Just a place to ask questions and make observations that don't really fit with the story

Not the best of timing, but I will making the annual trek south in search of second summer. Probably be offline until late next week. Perhaps come up with some details about your character to post and we'll pick this up when I return. Thanks.

No worries! I'm on no hurry. Plus, as you pointed out, this gives me plenty of time to flesh Evelyn out. Be safe on your trip!

I have tomorrow off work, so I'm going to take the time to write up a nice bit about Evelyn, then.

Evelyn Northwood was born into a relatively well-to-do family, along with an older brother named Murdoch. Their lives have been quite ordinary, to be honest. Evelyn was raised to be all the things that a good woman was meant to be in these times: elegant, courteous, and versed in such things as embroidery, dance, poetry.

For the most part, Evelyn didn't mind her upbringing. She even enjoyed quite a bit of it! She was quite partial to dance and poetry, both of which fed into her love of music. (Embroidery she just found to be a nightmare of boredom and finger pricks that led to nothing but wasted time and frustration.) Her parents recognized her talent for the musical arts and had her enrolled in a prestigious school which would foster her gifts.

At school, Evelyn found that she enjoyed a bit more freedom. Oh, the teachers kept a close eye upon the students. It wasn't as if there was nothing to worry about. However, it was far easier for her to evade their eyes than it had been to keep out sight of the family's faithful, strict butler, the other servants, or her parents. After all, the teachers were more invested in her education than in making sure she stayed well within what would be considered acceptable behavior for a Northwood.

That's not to say that Evelyn was a wild child who threw all caution to the wind. Not at all! She still knew that she needed to maintain a certain image for the family. But, there may have been nights when she slipped out of the dorms and crept alone in gardens in the darkness, exploring at hours that wouldn't be deemed permissible any other time. And, she may have enjoyed a discreet drink with friends, while sharing secrets in some tucked away corner.

Her academic career was a series of successes as her talent for the violin, her chosen instrument, grew. It wasn't long after she graduated that she landed a job in an orchestra as a substitute player. She stood in a few times for absent members and slowly proved her ability to the conductor. Soon, she was hired on as a short term contractor, working over the course of a year, with her employment to be renewed if she continued to do well. After a few years working as such, she was hired as a permanent member of the string section.

For the past few years, she's been travelling with the orchestra as they moved from city to city, performing. Thus, she's been exposed to a wide array of people and cultures as she explored the cities in between performances.

Do you want to wait until I have my sheet and items together, or should I go ahead and start posting to the story?

Please start posting whenever you're ready. The style is interactive fiction, the sheet is mostly for fun.

Will do! I have nothing going on for Thanksgiving. My family has decided to not do a get together, this year. I'll post something a little later. Just finished a post for another game, so I'm taking a break. (And, it lets me switch gears from fantasy to Edwardian England.)

I need to retrain myself to actually write detailed posts about what my character is thinking and feeling. I've gotten so used to not sharing that information when writing for a group that I have fallen out of the habit.

No worries! Totally understand about it being hectic, right now. We're having our Xmas today, as a matter of fact. (My son's holiday starts this weekend and we were like... why should he have to wait to enjoy his Xmas presents? Let's just do it now!)

I just realized that I never chose a portrait! Heh. I'll probably cycle through several before I settle on one that I like. I always find it so hard to locate one that seems close to what I want.

Merry Christmas! :D

Sorry that it seems like Evelyn isn't doing much in this last post. But, I kind of want to see what is going on with Jane and Prospero before I have Evelyn jump into the conversation.

If Jane seems agitated, she'll want to distract her with something else. Maybe go help her with some decorating around the house or preparing festivities. She's enjoying Prospero's company, but Jane is more important, at the moment.

But, I definitely want to get some more time for her and Prospero to talk, as well.

Just a quick note to say that I'm having fun! Thanks for running this for me. :D

Thanks. Glad it's to your liking.

Oh, man! I'm waffling about how to react to that kiss. On the one hand, it hasn't even been a full day that she's known Prospero. Any other day of the week, that would warrant a slap in the face. Buuuut... she does like him and I'm tempted to lean into the whole "fated love" trope and roll with it.

No matter what, there are no slaps in Prospero's future! At worst, she'd just take a step back. I don't know what I want to do, though! I shall give it more thought while I take care of some rather tedious work.

Yes, it's hard to remember it was less than 8 hours ago she met him -- it's been about two months of real time!

As I tried to indicate, he will not press even at the hint of withdrawal -- but his intentions are clear. Let's just say that the chemistry is in the air. I rather like the image of them with his pistol out, arm around her glaring about for villains as the snow drifts down and the light fades.

Haha! Yeah, that is the only problem with pbp. It's easy to lose track of time in the game vs. real time.

And, you were clear! I know that Prospero won't push things. I liked that scene, too! It does evoke a very romantic mental image. By golly... I'm going to roll with it, because I want the two artists to have their moment together!
This message was last edited by the player at 13:44, Fri 29 Jan 2021.

Heh! Also, I'm not ignoring all the Egyptian stuff you are throwing out! I'm taking note of it all. Poor Evelyn, though, is not quite as invested in that portion of things as her player is. Though, I imagine that is going to change!

I expect it will. There are many layers to explore here, and I feel it is going very well. The bit of romance and the Christmas celebration stuff, the hint of danger. Much more to come. Thanks for helping me bring this story to life. I tried running it as a group adventure last year and it fell flat on its face with the usual disappearance of half the characters. I'm pleased it is going so well writing with you. Thanks for being a conscientious correspondent.

Oh, yeah. I've found that it's a lot easier to play/DM solo games. It's so much easier to handle, as long as your primary person doesn't disappear.

My pleasure! Thank you for running it for me. I'm having a blast and I can't wait to see what kind of Christmas Cthulhu horrors descend upon my head. :D

Not game related, but just awesome music that I thought I would share. https://youtu.be/4DYoXhIu6T8

Ha! Poor Evelyn. I want her to go see what's going on. But, at the same time, I know that her upbringing would make her defer to the men in times of danger. Plus, she'd just be a distraction and in the way if she joined them.

But...but... the player wants to run towards the danger!

Oh, man. I can't decide how Evelyn is going to react to that! Definitely fear, at first. But, does it trigger fight or flight? I'm going to have to ponder that, a bit. (She's going to feel really bad, later, if her first reaction is to punch her poor, possessed friend in the face...)

D'oh! Poor Evelyn. She feels bad about slapping Prospero. But, those were quite unusual circumstances!

So, I was getting ready to post but realized that what I had in mind hinged on getting everyone back upstairs without incident. I want to get Jane to bed and then have a moment to talk with Prospero. Evelyn will want to apologize and confess about all the weirdness she's been experiencing since the start.

But... I don't want to just assume that nothing else happens. Can I get everyone upstairs safely?

Absolutely. Move things along at whatever pace suits you. If I have details that need to be squeezed in, I'll just back post.

On the road again for a week or so. I'll post when I can

No worries! I'm having time issues on my side, as well. I'm certainly not getting to a post today, no matter how much I want to!

I'm loving this story and having a great time!

I have forgotten. Is the séance supposed to happen on the evening of the 22nd? I'm trying to decide how quickly Evelyn feels like they need to move. If the séance is that evening, then she'll probably suggest splitting up so that Julian can tackle talking to McGregor and she can try to convince Jane to change her plans for the night.

It's supposed to happen tonight (22nd)

Thanks! Post updated. :)

I know my post was short, but I didn't want to assume that Julian would just blindly follow. Wanted to pause in case he wanted to say something to the gypsies before leaving. If not, I'll just edit my post to keep going.

I know this is a little longer that I normally go between posts. Going to try to get something up, tomorrow. I'm too tired to brain, tonight.

Well, poop. I forgot what it was I wanted to have Evelyn talk to Prospero about. I... uhh... guess I'll have a think and try to remember. :/

Sorry about that. I've had some virus all week -- not COVID, thank goodness, but I am exhausted all the time. I will post soon. But my imagination is just not up to the job right now. Please bear with me.

No worries! I'm sorry that you haven't been feeling well, but glad that it's not COVID. Take all the time that you need. I'll be here when you are feeling better. :)

Just got back from traveling over the weekend. I'm pretty beat and not up to posting, today. But, I'll get something up tomorrow.

Finally got a break in work. Updated my post.

It's been a week, for me. I'll try and get something posted, tonight. Heh... poor Jane and guests. I'm sure Evelyn looks like she's completely off her rocker.

When you get to it. I enjoy your posts, but I realize that life goes on at its own pace.

Hey! Just wanted to take a moment to thank you for continuing to run this game for me. Months later and I'm still loving every bit of RP that I have with you. I really appreciate you being a consistent and lovely GM.

That's very generous of you. Thank you. I have also enjoyed our slow unfolding of the plot with a touch of romance. I've played silly games with you, yanking Julian away a couple of times just when things were about to get X rated, and the timbre of this tale may require that it stay that way, but if you would be interested, I'd love to play a more hands-on game with you.

Is there another genre you would enjoy?

I'd love to play another game with you! Honestly, I'm open to most genres. My only wish is that the game not be one where we play previously established, canonical characters. I'd rather make my own character instead of trying to play someone that already has a set personality.

Did you have anything in mind?

Actually, I do have one character that I would kind of like to play. She was in a one-shot, Pathfinder game which turned out to be her origin story. So, she's got some history but I feel like she can be adapted to whatever setting/genre we like. I have no problems tweaking her to fit into a different setting.

Short version of her story: Oliandra was a healer in a large, corrupt city. She lived in the slums where she treated those who normally wouldn't have been able to afford services. One day she gets a visitor who pays with a magical (unbeknownst to her) gem. The gem allows them to puppeteer her and use her to assassinate a political figure. Oliandra is not able to figure out how to break the hold before the killing happens and has to flee the city.

And... that's where the game ended. As I said, it was a one-shot and was never continued. But, it's a perfect starting point for a character's story. It was a long time ago, though, so I don't remember a lot of the details about who used her and why. (Of course, the meta reason the bad guy used her and not someone else was because she was the PC.) All of that could easily be adapted.

Having her get into a relationship would be interesting. It would involve her having to come to trust the person she was with. Plus, there would be the constant danger of being tracked and found, trying to prove her innocence.

But, I'm just tossing this out as a possibility. If it doesn't appeal to you, that's totally fine! I have characters galore sitting in the wings, eager to have their stories told. :)

I like to write stories about my characters. So, I took it upon myself to write a bunch of bits and pieces about Oliandra, back in the day. Here's where I collected them: https://docs.google.com/docume...VB4/edit?usp=sharing

I'll read her stories. Here's what I came up with as options:

On Stranger Tides
- Pirates and King's agents in Freeport

Deadly Kiss
- Classic Noir 1950's San Francisco

The Tick Tock Man
- Steampunk in Victorian London

In the Court of the Saffron King
- Cloak and dagger action in Lankhmar

Ooooh! I'm leaning heavily towards On Stranger Tides. But, that's probably because I am currently on a pirate kick. I'm playing a face-to-face campaign (Skull and Shackles) on Sundays with my son, ex-husband, and an old college buddy.

Also, if we do go with me using Oliandra, please don't be put off by the fact that I wrote her a love interest. I'm just a sucker for romance and, when left to my own devices, that's where I usually go. I'd keep her base personality and background (tweaked as necessary) but would be starting with a clean slate as far as relationships.

Edit: Figured I'd just add onto this post rather than ping you, again. :)

I'm not married to Oliandra. So, I figured I would toss out some other character ideas, all of which can be massaged to fit into any given setting.

Veruca: Changeling witch who was raised by her aunt. Had a rather unpleasant childhood, as she was clearly not fully human and thus shunned by a portion of the village. Tired of it all, she sets out to try to find her place in the world. Could be affected, at some point, by the Call - her mother calling her back to the sea to join a coven and become a hag.

Amelie Uhrmacher: Professor of mathematics and dabbler in things that she shouldn't. Trying to find the perfect equation, that magical number that sums up all of reality that can manipulate the fabric of space/time.

Lyndis Biro: Just trying to make her way in the world without winding up as a corpse. Generally a good, kind soul but, often times, finds herself on the wrong side of the law. Or, the criminals. Honestly, it just depends on the day of the week and who is paying the most money.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:45, Thu 02 Sept 2021.

I rolled a d6 just as a kind of gauge for Sanity. I rolled a 6, which I would interpret as her being able to deny/logic her way forward (Skeletons don't move, it's dead, etc. + gotta help Julian). But, would you want to modify it at all? At this point, she has to seriously lie to herself to get herself to move, because she's seen some shit. Granted, it's not as bad as it could be, or will get, but... she's seen enough evidence that this is just flat denial of the truth that she knows.

No hurry on the other game! Do you have any opinion about who I should play? Is there a particular character or backstory from the little blubs above that seem more interesting?

I haven't forgotten about the game! I'll get a post up, tonight. Work has been busy, plus my son's schedule has gotten pretty busy, as well. (Lots of after school stuff.)

No hurry. Take your time. It's a crazy time for everyone. False alarms about COVID, back to school, end of days, Trump the Usurper -- all manner of insanity.

Hope your life is humming along. No pressure to post. Just touching base with my favorite violinist.

Happy Thanksgiving! I am extending my holiday time off with a week's vacation and I will be out of touch until the second week in December. See you then.

I hope all is well and you just have too much RL on your plate for fantasy games. As it is, I'm planning to shut this game down in a week or so, but you can always contact me via RMail if you wish to try another session.