Welcome to the wintery region of Trenchfork. I've started you off at the caravan in town so you can either roleplay for a bit, or go right off on the adventure.
Also I'd like each of you to post a link to your character sheet, as well as reserve the color for your character. Both the colors Olive and Dark Orchid will be reserved for NPC interactions. Feel free to ask me questions, or talk amongst yourselves about your current strategies.
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78% of DM's started their first campaign in a tavern. If you're one of the 22% that didn't, copy and paste this into your signature.
Mine started in the wilderness outside of town
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To those I game with: life is very busy right now, so I apologize for any delays. I still anticipate checking in at least once daily.
To Naveris and any other Elves he encounters, the name Elestil may be of note, as he has taken the name of a great Elven hero of legend. I suppose I should get going writing up the legend of Elestil about now...
EDIT: That was easier than I thought. I present to you, the legend of Elestil:
Spoiler
A summary of The Wisdom of Elestil, one of the greatest, most beloved Elven epics of all time
Elestil was born as a common Elf in a struggling Elven forest that was constantly beleaguered by invading giants in a bloody war. A wise, revered sage prophesied that he would bring peace, raise the Elves to glory, and outwit the old ages (in Elven, the expression used could mean both "old age" and "the ages").
As a lad, he showed exceptional talent with the bow, and when he was only about 40 years old (incredibly young for an Elf), he joined in a great battle against a powerful giant army. With both the bow and the blade, he felled many a giant, and then he dueled the giant king himself. He ran circles around the king, pricking him with perfectly placed arrows, until the king fell and the remaining giants fled. There were only a few minor skirmishes after that battle, and Elestil had brought peace as prophesied.
Elestil went on a great many adventures (catalogued in the epic), slaying a dragon, settling a long-running blood feud between Dwarven clans by convincing each side that the other side was actually good, besting every archer who ever challenged him, etc.
So it came to pass that Elestil entered the legendary Temple of the Ages, said to have been built by the gods themselves in the morning of the world. It was a well known temple, but no one could ever solve the riddle to get into the inner chamber, which was said to house immense treasure. Elestil spent an entire week pondering the riddle, not even saying a word, before finally coming up with the solution and entering the storied inner chamber. It was a beautiful room, glowing with celestial light, and filled with all manner of treasure. There were gems more exquisite than any seen on earth, magical weapons of untold power, beautiful works of art made from solid gold, a beautiful harp made entirely of mithral, with a tone that was to a normal instrument as the gods are to mortals. But as part of the riddle, Elestil knew he could only select one treasure to take from the chamber. He chose a fruit from the magical silvery tree that grew in the center of the chamber. He planted its seed in the heart of the forest, and the tree is said to have worked countless miracles, helping the Elves enjoy a long, prosperous golden age in their forest. Thus Elestil outwitted the ages, as ages upon ages of people had failed to solve the riddle, in the Temple of the Ages itself. He also rose the Elves to glory in a glorious golden age. It was believed that the prophecy had been fulfilled. A tree of that line is said to still exist, lying hidden until a worthy soul discovers it, but the Temple of the Ages is but a distant memory, or myth. None can say whether it still exists, or if it left the world entirely after Elestil solved its riddle.
At long last, Elestil, still young by Elven standards, at less than a century of age, fell in love with a beautiful Human woman. They lived together a long time, but they were troubled in their hearts, for both of them knew that she would die of old age while Elestil had centuries ahead of him. But Elestil was not to be stopped, and he put his great intellect to work on another riddle. After much work, he perfected an extraordinary spell which allowed him to transfer his life energy to his human bride, granting her long life at the expense of his own life. Thus they aged together and died peacefully together after a couple centuries of love, and in this way, Elestil fulfilled the prophecy in another way, outwitting old age itself in the name of love.
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To those I game with: life is very busy right now, so I apologize for any delays. I still anticipate checking in at least once daily.
Nice legend. Also feel free to add more fluff to your characters as we go, this is collaborative after all.
I came mostly to tell you how I'll be doing language translations. Basically if you see two words split by a slash, ( / ) then it means you couldn't properly translate the word. Instead you could only translate it in the sense of it's literal meaning and it's figurative meaning. This generally only occurs if you're the language you're translating isn't your native language, and even if it is it'll still occur if you're dealing with a different accent. Just a little fluff to liven up the game world, if you don't like it I can easily remove it.
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78% of DM's started their first campaign in a tavern. If you're one of the 22% that didn't, copy and paste this into your signature.
Mine started in the wilderness outside of town
A little about Frandol that y'all may know:
-He claims to be an artist, but he paints like no other dwarf in history, his work appears much like an elven abstract piece, very colorful and erratic. Those who don't like elven works will probably not like his art.
-I envision his accent as a combination of a deep voiced, stereotypically-themed high-society British accent accompanying a Scottish dialect. (if you have trouble imagining that, I can try to record a sample impression of what I had in mind.)
-he hears what he wants to hear, if you find yourself arguing with him, you'll find he often does not grasp the full situation a hand, or he might be stubbornly unreasonable and/or flawed when displaying his points.
-no matter what others tell you, the violet streak on his beard is a sign of creative prestige. and it is not by any means a mark of shame, exile, or banishment EDIT:oh, and aside from an art he is also gifted with crafting lifelike illusions, but that's not too important if I forgot
__________________ Thanks to Ceika, Vamber lives to play with fire in this cheerful avatar!
You can call me by my username, or Zahn, or PZ, I would appreciate you not deviating from the given.
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Just looking over the character sheets... is my bardic sage really the most martial character in the group? His combat roles are bardic music, illusions, and archery... with an emphasis on staying out of the fray. heh.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prince Zahn
-no matter what others tell you, the violet streak on his beard is a sign of creative prestige. and it is not by any means a mark of shame, exile, or banishment
Should I do a bardic knowledge check on that one?
But honestly, our characters will probably get along well, PZ. An illusionist who paints in an Elven style and a bard(ic sage) who's obsessed with Elven styles and specializes in illusions.
EDIT: Should any of us have met before this mission? Or we're just all meeting at the appointed place?
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To those I game with: life is very busy right now, so I apologize for any delays. I still anticipate checking in at least once daily.
@Newcomer: Either one will work, I'll leave it up to each player. If you want to be unknown by the group, then try to add how you got the job in your backstory. A recommendation by a lesser noble would be best, but hearing it as tavern gossip would work.
If you want to have known each other beforehand, then here's some fluff about how you met:
Spoiler
Your last job was from the minister of a small township in Shatterfield, a duchy south of Trenchfork in central Kerjat. The minister had found an old mine near his town, but couldn't get any guards to investigate. He hired you to do so instead. The job was rather uneventful, but smooth. The mine contained a fair amount of iron and copper, as well as some cold iron deeper in. You noted however that there were signs of a remoraz close to the cold iron. You didn't come across any, but the signs were fresh and signified more than one traveled through. After the minister paid you, he told you about a baron further north who was having some trouble with a fortress.
Sorry if I should have told you this sooner, but it's still early enough that it's nothing to really worry about I think.
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78% of DM's started their first campaign in a tavern. If you're one of the 22% that didn't, copy and paste this into your signature.
Mine started in the wilderness outside of town
I'm good with that background for knowing each other, but I'm fine either way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ScrambledBrains
It's good to have the forums back up. Good to see everyone again.
This.
In other news, if anyone is inclined to read a small novel, my character description and backstory are fleshed out.
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To those I game with: life is very busy right now, so I apologize for any delays. I still anticipate checking in at least once daily.
A good question!:Smallbiggrin: First of all even if you know, Frandol would never admit it. And if you knew one thing, you'd know the other too. Secondly, it kind of depends on how well are you versed in dwarven culture: the dwarven disowning ritual is an uncommon and obscure concept that is not, for the most part, done in the eyes of foreigners, this is a rite of scarring shame on a dwarf's person.
To put it simply: is it any wonder that dwarves are so proud of their family ties and heritage once you know they don't keep the ones they dislike?
Quote:
But honestly, our characters will probably get along well, PZ. An illusionist who paints in an Elven style and a bard(ic sage) who's obsessed with Elven styles and specializes in illusions.
*drops jaw and smacks self* how did I not notice that? I'm generally more observant than that >_<
I see no problem with that, when he finds inspiration that doesn't work on his canvas, Frandol paints much of his work on stones and tree bark, using cheaper paint for stronger contrasts. If Elestil ever stumbled upon frandol's tracks it may have tingled his curiosity to the point of wanting to meet the artist, and the unusualness of it could probably interest if not somewhat disappoint the goblin that it is not genuine elven work.
it should, however, be pointed out that Frandol cares little about the cultural and societal flourish of a race or country, same goes even for his own, the combination of this, as well as the exile, the need for a living, undwarven passion for free arts, and his unreasonable expectations of the world that lured him to join a wandering caravan that crossed his path...
__________________ Thanks to Ceika, Vamber lives to play with fire in this cheerful avatar!
You can call me by my username, or Zahn, or PZ, I would appreciate you not deviating from the given.
Games currently playing:
*drops jaw and smacks self* how did I not notice that? I'm generally more observant than that >_<
They're also both outcasts from their own races. While Elestil is not actually banished (the goblins are too disorganized for that), he was regularly picked on and insulted. They didn't get rid of him, but they were eager to force him into doing the grunt work. Whereas Frandol is an exile, Elestil was basically the water boy, and he willingly turned away from his kind.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prince Zahn
First of all even if you know, Frandol would never admit it.
And Elestil will never reveal, use, or respond to his original goblin name.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prince Zahn
I see no problem with that, when he finds inspiration that doesn't work on his canvas, Frandol paints much of his work on stones and tree bark, using cheaper paint for stronger contrasts. If Elestil ever stumbled upon frandol's tracks it may have tingled his curiosity to the point of wanting to meet the artist, and the unusualness of it could probably interest if not somewhat disappoint the goblin that it is not genuine elven work.
Elestil cares first and foremost for art and lore. It is that love which led him to his appreciation of the elves, for they seemed to have an entire culture dedicated to such things, especially compared to his goblin roots. But he'll appreciate the artistry of a dwarf as well.
They're decidedly different characters, but I'm enjoying the parallels.
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To those I game with: life is very busy right now, so I apologize for any delays. I still anticipate checking in at least once daily.
Awesome, anyway, it's not exactly "banishment" as it is "disownment", it's kind of a thing that in the dwarven land your rights and reputations mostly revolve around your family, legacy and the royal house*, but should one not any of these things...**
*to be clear, being part of a dwarven royal house does not by any means imply "in line to the throne", potential rulers of every house are judged by power and authority alongside loyalty to the house, more on this in Northriver flavor text(coming soon!)
**orphans, if not "marked", don't have as much trouble, as a royal house would freely take young orphans in, so long as they are not crazy...or criminals.
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That aside, is it settled that we're all in this together, or are we gonna go with a buddy system among ourselves?
EDIT: Yes I know that's a wierd question. But go on - humor me.
__________________ Thanks to Ceika, Vamber lives to play with fire in this cheerful avatar!
You can call me by my username, or Zahn, or PZ, I would appreciate you not deviating from the given.
Games currently playing:
That aside, is it settled that we're all in this together, or are we gonna go with a buddy system among ourselves?
EDIT: Yes I know that's a wierd question. But go on - humor me.
Wait.. what??
At first I thought you were asking about if we did the previous mission together. Arcanist is the only one not to respond to that yet (and judging from his character's RP, it might just work for him to not have been in that group).
So it currently sounds like at least most of us will be from the old mission. But I'm not sure if that's what you're asking. Are you asking if we're planning to play the group cohesively, or create intra-party tension? Elestil will give everyone a chance, at least, but if tension develops, then I guess we'll just see what happens. Alignment-wise, we read LN, NG, CG, CG, so that doesn't sound too terrible.
Oh, and, okay, disowned. Same feel, in my head at least, but I didn't mean to conflate the two.
EDIT: Egneil, I was just looking back at the recruitment thread. It looked like KillingAScarab at least was going to have a character in, and maybe a few others. You had that long conversation about animal companions and mounted combat. Did you hear anything from anyone else, or are we the 4? With the forums going out when they did, I could easily see someone managing to not get posted into the game threads yet.
__________________
To those I game with: life is very busy right now, so I apologize for any delays. I still anticipate checking in at least once daily.
EDIT: Egneil, I was just looking back at the recruitment thread. It looked like KillingAScarab at least was going to have a character in, and maybe a few others. You had that long conversation about animal companions and mounted combat. Did you hear anything from anyone else, or are we the 4? With the forums going out when they did, I could easily see someone managing to not get posted into the game threads yet.
Yeah he even sent in a good backstory, so I was all set to add him once he sent me his character sheet. Also Dr. Robotnik was ready to join as well. I'll PM them both to see if they'll join.
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78% of DM's started their first campaign in a tavern. If you're one of the 22% that didn't, copy and paste this into your signature.
Mine started in the wilderness outside of town
Just looking over the character sheets... is my bardic sage really the most martial character in the group? His combat roles are bardic music, illusions, and archery... with an emphasis on staying out of the fray. heh.
Arcanist, can you use quotation marks around your character's speech, please? I know you're using colors, but the dark green doesn't stand out from the black too well. I found it a little difficult to read.
Quote:
I can fight if push comes to shove
I do have a longsword I can use, I was just expecting melee to be a sometimes thing, not a regular thing.
__________________
To those I game with: life is very busy right now, so I apologize for any delays. I still anticipate checking in at least once daily.
Arcanist, can you use quotation marks around your character's speech, please? I know you're using colors, but the dark green doesn't stand out from the black too well. I found it a little difficult to read.
Ooo... Sure
Quote:
Originally Posted by Newcomer
I do have a longsword I can use, I was just expecting melee to be a sometimes thing, not a regular thing.
I expect combat as well, however I just wanted to cover my basis
@ScrambledBrains: The reason I asked for the map is because I wanted to use my Gloves of Object reading on them. I'm suspicious of this employer of ours... But I'm a naturally paranoid guy
And I wanna known any additional facts about the Maps that could be presented... Might even ask to look at our employers sword if the map yields anything...
@ScrambledBrains: The reason I asked for the map is because I wanted to use my Gloves of Object reading on them. I'm suspicious of this employer of ours... But I'm a naturally paranoid guy
And I wanna known any additional facts about the Maps that could be presented...
Ah, noted. Thurod isn't exactly...suspicious of her, but he'd keeping his guard up.
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"In war, victory. In peace, vigilance. In death, sacrifice." Quoted from Dragon Age: Origins
amat victoria curam.Victory likes careful preparation.
Elestil's comment was clearly in good fun, and he expects Thurod to have a good laugh with it. I also just noticed that Thurod doesn't speak Halfling..? I imagine Egneil would probably let you switch that out for Orc, if you prefer, though of course he could've been raised speaking mainly Common.
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To those I game with: life is very busy right now, so I apologize for any delays. I still anticipate checking in at least once daily.
Elestil's comment was clearly in good fun, and he expects Thurod to have a good laugh with it. I also just noticed that Thurod doesn't speak Halfling..? I imagine Egneil would probably let you switch that out for Orc, if you prefer, though of course he could've been raised speaking mainly Common.
Thurod is going to have a great laugh. And...could I trade Orc for Halfling, Egneil?
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"In war, victory. In peace, vigilance. In death, sacrifice." Quoted from Dragon Age: Origins
amat victoria curam.Victory likes careful preparation.
Thurod is going to have a great laugh. And...could I trade Orc for Halfling, Egneil?
I don't see why not, the second language is generally cultural in nature so go ahead.
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78% of DM's started their first campaign in a tavern. If you're one of the 22% that didn't, copy and paste this into your signature.
Mine started in the wilderness outside of town
Regarding your backstory, it would seem that everyone is taking their character and their background seriously, even if the facts of those characters may have a comical bent to them. For instance, I have a goblin bard who's obsessed with elves, but he's a serious character who happens to fit that unlikely and rather ridiculous description. If that helps.
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To those I game with: life is very busy right now, so I apologize for any delays. I still anticipate checking in at least once daily.
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[OoC] The Unexpecteds
I've started you off at the caravan in town so you can either roleplay for a bit, or go right off on the adventure.
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