I didn't put in a date or specific location in my intro post so if anyone wants a discount monster-slayer on hand while headed to Wayfarers, here's a fine opportunity!
Also, I'm always eager to have my writing critiqued if anyone's got any thoughts where that's concerned.
He has brown hair and eyes; his skin is light but tanned from much exposure to the sun. He is of average height and has a weaker physique than might be expected of someone who has spent most of their life working out at sea. He likes to wear simple but well made clothes of light colors when available or in other words, when he can afford them. He favors Tricorn hats and is usually wearing one and he usually carries various small or slender swords, particularly rapiers.
Personality:
Spoiler
Rhyor has a rather easygoing and high spirited attitude and it might seem like he dont take any situation as seriously as he ought to. For those sharp enough can notice that his behavior is at least in part an act and purposefully exaggerated. In most situations he usually has a knowing smile on his face that has been known to irritate people, and Rhyor do indeed know a lot reading more from situations than most would expect. Most will admit, some grudgingly, that he is smart, but Rhyor tries to keep anyone from realizing just how smart. Being to open about his deductions and observations has been known to make more than a few people in the less civilized areas of various port towns angry with him and he has learned to keep most of what he know to himself even to the point of not volunteering information when he really should have.
He is a skilled at navigation and usually sign up for work as a navigator when joining a ship crew. He has traveled far for his young age and knows much about various waters and has an uncanny ability to read currents seeing the best path through rough waters. When on the open sea he prefers work like drawing charts, something he is good at, or other light work. He does not like hard manual work and is proficient at finding ways to avoid it, preferring to draw charts, other paperwork or standing at the helm.
When asked about his background his usual story is that he is from a poor fisher family at one of the Tirac port towns. However his education and a refined mannerism hint that this is not true. He also seems to carry a grudge toward Tirac nobility, a few houses in particular.
He dreams of owning his own ship and travel to unknown lands far away. He is often seen at the bow staring out into the horizon.
History:
Spoiler
Rhyor was born into a Tirac noble house. The house owned large parts of a port city and had one of the larger merchant fleets gaining very high revenue. Rhyor spent a lot of time on ships even when very young and took his first longer journey when he was seven years old and he became transfixed by the sea. Unfortunately the house fell when Rhyor was ten, it was a time of war and the house was accused of aiding the enemy side in turn for power after the war. The leaders of the house was executed for treason, many of the lesser members imprisoned and all assets confiscated. Fortunately Rhyor was at sea at the time having begged himself to be allowed to go along on a few days long trade trip with one of the families loyal captains. Rhyor came to blame the Tirac nobility, a few houses in particular, for wrongly accusing his family in order to take over the families assets and thus gaining more political and economical power.
Fortunately the captain took him in and he was given a new last name. For the next few years he was traveling the sea, the captain found new work in long distance trading. During this time he kept himself in reclusion having problems dealing with his new life. He emerged himself in studying and learning navigation, he barely saw daylight except for going ashore in far away strange lands and he learned customs and languages with ease.
When he was sixteen the captain he had been staying with lost his life on the sea after attracting a strange disease from a far away country. When he arrived back in Tirac he packed his things and left the ship, it was handed over to one of the captains relatives and sold. He now had practical experience navigating and managed to get jobs on various ships, the next years where hard and dangerous but also exciting and educational. He improved his navigation and other useful skills like swordsmanship in response to the frequent trouble he managed to find himself in.
Advantages:
Spoiler
Charm (Uncommon) I: Charming characters are persuasive and amiable. They gain a bonus when using their good looks or wit to gain influence or favor. They make good orators, but do not gain a bonus when trying to intimidate or lead people.
Intelligence (Common) III: An intelligent character is smart, knows how to plan well, and has broad knowledge of a variety of subjects, but doesn't really specialize in any of them unless a separate advantage is taken. They are also much better at understanding and remembering new information, being quick studies.
Navigation (Uncommon) III
Swordsmanship (Uncommon) II: Rhyor is skilled at using a sword, particularly rapiers. He relies on finesse and techniques to compensate for his lack in strength.
Well traveled (Uncommon) I: Rhyor has been many places in the world, usually in or close to a port. He has picked up much knowledge of various lands, customs and learned at least in part many languages.
Story Elements:
Spoiler
House Gentmor and the fall:
Spoiler
House Gentmor was a wealthy old noble house. Using a large merchant fleet with Port Skelart as a base they amassed large amounts of wealth and thus political power. When the government of Florin relocated inwards House Gentmor elected to stay in Port Skelart which was their source of wealth. When the nation of Tirac emerged the port city of Skelart was quickly engulfed by the first wave of expansion and the leaders of the house elected to support the new Tirac government instead of siding with Floran. House Gentmor inevitably became a major noble house in Tirac. House Gentmor however had always been a very ambitious house and in the past always eager to increase their profits and safeguarded it by going the direction the wind was blowing like they had with Tirac. But inspired by Tiracs own rise they sought to gain even more power. The current leaders of the house made a deal with one of the major powers who at the time were in conflict with Tirac. The nation would support House Gentmor with materials and manpower to create new nation with Port Skelart at the center. Plans were made to refit the substantial merchant fleet into war ships that could hold of or even push back the Tirac navy that was already occupied on several fronts. However the plans were discovered before it could be put into actions and the Tirac government acted quickly sending troops and ships to Port Skelart. With no soldiers to speak of port Skelart fell quickly and house Gentmor was arrested. The most prominent members of the house where executed and many others imprisoned. House Gentmor ceased to exist. The city and fleet was split up among several noble houses and the navy.
Port Skelart:
Spoiler
A major port located at the coast of Tirac. Its location makes it important both as a trade and military base. It is an old city remaining from the early days of Floran, in the past most of the city was run and for the most part owned by House Gentmor who used it as a base for its large merchant fleet. Since the fall of House Gentmor the city and its assets has been split up among several noble houses and the navy.
Navigation and equipment:
Spoiler
In the world maritime navigation is often done by calculating the latitude and longitude with the aid of celestial bodies using a sextant. The latitude is usually found by measuring the angle between one of several navigational stars and the horizon at night. Longitude is more inaccurate and is usually found by either by watching day to day drift of starts or by measuring the angle of the sun at noon. The problem with getting an accurate longitude is that the calculations are based on time and there are few ways to accurately know the time out on the sea. Latitude can also be found with the sun at noon but suffers from the same issues with knowing the time.
Simple chronometers exist but they are usually large and not very accurate on a moving vessel making them not all that useful. More accurate time measuring devices for use on ships might exist in the world but if so they are incredibly rare.
Navigators also variety of other tools likes spyglasses, charts and landmarks.
Solar gem:
Spoiler
A very rare type of gem that is somehow connected to energy from the sun. The gem changes color based on the position of the sun. At the darkest part of night the gem is obsidian black and as the sun start to rise the gem gradually becomes brighter until dawn where it becomes colorless transparent. As the sun rises it starts to take on a yellowish color until the sun reaches its highest point and the gem becomes bright gold in color. As the sun sets the crystal again moves toward transparent, and finally black.
The gem is a valuable tool for navigations as it allows the owner to know when it is noon and thereby getting an accurate longitude. Because of its scarcity and very high cost very few ships has a gem. Many naval forces equip the lead ship with a crystal and let the ship guide the armada.
Some mages has found use of the crystals in various spells and tools and the crystals are sometimes used simply as decoration where the high price make them a status symbol.
Roadblock Reef
Spoiler
The roadblock reef is a large area at Crossroad Isles where shallow water, many rock formation and sandbanks along with vicious currents created a very hazardous environment. At the edges of the reef there are few dangerous areas with only occasional rock formation and shallow water but as one moves further into the area of the reef it starts to become much more dangerous to sail. Because of this the full extent of the reef is not know as mapping becomes progressively more dangerous as one sails further into the reef. It is known that several islands have not been explored because the islands are surrounded by rocks and strong currents, yet the shore of the islands can be seen from nearby shipping lanes. Many islands at crossroad isles are affected to varying degrees by the reef, captains often sail longer routes that bypasses the reef. But there are those that risk rocks and currents to sail through the denser parts of the reef to save time and thereby money. The reef has claimed many ships that lay abandoned in the shallow waters amidst rock as a warning to any other that sail by. Rumors exists of maps that show the safe paths through the reefs that lead to hidden islands where treasure lay in wait for anyone brave enough to seek it out. Others tell of hidden pirate havens among the islands reachable only by secret paths through the reef.
Last edited by Swordslinger : 06-14-2012 at 05:31 AM.
DoomHat - As a small favor to Kasa, do you think you could provide translations of your heavily accented speech as a footnote? I can only imagine how difficult that is to read if English isn't your native language. I have no problem with the accent; I like flavor a lot. I just thought of it as a courtesy.
Also, I'm claiming Dark Violet Bold FangSong for Kessia.
So, how do you want to have the whole Hassar meets Kessia thing work? Like, would your ship just be arriving or would our meeting be a bit before the current events (I'm thinking the latter)
we could confer and have the meeting as part of a larger post (perhaps you describing Kessia arriving at port with the Firebrand and looking for new crew to replace those lost or to shore up your numbers or somesuch)
Also, claiming Bold Shark Blue for Hassar.
Spoiler
Hassarr Wavecutter, Seawolf, Maneater Age: 24 Affiliations: Captain Kessia Harket and her Crew, his old Merrow school which migrate through the area for a couple months every year.
Physical Description: Hassar is somewhat above average size for a Merrow, which would make him significantly larger than an average human. Like any Merrow his life is a violent one, his body has many scars, he has a large scar across his forehead, his dorsal fin has a few nicks out of it. Hassar has short hair like many Merrow, dark green, his scales are silvery on the sides of his tail, with darker blue on top and the sides and faint stripes down it, he has rings in his auditory fins, and a couple on his left middle gill, of three. On his right arm he has a tattoo dedicated to the Firebrand and her captain and crew, a blazing dragons-head spitting a circle of fire around itself.
Personality: Hassar Wavecutter is an ambitious Merrow, and quite violent - though for one of his kind that is to be expected, but he has a solid hold on his temper and is often seen as a gregarious man, always grinning with his sharp sharksteeth and laughing a little too long at a joke. Hassar is determined to have his own ship one day, and is always working towards that goal.
History: Hassar was born to a large Merrow school who's migrations take them through the Wayfarer's Point area, and around the islands on their hunting paths. Agreements between the Merrow and the people of Wayfarer's Point limited their predations upon the pirates, traders and freebooters who frequent it's waters, although outside a certain range of the cities' waters those protections begin to waiver. There is a curious relationship between the Merrow and Wayfarer's Point and its pirates. Though they prey on them far enough out to sea and even some closer, the Shivertide School and its members would often trade with the port with things they made, or they found on sunken ships (or ships they had attacked, when bold enough). Most other ports won't trade with the Merrow because of their violent proclivities and their habit of eating sentient beings, so Wayfarer's point offers them a unique opportunity, and strengthens their School in conflicts and standing when competing with other groups, both of Merrow and other undersea sentients.
Hassar Wavecutter is an accomplished fighter and hunter of the Shivertide School, but he was always fascinated with the ships of the Wayfarer's Point pirates. He earned the title Wavecutter because he often hunted near the surface, which could be dangerous, but he always wanted to be close to the ships that made their way through that territory, his dorsal fin cutting the waves and the air like a Sharks' fin as he followed the ships, learned about them, watched them attack other ships with cannon and by boarding. Eventually, when Hassar went to the surface to trade at Wayfarer's Point he started looking for a crew that would accept him as a member. Most turned him away, fearful of his hungry nature or superstitious about the "Sea Wolves." Finally, he found a crew new to the region which was looking to pick up some extra crew, and didn't seem to overly mind his 'eccentricity', and so has joined up with Captain Kessia Harket and the crew of the Firebrand.
Advantages:
Strength (Rank 2) Common +2: Hassar is somewhat large for a Merrow. Merrow are far larger than an average human, and their movements underwater are smoother and more powerful than most human's above ground. The Merrow are, simply speaking, incredibly powerful, like a Great White or even a small whale, they easily outclass regular humans, and Hassar was strong even for their kind.
Natural Weapons (Rank 1) Uncommon +2: The Merrow, besides their great strength, have the advantage of rows of shark-like teeth in a jaw powerful enough to tear flesh and break bone, as well as long sharp claws on their webbed fingers they use to rip apart meat, and hold on to the seabed during rough currents and to climb sheer surfaces when they need to escape.
Twin Pistols (Rank 1) Rare +3: Hassar keeps a pair of pistols on his belt, he's become quite skilled with them, becoming something of a marksmen. He had them specially made for him, since regular pistols don't really fit him. These pistols are more like shortened rifles than anything else.
Aquatic (Rank 2) Uncommon +4: As a Merrow, Hassar has gills and can breathe underwater, and is more skilled in water than any land-dwelling race, and as a skillfull sea hunter he often has an advantage even against other oceanic races.
Hunter's Tongue (Rank 1) Exceptional +5: The Merrow often work with predators like dolphins and sharks, like humans work with wolves. With these however, the Merrow have developed some of the senses shared in common to communicate with them, although not terribly complicated, they can call to and communicate roughly with sharks and cetaceans as well as some larger fish.
Extra Senses (Rank 1) Common +1: The Merrow have enhanced ability to sense vibration and their auditory fins are even better than human ears at picking up sound, although they're more specialized for an underwater environment, they can also use some rudimentary echolocation and electromagnetic fields in their environments like dolphins and sharks. They also have nictitating membranes to help them see underwater, and well developed eyes to see, especially in the dark at night or in the lower depths.
Cutlass (Rank 1) Rare +3: Aside from his two pistols, he also keeps a large cutlass on his left hip, mostly to block and parry attacks from other such weapons, he doesn't need a weapon to kill with his strength and natural weapons, but the reach of a blade, and it's ability to ward off strikes from smaller men who might otherwise do him no small amount of harm make the rusty well worn blade worth hanging on to.
Toughness (Rank 1) Common +1: From his thick muscles to his scaled tail and body, the protective insulation, sturdy flexible bones, everything about a Merrow make them harder to kill, and better at killing, or so many seem to believe. There is some truth in it however, since they can be remarkably difficult to put down for good.
Story Element: The Merrow are a race of Merfolk, distantly related to their more settled cousins, like many more intelligent species like cetaceans and certain land animals, there were some who learned to settle, and others who roamed. The more settled might have things like community, a safe haven, reliable food sources, many factors which made them more peaceful. The Merrow, as a migrating, non static people were no less communal, but their communities were hunter peoples, constantly on the move, finding new sources of food, becoming better and better hunters. A violent race, they are larger, stronger, more streamlined, like countless marine predators, they became more proficient killers. Their long fishtails are silvery and blue in most cases, with a few sets of fins on each side, a large fin like any merfolk, although cut for sharper turns and more control, large dorsal fins on their back to help control them in tough water, sharp teeth and claws, webbed hands, streamlined hair with oils that made them better that help cut down on drag, lightly scaled upper bodies of a similar color and pattern as the rest with insulation for heat and to soak up damage, specialized senses and eyes, facial features that cut down on drag like short noses.
Merrow travel in a variety of group sizes, lone Merrow or small groups are less common but aren't entirely unknown, but larger groups are more common, for them warriors, hunters are an essential part of the community. All Merrow are predators, but only some were truly celebrated as those who would go out and find large prey or a profusion of prey to kill and bring their Schools to. Scouts, underwater trackers, hunters, and those who fought rival Schools and other species of sentients were all in the same group, often larger more cunning individuals, would become Hunters. The Merrow revolved around finding prey, following ancient routes and migratory patterns, they killed whales, large fish, even other sentients who either migrated along similar paths or were settled in areas through their territorial routes.
Story Element: The Shivertide School is a large group of Merrow who's migratory path takes them through the waters surrounding the port for a few months every year, they have an agreement with the port to limit their hunting of ships and pirates in an area around the port, though the agreement fades after a certain point that is on the edge of their migration territory, so the pirates and traders often have to be cautious when they travel far. Part of the agreement the Shivertide School has with the port is for the right of their members to come to the port to trade, as long as they follow the laws of the city. Most nations and ports don't tolerate the Merrow for their reputation and their predation of their citizens at sea as well as superstitions about the bad luck Merrow can bring, so the ability for the Shivertide School to trade the things they find in sunken wrecks or take from ships they've hunted with those in the port have made them a powerful and respected Merrow School even amongst far larger groups. With all the gold to be found at the ocean floor, and in seas and on ships in areas they wouldn't usually sail to which is inside the Shivertide migration or a group that they trade with, many pirates and traders find the tradeoffs to be well worth the price of their presence in their seas.
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Spiffy new Bec Noir+Lil' Cal Avvie by RPGsr4me, thanks!
Shockroach by Meirnon, and Glasya, Queen of Hell by Neoseph7
Spoiler
Shockroach
Glasya, Queen and Mistress of Hell
Skeleton Bronze for Third Place in Skeleton ITP! and Hydralisk Bronze for Third in Zerg ITP
Last edited by Lord_Asmodeus : 06-14-2012 at 06:54 AM.
Sorry, I am happy to see many players want to come to Bukiya inn, but an introduction wasn't made probably before it was seen. Probably a map or sketch of inn will make soon so it can be understood.
It seems some different situations for the Bukiya Inn, but I want to try to understand different messages I must write.
If it is a return of a character who already has met Non, please make a note for me of this. Non to have a perfect memory so a customer isn't forgotten, but Kasanip can't know such a thing.
Xondoure: Servants entrance? There was no plan for this, but I will make some changes. Probably Jonathan will be waiting for some time. I will have a meeting of Non probably if it is desired.
Tebryn: Is Vasae going to Bukiya Inn at 08:00? To read the post, it seems it is late at night, or something like this? I don't know which it should be written It seems to read OOC thread, there is some arrangement of Xondoure and Tebryn, but maybe an IC post was not changed?
Milo v3: Is Amon [break in] to the Bukiya Inn at 03:00? I hope it is not so, or please to send PM if it is desired for such an action. If it is to describe my character as bored and annoyed, probably Mystletinn might have such a sleepy thought at 03:00 if customer is to arrive. I will try to make a response for him.
It seems it is:
Xondoure: Jonathan (17|02:00)
Milo v3: Amon (17|03:00)
Tebryn: Vasae (17|08:00?)
Did I miss a post of another player?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nefarion Xid
DoomHat - As a small favor to Kasa, do you think you could provide translations of your heavily accented speech as a footnote? I can only imagine how difficult that is to read if English isn't your native language. I have no problem with the accent; I like flavor a lot. I just thought of it as a courtesy.
Actually I was very worried about this kind of problem. Such language cannot be understood by me. If it is no trouble for such a translation if speaking to my characters, please write for me! If it is not for my characters, it is ok not to make translation, so please do not be burdened.
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Kasanip's Sketchbook 2 Thread
It is difficult to speak English, please excuse mistakes kindly m(_ _)m Because of study, it is forum vacation until 24/06/2013
Milo v3: Is Amon [break in] to the Bukiya Inn at 03:00? I hope it is not so, or please to send PM if it is desired for such an action. If it is to describe my character as bored and annoyed, probably Mystletinn might have such a sleepy thought at 03:00 if customer is to arrive. I will try to make a response for him.
Oh that was a mistake on my part, because I was writting the IC for a game I am about to run and I must have become mixed up. Sorry about that I'll fix it.
As for being bored and annoyed, I thought it might have been because of lack of people coming into the Inn early in the morning and also because of her conversation with Non.
__________________ My Homebrew (180+ and still counting) Horribly Out of Date
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crasical
I once had a DM shoot down my wizard with an octopus familiar idea when I pointed out the ink loophole and declared my intention to escape bad situations by holding my pet above my head and shouting "BEHOLD, THE OCTOPUS!" before disappearing in a cloud of chemical darkness.
Tebryn: Is Vasae going to Bukiya Inn at 08:00? To read the post, it seems it is late at night, or something like this? I don't know which it should be written It seems to read OOC thread, there is some arrangement of Xondoure and Tebryn, but maybe an IC post was not changed?
Yes, that's correct sorry. I was...very tired when I got around to editing the post and...missed a lot. I'll fix it. He is there in the early morning, not the late night.
Book Antiqua Dark Red for Morgus! 100 points for Gryffindor!
Morgus, the Masked Magus
Age: 38
Affiliations: Independent
Physical Description:
Spoiler
Morgus's body is completely obscured by robes of crimson and black, his facecovered by a mask that somewhat sewn into his hood. He stands around 5'9", and is also a male of an undefined race.
Personality:
Spoiler
Morgus is somewhat insecure about himself- as a result, he tends to come off as a smart-ass to hide whatever inadequacies he feels he has. He is also very secretive- he will dine alone in his room, and will take off his mask only for necessary things (eating, bathing, etc.). On the positive side he is dilligent, willing to work for his goals and keep on trying. Most of the time, he will make very clear what exactly it is he wants from somebody.
History:
Spoiler
Given his secretiveness about his past, one has to rely on eyewitness reports (given that he wears the damn mask everywhere, it only makes him more noticable) of recent events he has partaken in. However, a rather accepted rumor has it that he was once a Baron (insert appropriate rank here) of Florin, that is wanted for the murder of a Count who slept with his wife. On the run now, he seeks asylum from the law in a lawless land.
Advantages:
Spoiler
Evocation: Cryomancy I (Common): Morgus is a skilled wielder of the ice element, summoning objects for use by anyone or sending spikes of ice flying at his opponent.
Evocation: Fulgurmancy II (Uncommon): Fulgurmancy is the art of casting lightning, regardless of the source. Morgus can summon or cast lightning from his hands to strike his foe.
Mask of Millon Jaar I (Special): The Mask he wears was owned by a thief long ago, and now is in his hands. The Mask is a mask as shown in the link that increases the tendency of failure for anyone trying to identify his race.
Bluffing I (Rare): In response to questions asked about why he is always wearing a mask, he has handwaved it away with "Ethnic custom" or something like that. Over the years, this has caused him to be better at bluffing.
Run Away! II (Uncommon): There are times when you can't just firebolt everything and must simply run away. Morgus is no stranger to those times.
Theivery I (Uncommon): Morgus is adept at finding the best ways to enter buildings the occupants don't want him entering.
Intelligence I (Common): Morgus is a bright man.
Courtly I (UnCommon): Morgus is no stranger to the politics of court, though how he does remains a mystery.
Story Elements (More to come later):
Spoiler
Gauntlet of Grisson- A rare artifact wielded by an elementalist of ages past, it has the form of an ornate metal gauntlet that covers the forearm and hand, it is located somewhere in the islands this story takes place. On the gauntlet, there is a ruby on the knuckle of the index finger, a sapphire on the knuckle of the middle finger, a diamond on the knuckle of the ring finger, and a topaz on the knuckle of the pinky finger. It is said that the Gauntlet can grant knowledge of the elements to its wielder, and to those who already know the secrets of the arcane? They are even stronger for it. However, it is limited in the elements it grants control over- namely, Earth, air, water, and fire. Also, it can only be used for one element at a time. Currently Morgus's goal of finding.
The Consort of Neptune- What was once the largest ship in the world, said to be the size of a small castle. Constructed for Tirac as it's flagship and important persons transport. On it's maiden voyage, it was caught in the middle of a storm
and ran aground of a reef. As the reef was so far away from any other island, only a few people were able to escape on the lifeboats. Those on board quickly died off due to infighting over living space and food, or disease from poor hygiene. Nowadays, it is still there, a corpse of a ship, filled with who knows what.
Pirata Luminum- Every solstice, a series of lights dances across the skies of the Crossroad Isles. Pirate myth states it to be a treasure map that leads to an impossibly luchorous treasure beyond the dreams of any mortal...though all those who have tried to follow it have failed.
Mask of Millon Jaar- Supposedly a mask of a great thief of ages past, who wore it to commit heists. It negatively affects the chance of success of any endeavors to remove it from the wearer, thus enshrouding their identity. People may find their depth perception off when they reach, and other such effects. Almost immune to fire and rust, though this fireproofing does not extend to other garments.
The Gavet Archipelago- A tropical archipelago consisting of four islands in the Crossroad Isles, the weather is pleasant and the beaches are gorgeous, a lovely destination for travelers, especially honeymooners. Witness the fishes jump, untainted by industry, and explore the natural forests, isolated from most of the world since the dawn of time.
Oh, and the cannibals.
Turns out the archipelago is inhabited by tribes of tropical cannibal humans, each vying for control of the archipelago. Vicious little buggers, thier most advanced ship is the canoe, easily dispatched with the cleansing power of sweet, pure, faithful fire. Oh, and they have voodoo witchdoctors.
Staff of the Serafi- A golden, ornate staff, said to be wielded by an ancient divined priestess. It has seven wings around a clear, dim-glowing orb- the largest and center one being the direction of the staff and going upwards, while the other six are at equal intervals with the bone of the wing facing away from the spine and the base where the main wing touches the base. Grants power over holy magic and wind.
[/quote][/quote]
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Last edited by Hydranova : 06-14-2012 at 10:06 AM.
Name: Renato Benso
Titles: Captain of the Guard
Knight
Patrician
Age: 23
Affiliations: The Most Serene Republic of Latium, The most honorable and noble house of Benso
Physical Description:
Spoiler
Renato is of slightly above average height for most humans generally due to his noble upbringing with access to clean water, good food and medicine. While not muscular he is well toned from soldierly training and he generally keeps his hair short.
Renato favors soldier's clothing. Such as trousers, tight shirts and a light cloak(for use as an old hand weapon) and leather riding boots. He rarely wears the traditional robes and heavy cloaks of the nobles.
Personality:
Spoiler
Haughty and refined. He is a stereotypical noble looking down upon the common rift raft from his ivory tower. He possesses a keen intellect which he is fond to impress upon others.
Renato is also a rather outspoken person even with other nobles and will try to take control of a situation if he believes it is place as a right of birth or station to be in command of the situation.
History:
Spoiler
Renato was born into the noble merchant house of Benso, the current ruling house of the Serene Republic of Latium. He was born second-boy in the house and therefore his inheritance to the vast wealth of his noble house were already limited upon his birth.
Growing up he was afforded the benefits of a noble birth receiving a well rounded and classical education. Being that his older brother was already destined to lead the house and family business. Renato was destined to support the house in other ways and as he was growing up he was surrounded by tutors versed in the art of war. He would be in charge of the house's soldiers as his older brother would be in charge of the house and his younger brother the representative to the church.
In recent years he has been growing rather discontent with his place in Latium desiring to branch out and see new lands and establish outposts on which to bring about his own measure of wealth.
Having heard of the establishment of a Latium outpost known as Castra and the claims of vast wealth in this new world he commissioned the construction of a ship and prepared for adventure. His eventual goal is to claim enough wealth and fame for himself so that he may be able to establish a Cadet Branch of House Benso to continue his line in the proper noble trappings.
Advantages:
Spoiler
Winter's Edge(magical sword) II (rare +6 to all combat with the sword) - Not much is known about this magical blade. It has been in house Benso's possession for nearly 20 years and is of a modern design though its creator is unknown. It may not even be known whether the Benso family knew it was even magical when originally purchased but its perfectly keen edge and ability to withstand tremendous force and never rust has proven it over the years to be magical.
Wealth I (special) - Coming from an extremely wealthy family Renato has access to a large personal fortune. Though being a second-boy his own personal wealth pales in comparison to that of his other older brother and father.
Educated I (uncommon +2 to all academic rolls)- By being afforded a good education throughout his youth Renato is extremely knowledgeable on various topics.
Linguist I (uncommon +2 to all reading/writing/speaking rolls) - Growing up in a city of merchant and traders exposed Renato to many cultures and languages as a child. As such he has a natural ear for languages.
Ship I (special) - Regulus' Fortune - Renato Benso's ship for his journeys to far off lands. It is of new construction and generally designed more for the role of war than it is for trade.
Followers - Soldiers I (Common +2) - As Captain of the Guard for House Benso Renato has a loyal contingent of soldiers at his beck and call.
Followers - Sailors I (common +2) - Being a primarily merchant republic Latium has an abundance of capable sailors whom Renato hired to run his ship.
secondary character II - Lieutenant Amadeo Corsi (special) - Renato's right hand man and his bravo. Corsi is a cousin to Renato and grew up in the family household. He spent much of his formative years working on the Benso trading ships making him an excellent sailor as well as a noted fighter from fending off pirates. He now serves as Renato's trusted confidant and personal bodyguard. Advantages: merchant(uncommon +2) / Soldier (uncommon +2)
Story Elements:
Spoiler
The Most Serene Republic of Latium - The nation and city of Latium is a long standing Republic founded on trading and banking. For over a century Latium has been the center of commerce for the world and the benefited greatly from this wealth. The canalled streets of the city are considered a site to behold by all. (Think of Latium as a version of Venice)
The city is ruled by the Doge(elected for life) and the Grand Council which is made up of members of all the noble and patrician houses of the city. While the Doge can excercise extensive power he is generally kept in check by the Grand Council through a system of rudimentary checks-and-balances.
Latium's foreign policy is one of armed neutrality. They rarely meddle in other nations affairs or get involved in wars as wars are bad for business. They prefer their place as the traders and bankers of the world and use their neutral position to their advantage in supplying money and safekeeping for valuables to warring parties.
While many of the other nations are envious of Latium and its vast wealth and trading fleets they do no move to war with them as Latium serves an extremely useful purpose as a safe haven and a secured trader in times of war. Many nations, businesses and individuals allow Latium banks to hold and transport their money because they know that a ship flying its flag will not be attacked except by the most outlawish of pirates. Latium trading ships have even been known to sale through waters controlled by the Sireni unharmed.
House Benso - House Benso is one of the ancient noble houses of Latium. They claim to be able to trace their lineage back a thousand years to the original inhabitants of a long bygone Empire. House Benso is the current ruling house of Latium with Pietro serving as Doge. Key figures include:
Pietro Benso, 51, doge and the owner of the Benso Bank and trading fleet.
Marcello Benso, 26, first son of Pietro and Heir apparent to the fortunes of the house as well as the businesses. He is currently being groomed to take over the family business.
Renato Benso as described above
Orso Benso, 18 third son of Pietro. Cardinal of the church of Regulas and representative of the church for the family. He is one of the youngest cardinals ever appointed to the church. Many claim his position was bought for 20,000 ducats by his father.
Church of Regulus - Is an ancient religion centered around the god Regulus who is regarded as the god of fortune and commerce. For obvious reasons the church is extremely popular within Latium and serves as the state religion. The Church is ruled by the Vicar of Regulus who is considered to be the voice of god here on earth.
Legend has it that ages ago in the earliest days of the Mercian Empire when economies were still done by barter Regulus came down to this world and brought to the people the means of economy and commerce. First, he was worshipped as one of many gods but as time went by his church became more and more powerful and soon became one of the dominant religions of the world.
The Mercian Empire - The Mercian Empire was a vast Empire encompassing what is now Latium and much more for a period of over 1,000 years. They were renowned for their knowledge and technology as well if some would be believed their arcane arts(which still others claim where their downfall.) Approx. 1,000 years ago their Empire succumbed to internal decay and rot and collapsed in upon itself. The countryside is dotted with their ruins and many adventurers seek out their lost knowledge often to never be heard from again.
The Island of Capriano - Capriano is an island(approx. size of cuba) approx. 20 leagues to the south of Wayfarer's point. It was discovered only 15 years ago by Latium explorers and is now the site of a small trading and exploration outpost known as Castra. Few dare to venture inland on the island as reports of strange creatures abound though rumor has it if one makes it past the horrors of this world the lizardfolk inhabitants are rich in gold and magical artifacts.
Lizardfolk - The lizardfolk of Capriano are the indigenous species of the island. Few men have seen them in person as the Lizardfolk are reclusive and appear fearful of men and the few encounters with them have resulted in bloodshed. They lead a primitive existence worshiping strange gods and observing even stranger rituals. Some say they used to be the masters of a vast empire before they were struck down by their pagan gods for irreverence. Now, they are forever trying to reclaim the favor of their old gods through their rituals including that of sacrificing sentient beings.
I shall take Blue and a variety of greens for supporting characters.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sayn
You know, I'm beginning to realize that when I chose to go from being a player to being the GM, I essentially went from being a mere leader of some nation to being God. And it feels good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jade_Tarem
It's been said that a good backstory is like a skirt - it should be long enough to cover everything that needs to be covered, but short enough that it can keep someone's interest. This... is basically the train of a wedding dress.
Okay wow, took forever just to read through the OOC
Anyway, been working on my character... A bit. Still rather confused on who he would work for. As fun as it might be to work for the Pirate Lord Blake, my character has a severe hate of slavery. So I don't think that'll work out...
EDIT: Actually better question, which pirate lords/captain's don't endorse slavery? (at least the barbaric kind)
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Sharkguard avatar done by Darth Raynn!
By the way, in the first post on the recruitment thread, in the First Clarification spoiler, the game starts using examples from Playground 3 at "The Big Lesson" section. Just wondering if perhaps that could be changed? I'm not sure people who are new to the Playground would understand when "Taelarys" is mentioned.
Just wanted to mention that, hope it didn't come out like a complaint.
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Sharkguard avatar done by Darth Raynn!
Xondoure: Servants entrance? There was no plan for this, but I will make some changes. Probably Jonathan will be waiting for some time. I will have a meeting of Non probably if it is desired.
It is your inn Kasa, I can change it if you want me to. I just assumed that's how it would work (normally there's an entrance into the back so kitchen supplies and bedding can be moved in without disturbing the customers.) So sorry for that.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir Professor Terry Pratchett
"It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life."
Did you know about the song before that post? Because if you did I'm sad you didn't share it earlier.
Yeah, I did, I'm sorry. I didn't think people would be interested (and also, I'm not sure what he's saying, which is ironic because I'm taking German in college).
On the topic of sharing things, what kind of things would people like shared? I have a palethora of songs and videos which could all work...
I was mostly just teasing. He's talking about starting a new life, wiping his old one clean and setting it on fire and delving into what the chaos and change of not knowing brings.
Man I wish I had your humor guys. Mood swings are much harder to handle when one is an unfunny person...
Anyway, how have you been lately Tebryn?
I'd be more worried if it was real humor. I don't think there was a shred of joking in at least my discussion with Valgumn. It makes me excited for any RP our characters may get into.
I'd be more worried if it was real humor. I don't think there was a shred of joking in at least my discussion with Valgumn. It makes me excited for any RP our characters may get into.
As for how I've been, ok. You?
I see what you did there. Sneaky. Or was that just a typo?
I'd be more worried if it was real humor. I don't think there was a shred of joking in at least my discussion with Valgumn. It makes me excited for any RP our characters may get into.
As for how I've been, ok. You?
Oh, right. I seem to have a problem telling the different between what is humor and what isn't. I've been alright, have a part time job while I've got the summer off college. Took my time off from the last Playground to relax and get my schoolwork done for the semester. Having issues with mood swings, but otherwise I'm alright.
I think things will go much better this time than it did before. Being a fan of pirates and sailors may help.
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Sharkguard avatar done by Darth Raynn!
I see what you did there. Sneaky. Or was that just a typo?
Well, I spelled it Valguun. Then I spelled it Vagum. So I'm going to let you decide whether it was me tongue in cheek screwing around or...just being so exhausted I can't tell the difference between an M and an N when it's not in caps based off the prior information you have on me.
Just a note for anyone writing posts for the 21st, shortly after noon the streets will be beset by several hundred horny pirates intent on getting piss drunk. These debauches are not unusual for Blake's crew, and tend to last a day or two - think a violent, pirate themed mardi gras.
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I was old when the pharaohs first mounted
The jewel-decked throne by the Nile;
I was old in those epochs uncounted
When I, and I only, was vile;
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by apocalypsePast2
...one could possibly refer to you guys' elaborate dance of allies-to-enemies-to-suicide-of-the-universe as some sort of weird art form.
If one were on drugs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by VonDoom
Behold, the mighty slayer of strangely coloured mutant equines! The thwarter of forum woes! The! Dark! DM!
Good thing I brought bodyguards, a magic sword, dagger and gun.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sayn
You know, I'm beginning to realize that when I chose to go from being a player to being the GM, I essentially went from being a mere leader of some nation to being God. And it feels good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jade_Tarem
It's been said that a good backstory is like a skirt - it should be long enough to cover everything that needs to be covered, but short enough that it can keep someone's interest. This... is basically the train of a wedding dress.
'Arabella' was born in the Old World almost thirty years ago about twenty-nine years and seven months to be exact to a rich and privileged family. From a young age she showed interest in the arts, particularly music but also dance and others. Arabella was the youngest of five siblings and the youngest of four daughters so her parents let her pursue her interest as it became clear it was developing into a passion. They hired the best tutors in the city to teach her and focus her musical pursuits. They hoped their youngest daughter might begin a successful career as a singer, musician or dancer but Arabella never settled on one pursuit, instead she seemed to embrace them all with frustrating versatility. Disappointed they tried to 'correct' their daughter's behaviour and force her to choose one thing to specialize in. What happened instead was two years of self-imposed exile a tough choice to live with for a girl only sixteen years old with an old, half-burned violin.
Her return home came hot on the heels of a discovery about the violin she carried. The violin was black and half-burned but remained eerily in tune which indicated some underlying magic to it, but for all that it was one of many mysteries that lay in the deep and wide vaults of her family. The discovery came quickly as she turned to playing it and dancing as she did for money in any establishment that would hire her or in the street if nowhere was interested. When played correctly the player could summon red fire from it, control was achieved through the melody of the music they played. At first she was delighted by her discovery and practised often so she could include it in her shows. For a while it went as she hoped, she became a hit with her magic violin with its eerily perfect music and fire emanating from its blackened frame as she danced on her many stages. As you would expect and indeed as she hoped news of her travelled far but it wasn't only the curious that came but the greedy too. It wasn't long until Arabella found herself fleeing for her life after almost every show until her hunters didn't even need her to perform her shows to find her.
Terrified for her life she fled home to her parents and told them everything that had happened since she had discovered the violins secret power. After learning that she found news about her magical violin spread and soon people were chasing her for it. Intrigued and disturbed by the events that brought their daughter back to them they made a careful decision to bring her back under the protection of her family and deter her pursuers. Their decision was to create the a new position for her in their household that came with the title Keeper of Draig's Fire for her to use. Arabella was afraid this meant an end to her wanderings because despite the terror at the end she had loved it all. Her parents had been thinking about what happened for two years by then and sorely regretted that they had driven their youngest daughter away, so she would continue as she had done before but with her family firmly behind her again.
Over the next decade Arabella travelled the world. She sought out new cultures and their music to add to her growing repertoire of musical talents. The more she travelled out into the world and intermingled herself with the endless parade of cultures in the world the more she discovered strays bits of stories involving an instrument much like her own. Over time of which she had much she gathered together the bits and the pieces until an incomplete picture formed. She learned enough to know her instruments name and the name of the collection it belonged to but the rest was strangely and completely missing much to her annoyance. By then though she had discovered the second secret that her violin held. As she gained a greater mastery over the instrument, learning just the right way to twist the melody to produce yet more effects from her violin she discovered subtle changes were happening to her.
At first she was wary of the changes but she soon began to revel in them as she first had the violins fire. She was more cautious about revealing them but it wasn't long until just as before she incorporated them into her shows. It wasn't long after she finished her first show after revealing her new abilities that she drew curious and greedy people to her again. Older and arguably wiser than she was years ago she faced these head on. To do so she drew on the seemingly endless array of powers the violin steadily bestowed on her. Eventually she was forced to push her skills with the violin and mastery of the melody to their limit and when she did something inside the music snapped. In a night of fire over a year ago the true source of the violin's power became apparent, in that same night Arabella became one that source that had slowly been tangling itself with her soul. Arabella ceased to be human that night and she became a dragon.
Her eagerness to push the transformation was likely the reason she pushed the violin further than she had before and further than she strictly needed. Her need for the power of the violin was real though and what would happen to her as far from her mind as it was possible to be the previous changes had seemed random to her. At her transformation she had no time or chance to be wary, she was forced to either embrace her new form and abilities or die. At the end of the night she was alive and a city of the far east was dead but she was comfortable with her form if not her deeds. At first she wanted to go home and explain everything to her parents again but she didn't believe anyone would trust her or her story. Broken-hearted and believing she'd never see her home again she fled to the one place in the world she had never been before.
Now in the New World she found herself gravitating to the Crossroad Isles where she settled on a small island in the north. She lived there for most of the past year, building a terrible reputation as she acted under the assumption nobody would trust or believe a dragon. Eventually though, as her understanding of her new form and its abilities grew she learned how to take a human form again. Delighted by her discovery but quite content in the Crossroad Isle she never thought about going home and instead plunged into these islands of the New World as she had the older world she had been born in. In human form she has little reputation but she is slowly changing that as she travels and puts on her show of dancing, fire and music once again. It was after one of these shows she met her current companion a woman named Rayle who ranted about prophetic visions and the end of the world. Intrigued and believing herself in a unique position to do something if Rayle wasn't simply mad Arabella started travelling with Rayle and eventually let her in on the secret of her true nature after she was assured her reaction wouldn't be dire. Since then they have travelled together and now arrive at their latest destination.
Advantages
Spoiler
Intelligent I (Common) Curious and bright in equal measure with a rich child's education have stood her in good stead when it comes to matters of the mind.
Entertainer I (Uncommon) Arabella is an extraordinarily versatile entertainer.
Well Travelled I (Uncommon) Arabella has travelled far across the Old World and even the New World is no great mystery to her.
Flight III [Dragon Form Only] (Uncommon) If you need me to explain this you need to look at it again.
Size I [Dragon Form Only] (Uncommon) If you need me to explain this you need to look at it again.
Strength I (Common) She's stronger than she looks.
Toughness I (Common) She's tougher than she looks.
Alternate Form I (Special) By returning to the womb of fire Arabella was reborn in she can switch between her human and dragon forms.
Story Elements
Spoiler
The City-States of Byling The Ansēm Empire was once one of the great nations of the Old World until it's demise one-hundred and twelve years ago it spread itself like a purple mantle across the ore and mineral rich Byling region. It wasn't a great enemy that killed the Ansēm Empire, and there was no great uprising of the people either. The Ansēm Empire was simply a nation left behind by the world around it and despite this it stubbornly refused to change its ways. The final decades were a time of frantic activity as the Ansēm Empire tried to overcome its archaic ways with grander and bolder schemes. In the end it failed to save the Ansēm Empire. Success was found, however, in the seeds of the seventeen modern and innovative city-states that were fertilized by the Ansēm Empire's desperate activity through the construction of the twenty-four planned 'letter cities'.
Today the seventeen city-states stand separately together, and separately when it comes to each other but together when it came to everybody else. Seven of the 'letter cities' were lost however despite all their efforts. Some of them were destroyed beyond habitation, others were conquered outright but still some few remain contested. The explorer-soldiers from the city-states of Byling are renowned across the Old World not just for their achievements but also their incredible rivalries. Each city-state relies on their dozens of sponsored adventurers to secure colonies and trade routes, colonies and trade routes that all the city-states covet not to mention other nations. Each of these state-sponsored fortune-hunters are highly prized because while the area used to be rich in ore and minerals the Ansēm Empire mined and frittered them away to build the very cities the seventeen city-states pivot on.
The city-states of Byling were inspired by the Spanish and Italians of the historical Age of Sail; in particular the various proud and independent Italian city-states was the main inspiration with the adventurous Spanish conquistadors serving as an inspiration for the Byling explorers. The kingdom of the Ansēm Empire was inspired by the Byzantine Empire and its collapse into the Empire of Nicaea, the Despotate of Epirus and the Empire of Trebizond. The 'letter cities' were inspired by the Greek alphabet through a fluke when I made up the name for the city the Draig's ruled.
The Draig Family Once one of the great landed families of the Ansēm Empire gentry the Draig family are now rulers of one of the seventeen city-states of Byling tyrants as a matter of fact but where the image would normally conjure all manner of frightful things the Draig's have ruled practically. Their current patriarch Sebastian, Lord of the City is a man who typifies the spirit of exploration that the city-states of Byling are know for across both the old and new world. The discoveries and conquests of dozens and dozens of men and women flow back into the city's vaults but not all is rosy for the Draig family.
Most recently the patriarch lost his youngest daughter and the final instrument of the Cacophonous Contrivances they retained after a century. It has left the patriarchs wife Cara, Lady of the City is great distress as it was her youngest rather than her three older daughters Cora, Daniela and Georgina that she had the closest relationship with. This has led the patriarchs only son Daniel to take on a contract as one of the city's sponsored explorers in the hopes that maybe his youngest sister is somewhere in the New World.
The Cacophonous Contrivances - The Cacophonous Contrivances consists of four instruments, all supposedly magical, and all tied to one elemental force of nature and of the orchestra; one instrument of brass, woodwind, percussion and strings; and one instrument of earth, water, fire and air. Sadly these four instruments are lost, as are most accounts of them as the has world lost interest in them. Certainly people have looked, but while rumours of a curse picked up interest at first (stories of people vanishing, and such), the centuries of nothing finally wore down the interest of the people of the world once again, and they let the instruments fall from their memory.
The true history of these instruments lies in an ancient story that most don't associate with the Cacophonous Contrivances at all. Many thousands of years ago there were four dragons whose hatred for each other was such a great and terrible passion to them all that they did nothing but fight each other. The most awful thing was that as dragons they were evenly matched and so their fighting carried on for centuries, wreaking such havoc on the world around them that even the dragon world was moved to stop them. Together a coalition of the dragon world and the worlds of other races the four were finally killed. In the midst of the mourning dragons and the exulting others the four showed all the depth of their hatred for each other: after death their essence the core of their power didn't fade with their flesh, instead their hate drove their dead bodies to move again and wreak much havoc once more.
All the assembled worlds despaired. All of them despaired except one. In the world of man there were people with a plan. It was to the humans all inconsequential because their plan was to steal the power of the four dead dragons and seal them in four vessels tailored for human use. These four vessels were the four instruments and into them the power of the four was trapped. At first there were covetous wars waged for ownership of the instruments but as it was already said they passed out of sight of the worlds of all. What wasn't said was that this was engineered by the dragons themselves. They saw the necessity of keeping them whole and so they hid them and worked against all to keep them secret until even the dragons lost and forgot them. It was then they came across the sea from the New World to the old one through one of the city-states of Byling's many explorers and from him into the hands of the Draig family.
The Dragons Most people could tell you quite roughly what a dragon is of course; they're large, armoured with scales, have huge bat-like wings, are inhuman and breath fire. This is quite true and is fantastic enough for people of all the worlds to make stories about them with varying accuracy. Just because everyone knows roughly what a dragon is doesn't mean many people know actually know that dragons are themselves real, that they exist just as much as the people who make stories about them do. In all the worlds there are only twice as many people that know that dragons exist than there are dragons themselves that doesn't mean that every dragon knows two people. This is because in all the worlds there are fewer dragons than there are people in any one of the great capitols of the nations of the Old World, all of them spread out across distances nobody yet has fully conceived of.
Their limited numbers are not due to a low rate of birth or a high rate of death. The answer is at once simpler and more fantastic: what dragons there are there are. Put simply for each dragon that dies there will always be one less dragon in the world at least that was how things were. As a result the civilization that dragons have made between themselves is one that covers not just vast tracts of land but also vast tracts of time. Even to the longest lived of the mortal races their civilization, culture and society seems irredeemably slow and stale. It is this clash of culture that keeps the dragons from interacting with any other race more than anything else. It is frankly too difficult for them to adapt to a mortal culture before the source of their determination dies often of old age. Exceptions do exist and they are often responsible for most if not all of the people who know dragons exist they are also often used as diplomats and liaisons during times when interaction with the mortal races is considered unavoidable.
I really like and dislike the general fantasy trope about how dragons don't deal with other people because it's beneath them or whatever, and I really liked the idea that that was just a faηade they put on to hide the fact that mortal cultures utterly baffle them. The exceptions to that rule then occupy a strange position. They are derided for being able to interact with mortals but at the same time they're the only ones who can act as intermediaries between the two; and as a result they're the ones responsible for each time the dragons have ever done anything on a time-scale other than their own.
Just a note for anyone writing posts for the 21st, shortly after noon the streets will be beset by several hundred horny pirates intent on getting piss drunk. These debauches are not unusual for Blake's crew, and tend to last a day or two - think a violent, pirate themed mardi gras.
So, how do you want to have the whole Hassar meets Kessia thing work? Like, would your ship just be arriving or would our meeting be a bit before the current events (I'm thinking the latter)
we could confer and have the meeting as part of a larger post (perhaps you describing Kessia arriving at port with the Firebrand and looking for new crew to replace those lost or to shore up your numbers or somesuch)
Yep, Kessia will be coming into port just after sunset on the 19th of Amber's Fall, so she'll probably hire him around a day or so before current events, unless he wouldn't have heard about her that soon.
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Plague Rat in the Playground
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grim ranger
I support the godly magazine idea, and hope that Eld can serve as mix of town crier and incredibly deadpan game show host in some sections. Also, for some odd reason, he will also make appearance when it comes to godly fashion tips, for even if he is grim reaper he will be the most bishounen god there is. Just you wait
Quote:
Originally Posted by Moonwolf
Damn you and your comprehensive understanding of synergistic tactics. :|
Oh, just so everyone else knows and I don't forget, I'm renaming Wind Blast or w/e I called it to Gale. It sounds better and makes more thematic sense, imo.