Welcome to Surrender Dawn. Before starting your journey, make sure that you read everything that's on the Beginner's Guide Board:
First, make sure that you get to know the rules by which we manage our site and community.
For this, visit the Guide to Rules.
After that, it's fundamental to read all that there is to know about the world your character will be inserted into.
In order to do so, go to the Guide to Lore.
Lastly, please take a close look at all the mechanics that dictate our roleplay and its characters.
You can do this by checking out the Guide to Mechanics.
When you've done all of the above, you'll most likely be ready to start creating your character:
Create your Application Thread on the Character Creation Board.
To do so, follow the instructions on the Character Application Template Thread.
Once you're done, just copy the link of the thread and head over to the Grading Center.
To submit your application for review, use the General Submissions Thread.
We hope you enjoy your time with us! Happy Roleplaying!
Updates
11/11/19: Open for Beta Testing! Feel free to explore the site and start creating your characters! If you have any doubt feel free to contact a member of the Staff Team.
Never did she imagine she'd have to resort to doing what she was thinking of doing right at that moment. It's true, and she knows, that her master has strictly prohibited her from ever going to the outlands or even step outside Fumehat, until he has deemed her fully prepared to do so. But it has almost been an entire year since she has been stuck in the same sinking place. It's not that the sinking part or the general state of the city itself bothers her. It's more so the fact she has been growing more and more bored by each day. After all, it's about time she has the opportunity to experience new things.
And Karina didn't want to wait any longer.
Somehow, away from her master's attention, the hooded white-haired girl sneaks her way out to the outskirts of the city, where she patiently awaits the departure of a train ride she managed to join.
The destination? Vantalux.
An excited smile creeps up across her features as she looks out the window at the many landscapes that she was able to lay her eyes upon whilst she went on her trip. Considering Fumehat was the city farthest away from the rest of the others, a train ride to Vantalux was going to take a good long time. She knew that her master was eventually going to realize that she wasn't present with him, even while she is still making her way to the capital. Nonetheless, Karina successfully brushed away that kind of thought. "Nothing's gonna ruin my adventure today..." She amusingly mumbled to herself.
With a half-eaten red apple caught in-between her teeth, the girl hops her way out of one of the train doors, skipping through the crowd of people hoping to get on a ride to one of the other three cities. Finally, she had arrived at the desired destination. Vantalux, the heart of humanity, the 'city of opportunities, light and progress' as they call it. Her master told her everything that she needed to know about the surrounding world, or at least everything that was discovered and written down in the records.
Facing one of the three gates of the capital, that one which leads her closer into the Commonwealth sector of the city, Karina couldn't help but be fascinated. Vantalux was indeed a complete contrast from what Fumehat is. Whilst the latter is quite the dark and gloomy place, the girl can say for certain that Vantalux proves to be the total opposite; bright and lively. Further curious and excited, though calm and collected in the way she approached the gates, even getting close to them wasn't exactly the easiest of tasks. Since it was a time of the day where the city is likely the busiest, around the middle of the day, the crowd heading in and out of the capital was clearly more numerous than the one back in the train station.
'I wonder what it's like to live here...' She thought to herself, constantly weaving herself out of the way of the many people walking in her direction, and sometimes attempting to speed her way past those moving in front of her, just so she could get into the city as quickly as possible. Truthfully, she didn't want to stay inside for too long. Karina only knew that it was there where she could find the best bounties from the bounty board planted in the Commonwealth sector of Vantalux. Those that would truly challenge her. It has been quite some time ever since her training started, after all, and one of the things she desired the most was to properly test herself.
Luckily, the girl wasn't yet interrupted in her path. Of course, once she made her way past the gates and further into the city, even if not to her knowledge, the eyes of some of the citizens met her figure with an air of suspicion. Those rags, that cloak, that hood, the way she presented herself, it was probably not an everyday thing for those that gave her such a judging look. Even if she was fully aware of it, she wasn't the kind of person to be bothered by such. And thus, on her merry way she went, never ever thinking of stopping.
An excited smile is brought back to her features. "Found it." Indeed, Karina had finally discovered it; the bounty board. "There's so many..." She mumbled to herself, her golden optics scanning each of the requests pinned to the wide and vast panel. Even with how big it looked, the whole entire board could barely fit any more information. "... Mm... I don't know which one to take..." There was indeed a pletora of bounties; some for hunting a single big monster, others for hunting a group of small creatures. Admittedly, the girl didn't feel like she was ready to take on the big kind of threats. Thus, she limited her range of choices to solely the aforementioned groups.
A good couple of minutes went by, and now, with no paper in her hand, but the picture and the numbers memorized, Karina finally made her way into the outlands from Vantalux. She was armed and ready to go, having her Vanta Weapon's chain coiled around her waist, tight, with the blade of the spear dangling behind her along with her cloak. The white-haired aspiring hunter bit her lower lip in anxiety and anticipation, as she headed deep into the certainly scary forests present just a little farther away from the outskirts of the capital.
About what she remembers of the bounty, the requirement being the successful hunt of a group of more than ten warthog-looking monsters called the 'Vopog'. They are incredibly aggressive species who attack anyone and anything they set their sights on, be it humans or other creatures. Apart from looking like warthogs, their husks are thick and sharper than normal and they appear much taller and bigger than the animal they are based on. Last, but not least, they normally wander around in groups of four, if not alone.
Karina knew very well she had to be ready for the craziest of hunts. Who knows... Perhaps she'll get some help along the way.
The morning - or afternoon, depending on your perspective - was heavy with light. The sun shone through the large gap in between the blinds of her apartment, making the girl groan out of frustration as both the warmth and the blinding light hit her face first. Then there was the racket outside, people bustling about everywhere, starting their day off way too early. The blonde could feel the headache gnawing at the back of her head already, prickling her scalp with many small and incredibly sharp needles. Her tummy rumbled as she felt the taste of old booze in her throat that was as dry as the desert itself and it made her feel nauseous and hungry at the same time. She groaned as she moved her hand over her face to block out the sun, turning over to her side to get some more sleep. It was far too early to wake up yet and the hangover that was putting her body on blast could fuck right off.
Except, Yazmyn Noir rarely got what she wanted, let alone what she deserved.
You see, the blonde Huntress didn't live alone. She had a roommate. A six year-old black feline by the name of Vulcan. And Vulcan? Oh, Vulcan was a force of nature in the mornings... not that 3PM in the afternoon could exactly be considered morning but that's besides the point. Anyway, Vulcan? Vulcan was a cat that really liked his food, which was all fine and good. The only problem was that he was not above annoying his food provider when the food that he so enjoyed was running out... and by running out we of course mean that his bowl is only half-empty. Cats are assholes, what can I say?
And so Vulcan ended up doing obnoxious cat things and was already on top of Yaz's bed, meowing his little mouth off... though meowing probably wasn't a descriptor accurate enough for what was actually going on. It was more like he was screaming at her face while he stood next to her, pawning at the blonde's nose. The Huntress groaned again as she tried to push the feline away and turned onto her other side... by which point Vulcan proceeded to climb over her and yell at her from her other side. She groaned yet again.
"Fine! Fine, fine... Ugh. Shut up already," the Huntress croaked out as she sloooooooowly got up, heaving her legs over the edge of the bed, her feet touching the parquet floor of her bedroom. Sitting still, she rubbed her eyes, yawned, stretched and burped, all in that order. Ugh, it felt like a pair of skunks had died in her throat. Maybe those whatever-bombs she drank last night weren't the best of ideas. Getting out of bed was a pain in the ass but the Huntress managed to force herself out of her bedroom. Thankfully her little escapade last night had decided to not stay the night and left home after their festivities were done... after some coaxing from Yazmyn herself, of course. I got a job early in the morning, luv. Best you go home and get some proper sleep. I'll see you sometime, yeah? She probably never would outside a pub, to be totally honest. Settling down just wasn't in her vocabulary. Nobody worth the time and effort. Nor did she really see herself as the settling down type. She'd seen first hand what an occupation like hers can do to a family.
Anyway, Yazmyn proceeded to go through her morning rituals after filling Vulcan's bowl with food. Toilet, shower, brushing teeth, fixing her hair, getting her uniform and weapons ready, etc. etc. Then followed a quick breakfast followed with some coffee tipped with a drop of scotch for spice and her morning cigarette. She fixed up the leather sleeve on her prosthetic arm and left her home. Money wasn't exactly a problem but with how much she's been donating to orphanages and charities Yazmyn needed to secure herself some extra income if she wanted to keep living comfortably. And so only one idea came to mind - do some work, get paid, get a drink.
By now the bounty board should be filled with new requests from various sources, be it the government and its officials, private contractors or just simple people willing to pay for whatever job. And so she beelined for the closest one to her place. Offering the attendant her greetings, she quickly eyes a job that seemed simple enough and paid relatively well. Hunt down ten Vopog. Alright, that she could do and not sweat more than she would over a morning exercise run. Plus she'd be able to get out of the walls and get some damn fresh air. That'd do her hangover some good.
Grabbing the bounty and officially signing her name onto it, Yazmyn began to make her way out of the city and into the Outlands, completely unaware that she wasn't going to be going at this alone.
The farther and farther away she got from Vantalux, the less noise there was in her surroundings. From the distance, and moving along a straight road leading to her destination, the young aspiring hunter could already sight the darkness present within the forest away from the outskirts of the capital. That black, looming hole of sorts, almost like she was walking in the direction of a portal that would lead her to an entirely different dimension. Normally, Karina wouldn't be the kind to be easily frightened, but this kind of adventure made her feel rather anxious. There was just no way for her to know exactly what to expect. For the first time, she enters the infamous Outlands.
Well, actually, there is one thing she can expect to find: beasts.
And in she goes. The atmosphere completely changes. The tall trees of the forest cover almost all of the sunlight, everything around her dimming. She finds herself having to pass through a few tall bushes, that almost reach her thighs. Perhaps she didn't exactly choose the best entrance. The only thing that she could hear was the sound of the wind, and the grass and leaves flowing along with it. Of her steps, as well, obviously, and her breathing. Though, the deeper and deeper she dwelved in the dark forest, a few other sounds started to pop up; birds chirping, rocks tumbling on the ground, pushed by the wind, which only grew heavier the further she walked.
"Mm...?!" There and then did she hear something alarming. Steps, quick steps, and they were close. Either it was from a single entity with more than two legs, or a group sprinting past her, dashing towards where she came. Tightening her lips and making sure to keep her breathing at a limit, Karina calmly and carefully looked around, turning about, facing all directions, and keeping her feet firm against the ground. Those same steps became more distant by each second, fast as they were, but her instinct simply just couldn't bring her to trust her ears completely. Her thought was that they would eventually return, in the case that whatever had just ran past her could have spotted her as they passed by and decided to return.
Fortunately for her, her prediction was proven wrong. "... Huff..." A breath of relief escaped her lips, as she turned around to keep walking in the same direction as before, her temporary worries now put at rest.
For a good few minutes, peace was all she had. No more abrupt running was heard, the birds continued chirping and now she found herself approaching intense light, an opening of sorts was in her way. After all, all this time, she had only been surrounded by trees and tall grass, and little to no brightness. Now, she takes the first step into 'paradise', as Karina enters the first wide open area of the forest. A large lake present in the middle, surrounded by a big rocky structure, almost a perfect place to take a bath in.
"Ahh..." She breathes out as she lowers herself down, taking a seat by the lake, unwrapping her long Vanta Weapon and letting it rest besides her, and allowing her bare feet and legs to dangle by the edge, the tips of her toes almost touching the fresh water underneath her. Looking up, even the roof was no more covered by vast amounts of tree leaves, blocking almost all of the sunlight. Now, she could see the beautiful, blue skies.
Following that brief moment of anxiety, the girl decides to relax for a while; to calm her mind. To prepare herself mentally for the inevitable challenge. Words: 612 Tags:Yazmyn Noir
Almost as though she were a blur, Yazmyn darted from tree to tree with deft steps. Her agility carried her with care, speed with haste, as she hopped from branch to branch. She was now a good few dozen miles outside of the walls of Vantalux, having decided to leave Valeerah out of action for this one, she took to the Outlands on foot; there was no point in taking the big girl on this type of job anyway - the short distance wouldn't even amount to a good exercise for the black stallion to begin with.
The blonde Huntress followed her instincts and her teachings, having found a series of tracks going down south. Based on the prints themselves they couldn't have belonged to anything other than a band of angry Vopog scuttling around the area searching for sustenance. From what she could gather based on the damage caused to the surrounding area and from what reports she managed to get her hands on before leaving, there was something of an infestation going on. For one odd reason or another the Vopog had started breeding at an unprecedented rate. Given how quickly these little critters grew it was no surprise they had slowly started to overwhelm local workers and scouts. With any luck she'd be able to not only dial down their numbers but find a nest too - cut the problem off at the very root itself.
Hopping from tree to tree, Yazmyn eventually approached a clearing while following the tracks. Narrowing her eyes the woman spotted the dozen or so Vopog in the distance, approaching some kind of strange ruin. She hummed to herself before she blew up into an outright sprint, yet took care to not be easily spotted as she stuck to the higher foliage. With any luck she'd be able to circle the Vopog and attack them when they least expected it. Though she had to wonder - what were the after? It wasn't like these things to rush together towards a ruin of some kind. Was there a water source there? Their whole nest? Fuck knows. She just hoped there wasn't anybody there when those Vopog got there.
That moment of relaxation felt pretty great and she did well in using as much of the time she had properly considering the girl wasn't going to be settling down for too long. In fact, it wasn't even five minutes before she once more heard another alarming noise, this time one that was quite repetitive and accelerated. Then, as it loomed closer, she was eventually able to discern what kind of sound she heard; the sound of steps.
"...!" Alerted, Karina turned around only to witness a trio of Vopog lunging in her direction, aiming their big and sharp tusks straight to her face. "Ah!" Acting mainly out of instinct, the first action that she took was to launch herself straight into the lake, leaving her Vanta Weapon on the surface, and take a desperate dive. As deep as she could she swam. Yet, even those ferocious warthog-looking creatures jumped into the water with her, waving their legs back and forth to try and still catch her under. The tip of one of their tusks connected with her, though thankfully, the weight of the water helped in her not sustaining any serious damage.
Rapidly, she waved her arms and kicked her legs backwards, swimming back to the surface. "Fwahh...!" A few coughs, before the girl opened her eyes, facing the other edge of the lake and looking up. Karina found herself almost instantly frightened by the sight before her. Three more Vopog were waiting on the other side, huffing out of their noses in bloodlust, whilst the previous trio gradually closed the distance on the water. They weren't going to have any momentum to use their tusks, but they could still bite. Now, the poor aspiring huntress found herself in quite the predicament.
Looking back and forth, to each group of Vopog, she only grew more and more desperate. Scowling, Karina stared up at the skies, and off the top of her lungs, she shouted. "Some--... Somebody help meeeeee!!" Whether or not someone was going to answer was a total gamble. But the white-haired young adult could only hope and pray that her white knight would appear.
