Exalted: Dynasts and Dragon-Blooded (Interest Check)

[Synecdoche17]

Well hey, if we're doing characters already...

Ragara Adisa

"All debts come due."



The Children of the Dragons take after their legendary forebears, and certainly Ragara Adisa is no exception. With skin like marble and eyes like glittering gems, she could be mistaken for a strikingly realistic sculpture - but it is her heart that is closest to the Earth, for it is as cold and hard as jade. In her Sworn Brotherhood, she is the planner, the cynic, always looking for an advantage to leverage on their behalf - and hers, naturally.

Adisa took the Second Breath before she saw her thirteenth summer; the generations that separate her from the Empress can be counted on the fingers of one hand. To the surprise of some elders, her parents opted to send Adisa to the House of Bells rather than the Spiral Academy; whether this pleased or disappointed her no one else knows. She proved to be a gifted swordswoman and competent small-unit commander, but her real gift lay in logistics. Upon graduation, she was assigned briefly as quartermaster to a legion based in a northern satrapy, where she gained a reputation as a canny negotiator and ruthless enforcer. Over the course of the last few decades, her generous Legion salary multiplied as if by magic, transforming into wealth beyond the dreams of men. Inquiries as to the source of that wealth are generally met with polite demurrals and vague answers. Ragara Adisa formally resigned her position in the Realm's military not long ago, and currently holds a dozen executive positions among as many banks and investment companies, some of which may or may not be cut-outs for her family's less savory ventures.

If we're in An-Teng

Ragara Adisa plans to invest heavily in An-Teng's agricultural products - peppers, tea, saffron, indigo: these are all valuable goods that require much more effort to grow in the Blessed Isle than in An-Teng. The looming civil war has already caused their prices to spike; they'll do so much more rapidly once she's in a position to control their export!
To do so, she needs to hold much more power in An-Teng than she currently does as a civilian and House representative, and so she has quietly put her vast wealth and myriad connections behind the Lilac Society, plotting to rise with their success. She does not disapprove of Shuri's actions morally; rather, she feels a sort of aesthetic displeasure at how wastefully he exploits An-Teng - he could be making so much more money if he did things right! This, at least, is the explanation she gives when pressed as to why she's put her tremendous wealth and connections behind the Lilac Society.

Despite her cold exterior, Ragara Adisa has fallen deeply, irrevocably in love with one of her sworn brothers, a compassionate individual who does care deeply about the suffering of the Tengese, but her marriage was arranged long before her birth, and she cannot escape it. If they triumph in An-Teng, she'll have the social and political capital to delay her marriage and pursue her love; if they fail and die, then she will die alongside the one she loves - better that, then to live another five hundred years in a stranger's bed!

She has held off on confessing her love because she sees no profit in it; even if it were reciprocated, it would only cause trouble.

(currently hunting for someone to play her crush, and/or a sworn brotherhood to join. Dun make me rewrite all this! :P)

character sheet highlights

Breeding 5
Family 5
Connections (Finance) 5
Backing (House Ragara) 3
Appearance 5, because jeez, look at that pretty art!
Adisa specializes in Bureaucracy, War, Melee, Presence. Her RL image is much less intimidating than the artwork above.

[Zaer Darkwail]

I volunteer play Adisa's crush Synecdoche17 ;) .

Peleps Laryon's Bio

"The tides can both pull you surface or drown you, and they can change rapidly."


Peleps Laryon was born to cunning merchant house which is merciless upon their opponents in battlefield and politics, using ruthlessly any method to win and are skilled sailors top of that and control Blessed Isle navy. A unpopular house to born into sure. He exalted on fourteenth birthday as he was sailing with his unexalted younger sister on the ocean with their uncle. She leaned over the railing to watch pretty fishes and she fell over onto ocean. Uncle steered ship to go around and sister was able to float in surface but not much that besides making noise and splashes. But a shiaka approached her from behind, attracted to her bright colorful dress, splashing and sounds she made.

Laryon then did something incredibly foolish, he took a dagger from sailor and leaped over also and he cut his palm of his hand and likewise make splashes and sounds to attract the shiaka, in end scent of blood drew the shiaka away from his sister straight towards him! He told crew rescue his dear little sister first! Soon shiaka was upon him an it leaped to take bite on his arm all way to his shoulder! Blinded by pain and agony he used the knife make a barrage of thrusts blindly on the shiaka's unprotected side and eyes as it pulled him under the water. Crew already thinking Laryon to be lost cause....

But dragon's chose him for his undaunted bravery and willingness to make selfish sacrifice, and thus in underwater he started glow in bright azure blue and turn entire water around him into ice and thus trap shiaka on cube of ice. Exaltation did not save his arm though, it was chewed and lastly torn off apart of him by shiaka who broke free from ice and flee while bleeding from numerous knife stabs. He then rapidly ascended on ice platteu formed by his anima onto surface, shaking and bleeding to death. But the crew easily noticed him thanks his glow and bright shine of his anima banner which formed image of iceberg and rescued him.

He was lectured by his grandparents; Febaris and Taxin for his foolish behavior for saving his little sister who had not exalted yet at all! But none the less they same time congratulated his exaltation but they said his true education now starts. He was send first to Spiral Academy (where he met Ragara Adisa), however his compassion made him actually poor businessman in eyes of mentors and in eyes of his grandparents! Despite how canny he was in business he was thrown off from academy with shameful grade, despite how good his arguments and ideas was!

Most of this could be blamed that his mother was a Nellens, one the rare adopted outcaste dragon-bloods from threshold has told to have got 'poor influence' on him and she was lectured likewise by grandparents several times. So seeing the connection they decided to do more unusual career shift for him; send him to Hepthagram to study sorcery.

In there Laryon studied under tutelage of elder dragon-bloods and sidereals which used celestial sorcery bound his tongue to ever reveal he ever met them (even if he would remember them at all). He excelled in the scholarly curriculum and he graduated with top papers. He was immediately then send to use his sorcery to aid Imperial Navy with his sorcery to control winds and bind demons to help the captains. Laryon thanks his studies in Spiral Academy and influence of his house is canny negotiator to face when he summons demons. For once he was gaining favor of his house.

But then things changed as his sister, who had failed to be heard by dragons by twentieth birthday was married off to rich patrician who could pay her dowry. However he was sadistic man who enjoyed cause pain in bedroom and his sister started forced endure his husbands 'loving' attentions every night, more so as she was unwilling and it exciting him! Naturally Laryon soon learned this and he used his every cunning influence to hire a assassin from threshold (use house own contacts no less) and got man killed and his sister thusly widowed. Naturally there was no evidence he had hired assassin nor it could traced back to his house....but his grandparents weren't fooled and they had grown tired for his compassion for his little sister which had doomed him twice now!

So they send Laryon to self-chosen exile, any locale outside blessed isle and stay there and stay out from blessed isle for now at least a century. Any his planned marriages were delayed or canceled and he was given money income to live comfortably in luxury and servants and so on. But grandparents without any disguise of words said if Laryon even steps on Blessed Isle soil, he dies.

Enraged by his own grandparents he chose Ang Teng as exile location and he was made contact by Lilac Society who seeks to make a difference and change in the Realm. Without any reliable allies he joined them and noticed at least one of the members he already knew; Adisa from spiral academy.

Charsheet highlights

Breeding 5
Resource 5
Manse x
Contacts/Spy 5

Several sorcery spells and likely thaumaturge master degree or two.

[Synecdoche17]

Get in line, Zaer. :d

Before we get too involved in our characters, though, we should probably figure out who's running the game. Rishon Tam said he'd be comfortable with a "small group" of "maybe 5 or 6", whereas we have:


Rishon Tam
Pumpkin Seeds
Marie Reynolds
Luna
Muse
Aribeth
Hairy Heretic
CopperLily
Zeth
Zaer Darkwail
Shadowfox89
Dracorion
Synecdoche17



with Riveda, AndyZ, Yandros, and Black Howling all also expressing interest at some point, and Kolbrandr stepping out.

That's 13-17 players. Really getting close to a "Game of Thrones"-sized cast there. Shuri the Scarlet as debauched King Robert, having seized power by force, while all around him little cliques and families plot to topple him... that could be a pretty fun game. I just don't know if anyone wants the headache of running that.

[Zeth]

Well I'll drop out then. I'm not that familiar with Exalted and don't want to bog the other players down.

[HairyHeretic]

That's 13-17 players. Really getting close to a "Game of Thrones"-sized cast there. Shuri the Scarlet as debauched King Robert, having seized power by force, while all around him little cliques and families plot to topple him... that could be a pretty fun game. I just don't know if anyone wants the headache of running that.

It's doable, but it would be a LOT of work for a single GM. For a game that size, you probably want 2-3 GMs. Even allowing for the inevitable player attrition in group games I suspect at least 2 GMs would be necessary.

[CopperLily]

That is a pretty hefty group of people, even with attrition. If we're going to winnow that down somewhat, I'd prefer not to go through the full chargen process before that happens (if we are indeed going with Exalted-the-System vs. Exalted-the-Setting)?

[HairyHeretic]

Going freeform would probably make it a bit easier, and definitely faster to play. I thought it was a system game, but it's the GMs call.

[PrestaDGTation]

  I just wanted to say...

 

  ...and let relevant parties know that this is AWESOME, and even if I can't play I will certainly be reading!!

  Hope you get it up and running.. I'd offer to assist in getting it going, but I'm not comfy enough with the setting to actually do so.

[HairyHeretic]

So, what's peoples thoughts on system vs free form. Any strong opinions one way or the other?

[CopperLily]

So, what's peoples thoughts on system vs free form. Any strong opinions one way or the other?

I'd vote for freeform, because slowing down seems to be the death knell to games, and systems slow things down, but I'm...biased.

[AribethAmkiir]

freeform would be my preference, too.

[Zaer Darkwail]

I prefer system as it gives clear frames about char's abilities. But besides that even if we use system the game could be 'less dice rolling' and more 'roleplaying'.

[Synecdoche17]

So, what's peoples thoughts on system vs free form. Any strong opinions one way or the other?

Strong preference for freeform, but having posters list, say, a character's four best Abilities and some Backgrounds might be useful simply as a yardstick for interactions.

[Marie Reynolds]

Hmm with what we are trying to do i think a freeform might prove more difficult considering the amount of social powers alone that could make a political coop type game very difficult freeform in the exalted world i think this would be specifically a dificult hurdle.Don't take this as me being anti freeform just  World of Darkness games i do not think lend them selves well to freeform. Also with playing a preformer character a die roll and input from an st would help me gauge the audience easier. Think it would be better to write convincing scenes in that vein also.



So i would have to vote system game with so many powers and other variables in this game. it would be beneficial for everyone to have the system since it is so ingrained in the setting. I would find it hard and a bit daunting to try and balance powers of exalts without a system.

[Muse]

I agree with M.R. 

[Zaer Darkwail]

I also agree with M.R basically, exalted setting was build with system in mind.

[Zeth]

I agree with M.R. Exalted has the best Social Combat system I ever used and it is a lot more fair to decide whether or not you convince the Captain of the guard based on dice rolls then just putting everything on the GM, then have players argue with The GM if things do not go the way they intended.

[HairyHeretic]

The GM not posting in this thread in a week now is somewhat discouraging though.

[AribethAmkiir]

Yup

[Zeth]

Can we just Hijack the idea and have someone else GM it?

[HairyHeretic]

Some people can be very protective of their ideas. At the very least, a PM to the original poster asking if they'd lost interest and would mind someone else running with the idea would be my approach.

[Rishon Tam]

Hey, everyone! Sorry about the radio silence.
I'd been considering how I was going to make this work -- we've ended up with a lot more interest than I'd banked on -- and ultimately, I just had to admit to myself that I'm out of my depth.

Don't worry, though: something is being worked out, and the game's still going to happen.
It's just taking a little bit to figure out the situation at the helm.

Details, I believe, should be forthcoming.

[Synecdoche17]

Raar!

So, the basic update is that, with Rishon Tam's permission, I will try running this game. Unfortunately, I've never run a game before, and like any virgin I feel like I can only take so many partners at once!

I've already sent out invites to players; Rishon Tam, HairyHeretic, and CopperLily all said yes and are in; the game thread has been posted here.

If the remaining invite(s) are declined, I'll start going down the list of interested people until someone says yes. Those of you already in an Exalted game, sadly, will be toward the end of the list, since you already have a game to enjoy.

I will also bookmark this thread and come back to it later if players drop or if I feel the narrative and I  are capable of handling additional characters.

At least two people have expressed interest in co-GM'ing the story; at the moment I'm going to try running solo, but if folks are interested it would be cool to have another group in the same setting, exploring a parallel story, and then at some point the plots can intersect, or players could migrate from one to the other.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

YES

[HairyHeretic]

I would be one of those people considering running a game, though I haven't done a whole lot with the idea yet.

I'm fairly comfortable running larger games, but for the number of people that expressed interest in this idea, I think 2-3 co-GMs would be the way to go.

Edit - I'm actually having some very interesting ideas gel together for a sandbox setting. I shall post more in a separate threat to avoid derailing this one.