I'll throw in my vote for the bramble path as well.

I do like the idea of the other races just being hard to come by, with most non-humans just living in places that are difficult to easily come across.

Prophets are cool, no complaints here.

In reply to GM (msg # 21):

Ooh, and the reason Glorbrag was trying to get her to submit was because of the conditions of her powers.  How does this sound:

The Order of the Weavers is a sect of historians and seers based on understanding the nature of Fate.  Their Oracles have the ability to discern fortunes of those who visit them, nudge chance in their favor, and it is said that once every generation there is an Oracle who can even change the path of someone's fate.

Their temples are great libraries housing maps, books, and scrolls, where visitors may peruse the fates of those who came before.  In the capitol of most kingdoms, the temples also house great tapestries that detail the history and major events of that land, though some would decry these depictions as just inaccurate.  Only the original temple, on the temperate isle of Batten Downs, hosts the True Weave; a massive tapestry that is whispered of in rumor to contain a true history of the entire world from the dawn of civilisation.

Their agents, oracles and guards are noted to wear un-bleached, un-dyed fabrics that "keep their threads of Fate pure and unbiased".  Their appearance is akin to a pauper or beggar until they reveal their allegiance; often times, they will take advantage of this to test and give guidance to pivotal figures in the great loom of Fate under the guise of wayward travelers.

The Weavers' secret language,  Hangman's Chord, is a cipher of knots and loops that they use to hide messages in plain sight.  The nature of the message changes based on every detail, from the direction of A rope's twist to the color of thread woven into the strands.  It can even be hidden in the fabric of one's clothes.  A bastardized version, Hangman's Cant, is also used by sailors and pirates, though it is far less intricate and usually only conveys the simplest of phrases.

Hey all, finally got to putting my character together properly and posting. Much, much jet lag, but (mostly) through it now. Anyway, I have changed my character name as you may have noticed, and I've put an orc-twist on my barbarian. Not like the filthy savage orcs around these parts of course, no, Sin-Singha is from a proper orcish empire. Civilized, I swear. It breaks the humans-only streak for the group (unless Auberyn is going half-elf?), but his rarity is part of the point, so the "non-humans are pretty rare" thing still works.


I'll take brown as a speech colour, I think it's most different from what we have so keeps things distinct. I'm working up bonds now.

I don't love typing hyphens all the time so I'll probably abbreviate Sin-Singha's name in text sometimes, to Singha, or Sin maybe. You can call him any of the above, or otherwise. Sin-sin, Singie, Mr. Wonderful, whatever.

Jon - I like the Oracle ideas there, but I'm having a little trouble connecting that with our rescued prisoner and "the condition of her powers" that Glorbrag is interested in.  Could you elaborate on what you're thinking of there?

(Of course, it's also possible that I'm just tired right now and missing what should be clear connections)

Hey GM, does the question about goblins count for the Outsider race move, or did you want to ask something else?

No, I'm good with it counting for that.

Alright, game moves on.  I have some ideas about what's going on with Alora, but all I will say for now is that most of the discussion in the last few posts is speculation more than hard facts.  Also, since it seems like divine oracles are going to be A Thing for this game, I came up with a move for when you consult with one.  It's in the House Rules thread if you feel like looking.

I'm convinced Alora is right when she says we shouldn't sit still... Where else can we go? I'm feeling low on awareness of my surroundings... Maybe someone smarter than Istvan do Spout Lore to get a sense of where we are, where we can go that fate might approve of...?

EDIT: And then I could do Discern Realities as a follow-up about where would be best to go, how to get there, what to watch out for...?
This message was last edited by the player at 02:07, Sun 31 Mar 2019.

Sorry for being MIA this week.  Been slammed at the factory, pulling overtime every day has me crashing hard.  I'll get something up in a bit.

These things happen.  Sadly, the world requires us to prioritize day jobs over gaming.

The world is largely undefined at this point, so what's nearby is potentially anything right now.  I have established the existence of Vorbrud, which is some kind of settlement; we'll find out more about it when you get there (if that is indeed where you decide to go).

In reply to Jon Jakobi (msg # 32):

I've had a busy week myself as well. Work-related, annoying and messy (I work for an amateur sport club, and I'm remotely trying to deal with ethics and conduct stuff happening at a training camp I'm not at). Not gravely serious, but attention-consuming.

We have a course of action next, yes? Heading to Vorbund? I'm good with that (who knows if the trip there goes smoothly, but that's a given).

I've established that it will take you three hours to walk to Vorbrud from your current position, but not why.  Is it a long hike through easy terrain, or a shorter hike through harder terrain?  Or some third option that I haven't thought of but you have?

I kind of like that it's not a terribly hard route, but it doesn't run direct. It winds around a bit and you have to go out of your way. Probably because there's some terrain features that aren't passable, like cliffs, canyons, ravines, rivers, whatever. Maybe there are bridges or fords or switchbacks along the route.

I vote long hike through easy terrain, for no reason in particular.

Yeah let's go, I'm with these guys, easy terrain, let's get going, Istvan wants to get out of this area... evil plants are a super-extra abomination unto Noric
This message was last edited by the player at 15:25, Sat 06 Apr 2019.

Easy walk it is then.

Now that locations are getting a little more complex, I've sketched out a map for what's defined so far and posted it in the game map.  It is very much not to scale, but it's better than nothing.

Sorry folks, rough work week, insufficient mental energy to update the game.  It'll happen this weekend at some point.  And I'll try not to make a habit of this.

Thanks for the check in, I've definitely been there.

So about "not making a habit," I was informed today that we have a serious audit coming up at the beginning of May.  Which means that I may be working extra hard between now and then while we get everything ready.  So odds are I will only be posting on weekends between now and then...

In truth I don't mind a game with weekly updates, so long as it's moving at a steady pace. Consistency is key to keeping a game alive.

So what you're telling me is that you may soon find yourselves in debt to a currently mysterious tavern owner, and will need a way out of it?  Well, gee, I guess we could come to some kind of arrangement... ;)

It seems we've lost Jon.  But never fear, brave heroes!  I've added a new player who should be joining in shortly...

Hello everyone! I'll be playing Lazarus Steel, wizard extraordinaire! He is a bit flashy and likes a bit of stage magic in addition to his real magic. I am still working on what exactly he looks like, but will probably post a description tomorrow. I am thinking his forearms may have been cosmetically transformed by failed magic at some point, but I am not sure. Once I get a better grasp on who exactly he is as a person, I'll meet you all in the tavern!

I have gotten caught up on all the threads already, so I think I have a pretty good grasp on everyone's characters thus far. I figured Lazarus probably ran into your group before you left, was skeptical that you would succeed, but is now interested in joining the crew now that you have all shown you have at least a marginal ability to survive an adventure. He knows he wouldn't be able to survive danger for long without the help of other capable people. Here are some ideas for potential bonds I had:

Sin-Singha will play an important role in the events to come. I have foreseen it!
This is more of an instinctual prediction rather than an actual magical prophesy. He may claim it is a magical prediction though.

Otto is keeping an important secret from me.
I'm not so sure what this would be. Maybe some hidden truth about your guild? Maybe he knows my prediction about Sin-Singha is all just words?

Auberyn is woefully misinformed about the world; I will teach them all that I can.
Perhaps he has sensed Auberyn's doubts about her peoples's ways and wishes to help guide her toward her own truth?

Sure, go ahead and edit a roll into your post, and we'll take it from there.

Oh yeah! :)

Welcome Lazarus. Shame we've lost Jon, who's going to record all my amazing deeds now? GM if it's ok with you, I'll re-write the bond with Jon at some point, but maybe let Lazarus get settled first.