Tales of the Highland [OOC]

[Highland Sniper]

Tales of the Highland

The Romans have been beaten back, and general peace has spread across the land.
But the clans fight each other, either over land squabbles and feuds, else trying to beat each other to the king to claim the throne for their own.

The Anglo Saxon stay at the wall for now, but vikings continue to violate our lands and burn our towns.

And many a tail of fairy folk hiding among men, or secreting themselves in the forests.
Tails of people who never were, people gone missing, new arrivals, and strange pregnancies. Several deaths blamed on angry fey, or evil spirits.
And more of hidden places, where the fey go to meet and hide their treasures, and more secrets.

So, what will you do?
Will you go off to do battle with the vikings, or another clan?
Will you try your hand at trading with the Saxons?
Or will you go to find the fey?

Spoiler: more details 

Robert the Bruce has passes away a while ago, and it is now ~1450.
There are minor incursions with the Brits on the south boarder, the vikings still violate the boarders, and many clans still fight over the throne. Most are crushed, yet some get close. The throne has, for now, defaulted to Stewart, until it can be claimed by another.

Spoiler: info 

Ok, so, yes, Scotland!
I do not expect this to be at all period or historically accurate.
And although I have interest, I don't really expect this to be entirely culturally accurate either.

But to get some idea, here's a history video


You are also free to look at any number of folk lore to help out.
(fun fact: Scotland had their own kitsune. Though not of the same name, they were beings that could go between fox and human forms. They were seen as wise and cunning)

Spoiler: what I will allow 

Early firearms will be fine, if you wish.
Otherwise, bows and crossbows for range are the norm.

Foreigners are allowed. You don't have to be Scottish.
Though being Celtic (Irish/Scottish [Picts/Scoti mainly]) is ideal, French, Anglo Saxon (English/British), Norse, and Germanic characters would not be unreasonable.
Really, just try and keep it within a reasonable area.

I will allow other races and such under the guise of them being labeled as Fey.
Elves, dwarves, gnomes, kitsune/vulpins, faries, ect. Any none human that is allowed would likely be labeled as spirit or fey.

Magic is also allowed, though humans find it harder to get than fey, who can get it easily if they really want to.
Not sure on limits yet, so we'll see where this goes.

Spoiler: rules 

1. Standard RPA rules. They may change, so try to keep up with them.
2. saying this now, it's fade to black. you want to go through that, then take it to PMs.
3. I understand life takes priority and sometimes you don't have the time. but please try to post within 3 weeks of your last post.
4. Be consider it of others. if you get into a disagreement, settle it. If you need help, find a moderator.
5. no taking control of other people's characters, or killing them without permission. Talk things out first.
6. As a given, don't be OP. you are, for the most part, very mortal. So please, use some common sense.
7. not going to hard track people's inventory, just keep it reasonable.
8. This is Mature for drugs, alcohol, possible gore and suggestive themes. Elicit conntent is fade to black, and smut, and anything else remotely associated with it, will be carried out in PMs.

these rules may be subject to change.

Spoiler: character sheet 

name:

race:

gender:

age:

description:

Profession: (optional)

Skills:

bio:

Personality:

items:

Other:

Spoiler: accepted characters 

Morgan 'O Boyle by @Rothwell;

Malyss Blaik by @ElizabethStark;

Finley McIntyre by @Highland Sniper;

Spoiler: Useful info 

Kirkcaldy Character List

Morgan O Boyle- Blacksmith and hunter (MC)

Hamish- Morgan's friend (NPC)

Duncan- Morgan's friend (NPC)

Keira- Hamish's wife (not appeared)

Margaret Campbell- A widow who lost her husband to the fae (NPC)

Aikins the baker- Victim of the fae (deceased)

Edmonston the farmhand- Victim of the fae (deceased)

Robert Campbell- Husband of Margaret, victim of the fae (deceased)

Molly O Boyle- Morgan's sister (NPC)

Megan Campbell, Margaret's daughter (NPC)

George, a watchman- (NPC)

Isla, Molly's daughter, 7 (NPC)

Conor, Molly's son, 5 (NPC)

Fairbairn, a distillery owner (not appeared)

Dubhach, a butcher (not appeared)

The Creel Clan, Morgan's mother's family, rumoured to be gifted with foresight

The Woodland Siren- Killer of several men (deceased)

Unnamed Fae- Appeared after the Siren's death (NPC?)

Noah O Boyle, Morgan's Father, blacksmith (NPC)

Helen O Boyle, Morgan's mother, hunter (NPC)

Morgan's Uncle (NPC)

Kirkcaldy's Mayor (NPC)



Others

Finley McIntyre- Fae, hunter (MC)

Malyss Blaik- Fae hunter (MC)

The Connolly Clan- Kirkcaldy's rivals, recently attacked the town




Notable Locations

The Majestic Otter- A pub

Kirkcaldy Woodland- Populated by wildlife, game and fae

Nether Street- Home of Margaret Campbell

Dunnikier Road- home of Morgan, his family and the family forge

The Great Hollow- A tree. Half charred black, half the colour of ash, rumoured to be an ancient guardian of the woods

Lord's Longhouse- In Kirkcaldy, functions as a town hall

[Mickey]

Picture link -
https://images.pexels.com/photos/325...tinysrgb&w=600

Name: Shayla Blackfig
Alignment: neutral
Age: 127
Apparent Age: 20s
Height: 5’2
Weight: 103 lbs.
Hair: white blonde
Eyes: dark blue
Skin: alabaster
Gender: female
Species: Seelie fairy
Physique: slender, athletic
Birthplace: Scotland
Weaknesses: Allergic to silver and iron. Silver is deadly, but iron only weakens and takes away magic.
Strengths: Has the ability to control water.
Likes: to be respected, frogs, dandelions
Dislikes: war, fire, needless destruction
Personality: Shayla is usually one of the kinder good folk. She doesn’t like unnecessary cruelty and will show her impish side to those who she deems worthy of punishment.
Quirks: Knows when she is being lied to. Is unable to lie.
Attire: Usually green, but on special occasions other colors.
Gear/Weapons: bow and arrows
Tattoos/Scars: some green leave design tattoos on her legs, and arms
Background: Shayla was born of the Seelie court, but not of royal blood. She never considered herself incredibly important. She was given a brook to guard and has been doing that for many years. Her favorite pastime is to splash around in the water, surrounded by frogs. There is war going on among the humans, but this is not a rare occurrence, and she is unbothered by their war or humans in general. There is an uneasy truce among the Seelie and the Unseelie in current years, and every fae try to keep it that way to prevent an all-out war among their own people.

[Highland Sniper]

Picture link -
https://images.pexels.com/photos/325...tinysrgb&w=600

Name: Shayla Blackfig
Alignment: neutral
Age: 127
Apparent Age: 20s
Height: 5’2
Weight: 103 lbs.
Hair: white blonde
Eyes: dark blue
Skin: alabaster
Gender: female
Species: Seelie fairy
Physique: slender, athletic
Birthplace: Scotland
Weaknesses: Allergic to silver and iron. Silver is deadly, but iron only weakens and takes away magic.
Strengths: Has the ability to control water.
Likes: to be respected, frogs, dandelions
Dislikes: war, fire, needless destruction
Personality: Shayla is usually one of the kinder good folk. She doesn’t like unnecessary cruelty and will show her impish side to those who she deems worthy of punishment.
Quirks: Knows when she is being lied to. Is unable to lie.
Attire: Usually green, but on special occasions other colors.
Gear/Weapons: bow and arrows
Tattoos/Scars: some green leave design tattoos on her legs, and arms
Background: Shayla was born of the Seelie court, but not of royal blood. She never considered herself incredibly important. She was given a brook to guard and has been doing that for many years. Her favorite pastime is to splash around in the water, surrounded by frogs. There is war going on among the humans, but this is not a rare occurrence, and she is unbothered by their war or humans in general. There is an uneasy truce among the Seelie and the Unseelie in current years, and every fae try to keep it that way to prevent an all-out war among their own people.

If you could please use the sheet provided in the character sheet spoiler in the main post, that would be appreciated. But nice to see that you put in a bit of work.

[Rothwell]

name: Morgan 'O Boyle

race: Human

gender: Male

age: 24

description: Stands at 5"10 with a muscular frame courtesy of his physical profession. Sports a medium length black beard underneath a pair of blue eyes and angular features and framed by a mop of hair that quits at his chin.

Profession: Blacksmith/Hunter

Skills: Swordsmanship, bows, blacksmithing, hunting

bio: Morgan was born in the town of Kirkcaldy (Scotland) and grew up long after of the Roman invasion. He inherited his first profession from his father and the second from his mother, and typically splits his days between tracking deer and hammering metal. A few youthful misadventures aside Morgan has been faithful to his clan his whole life, and his biggest trouble of late has been avoiding being roped into arranged marriages by families looking to pair their daughters to a man with a respected profession. In his free time, when he's not drinking with his friends at the Majestic Otter tavern he's helping take care of his sister Molly's children.

Personality: Kind hearted and good humoured with a pinch of wanderlust. Slow to anger. Slower to calm.

items: Sword, bow and arrows, repair kit, pack and pouches for foraging. Typically wears hide clothing.

Other:

[Highland Sniper]

welcome, @Rothwell;, glad to have you along for the journey.
And welcome to RPA as a whole.

Everything seems to be in order, and I shall be adding it to the accepted character list shortly.
I'm just waiting for more players.
And if there is any specific adventure idea you'd like to suggest, by all means, share.

[Rothwell]

Given the initial description I reckon a story considering a war of succession might be in order. Tribe vs tribe. Unification. People driven from their homes. A Roman incursion into Scotland to influence the outcome maybe?

The concept of fairy folk hiding amongst people is definitely something worth exploring. Maybe an advisor to the current King? There could be a separate society sending scouts to infiltrate key clans and recon the political lay of the land.

There's potential for a really intricate and interesting plot here.

EDIT: Thanks for the welcome

[Highland Sniper]

how about a not accurate at all account of the defeat and return of Edward the Bruce?
He managed to seize the throne by dueling a rival, and then was later defeated by Edward (1306) and then came back (around 1307), and reunited Scotland against the English.

as for such, firearms will be around. Matchlock muskets, hand bombards, cannons.
these weapons would be uncommon, and thus probably not as widely known as a bow or crossbow. It would be harder to learn if you had no idea what you were looking at, prone to missfire if not careful. They would be easier to learn than a bow (if you had someone who knew what they were doing), but harder to learn than a crossbow.

That, or we could go to after Robert the Bruce to anywhere from the 1330s to about the 1600s.
Here it's almost a Scottish free for all for the throne, as it is presently been defaulted to Clan Stewart until someone comes to claim it, or as it is changing hands ever few years.
Firearms would be a little more advanced.

Keep in mind, both of these are both after Roman times, yet still plenty of Brits and Vikings to deal with, as well as other Scotsmen who may be holding a grudge.

Either way, I'm still waiting for more players.

[Rothwell]

Sounds good to me. I've just tweaked the background of Morgan to accommodate the time period.

[Highland Sniper]

well, the question remains, I suppose.

would you prefer during or after Edward the Bruce?

[Rothwell]

I'd go for the free for all for the flexibility. So post-Bruce.