Not totally true, but life just got a bit busy.

Yeah, yeah, yeah... same here. Just kind of lost focus for a bit.

Well, I'm still being led around by a rope... And still trying to figure out how to talk like a sailor. 'Salty dog' only goes so far!

Hello all.  It looks like the current scene might be a bit awkward to just show up in the middle of.  Any ideas for adding a new character without waiting months for play-by-post posting rates?

We're in the presence of a powerful Syrne artifact (or so the legends say), so that would be the 'simplest' way to bring you into the scene.

The harder way would involve a convoluted backstory about wandering the countryside and stumbling across the invisible cathedral all on her own.

Had a short discussion with the GM, and apparently said Syrne artifact is doing strange things to Fate in the area.

As a Strega with the Curious hubris, I obviously have to go take a look.

I did edit that post. :p

link to a message in this game
Ok, seriously, pockets were originally a type of large pouch worn a bit lower on the thigh and under a skirt, with a hidden slit to reach a hand through.  What the hell is up with modern women's fashion having no pockets?


Also, I have a physical sorte deck IRL, kickstarter loot, and I actually pulled this draw.  Surprised the hell out of me too.  Sure, the deck is just a prop, but it's hilarious that I pulled cards relevant to the current situation/discussion.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:39, Thu 05 Aug 2021.

It feels really wierd double-posting IC like that, but I'm available to post and there's that two-day rule.

In reply to Fiora Ambrogia (msg # 442):

Welcome!

The Two-Day Posting rule is mainly for when others posting gets a bit hectic. Without it, things can grind to a halt. And it's just to let you know that I may post for you in those situations.

In reply to Dread Pirate Robert (msg # 449):

Ah, okay. But still, I'm here.

Did I misunderstand the scene? I thought there are displays for known Syrne, plus displays for each of the major (ie base book) sorceries? Are there, indeed, displays for more sorceries than that?

Yes, there were more displays than just the core rule book sorceries. The various stations alternated between a Syrne type and a sorcery type. That means there are 12 different sorceries represented... if that is, in fact, what they are.

So, there's some serious Gameplay and Story Segregation going on with regards to Sorte.  The setting descriptions for Vodacce, and even the listed traditions around Sorte, don't match up with the mechanics.

Blessings and curses end at the end of the scene according to the mechanics, even the greater versions, which would very sharply limit the reach of the blessings/curses a Strega in Vodaacce can give.  They wouldn't be able to bless a ship captain for a fair voyage, because it just wouldn't work.

Meanwhile elderly Strega on their deathbeds will gather their family around to issue one final set of blessings, when they can take their lashes to the grave with them.  Vodacce ships are blessed with good fortune, despite the Strega being restricted to Vodacce.  And people perish due to curses long after the Strega has left the scene.




This isn't particularly crucial in any immediate sense, Fiora's favorite Tesse is Pull, which has a very immediate effect that has no need to linger, but it does create a number of plot holes in the world itself.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:14, Fri 08 Oct 2021.

I think there are three different 'interpretations' of Sorte, so it depends on how the GM (me!) wants to deal with it.

I'm pretty much letting you go with it, since you seem to know more about it than I do.

In reply to Dread Pirate Robert (msg # 454):

I'm pulling from books you don't have where I can, and burying the places I'm not sure of in metaphor.  So far I haven't used a single Tesse aside from Read though, and all that does is show you the strands of fate.  The books don't go into what they actually look like, and how much information you can get from reading them is largely left to the GM aside from reading people's virtues.  So we're dealing entirely in fluff right now and it's great, but eventually dice happen.  Probably.

If I wanted to place a blessing on someone that lasted beyond the scene, and the story of Vodacce requires that to be a thing, how would that work mechanically?  There are no rules, yet it must be possible to do this thing.  Again, not exactly urgent, but something I'd like to hash out before it's urgent.

I'm inclined to say a lasting blessing/curse is less intense than a scene-length one, since you're trading power for endurance, but I'm not sure how much.  Normally you gain one lash, and then however many lashes you have is the strength of a blessing.  There are a few possibilities I can see for extra duration.

1. Half the normal number of dice (one per two lashes instead of one-for-one), but they last until used or overwritten (only one blessing or curse allowed on a target at a time.)
   
2. It's a separate effect, apply the blessing/curse, then weave it more tightly, duration based on number of lashes for the extra effect.  (Probably not linear scaling, since ship voyages last months, and 30+ lashes is just begging for fate to splatter you across the city.)
   
   • This would add another Tesse to the list, which could be obtained just like any other.  Keeps the power of PC Strega in check, since they're choosing between having that and having something more immediately useful.
   
   
3. It just takes longer to apply (By default, using a Tesse is one raise in a risk, increase the duration of the blessing/curse with more raises)
   
4. Longer duration blessings/curses have to be woven ahead of time, and then placed on someone with the usual ritual.
   
   • How many pre-woven blessings/curses can a Strega carry?  One?  More?  Base of one, but with a perk to increase?

This message was last edited by the player at 07:53, Sat 09 Oct 2021.

In reply to Fiora Ambrogia (msg # 453):

Neat.

Yikes!

It all sounds great, but it's boggling my mind at the moment. Need time to process it. Plus, I'll have to look it up in the books I do have.

On the other hand, I don't want the game to get bogged down in rules.


As for what strands look like, I'd imagine something between a braid and a triple helix, where the three strands in the helix represent you, others, and your environment. You can see where there could be pieces missing from the secondary strands, and places could be large or smaller, different colors to represent different aspects, etc.

Well, the most rules-light of my suggestions is the one where making them last is just weaker.  "Half-strength but lasts until used up."  It doesn't get much simpler than that.  Any given person can already only have one blessing or curse at a time, so they're not going to get stacked up in weird ways either.  A Strega in Vodacce can bless a captain for a safe voyage, and the blessing can just sit there until he needs it for a storm.

What annoys me is that they never really explain what a 'lash' is. I'm sort of interpreting as a short form of 'backlash', since that seems to be what it's meant to be. It's like they were being too clever for their own sake.

"Backlash" is a portmanteau of two other words.  One of the definitions of a 'lash' is a strike from a whip or other fast-moving cord.  "Lashes" in the context of sorte are literally a pending whipping from the strands of fate, and that's what the wounds look like when a strega absorbs lashes as wounds.  They can touch the strands of fate, and the strands of fate can touch them too.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:24, Sat 16 Oct 2021.

Merry Christmas.

And a Crappy New Year... so far, that's what I've gotten. Just some minor health issues that are seriously depleting my mental ability to post. Trying to get over it. Just need a good night's sleep...

Happy Easter!