Ongoing Games (In-Character)Play-by-post games are going on in this forum as we speak (well, read). All threads on this board are actual games, so please, only post on a thread if you are a player of that game.
Can I just...you know, compose a piece, and just...
Yeah, me, the player, has plans to compose...for anything I suppose. Don't get your hopes too high. It depends on whether I actually have to time and inspiration for it. Maybe I should just get some of my older compositions and copy + paste...
Can I just...you know, compose a piece, and just...
Yeah, me, the player, has plans to compose...for anything I suppose. Don't get your hopes too high. It depends on whether I actually have to time and inspiration for it. Maybe I should just get some of my older compositions and copy + paste...
Okay, yes, on to real story creation. Of the options that have been presented, I think I like the sound of Vesth's story, it seems like it has some genuinely interesting intrigue, and can create some complex characters. I like the fact that I'd be torn between not wanting to be king, but feeling responsibility for what's going on with my brother.
Now, antagonists for this could be interesting. Would my brother ultimately be the antagonist, or is something pulling the strings? Is my brother ultimately just going insane, or is something more sinister going on. If we discover somebody manipulating my brother into doing these things, do we turn our attention to them, and try and restore my brother to the throne, or is it too late, and I have to be king whether I want to or not?
Vesth's suggestion below, in case people have forgotten.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vesth
If we're racking up a story, here's my suggestion:
Spoiler
The king had two sons. The elder is a smart lad, but doesn't feel that he has the leadership qualities; he likes to spend his time on his own hobbies, rather than leading the kingdom, a stressful job that he was sure he would screw up. The younger is very ambitious, and always dreamt of being king, and all the glory and fame that came with it. When the old king died, the elder prince, by right of age, was forced to take the throne, and soon after, he felt stuffled, unable to take the lack of freedom, and when his younger brother came to him with a suggestion that could allow him to live freely, he readily took it.
Using an elaborate ruse, supposedly 'poisoned' wine, and a bribed coroner, the elder son faked his death, and escaped to live the life he wanted to live. The younger brother took the mantle of king due to being next in line.
And so, both lived happily for the next few months.
However, a change came over the younger brother. He seemed more haggard, more tired, and was rumored to even hallucinate at times, to the point of talking to some imaginary figure, or flinching at the sight of mere shadows and the like.
And while he seems more and more listless as well as being unable to sleep properly at night, he declared that he is distraught by the death of his brother, and that the months of denial finally caught up with him. He swore that he would find his brother's killer, and bring him to justice. Soon after, the coroner that was bribed was murdered, and everyone who knew about the truth of the elder son are being killed mysteriously.
Seconded. So what's the next step? Do we define the kingdom first, or what the group of PCs are. Are we a mercenary group or just a band of farmers? Maybe we could combine two of the concepts and be a group of thugs?
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Seconded. So what's the next step? Do we define the kingdom first, or what the group of PCs are. Are we a mercenary group or just a band of farmers? Maybe we could combine two of the concepts and be a group of thugs?
I like this. Enough people were fans of this and the thief idea, it doesn't seem like they're all that hard to mix. Or I can go with something else, let's hear other suggestions.
Yeah, I wasn't thinking this was just overnight. I'm fine with this taking place over an upward of five years or more, whatever makes sense for the story.
I think we need to ask what the elder son's hobby is. Loki, what is it that you prefer over kingdom-managing? What is your calling, your love that you yearn that cannot be done easily within castle walls? Then, from there, as you secretly steps down from the throne, we can base our own stories around them.
Well, clearly one of us is more than just a simple farm boy. Whatever we do, we should all definitely know each other and be relatively friendly with each other before the game starts proper.
As for what I was interested in more than governing, well, I was considering having my character look at Sorcery, I'm not sure if that would affect things. If we're going with the thief thing, then me being friends with a bunch of commoners might be enough to push me away from the royal life. Maybe we all met as kids when I somehow got out of the palace grounds and ran into some or all of the other characters? I'll try to think of more specific things that would make me unfit for ruling, but for now I'm not too sure.
If I may, m'lord, it is entirely possible that, on curiosity, you left the palace grounds when you were young, and you quite enjoyed the unruly but exciting lives of the commoner youth, and the taste of it has left the life of a noble seem dull and boring. Perhaps he could have made some great friends, or even found the love of his life.
Sorcery-wise, it is quite easy to make a world where those with magical talent are prized (or that nobles have magic in their blood, which separates them from commoners), or even that nobles have the money to engage people to teach their children how to use magic.
If I may interject m'lord - you are still a noble despite having left your throne. It would mean that you would have enough money to at least get by for a while after you left it so you didn't have to do something lame like Farming. At the very least, you would have a decent set of clothes and a spare bag of gold for emergencies.
Slightly off subject, but I like the idea of the brother being used by forces beyond his control. Maybe the poisoning was supposed to have been real, but he just couldn't do it. It also gives me more antagonists to play with.
Everyone cool with the timing so far? Are we moving too fast or too slow? Seems to me that everyone is doing a good job of keeping up and being involved, but i just wanted to check and make sure.
I assume this will all get easier once we get out of the burning stages and into actual gameplay.
Yeah, there are a lot of things that could have happened to the brother. He could have been partially possessed, or someone could have made an imperfect imitation of him (i.e. he's missing or gone), or psions or wizards could have slowly weakened his mind, so much so that he thinks it is an elaborate plot set up by the elder brother...or maybe even to the point that he thinks that HE is the elder brother, and he had been polymorphed into the younger brother, while his brother had run off to do something evil...the list goes on.
Seeing that some people want some fleshing out of the kingdom and the setting in general, here are my suggestions.
Spoiler
Civilisation
Civilisations are built near the best resources...traditionally, this is rivers, lakes, mountains...but in Eledrath (name pending), magic fills the land, and is concentrated at specific spots. And it is at these spots where civilisations are made.
As time pass, the civilisation built upon these magical foundations flourish, the more powerful the nexus, the stronger the kingdom, and it is at the grand city of Akbihar (name pending) that this magical concentrate is at its strongest.
Akbihar, the capital city of this unified land, a grand sight to behold! Such is the strength of its foundations, that the whole city literally floats in the sky, held aloft by nothing but magical and mechanical ingenuity, where intangible azure veins criss-cross the air to somhow keep the city afloat.
Akhibar itself is split into two; the inner and the outer sanctums. The outer sanctum is the home of the common folk of Akhibar, as well as the numerous travellers and sightseers that enter the city through the numerous portals that dot this crowded, boisterious city. The streets are always alive with a myraid of activities, and the occasional fasinating but harmless wonders that the magically-infused land brings. Streets sell toys that talk and move, balls that hover in the air, small trinkets and other magical memorabilia. The white walls that seperate the inner and outer sanctums are a pastime for children and teens, as the special substance reacts to touch; a single drawing automatically animates and dances, or becomes three-dimentional, or even turns into something else entirely.
The inner sanctum os a place of study, the tactical decisions of the powerful, and the lavish recreational activities of those of royal blood and distinguished guests. However, the many rules and laws within the inner sanctum has spun many an acadamic into debate whether it will stunt the growth of a child born within, so different from the world outside its walls.
Other than Akhibar, there are many other cities, though none of them floating or as wonderful as the capital city. These cities emphasizes less on magic, if at all, for how can one compete in the magical industry with one as powerful as Akhibar?
Religions and beliefs
Dianni
Spoiler
"In the beginning, there were only man. They shared the same land, ate the same food, but life was monotonous and empty. There was no leader amongst them, for how can one claim to be better than the other? Physical strength measures not when leadership is concerned, and intellectual capability is not so easily measured. And so, there was no meaning to life.
But then, the great god of Law, Dianni came along, and granted upon us the gift of magic, and his brother, Diero, the god of Chaos, chose amongst the humans those that were destined to lead, and granted magic upon them. This was to be the defining factor to determine who was to be the rulers, and who were to be the followers in the grand scheme of things. But of course! Only he who can twist reality, the gift of the gods themselves, can rightly call himself the ruler of the land! And so, from that day forth, our present hierarchy took form."
Those who believe in the god of Law, Dianni, proclaim that she instilled law by creating leaders, using her brother, Diero, the god of Chaos, to use the chaotic nature of magic as the basic for law and order. They typically see Dianni as the older and more powerful sibling of the two.
Diero
Spoiler
"In the beginning, there was only a primoral soup of magic, a raw and magnificent sea of pure power. From this sea, Diero instructed Dianni to make the world, and people along with it, for their godly existence was more interesting and fasinating with the lives of men to watch and play with.
With the land made, Diero found that giving men magic would allow them to advance beyond their natural potential. And knowing such, he gave a spark, a tint of magic that grew in people who could handle the chaotic nature of magic. From the land, he allowed fountains of magic to gush forth, attracting them to these places to build homes, where the gods could watch in glee."
Followers of Diero believe that Diero is ruler of the world, and Dianni, the younger and weaker sister helped him achieve ideas to make the world it is today.
Academica
Spoiler
"Dianni and Diero aren't real gods...there aren't any. They are only concepts made by us to explain how life works. Men and magic are two parts of a whole that had seperated millenia ago. Magic is chaotic representation of this being, and we are the lawful manifestations."
Not really a religion, many academics are currently into the idea that Dianni and Diero are mere concepts of law and chaos...and further point to the fact that the need for explanation of how things work represent our lawful nature to put things in order. As such, they propose that, to be more attuned with magic, one must be more chaotic, or at least, less forceful to instill order. With this, they find it ironic that the inner sanctum focuses so much on order when it is the epicentre of all this magical, and suggest that lessening of these strict rules would enable Akhibar is flourish better.
If I may, m'lord, it is entirely possible that, on curiosity, you left the palace grounds when you were young, and you quite enjoyed the unruly but exciting lives of the commoner youth, and the taste of it has left the life of a noble seem dull and boring. Perhaps he could have made some great friends, or even found the love of his life.
Yeah, something like that is simple enough, and along the lines of what I was thinking. And your setting work was cool too, does anyone else have suggestions about that?
I'm fine with posting speed, it's good that everyone seems so enthusiastic.
So I'm reading this as the drawing force for him leaving the throne was his commoner friends/commoner girlfriend? They were also the ones who helped him escape and know the truth about him?
Or...did he sneak out in his younger days to carouse among the commoners and decide that it was a life he be interested in. Shortly after being made King, he bails and heads to another town, to start life anew?
Drugged Dwarf: Don't sweat who you playing as yet, once we finish with world burning and answering the campaign questions, I'm sure something will pop right out at you.
Per Luke's advice, I want to have the world burned and the situation stated before we get going on characters. The only reason we're rough sketching Loki's is because he's crucial to the situation and how it starts. Having the world and situation finished makes it easier for us to have living, breathing, characters with BIT's that really tie in to the game.
DD & Loki were right, the enthusiasm is great. We're getting some fantastic stuff here.
I had a small addendum about the part magic plays in the setting. I'll admit right off the bat, I'm not a fan of it being a big part of the game. I prefer a grittier, dirtier version of fantasy. That being said, if it's something everyone else is interested in, I'll back off and go with it.
As long as gritter dirtier fantasy you don't delve too far into the George RR Martin section I'm fine with that.
I too am for magic being a little less common - spells are atrociously powerful in Burning Wheel, and having a very select few be able to wield it would be a good source of strength. However, that's up to the king.
Yeah, and magic isn't even necessary for my character, I was just bouncing ideas off the wall. It's an image that popped into my head, but hardly one I'm attached too.
I basically took the standard fantasy setting and expended on it, by writing using fictional excerpts from the world.
Spoiler
Excerpt from The Bells of Friendship, a childhood fairytale Once upon a time, there lived 4 friends, the human, the elf, the dwarf and the orc. They came to Enanella in a big, big boat, that is bigger than you or me. They were all good friends, so good that they each carried a small little bell, which they rang when they were upset, to make themselves happy again!
Excerpt from A History of Man, Vol 1 When Incas, our ancestor, stepped upon the shores of his new home, he found something was amiss - the boat sank as soon as they came ashore.
"What is happening!" he cried, "Good Dwarf, what has happened?"
And so, the dwarf went through the remains of the ship, and he whispered ominously, "The ship had been sabotaged."
Excerpt from Sanctuary of the Past Our beloved ancestor, Leiana, glanced upon the wreakage in fear. The elf knew within her heart that the damage was recent, for she herself had seen to the ship's condition before its maiden voyage into the unknown. Who was it then, amongst the four, that had a heart so black? And so, she began to suspect the feral and wild Grunk, for he was nothing if not unruly and untamed.
Excerpt from Set in Stone, Vol 1 "-No, we will not kill the innocent." our dwarven ancestor, Dorugan said as the four stared at each other with such hostile intent that the wildlife shirked away from them. The bells had been worn from use, for every time an argument broke out, the bells were the only reliable thing that kept away a full onslaught. It had been three weeks into the wild, and tempers were fraying. Leiana suspected Grunk, and Incas suspected Leiana, for he claimed that he had seen her sneaking away during the night.
"Dwarf, STAND ASIDE! I must kill the evil!" Incas replied as he drew his blade. But the blade struck Dorugan's bell, tearing it asunder, and from then on, Dorugan knew in his heart that Incas was to blame.
Excerpts from A Warring Past, Vol 1 Grunk looked angrily at the Dorugan, for he knew that only the shipwright was the one who sabotaged the ship. But all the other bells were broken save his, and he saw only one chance at redemption. Shaking his bell, the fighting stopped once more, abeit reluctantly, and Grunk said thus,
"We shall go our seperate ways, each to one end of the island, where we will not harm each other for a hundred years."
"A hundred years, and then, I will come for your life" Leiana replied furiously.
An Analysis of History: The Engima Of Our Times We have surprisingly little information on how we came about. The only sources of information are the individual representations of the 4 adventurers from each of the 4 races. All conclude that they had arrived by boat, they were companions of sorts, they blamed each other, and they seperated, to heal their wounds and propogate their species. But, there are inaccuracies in these stories, the most pressing one of which was how they propogated their species, especially since none of the 4 races are asexual. Perhaps they each were leaders of their respective armies that have come to survey this land, but then, why have we not received word from beyond the waters if this was the case? This is truly a unsolvable puzzle without additional clues to our past.
The First War The first recorded history were bits and pieces of the first war. This was actually a series of skirmishes between the 4 races. The humans used superior numbers and their indomitable will, the dwarves fought with deep underground complexes with many a trap to wayward a foe, the elves resorted to guerilla tactics with the trees as their cover, and the orcs utilized unparalled bloodlust, and their specialty in flexibility on the battlefield.
None of the races let the other get any sort of advantage. The casualties skyrocketed, but the war didn't seem to end, though it stopped for periods at a time, with the sound of a mysterious bell marking these temporary reprieves.
The Company of Four Sometime during the 3rd Wars, a band of 4 adventurers decided that they had enough with the bloodshed. They had been friends since birth, and the prejudice that had struck many did not touch them, although they still had to be very careful about meeting each other. They had orginally banded together on a quest to find this mysterious bell that could bring peace, but they never found it. As such, they simply resorted to recruiting people who, like them, did not want to fight any longer. The process took years, but eventually, they created another settlement right in the middle of the island, where the policy is that everyone had to treat each other equally, or face incarceration. This settlement eventually became Bryzalt, the capital city of today.
A Tourist's Guide to Bryzalt Bryzalt is truly a wonderful place. Being the first city to embrace the concept that all are equal, they made use of the various strengths of the races to make a truly formidable economy.
The city itself is like a colorful quilt; it is broken up into many segments, each with its own specialty. As you enter through the east gate, for example, you can spot the famous fountain of gold in the Blacksmith Quarters, or the unique 6-tier bread from the Baker's Dozen.
I will elaborate on those in a little bit, but for now, I want to take about the Noble Houses! It's literally a castle in the centre of the city, a white, magnificant thing that constantly has guards on vigil, protecting the important, as they glide through marble hallways and crystal gardens, into massive libraries and huge dining rooms. I had only seen a little of the castle during my brief tour, and the little I have seen had already taken my breath away. What a wonder indeed!
Do you want me to list the attractions in the city as well (or do you want to take a stab at it)?
For those interested, the 6-tier bread is two long strips of cooked dough, interwoven into each other to look like chains. Through each of the 5 holes of the chain, another chain of dough in added. In the end, you have 6 chains of dough interlocking each other to form a very unique structure.
Okay, if we go with that idea for a setting, we should hammer out more details on how it's actually run. Since the city is supposed to have the races as equals, I'd assume they have equal place in government? But it's fairly well established that a monarchy exists. Maybe there's a council of representatives from all four races that advice the king, and responsibility for the monarchy is in a cycle, with each race keeping their own ruling family. If we did that, it would be important to know which race was in the cycle right now, as that would determine my character's stock. I was assuming I'd just go Man, but I'm not particularly tied to it, and I'd be able to try out one of the other stocks if it worked out that way.
Edit: By the way, I love the way you presented that, Vesth. I should try writing like that sometime, I really like the results.
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