Quote Originally Posted by Landis963 View Post
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However, there are a few things wrong with the design, IMO. One, for an individual connected with Obsid, whose entire existence is based upon obfuscation of his dragonness, Sindr's name is remarkably unsubtle. (I mean, "Drake Cinder"? What party wouldn't take a glance at that and realize instantly what he was?)
Yeah, but that requires metagaming knowledge, which people in-setting don't have .

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Two, I'm not certain whether to allow half-dragons in the first place (mostly a question of physics and logistics, although if the deed could have been done, magic would take care of the rest), although the character can easily be switched to a normal human who knows and has few qualms about working for a dragon in a human intelligence's clothing.
He might work better as just a human (albeit a highly trusted one by Obsid), you're right. Although magic has been shown to be pretty darn powerful in Almantha, so it'd be no stretch of the imagination for humano-draconic pairings.

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What's more, a major part of the Obsidia arc (if I haven't mentioned this before, I'm sorry) is Obsid's trying to hatch several dragon eggs in secret, and becoming paranoid and hyper-protective whenever anyone gets too close.
Yeah. Never heard that one. I think maybe I could be more helpful if you posted a little thing on each of the Minds and their personalities/plans. The History post was helpful, but perhaps too subtle. Write up each of the Minds like a God in a regular D&D setting, if that helps organize their modus operendii.

It feels like a lot of the setting is still mostly in your own mind, so some of our input doesn't come off as helpful when we don't have the complete picture.

Love it, especially with the difference between the human track and the kirian track. Perfect for a high-octane sporting event which the PCs can use to get in contact with Saala. However, Saalarann has been basically free-floating over Therinos since its construction, and thus there would need to be some teleport spell to get the racers from their starting points in Saalarann to wherever the beginning of the track is. This can be sidestepped with traditional uniforms or jerseys worn by the kiria and worked into the design of the Draalwa of each human participant sigiled with teleport spells or simply acting as targets for teleport spells cast by Saala. These uniforms would also have ghost sound sigils on them, to alert the wearer that the race is beginning in "3, 2, 1, GO!" Of course, the teleport functionality would be rather useless in the Saalarann Classic, but you can see why it would be added once the market grew for races "abroad".
All this talk of teleportation. If Saalarann is a flying city (which I was aware of), why can't it be built vertically as well as horizontally? To an onlooker, Saalarann must be a sight to behold, a series of man-made mountains suspended high in the sky and spread over a great distance. But like the clouds around it, Saalarann could also be made to tower in places.

Essentially, the race starts near the top. The kiria are lower than the humans, and begin by swooping into a long, shallow, spiraling arc over the rest of Saalarann. The human competitors drop off the highest peak of the city and enter a controlled plummet (Star Trek 2009, baby!). Each track has designated checkpoints the racers are not allowed to deviate away from (missing checkpoints means disqualification), with the kiria banking besides various landmarks and through artificial trenches and canyons formed by parts of the city drifting nearby, while the humans have to dive through large rings set far apart (the idea being to glide a ways, and then enter a controlled dive to gain).

The kiria "finish line" is somewhere in the city, usually near the very bottom. The human one is a platform set up back on the ground (actually a teleportation circle that sends the racers right back to the true finish line with the kiria). Both tracks are measured to be equal in timing, not in distance. All racers are allowed a set number of Wind Spell Charges built into their official uniforms via implanted magic wands. These are all nonlethal spells designed to help a racer or hinder an opponent with a well-timed blast of wind. If a competitor attempts to use their own Native power, they are penalized and forced several places back by a referee.

Note: The uniforms also have a built in safety spell that minimizes impact damage (such as when you dive headlong into the earth trying to hit the human finish line or get pushed by a wind spell into a building).