Revision as of 02:20, 11 August 2018

Skald Song is a play-by-post medieval sword and sorcery role-play set in an original world based around the fine arts.

Getting Started

On Terms of Service

On Playing

Setting Information

How-to - some useful information on various actions in chat.

Glossary

There are many words and terms in the world of The Tapestry that you will run into. Here's a handy reference to what they mean or refer to.

Comprimaro/a - Partner. This is a title given to someone perceived as being the significant other of the Prince or Princess.

Doge / Duce - Title for the male/female leader of a guild that holds a region and their spouse. They may go by additional titles cultural to their region.

Maestro - Grand Master. This is in reference to the original founding guild leaders anointed by The Skald. They are absolute masters in their fields and are capable of great power.

Nobile - Leaders of guilds that do not hold regions. This term/rank is given to the heirs of any guild as well. Lowest titled nobility.

Oratorio - The religious text of The Tapestry.

Prima Donna - Queen

Primo/a Figlio/a - Prince / Princess

Primo Uomo - King

Skaldborne/Strangers - People not native to The Tapestry.

Virtuoso - God/dess. These are corrupted founding guild leaders, who took to the power and created cults instead. They consider themselves almost equal to The Skald and are doing the creator's bidding. They aren't wrong, but they aren't doing it the way The Skald intended originally.

Native or Not?

Natives were born and raised in The Tapestry and it is all they have ever known, generally speaking. They are not at all surprised by the arrival of beings from other places. It is, after all, part of their oldest beliefs that the creator of the world has hand picked these arrivals. Although their comfort level with a species they haven't seen before is something best left to the player to decide. New arrivals that were already a part of a guild in their former world, we encourage you to reach out to the guild of preference and let them know, especially if you're interested in pursuing that path. The guild leaders will be more than likely happy to add you to their rosters, or may choose to remain disenfranchised despite knowing that the power of a guild can help them go far in life.

• Native characters start off with more gold than non-natives.
• If a slot is available, native characters can start with title.

Non-native characters, also referred to as Skaldborne or Strangers, find themselves in a strange land and generally in even stranger circumstances. The way they arrive into the world is up to the player's descriptive discretion, but it is encouraged that their characters should arrive with some vague and varied amounts of amnesia and may or may not lack the clothes on their back. Think of it like a floating scale, where the most extreme cases are usually full blown amnesia and on the other end they retain all their memories, but are never quite sure how they got to The Tapestry.

Because of this constant influx of Skaldborne, the natives of The Tapestry leave wrapped little packages with a change of clothes, a waxed map to the nearest settlement, and a small amount of gold to get them started. They are usually highly encouraged to join a guild for ease in assimilation into the world, plus the guilds would get quite the reputation if one of the Skaldborne proves themselves and becomes a clear representation a champion chosen by The Skald.

• Skaldborne characters will start off with a lesser amount of gold than natives, but will have the 'care package' already in their inventory.
  • Their profiles are also marked at the top.
• You can also opt to play a non-native that has been around long enough to adapt.

The "Tapestry"

The Tapestry is what the natives call their world, believing that they are just one big masterpiece on an unseen canvas. As such there are no true names of continents, with masses of land/regions simply being referred to by the main city that inhabits them. There is a distinct illusion of organized peace with the leaders of regions bowing in unison to a high king, but there is strife in many forms political or otherwise. And yet their god, The Skald, loves every minute of it.

Events TEST

Places

Inizio D'Oro (Capital)

Uhrwerkstadt

Chanson Isole'e

Prasino Kolaz

Otkrytoye Polotno

• Kraest

TEST

Lore

The religious text of The Tapestry is called the Oratorio, a series of chants that explain the very basics of the world's functions and has been around since early creation. While other religions can and do exist across the land, The Oratorio is 'true', whether its people really believe it or not. It is hard to prove what only a handful have seen many years ago.

The Oratorio

OOC Timeline

This is a general overview of the history of the world, where large scale events and changes will be recorded as they happen through RP. This way, new members can effectively create characters that are native and have access to all information they may need for that character's knowledge at a glance.

For a more detailed timeline for a region, see that region's page.

2018 - Meizarae challenged, and failed to be defeated.

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2017 - Meizarae released.

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1967 - Artificial Limbs using Copper Heart's puppetry mechanics first use.

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1717 - Virtuosos defeated. Monarchy established.

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1700 - Maestros become corrupted, 'Virtuoso' coined. Chanson Isole'e breaks ground.

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1050 - First Skaldborne appear.

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1000 - The Skald visits future site of Inizio D'Oro, selects Maestros, who found the first Guilds.

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 0 - The Tapestry is brought to life

The Skald, Maestros, and Virtuosos WIP

The maestros were gifted with a greater range of power and insights that left them linked to the Great Skald in ways that tormented them. Coupled with an immortal life, the ability to see every string that intertwined in the bundle, no longer bemused with the excited desparation of seeking a needle in a haystack. When they were regular painted citizens of the Tapestry there was a facination and thrill of the future, the unknown, but that was gone now.

Their duties were both guidance and strife-making, which as time passed their colors bled and muddled until they saw little point to guide. The players on stage were weak and unmotivated, their ends were all the same. Cycled, returning to do much of the same in another shape. The Skald granted them the freedom to push harder, to change the key of the performance and so each of the maestros shifted, some abruptly without warning and some seemingly descending into a madness they controlled.

It was time for the world to make their own coveted heroes, and it did, ending their reigns 300 years ago. Or, so the world thought.

Meizarae - Havelock - Bjarke the Grizzled

Skaldic Artifacts WIP

TEST A full suit of armor and an array of weaponry possessing fragmented power believed to have been directly from The Great Skald. Scattered after the initial battle as a memorial gift from the newly instituted monarchy to the guilds that took part in vanquishing the Virtuosos. The knowledge about these artifacts is very slim, with assumption being that they are powerful and noble in nature in any book mentioning them. This may not be the case in reality.

Most of the items are rudimentary, named as a part of one skaldborne or another's tradition to do so, and it is not clear when the items that have gained power did.

Artifact	Quick Description	Found?	Credit to Find
	Gives the wearer random foresight, at the price of paranoia.	No (Not as an artifact anyway!)	Leone Arturo of Battaglia
	Guides the wearer via golden thread to the next point of their story. Usually a life or death moment.	Yes	Unknown (Gifted to Crown).
	If it can fit, it can sling. Aerodynamics be damned! User eventually goes blind for each successful shot.	No
	"Marcato" A blade against which no defense can stand. Cursed.	Yes	Magda of Handlesgilde
No Image Available (Boots)	Teleport a set distance. Not likely to behave (might go in two separate directions).	No
No Image Available (Gloves)	Transmutation of other objects, at the cost of acid burns on owner's hands.	No
No Image Available (Shield)	Earthenware Shield that could control the ground and harden it as steel. Creeping curse turning user into terracotta, chance for the earth to swallow them whole.	No	OOC Permanently Lost
No Image Available (Chestpiece)	A revitalizing plate to be worn on the chest. 50/50 shot of it giving you a invigorating jolt or killing you.	No	OOC Permanently Lost

Politics and Guilds

The political theater of The Tapestry is always on the brink of a shift despite the illusion of peace carried by its people. Guilds are a major part of the world of the Tapestry. They can help your character rise in rank and power, as well as open many doors to quests and opportunities.

In character they are as potent as family ties / clans but have leniency in that they do not have to operate by bloodline.

Guild FAQ

Guilds

Click on a flag to learn about the associated guild.

Archive of Past Guilds

Social Ranks

Prima Famiglia The royal family. A single bloodline has carried the crown through many centuries, supplemented by the marriages with worthy guilds or heroes as decided by the Primo Uomo (King). The royal seat is Inizio D'Oro, the city believed built on the spot that The Skald had made their one and only appearance.

Proper forms of address is by their title only, unless given permission otherwise. It is acceptable to shorten the title to just Primo or Prima, as well.

Titles:
Primo Uomo (King, 'First Man')
Prima Donna (Queen, 'First Lady')
Primo Figlio (Prince, 'First Son')
Prima Figlia (Princess, 'First Daughter')

Trivia: The Primo/a titles come from the term Prima Donna for 'first lady' in reference to music/ballet.

Doge/Duce

The titles belong to the Guild Leaders who have the double duty of running entire regions. Based on their service to the royal family can determine if they will marry in and have the honor of adding their family to the line of the Prima Familia.

Heirs enjoy a lap of luxury in the manor with the royal family. They do not have to be blood-related to the guild leader that sent them.

Proper nomenclature for addressing Doge/Duce are varied and more normalized, with Guild Leaders going by either their internal titles, their name directly, or as their title.

Nobile Other guild leaders, despite not holding land, are still recognized as one of the wealthy. Their children are often sent to Inizio D'Oro to be personal servants to the royal family and their superior guild heirs. This title may also reference heirs of all guilds as well, as it is the lowest title of nobility.

Nobile Heirs also do not have to be blood related to the guild leader that sent them.

Possessing no additional fancy titles, Nobiles are typically referred to by their names, but are recognized as being of a superior class than the rest of their peers.

Renowned

Exceptional heroes may be recognized directly by the royal family as prospects to the line, earning a private title that has them at the same 'level' as a Doge/Duce without the land. These are few and far between, designed to humor the belief that even the pig keeper can become a king, a mantra said to encourage people to not feel bound by their station.

There are no special forms of address toward renowned people.

This level of rank could also apply to villains. They are respected, as without them there would only be half the opportunities for heroes to appear. Still, they probably would not be excited to have one as their leader or suitor!

This rank is given to people who collect enough notable badges to appear well decorated and are not already ranked as nobility. Badges of note include The End, Manticore Mangler, Dragon Doombringer, Virtuoso Vanquisher, etc.