I was hoping to get to this today but my motherboard is fried, rather unexpectedly. I have a service call scheduled for tomorrow to replace it. Hope to be back in business by tomorrow evening.

Sorry to hear about that Baern! Good luck with a speedy solution I hope

Vera, I like the way you think, though I'll say that anyone who wants a connection with Kreo doesn't need to know him from his former/part time job, as he's going more and more into organizing as time goes on (and due to a downturn in business from an injury) so just in general having met at wine sinks and cafes and eating halls can work too

The part is on backorder. I'm at least a week without a computer now. I'm currently at the office, but my access to DNDbeyond is restricted so I can't look at Baern's character sheet. Time permitting though I'll try to get some brainstorming thoughts up for shared background. I need to catch up on work first though.

I added a few more entries to the History thread based on world-building that arose from PM conversations. Full credit to Frack (formerly Fergus) for the write-up of The Shield. I've still got things outstanding with a few of you but since we won't be starting with everyone in the same place anyway, I may get a thread or two started for those who are ready soon. My inclination is to make these public even though everyone's characters wouldn't actually have access to this information, just to help get everyone more engaged in the world and story and characters. Of course you can always put things in Private text if needed, but hopefully you won't be keeping too many secrets from one another, and I don't plan to have you in separate threads for long. How do y'all feel about this?

I support that idea, sounds good to me

I second that.

Sounds like a plan!  I like to see what else is going on even if my character isn't there :)  Other groups might see places and NPCs and such that our characters would be familiar with though, so it gives us all more context for our own RP.

Perhaps I should have asked this earlier, but should we be doing a text sheet on RPOL?  I have Vera mostly done on Beyond and wouldn't mind just using that, but could do a text sheet if needed.  I don't have access to mine.  Even if I use Beyond I'd probably stick a link in there and maybe use it for backstory notes :P

No one has access to sheets yet, thanks for the reminder! But Dnd Beyond is fine, just drop a link in the character sheet section here so I can find it easily.

Edit: These should be good to go now.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:41, Sun 16 Apr 2023.

I'm still lacking a sheet. Just been using the scratchpad for now but just thought I'd mention

I have the same issue as Kreo...

Ok, *now* should be good to go

Still waiting on my computer to be repaired. I have a tentative appointment today - I'm working off a loaner at the moment.

Did the Cinderhorn crew make any progress? I think the other two were Kreo and Veracity, is that correct?

No, actually. I think Kreo is going to have some familiarity with Vera at least but he is not part of the Cinderhorn crew. The third member is Sikuaq's character, who is name TBD as far as I know.

Sikuaq do you need some time still, or should we break off into a PM with Vera to hash things over?

I think I'm ready!

Are you up for just talking it out in OOC? I realize it may include some information not everyone is privy to, but it may also provide some opportunities for others glom on to something.

Still here and still finalizing things, but 90% ready to go. For the sake of starting, I'm trying to think of how a paladin goblin who is dirt poor might know any of the rest of you. Procz, as a lawman (lawkobold?), Frack would hold you in high esteem due to your commitment to law and order.

Maybe we could say that Frack and Procz have met? Some fairly minor incident with a couple of drunkard troublemakers might have been too much for the kobold to handle on his own, and Frack stepped up to help? Procz and Frack could have bonded somewhat over this.

My character is good to go.

Oooh, this would be handy, actually. Procz, I'm thinking that while you may also have had brushes with one or more members of Baz's crew, your proximate cause for being at the factory is actually that a person you're interested in is a worker here. So when you heard there was trouble at the factory, you came in an unofficial capacity, which is why you would have brought Frack for back-up rather than another constable. Does that work for you guys?

First IC post is up! Hopefully we can link up Frack and Procz and then I'll get up posts for them and for Baz's crew shortly.

Yes, absolutely! Sorry, I got wrapped up with other things yesterday.

Baern is roughly 40, still fairly young by the standards of gnomes. I figure he's been on the surface and tied in with Baz's crew for the past five or so years. Baern is exceedingly keen to demonstrate his loyalty to Baz. As an enforcer with the Spark he breaks legs as required of him, but does so with the absolute conviction of its necessity. Being somewhat unusual amongst the Spark's enforcers for his diminutive stature, Baern is quick to put to rest any notion that he can't keep up with the 'big folk'. He tends to receive an outsized proportion of the organization's more clandestine wetwork as he can follow where the more burly enforcers often cannot.

Baern has a gnomish sense of community, but has little patience for laggards and lollygaggers. He believes each should contribute as they are able, and in turn be rewarded according to their needs. He views the Cognelius brothers as parasites that contribute nothing while squeezing the poor and would like nothing better than to drag them off their pedestals. If the Spark is a metaphor for hope it is also the impetus for revolution. Baern may not have been the first to light it, but he is prepared to carry the torch to the very top of the Rim.

In real life I'm having to explain to my roommate what a strike is, how long it generally lasts, etc, as the public service alliance sets to strike tomorrow. All the roommate is concerned about is that he still gets to work (he's contract, so not in the union) and worries the union members he's previously characterized as "lazy" will not see the nuance of him being contract and instead take him for a scab worker.

I recommended he get them coffee. He didn't understand why that would improve their opinion of him

Service visit failed to fix the problem. I have to ship my laptop to Dell. I'm at least another week without my proper workstation although I do have a loaner for the time being.

In reply to Kreo (msg # 70):

What timing!

I've never had to directly cross a line before, so I can understand their concern.  One time I had to cross a picket that was formed at our facility by a union from a supporting company, and I did have training to assume a union position once (warehouse operations - forklift training and that sort of thing) but the strike was averted at the last minute.  That was the closest I ever got.  So good luck to him!

Now, if they'd only extend the tax filing dates...