Post by Aphelyon on Jan 16, 2017 15:18:48 GMT -5
Sweet Mother, Sweet Mother, Send Your Child Unto Me
For the sins of the Unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear.
These are the words of the Black Sacrament, chanted in morbid reverence to the Void in the hope that a remedy will appear in the form of a dark figure in the night: the children of Sithis and his bride, the Night Mother. Members of the guild of assassins, the Dark Brotherhood.
This is an ancient family, with years of history and tradition, accomplishments and shames, histories and stories. We are elusive, secretive. We strike fear into the citizens of Tamriel when they hear our name, when they consider even the mere threat of our presence. We are powerful. Or at least, we once were.
The past several decades have been difficult. The Great War decimated much of Tamriel, and our guild along with it. Our members were killed, our Sanctuaries destroyed, until all that was left was one small group in Skyrim. The Falkreath Santuary, led by a Nord woman named Astrid. One last Sanctuary meant hope; we would not yet pass into obscurity. Under Astrid's leadership, the Sanctuary and its members managed to survive, but without a Listener or the guidance of the Night Mother, the Brotherhood could not act effectively, and became little more than a hive of murderers chasing rumors. Hope came once again when the Keeper, Cicero, arrived with the Night Mother's coffin and a new Listener, a khajiit thief named Dar'run, was named. However, Astrid was desperate to keep her power and thus rejected both the Keeper and the Listener, going so far as to attempt to kill both. This ended in ruin for the Sanctuary, leading soldiers to its threshold and burning it to the ground. This killed most of its members, including Astrid, who with her dying breath attempted to atone for her mistake by giving the Listener her Blade of Woe and sacrificing herself to the Void.
Though the Falkreath Sanctuary lay in ruin, and the Dark Brotherhood was all but wiped out, Dar'run, Cicero, and a few other members managed to survive. They traveled to an ancient, disused Sanctuary in the north Skyrim- Dawnstar- to rebuild the Brotherhood from its ashes. Astrid's death had wiped clean the slate, and though the guild was small, it could begin to renew itself.
It has been three years since. As we step forward into a new year- 204 of the Fourth Era- the Dark Brotherhood has grown in numbers and strength and is finally ready to truly step out of the shadows, so to say, and begin to reclaim the fear and respect that its name once struck into the hearts of all.
These are the words of the Black Sacrament, chanted in morbid reverence to the Void in the hope that a remedy will appear in the form of a dark figure in the night: the children of Sithis and his bride, the Night Mother. Members of the guild of assassins, the Dark Brotherhood.
This is an ancient family, with years of history and tradition, accomplishments and shames, histories and stories. We are elusive, secretive. We strike fear into the citizens of Tamriel when they hear our name, when they consider even the mere threat of our presence. We are powerful. Or at least, we once were.
The past several decades have been difficult. The Great War decimated much of Tamriel, and our guild along with it. Our members were killed, our Sanctuaries destroyed, until all that was left was one small group in Skyrim. The Falkreath Santuary, led by a Nord woman named Astrid. One last Sanctuary meant hope; we would not yet pass into obscurity. Under Astrid's leadership, the Sanctuary and its members managed to survive, but without a Listener or the guidance of the Night Mother, the Brotherhood could not act effectively, and became little more than a hive of murderers chasing rumors. Hope came once again when the Keeper, Cicero, arrived with the Night Mother's coffin and a new Listener, a khajiit thief named Dar'run, was named. However, Astrid was desperate to keep her power and thus rejected both the Keeper and the Listener, going so far as to attempt to kill both. This ended in ruin for the Sanctuary, leading soldiers to its threshold and burning it to the ground. This killed most of its members, including Astrid, who with her dying breath attempted to atone for her mistake by giving the Listener her Blade of Woe and sacrificing herself to the Void.
Though the Falkreath Sanctuary lay in ruin, and the Dark Brotherhood was all but wiped out, Dar'run, Cicero, and a few other members managed to survive. They traveled to an ancient, disused Sanctuary in the north Skyrim- Dawnstar- to rebuild the Brotherhood from its ashes. Astrid's death had wiped clean the slate, and though the guild was small, it could begin to renew itself.
It has been three years since. As we step forward into a new year- 204 of the Fourth Era- the Dark Brotherhood has grown in numbers and strength and is finally ready to truly step out of the shadows, so to say, and begin to reclaim the fear and respect that its name once struck into the hearts of all.
What is Life's Greatest Illusion?
The Dawnstar Sanctuary is located in the small city of Dawnstar on the northern coast of Skyrim. It is said to be one of the oldest Sanctuaries in Skyrim- though how old exactly is anyone's guess- and previous to being reclaimed by the Brotherhood after the destruction of the Falkreath Sanctuary, had not been used in over a century.
Like all Sanctuaries, the Dawnstar one is guarded by a Black Door, which is set into the cliffside a short walk away from Dawnstar's harbor. The first time a prospective member approaches the door, they will be greeted with a question: "What is life's greatest illusion?" Answering correctly will allow a member access to the Sanctuary, while answering incorrectly will cause the door to reply "You are not worthy," and refuse to open.
Inside the Sanctuary, one is first greeted by a small entrance hall. TBA
Like all Sanctuaries, the Dawnstar one is guarded by a Black Door, which is set into the cliffside a short walk away from Dawnstar's harbor. The first time a prospective member approaches the door, they will be greeted with a question: "What is life's greatest illusion?" Answering correctly will allow a member access to the Sanctuary, while answering incorrectly will cause the door to reply "You are not worthy," and refuse to open.
Inside the Sanctuary, one is first greeted by a small entrance hall. TBA
Roleplay Rules
- Follow all forum rules, as always. -
- No flaming, bashing, trolling, spotlighting, powerplaying, godmodding, etc. -
- No mary sues/"perfect"characters. Your character is almost never going to be the absolute best in the land at anything. Being very good at some things (not everything), however, is entirely acceptable. Your character will be bad at some things. They will have some flaws. They will lose sometimes. They're human. Similarly, though, please don't make your character so awful that they have no good aspects and are mopey and depressed and annoyingly flawed. Give them some space to develop and improve, but also let them develop and improve. -
- As always, keep things pg. So, no excessively graphic violence, language, or other inappropriateness. If you desire any of these things please take it to PM where it is legally out of my control. -
- Please try to be literate and original. Make your characters and their actions unique and meaningful rather than making them a cookie cutter with nothing personal going for them. Contribute to the plot and roleplay in a meaningful way that is enjoyable for everyone. Use good grammar, spelling, etc. At the same time, please don't write a novel every post. If you try to make things too long and complicated it gets boring and tedious. Find that comfortable middle where it's entertaining for you to write and entertaining for us to read. -
- Please keep characters realistic. This goes for appearance where applicable, as well as things like skills, strengths, weaknesses, history, and knowledge. Characters can only know things that they logically would know, so don't meta-game. Keep characters' appearances in line with their race; what you can make them look like in the Skyrim character creator is a good guideline, though obviously you can make their body shape different (try to keep things like hair, eye, and skin colors more-or-less the same though). This also goes for behavior; keep your character's personality, backstory, and all that other stuff consistent and believable. Don't make their reactions wildly arbitrary- everyone has motives for what they do. This also goes for things like roleplay events. When your character attempts to do something, sometimes they'll fail. That's just how it is. You're character can't always be awesome and win at everything. It's not realistic. At the same time, don't make everything always completely awful for your character where they're always miserable and nothing good happens to them. That's just sad. -
- If you are gone for more than two weeks without prior warning, you will be suspended and your characters moved to the "inactive" slot. If you are gone for two weeks after this, your characters will be entirely removed. If you have any ranks- such as a noble of a kingdom or something- then that rank will be available for other people to fill. -
- I reserve the right to reject or remove people who are not literate enough, who do not contribute well to the roleplay, who are not active, who do not keep in the spirit of the roleplay, or who do not adequately follow the above rules. -
- No flaming, bashing, trolling, spotlighting, powerplaying, godmodding, etc. -
- No mary sues/"perfect"characters. Your character is almost never going to be the absolute best in the land at anything. Being very good at some things (not everything), however, is entirely acceptable. Your character will be bad at some things. They will have some flaws. They will lose sometimes. They're human. Similarly, though, please don't make your character so awful that they have no good aspects and are mopey and depressed and annoyingly flawed. Give them some space to develop and improve, but also let them develop and improve. -
- As always, keep things pg. So, no excessively graphic violence, language, or other inappropriateness. If you desire any of these things please take it to PM where it is legally out of my control. -
- Please try to be literate and original. Make your characters and their actions unique and meaningful rather than making them a cookie cutter with nothing personal going for them. Contribute to the plot and roleplay in a meaningful way that is enjoyable for everyone. Use good grammar, spelling, etc. At the same time, please don't write a novel every post. If you try to make things too long and complicated it gets boring and tedious. Find that comfortable middle where it's entertaining for you to write and entertaining for us to read. -
- Please keep characters realistic. This goes for appearance where applicable, as well as things like skills, strengths, weaknesses, history, and knowledge. Characters can only know things that they logically would know, so don't meta-game. Keep characters' appearances in line with their race; what you can make them look like in the Skyrim character creator is a good guideline, though obviously you can make their body shape different (try to keep things like hair, eye, and skin colors more-or-less the same though). This also goes for behavior; keep your character's personality, backstory, and all that other stuff consistent and believable. Don't make their reactions wildly arbitrary- everyone has motives for what they do. This also goes for things like roleplay events. When your character attempts to do something, sometimes they'll fail. That's just how it is. You're character can't always be awesome and win at everything. It's not realistic. At the same time, don't make everything always completely awful for your character where they're always miserable and nothing good happens to them. That's just sad. -
- If you are gone for more than two weeks without prior warning, you will be suspended and your characters moved to the "inactive" slot. If you are gone for two weeks after this, your characters will be entirely removed. If you have any ranks- such as a noble of a kingdom or something- then that rank will be available for other people to fill. -
- I reserve the right to reject or remove people who are not literate enough, who do not contribute well to the roleplay, who are not active, who do not keep in the spirit of the roleplay, or who do not adequately follow the above rules. -
The Five Tenets
These are the rules of the Dark Brotherhood. To break these is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.
1. Never dishonor the Night Mother.
2. Never betray the Dark Brotherhood or its secrets.
3. Never disobey or refuse to carry out an order from a Dark Brotherhood superior.
4. Never steal the possessions of a Dark Brother or Dark Sister.
5. Never kill a Dark Brother or Dark Sister.
1. Never dishonor the Night Mother.
2. Never betray the Dark Brotherhood or its secrets.
3. Never disobey or refuse to carry out an order from a Dark Brotherhood superior.
4. Never steal the possessions of a Dark Brother or Dark Sister.
5. Never kill a Dark Brother or Dark Sister.
News
In-Character
N/A
N/A
Out-of-Character
1-16-2017 Sanctuary is created.
1-16-2017 Sanctuary is created.
World Info
Date: 30 Evening Star, 4E203
Weather: Very, very cold; overcast, snowy, and generally dark. Chilling breezes, though not heavy winds.
Weather: Very, very cold; overcast, snowy, and generally dark. Chilling breezes, though not heavy winds.
Dark Brotherhood Hierarchy
Hierarchy is traditionally very important to the Brotherhood, as it dictates who has authority over other members, what they have authority over, and how difficult of contracts they have proven themselves to be able to handle.
The Dark Brotherhood is led by a group of five official members, which is called the Black Hand, and which is symbolized by a black hand print on many Dark Brotherhood items, such as its armor and robes. The members represent "four fingers and a thumb," with four Speakers and a Listener. The Listener- the "thumb"- is the leader of the Black Hand and therefore the Brotherhood as a whole, though traditionally the exact identity of the Listener was not known to all members for safety purposes; however, due to close quarters in modern times, most current members do know the identity of the current Listener. The Listener is the only person who is able to hear the voice of the Night Mother, who speaks to them and tells them who has prayed for an assassination contract. The Listener then relays this information to a Speaker, the "fingers," who will find the contractor, work out the details of the contract, exact payment, and finally assign the contract to a different member or pass on the details to a lower-ranking contract distributor. When there used to be many Sanctuaries, a Speaker would be in charge of many of them, and distribute their contracts accordingly. In modern times, this is no longer the case. Because there are fewer members and only one Sanctuary, currently Speakers relay the contracts directly to the member who will carry it out.
The Black Hand, however, does have five more less official members, which are not known to anyone except for the members of the Black Hand. These people are known as Silencers, and are the "nail" of each finger. These Silencers carry out only the most difficult contracts, and are the assassins trusted with the most covert missions of the Brotherhood, including more violent internal affairs such as Purifications (which, fortunately, have not happened in the past several centuries).
The Keeper is another rare, exclusive rank, similar to the Listener. The Keeper is tasked with maintaining and protecting the body, resting place, and coffin of the Night Mother, as well as transporting her when necessary. There is not always a Keeper, as this rank is mostly invoked only when there is a danger to the Night Mother. However, the rank of Keeper is permanent and one does not stop being Keeper once the danger is presumably passed. The Keeper may never again take on a contract and must tend to the Night Mother for the remainder of their life.
Beneath the Black Hand and Keeper are several other ranks, none of which have any particular duties. These ranks, in order from highest to lowest, are initiate, murderer, slayer, eliminator, assassin, and executioner. For the most part, these simply establish a hierarchy, as well as reflect how difficult of contracts the member may receive
Initiates are the lowest-ranking "members," and have not yet actually become official Brothers and Sisters. These are people who have been contacted and have not yet completed their "test" contract or their first "official" contract to prove their worth. Murderers are the lowest official members, and can carry out only the pettiest of contracts, most of which require very little finesse. Once performing well on an assessment contract requiring a bit more skill, they may advance to slayer. Slayers require at least a rudimentary level of sneaking, planning, and overall strategy, but their missions are still often not too difficult. After demonstrating a great deal of tact, they may be promoted to eliminator, who are skilled at sneaking and planning strategically and taking out lone targets quickly so as to not draw attention. Those who are especially skilled may become assassins, who are extremely adept at plotting, and can take out targets even in public without being caught. And finally, executioners, who are able to complete practically any contract regardless of the situation using a mixture of strength and stealth as well as good strategic skills.
The Dark Brotherhood is led by a group of five official members, which is called the Black Hand, and which is symbolized by a black hand print on many Dark Brotherhood items, such as its armor and robes. The members represent "four fingers and a thumb," with four Speakers and a Listener. The Listener- the "thumb"- is the leader of the Black Hand and therefore the Brotherhood as a whole, though traditionally the exact identity of the Listener was not known to all members for safety purposes; however, due to close quarters in modern times, most current members do know the identity of the current Listener. The Listener is the only person who is able to hear the voice of the Night Mother, who speaks to them and tells them who has prayed for an assassination contract. The Listener then relays this information to a Speaker, the "fingers," who will find the contractor, work out the details of the contract, exact payment, and finally assign the contract to a different member or pass on the details to a lower-ranking contract distributor. When there used to be many Sanctuaries, a Speaker would be in charge of many of them, and distribute their contracts accordingly. In modern times, this is no longer the case. Because there are fewer members and only one Sanctuary, currently Speakers relay the contracts directly to the member who will carry it out.
The Black Hand, however, does have five more less official members, which are not known to anyone except for the members of the Black Hand. These people are known as Silencers, and are the "nail" of each finger. These Silencers carry out only the most difficult contracts, and are the assassins trusted with the most covert missions of the Brotherhood, including more violent internal affairs such as Purifications (which, fortunately, have not happened in the past several centuries).
The Keeper is another rare, exclusive rank, similar to the Listener. The Keeper is tasked with maintaining and protecting the body, resting place, and coffin of the Night Mother, as well as transporting her when necessary. There is not always a Keeper, as this rank is mostly invoked only when there is a danger to the Night Mother. However, the rank of Keeper is permanent and one does not stop being Keeper once the danger is presumably passed. The Keeper may never again take on a contract and must tend to the Night Mother for the remainder of their life.
Beneath the Black Hand and Keeper are several other ranks, none of which have any particular duties. These ranks, in order from highest to lowest, are initiate, murderer, slayer, eliminator, assassin, and executioner. For the most part, these simply establish a hierarchy, as well as reflect how difficult of contracts the member may receive
Initiates are the lowest-ranking "members," and have not yet actually become official Brothers and Sisters. These are people who have been contacted and have not yet completed their "test" contract or their first "official" contract to prove their worth. Murderers are the lowest official members, and can carry out only the pettiest of contracts, most of which require very little finesse. Once performing well on an assessment contract requiring a bit more skill, they may advance to slayer. Slayers require at least a rudimentary level of sneaking, planning, and overall strategy, but their missions are still often not too difficult. After demonstrating a great deal of tact, they may be promoted to eliminator, who are skilled at sneaking and planning strategically and taking out lone targets quickly so as to not draw attention. Those who are especially skilled may become assassins, who are extremely adept at plotting, and can take out targets even in public without being caught. And finally, executioners, who are able to complete practically any contract regardless of the situation using a mixture of strength and stealth as well as good strategic skills.
Plots/Contracts/Other Story Stuff
Nothing yet.
Joining
A few things about the form before you begin. First, please delete categories that don't apply to you, to streamline the form.
Second, please make sure that everything is correct and aligns well, lore-wise. If you're uncertain about it, it's easy to look things up on the Wikia, or to ask me if you are currently unable to do so. This includes things such as race lore, birth signs, and historical events and timelines. If something is uncertain, you're quite welcome to fill in the gaps with your own headcanon so long that it fits well with the rest of the lore. One thing to note is that in this roleplay, we are actually going to use Oblivion's system where characters are primarily effected by their birth signs, giving each character a minor ability or inclination towards certain skills. Standing stones are also a thing, however characters may or may not have encountered and used them; they will also get the boost or ability from standing stones, though, in addition to their birth sign.
If your character is a vampire or werewolf, list that along with rank. Please keep the race distribution realistic as well- for example, since we're in Skyrim there will probably not be all that many Altmer, Bosmer, Khajiit, or Argonians in the Brotherhood, while there would be many more more "human" races such as (in particular) Nords, Imperials, or Bretons.
Please ask if you want to be Speaker or Silencer. As for the rest, try to have a reasonable distribution- obviously, there should be a lot more murders or slayers than executioners, as not everyone has the skill to work up the ranks, or has not been with the Brotherhood long enough.
Their skills should be a mixture of both in-game skills (for example, your character may be adept with destruction magic or alchemy) and more descriptive/realistic out-of-game skills (for example, they might know a lot about birds, or be proficient specifically with swords rather than all one-hand weapons like in the game). Obviously, your character will not have all the skills, and must be bad at some things as well. Your character must have at least half as many weaknesses listed as skills.
Finally, on items. The first category, notable items, is for non-unique items that are important to your character. For example, a necklace that is a family heirloom, or an enchanted dagger of which they are especially fond. The second category, unique items, is for in-game items that there is only one of in the word; for example, Daedric artifacts or canon named weapons and items. Obviously, only one character may possess said items. I would like to give a caveat for this category, in that for one please keep the NUMBER of unique items owned by your character realistic and fair to others, and please keep the nature of them realistic as well. For example, your character is PROBABLY not going to have named items from Oblivion (it is possible in some situations though), or have items from high levels in, let's say, the Companions as well as the College of Winterhold, or even just one of those. This, of course, is situational, but unlike in the games, our characters can't do everything and be the leader of everything. Pick one at most, really, and if you're in the DB you really shouldn't be, like, the Harbinger of the Companions or the leader of the Thieves' Guild or something.
Name:
Gender:
Race:
Rank:
Birthday & Birth Sign:
Physical Appearance:
Clothing:
Personality:
Skills:
Weaknesses:
Relationships:
Notable Items:
Unique Items:
History:
Other:
Second, please make sure that everything is correct and aligns well, lore-wise. If you're uncertain about it, it's easy to look things up on the Wikia, or to ask me if you are currently unable to do so. This includes things such as race lore, birth signs, and historical events and timelines. If something is uncertain, you're quite welcome to fill in the gaps with your own headcanon so long that it fits well with the rest of the lore. One thing to note is that in this roleplay, we are actually going to use Oblivion's system where characters are primarily effected by their birth signs, giving each character a minor ability or inclination towards certain skills. Standing stones are also a thing, however characters may or may not have encountered and used them; they will also get the boost or ability from standing stones, though, in addition to their birth sign.
If your character is a vampire or werewolf, list that along with rank. Please keep the race distribution realistic as well- for example, since we're in Skyrim there will probably not be all that many Altmer, Bosmer, Khajiit, or Argonians in the Brotherhood, while there would be many more more "human" races such as (in particular) Nords, Imperials, or Bretons.
Please ask if you want to be Speaker or Silencer. As for the rest, try to have a reasonable distribution- obviously, there should be a lot more murders or slayers than executioners, as not everyone has the skill to work up the ranks, or has not been with the Brotherhood long enough.
Their skills should be a mixture of both in-game skills (for example, your character may be adept with destruction magic or alchemy) and more descriptive/realistic out-of-game skills (for example, they might know a lot about birds, or be proficient specifically with swords rather than all one-hand weapons like in the game). Obviously, your character will not have all the skills, and must be bad at some things as well. Your character must have at least half as many weaknesses listed as skills.
Finally, on items. The first category, notable items, is for non-unique items that are important to your character. For example, a necklace that is a family heirloom, or an enchanted dagger of which they are especially fond. The second category, unique items, is for in-game items that there is only one of in the word; for example, Daedric artifacts or canon named weapons and items. Obviously, only one character may possess said items. I would like to give a caveat for this category, in that for one please keep the NUMBER of unique items owned by your character realistic and fair to others, and please keep the nature of them realistic as well. For example, your character is PROBABLY not going to have named items from Oblivion (it is possible in some situations though), or have items from high levels in, let's say, the Companions as well as the College of Winterhold, or even just one of those. This, of course, is situational, but unlike in the games, our characters can't do everything and be the leader of everything. Pick one at most, really, and if you're in the DB you really shouldn't be, like, the Harbinger of the Companions or the leader of the Thieves' Guild or something.
Name:
Gender:
Race:
Rank:
Birthday & Birth Sign:
Physical Appearance:
Clothing:
Personality:
Skills:
Weaknesses:
Relationships:
Notable Items:
Unique Items:
History:
Other: