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Job List
Jobs
This is just a short list of possible occupations your character could have! There are plenty of options; for example, here is another, much longer list of jobs, many of which are appropriate. Note that there is a tentative limit of one person per role except where specified.* If you're not sure about your availability OR you know you're going to be irregularly available, it might be prudent to choose a travelling or rural farmer role for your character so that you don't have to worry about village politics as much.
*Just about anyone can have staff, and if there's two competing roles - two bakers, for example - that's fine as long as both players work it out amongst themselves.
| Role | Villager |
|---|---|
| Baker | Colin Keane ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small} keenly |
| Bard | Thom Foolery harpbinger Elena Bevans strumpeting |
| Blacksmith | FĆadh ferruginous |
| Brewer | |
| Broider | Farogil Figrove sampler |
| Butcher | |
| Candlemaker | Kendrick Beanebeane |
| Carpenters | Kit Marlowe ragweed Ben Carver engravitas |
| Clergy | Fr. Adhemar Normand mysteriumtremendum (Vicar) Br. Vervain Gardener amaurosisfugax (Novice, Beekeeper)Br. Johannes Dain shepherddain (Shepherd)Br. Simon Ashlock pilgrims_egress |
| Cobbler | |
| Farmers | Wilde deathwalk |
| Forager | Kadi kadia |
| Forest | Roesia bonecraft |
| General store owner | Waen Hickson owryanow |
| Healer | |
| Herbalists | Arlene Sancho blindsainz Finian Lanson pestler |
| Hunters | Niabi deerpaths |
| Innkeeper | |
| Magistrate | Emery Ward ethelmar |
| Merchants | Pippa Ward wardsdottir (Caravaner) |
| Midwife | Felsi Lamont eightchoices |
| Miller | |
| Miners (as needed) | |
| Physician | Vladimir Parykelsus gravioramanent |
| Scribe | Valentin Bell profaneme |
| Stablemaster | Detlef Zauber stableman |
| Traveling Skald | Tuomas af Fiapori matkalainen |
| Vagabonds (max of two) | |
| Watchmen | Lance infinitewatch (Captain) Deron macaw (Falconer) Lorne Ward elrigaeta |
| Weaver/Seamstress | Leala Allard befitted |
Mod Contact
Mod Contact
Got a question for the mods?
You can feel free to PM this account, follow
Lore
Lore
Religion: the path of light
The Path of Light (referred to colloquially as āthe Pathā) is the dominant religion on Maireglenne. It began a thousand years ago as a small cult in the Fjords, largely as backlash against the perceived excesses of portions of the population who openly engaged in spellcasting and ritual conjuring during this time. This period of Maireglenneās history coincided with a mini-ice age that lasted fifty years, which made an already difficult way of life for the Maireglenners even harder; what precious few crops that could subsist in the harsh climate failed, livestock faltered, and an entire generation was plagued by famine. This was seen to be the natural vengeance of the gods--the Sun, the Earth, the Sea, and the Wind--against an arrogant and ungrateful population. The blame for all of these misfortunes, the priests of the Path proclaimed, could be laid to rest squarely at the feet of those unrighteous conjurers and spellcasters, known since that day as the Profane, and their unnatural indulgences.
Now, a thousand years later, the Church of the Path of Light is a highly organized and hierarchical religion that has grown to span the known world, and its early priests number among its saints. In its power and influence it has enshrined self-discipline and penitence into the world as unimpeachable virtues--and declared the Profane irredeemable anathema in the process.
Gods
Saints
There are more saints than there are gods, given that throughout the churchās several thousand year old history a number of different people have been seen to be touched by the divine. Some of the saints are viewed as the godsā actual children, people born into this world with a divine mother or father distinct from their blood relatives. Others were disciples raised up above their peers as a result of their unparalleled devotion. A very limited few claim to be a godās bride or groom, choosing marriage to the flames or the sea over a mortal family.
The stories of the saints are consigned both to sacred religious texts (that not everyone can read), as well as to folklore and mythology, and it is almost impossible to divorce one from the other in daily practice. They are revered, but their names are just as likely to come out of your mouth when you swear and stub your toe as during vespers.
The Saints of the Sun are:
Agnes of Innesbroch, who brought the light of the world to the hearth (she figured out how to make candles out of animal fat); a patient disciple, one of the first priests of the Path of Light, her remains are interred beneath the shrine at the mountaintop near Northcliff Pass.
The Saints of the Earth are:
Griselda of the Grey Meadows, an aging widow who lost her life protesting the grievous over-hunting of the tundra wolves by the duke and his vassals. Edwin of Turn, whose suffering has been lost to history; his remains are interred beyond the ruins of the abandoned city.
The Saints of the Sea are:
Roland of Riverside; blind from a young age, he placed his trust in the sound of the river and sea to guide him at his work; he is seen as the Seaās most dutiful son, and his remains are interred at the shrine at the mouth of the river feeding into the sea.
The Saints of the Wind are:
Clara Clemencia of Black Rock, bride to the Wind; her remains are interred by the Crags.
There are more saints than these; watch this space for more updates.
Church
The Path of Lightās church hierarchy and culture in Maireglenne resembles what you might expect from any religion organized enough to have a āhigh churchā and a ālow church.ā There are priests and priestesses and acolytes and bishops who oversee a given diocese, lay brothers and lay sisters who devote themselves to the church without seeking confirmation, and an Archbishop whose broad mandate means that he/she resides more or less in the kingdomās capitol alongside the King and Queen themselves. For the residents of Northcliff Pass, that level of politicking is so far out of their everyday lived experience that going into too much detail about it doesnāt make sense (yet).
At the layperson level, the church tends to many of the needs of its parish (e.g., Northcliff Pass) that one might expect: it provides some basic education, albeit a decidedly religious one, to its flock, tends to widows and orphans, provides ministry, and is undoubtedly the backbone of all sorts of societal oppression and prejudice that will give Northcliff Pass residents plenty of garbage to spend their miserable lives grappling with and unpacking until the day they finally kick the bucket. In short, itās a mixed bag like any other religion, but itās the only bag youāve got.
Shrines
Shrines are sites of ritual and religious significance, rather than places dedicated to regular, routine religious worship. You might go to church a few times a week to say your prayers to the gods and beg their forgiveness for whatever trivial and petty thing youāve done wrong recently (tipping your neighbourās giant mountain goat, for example). But you donāt just āgo to a shrineā--you make a pilgrimage to a shrine. And once youāve reached the destination of your pilgrimage, you make your sacrifice and come clean--showing up empty-handed or, gods forbid, leaving and doing nothing, surely invites the godsā wrath.
There are a number of different shrines scattered around Maireglenne devoted to the different gods of the pantheon. Church history says that the shrines were originally constructed to signify and memorialize the place of death of the godsā chosen messengers in the world. Desecrating a shrine will earn you a harsh punishment from the law, but frankly, the lawmen donāt want to be that close to you, just in case you get struck by lightning.
Magic and the Profane
The Path of Light takes a fairly puritanical approach to sin and repentance, but the most grievous sin that one can commit is to blaspheme against the gods. To wield power over the elements that only the gods themselves should command is viewed as the most mortal of sins, and is referred to simply as āthe viceā when discussing the capacity that one might possess to conjure flame and ice into existence by will alone.
People let themselves succumb to this unspeakable vice are referred to, liturgically, as the Profane. The term is seeing more usage among the average layperson, though itās not uncommon for them to just be called āwitches,ā and be terrorized accordingly. For the Profane themselves, the vice is a sword that cuts twice: first, in the presence of an ability they did not ask for, and the moral failing which is presumed to accompany it; and second, as the nigh insurmountable barrier it erects between them, their community, and the gods themselves.
The truly penitent among the Profane may seek out the guidance of their church leaders if they find themselves struggling to repress and reject their abilities. It is not uncommon for the Profane to make a pilgrimage out of their penitence, trekking to one of the many shrines to the gods located throughout Maireglenne. There, they make a sacrifice and throw themselves at the mercy of the gods and their saints alike, and hope that their prostration will grant them the will to repress these base impulses. Itās a matter of life or death if they canāt succeed; bearing witness to at least one public āburning of the Profaneā is an experience most Maireglenners share, regardless of their lot in life or duchy of residence.
Many Profane manage to fly below the radar, as it were, and successfully mask their abilities while continuing to perfect their vice in secret. They may be your neighbourhood baker, or the lonely farmer who only comes to town on market days to sell his produce.
Other Profane have weighed the risks of hiding in plain sight, and found them too high. Throughout Maireglenne there are rumours about isolated covens of Profane indulging in their vice within the dark and hidden places of the duchies, giving obeisance to the Night and denying the gods. (That clusters of Profane choose to gather together when they recognize each other is certainly true. The rest? Itās probably a matter of personal interpretation.)
Some notes on āthe viceā: It is the churchās belief that all people possess the vice (aka, magical ability) by virtue of being human, and that anyone has the ability to indulge in this baser instinct if they lack discipline, or are not adequately dutiful in sacrificing to the gods as is required. This isnāt the case; the talent for casting spells is tied to inheritable traits, and is about as common as the dual appearance of red hair + blue eyes--but since contemporary medicine also suggests that bloodletting and humours-balancing is an adequate means of treating an illness, that discovery isnāt going to turn up anytime soon.
In short, the treatment of āthe Profaneā by those without this ability is cruel and unfair, and justice from the crown is beyond the purview of their experience.
Town Locations
Town Locations
image source
Every major building has a backhouse. Iām not going to describe it and youāre probably not going to RP there, just know they exist and are hopefully maintained. (Hopefully.)
The Hammer & Spoke is a ramshackle two-story building just over the bridge into town, with stone walls, a thatched roof, and the soot stains and patchy coloring that suggest it has seen its share of catastrophe.
In contrast, the interior is warm and homey, smelling of food and wood smoke, lit by candles and constantly abuzz with the sounds of idle chatter.
A bar along the left side faces an array of worn but well-loved tables and chairs, usually occupied by weary travelers or locals drinking and playing dice after a long dayās work. Rugs of fur and homespun wool lie about, and decorating the walls are various trinkets and trophies of hunts and gifts from visitors gone by.
Menu items are the usual tavern fare: ale, wine, whiskey when they can get it, and whateverās been simmering in the stew pot for the day, served with a piece of hard bread.
Upstairs are three guest rooms, humble and small with straw beds and a single window each. A fourth bedroom belongs to the innkeeper.
Outside is a small stable for travelersā horses, watched over by a fat orange-and-white cat named Lord Sneak and his employee, the stablehand.
Town Hall is situated at the highest point of the village. A wooden building with a belltower for calling meetings, itās an imposing but familiar-- some might even say beloved-- sight. Within is a large room containing a podium and benches, and a stairway that leads to the Magistrateās office and record storage on the second floor.
Outside, in the summertime, lines of marigolds bloom along the walkway from its doors to the main road.
The Magistrateās House sits just down the hill from Town Hall, and although not unreasonably lavish, is still the largest property in town. It was once known to be full to the brim with Magistrate Emery Wardās many children, but now contains only him, a single housekeeper, and his youngest daughter Philippa on the occasions when she is in the village.
The Chapel is a clean, practical structure comprised of a single room for gathering and prayer. The walls are bedecked with imagery and offering tables for the five gods, with benches in a hexagonal pattern surrounding a similarly-shaped raised platform for a speaker.
It is tended to by the Priesthood of the Path of Light, all of whose members reside in a small vicarage on the other side of the graveyard.
The Vicarage consists of a single room that serves as both dormitory and visiting area for the local priest(s).
A little stone building across the path from Town Hall, the Constabulary consists of a small office facing a single holding cell with a straw floor and iron bars. A back room serves as the armory and record storage, with a small cordoned-off area that doubles as the Captainās living space (against all sensible recommendations). Just outside the door is an alarm bell, kept well-oiled and ever at the ready, much to the chagrin of the lower-ranking officers responsible for its upkeep.
The Marketplace spans almost the entirety of the main road. The open-air food market occupies much of the walkable street, flanked by the brick-and-mortar shops that often contain second-floor homes for the wealthier vendors. Although several of the market stalls are owned and decorated by local farmers, most of them are occupied on a first-come, first-serve basis (which can definitely get ugly).
Despite the miniscule size of Northcliff Pass, a surprising number of merchants will make the journey for the opportunity to hawk their wares to the pilgrims passing to and from Cliffside.
Shops include:
The Smithy, first building on the left and closest to the inn. An open workspace yawns in front where there might otherwise be a market stall, and on fair days business is conducted outdoors. Otherwise, past the anvils and racks of swords is a door leading to the office. Upstairs is the living quarters.
The Apothecary and House of Healing, first on the right and closest to the Chapel. A small window by the door opens into a shop counter, where herbal medicines and ingredients can be purchased from the friendly, gap-toothed young man who makes them. Inside and past the shopfront lies the healer's residence, which doubles as an infirmary in times of need.
Ever actually needing the healer is inadvisable; whatever the problem is, walking it off will prove less traumatic.
Marloweās, a tidy little carpentry shop with beautifully embellished door and windowframes. The interior is both storefront and workshop, containing furniture made and detailed on commission. Upon entering, one will be greeted either with an amiable smile and a hello, or by a grunt and irritated stare, depending on which of the carpenters is doing the receiving. Either way, the final product will be worth it.
The Northcliff Mine is the oldest part of the village, its path the smoothest and its secrets many. Being cut into the side of the mountain has allowed it to endure centuries of harrowing weather and natural disasters, although that has included several collapses and re-openings over the years. There is iron to be found there, for those willing to live at the mercy of its tunnels and their fickle construction.
Private Residences are available in several places: the more well-to-do erect their freestanding homes on the street behind the Market, down the hill from the Magistrateās house, and those with lesser means have taken to building their structures right up against the city walls.
Among the Hill Road houses is the Watch Captainās, although he is never found there these days.
The City Walls emerge from the face of the mountain and are built in a circle around the main stretch of town, with creaky wooden doors that open to the north and south on the Pilgrimās Path and east into the forest. They are at least a hundred years old, the stone crumbling in some places. At each gate, stone stairs lead to pathways above for the Watch to patrol and for rude kids to spit on people. 
Sands Creek is a mountain spring, runoff from the snowy peak of Northcliff. Thereās a fair amount of freshwater life therein, but most fishing is done for leisure. The bridge leading out of town and the adjacent banks are good places to spend the day with a rod and reel, but venturing too close to the forest is inadvisable. Itās not especially sandy and thus was likely named for someone long ago, but whomever it was has been lost to the ages.
Northcliff Wood, in the daytime, is as one would expect: tranquil, filled with birdsong, populated by an assortment of both coniferous and deciduous trees, abundant with herbs and flowers and game in the warm months.
But linger after dark, or venture too far into the Deep Forest, and the insect songs turn eerie, shadows moving of their own accord, the moon filtering through skeletal branches when it shines at all. 
They say a spirit inhabits the forest, and does with wanderers as she please. Children vanish into the fog, adults speak of strange bones and bodiless footsteps; people go missing and reappear years later, forever changed, with eyes like ghosts.
But the huntingās pretty good, if youāre up for it.
Town Map:
Island Map:
Regional Locations
this is the new regional bc I put all the town shit in the regional post, mea culpa
Joining
Joining
Please note that this game is invite-only! We will not accept any dossiers submitted by people who haven't chatted with us about joining the game first.
Before doing anything else, please read the Character Creation Guide!
Then, copy this code into your character's journal and link to the page in a comment below. You can find examples here, here, and here.
Character Creation Guide: PLEASE READ
Character Creation Guide
The following caps are in effect per player:
One character born with The Vice*
One character from off-island**
When creating a character, the best approach is to read the available lore and think about what slot(s) you might like to fill on the list of jobs. Ideally, every played character in the setting has a job and/or a reason for being here-- the townās resources are simply too scant to allow for too many wanderers and layabouts.
If youāre unsure of your availability or are self-professed Known To Be Slow, you may want to consider playing a farmer, traveling merchant, or someone else who might feasibly be outside the town walls if/when events occur that you might miss. Not a requirement, just a suggestion!
If you really want to play but are low on ideas, or if you have an idea but arenāt sure, hit us up and we can help you think of something! Making each character an inextricable part of the gameās story and atmosphere is part of the fun.
If you make someone over 40 whoās been here their whole life or most of it, we have some extra details for you!
If you're ready to jump in, head on over here!
*The Vice is a naturally-occurring trait that, if not carefully suppressed, can lead to usage of magic and therefore heresy. Demonstrating oneās Vice is a crime punishable by anything from temporary imprisonment to public execution.
People known to practice it are known as the Profane, and they donāt tend to last very long once their status is known.
For more information on the magic system, click here.
**The vast majority of Northcliff Passā citizens are from the region, and it would be great if this is reflected in player demographics; basically, try to be from somewhere on the island, if not from Cliffside/Northcliff Pass itself.
Pilgrims and merchants can be exceptions to this trend, but the latter would need good reasons for coming here to stay.
Information on the rest of the island can be found here.
FAQ
FAQ
Player characters
Is there AC?
There is no AC, but we will post a bi-monthly courtesy check-in. Failing to check in for two months in a row will result in a sweep, and your characterās role will be up for grabs.
If I get swept, can I come back?
Yes, but if your role was given away youāll have to figure out something else, and will probably want to have an IC reason for the change/absence.
What races can I play?
At present, the only playable race in Northcliff Pass (and the only known sapient species) is human. They can resemble any real-world person of any ethnicity.
Pets are also allowed as NPCs when attached to a human character, and should not have their own account.
How many characters can I play?
As many as you want, but try to keep it reasonable!
What jobs are available?
Here is the list of village roles and who occupies them.
Can I play babies/children?
Children are fine, but youāll probably want babies to be NPCs attached to an adult character account. If you play a child and you have no concept of how real children speak or act, pleaseā¦ donāt. Badly played children will be sent to boarding school in Southsea and their players will be cast into the volcano.
Can I play a violent/evil character?
Yes, but make sure you pay careful attention to everyoneās permissions, and be prepared for the eventuality of getting caught.
Can I BONE
Follow your dreams, but please keep smut threads off the comm-- and hopefully you do not have to be told this, but no character under 16 or player under the age of consent in your locality can partake in a smut thread with any connection to this game.
This is a hard and fast rule: if youāre found to be breaking it, all your characters will be swept and you will be banned.
Setting
What year is it?
1315.
How is the year broken up?
The year is broken into the same twelve months as the real world, which are currently called by their same names (but weāll let you know if the names change.)
For the sake of coordination, IC months track in realtime.
What is the money system?
Probably based on some kind of fantasy gold standard. You are probably safe referring to money as "coin," "crowns," or "sovereigns" as you see fit. (āSilverā can be used as a stand-in for something under a crown, and āpenceā for something under a silver.)
What flora/fauna is in the region?
There is no plant life on Mairgelenne that could not be found on Earth (yet, at least). Though there have been sightings of strange creatures here and there, every animal with which the townsfolk are familiar will be either domestic (cats, dogs, horses, etc) or wildlife of the kind one might encounter in northern Europe.
Where are we?
The roleplay takes place on an island kingdom named Maireglenne, in a village called Northcliff Pass.
What religion do characters practice?
The Path of Light and overall belief system is detailed here.
What language does my character speak?
The most commonly spoken language in Maireglenne is called "Glennich." There are a smattering of other minority languages and regional dialects around the country as well, but a couple additional ones that we can confirm are:
- Hego, spoken by some smaller communities in Southsea
- NorĆ°ur, spoken as commonly as Glennich in the Fjords
There are additional languages spoken by people from other parts of the world (e.g., Haguennot, Eirdh).
Can my character use magic?
See the above link for details on magic.
Entry tags:
Rules
Rules
This game is currently invite only. While we're stoked you'd like to join us, please send this account a PM first before submitting your dossier.
If you have been invited:
"Being Cool" means:
If you donāt know what being uncool entails then you shouldnāt be here, but for the sake of clarity:
This is for fun.
If it isnāt fun you shouldnāt be here.
Please donāt invite outside friends without running it by us first.
Setting
World
Maireglenne, the isle of light
Maireglenne (pr. mare-GLENN-eh), an island kingdom approximately the size of Iceland, situated in a remote northern sea where, from the black sands and rocky cliffs overlooking the waves it is not at all uncommon to witness breaching whales and glacial peaks. Autumn and winter brings howling gales off the sea, but in the spring and summer those same winds are a warm and temperate blessing.
The kingdom gains its moniker, the Isle of Light, from two sources: its extremely long days during the summer months, and as the birthplace of a religion that has come to span the known world, the Path of Light. It is easier to dwell on faith and this good fortune from the gods, rather than to acknowledge Maireglenneās other name during the long, bitter nights of winterāthe Isle of Darkness.
Some notes: Maireglenne is not a major player on the international political stage, despite being the birthplace of the worldās most significant religion. The Unification--the several century-long civil war amongst the duchies as the dukes and duchesses fought for control over the island--has scarred the land as well as the collective psyche of the population. Those who are privileged enough to be educated (namely the clergy and the titled nobility) view the great political games of the larger, more influential nations as a blasphemous provocation of the godsā wrath.
Geography
Itās probable that Maireglenne is the highest point of a larger land mass that was engulfed by the sea at the end of a lengthy ice age. Glaciers carved deep fjords into the northernmost coastal duchies; these waters remain bitterly cold, but offer good fishing and are nurseries for the sea whales and their young calves.The most easily accessible and habitable land on the island is along its coastal waters; in the south, the black sands of the beaches slowly give way to grassy prairies. The western and eastern shorelines are both dominated by dangerous rocky protrusions that make finding save harbour difficult without a reliable navigational chart. The middle of the island is dominated by a craggy mountain range, and a single active volcano that is prone to oozing an alarming quantity of lava from time to time. The peculiar combination of the mountain range, volcano, and moisture from the seas has created an odd climate anomaly; near the city of Cliffside, there has grown and flourished a deep forest.
Trade routes between duchies are by land or by boat; braving the westernmost shoreline is a risky proposition, as the winds off the sea are galeforce. A talented seaman might brave the journey, but most would rather not take the risk, and will elect to transport goods via caravan.
The Duchies
Maireglenne is composed of five duchies:
Northcliff Pass
The epicenter of your charactersā world, whether they like it or not. Located on a pilgrimage path, and near enough to the larger township of Northcliff, life is hard and opportunities are few. Life in the village revolves around the ecclesiastical calendar, which determines which gods hold sway during a given season (and therefore which saints should be prayed to most fervently)--and also what social events to look forward to.