This is the beginning of something...

So... First two on-board.


Cara Yisil & Etzagith

I'll get character development threads up in a little bit.  You are encouraged to peek in on other folks character development, comment, offer opinions an forge ties between characters.

I don't yet have an idea for a story.  The story we will play will be a result of the characters we get.  So, I'm not going into this with a preconceived notion of where you're starting or where you're going.

Wooo, hello Etzagith.

Happy to be here and excited to get worldbuilding.

Okay...  copied over your RTJs to your threads.  I'm running out to a photoshoot but should be back on tonight to get into some of the character-building.

Photoshoot?

I'm a photographer too.     Since I've got so much time on my hands, I've scheduled a couple of one-on-one shoots in wide-open spaces.  Yesterday was a fun little steampunk number in a gary-oak meadow (neat jagged Tim Burton-esque trees).   I'm workign to finish off a Black-Widow & Winter Soldier cosplay shoot from a while back.  I shoot a lot of cosplay, because it's just so much fun.

You can check out my stuff, if you like: https://www.geoectomy.net

Cool, thanks for sharing!

Hello, everyone. My fellow will be named Manaolana, or 'Ola for short. IRL, I'm a technology strategist who mostly works from home anyway, so happy to start a new endeavor like this now :-)

Hey there Ola, welcome.

I'm with the HSA, so I'm working from home for the foreseeable future.  Means I'm going to be able to pump out posts for a bit.  I'm always prolific, but I'm a mostly in the evenings sort of poster in a non-COVID world.

Grad school also complicates things, but that's life.

Hey folks;

one of our players pointed out a couple of things in the old character sheet stats, so I've made soem changesd.

I've added Notice back in to the mix.  Not sure why I dropped it.  Uh... whoops?

I've removed Status.  I'm pretty sure that wa a throwback to an earlier game, where I was a lot more interested in playing the social dynasmics.  I think status and nobilty, etc. is better played off via Mantles (which weren't part of the prior game) and Aspects.

I've also Changed Fighting & Melee: to Unarmed Combat & Blades, though Blades also applies to crushing, and other hand-held weapons that don't necessarily do puncture or slashing type of damage.

Hi all.

I'm a software architect out of Austin, TX (though I identify as 'from New England' since I lived there for my first 54 years).  I've always worked from home some and am doing it full time through the crisis.

I've been role-playing since 1978, when I first ran into a group playing D&D, and, being a huge Tolkien fan, I immediately joined.  I have the very first copy of Advanced D&D Dungeon Master's Guide that was sold to the general public, because I was first in line at GenCon XII where it was first sold (in the summer of '79).

I used to be very active on RPoL, about a decade ago, and dropped off due to other interests.  I've run a couple of very successful games, including League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a d20 Modern game that lasted for 2 years, had over 10K posts, and still included 3 of the original players when it ended.  I haven't had a lot of luck finding longevity in games that I have played in, never getting over 6 months.

I have a natural affinity for Fate games, because as both a player and a GM I always feel that the players should feel free to contribute small interesting tidbits to the world.  However, my Fate experience consists only of a Spirit of the Century game that lived for almost half a year and a fantasy game built essentially on the same engine that lived only for three months (both on RPoL).

Hey there Garland, welcome.

Etzagith is also making a guild thief, and had been talking about two rival criminal guilds.  Maybe each of you could design one?

Looking at the character sheet.

What's an induction?

Yes I'm just catching up on all the previous stuff now. :D

Induction.

represents how you came to be aware of and join the Veiled Hand, itself.   Because that will be a key question.  You're all starting out either in it or closely associated with someone who is (enough that they've shared that secret with you).

It's another artifact that I don't think we need.   But, if you want to use it, it's there.

Okay, so  I played around a little bit.  threw together a quick map.  It's not to scale, 'cause I don't even know what the scale is... and if I can get away without having to define that, all the better...

Oh, Also...  I'd been using "Karse" as the nation name.  I think that's a holdover from reading Mercedes Lackey and the Heralds of Valdemar series...  Whoops.   I'd apparently originalyl named in Khune, so it's back to Khune.

• We are in Kumlar, where King Dorian and Queen someone reign in the capital city of >something
• The Empire of Khune is ruled by the Dragon Emperor (undefined) in the Khunic Capital City of something.
• Khadid is no longer.  The livable, arable lands have been subsumed into the other two nations.

Anyone care to offer up some names?

Side Note:  I don't envision that dragons are a thing here.   But all sorts of horrors have come out of the Scar and from North beyond the Mondat Mountains.

Oh, sigh.

I think one of the big things I forgot to point out is that Mantles are also very useful if we are having other name-giver type races involved.   A Mantle is a quick way of conferring all the advantages and disadvantages of, say, being an Elf in this world...  It's not just about what you do, it's also about who you are.

• Queen Jia Eldrian in the Capital City of Druvir, first of the line of Jorvir.
• Dragon Emperor Eric Markov in the Khunic City of Liscora, known among his people as the Radiant Dragon.

This message was last edited by the player at 00:47, Mon 23 Mar 2020.

(Not sure where to put this.)

The big source of my earlier confusion about Mantles was Cara's description as "Devourer of Mantles."  What does that mean?  When I first read that, it led me to thinking that Mantles was something specific to the magic system, and that you were consuming others' magic in some way.  But now I think I understand what mantles really are, so that makes a lot less sense to me.

I have read what you have written, but I feel like I missed the first chapter or something.  I'm asking both within the game and the game mechanic that it is based on.  You mention "murder and impersonate low level guards and functionaries;" does that mean that you actually gain their appearance, their abilities, or just those abilities that are part of their mantle(s)?  A lot of Etz's Mantle "The Lurk" would be pretty useless, or at least unrealistic, without his focus on Stealth with a healthy dose of Athletics.

Also, just how evil are you?  If you're happy murdering people just to be able to impersonate them, I don't think that Etzagith would want to be your friend, or even your ally.  I do appreciate that you've been trying to move into necromancy, in order to consume from those no longer living rather than to have to kill them.  But when necromancy is a big step up from where you are, you're pretty darn evil.  :-)

I want to be clear.  From a gaming point of view, I have no problem playing someone who is seriously evil, but I would need to change my view of Etzagith if he is to work with you.  In D&D terms, I see him as very strongly chaotic good -- all the way to the very edge on both dimensions.  He will be reluctant to kill anyone, even someone attacking him with a weapon, if he has any other way out.

Your comment has been really helpful, really forcing me to think about and develop her, as evidenced by the fact that I've made like 5 edits to respond to you.  Thank you.

So in a strict DnD sense she's not evil, she's Lawful Neutral.  She follows the rules set forth for her by the House, because that is all she's ever known.  To a Lawful Good Paladin she'd absolutely appear evil, for sure, but DnD good and evil can be a very concrete and clear thing.

The world Cara grew up in?  The culture?  It was not a kind or nurturing environment.  It is extremely dangerous, especially for anyone with no Evocation talent, and joining the House was absolutely the most attractive survival strategy.  The House is...well it puts its own needs first, the House is everything.  Any of her other options would have resulted in a lot more trauma, and a lot more danger.  The House represents stability and safety, but only as long as its reputation of being powerful and ruthless holds up.  If the other Houses sensed weakness, they would devour it.  Its safety is paramount, which means the safety of its members is the second most pressing concern.
She doesn't go around killing people indiscriminately, that would damage the reputation of the House, but when she has cause to kill she doesn't hesitate.  When that happens, she also has the ability to absorb the power.  Waste not, want not.  Part of that is, they need to have a powerful Mantle.  A Guard doesn't have much she could use, except their form and some surface memories.  She's not going to spend long holding into that.

Let's say in her business for the Queen she kills something with power, a True Fae perhaps, and absorbs her Mantle.

Lifted from Dresden Accelerated



She'd gain a Core Stunt, in this case Glamour.

She'd also gain the ability to assume the True Fae's form (redundant with Glamour), and access to surface memories.

The actual murder is something her Mantle is designed to need to keep to a minimum, and only when it is necessary for the House.  She gains far more power long term with the First Boon than she does with the Final Boon.  She needs to cultivate relationships with her Dependents, not murder them.

All the Mantles in the world do her no good if she doesn't have any magic to fuel them.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:33, Mon 23 Mar 2020.

That said, Etzagith thinking of her as evil totally works as a roleplaying dynamic.  She wouldn't agree, and it could be an excellent source of conflict and storytelling.

Of course, she would not think of herself as evil.  I'm happy to role-play it and to make it work, but he will not just object strongly, but actively try to prevent you from killing if it seems to him to be gratuitous or even just avoidable.

I'm wondering if I should make an Aspect out of Etz's dislike of killing.  I definitely expect him to be physically sick after the first few times he is forced to do so, or even the first times he even sees someone die.  But I'm struggling to come up with a positive interpretation of the Aspect (in game mechanical terms, that is).  It's a bit of a stretch to say that he might get a benefit in avoiding deadly conflict, because it usually isn't obvious a conflict is deadly until it is.  Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome.

This sounds like a potentially awesome dynamic and source of conflict.

Violently prefers a light touch would let you ping it for an advantage to non-lethal attacks, as well as general theivery, while letting the DM ping you to force you to use nonlethal methods.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:42, Mon 23 Mar 2020.

Thanks!  I think that works, if Control is happy with it.  I know that most damage in Fate is not lethal, at least to named characters, so I don't want to try to build something that is overpowered in practice.  Perhaps though Etz trained with a sword, because of his family, he prefers a blackjack, which is naturally a point less damaging than a sword.

What with all the thieves, I took myself away from that direction a bit.

Sadly makes her a much worse assassin, but what are you going to do?  She's a much more competent socialite, so that works.

Control, how old is Queen Jia Eldrian?  I will build a timeline of his life, and name the towns he's lived in and the Barony of his father, but I realize that I don't know how old he is.  For my back story to work, he needs to be 3 or 4 years younger than the Queen.

I see you've added the map.  Thanks!  With Cara around, you'll be kept busy putting all the place names on it.  :-)

Etz
I'm wondering if I should make an Aspect out of Etz's dislike of killing. 

I suggest, instead that we broaden it a little bit.  Perhaps consider something like Live By The Code, Die By the Code

Which leaves "the code" by which he lives (and, presumably dies) undefined.  This allows you to use it in play as you wish.  But every time you mention the code, you're boxing yourself into a smaller and smaller corner  :).    I think this gives you a lot of leeway to create it on the fly.  And it can be used for and against you easily.

I think this would also (probably) dovetail with Manaolama's character who I am presuming has a pretty strong code of ethics, etc.  (Hm, I'm vaguely reminded of Vampire: The Masquerade's "Path Of..." mechanics.)

Control, how old is Queen Jia Eldrian? 
Jia is old enough to have borne Dorian two ten-year old sons.  They are of age to take the throne at 15.  So.  If 15 is the age of "ascension", it's probably also a rough age of majority, such as it applies in this culture.

So...  Jia would have been 15 when she was married (though, I suppose she could have married before).    For sake of argument, let's make her 28.  Still young enough to be impressionable, but old enough to be a force to be reckoned with.

Hmm.  But as soon as you were to call it a "code" then Etz would want to rebel against it.  He doesn't like rules all that much.  It really pertains to rules that others make, but it carries over to rules he might make for his own future self.  I realize that it works out to more or less the same thing, but it's different in his head.  He's just a very kind person, almost naive, which is a little surprising considering the environment he grew up in.  I expect him to grow and become a little more hardened after the first couple of times he is forced to participate in killing anything.

If you're not comfortable with this as an Aspect, especially because I expect it to reduce over time, I can drop it in favor of an Aspect that has to do with his use of disguises.  I have a start of one on his description.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:53, Tue 24 Mar 2020.

This is very interesting for 'Ola. Tell me more about that mechanic. (I am one of the tiny handful of long-time RPG players who never played WoD apart from Exalted.)

Control, if you could update the appropriate post in the welcome to Aroen thread, and maybe put these on the map, that would be helpful.

Cara added
People
Queen Jia Eldrian in the Capital City of Druvir, first of the line of Jorvir.
Dragon Emperor Eric Markov in the Khunic City of Liscora, known among his people as the Radiant Dragon.

Places
Druvir: Our Capital City
Liscora: city in Khune


I added these.  Some of them might not be worth putting on that page -- I'll leave it up to you.
People

King Jorva:  Princess Jia Eldrian's father, who died 6 years ago

Duke Trumaine of Uxuria, Etz's paternal grandfather, who died 28 years ago
Duke Leguraff of Uxuria, Etz's paternal uncle, now 84 years old and surprisingly healthy
Rugulus Truminsen, Etz's father, now 73 years old and on his deathbed
Marguarite, Etz's mother, now 48 years old
Ashtoric Rugulusen, Thurgon Rugulusen:  Etz's brothers, 30 and 28 years old, respectively

Places
Uxuria:  Dukedom that Etz's father comes from, which his eldest brother now rules.  This is the least of the dukedoms in Kumlar
Harvisborough:  Barony that Etz's father now rules.  This should be immediately adjacent to the Outlands, somewhere that real monsters sometimes come out of the ruins of Khadid.
Lee:  Dukedom that King Dorian comes from

Sorry folks.  Yesterday took a left turn.

Catching up and pushing forward now.

Etzagith & "The Code"
Hmm.  But as soon as you were to call it a "code" then Etz would want to rebel against it. 

Why is he a kind person?  Why does he do the things he does, make the decisions he does?  A code of ethics, a sense of morals is typically a societal standard.  Everyone agrees that murder, rape, cannibalism, human sacrifice are all bad things.   Mind you, everyone agrees that theft is a bad thing, but Etzagith does that...  So, why that and not those other things? Does he only perform "victimless" crimes?


I expect him to grow and become a little more hardened after the first couple of times he is forced to participate in killing anything.

It is entirely possible that he might never need to kill anything.  I expect most people, even in a medieval community, didn't.  I mean, beyond the slaughter of animal for food, and the like.


If you're not comfortable with this as an Aspect, especially because I expect it to reduce over time, I can drop it in favor of an Aspect that has to do with his use of disguises.


I'm going over to your character-thread now.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:32, Thu 26 Mar 2020.

This is very interesting for 'Ola. Tell me more about that mechanic. (I am one of the tiny handful of long-time RPG players who never played WoD apart from Exalted.)


Sorry.  I no longer have the Vampire: The Masquerade books.  And it was only a half-remembered memory, anyway.

However, in this game, if you wanted to say that your character lives by a code of ethics, then that wou8ld be a fantastic Aspect.   Every time you draw upon that Aspect for something new, we'd have to add to the code.   It could be as simple as "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"  Or it could be four-hundred and twenty-nine points to live by, including one which says you must turn around three-times before sleeping.  Mind you, I'd prefer it to not be four-hundred and some odd points.    That's hyperbole.  Really.  Please.

D'oh.

I've just made the character sheet user-editable.  Sorry about that.   I'm not firing on all cylinders these days.

Ok.  I moved my character sheet from Description to there.  I don't think it is quite done, but getting close.

We really need a serious mage in this highly-magical world.  I actually avoided that in my RTJ because I thought that would be a popular choice.

And... we've reached six PCs.  At this point, unless someone new submits a RTJ that knocks my socks off, we're closed to new players.

I want to keep it a smaller group to keep me focused.

Woo!

Welcome new players.

I'm built, so I'm happy to be a spring board for your ideas as well as the DM.

Hello! Nice to meet you all! Look forward to a great time with everyone^^

I honestly appreciate the amount of time and effort you guys are putting into the world-building side of this.    It's real nice not to have to have all the answers :)

So, here's our current line-up:

Cara       Khunic Noble (possibly a diplomat?)
Etzagith   Minor noble sneak-thief master of disguise
Garland    Former thief turned sell-sword
Indigo     To be determined
Manaolana  Warrior-monk?
Vincent    Inquisitor?

If it's in Blue, I'm currently comfortable with how well-developed the character is.  I think I've got a good enough handle on them to start things out...  That doesn't mean you don't have to finish off the character sheet, though :)

Oh yeah.  Also...  I'm going to start up another Notice thread just for posted character sheets.  I truly believe that if others can see your stats and back-story, they have more power to work with you to create compelling drama.

I'd appreciate it if you could copy the latest and greatest version of your character sheets to:
The Current Cast and keep it up to date if you tweak things.  Each post is posted under your name so even though the thread i closed, you should be able to edit the post.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:45, Fri 27 Mar 2020.

Greetings! Happy to be here! You all have been busy writing! lol

Hello new folks!  Welcome aboard.

I have a few questions about mechanics.

1. Control and Cara have both used the term 'Refresh' with respect to stunts, and I'm not clear on what that means.  I found this on the Fate SRD (bottom of the page) -- https://fate-srd.com/fate-core/skills-stunts -- where they mention the Refresh Rate, but it isn't clear what it is that's being refreshed.

2. The Sticky Unique condition from the Mantle:  I see when you mark a box and when marks get removed, but what happens if the boxes are filled?  Just that you can't use any of the actions that mark a box, or is there another penalty?

3. In the example you gave about mantles the character had, I think, three different mantles.  Since a mantle comes with 2 free stunts, this seems overpowered to me.  Is there some drawback to having multiple mantles?  (Hence question 2.)  I mean, I could come up with a mantle of Quick-change Artist, which would totally fit the direction I've been moving Etz in.  I'm not trying to twink out the character, but I am struggling to come up with a real Aspect surrounding what is becoming a significant part of his personality.

Finally, a question for Control about Etzagith.  I had left Lore at Fair, in the thinking that knowing a little Lore might be helpful in overcoming any magical locks or security measures.  Is this a waste of a skill point or will that actually help?  I don't expect to do any evocation, and it wasn't clear to me whether Lore is more like knowledge or more like magical talent or power.

Excellent questions.

Refresh
1. Control and Cara have both used the term 'Refresh' with respect to stunts, and I'm not clear on what that means.  I found this on the Fate SRD (bottom of the page) -- https://fate-srd.com/fate-core/skills-stunts -- where they mention the Refresh Rate, but it isn't clear what it is that's being refreshed.

A Refresh is the pool of fate-points you have available to develop your character by buying stunts. You are assigned a base Refresh pool of 3.

At the beginning of every game-session, you will regain that number of fate-points (3 minus however many extra stunts you bought) providing your current fate-pool size is less than that.  If it's more than that, you keep what you've got.

So, you are refreshing the fate-point pool.

According to your rpol character sheet, Etzagith has taken the Lurk Mantle, with it's three core stunts.

He's also taken three of the four potential additional stunts to go with it.  That will cost him three refresh.  One for each additional potential stunt beyond the core stunts.  That will push Etzagith's Refresh pool to zero.  So, at the start of every new game-session, Etzagith will not gain any new fate-points.

As fate-points are the cost of introducing new details, allowing a re-roll or adding a straight +2 to any roll (after the fact!), you'll really want to consider dropping one or two of the "additional ptoental stunts".

Of course, you can also simply make sure you roleplay your ass off and point out to me every time you're playing closely to your Aspects (where it matters), so I can award you Fate-points for doing so.



Sticky Unique Conditions
2. The Sticky Unique condition from the Mantle:  I see when you mark a box and when marks get removed, but what happens if the boxes are filled?  Just that you can't use any of the actions that mark a box, or is there another penalty?

Yes, you are correct.

If Etzagith's tapped out all five slots of the Seek Shadows Condition, he will be unable to mark any more boxes of, so he will be unable to "hedge" his stealth rolls and will be unable to power the Lurk stunt.

At the end of every game-session (minor plot-point in-rpol story-time), you'll refresh one shift.  You can also regain a shift of Seek Shadows when you succeed with style on a roll involving stealth or generally avoiding being seen.

There does not appear to be any other condition that would prevent Etzagith from using his Lurk Mantle Seek Shadows condition or to power the Lurking stunt.


Multiple Mantles and Game-Balance
3. In the example you gave about mantles the character had, I think, three different mantles.  Since a mantle comes with 2 free stunts, this seems overpowered to me.  Is there some drawback to having multiple mantles?  (Hence question 2.)  I mean, I could come up with a mantle of Quick-change Artist, which would totally fit the direction I've been moving Etz in.  I'm not trying to twink out the character, but I am struggling to come up with a real Aspect surrounding what is becoming a significant part of his personality.

Mantles represent a mix of benefits, detriments and often obligations.  Quick-Change Artist certainly fits with what Etz is all about.  But is it a mantle?  Can he not really stop doing it because it's a fundamental part of who he is?

I provided an example of multiple mantles to illustrate how one could think about these things.   For the magic-using noble doctor, I'd be hard-pressed to determine which I should deny him... his magic, his noblesse oblige or his medical expertise.   The character put his time in...  paid for his education, underwent rigorous training whilst maintaining his titular duties to the court.

There is an inherent lack of balance in this, yes.

I don't think the magic-using royal doctor should be operating at the same "level" as the untrained shepherd who just got accepted as an apprentice farmer.  There's nothing wrong with either.

Ultimately, it is my responsibility to ensure that the power-gap isn't too big of an obstacle to the game.    If you take on a mantle, you are also taking on those obligations and responsibilities, agreeing to the little mini-system that the mantle provides.

But it may be that no little mini-system is necessary.



Lore for Etzagith
Finally, a question for Control about Etzagith.  I had left Lore at Fair, in the thinking that knowing a little Lore might be helpful in overcoming any magical locks or security measures.  Is this a waste of a skill point or will that actually help?  I don't expect to do any evocation, and it wasn't clear to me whether Lore is more like knowledge or more like magical talent or power.




Side note:  Character thread message 7 has Lore:2 (Fair), RPOL character sheet has Lore:1 (Average).

Lore is magical knowledge.   It applies to the study of magic, which includes Evocation and Ritual Magic both.

It is also a loose indicator of magical talent, much like the Physique skill provides a foundation for the physical stress track (innate physical talent?) and the Will skill provides a foundation for the mental stress track (innate intelligence?).

Etzagith, with a Lore:1 or Lore:2 will have a 3-shift mana-pool.  When casting magic, he can call upon that pool to fuel the magical effects.  This means it will take less time to call up the power needed to do stuff.  a Lore:0 will give Etzagith a mana-pool of 2-shifts instead of 3.

Also, Lore represents magical knowledge and insight.  You simply have studied more, learned more about how magic works, and are thus able to do more complex spells for less potential cost to you.

In my mind, yes, it's worth it.  Especially if you plan to be doing magical effects a lot.

I'll also end this with the reminder that we can try things out and see how it goes.  If you want to tweak things around as we go, you're also welcome to do that.

First Question:
So, we've a couple of people who aren't very familiar with Fate systems.  As we're working with a few additions and modifications, do you guys think it would make sense to have a separate thread for mechanics discussions?  I'm thinking more along the lines of what Etzagith's player just asked.  Good quetions, certainly.  But it may well generate a wall of text in my responses.

Second Question:
A really interesting commonality I'm finding among most of the characters so far is that they've all run away, fled, turned deserter, turned their back on or otherwise left the confines of their upbringing.  So, perhaps your "spymaster" has a penchant for recruiting strays?  Do you think we can work something together from this?

Yes, pretty please. That would be preferable as a reference versus sorting through the entertaining but multi-topic OOC thread.



I think that's brilliant. I think that should actually be a bylaw in the group!

Situational Aspect: By the outcast, for the Queen

Yeah I like that. Cara doesn't exactly fit the profile, but from the outside it looks like she does so that's good enough.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:46, Fri 27 Mar 2020.

Thanks!  I'll second the positive response for a separate mechanics thread.

I suspected that it was fate points that were being refreshed.  Thanks for the confirmation; I think I'll drop a stunt.

I had mis-spoke when I said Etz's Lore was Fair; I meant Average.  I don't plan to be casting any spells, but I guess I'll keep it.

I'm on board with the outcasts theme.  Etzagith has always thought of himself as an outcast and a loner, so the opportunity to be a real member of a group will have a huge appeal.

Question for the group.

Are any of you actually making Evocators?

I'd love to talk spells with someone who is.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:44, Fri 27 Mar 2020.

I think I may be, as I understand it, but I'm not likely the best just yet to talk shop with spells yet. XD

By the way, Indigo, seeing your name here is freaking me out a little.  Since last August, my main project that I'm working on at work is code-named Indigo, so it keeps catching my eye as something I need to think about for work.  :-)

The project, just in case anyone is interested, is the next generation of the Wi-Fi Alliance tool for certifying products as "Wi-Fi Certified^TM."  So, if you've seen such a logo on a modem or a TV or a Computer that you've purchased, it came through software that my company wrote.  In another year, I'll be able to say that it came through software I architected and helped to write.

That sounds really cool! Though I didn't mean for my name to cause any freak outs. It's kind of a combination/homage to the source inspiration for the character I'm making.

What did you want us to do with Tabeta?

Backstory tie ins, or help craft her?

Haha.  Too late, I already wrote part of a tie-in.

Jait did specifically say he wanted help crafting her mantle.  I was trying, with my extremely limited knowledge of them, to come up with something that wasn't overly specialized to horsemanship.  I did not succeed so didn't bother putting down any of my thoughts on it.  The closest I came was to discuss expanding the role towards being more of a druid, with a strong connection to nature and animals in general, but that's the extent of my contribution.

Looking at the Ride Anything optional stunt, I was thinking of a Mantle that let you summon an ancestral horse, and then other optional stunts that let you manipulate its form.

Also, given that we have riders, I'm going to edit the Khundari to be sailors and not horsepeople.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:40, Sun 29 Mar 2020.

One apparent downside of the world-building process...   We lose some people who get overwhelmed with the amount of stuff that's there to read.

Vincent has chosen to withdraw from the game, citing an overwhelming amount of stuff to read.

The rpol.net giveth, and the rpol.net taketh away.

Comes with the territory, you always lose one or two before the first scene even starts.

I will admit getting a bit overwhelmed at one point last week, but the COVID-19 "be at home" thing helped me clear my cobwebs :-)

I am a bit overwhelmed with everything, but I'm just taking it slow and one step at a time, so if it's okay that I'm a slow learner, then it's all good for me. XD

My big recommendation...  World-building is fun.  But don't feel you need to keep up with everything.  It starts to balloon easily.   I'm not expecting

We're real close to having all the character's finished enough to start, and the world-building collab should tape off a little as it won't be the primary focus.

Once the in-character stuff starts, that may be the impetus for others to join up.

Excited to get started IC.

Sounds good!  I like world building as much as the next person (that is, unless the next person is Cara, in which case I like it almost as much as the next person), but I would like to get started.

Also, I love the emotional caster as a Trouble for Jocko.  That could be the entire raison d'etre for the College of Mages, they know that people who cast from emotion can become overly powerful.  The extremes of the combination of talent and emotion is what led to the Scar.  For Jocko to have stayed under their radar, he must have it at least under enough control to fake it when they are doing any sort of monitoring.

Without a doubt, Etzagith will immediately want to help protect him from "that arrogant bunch."  He's not one for rules, even those that have a pretty good rationale behind them.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:45, Wed 01 Apr 2020.

Do you have the world built for the College of Magic? If i'm the only mage in the game, i'd be happy to start working on that to help?

You're the only College Mage, for sure.

Also, this might help you with rules for what magic can do.

https://fate-srd.com/odds-ends/high-fantasy-magic

I know you were talking about Flying, seems to be a +6 Difficulty spell if the DM likes this system.

@DM.  For the actual Mages, maybe they each pick 4 Disciplines that their Aspect gives them access too?  I wouldn't get to pick any though, given how Cara's magic works.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:58, Thu 02 Apr 2020.

+6? That seems quite high for a high magic setting. But I guess the world has its own flavour already.

I suspect that perhaps it might be more feasible in the setting where everyone has access to magic and evocation is the principal form of it? Though, Perhaps it's more of a ritual based spell?


Ah this site looks awesome, thanks for the link!
This message was last edited by the player at 17:06, Thu 02 Apr 2020.

DM might not be following this system, but those are one set of the RaW.  Dresden Accelerated (which a lot of this game is pulled from) doesn't allow for flight with magic at all except with the most complicated of rolls, +8 or so I'd imagine.

You can leap over a tall canyon in a single bound with like a +2 or +3, but actual sustained flight is much harder according to this system.   Doubly so given that, as the DM has appeared to lay out, we can use Lore for a lot of this, so we can min max a bit.

You could also easily get around it by having a Stunt for a particular spell.

I could easily see a stunt that says "Gift of Flight:  You have practiced at great length to master the gift of flight.  You may fly with a difficulty +2 Lore roll"

How's everyone doing?

Still reading and trying to piece everything together^^ XD

Still bashing my head off mantles

Your mantle should prob come with a helmet :)

@Garland, want help?

Does anybody know how to fix portrait images in MS Edge?

Having cleared cache and cookies and stuff they're still turning up as nothing.

https://imgur.com/a/JGhWIBR

(In HISHE Batman Voice) Oh Dear God Yes...

A lot of people have taken a high skill level in 'provoke'. I can only guess because it has some utility that is beyond my wisdom. It's the general skill of "being a bit of a dick", right?

Just for curiosity's purpose, and if you guys/gals don't mind/canspare the effort, could you explain why your character has such a high value for it?

this is more my OOC lack of understanding of FATE, that i'd like to rectify.

2 Reasons for me, if you check the Encyclopedia of Aspects.

The DM told me based on my original idea that he wanted Cara to be from Khune.  The only guidance he gave me was that the Khundari practiced human sacrifice and slavery.

1).  I wanted to create an intricate culture who weren't "the bad guys," while also acknowledging that that the Khundari have a fearsome reputation.  Slavery and human sacrifice make sense for the Khundari, based on the sorts of disadvantages they face, but to an outsider there is still the stigma of it.  Their Situational Aspect, A Harsh Land Breeds a Harsh People, plays out in this regard.  Rumors would spread, and they probably wouldn't pay much heed to the realities of living in the steppes.  Add to that the fact that I wanted to play up the fact that the Great Houses of Khune have a fearsome reputation.  Mechanically, I'm representing that with 2 Stunts and Provoke 4.  Cara isn't evil, and she doesn't just bully people to get what she wants (exceptions apply, see below), but the reputation around her is that she represents utterly terrifying forces.   People don't fuck with the Great Houses unless they have a damn good reason to do so.

2).  Cara doesn't just have Dependents who work for her because they love House Yisil.  Primarily, yes, those are the sorts of Dependents she wants to cultivate.  But this is an espionage game.  Some of her House's Dependents are indentured because they have no where else to go, others are indebted because the House has blackmail material on them, others just owe the House a crap ton of money and A Brisk Trade in Blood Debt is the way to keep the loan keepers off their backs.  Provoke represents that far better than Rapport.  She's got Rapport too, but it's not her specialty like Provoke is.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:24, Thu 02 Apr 2020.

While we are waiting, does anyone have any interest in crafting some "Crossing Paths" stories?  If the characters know each other, even from just a brief meeting several years ago, it gives us fodder for a deeper story as well as a reason that they might be working together.

For Etzagith, who is not just going to accept a command from the Veiled Hand leaders (other than the Queen herself) to work with someone he finds evil, this might be rather important.  Not that I, personally, think that slavery, domination, and blood sacrifice are evil, but Etzagith, kind soul that he is, he might have an issue.

I'm not sure what the other characters' timelines look like.  Etz is 24 years old.  He grew up in the capital city of Druvir, in the wealthy part of town.  When he was 8, he spent a year in Harvisborough, starting when his father became baron there.  Then he lived in the castle for almost 4 years as a page / hostage until he was 12, when he returned to Harvisborough for another 5 or 6 years.  I don't know where he has spent his adult years -- it may even have been travelling, so if you want to meet him as an adult, feel free to place him wherever and I'll jump in and make it work.  To meet him younger, you'll have to intersect with that timeline, especially in the years he was in the castle.  Since he was technically a hostage, he would not have been allowed to leave, not that he didn't slip out to the city now and then.

If others are interested, then maybe Control could create us a separate thread for these stories.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:03, Thu 02 Apr 2020.

I'm up for it, though I think I may still be working things out for my character.

Indigo has pretty much spent most of his life being raised, trained, and indoctrinated by a Cult of some long forgotten Cosmic Horror. Since he's reached adulthood, I figure he's been traveling the world in his search to acquire more power for what he perceives to be his eventual Destiny. When I chose his last personal Aspect, I figured his arrival point is the Queen heard of him through his travels and has made a bargain with him to serve as one of her Veiled Hands for a time during his travels for a reward of some kind. I figure if he's crossed paths with folks before his joining the Hand, it'd be during those travels.

Has Indigo been in Druvir this whole time?

I don't think so, but it's very likely he's been in the region for a few months or so.

Cara has been in Druvir for about 2 years.

Etzagith likely would have met her when she was initially introduced to the Queen a year and a half ago.  One of the infamous Oathsworn of a Great House of Khune, being loaned to the Queen to serve as a royal agent. Naturally there would have been muttered rumors about dual loyalties, Khundari blood magic, and the general reputation of the Red and Black as baby murderers.  You might even have gotten assigned to detail her for a while.

Does that work as a starting off point?

Sounds good.  If we get a thread for these, we can move it there.  But Etz was not officially working for the Veiled Hand, then.  He knew the queen when she was a princess, during those four years he was a hostage at the castle.  I'm assuming that he only just (as our story begins) got summoned by her to join the Veiled Hand.  But if you can get away from your own handlers for an afternoon, especially if you slip away without permission, that would naturally endear you to the rogue.

Edit:  I took, perhaps, a bit too much liberty in describing your people.  Feel free to correct me and I'll change it when we move to a separate Crossed Paths thread.

-----

Etzagith pauses, taken aback at the size of the powerful man crossing the room.  Ridlo barely even looks at the man, continuing his lesson, "Remember, just two fingers into the pocket, snip 'em on the wallet, and slide out smooth.  If anything catches, don't tug on it, just let it fall.  There's always another mark, but it's hard to clean 'em if you got your hand chopped off.  Is that clear, Chameleon?  Don't force it.  And always, when you strike one, be sure to pay your respects to the Duke of Ash.  You can lose your hand, or worse, for not doin' that."

Etz nods; he's heard all this a hundred times.  Tilting his head, he asks, "Who is that huge guy walking around like he owns the place?"

"Him?  That's Garland.  He's the old man's son.  Some serious muscle, there.  You do NOT want to get on his bad side.  So, yeah, let's go do some field work.  You're ready."  The two men walk out into the sunlight, the shorter Ridlo squinting and ducking as if light that bright is physically painful.  They walk up to market square, but the road is blocked to let a procession through.  "Oh, this.  This is today." he grumbles.

"What?" asks the Chameleon as he watches a red and black decorated carriage roll past, pulled by men rather than horses!  All the men pulling, as well as those following behind wear tunics of cheap fabric dyed with red and black; each man has a deep notch on his left ear.  Etz touches his own ear in sympathy.

"This is the delegation from Khune, slavers and baby killers, the lot of 'em."  Ridlo spits on the ground and makes an odd gesture with his left hand.

After another carriage passes, Etz notices a girl -- a young woman -- walking behind.  She is dressed far too well to be one of the slaves.  She is striding, almost joyfully, rather than trudging along, and she seems very interested in the marketplace ahead.  An older woman sticks her head out of the carriage window and calls out, "Cara!  Come back into the carriage and ride like a civilized person.  You're getting all dusty out there in the filthy street with the commoners."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:24, Fri 03 Apr 2020.

Baron Rugulus bellows, the voice that once commanded armies missing none of its power, "Etzagith, come out of wherever you are hiding, you little sneak.  We have a guest."  The big man turns to the stranger.  "Indigo?  Like the color?  The king sent you, I assume?  We asked for a wizard, but I didn't think the message would get a response so quick.  Stupid messenger must have killed a horse to get there so fast."  He pauses, his gaze traveling the room but never quite landing on the mage.

He continues, "The creature, it's come up out of the Scar.  It has this shell around it, we can't do anything with weapons, not even enchanted ones. My son, Ashtoric, charged it with a horse, and it didn't budge, just broke the horse's leg -- we had to put it down.  And Ashtoric is out for at least a fortnight, I think he broke his wrist.  The thing hasn't attacked us, yet, but it's just a matter of time.  So we need a wizard, you know, to take down its shell, and then the real men can kill it."

"It's not a shell, father.  It is an aura of power," Etzagith speaks from just behind the old man, who starts slightly at the boy's silent appearance.  "And if the thing hasn't attacked, maybe it isn't dangerous.  Maybe we can just leave it alone."  Etz turns to the stranger, hoping for an ally, and realizes that the young man has no idea that he, that anyone, was expected.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:14, Sat 04 Apr 2020.

OOC:  I like the bit about no horses, keeping that for sure.  The only thing I had already set in stone was colors and clothing.Clansbound wear orange hoods and would keep them up, Merchant Clans wear midnight blue as the dominant color of whatever outfit they put together, soldiers wear gray mail and silver hoods, and the Great Houses wear black however they want.  Only the Oathsworn wear the red and black.

Cara would be about 32 in this scene.

---

Four Clansbound pulled each smaller wagon, with eight a piece pulling the much larger transports. Each hid within the safety of their bright orange hood, putting their head down as they put their shoulders into the work.  Khune was not a land rich in horses, and it would have been a waste of both hold space and grain to have brought any along on the journey.  They might have purchased or rented steeds at the docks, but they likely would have also needed to rent wagons equipped to be pulled by such, wasting further time and resources.  Better by far to rely on the strength of the Clansbound, and not lose themselves to foreign custom.  The three in the front bore the triangular blue pennants that marked them as belonging to the Merchant Clans.  The Grain Mothers of House Patil with their herb lore, the Stone Mothers of House Karna with their architects and masons, and of course the Oracle Mothers of House Dreeva with their reckoning of accounts and endless debts.  Behind them came the two grey troop wagons full of Imperial Marines, flying their triangular pennants of silver.  Last, but certainly not least, the black wagon of House Yisil.  Its own pennants bore the black and red diamonds that marked its occupant for what they were, a source of tall tales and nightmares the known world over, an Oathsworn of one of the Great Houses.

Or at least, it would have been, had Cara Yisil actually been within it.  Instead, she walked at a quick pace behind the train, her brandy colored eyes hungrily eating in every inch of this foreign capital.  In her long black coat with the high collar of red, she looked like a wolf among the fold, a barracuda swimming through unending schools of gleaming silver fish.  Whatever her thoughts, they were interrupted by the sudden chastisement of her elder.  She burst into a jog, dusting herself off as she did, and with a light leap alighted onto the back of her House's wagon.

"Is this some role you're playing, Oathsworn Hannas?"

She said with a whisper, leaning into the wagon.

"If so, I would know the purpose of it."

The woman let out a chuckle, easing back into her seat and adjusting her black shawl about her own long coat of red and black.

"You've never been outside Khune, have you child?'

Hannas' voice was dry and raspy, but there was still iron behind it despite the passage of time.  Cara didn't bother answering, like so many things her elder did, the question was purely rhetorical.

"The wealthy and powerful of Kumlar play at pretending that all that they possess does not rest squarely on the shoulders of those below them.  Part of the way they maintain that lie to themselves is the judgements they pass on us.   The stories they tell of the Great Houses here are vastly more horrifying than that of haughty nobles holding their nose around the lower classes, a state of affairs that is sadly all too common in these green lands.   Regardless,  those stories have served us well over the years, and as you have been instructed on more occasions than I care to recall, we aim to maintain them.  A little misdirection here and there serves us as well, and encourages them to keep their distance.  You are not here to ferment a rebellion among the masses, only to find integrate those whose magic is of use to the House.  The common folk here will possess little of what we require, though do not let such a judgement cloud your vision.  Magic is everywhere, and those who lack the drive to elevate themselves with the gifts that they are born to may still serve a larger purpose."   

Cara was listening to the elder of her House with all the respect that was due the senior Oathsworn, but her gaze had fallen on a younger man who had been staring at her intensely.

"And for those who don't fear me for what I am?"

She asked too quietly for Etzagith to hear with mortal ears as the wagon drew close, her narrowed gaze locked with his.

"Be the monster they fear in word and in story, sweet child, but not in deed.  Unless. such is needed for the good of the House."

Her elder replied.

"For the good of the House."

Cara replied, not caring if the inquisitive man heard her in that.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:29, Fri 03 Apr 2020.

OOC:  I've been writing in present tense, because I like the immediate air that it gives, and because it was a requirement of the GM of the other Fate game I was in.  I'm happy to conform to what the group likes, but I do feel that we should all be using the same style, at least in that regard.  Also, I see that you colorize all your dialog, which I haven't been doing, but I'm going to give it a try.  (I'm not quite ready to give every spoken bit it's own paragraph, though.  :-) )  Control, would you weigh in on the styles you'd like to see?

-----

Etzagith looked up as he heard the two foreigners talk of roles, and he wondered if they wear disguises like everyone, and how difficult it would be to slip among them unnoticed.  It would be easy enough to make or just steal one of those orange hoods that the slaves wear, but those weird, tight collars women wear would have to be made to fit, and he didn't know where to get fabric that color red.  It would make a great disguise, though, because I could play a woman without worrying about the neck bump.

When the old woman spoke on, Etz listened to her accent, with the harsh consonants and the drawn out vowels. "never been outside Khune" he said quietly to himself, trying to match the sound.  He slipped closer, his pickpocketing lesson forgotten for the moment.  He could hear bits of the lecture that the older woman was giving to the younger one, who was now hanging on the back of the carriage, something about misdirection, and several mentions of "The House," almost as if it had religious significance.  "... serve a larger purpose" he mimicked, trying to get that sound right on the g and the mid-word p, when the younger woman caught him watching.  She locked eyes for a moment, then turned her face into the window where he couldn't hear her.

Etzagith ducked away, embarrassed at having been noticed. He could hear her clearly as she stood upright, still on the carriage's back bumper.

"For the good of the House." she announced.

Etz moved through the market, easily outpacing the procession, and climbed to the roof of the Tax Office.  He sat with his feet dangling, uncharacteristically sitting in the open for all to see.  There was something about that woman ... her frank gaze, her change from a carefree trot to a disciplined stance, her refusal to enter the carriage when her superior called her in ... he wanted to see her again.  He sat and practiced some more as the procession approached. "those who lack the drive to elevate themselves," he said aloud, but then shook his head, "to elevate themselves" he spoke again, correcting the rhythm.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:18, Fri 03 Apr 2020.

Indigo leaned against the wall as he looked towards Baron Rugulus. He was a young looking man himself, possibly one could gauge likely to be somewhere in his mid to early twenties. Even though he was seemingly leaning against the wall like some kind of boorish petulant child, the rest of his posture and attitude was as relaxed and held a rather obvious haughty indifference. He was dressed in a heavy dark purple robe, that was lined and trimmed with white fur and decorated with a number of strange silver jewelry along his neck and arms.  He had what looked to be some sort of ritualistic survival knife strung around his waist, tied to the very belt that held his robe closed. Just by his manner of dress it was painfully obvious he was no college mage of any design. His purple eyes looked from the Baron to the other younger man in the room, silently evaluating and considering the people. If he had any considerations though, they did not show beyond his passive indifference.

"I am here because You requested Aid," he responded, simply ignoring the question about the meaning of his name and dodging who it was precisely that had sent him, instead putting specific emphasis on the word aid, as if to assure the Baron his request had been received, though it was also possible he was being mocked in some fashion. His voice carried with it an air of superiority to it, like who who knows that they have been bred and raised to be of higher quality than anyone else around them. "If it is a creature or construct of magical inclination, then I can likely destroy it, but if it has not attacked, I see no reason for such a...aggressive maneuver." he added, though it was obvious now by his initial pause he had been trying to be diplomatic with his statement and he had desired instead to say something demeaning to the Baron. "But it can still be done,"

His attention shifted to the young man behind the Baron for a moment once again, listening to his words as he spoke in slight opposition to his father. Then he gave him, just the slightest nods but did not reply. He agreed with the other young man in the room, but he saw no reason to speak up to it either. Instead, he would wait and see as events unfolded.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:56, Fri 03 Apr 2020.

I think this style is great, past tense like the common style to novels and other fantasy books!

OOC: Indigo, Since Etzagith is still living with his father, this is at least 6 years ago and Etz is barely 18, at the most.  If that doesn't work with your timeline, we can assume that Etz has returned for a brief visit.  He doesn't exactly hate his family, but there's a combination of distaste mixed with fear mixed with his own feelings that family bonds should count for something, so a visit is not out of the question.

Also, I had expected you to jump on your "destiny" Aspect as your reason for showing up just at the time you were needed.  Perhaps you have that still coming.

----

Etzagith caught the subtle nod from the mage, and lifted an eyebrow in acknowledgement.  "Well," he declared, "It's too late to go out today.  The creature is about 40 minutes away and it is already getting dark.  Do you have a horse that needs stabling?  We can send a groom to brush him down and put him up."  He turned to the butler, "Mr. Eavers, would you kindly bring his pack to the guest room?  And please let Mrs. Eavers know that we have a guest for dinner.

Rugulus scowled at the way his son took charge, and then again at his being overly polite with the help, but the youth was leading the odd looking mage towards the stairway before he come up with a comment.  The two were already chatting like old friends.

----

OOC:  Feel free to make up Etz's part if you want to include some conversation.  He is kind and soft-spoken, and is desperate for any conversation that is not about hunting, killing, or battles, since those are, otherwise, the only topics discussed in the keep.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:11, Sat 04 Apr 2020.

Sorry folks.  I"m still around.

I absolutely wasted yesterday on irrelevant distractions.   Didn't even get online.  On the other hand, my sitting room is very well organized and de-cluttered...

As I go into my third week or government-imposed isolation (I'm not actually sick, mind you), I find that I am battling lethargy more than anything else.  I struggle to sit at the computer, even though I know there's stuff to do, and stuff I Want to do.  Once I'm there, I'm usually fine.

So, bear with me.  I"m not distancing myself from the game by any means.  In fact, I spend a fair bit of time thinking about these wonderful characters you guys have put together, and trying to find ways to give you the drama you deseve.

Right now, I need to move the Dresden Files game forward, then I'll spend some time with you guys...  I've a lot to catch up on.

OOC:  My vote is always going to be past tense, and the color change is just because it's easier to read that way.

I'm very flexible though, whatever the groups wants.

I don't actually know what your connections to the Veiled Hand are, I just made this up.  If it's wrong, please correct me.

---

The Khundari delegation made waves as it wound its way through the capital, mouths on every street corner and in every tavern gossiping about what must be their malicious intent.  The tall tales went on for days, each one wilder than the last, and continued for many weeks after the outsiders left on their triangle sailed schooners.  For leave they did, just four days after they arrived.  The common folk made warding gestures and spit on the ground as they spoke of it, a blessing against evil whispered in obvious relief.  Whatever foul business had brought the outsiders to Druvir, the Queen had sent them packing.

Six months passed, and the foreign slavers and their dark deeds had become a shadow of a whisper upon the collective consciousness of the city.  Etzagith was walking about Markiss Square on a foggy morning.  He watched the fishmongers peddle their wares, a disinterested expression upon his features all the mask he needed to not draw attention, when a flash of color caught his eye.  An emerald kite, hanging high in the air on unseen currents, held aloft by a scabby looking young boy dressed in rags of no more than five.  Not such a strange sight, except that it was one of the prearranged signals between himself and Ridlo.  Something needed his attention urgently enough that the man had paid a half dozen coppers to a dozen different urchins to ensure that Etzagith got the message.  That was if he got the kites back, which wasn't usually a guarantee.

The Captain's Quarter then, specifically the inn which bore the name "the Salted Pork" just beside the main dock thoroughfare.  As Etzagith slipped through the shadows of the alleyway he saw the drop off, a stuffed sack that hanging from a nail ten feet up the wall of the inn that looked more likely to be carrying potatoes than it did a missive from the Queen's Agents.  Yet that was what it contained, for the emerald kites would have signified nothing else.  A well placed thrown stone later and the sack was tumbling to earth, landing gently in Etzagith's outstretched hands.  Rummaging through the lining, he found the small note in the cramped handwriting easily enough.

The Veiled Hand requires your service
on the day of the dawning of the herald.
A new agent, a new assignment, watch for
the red and black, and watch for betrayal.
You will find her at the Sea's Mistress
in two days, be careful.

This message was last edited by the player at 03:47, Sat 04 Apr 2020.

You realize that "distancing yourself from the game" is a really inadvertent and pretty darkly funny Corona-pun?

Seriously, though, thanks for the head's up; stay sane. We'll be here.

I second this!

Control back with a vengance!

Absolutely loving the Indebted idea.

What are people's thoughts on Demons and other Infernal Powers?

Personally, I've built a character who draws her power from other mortals, not from pacts with Immortal Fiends.  I kind of like the idea that things like Indigo's Patron are extremely, extremely rare, rather than something we can draw on for power.

I like being Indebted to powerful Mages for this game more than I like the idea of just being able to sell your soul to some demon whenever you want.  It's a part of the magical economy that initially attracted me to the game.

Open to being convinced otherwise, or outvoted.

I'm not really for Demons, though I had admittedly thought of the Dark Singer specifically as less of a patron, and more like a Cosmic Horror bloodline, but I had definitely figure something like that would be extremely rare.

Re Crossing Path story with Cara:  Hmm.  Definitely some issues.  Etzagith isn't yet part of the Veiled Hand, as of two years ago.  He is only just responding to a request from the Queen as our (official) story starts.  Ridlo is just a thief who was teaching pickpocketing to Etz; that little vignette took place at the base of operations of the thieves guild that Garland has already described, and had nothing to do with the Hand.

I wasn't really looking for a whole adventure.  It's just a crossing paths story; I was expecting that Cara plays hooky for an afternoon, Etz shows her the city, then he helps her slip back unnoticed so she doesn't get into trouble -- something along those lines.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:10, Sat 04 Apr 2020.

Ha, forget my last post then!

Oh good.  I was kind of ambivalent about demons and the like.  All too happy to leave them out of things.

But Indigo's back-story does prompt me to question the role of the Gods in this setting.

I haven't defined them at all, beyond a nod that says all beliefs are accepted" under the Edict of Pantheistic Unity.

But what Gods are out there?  What role do they play?

I particularly like the idea that the more believers a Power has, the power, well, power they have.  So, Gods wane in power as their followers wane in number.

I like the idea that there may be plenty of Powers--figures of myth and history that have grown in power and scope as their stories get told...  But none of them are omnipotent, omniscient or entirely altruistic.   The other thing I like about this is that there is a long-term potential for each one of you to become Powers.    One day.  Maybe.

Is Godhood just another Mantle then?  Cause Cara's a bit peckish.

Gods and Powers should be exceptionally rare.

So, perhaps that is the foundation of House Yisil's power-base... that one such Power was patron or prisoner of House Yisil now or at some point in the past.  It's an interesting idea!

To step "utterly out of character" for a moment:  How is everyone here doing through the crisis?

Is anyone here out of work, lost their paycheck?  I'm lucky enough that I can do my normal job completely from home, and I'm old, my kids grown, and doing well enough.  If anyone is wondering how they will make rent or feed their family, let me know and I will help you out.  If asking for help makes you feel obligated, then all I ask is that, when you're back on your feet, you pay it forward.

Damn Etz, that's quite the offer.  I'm another one of the lucky ones, whose work got transitioned to home pretty seamlessly.  Hope everyone is healthy and safe through all of this nightmare.

---

@Control.

I've been thinking about that.

The book that I've ripped the initial inspiration for Cara from centers around that as a concept.  The world has Fallen Angels in it, and their blood, bones, hair, and even breath is the fuel for magic.  So the Houses gather Fallen to them, and store up their magic, trapping stray hairs in amulets, breath in mirrors, that sort of thing.

I was keeping things in a more arcane and less religious direction because I'm not interested in Mage-priests and clerics for this game.

But now that I made those three primordial Gods for Khune, perhaps having fractures aspects of them bound to each House might explain some of the House's fearsome powers.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:03, Sat 04 Apr 2020.

My apologies for not responding to the colors & styles question earlier.  Just caught up.

I prefer writing in past tense third-person limited-omniscience.

My bottom line is that I don't care about most of it, so long as I can understand what's going on.

I typically try to use the following conventions, but you don't have to:

In Character
I color my dialogue in "dark blue, within quotes". Non-speaking communication will bin dark blue and italicized, but without quotes.  I use orange for out-of-character asides in in-character posts.


Out of Character
I use red when I need your attention as the GM (You can use red too, to get the GM's attention!)

Aspects are Small-Capped & Green.

If the entire post is out-of-character, I won't use orange.  I find a wall of orange text annoying.  I will use purple to quote and the RPOL quote-markings for second-generation quote, where necessary.

I prefer the format for dice rolling to look like this (no formatting necessary):
4dF(-3) + Will(+3) for a Result(+0)

When posting dice-roller results, I don't need the whole line (but don't really care).  Just the dice-rolling results, what you're rolling and why.  (again, no formatting necessary):
She rolled 4dF(-3) + Will(+3) to Defend vs Cyrus attack

I won't post NPCs stats nor dice-rolls (which would allow you to infer their stats).  I will post their roll results, though. <i> Tabeta is not considered a NPC.  So, you'll see all her rolls in the dice-roller.

Whew.  I think that about covers it.

Hey guys, I'm having a bit of a rough day, so I may need a day or two before I reply to post again. I'm feeling really out of it and well, I don't have much distracting me, but I suppose I'm coming down with a case of the Blues, so I may just need a day or two to come back.

And Etzagith, that is sincerely a major thing you are offering. Though I am one of the unlucky folks who got furloughed, I still am waiting to see if I apparently qualify for unemployment. So I'm a little anxious and stressed, but I still am in relatively okay shape. I still have my health after all XD.

Thanks for the heads up.

And, believe me, I know all about what you're talking about!

Let us know if there's anything we can do to help.

For people confused about Mantles....

Do any of you play Magic the Gathering?

Got buried in grad school this evening, a all too common occurrence.

First post will be tomorrow morning, my apologies for the delay, looking forward to all our characters finally meeting.

Not since Exodus.  How badly does that date me?

Take your time and recover. Look after yourself and get back up to 100% :)

Get well soon.

I'll post today too.

What are all the waters around our starting point like? fleets? Piracy unabated? etc.

In reply to Garland (msg # 105):

I don't know, as I originally stopped playing when Ice Age was new?    A dear friend got me into the the online version a year ago when she moved out of state because she wanted something low key we could play together while we video conferenced.

When was Exodus?  Did they have Planeswalkers yet?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:11, Sun 05 Apr 2020.

Well I started at Ice Age but I haven't played in 20 years.

Only started playing with a starter box when my college-age daughter got into it. She is also playing 5e D&D, which is good for my soul--all my kids were resistant to RPGs in varying degrees. :-)

Did said starter box have Planeswalkers?

Because that's how to explain a Mantle.

School work done, working on my post now.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:18, Sun 05 Apr 2020.

Just doing my workout.  Race you to get it out?

Undefined.

Kumlar is a fairly stable nation, though.  It would take steps to keep piracy in their area under control.    So...  pirate bounties and the like would probably be a thing.

I hadn't envision large seafaring forces, but that doesn't mean it isn't so...  There's lots I hadn't even thought about!   If you want it, and you can see a use for it in game, then hell yeah!

Hmm.  You did say that this is a pre-steel world, so what we think of as pirates (e.g. "of the Carribbean") would not exist.  No cannons and no ships that big, unless you're assuming magic does the critical strengthening.  That isn't that much of a stretch, though, considering how prevalent magic is.  Certainly Viking raider ships would be possible, and probably with magical propulsion.

I had been pushing Khune as having a rather large Navy, though small ships due to a lack of timber.  Schooners, mostly.

From a practical point of view, if the two kingdoms don't trust each other, there'd almost need to be a navy for both no?

If I read the map right it's pretty much wasteland between the both of them; trying to maintain supply lines for an attacking army would be punitive if they can't live off the land- no?

That tends to indicate the greatest threat would be invasion by sea.  And Druvir is a port city; so it's even more exposed.

So is Liscora, it's just an inland sea connected to the main ocean.

That's one of the many reasons they don't have ample greenlands, no fresh water.

Alright I'm sure this is somewhere but I can't find it.

In terms of language, how much cursing is allowed?  Heh..

Yea, I would think that the sea would be very well used by ships and stuff. Even if the kingdoms aren't friendly, I think it'd be a stretch to say that independent sailors/merchants aren't trading between the kingdoms.

I'm not sure precisely what the continent  down to the south west is, but presumably there'd be enough civilisation to have those routes as a major imort/export strait too.

I would argue that Kumlar had the sea advantage on the eastern sea. The city to the East of Lac Lis is very easy to blockade and so even if tensions are pretty hot, I think encouraging some kind of animosity between those two closest major cities would incur lots and lots of piracy and naval skirmishing.

Not to mention it would appear the Kumlar would have the better climate to grow trees for shipbuilding.



Right, I suppose I will have to contirubte to this new story thread before I get cut! Im sorry about not posting yet, just well... lots of stuff to catch up on. I'm coming in late here, and trying to get my head around all the new things.

Holding off on responding in the game thread until another player chimes in, don't want the story to get away from you before you even get a word in.

I'm just waiting for confirmation on the cursing lol.  I don't want to get my wrist slapped on my first post.

I think that Manaolana is waiting for Control to answer his questions, which are in my thread because he asked, there, if I would provide the intro for him.

Garland, I don't know if you have a plan for your intro, but the same approach would work for you, too, if you like.  Basically, it was that Stefen implied that he fears a double-agent within the Veiled Hand, specifically within the soldier contingent, so he asked Etzagith if he knew some serious muscle that he trusts.  Etz (as Chameleon) would certainly know you, because he's been going to your late father's organization for training in picking locks and pockets.  If you have your own plan already, with or without excessive cursing :-), just ignore this.

By the way, rather than cursing as we know it in modern day, perhaps you could make up your own curses, or use some ones that are archaic, now.  You can include how shocked and offended the listeners are, to make the point.

https://matadornetwork.com/lif...rds-need-bring-back/
https://www.thesun.co.uk/livin...es-rochdale-council/
https://www.mentalfloss.com/ar...-old-english-insults

Coming up with the original curses is good; makes things easier.

It's a good idea but I've actually go an intro written lol.  Just wanted to be clear on the cursing before I posted it.  I've used the opportunity to flesh what I mean by Skilled Blade Easily Disavowed and how it's worked for him so far.

But I've left it vague as to whether the person he usually deals with is in the dark themselves.

Hah!  After this discussion, when I read "On a scale of one to Vaeshel" I thought that Vaeshel was a term you made up that meant something unpleasant to step in, perhaps explosively delivered.

I want to say that I am already loving this game.  In the only other Fate game I was in that lasted more than a few weeks (a SotC game), the GM and I were the only ones who would post more than a short paragraph at a time, and the writing of the rest of the players was as dry as dust.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:10, Tue 07 Apr 2020.

Sorry for being late to the table... Been a day full of distractions.  But at least I got stuff done!

Regarding cursing...

I don't have a problem with cursing at all.  Just keep it in-character and enough to make the point.  if it gets too distracting, I'll let you know.  By the same token, If any of you find that it's too distracting, let me know, and I'll get it toned back.

I'm good with that as the basis for Menkliia and Steven putting together this group.

If they suspect traitors or double-agents, it will be in the kings men, as the Veiled Hand isn't officially a thing... Or rather, it is a thing, but it' a passive network of retirees keeping in contact and passing messages back and forth

You guys represent the first clandestine operating cell.

Well, looks like we've successfully intimidated another new player.

Jocko has withdrawn.

I'll post another round of recruitment shortly.

Can I get each of you to put together a one or two line summary of your character, that I can put in a Player-Wanted ad?

And, since I'm planning to advertise again...  What kind of character do you think would round out the group?

Awww, that's a shame.  To be expected on rpol though, every game loses a few players during character creation and the first scene.  Who else did we lose besides Jocko?



As to what sort of player?  Someone who loves character creation, the idea of making something unique, and collaborative storytelling.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:30, Tue 07 Apr 2020.

10 days ago, it was Vincent, who pitched "an inquisitor" of sorts...

No big deal.  Vincent was quick come and quick go.  But I did put a fair bit of time on discussions about the flexibility of the magical system...

Okay, then...

I've done a little house-keeping n the Notice threads.  Please let me know if you notice something that doesn't look right.  I was doing a lot of cutting and pasting.

Basic Evocation Mantle is up in the Active Mantles thread.  I'm not sure anything else needs to be added, but I"m open to discuss it.

I'll get the other mantles up in there shortly.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 11:06, Tue 07 Apr 2020.

@Control, I understand your point about not wanting to bring up the possibility of a double agent within the Veiled Hand.  However, my issue was that it would be uncharacteristic for Stefen and the other Veiled Hand leaders to ask Etzagith for a recommendation on additional members -- they would have their own contacting network.  I was trying just to give a reason why they would ask him.

We can say that mustered out soldier types (i.e. muscle) join the King's organization if they stay in service, so the natural approach for Veiled Hand would be to draw from them.  Since they are now concerned about the fidelity within that group, that explains them asking Etz for a recommendation.  Or, perhaps, they ask the whole group but Etz, with his prior history with Manaolana, is the one to speak up.

----

You asked for a two line summary of the characters; here's mine.  Distilled to just a couple of lines, it sure sounds painfully cliche-ish.

Perhaps you could put these in the top post of the "Current Cast" thread.

Etzagith is a gentleman thief, known on the streets as 'Chameleon' for his ability to fade into the background, change his appearance in a moment, and slip past any security.  The son of minor nobility, Etz remains entitled and naive as he tries to reject the cast system that oppresses the lower class.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 13:06, Tue 07 Apr 2020.

Of course, these guys have their own networks!  This group isn't the only one being sent out on this errand!

I can accept talks of traitors among the Kings Watch, etc.  I just don't want us to pursue a suspicion-riddled investigation.   Court maneuverings don't hold much interest to me.     If talk of traitors and double-agents is a pretext, that's fine.   I just don't want ti to become the text itself.

I figured Menkliia was putting this all on Etzagith to make him look bad, expecting the young Ruguelsen to fall flat on his face, while some noble of the watch or the Kingsmen gets lauded as the hero.

Hey, I just noticed Cara posted immediately after me.  More stuff for me to read.

Back in little bit...

LOL.  Gee thanks, then.  It does sound a little like you are invoking the Aspect that my father's enemies come after me.

I've had a few days to cheer up and I'm feeling a little better, so I'm back again, sorry for the wait time. Things are rough.

Busy week! Sorry for my relative radio silence. It may be another day or two until I can post substantially.

I will also notably be offline all of Friday.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:08, Wed 08 Apr 2020.

Shall we wait for you, or move the story on?

Etzagith

LOL.  Gee thanks, then.  It does sound a little like you are invoking the Aspect that my father's enemies come after me.



Well, this brings up an interesting point...

It looks like we're already getting right into the in-character stuff, so... we might as well make this the first scene, and start the story from here.

So, in that case... yes!  Etz.  consider it a compel on The Minor Son of a Minor Noble of a Minor Keep

I still need to set up a tracking thread and finish off a few things her and there, but I don't see any reason to stop the momentum we've got...

How much OOC chatter are we going to do in the official IC thread?  This will be my first pure Fate game, having only done Dresden related stuff in the past.

I'm pretty relaxed about it.  Mostly, I don't want to confuse anyone too much.

My suggestions:
A couple of lines here or there is no big deal.   If it's more than a couple of paragraphs but still very tightly related to the current post, perhaps we can find a way to put it in an OOC footer.

I also believe pretty strongly in private and secret lines.

Woo!

Oh damn, there' something I hadn't thought of.  Languages.

The three kingdoms were bequeathed in antiquity by one patriarch--presumably someone who ruled everything south of the mountains.  So, the languages that have evolved in Khune, Kumlar and lost Khadid would all share a common root.    I suggest that there is a Common Language  (let's call that one Kharsi, because apparently, I really want to use that name).    But I would totally expect each of the three nations to have evolved and developed their own languages.

Which means, I am assuming the following levels of literacy:

           Kharsi         ???          ???             ???
           Common         Kumlar        Khune          Khadid
Cara       Speak/Read     Speak/Read    Speak/Read     -
Etzagith   Speak/Read     Speak/Read    -              -
Garland    Speak/Read     Speak/Read    -              -
Indigo     Speak/Read     Speak/Read    -              -
Manaolana  Speak/Read     Speak/Read    -              Speak

Please advise if you want this to be different.  I need to know to set up the RPOL language groups.

Also...  Need names for the primary languages of each kingdom.

Finally, if you want to introduce another language (regional dialect, secret thieves code, whatever)  let me know so I can set it up.

Manaolana did plan for Etzagith to pull him in, which we decided was the request of Menkliia, who is trying to make sure Etz had the blame if this mission fails. So we might as well go ahead and do this first scene without Manaolana, since Etz will have to go track him down.

22:49, Today: Etzagith rolled 2 using 4 Fudge dice ((1, 0, 1, 0)).  Empathy +2 to detect Menkliia's ulterior motive.

I don't know whether you want to do an intro, Control, before I write something using that.  Also, I'm not sure if a 4 result is enough to detect any more than that the guy doesn't like me, which I already implied in his tone when he first grabbed me.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:59, Wed 08 Apr 2020.

The Khundari language is called Taal.

22:49, Today: Etzagith rolled 2 using 4 Fudge dice ((1, 0, 1, 0)).  Empathy +2 to detect Menkliia's ulterior motive.
4dF(+2) + Empathy(+2) = Result(+4)

I don't know whether you want to do an intro, Control, before I write something using that.  Also, I'm not sure if a 4 result is enough to detect any more than that the guy doesn't like me, which I already implied in his tone when he first grabbed me.

Yeah, I was riffing off the tone you'd chosen for him.

It'd really help if you could tie it directly to a core action (Attack, Defend, Overcome, Create Advantage).   I'm reading this as an Advantage action, because there was no direct attempt to lie or deceive in play.

So...  When seeking to Create an Advantage (discover or create an aspect or other narrative conditions) on another character, they do get to defend.  Menkliia rolled Deceive(+4) (that's the total, not the skill level).

So, it's a tie.   In game parlance, this means that you get what you want, but at a cost.  How about you discover the Aspect Never enough tools for the job  But the cost is that he knows that you see the emotional undercurrents of the matter.

That works for me.  But I am still not sure if you want me to go ahead and post that interaction or if you have some intro and setup for us first.

Ah, I see.

Since we were building the story, rather than playing it out, I had no specific plans.
I":m doing things totally on the fly.  So... knock yourself out.    I've a couple mroe things to take care of before I can get into it in earnest.

Okay, first data of the Tracking thread is up.

You'll note that each of you have your own post in the closed thread, which means you can edit that post to update the stress-tracks.

I recommend that you add in any new Aspects you suddenly take on. (Conditions, Consequences, etc).   As things like curses, makings, blessings, etc, can all throw on an aspect... even if it's only short-term.

Hm.  We've a small enough player-base that I could create solo-threads for each of you to maintain you own storage of information, posts, etc...  If you think there's value in it.  Alternately, I'm sure you can use your RPOL character-sheet.

Posted.  Sorry it's a little long, but I had to get at least as far as meeting up with Manaolana.  Menkliia and Stefen weren't going to bring us all together just to say hi.

@Manaolana, I hope you're OK with my saying that you were working at a pottery studio.  Feel free to correct it and I'll edit.  But I figured that someone raised by monks probably did not come to the capital with a lot of cash, so you'd need some sort of work.  That seemed like something that might appeal.  I know that my wife, when she used to do pottery, always said that it was very meditative, especially centering the clay on the wheel.

As for your street name of 'The Monk' I hope that works for you, too.  Of course, people generally don't choose their own street names.  :-)  I am assuming that you and I stayed friends, after you saved my butt that time, so you'd do a certain amount of hanging out with people who tend to give you street names.  I assume you'd know me well enough to know my real name, not just Chameleon.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:05, Wed 08 Apr 2020.

This is fine with me. I will be writing up my introduction into the scene tonight or tomorrow morning, depending how RL treats me today.

Well fuck.

Just woke up, logged on, found out that Indigo has also decided to bow out of the game.


So... the whole "Dark Singer" storyline...  not applicable anymore.

I'm a little bummed.

Guess I'll get that advertisement up and going...

Sorry Control.

To someone with no experience with Fate, this is a lot to learn.  I think it was just a bit too much for him to learn considering the rest of the world is on fire.

Nothing on you.  Unless you caused COVID, in which case seriously man, not cool.

Yeah.

I just hate that I'd spent a fair bit of time to see it all for naught.  I know you invested some time in there, too.  So, I appreciate it.

Hey Cara, Mana, can you add a little blurb for your characters?  This is the ad I'm thinking of using (still whittling it down, though:


Someone has kidnapped the Crown Princes--10-year old twins.  Though the Kings men will do everything they, they are the king's men.  Sometimes, what is needed is a hand that acts in shadows, with artful discretion or brutal efficiency.  Sometimes, what's needed is a veiled hand.

Here's who's currently on-board:

• A gentleman thief, a master-of-disguise, the son of minor nobility, striving to reject the caste system that oppresses the lower class.
• An Oathsworn--one of the feared agents of the Great Houses of Khune, wielder of strange magics and suspect motives...
• An itinerant warrior raised by monks, searching for honor and a destiny...
• A mercenary blade, who abandoned a ruthless criminal life before it extinguished the last of his humanity.

Magic is a reality in this world.  Anybody can do ritual magic.  It's the fast-casting evocation--the battle-magic that is strictly the purview of the Mages.

The current group has done a lot of world-building and we've just gone live. We can take two or three more, tops.  But you'll want to be familiar with Fate Core at a minimum (or willing to deal with the learning curve), as there's a handful of modifications to the core system.

I don't need new players to read everything that's gone before.  just work with the table to build a character, and we'll make sure they fit in with the world...





This message was last edited by the GM at 06:31, Fri 10 Apr 2020.

Wielding foreign magic, with whispered tales of blood rituals and human sacrifice, the Oathsworn of the Great Houses of Khune are feared the world over.  Rumors abound of how House Yisil managed to place an agent within the Queen's inner circle, particularly one who makes no effort to conceal the dreaded red and black.

Sorry to hear about Indigo.  Is Garland gone, as well?  (You left him off your list of required blurbs.)

No one loves me  :*(

Oh, come on.  Chameleon gave you back your coin purse that time.  Sure, you threatened to make leaky holes in his skin, but it was all in fun and he never planned to keep it.

Yup.  I did.  Sorry.  I must've been an editing gaffe.

• A gentleman thief, a master-of-disguise, the son of minor nobility, striving to reject the caste system that oppresses the lower class.
• An Oathsworn--one of the feared agents of the Great Houses of Khune, wielder of strange magics and suspect motives...
• An itinerant warrior raised by monks, in search of honor and his destiny...
• [Garland Rhaine]

Added! And updated my story bit, thanks for the patience everyone.

How are you better at capturing the essence of my character in one sentence than I am?

In reply to Cara (msg # 159):

I have to say that I, too, like his blurb of Etzagith better than the one I wrote.  Being concise was never my strong suit.

Now you make me wish Control had written my blurb! :-)

(Not really. I'm a snot that way.)

FYI, pretty much offline today and tomorrow; next update from me over the weekend.

• A gentleman thief, a master-of-disguise, the son of minor nobility, striving to reject the caste system that oppresses the lower class.
• An Oathsworn--one of the feared agents of the Great Houses of Khune, wielder of strange magics and suspect motives...
• An itinerant warrior raised by monks, in search of honor and his destiny...
• A mercenary blade, who abandoned a ruthless criminal life before it extinguished the last of his humanity.

Well that took me far to long to come up with.  Feel free to amend.

Oh, thank-you.  I was worried I would offend with the rewrites.   Ive still gotta cut my own verbage down.  There's a lot that isn't necessary in the advertisment.

My sleep schedule is all sorts of messed up right now.  So, I just logged in...

I've gotta give one of the other games some love and effort.  But I'll put a bona fide in-character post out sometime in the next few hours.

I still want us to discuss game, setting and story-arc Aspects, but it isn't the kinds of things that need to be done before we start.

I enjoy helping with building the world and the settings, but I really think that the story arc is up to the GM.  I don't want to know whodunit until we come to the key pieces of evidence, the confrontations, etc.  I don't care if you don't know, yet, and plan to go in whatever direction makes for a good story, but as a player, I don't want advance knowledge of our destination.  We can role-play our characters' speculations of who it might be and what could be going on.

Or maybe that wasn't what you meant.

Oh, I don't plan to tell you those things!  ( lso, at the moment, don't know those things)... but that's never stopped me before!).

Many of the setting and story-arc aspects have already been defined.  I just want an idea of what elements of what we've set up you find most interesting and want us to focus on more.  Do you want lots of combat?  Lots of intrigue?  Do you want political maneuvering?  Investigations?

There's gonna be a world of difference between  a game with a core Aspect of Kill Them all and Let the Gods sort them Out  and Understanding is Three-Edged Sword.


For instance... nobody even went near "the Edict of Pantheistic Unity", mentioned in the very first advertisement.  I'm not upset about that, btw.  It does mean that the a Religious crusade is kinda not really in the picture (err.... um... thank-god?)

Here's a couple I think might apply.  Take 'em and chew on them for a bit.  We can discuss changes, 'cause I'm just riffing off what I see right now.

• The Drums of War
  War may not be inevitable, but the drums are beating...  The Great houses know it, the Kumlarn nobility probably know it.  These kinds of things don't happen overnight.  And a drought right now?  that's a bad sign...
• None should see the action of the Veiled Hand
  Some variatino of this should be in play.  At least a reference to "veiled hands"...
• Interesting Times; Interesting Choices
  I envision this as a mix between "Interesting Times"  and "Strange Bedfellows"... a reflection on the state of things right now.
• Not Just The End of an Era
  The King is dying, the Queen has two sons.  The reality is that Jia's line won't sit on the throne after she dies.  This is probably the end of her line.  But there's more things coming...  And maybe it's not just the end of the her line.  Of course, that can be taken two ways:  it's the end of other things too... or perhaps it's also a new beginning...

So, consider what kind of world-spanning aspect speaks to you the most.  It all comes back to "What kind of game do you want?"

Ahh.  Thanks, that makes more sense.

We have two characters who are combat monsters, so we certainly should have a decent amount of that.  I'd like to see some opportunity for stealth and/or deceit, but I'm pretty easy to satisfy.  I still don't really get Cara and what sort of scene she'd shine in, but that's completely my failing, not that of the character.  I mean, Lore at +4 is pretty obvious, so I guess there's a third combat character, but I still don't quite see how one uses her other +4 skill, Provoke.

I had assumed it would be something like this:  We ultimately discover that the twins are being held in some other castle or a major manor house.  It would have several layers of security, with several approaches available for each.  The expectation that at least one would be passed with trickery and at least one by fighting our way through.  Then the denouement would include a big fight for which we get to prepare some defenses, including traps, magic, distractions to split up opponents, discovering the secret passage and dark corners that enable Etz to be significant in combat, etc.

Getting to that point would include at least one lesser version of the same thing, which perhaps is how we get a key piece or evidence, or maybe it's just a red herring.  Possibly also a part where we split up and have separate stories that then come together again would be fun.

We have a couple of us, I think, who are competent at Investigation, but unless we pick up a new character who specializes in it, I would make that a minor part of the story.

I'm sure none of this represents a new idea to you.

SO I see a way I might have built towards this.  If this new sect were refugees from Khadid who worship the Khundari Triumvirate.  That would get Cara's attention real damn quick, as that is a problem of apocalyptic proportions.  No self respecting Khundari would be stupid enough to worship the Triumvirate, but Khadid was close enough that the names of their gods might have bled over.

This actually presents a really interesting angle.



Safe to assume that's my failing.  I have a very clear image in my head of her because I have a whole novel I'm drawing from, that doesn't mean I've conveyed that image well.  Sadly the guy I brought in and was doing collaborative storytelling with dropped out.

Fundamentally, I wanted to make a highly social character who uses Provoke as her main social attribute, but doesn't leave an unending series of pissed off people in her wake.   There is a Provoke Stunt in Spirit of the Century that captures the idea nicely that I wish I had the Refresh to take.



@DM. I kind of do want to take this, as it captures her nicely, but the prerequisite makes it hurt.  It's soft Provoke, rather than "I'm going to kill you if you don't give me what I fucking want."

I want her to be doing business with her Dependents, keeping them in line with a mixture of favors, threats, assistance, monetary loans, debts, blackmail, extortion, aid, and loans of power and magic.  I wanted a character who has a strong bite (Evocation and Lore 4), but who relies on her reputation far more to get things done (Provoke 4, two Provoke based stunts).  Yes, everyone knows Oathsworn are terrifying.  Yes, that often causes just as many problems as it fixes.  Yet it allows her to operate in an interesting gray area where everyone already assumes she's a baby eating mass murderer, and she gets to subvert those expectations.

Everyone  thinks she gets her way by being a terrifying murderous, but actually her social connections are vastly more complicated than that, as captured by her Aspect



She would be ideally situated to assist any and all Investigation plotlines by drawing on her network of Contacts to assist in the investigation.

Think of her as having Contacts +4 or +5 rather than +3, considering her Unique Conditions and her Aspects.

Does that help?
This message was last edited by the player at 17:32, Fri 10 Apr 2020.

Oh no, I thought I was supposed to pause in the shared story while we waited for the others, I see quite a bit has happened!

Reading now.

Ah, it appears Etzagith has removed himself from the tower and is currently tracking down/talking with Manaolana?

Shall I NPC Indigo and have he and I do a scene of Ritual Magic while we wait for the others to join the game and get their character's started?

Yeah.  Manaolana wanted me to pull him in, and Control said to go ahead with that.  I didn't really see any way to do so other than to have the intro meeting adjourn while I go get Manaolana.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:23, Sun 12 Apr 2020.

BTW, I think we could go ahead with just the 4 of us.  I hadn't realized until writing the above, that Cara is a mage first, and the other things second.  (This is not your failure to communicate, it's my failure to do any more than skim a lot of the stuff you've written.)  We definitely don't want to start without one highly focused mage, but if Cara is fine with that role, we don't need to wait.

Oof, that's going to be murder on her goals of stockpiling her magic without spending it too heavily, but that's a nice juicy in character problem to deal with rather than an OOC one.

I'm down, but she's not a full Mage.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:14, Fri 10 Apr 2020.

I agree with this. I almost prefer it, so we have a chance to build some storytelling dynamic and then add players later.

---

Also, if any of you want to put words in 'Ola's mouth, feel free. I will PM you if I want you to correct anything that I think is way off. Manaolana's speech will be in goldenrod.

Oh yes, we are moving forward with the four of us.

Sorry, Cara.  I had thought that your post before my last one was in the room where the twins were taken, so I assumed that either you didn't bother with the break or that you can already returned from it.  But you worked around my incorrect assumption nicely.

I'd been giving Garland time to respond, had my post ready to go on a word file for when they did.  When I saw you were moving the story along, I went with that.  If Garland wants to respond to me still they still can in a similar sort of flashback-y way.

We'll vector him in shortly...

Also, because I've backgrounded her for now, I'll find a means of vectoring Tabeta in.  Low-priority for me, though.   It may have to wait until you guys have to leave the city or something...

For now, Cara introduced the idea that there are three sites in the city proper with sufficient environmental conditions to power a fate-severing ritual.    That sounds serious.  A ritual to actually change someone's fate??  Damn.

So, I'm looking to you folks to suggest the basics of such a place.

If there are ley lines that are so powerful, then the powerful people of the city will have grabbed them.  So the original core of the castle should sit on one, the center of the university of Mages on another, and the most important church has the third.  This can play into your religious war theme.

Edit:  That's assuming that they are permanent.  If they move, then it depends a lot on how fast and how frequently.  Mostly stable but occasionally a big shift, like the Mississippi river used to be before it was "tamed" would be interesting:  It would create these sudden chaotic periods in the real estate market.  Slow but predictable movement -- something like a few feet a year -- would have this profound effect on the history of the city, as neighborhoods go from highly desirable to slum over a century or two.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:11, Mon 13 Apr 2020.

Oooh, goddamn I like that.  I wanted to play on the economies of magic, so your idea here is so clever.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:07, Mon 13 Apr 2020.

Apologies.  Easter Weekend and all that.  Still a pain even in lockdown...

I'm going to get something up tonight.

I'll hold off then, to give others a chance.

Question.

For this sort of collaborative storytelling...  When someone makes a roll, do we wait on DM input for the results or do WE estimate how well we do?

See my message #164, and Control's response.  IMO, this should still be a role-playing game where only the GM is fully omniscient.  I love that we construct a lot of the setup and the world, but ultimately, we (that is, the players) should be discovering rather than inventing the primary plot (and therefore the primary clues that lead  to it).  Again, that's my opinion, and I'd be willing to try something different, but I think that a coherent story arc really needs to come from one brain.

What about this?  Each of us acts as GM for minor sub-plots?  Say, for instance, your "refugees from Khadid who worship the Khundari Triumvirate" run afoul of the group that came to the capital with Tabeta and they "arrest" Tabeta's young cousin -- basically kidnapping her over some perceived offense.  We would have a side quest to rescue her and you would act as the GM for that, running Cara as an NPC who is forced, for political reasons, to stay out of the fray but continues to aid behind the scenes.

As for the current scene, I don't really expect Etz's investigation to lead to anything now, or even anything at all.  If jait is really clever, there will be some clue that is not clear how it helps at the moment, but if we seem stuck at some point in the future there will be some resonating clue that brings us somewhere new.  Possibly something like (Arthur Conan Doyles' favorite) distinctive tobacco ashes, or a bit of fabric caught on a nail.

Also, how long do we plan to wait for Garland?  I hate to see a game stall because we are waiting for one player.

Agreed.

i was going to post last night, and then i got distracted by my question.  i'll post this morning.

We probably should have discussed expected posting rates earlier.

So this morning turned into early afternoon, but the post is out.

I liked the idea of the Duke and Duchess possibly being patsies, and worked the story in that direction.  Totally happy to take it elsewhere if someone gets creative, we have some talented writers here from what I've seen of your work.

So you're going with the idea that these loci of power move dramatically, but only rarely and somewhat predictably, if you have enough knowledge.  Is that what you intended?  I like that approach, it allows for significant shifts in power and interesting economic plays, and I see you've played rather nicely into Etz's strengths, which I appreciate.  If your intent was that the movement was steady, then I would think that the buy of up soon-to-be-powerful real estate would be more anticipated and leisurely, and it would include only a block at a time.

One question:  You refer to "the Duke and Duchess" but I'm not sure which.  I have been assuming that the country of Kumlar is broken into several Duchies, and I've declared that Etz's grandfather is Duke of one of the minor ones.  We've also mentioned that King Dorian is from Lee, one of the more important Duchies, where his father is still the Duke.  I don't know if we've named any others, but I have definitely skimmed some of the material so I apologize if I missed it.

It was a really good/clever idea of yours to have the leylines move, so I rolled with it.

The GM introduced Duchess Jaelle of East Penryn and Duke Churthen (also of EastPenryn) in their second post in the thread as primary suspects.  I leaned the story in the direction of someone trying to set them up to take the fall as the one's responsible, while also leaving the ultimate question of who'dunnit up to someone else to decide.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:35, Thu 16 Apr 2020.

Oh, right.  Duh.  I'm not sure how I forgot about them.  It does seem scary to go against them, if they are wealthy AND have more access to magic than the rest of them.  It sounds as if we really need to stay under their radar.  If only we knew someone specializing in not being noticed.  :-)

I did get the point that the ley lines move, but I was just curious how you thought they move.  I had proposed two different modes:  either a slow steady pace or sudden jumps.

Oh, I was letting you decide!

Personally I like the idea that their movement is

1).  Sudden
2).  Rare
3).  Dramatic
4).  Technically predictable, but to such an extreme degree that people usually get it wrong

That way you get these big power plays of people trying to outwit one another, making moves to acquire property and land, sudden spikes in value, but even the experts are frequently wrong.

Thoughts?

Yep.  That's perfect.

Oh, that is an interesting development...

Cara, thanks for conjuring up the three sites.  I've updated the tracking thread to give you a fate point.

While I agree with Etzagith's player that the GM should know more about what's really going on than the players, I am going to continue to ask for your metagame input.  I have a general framework in mind for this little story, but need to generate a lot of details and how we actually get there.

"Blood Alley" is the name of a little alley in downtown Vancouver Canada.   Back in the day, it used to be where all the butchers were, such that the blood of the slaughtered animals would run in the street... hence the name.  I thin it rather fits for an area of the same purpose here in Druvir.

Also...  If the Ember Blades is involved with the kidnapped kids, it strikes me that that might be a bit of a problem for Garland...

So, nothing from the Investigation?  I'm fine if there was nothing to find, but don't leave me hangin'!

Apologies all.  I've been wracked with a block I have just not been able to get past.  Frustrates the hell out of me and when I finally log in and stare at a blank screen for a while I log back out more frustrated.

I've got something now, but in the future please don't let me hold you back.

Yes it would which is why his first thought is to discount it.  He'd really rather not, though the logic is sound.  While it sounds great, there isn't much profit in High Treason unless you're the noble seeking the crown.

The scenario Garland is worried about though is of some middling idiot with delusions of grandeur.  Cause that raises other problems, like senior management seeing the involvement as a problem and deciding to make it go away.

Sorry you've been feeling blocked.  My advice:  Don't be yourself staring at a blank screen.  Be Garland, staring at an empty room that should have the twins in it, and think about what you feel.  That is, immerse yourself in the frustration that your character feels, and there will be no room in your head for the frustration that you, as an author, feel.

Anyway, that approach works for me when I'm feeling stuck.  YMMV.

Working on a post now.

I had originally envisioned Cara fighting with a rapier and an offhand.  If we are pre-steel, then I don't think rapiers are a thing.  Going to have to switch up my armaments a little.

This is not a big deal, but I've been thinking about uses of the word 'magic.'  We (that is, we players, not the characters) use that word to mean something that is outside of explainable physics, that is somehow performed by a person's will.

For our characters living in the world of Kumlar and Khune, that term might apply to evocation, which is relatively rare for people to be able to perform, but it would not apply to ritual "magic" because everyone can do it.  It's such an everyday thing that it would not be considered to be outside of explainable physics, but instead would just be part of physics, the way gravity is for us.  That is, modern-day physicists have no idea why gravity works.  General Relativity tells us that a mass bends the space around it, but that's still just a description of what we've observed.  We still have no idea why.  Scholars in our game world would similarly have worked out a set of theorums and laws about how rituals create an effect, and it wouldn't be considered to be magic as we think of it.

With only four PCs, it might be easier to NOT split the group up at this point.

Etzagith has offered to scout the warehouse before you approach.  But let's develop the basic plan of approach. You've got about five hours before sundown.  That's when it presumably gets more likely that the boys'll be moved out of the city.

There is nothing from stopping each of you from scouting, also, observing from a distance, preparing, planning, creating Advantages that you can use to help you.

Tell me (metagame prose, not in-character RP) what you wanna do to set up and prepare, and we'll devise the necessary rolls...

Looks like the most recent bump (yesterday) of the Players Wanted ad brought some interest.   Two RTJs, one added, one I'm will be added shortly.  Please help them acclimatize.

Hi there Alpha!

We have a thief with Etzagith, so you'd be in good company.  The con man to your sneak thief.  But if you want something more unique then the tracker is definitely the concept to go with.

@Nathan  Did Control tell you that the City Guard wears royal blue cloaks, or was that a happy little accident?

Evening folks and thanks for the welcome!

@Cara, I saw that reading through some of the material before I submitted my RTJ and it piqued my interest :)

Awesome, welcome, welcome.

Hi everyone!

Mechanically the big difference between the two is one is better at ranged combat and investigation, and the other is better at burglary and stealth.  I could go with either.  What does the group need more?

Whichever is more fun for you.

You'd have lots of tie ins story wise with a thief, as we have a former thieves' guilder as well as our con artist.

The tracker would have the most unique skill set, and the least crossover both ability and narrative wise.

If jait is really clever, there will be some clue that is not clear how it helps at the moment, but if we seem stuck at some point in the future there will be some resonating clue that brings us somewhere new.


Jait isn't that clever.

Actually,  Investigative RPG games are damned difficult to GM, because a lot of the time the characters miss what the GM thought should be obvious clues, and go down paths that the GM hadn't thought through, etc.  Sometimes, in trying to keep some of the detail hidden, the GM hides too much...

There's a pretty good article on it, here:
https://thealexandrian.net/wor...ames/three-clue-rule

In the end, my goal isn't for you to solve a mystery, it's to manage a framework for you to enjoy playing your character.  There will be plot holes, there will be inconsistencies.  I am totally okay with you guys going off in a different direction.  Success and failure in this first venture will have an impact on the world.

Etzagith:
I've been thinking about uses of the word 'magic.'  We (that is, we players, not the characters) use that word to mean something that is outside of explainable physics, that is somehow performed by a person's will. 

I am totally in agreement with this.  Ritual Magic in this world is reproducable effects.  We--the players--use it as a sign-post to describe the system we're using to recreate those reproducable effects.

The College of Magic was formed in response to the atrocity that was the Forbidding to ensure that this science is never used to create such a horror again...  Kind of like Oppenheimer's words after the first A-bomb test...

I have to say, you all are an inspiring bunch of writers. I just drove 1500 miles in 3 days, so after I have a couple drinks and sleep tonight, I'll catch up tomorrow.

Welcome Nathan and Alpha.

Alpha, to answer your question about what sort of rogue/thief we need, consider this.  Etz is a combination of sneak thief and con man:  the former with Stealth at +4 and Burglary and Athletics at +3, and a mantle of The Lurk, so pretty much unparalleled at stealth.  (The Athletics are to make him a good second-story man.)  He is also a con man, specializing in disguises, supported by Deceit at +4 and Crafts at +2.  However, he can barely hold his own in a fight, with Blades, Shoot, and Physique all at only +1, so going with the Ranged Combat / Investigation direction makes more sense, I think.

LOL.  Sure he is.  The symbol scratched above the secret door into the Twins room is brilliant.  You can tie it in to something later, give us a confirmation on a new direction, or a new person to be suspicious of.  It creates a ton of opportunities.  It is exactly the sort of thing I was thinking of.


OK.  My plan was that he would start by going as Chameleon to the headquarters of the Blades, bringing some gift to the new head of the organization, approaching it from a direction that causes him to travel past the nexus point, so he can look around for new guards or watchers.  When leaving, he'd use a parallel route to scout again, but still completely leave the area.  Finally, he'd return stealthily, after dark, and fully scout the area.  With his stunt from The Lurk, Etz is pretty much invisible in the dark, if he wants to be.

That works for me if Control is good with you making a single IC post conveying all that.

Feel free to have Cara give you a token so she can Scry on you while you do, or to have her offer and Etz reject the idea after what he just witnessed.

Just so I'm not misunderstanding where this is headed, I think Stephan said we are looking into a group called the Blue Sails.  They have connections with the Blades but they are a different group.

Am I wrong?

@Garland
Yes! That's correct.

With the new folks coming in...  Would someone care to do a basic recap of where things stand?

Given the pace of posts so far, I think it might be valuable to do a basic recap on a regular basis.  Quite willing to pay metagame coin (fate-points, y'know) for it...
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:16, Sun 19 Apr 2020.

@Etzagith
Meeting with the head of the Ember Blades is a rather big thing.... I don't want to background that.   That would deserve to be played out.   If you want to do that, then we need to contrive something else for the others to do.

Of course, if you've no intention of meeting with Garland's sister... just dropping off a token of acknowledgement, then I'm totally okay with that....

The Blue Sails Warehouse is a place of business.   Walking in on the pretense that you're looking to store goods that'll be arriving or shipping out soon would be a normal course of events.

You're scouting the area.  Give me a Notice(+1) roll or better to succeed.

Anyone else want to prepare?


Finally, he'd return stealthily, after dark, and fully scout the area.
Waiting until after dark will dramatically increase the chances that the boys will have already been moved out of the city.   Are you absolutely certain this is what you want to do?

Oh, I don't need to meet with her.  I just want to give a gift out of respect, with the message that I have been out of the city and have recently returned, and I acknowledge and respect her position.  It is basically to indicate that I don't plan to break the rules or cause trouble.  I'm glad to leave the gift with an underling.  If asked, I will make it clear that I do not plan to do any significant criminal operations in their turf, and I fully plan to pay the organization their share of any minor thefts I might perform.

I didn't realize that we had that much time before nightfall.  Etz will only do the walk-by viewing as he goes to the Ember Blades location.

OMG, I choked on the Notice roll.  How often does one roll -3 on Fudge dice?  (Counting Cara's roll, that's two in a row!)

23:59, Today: Etzagith rolled -3 using 4 Fudge dice.  Notice (+3) to scout the area . - -3

Obviously, he's too preoccupied with what he would say to Garland's sister if he were to see her, and about the shading of the truth he will be doing if anyone asks about planning any significant operations in the area.  (Yeah, it's not a criminal operation, so I'm not technically lying.)

• The PCs are mostly outsiders and misfits, but for various reasons we work as Agents of the Veiled Hand, the spy network of the Queen of Kumlar, Queen Jia.
• Someone has kidnapped the Queen's heirs, Prince Liam & Prince Lucas.
• The PCs have gathered in the West tower of the Castle, and have been investigating the twin's rooms.
• Scrying or Tracing Rituals have not worked, because it appears that someone detached the twin's from their Fate, severing any resonance or sympathy they might have had with their possessions or family.
• A Ritual of that sort of Fate Magic could only take place along a major ley line, of which there are only three in the city, one controlled by the College of Mages, one smack dab in the middle of the estate of the noble family who stands to inheret the throne should the twin's disappear forever, and one in the middle of the turf of a Mage gang known as the South End.
• Etzagith is offering to use his Lurk Mantle to go scout the gang territory, and Cara is using utterly profane magic to empower her weapons for any coming showdown.

This message was last edited by the player at 05:58, Sun 19 Apr 2020.

Thanks, that's help for when Control's ready to bring me in. Given where Nathan's heading as a Blue Cloak Investigator, the problem with scrying and tracking spells might provide an opening to bring him in

@Etzagith

I'm moving the casing posts to the In-Play Mechanics discussion.

@Control, I think you moved it into my character creation thread (no worries, just FYI)

@Nathan
Yup.  caught it.  Thanks!

Ok, I think I'm going with the tracker character.  The sneak thief would just double up on Etzagith's skill set.  But based on the article Control posted, I think I might not put as much into investigation.  I was thinking investigation could be good for tracking, but maybe notice would be better. Maybe?

On another skill related situation, what's the difference between knowledge and lore.  I want her to know things about living in the wilderness.  Which would be more appropriate?

Lore is specifically Arcane knowledge.  (Hm, I coulda just called in Arcane. Ah well).  Because the understanding of how magic works is super-important to some elements of this setting.  If you're not a evoker, it's not so much of an issue, but still potentially valuable), as it will impact how much power you can raise in a ritual safely within a given period.

As to tracking? and wilderness knowledge.  Definitely Knowledge.  The specifics would be a narrative distinction.

Give me a name and I'll change you over.

Ok tracking and wilderness knowledge are under knowledge.  That will make that easier!

The character's name is Arui.

The four of you are going to engage with the Blue Sails warehouse, allegedly to book it's service for a shipment coming in at some point in the future.    Etz is going dressed as a lady pirate.   Once in the warehouse, you're looking for the boys or information pertaining to them.

Stefen has suggested that the company's ledger would likely provide some useful details...  There's likely going to be direct conflict.  You can expect cutthroat and dock-workers types.  But, there's somebody involved who knows some serious magic, too.

So, what's the plan of approach?  Who's doing the talking?  Are you all sticking together or are you splitting up?  Is someone going after the ledger?  Searching specifically for the boys?  (If so, how?)  How else would you like to prepare?

We can just go there and see how it plays out, but if you actually have time to prepare and make some out-of-character rolls, then you've got time to create some Advantages for you to use later...

Manaolana, for his part, wants to trail Etz and watch to ensure that the rogue doesn't get himself into too much trouble without backup.

Manaolana talking practical logistics with Etz while Cara practices profane arcane rituals in the corner.

That would be 'Ola, yeah :-)

Not sure if these are best IC or OOC comments but Garland is opposed to two things:

1) Showing his face about unless it's necessary given who these people are rumored to be connected to.  That's attention he's spends most of his time avoiding.

2) Any violence unless necessary.  Practically speaking this is just a shady guild.  We don't have proof of anything and we aren't in any official capacity.  We throw down in their place of business all they have to do is call the local guard, who don't know what's happened and we can't very well tell we are on a secret mission.  So we'll be the bad guys and likely spend time ducking the guard or in prison thus losing time.

IC, it's all yours.

Very good point!

This doesn't have to result in violence!  Or, if it does, it might not have to be violence perpetrated in the Blue Sails Warehouse.

Stefen could be wrong.  NPCs are sometimes fallible or misinformed or sometimes they just lie.  But, I did bring up the connections to make things a little more difficult for Garland. so, I'm pleased to see that you're concerned.

Perhaps there's something Garland can do in the mean-time?  Or perhaps Etzagith can disguise him?    Thoughts, anyone?
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:40, Mon 20 Apr 2020.

@Etzagith:
Leaving a peace offering for Garland's sister, head of the Ember Blades.  What did you leave?

Would you care to make a Rapport roll to see if you manage to make a good impression?  I'm willing to make it a Create Advantage roll, that can be used for future interactions with her.  Given what I've got worked out for her, and her opinion of you so far, I'd say it needs an Average(+1) result or better.

It's going to be funny if Garland finds out you've been poking that bear.

I was going to leave the best bottle of brandy I could get without having to play out getting the money or stealing it.

Ugh.  You know the dice roller hates me, right?  OK.  Here goes ...

11:50, Today: Etzagith rolled 2 using 4 Fudge dice.  Rapport roll (+0) for Mira Rhaine (probably just a lieutenant).

Hey!  Look at that.

perfect.    Thanks!

We're still on this.

Anyone want to take it?

Well I've given Garland's opening thoughts IC.

Sorry, take what?

Take the lead on what the plan is, who is doing the talking, and how the story unfolds.

I have an idea, but I don't want to steal the limelight if someone else had something they wanted to do (considering I already built the narrative of the ley lines and the three locations).  It's based on Cara knowing about the different criminal gangs in Druvir.  What would that be, Contacts?

22:27, Today: Cara rolled 1 using 4 Fudge dice. . 

My Contacts is +3, so that's a total of 4.

If it's Knowledge, then I only have +1, for a total of 2.

So if that's enough for Cara to know the basics of the Family and the South End, then my idea is that she goes as an official representative of House Yisil to try and establish ties with the South End.  She can claim that the Family has stolen a relic from Khadid that her House wants, and so she wants to ally her House with the South End to take it from them.  The South End benefits because their big rival gets a black eye, and a chance to double cross Cara if they dare and take the artifact for themselves.   Ola can go with her as backup in case things turn sour.

Meanwhile, Etz and Garland can Lurk around and search for the actual evidence.

Thoughts?  Embellishments?  Rejections?
This message was last edited by the player at 06:16, Tue 21 Apr 2020.

Both Contacts and Knowledge are justifiable.  So, might as well go with the one that gives you more advantage!  That gives you a Good(+4) understanding of the  general power-politics in Dockward, the South End.

Awesome... so would one of you want to take over the lead on telling the story with your own ideas, plot lines, and world building, or do you want to continue developing your character's individual storylines in the wake of the story I just outlined?  I am happy to surrender the limelight to someone else, as I already built the story of the three ley lines and the fate magic we are currently pursuing.  I don't want to hog the reins.  I'm also happy to keep story building if no one else has an idea they want to develop to jump in and take over right now.  Collaborative storytelling in Fate is a lot different than playing DnD, given how much control we have over the narrative.

I think we need a decision on whether we try and enter the District together or separately.  Garland wants to go in separately but I don't assume everyone agrees.

On a high level I imagine that the entrance points are fairly busy on an average day - this being the port/docks you'd expect a great deal of traffic just from the merchants/goods/raw materials going back and forth between the docks and the merchants/crafters quarters.  So he's being honest when he assumes unless a person is of specific concern it might not garner specific notice.

The unspoken part of that is he might be someone who pings some notice if the wrong person sees him; so he'd rather not cross the district gate with the others and ping the others with him.  He's just not going to say that part out loud.

Once we are on the inside I'm good with that suggestion.  Not sure Etz wants to lurk Garland style but if he wants to lady pirate lure someone into a darkened alley I can ask some pointed questions.

Oh, that is an interesting idea, too...  and that could bring about all sorts of fun!

Mind you, if one of you does, actually get sent to a holding cell, that's a great excuse to bring Nathan into the game...

Nicely put together.

So, working on two threads:
Into the South End (all four), pretty quickly leading to:
Blue Sails Warehouse proper  (Etzagith & Garland)

Sleep schedule is all sorts of messed up right now, so I'm hoping to catch four or five hours.  I've half a post written for the Blue Sails already, so I'll just cannibalize some of it, and get us going with scene 01.01... when I wake up.

Oops.  The note that was here was intended for the other thread.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:35, Tue 21 Apr 2020.

Arui's player has suggested a possibility of us developing and integrating an animist type of flavor to the Tarenti's magical practices...   It sounds akin to Elric of Melnibone making deals with the spirits, or Werewolf: the Apocalyps (or Forsaken) making deals with the spirits of nature... Mechanics-wise,I can see a couple of ways this would work.

A while back, we determined (thankfully) that we're not having infernals & demons in this setting.   How do we feel about nature spirits?

I have a loose idea for a cosmology, involving the physical world, the dream-world (where we go when we dream), the spirit-world (where everything has a reflection) and the underworld (home of the dead, where the sun goes at night)...  but none of it seemed necessary to codify at this stage.

Your thoughts?

As the other newcomer, I have no objections to this

As I built a trio of primordial gods for Khune, nature spirits seems pretty on brand.

I'm good with it.

How are our newcomers doing?

I like it.  But more I'd like to see the rest of you moving along.  The lady pirate Liza Gallim is going to get drunk if you don't show up soon.  ;-)

My apologies, but I'm not sure what you're trying to say with



Could you clarify?

I'm just kidding.  I assume there's nothing more for me to do until we all meet up at the bar, from which we will head to the warehouse.  So I'm waiting for you to get there.

Oh no!  Didn't mean to leave you stranded.  My bad.

I figured Control would want to jump in at some point, or that Mana or Garland would want to flex their worldbuilding muscles a little.

Sorry folks.  been focused on another game the last day or two.  Will catch up now...

No rush on my end, I know that when I'm excited about a game (like I'm excited about this one) my post rate goes through the roof.  I don't expect people to match it, I just have to remind myself to slow down so others can get a word in edgewise.

Just shout when you’re reading for my creation thread to move on to mantles; I was waiting presuming more questions first

Today was surprisingly busy. Cara, feel free to dive in at your leisure; I will post & respond tomorrow or Tuesday. Will even throw in some Aspects for a change :-)
This message was last edited by the player at 22:53, Mon 27 Apr 2020.

So, I'm fighting something at the moment.  I don't think it's pandemic related,  but  I dunno.  I've a sore throat and a mild headache, I'm tired all the time, and sleeping close to fifteen hours a day.  I find I have a diminished attention span, too, but that might just be a lack of discipline from close to six weeks in relative isolation...  Mind you, I don't have trouble breathing and I don't seem to have a fever.

And I have really neat dreams... like fever dreams but, you know, without the fever. Seriously! I had an extended world-building discussion with my roommate the other day, which isn't terribly unusual, except that she wasn't actually a part of it.  When I referenced it the next day, she had no clue what I was talking about...  So, it was a memory of a dream...

Mind you, I'm going to write up much of what I remember, since it was the Kumlaren creation myth, and a way to work the idea of threes as a recurring theme into just about everything...  But I gotta get the In-character threads pushed forward first.

Get better!  Don't worry about us.  I, for one, am not going anywhere.  Take care of yourself.

How d'you two feel about Arui having a dispute with the Blue Sails over the  storage fees or lost goods or some such?  It'd give the others an opportune moment to get involved (or get around the shop-keeper's attention).

And Nathan, having come from the fruitless raid on the open air market, may've been sent to the Dockward to provide assistance/cover...

WOuld that work for y'all?

Offline for the next hours for a video-conference.   More when it's done.

I'm good with anything.  For myself I just finalized the marks for the 3 classes I was teaching on contract.  150 papers and exams marked...

Works for me.

In reply to Control (msg # 258):

I hope you feel better.  Take care of yourself.  Your health is more important.

GM, hope you feel better!

I am a firm believer in sleep as massive ally in health & regeneration.

I sometimes wonder if I like sleeping too much.

Take care of yourself.

There is no such thing as too much sleep.  Also no such thing as too much tea, which I heartily recommend.  Take care.

Completely unrelated question:

What is (in your opinion) the best low-magic system for FATE?

Good God!  Really.  I manage to roll a -4 on fudge dice!?!  Sigh.

That's like what, less than a 2% chance of happening?  Bad luck my friend.

*Looks are rapidly expanding pile of free invokes*  Yes, yes my pretties, grow, grow!

So, I've been avoiding reading the other IC thread, since Etz is not there.  But weren't we going to meet at the bar?  I guess I'll be wandering out, soon, to find you guys.

We're at the bar, you're good.

Haha!  I just left.

We're at a different bar, waiting for the Ember Blades.

Was Garland supposed to meet you?

FATE Accelerated. IMO. :-)

Okay, I've triggered things to move a little faster for the next week or two...  (on my part.  No stress either way!)

Arui's companion, Ivor just attacked one of the ruffians guarding the Blue Sails Warehouse, apparently over lost goods that they'd stored at the Blue Sails.  Migram (the shopkeeper) and Arui probably could've worked it out, but where's the drama in that?  So, Ivor blew his stack.  Mikel and Yvon, the ruffians that were outside, went in to "encourage" Arui and Ivor to leave... and Ivor tackled Mikel for brandishing a bladed weapon.

Cara and Manaolama can actually see this happening in the doorway to the front room of the Blue Sails Warehouse.

Garland is around the side, having seen the various spotters.  This fight might just be the distraction he needs to isolate one of the spotters and ask his questions.

Etzagith is on the rooftops now, a block or so away from the Harpy's Last Note, and he's seeing that there's a little bit of excited activity in the streets.  Not overwhelming, but enough that he noticed it...

Bit of a hectic week, but hoping to post shortly!

Interesting situation. If 'Ola intervenes in the fight, in which thread will he do so, o GM?

The threads are organized (mostly) by location...

Therefore,  If the fight is in the Blue Sails Warehouse, then the fight is in: <a href=""link to a message in this game: The Blue Sails Warehouse</a>

If the conflict is outside the warehouse, the fight is in:  <a herf="https://www.rpol.net/display.cgi?gi=65114&ti=61">01.02: Dockward</a>

Initiative
So, I'm trying out a way to do initiative...

First, understand that Fate Core doesn't have an initiative mechanic.  The book advises to pick a person and go around the table.  Everyone's acting all at once.   My bringing an initiative mechanic into it is more for my benefit when envisioning the scene and the flow of the action.  In addition, this is rpol, and if we were to observe initiative, we'd spend even more time waiting... and not just for me.

Sometimes, you will get the crap-end of the rotation, and your actions may end up being for naught (can't blind a guy who was just killed moments ago).  But it won't always be this way.  It goes both ways.


Initiative is rolled with a Notice.  I'll allow free invokes on relevant scene aspects. So long as we don't go overboard.

Now, that being said...

We should make up a couple of scene aspects for the Blue Sails Warehouse.

I'll also work on getting a basic zone-map put together.

Just a reminder re initiative, one of my stunts is

Reflexes:
When there's a question about who acts first, the answer is you.

It will either be late today or tomorrow before I can jump into the fight. I do intend to have 'Ola jump into the fight, so kindly don't push things along too far without me. :-)

@Etzagith

Consider me reminded.

I'm thinking I'll be posting scene breakdowns and OOC stat-blocks whenever there's combat, so there will be plenty of opportunity to remind me in the future.

For this combat, though...  Until Etzagith enters the scene, he's not in the initiative roster.

Sorry.  I was in the process of catching up, but got pulled away for family, then work, then family some more.  Go ahead and continue for this round.  Etzagith will be slipping into the shadows, not taking any direct combat action until he feels sure he knows what is going on.

I haven't been reading the other threads, on account that I only like to learn things IC, but sounds like you have a brawl going on!

Is this still happening somewhere where Cara might spot it?

Apologies, make that tomorrow. RL has been brutal today.

Ditto, here :(

Back from an unexpected, rather lengthy, distraction.   Updating shortly.

Hope that's bragging, and that things are going well.

Nope. not bragging, unfortunately.

I'm fine.  but family and a hospital were involved.  Nothing corona-virus related.   So, my focus has been elsewhere.

@Etzagith as Liza Gallim:
"Your owner -- what's his name -- said that you IDIOTS could provide a place that doesn't draw attention, that the guard wouldn't give anything in this place a second glance.  Now you have brawling going on right in the doorway?  Why not sell tickets?  You could put on a show!  Invite the whole town!"

Hah!  Sorry Karen.  Would you like to talk to my manager?

Tired.  Going to move this forward tomorrow.

I'm about to play amateur surgeon in Mikel.  What's the right skill for that?  I'm thinking knowledge.  I'm pretty good at knowledge so I'm hoping.  I could see maybe craft for the stitching.  Empathy could work if I was trying to make it less painful, but he pulled a sword on us, so actually I don't mind if he suffers a little.

@Arui - Re: Playing amateur surgeon
I'd say Crafts for the manual skill of it.  Knowledge for the, well, knowledge of anatomy, what blood loss does, etc...

I initially this sounds like a perfect set-up for a Challenge (Knowledge & Crafts).  But had to consider where's the tension if she fails one part but not the other?  So, I think a straight Crafts roll should suffice.    The lack of knowledge or lack of manual dexterity might be the explanation should she fail the overcome roll.

The In Peril condition is equivalent to a Moderate Consequence. That makes it a Great(+4) target for the Crafts roll.

I, the player, don't know who the Almani are.

Does Cara?

Would I need to roll some dice?

Re: The Almani
Sure, You can roll if you want to.   But it's extremely obscure.  You'll need a knowledge roll of Fantastic(+6) to recall any--even basic--information on the Almani.

There is a reason they're that obscure.

If you fail, it would still be an option to pursue information on them... surely someone must have heard of that word....
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:05, Wed 20 May 2020.

Nope!

16:42, Today: Cara rolled 0 using 4 Fudge dice.

Ha, I thought Ruis had already left!

@Etz  How much more time you need?  We've been less than successful, but we found some fun storylines to pull.

Sorry, what?  Are you waiting for me somewhere?  I've gone ahead into the warehouse.

Our job was to be a distraction while you tracked down the Ember Blades, no?

Garland got me the distraction to get unmolested into the Blue Sails Warehouse.  I'm scouting in there, now.

Though we may have another angle on that :-)

I noticed that resources isn't a stat, but we could use money to get Arui as part of the team.  We could say that she doesn't have enough money to pay the healer, but Nathan can cover the cost if she helps him on his mission.  Just a thought.

Apologies for the absence, RL bushwhacked me. Attempting to post today

Back online. No sob story this time.  Just got distracted with personal projects.  Aand man, the days just flew by...  Heading to bed now, but this game is my priority when I wake up.


@Arui & Nathan
Money is a fantastic idea for getting the two together.

@Arui
And if it's tied up in all the goods stored in the Blue Sails Warehouse  (everything they were going to sell, except for the horses that are stabled or corralled elsewhere), then that fits to story.   So, let's assign an Aspect for that so I can leverage it to give you fate-points down the road.   Perhaps But Everything We Had was in Storage!?  If it's acceptable, we'll leverage that to get her hooked up with Nathan (and you'll get a fate-point for it, too).

@Nathan
Because he wears Grandfather's Blue Cloak, Mother's Sigiled Fist, he's got a wider latitude to meet his objectives.  In this case, he's been told to get the Tarenti Guardian on-board for whatever Menkliia has in mind...  If you accept the compel to use it to bring her on-board (and pay for the healing in her name), then I'll cough up a fate point for it!

Yeah, that's right, you'd botyh get a fate-point for it.  'Cause it's moving things forward.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:46, Tue 02 June 2020.

Game for that!

Cara & Manaolama;

I hadn't forgotten that there were two.  But if one is going to appear physially, it's going to take time for them to get to where Cara & Manaolama are...    You haven't been there long enough to even finish your repast!  The one who could respond faster did so.

With Garland on hiatus dealing with RL issues, we have shifted things onto Etzagith.  I've had to make some serious adjustments to my plans due to narrative evolutions.  But bottom line is that I'm trying to get you something to go on sooner rather than later.

Nathan and Arui are nearby, but not really tied into your goals...  I'm still looking for an angle to get all of you together and bound to the same cause.  So, any suggestions on that front are welcome...
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:59, Wed 03 June 2020.

Well, I took a step towards bringing us back together.  I hope I didn't overstep.

Do we see Brollox making his play?

Your call.  I'd assumed Manaolama followed a little, but if you want to write it otherwise, so be it...

I think this scene is Manaolama's to intervene in, as I had the spotlight the first time around.

I'll remain seated waiting for the second Watcher's master to come.

No rush if it takes the story a bit to come back to me, I'm in grad school, I'm plenty busy.  When you're ready, I will be to.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:16, Thu 04 June 2020.

My apologies for the long delay, folks. Give me tomorrow morning to chime in.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:37, Tue 09 June 2020.

No hurry.

Graduate school went "Hey, see that student?  Let's poke them with this stick.  Let's poke them with this stick until they cry!"  I'm through the hard parts, and taking Thursday off work so that I can finish, but it has been a busy few days.

I don't mind the delay.

So, I'm confused.

When we split up, my understanding was
1. We wanted to check out the Blue Sails Warehouse, because we believe it is connected to the kidnapping.
2. It is in the Blue Embers' region, and we don't want to run afoul of them
2a. We know they will be watching the entries to the region
2b. which is why we split up in order to enter
3. We were going to meet back up, and approach the Blue Sails warehouse as a group of potential customers looking for a warehouse near the docks that doesn't ask too many questions
3a. That was why I disguised myself as a pirate, in order to support that whole story.
4. My personal plan, which I admit I didn't really share, was that I would slip away during the "negotiations" for hiring warehouse space, and investigate for evidence of a connection to the kidnapping.

I get the distinct opinion that I was alone in this understanding, probably because I didn't pay attention at some crucial moment.  (We'll call that role-playing, so that's a new aspect of Etzagith, and not say that I was the one who failed to pay attention.  Yeah, that's it.)

If someone would set me straight, I'd appreciate it.

Also, who is Brollox?

Your understanding is 100% correct. Speaking in-character, Etz would a. have no idea who Brollox is, b. wonder why Manaolana is speaking with him, and c. would otherwise be as confused as his player, so reacting accordingly is entirely understandable.

Speaking as fellow storytellers:

Brollox is an NPC I threw into the mix and a source of complications:

link to a message in this game

And I just self-compelled my Trouble to engage him.

I got you!

00.00:  The Shared Story...  (Everybody!)



The plan was for Manaolana and I to distract the Ember Blades so that you and the others could search the warehouse.

That is what Mana and I have been up to.

@DM  Did you still want help on how to integrate the others?

I'm assuming we know who they are, and that they are Agents of the Veiled Hand.

@Etzagith:

1. We wanted to check out the Blue Sails Warehouse, because we believe it is connected to the kidnapping.
   Yes!
   
2. It is in the Blue Embers' region, and we don't want to run afoul of them
   Yes!
   
   • We know they will be watching the entries to the region
     That the Ember Blades will be watching is a logical assumption but not a known fact.  Important distinction.
   • which is why we split up in order to enter
     Yes!
   
   
3. We were going to meet back up, and approach the Blue Sails warehouse as a group of potential customers looking for a warehouse near the docks that doesn't ask too many questions
   Yes.  But, naturally, no plan survives first contact with the enemy.
   [LIST]
4. That was why I disguised myself as a pirate, in order to support that whole story. 
   Yes.
   
5. My personal plan, which I admit I didn't really share, was that I would slip away during the "negotiations" for hiring warehouse space, and investigate for evidence of a connection to the kidnapping.
   Sharing is caring.  Ah well,    Nonetheless, you've done some wonderful things to help give me reason to have people come after you...  the theft of the vellum and the volcanic-rock figurine are just awesome!

Also, who is Brollox?
Brollox is known as "The Butcher".  He's both literally a butcher, but also a paid mercenary who is pretty fearsome with a cleaver.  He and Manaolama have a history.


@Cara
The plan was for Manaolana and I to distract the Ember Blades so that you and the others could search the warehouse.
Which is, actually, what ended up happening... although the distraction came via Arui and Nathan...

@DM
Did you still want help on how to integrate the others?
Yes please.

I'm assuming we know who they are, and that they are Agents of the Veiled Hand.
Arui you wouldn't know.  We'd need a narrative explanation for how you'd recognize Nathan as a Veiled Hand...  You're brand new t the conspiracy.  You don't yet warrant the membership list :)

Now, if you were told that one of the sigiled fist was going to be your liason...

And if Nathan was told that he might expect you there...  well, that should work just nicely.

We will however, want to build more ties with Arui...

Arui would recognize Nathan's blue cloak as a badge of an official government agent.  Because she wants to ingratiate herself and her people with the government, she would agree to aid him if he requested it, especially if it was presented as a service to the crown or country.  Apparently from Nathan's introduction story, there was mention of him needing to find a Tarenti guardian, which I assume was to be Arui all along.  So, he has a reason to find her, and she has a motivation to join him.

A much more round about way would be for Arui to take Yvon's offer to be a guard at Blue Sails.  As a guard, she would have access to snoop about and find out what happened to her supplies.  In the course of snooping, she could find a clue about the missing princes that gets her tangled up in the plot.

If Arui had just been offered coin to serve at the Blue Sails as a guard, and she comes around the corner to see Cara, Manaolana, and Brollox having a throw down where it is obvious that Brollox is harassing a Blue Sail's employee, that makes pretty quick motivation.

Is Arui Veiled Hand?

That was Nathan's goal here... to bring her into the Hand.



Hm.  Another idea.  The Blue Sails has apparently had three fights in one day, possibly a fourth if Manaolama goes that direction.   Perhaps there is something magical going on that is formenting dissent and creating more tensions than necessary...

Might be related to what Etzagith heard in the back room of the warehouse...

I am correct in assuming that you want me to pursue that, to make bringing us all together easier, rather than joining Mana?

I'm good either way, this game is a challenge and a blast.

I was just free-thinking.  But if you want to go there, then it works.



I'm also looking for a reason to get you folks out of Druvir as a group.  This would take you out of an area of relative familiarity and  force you to rely on each other in unfamiliar areas...  The other benefit to doing so is to make Druvir a little changed in your absence.

Added my rolls.



Hehe, hey!  She's following the original plan, but trying to sneak away now that Mana is the star of the show.

LOL. I'm not sure what plan ever included me having a contact in the warehouse, but I'm more than prepared to believe I missed something.

So here are the important details that I know:
1. I have a vellum that I stole from the safe in the warehouse.

2. I overheard some boss within the warehouse yelling at his guards/workers.  He said "A couple hours til sundown, then it's free sailing.  So, don't fuck it up!"  So we know that whatever involvement the warehouse has, it ends at sundown.  I assume I would recognize the voice if I heard it again.  I'm all for just marching in there and (you and 'Ola) beating the crap out of the guy until he spills what he knows.

Also, I've removed the disguise and I'm just myself again.  Though right now I have a cloak that looks like that of Duke Churthen's ducal guards.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:35, Sat 13 June 2020.

Yep, Cara wants to see this man for herself, but more importantly get Etz inside the warehouse.

As Manaolana was already starting shit with Brollox (technically Brollox started it), Cara is trying to use that as a distraction to get Etx through the front door all stealthy like.  If it's a REALLY successful distraction,  she will sneak in as well to assist Etz.

If there is nothing Etz can do but spy, and he needs someone to intimidate the man, Cara will be your gall.  But she figures she'll let you get eyes on him first.