to him with fervor. While Innate, to be sure, it did not mean that his power was endless. It was rather mundane, in fact, with the only remarkable features to his magical ability being his odd form of vision, and the liking towards fire, despite the availability of so many other options. Many of his tutors jokingly remarked that he is more akin to a Trained Magi, what with his narrow-minded and obtuse view of magic, though they could not deny that the boy's fire was admirable. Growing up among the Abbots and Magi of the temple, he absorbed the teaching of La'Ruta, allowing it to dictate his life, even down to manner of thinking. With nothing left, the boy had his faith. It was such that, with the rise of the Black Queen and her Knights, the Black Heart, the young man was drawn to them - almost instinctively. There, he could do good, help restore and preserve the balance of The Path. It was no surprise, then, with such a driven nature and unwavering determination did the man aspire, and reach the heights of the Black-Heart, passing through Squiredom and into Knighthood, and a nobility of its own, rather quickly. His allegiance was pledged to the Queen and Crown alone, rather than one of the Seven lords, and he to this day has served as a wandering Knight, aiding those in need, and following both the Tenants of The Order and The Path had taught him. The rest, as they say, is history. This one was an absolute doozy. Feel free to message me for any criticism/complaints and the like. Big thanks to Saxon, for the with proofreading, conceptualizing, and generally being very supportive during this six-hour writing ordeal I've undertaken. As well, Thanks to Pasion for lore citations and answers to questions I had, which generally saved me a lot of work with ad-libing.

Thanks, actually! I've been browsing that thread and exploring around, and I gotta say it's quite a lot to take in, though I'm slowly tackling the problem one thread at a time. Still don't know exactly how to go about making a character yet - I've never been one who likes to 'impose' on other people's settings, that is to say, create things that aren't mine to create. I'm sure I'll work something out, but I don't exactly want to pester board-leaders with a barrage of questions about their settings (I tend to overthink character creation greatly) that I haven't found an answer for around. Also, the friend was Saxon - he used me as sort a proofreader for some segments of his character, and of course, after a while my curiosity was piqued, and I ended up asking him where he was doing this - and here we are now.

Send help. Hello all! A friend of mine recommended this Forum to me, and I lurked around for a bit until I decided to finally get around to making a profile. I... Really don't know what else to say, to be honest? I'm pretty sure I saw the link to the 'Beginners guide'/FAQ somewhere around here, So I probably won't need that much help finding my way around, asides from more in-depth lore stuff, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Glad to meet you all!