#the siege of brimir

[gebo4482]

The Siege of Brimir

Pre-release Trailer

[hellishhin]

[Image ID: The words Sagas of Stawold written in a stylized font, yellow on a background of deep green scale texture. Beneath the text, bright orange flames arise and reach up toward the text. End ID]

Title: Sagas of Stawold

Status: On Hiatus

Genre: High fantasy, D&D-based

POV: Third (whatever specific type I feel like at the time lol)

Setting: Stawold; germanic-esque town on the border between the civilized Hinterlands and the untamed Wilderlands. Part of the Kingdom of Jurmundy which is a part of the much larger Prendacian Empire. Despite the Emperor being the official ruler, the Imperial Church holds the real power.

Themes: magic, adventure, enemies-to-lovers, found family, dragons, deities, fantasy races, extra-planar travel, religious skepticism, mortality/immortality, extremely grey morality

Synopsis, characters, and post links below the cut

Synopsis: Sadie, K'lai'a'la, and Kireen form a fast bond on a quest to retrieve Ser Taerand Calentavar's stolen emerald from the swampy Wraefen. The adventure goes as wrong as you could imagine but once the emerald is retrieved, the story is only just beginning. Through a political coup, orc siege, and church prosecutions, the story climbs to apocalyptic crescendos and continues until Sadie faces the gods themselves. This story unfolds as played out over 3 years of tabletop game and continues until the current day as a messenger RP. My character, Sadie, has grown from an orphan of Stawold to the matriarch of a rebellion and she won't stop until she rises past the bounds of mortality.

Main characters: Since this is based off a D&D campaign, I keep as true to the story as possible. This means that over the years, players or their characters have come and gone. The cast rotates a bit but Sadie and a few non-player characters will stick around consistently. I’ll list current characters here and give them just a few sentences each. I think I’ll make a character post later.

Sadie: She is my beloved character. Halfling bard of lore.

Kireen: Red dragonborn bright-lord (a less religious paladin basically)

K’lai’a’la: Wood-elf ranger

Brimir: Human fighter

Taerand: High-elf quest-giver, member of the Stawold elite

Find links to all posts below, linked in order and grouped by Chapter (chapter titles were created by the DM and given to us before we started that chapter. Each chapter was 5 sessions long)

Writing on the Wall [chapter summary]

[Post 1] [Post 2] [Post 3] [Post 4] [Post 5] [Post 6] [Post 7] [Post 8] [Post 9] [Post 10] [Post 11] [Post 12] [Post 13] [Post 14] [Post 15] [Post 16] [Post 17] [Post 18] [Post 19] [Post 20] [Post 21] [Post 22] [Post 23] [Post 24] [Post 25] [Post 26] [Post 27] [Post 28] [Post 29]

To Kill a Manticore

[Post 30] [Post 31] [Post 32] [Post 33] [Post 34]

Taglist: (adds/removes always open!) @betwixtofficial @taerandcalentavar @talesfromaurea @faelanvance @definitelyquestionit @drippingmoon @dontcrywrite @a-wild-bloog

[badlandsloop]

Name: Skuld Spinekeeper

Race: Tiefling, Zariel Lineage

Class: Paladin, Oath of Vengeance

Background: Folk Hero

Quote: "When I'm done, blood soaked snow will be all that's left."

Zariel, angel of battle, once raged across the outer planes. No god or greater celestial held dominion over her as she was impulsive and violent. During the dragon war however Freyna, Ysgardian god of war, called upon Zariel. She sent her and a host of celestials to the Nine Hells to siege Tiamat for her crimes against the material plane. After the dragons fled Zedrin, Freyna withdrew her forces but Zariel did not leave with them. The Hells and their constant war called to her. She conquered the first level of the Hells and became its archdevil.

Hundreds of years later, Skuld's parents lusted for celestial power. Their plan was to have their child born a valkyrie, elsewhere called an aasimar. Most valkyries in Bjorngard are made via a week-long ritual and only to those who earn it in battle. If their daughter was born semi divine it would elevate them in society day one. But the ritual they used did not connect their unborn daughter to a God or greater celestial. It was cast using artifacts from the ancient agreement of Freyna and Zariel. Thus, a spark of the fallen angel took root in Skuld.

When she was born Skuld's skin was rough, the texture and color of newly rusted iron. Her forehead held a bony crest and she had a pointed tail. Her mother and father immediately fled into the night. Skuld was left alone before she took her first breath.

"She didn't even cry out. An unbreakable soldier she will be."

These were the first words she heard, a message from Zariel. The archdevil sent a cultist of hers to retrieve the tiefling baby. These words are also the only dreams she has as an adult. Tho much to her pleasure, she dreams very rarely.

Skuld grew up under the care of Erig, a cultist of Zariel who corrupted soldiers for his master's armies. They traveled from village to village seeking easily swayed and desperate warriors. Bjorngard is a suspicious society so Skuld wore heavy cloaks at almost all times, but she fell in love with stories. She would hide near the long houses during parties to hear tales of mighty valkyries and other heroes.

One day after Skuld's 16th birthday, as they moved between villages with a cadre of initiates one asked about Skuld. Erig regaled them with the above tale, praising her as Zariel's greatest creation. Skuld had long been revolted by Zariel and Erig but hearing the story of her parents abandoning her as a good thing was her boiling point. She pulled back her pike and drove it through his gut. The wound was crippling but nonlethal. The cultists attacked her but were no match for her martial prowess. She killed them and returned to the dying man and picked him up by the throat.

"I am neither yours nor Zariel's soldier. I promise you on this your last breath, I with will burn her corruption from these lands."

By 16 she had reached her full tiefling appearance and the blood of Zariel gave her many gifts. Her once bright rust red skin faded dull. Her tail grew long and dexterous. Her eyes burned with hellfire in battle. Her bony crest extended to the crown of her head, sprouting spikes and two long horns that curl outwards. But Zariel was once celestial so some aasimar traits were inherited. She is unnaturally broad and tall with glittering silver eyes and golden hair. She has an air of celestial beauty about her also.

She spent years in the forests of Bjorngard as superstition still prevented her from living openly among her people. Instead she followed rumors to the city Brimir, slaying anything that threatened civilisation on the way. One such threat was an orcish raiding party. She followed them into town and slaughtered them with her holy fury. There she was given the name Spinekeeper, as she commemorates every battle by taking and wearing a spine from an enemy. Now more than a dozen spines hang from her belt.

She battles in full heavy armor, sanding and breaking down her horns to fit her in her helm. No part of her body is seen through heavy cloaks and leathers. This mysterious appearance mixed with her brutal fighting style and lack of talking turned her into something of a legend. Tales say if you're in the city of Brimir and you leave a bounty pinned on the outer wall along with an offering of cooked meats, The Spinekeeper Maiden with emerge from the woods and slay the threat, staking its spineless body to the wall where the food was left.