Heirs to Creation - Exalted 3e Recruitment and Pre-Game Discussion [CLOSED]

Started by Winter King, October 30, 2015, 09:33:08 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Winter King

Hello, Ladies, Lords, and Lieges! As I mentioned in this post, I'm more than comfortable opening up my particular game of Exalted 3e to recruitment and discussion, particularly with regards to character concepts and what players would like from the game.

This is an attempt to help interweave the players' characters into the part of Creation they will be exploring, inhabiting, conquering, ruling, and/or destroying as the game goes on, as well as to help ensure that the circle that does form can, should they wish, interweave their backstories and relationships as best pleases them. Now, moving on to what I can offer to the players to help guide what they might want to explore as character concepts go.

The Setting:
Due to feedback in the interest check thread, I'm thinking of placing my game in the satrapy of Dun-lat, in the South of Creation. Dun-lat, as I envision it, is located along the River Ammon (which is itself far too small to be represented on the map of Creation), which empties into the small seas south of the Scavenger Lands, with its source even farther south. Dun-lat itself is located along the major route between the Varangian City-States and Ember, though is more than 1500 miles from the former and around 500 miles from the latter.

Dun-lat is a longtime satrapy of House Tepet, where devotion to the Immaculate Philosophy is at such a great height among most of the populace that almost all fertile couples give their firstborn child to the Immaculate Order to raise as a monk, inflating the numbers of the Order to such an extent that one of the four greatest cities in Dun-lat is in fact primarily based upon a great monastery.

However, not all members of society are so devoted to the Immaculates - Dun-lat's salt mines are filled to the brim with slaves bought and sold by passing nomads, Guild traders, and prisoners of war, and the aristocracy's palaces are full of similar unfortunates. Even amongst the free peasants there exists some dissatisfaction with the current regime, as nearly twenty years ago, when a famine struck Akhetan, one of the great cities of Dun-lat, the people there rebelled when their requests for easing of taxes were disregarded, and were utterly crushed by House Tepet's forces (who feared the Empress might replace them as the satrap if they failed to extinguish this utterly). The waliyah's immediate family was crucified, her servants and loyalists sold into slavery, and her city sacked. The ruling Malik, Orsam, was also executed for allowing this to happen, and Irelen, his sister, was appointed Malika in his place.

More recently, a young woman claiming to be the daughter of the Mother River, the goddess of the River Ammon, began a revolution against the weakened Tepet-backed regime, with resounding success relative to the earlier attempts - for five months the revolutionaries wracked the satrapy as the increasingly desperate legions struggled to fight them... until somehow, the Daughter died, and her revolution fragmented into squabbling bandits, raiders, and would-be revolters.

Now, above all other times, Dun-lat is fragmented - numerous factions attempt to affect control over the shattered satrapy, whether to restore order or simply to reinforce their own power, and threats from without are watching with eyes full of hunger even as the Mother River begins to show her wrath to the people who allowed her Daughter to die. The people of Dun-lat are greatly affected by this, and the services of the Listeners are coming into the fore as the conflict drags on.

Dun-lat is ripe for change - will your characters bring it prosperity? Destruction? Both? Neither?

This chronicle is going to start in Akhetan, the City of Bridges, described below. Keep this in mind when designing characters. Akhetan is north of Nalandun, and south of both Latir and Nefrem.

Cities

There are four major cities in Dun-lat, though one of them is more rightly considered a monastery - Latir, the capital and home to the Malika, the satrap, and the greatest of Realm Garrisons in the satrapy, it is located just east of the Mother River, its palaces sitting on the shore. Latir is where the most wealth is concentrated, and its groves of citrus trees remain untouched by the recent debacles... at least for now.

Nalandun is not a city as such, but rather the greatest of all Immaculate monasteries in Dun-lat. Located about one hundred miles south of Latir and on the west shore of the River Ammon, the majority of Immaculates live and are taught here, though significant monasteries exist dotted throughout the satrapy. Nalandun is a place of prayer-wheels and chanting, of bells and sacrifice, of incense and ritual as the monks pay respects to gods according to the Immaculate Calendar. Here is the base of the Wyld Hunt of the Realm in Dun-lat, and here is where monks spar as they debate each other's finer interpretations and extrapolations of the Immaculate Texts.

Akhetan, the City of Bridges, sits upon both shores of the River Ammon, as well as upon an island sitting in the middle, midway between Latir and Nalandun. Once a beautiful city surrounded by the lush green growth of papyrus and lotus plants, with great irrigated fields of crops destined for the Blessed Isle and elsewhere, Akhetan is now but a shadow of its former self, ransacked and burnt. The bridges, once grand displays of artifice, are now replaced to unstable and ill-constructed monstrosities that bear the weight of a cart only with the most ill of grace. The people, once guided by a waliyah and her aristocratic family, have descended to feuding families and street violence, with few authorities able to put things in order. The Daughter's Rebellion saw many members of Akhetan's populace flocking to her banners, as they felt they owed the Realm an even greater blood debt than they did each other, and now the City of Bridges lies in wait for the hammer of the Realm's wrath to fall upon them once again...

Nefrem, the northernmost city of Dun-lat, sits in the foothills of Pro-at, where there are significantly deep mines of salt as well as quarries full of limestone. Nefrem is isolated from the rest of Dun-lat, separated by a series of mountainous hills through which the Mother River flows, and it is here that the majority of the slaves of Dun-lat are owned. While the majority of Nefremi are not the same people as the Dun-lati of the rest of the satrapy, they are ruled by a council of Dun-lati merchants who own the majority of the slaves, including janissary troops who keep the Nefremi in line. The council knows, however, that without the presence of a Realm garrison (which has been removed for the sake of fighting the Daughter's Rebellion), they are dancing on the edge of a popular revolt even now...


The Listener Tradition

The Dun-lati hold to a relatively unusual (but still quite acceptable) permutation of the Immaculate Philosophy - specifically, they believe that if a dark thought, experience, action, or emotion is not spoken of to another, it becomes as poison and cripples the soul's ability to ascend the Coils of the Dragons. As such, they have developed a longstanding tradition of the Listener.

The Listener is a person who dons all-concealing robes, that none might know who they are, and simply sits and listens to those who come to them, then responds with compassion and understanding. While in most villages there is a designated Listener family, who sit to hear the tales of their communities (effectively negating the desired effect of their robes), the aristocratic families have long felt that slaves are much more trustworthy as Listeners, and developed their own (owned) families to whom they may speak of their troubles.

Even free Listeners are under immense societal pressure to never share what has been spoken to them when wearing the robes, while slave Listeners take their lives in their hands to even risk speaking of their owners' private secrets. While there are tales that tell of such things, they emphasize the consequences of the Listener's actions. More popularly, there are innumerable songs and tales of scandalous romances blossoming between the Listener-slaves and their owners, but all aristocrats firmly deny such tales.


The Art of Poetry

Poetry (as represented by the Performance or Linguistics abilities, somewhat arbitrarily) is widely beloved by the people of Dun-lat, and those who can use words to create beauty and cleverness are held as prestigious additions to one's family. Particularly praised is poetry that represents the values of the Immaculate Order, and a well-crafted poem that refers to those virtues is widely held as hinting at the perfection of the Immaculate Dragons themselves.


Dun-lati Names
Dun-lati names run a wide gamut of styles, with many villagers and peasants using simple "Adjective Noun," "Noun of Noun," or just plain "Noun" sorts of names. A few examples might be Honest, Laughing Rain, or Son of River. Occasionally, they will be something that is less simple, such as Radiant Dashi or the like, though this is more common in city-dwellers who are not aristocrats. Aristocratic families tend to avoid the "Adjective Noun" or "Noun of Noun" sorts of names - for those are the names of the lowest ranked sorts, and I take inspiration from Middle Persian, Hebrew words, and a touch of Arabic for the names of wealthy and elite families, myself.

That's what I have on the setting for now, and I'll add more as questions come up. But in the meantime... welcome! :D

What you can expect from me as an ST:
It occurs to me that I kind of forgot to put this in earlier. As a person, I shall endeavor to respect and have fun with my players, while nonetheless maintaining the integrity of the story (whacky hijinks are wonderful things on occasion - a game full of them isn't what I'm playing Exalted for, per se).

As an ST, I tend to put a greater focus on story than on mechanics, and so I'll be extending you guys a lot of trust in respect to how you build your characters mechanically - I'm not very good at figuring out what's balanced and what's not, but I hope to improve as we play. Because I emphasize story over mechanics, I'll be using those three rules at the beginning of Chapter 5 quite a bit, and I want to make that clear to everyone before we continue.

Finally, as someone who knows violence far more deeply than I'd like, I want to warn you that your actions will have consequences. Depending on what they are, even the best-intentioned actions may lead to your characters screwing up the lives of those they tried to save - you may end up accidentally exacerbating conflicts you tried to mediate, and creating blood feuds where before there were none. As a player, I have a tendency to prefer resolving difficulties with wits and words over swords, and this means that I tend to look to the negative consequences of using violence more deeply than I do to the negative consequences of not using violence. I want this to be clear, so that if you guys do try to fight your way through problems, when the people start turning against you because you're frankly terrifying, you know why.

All of that said, however, if you're careful, smart, and charming, you can make Creation a better place. You can improve the lives of its people, and resolve difficulties in a way that leaves them resolved, with no lingering embers to burst into flame (though new problems will always arise). That's all I have right now, but if any of this strikes you as something you'd rather not deal with, let me know and we'll see how we can work it out.

COPIED FROM BELOW:
I am inclined to say that I probably won't pick more than 5 players, because three was my last experience, but PbP should be more merciful than the chat thing I did for the other game I've run. ... With that in mind, I may focus on one or two characters at a time in a given story/scene, if the rest of the players are okay with that. (I made it bold 'cause it's important.)

I think that what I'm looking for in this case from characters is not that they're well-constructed (because I know you guys are going to make excellent characters) but how well they seem to me to reinforce themes that I would like present in my game. In order to ensure that you guys all get a fair chance at that, I'mma toss up a list of a few themes that strike me as particularly resonant with what I'm looking for here.

  • Actions have Consequences: This one's a big one. If your characters do things (as you might want to, given that it's not much of a game if you're not playing...) there will be consequences. Give a convict a second chance at life, and a sense of purpose? S/he might follow you loyally for the rest of the chronicle. Kill a soldier as you're infiltrating the satrap's palace? Well, that might earn you an enemy for life in that soldier's spouse and/or children and/or other family members. So people who will act and then see the consequences of their actions are welcome... but I imagine that that applies to all characters, almost. Just a thought, y'know.
  • Disintegration of Society in War: Dun-lat has fragmented since the Daughter's Rebellion, and House Tepet has yet to solidify its hold on the satrapy. The once-unified rebels are now fighting with one another, with the Realm, and with the satrapy's own government, and the people are kind of in trouble. As time goes on, things are likely to get worse, unless you guys act to hold society together. I'm not sure what concepts, if any, resonate with this theme, but it's there.
More of these as thoughts arise.
Current Status: Busy-ish, but back. I'll try to check in more often nowadays.

Check out my world!

Muse

  OOoh! 

  Oooh ooh ooh!  I want to play please!   May I? 

  *Grins* 

  I actualy have a concept I could pitch if it's nto too soon. 

  Her name is Chocolate.  She's a Night Caste from Kirghast, a guild acrobat and courtesean who's motivation is to destroy the drug trade--from within. 

  She doesn't spend all her time in deep cover.  She might roll in with a caravan, notice a slave revolt, and take a sabatical to get involved.  :)
A link for all of us who ever had a shouting match with our muse: http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

How to set this Muse ablaze (O/Os)

When the little angel won't appear no matter how many plum blossoms you swirl:  https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=135346.msg16474321#msg16474321 (Major update 5/10/2023)

Winter King

Pitching topics is encouraged! Please do. :D

The one thing about your concept that mildly concerns me is the name - purely on a personal level, I find it difficult to take seriously (and I'm not sure whether I was supposed to :P ). That said, I'm sure I could be persuaded if you're really invested in it.

To delve a little deeper, you may recall that the Guild has a lot of wariness when it comes to Chosen - how did she get by that, or go undiscovered as such? I'm not saying she cannot have fooled the Guild, only urging you to make it into an interesting hook for me to pull when needs be. :P

Also, while Dun-lat isn't explicitly involved in drug trade as I originally envisioned it, I can totally imagine that it's quite an influential trade here - the South has that tendency towards drug trade, and being in the South, Dun-lat does have a fair number of decadent aristocrats.
Current Status: Busy-ish, but back. I'll try to check in more often nowadays.

Check out my world!

Muse

  Oh, I have her birth name down somewhere.  :)   Chocolate is sort of a stage name. 

  I do hope the Guild has no idea that she's one of the Chosen.  Likewise, I do hope they've never connected the bandit girl who occasinaly burns their warehouses or caravans with the bouncy acrobat/courtesean from a completly diferent caravan. 

A link for all of us who ever had a shouting match with our muse: http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

How to set this Muse ablaze (O/Os)

When the little angel won't appear no matter how many plum blossoms you swirl:  https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=135346.msg16474321#msg16474321 (Major update 5/10/2023)

Winter King

Quote from: Muse on October 30, 2015, 11:03:24 AM
  Oh, I have her birth name down somewhere.  :)   Chocolate is sort of a stage name.
Fair enough. xD 

Quote from: Muse on October 30, 2015, 11:03:24 AMI do hope the Guild has no idea that she's one of the Chosen.  Likewise, I do hope they've never connected the bandit girl who occasinaly burns their warehouses or caravans with the bouncy acrobat/courtesean from a completly diferent caravan.
Just something to wonder how and why they haven't yet (not that they will, of course). I mean, did she join after being Chosen? Being Chosen tends to garner a lot of attention, and I imagine the Guild eventually gets word about certain things. That said, perhaps the ones over in Kirighast know about her, but she got away somehow before X bad things occurred such that the Guild in Dun-lat know about her.
Current Status: Busy-ish, but back. I'll try to check in more often nowadays.

Check out my world!

Vekseid

Potentially interested, depending on character arrangements and such. : )

How would you feel about a four-armed giant? (Not Grutannen, but a more reasonable take on his concept. >_> )

HairyHeretic

I'm interested in playing. I have an Eclipse caste I want to try out in 3rd ed, though he's been around here a time or two for second. You can find his previous game write up here

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=177357.msg8484212#msg8484212

He's a fairly effective con artist and master of disguise, so a bit of Night as well as Eclipse.
Hairys Likes, Dislikes, Games n Stuff

Cattle die, kinsmen die
You too one day shall die
I know a thing that will never die
Fair fame of one who has earned it.

Winter King

Quote from: Vekseid on October 30, 2015, 11:14:32 AM
Potentially interested, depending on character arrangements and such. : )

How would you feel about a four-armed giant? (Not Grutannen, but a more reasonable take on his concept. >_> )
Depends on how you expect the average denizen of Creation to react to him... though, that being said, I'm not 100% sold on how it would affect the game by virtue of being both so recognizable and so obviously supernatural. That is to say, a great number of people I can imagine would be kind of... "run away!" in their initial reactions to him, and it may mean that he has to work harder to make people accept him.

Having slowly worked through it in my head, I believe I could be convinced, but I'm not entirely certain I like the implications it would have on how I envision the game going. Also, as a side note, that image really works for a Zenith whose concept is "Avatar of the Unconquered Sun" or something like that. xD

Quote from: HairyHeretic on October 30, 2015, 01:12:49 PM
I'm interested in playing. I have an Eclipse caste I want to try out in 3rd ed, though he's been around here a time or two for second. You can find his previous game write up here
[snip]
He's a fairly effective con artist and master of disguise, so a bit of Night as well as Eclipse.

Ooh, first impressions is that if you'd be willing to make him Tepet, he would have a perfect reason to be in Dun-lat. I would say that with a few modifications, he'd fit right in, unless you're particularly attached to him being Peleps and having "died" at sea. It's entirely possible that the charioteers of the Fair Folk struck him down and enslaved him in the sands south of Dun-lat. Alternately, you might make him originally a Mnemon or Nellens, because the two closest satrapies are owned by those Houses. But he's definitely workable. :D

Current Status: Busy-ish, but back. I'll try to check in more often nowadays.

Check out my world!

ChaoticSky

I too will answer the OPs call!

I radically need to rework the concept from what i did with her in 2e, but i have a leader-zenith type that i have been itching to use properly. Shes basically a uplifting/benign cult leader type who loathes the artificial immaculate philosophy and instead extols far more practical virtues of community, pride in your craft, and facing challenges zealously. Worship is focused on the Sun, her, and whichever gods the people directly interact with, she promotes (and enforces) a relationship of mutual respect between mortals and gods; the god of the fields shall ensure that the crops are rich and bountiful, and shall receive the worship of those who rely on the field's bounty in turn.

None of that higher/lower reincarnation stuff, or silly philosophical ethics, or worshipping random gods on random days that have nothing to do with you. And definately no lies about 'anathema', she hates that with a passion. She truely feels that Creation is going to shit because of all of the layers of bullshit thats been layered on top of everything... she wants to rip it all away in favour of the simple, honest, way. And shes more than willing to do it with her bare hands. o.o

Brawler, not Melee or MA, spirit stuff, positive-leadery social stuff, adorably terrible at lying.

Considering how common the Immaculate Faith is here... could make for a interesting quest!

Otherwise, i also have a Night, which might take less work since they are already written up.... Probably tweak/convert and toss them in as a backup.

RSGAlex

For Size
Oh, hey, a place to pitch this guy. Lemme sit down and get started. I forget if I said in the origin thread but 'tis an Eclipse.

"In the far reaches of the east, where forest meets jungle, there is a great tree that blesses those that live beneath it. The shade of its leaves gives to the solders that live 'neath the thickest patches the courage to face the ravages of the fair folk, the wits to spear the bests of the jungle, so forth. The great knots of the ancient branches gave rise to great generals, the pulse of life around the trunk taught the legalists, and the secrets within the small habitable nodes inside the tree granted the rulers the divine ability to move essence.

And in this place was born a legalist whose talents far outstripped his station. He served from his young years through his youth, dutifully if not without attempts to alleviate his boredom. Then one day, among the middle ranks of the soldiers, among those who both obeyed and demanded obedience, came a gold glowing one. With fiery words, she took many who were dissatisfied, both of high stations and low stations, with her, carved a path through the hordes from beyond the world, and made her way to the greater world and to fame.

A few years later, when a guild caravan came, the bored legalist went with it, to find a place in the wider world that could both use and appreciate his talents. This is the story of the one that now goes by Tarno Quill Path."

And if you believed that was all to the story, check your coins and scripts. For while accurate, the tale completely leaves out that he'd managed to become the shadowy power that controlled the criminal side of the land, had chichaned a way towards technical legal approval of his actions, and only left because he couldn't get the station he desired in the way he desired, and didn't want to get it by the means he had.

And so a not inconsiderable amount of theft later, he was bound away on a guild caravan with an impromptu job, and a very impressive manual of sorcery and combat to really lay into. Unfortunately, as he'd found out, he'd hit a bit of a wall. Further techniques were beyond his current grasp, and what was in his grasp... was best saved for later.

Sorcery was quite showy, and right now he needed subtle. At least until he could carve out a new spot for himself. This place seemed a nice bit out of the way, and oh, dear. Perhaps a different place would have been better? No matter, the die was already cast.

And that wasn't a bad place to start. It was an old friend of his, and a way to restore his deeply depleted stores of money. And once he owned the gambling, he could work at controlling bigger things, and perhaps even offer his humble expertise to someone with power that didn't wish to bother with days upon days of pouring over legal histories.

But that was for later. The road had been long, and dry, and dusty, and if there was anything he wanted right now, it was rest and water.

The summary version - Gambler, budding sorcerer, legalist from the depths of the woods, come cheating and to cheat.

Appearance
Back home, Tarno was almost the definition of average looking. With some of his drinking friends it was a bit of a joke that he would take great care to be as quotidian as possible. Cosmetics to keep face between the rich sundark colors of the warriors and the colder, less dark faces of the ruling families. Small measuring tapes and files and picks to keep each nail looking rough while still being well kept.  Here, though, he's only exotic in the same way that his kin and his kin's kin would be. That is, an ash-bark skin tone and pure white hair. He even lacks the sharp eyes people so often associate with the men of the far east. Which admittedly does work to his favor.

Here, look at his much more attractive mother's portrait and see what he didn't inherit.

If you can recognize the source without searching... well, I dunno. I'll give you something for your knowledge.

Artifact Chat
I'm already on a roll, so why not? The might artifact I'm thinking of would serve as a sorcerous relic like the Talisman of Ten Thousand Eyes, and taking a similar shaping ritual to the last one given for the Talisman. The evocations are mostly themed around harmonizing its selection of spells with the style it teaches. In this case Snake Style and Skin of Bronze. Assume Snake Form, begin casting Skin of Bronze, and you can mix the basic benefits of Skin of Bronze (i.e. base soak and 'weapon' upgrade, but no essence powers or the benefit of it as a control spell) with Snake Style. Some of those restrictions would go away with later evocations even as they grant more tricks.

There are also lower rated versions for other mixes of styles and control spells (as well as Snake and Skin of Bronze), which actually forms the main body of artifacts that are thought of when names like Celestial Snake Manual or Fierce Tiger Scroll are bandied about. It would be a long time, but ones like Tarno's can eventually be used to create the more common copies with less direct effort on the owner's part than would normally be involved. Unless something would change drastically, it'd be a century or so before he'd be in the right kind of mindset to go about doing such things.
Signature Recreation Pending....

Downloading Drivers 1 of @*.

Please wait warmly.

HairyHeretic

Quote from: Winter King on October 30, 2015, 02:19:06 PM
Ooh, first impressions is that if you'd be willing to make him Tepet, he would have a perfect reason to be in Dun-lat. I would say that with a few modifications, he'd fit right in, unless you're particularly attached to him being Peleps and having "died" at sea. It's entirely possible that the charioteers of the Fair Folk struck him down and enslaved him in the sands south of Dun-lat. Alternately, you might make him originally a Mnemon or Nellens, because the two closest satrapies are owned by those Houses. But he's definitely workable. :D

Peleps control the Realm navy, and their unofficial privateers as well, so that is what fit the background best when I wrote it up. He's travelled a fair bit though .. when one place gets too hot, he simply assumes a new identity and moves somewhere else til the heat has died down again. I normally base him out of Nexus, as he's built up a bit of a powebase there over the years. He's travelled to the South and East before though, so it's easy enough to have him in Dun-lat for reasons of his own.
Hairys Likes, Dislikes, Games n Stuff

Cattle die, kinsmen die
You too one day shall die
I know a thing that will never die
Fair fame of one who has earned it.

Winter King

Quote from: ChaoticSky on October 30, 2015, 04:09:15 PM
I too will answer the OPs call!

I radically need to rework the concept from what i did with her in 2e, but i have a leader-zenith type that i have been itching to use properly. Shes basically a uplifting/benign cult leader type who loathes the artificial immaculate philosophy and instead extols far more practical virtues of community, pride in your craft, and facing challenges zealously. Worship is focused on the Sun, her, and whichever gods the people directly interact with, she promotes (and enforces) a relationship of mutual respect between mortals and gods; the god of the fields shall ensure that the crops are rich and bountiful, and shall receive the worship of those who rely on the field's bounty in turn.

None of that higher/lower reincarnation stuff, or silly philosophical ethics, or worshipping random gods on random days that have nothing to do with you. And definately no lies about 'anathema', she hates that with a passion. She truely feels that Creation is going to shit because of all of the layers of bullshit thats been layered on top of everything... she wants to rip it all away in favour of the simple, honest, way. And shes more than willing to do it with her bare hands. o.o

Brawler, not Melee or MA, spirit stuff, positive-leadery social stuff, adorably terrible at lying.

Considering how common the Immaculate Faith is here... could make for a interesting quest!

Otherwise, i also have a Night, which might take less work since they are already written up.... Probably tweak/convert and toss them in as a backup.
It's definitely possible to play such a character. My questions lie now in who she is - where does she come from? Why does she hate the lies of the Immaculates, and what did it take for her to realize that they were lies? Is she truly so innocent as to believe that everything will work out if the truth comes out?

Also, as a warning, if you play this Zenith, she will suffer. A lot. The way you have described her makes her perfect for me to demonstrate how good intentions do not always equal excellent results. She may cause more harm than good if she tries to put her thoughts into effect as directly as she seems to want... but she has incredible potential for character development, and I love that.

Quote from: RSGAlex on October 30, 2015, 04:14:37 PM
For Size
Oh, hey, a place to pitch this guy. Lemme sit down and get started.

[snip]

Need to put in the rest when I get back.
Ooh, I like where this is going. I'll respond when it's done, though.

Quote from: HairyHeretic on October 30, 2015, 04:19:13 PM
Peleps control the Realm navy, and their unofficial privateers as well, so that is what fit the background best when I wrote it up. He's travelled a fair bit though .. when one place gets too hot, he simply assumes a new identity and moves somewhere else til the heat has died down again. I normally base him out of Nexus, as he's built up a bit of a powebase there over the years. He's travelled to the South and East before though, so it's easy enough to have him in Dun-lat for reasons of his own.
I understand. I admit that I'm kind of leery of bringing him in as he stands - that is, as someone who has been to the Scavenger Lands and perhaps has a power base there, because there's so much there that will be irrelevant to our chronicle. I think there's something of a risk in attempting to use old characters in new games, and it's the risk that their original story might override ones that make more sense (by which I mean that I can hang more plot hooks off of it) for our chronicle. I mean, I totally understand the attachment we have to old characters, but I'm not sure that that means it's wise to bring them into new games, especially across editions and space. I'm not saying no, mind! I just am... cautious.
Current Status: Busy-ish, but back. I'll try to check in more often nowadays.

Check out my world!

HairyHeretic

Quote from: Winter King on October 30, 2015, 05:04:32 PM
I understand. I admit that I'm kind of leery of bringing him in as he stands - that is, as someone who has been to the Scavenger Lands and perhaps has a power base there, because there's so much there that will be irrelevant to our chronicle. I think there's something of a risk in attempting to use old characters in new games, and it's the risk that their original story might override ones that make more sense (by which I mean that I can hang more plot hooks off of it) for our chronicle. I mean, I totally understand the attachment we have to old characters, but I'm not sure that that means it's wise to bring them into new games, especially across editions and space. I'm not saying no, mind! I just am... cautious.

Easy enough to work around, I can still keep the basic concept intact. The powerbase was built in a pen and paper game in 1st edition, so in this one it simply hasn't happened :)
Hairys Likes, Dislikes, Games n Stuff

Cattle die, kinsmen die
You too one day shall die
I know a thing that will never die
Fair fame of one who has earned it.

RSGAlex

And I think I've got most of it done. May come back for rewording stuff and hinting at implications and that kind of stuff. In fact, I can guarantee it. But it's all going to be matters of wording and innuendo and not denotation, so consider it complete.
Signature Recreation Pending....

Downloading Drivers 1 of @*.

Please wait warmly.

Vekseid

Quote from: Winter King on October 30, 2015, 02:19:06 PM
Depends on how you expect the average denizen of Creation to react to him... though, that being said, I'm not 100% sold on how it would affect the game by virtue of being both so recognizable and so obviously supernatural. That is to say, a great number of people I can imagine would be kind of... "run away!" in their initial reactions to him, and it may mean that he has to work harder to make people accept him.

Having slowly worked through it in my head, I believe I could be convinced, but I'm not entirely certain I like the implications it would have on how I envision the game going. Also, as a side note, that image really works for a Zenith whose concept is "Avatar of the Unconquered Sun" or something like that. xD

Hmm. That rules out a Dawn, for certain. Chaoticsky seems to have a good Zenith concept.

Craft-based Twilight. He would be a recent arrival - clearly an outsider, used to being unwelcome and may not even speak a local language. His features are nearly as chiseled as his creations. His motions are calm, slow and deliberate, and while distant or aloof, he never shows a hint of anger. When attacked outside his home, he withdraws. Most probably don't attack him in his home.

(Speaking of the Satrapy proper, one city every few hundred miles along a river? >_> Could add more cities, maybe, or shorten the length?)

He would have arrived at the City of Bridges late in the rebellion or perhaps shortly after, and, seeing the state of the city, just begins repairing things. Hauling in enormous chunks of stone on his shoulder, possibly hiding his lower arms at least initially. He brings them to various damaged structures and begins chiseling them into the exact shape needed to set them. After awhile, people notice the four arms, as he is often chiseling in two places at once.

May need to give him a retainer to help him communicate and trade for what he needs, though. I can expand further if you are interested.

Thufir Hawat

Does it have space for another one? Say, a Dawn Caste martial artist that wants to solve problems without killing, though not necessarily without fighting :P?
Based on your warning in the OP about violence, I hope you'd see where I'm going with this >:)!

Another option I have is a Zenith who takes it seriously to punish murderers. He uses being Zenith as a way to ensure they'd know exactly how the victims felt, because the Zenith Anima allows him to ;D!
He would, in fact, be quite uninterested in preaching, at least at the start.
Join The System Gamers List
Request thread 1 Request thread 2
Request thread 3
ONs and OFFs
"Love is a negative form of hatred." - Roger Zelazny, This Immortal

A&A thread!

ChaoticSky

Quote from: Winter King on October 30, 2015, 05:04:32 PM
It's definitely possible to play such a character. My questions lie now in who she is - where does she come from? Why does she hate the lies of the Immaculates, and what did it take for her to realize that they were lies? Is she truly so innocent as to believe that everything will work out if the truth comes out?

Also, as a warning, if you play this Zenith, she will suffer. A lot. The way you have described her makes her perfect for me to demonstrate how good intentions do not always equal excellent results. She may cause more harm than good if she tries to put her thoughts into effect as directly as she seems to want... but she has incredible potential for character development, and I love that.
The answers to those will come in the full bio ~_^

Not so much innocent (rather, she is, but;) she's of the mind that the truth should come out regardless, that if the truth can destroy a thing, then it should, and what grows out of that will be better than the old thing that was based on a lie. And yes, im well aware of the irony involved, considering how the First Age got towards the end and whos fault that was >.>

*snerk* now your just trying to tempt me~ I'm totally okay with that. And yea... shes pretty direct, she exalted as a Zenith for a reason, shes as subtle as the sun in your eyes!

...Not stupidly so mind you, shes not a walking parody, but she does love occam's razor.

AndyZ

Going to keep an eye on this.  What all has been claimed so far?
It's all good, and it's all in fun.  Now get in the pit and try to love someone.

Ons/Offs   -  My schedule and A/As   -    My Avatars

If I've owed you a post for at least a week, poke me.

Winter King

Quote from: HairyHeretic on October 30, 2015, 05:24:31 PM
Easy enough to work around, I can still keep the basic concept intact. The powerbase was built in a pen and paper game in 1st edition, so in this one it simply hasn't happened :)
Fair enough. Why would he come to Dun-lat? Does he have some investment in businesses that have their sources in the South? Does he hate House Tepet for some reason? Maybe he feels that the Tepet are weak and thus going to their satrapies might make for a good chance to get power/influence/money/whatever it is he wants, or he's being pursued? Perhaps he washed ashore in Harborhead rather than the Scavenger Lands, which could tie to Muse's character, if both of you would like. Just some things to think about, you know?

Oh! As he was once a sailor, I have to ask - knowing that sail is unlikely to come into play in Dun-lat for a (very) long time, as the nearest sea is still some hundred miles to the north of Neferet, so there are mainly only river barges in the area.

Quote from: RSGAlex on October 30, 2015, 06:04:31 PM
And I think I've got most of it done. May come back for rewording stuff and hinting at implications and that kind of stuff. In fact, I can guarantee it. But it's all going to be matters of wording and innuendo and not denotation, so consider it complete.
Okay, I like what you've got, but I would love to see more details (details are an ST's joy, because it means I can bring in details as best I can from your character's background). I'm not in a state of mind at eight in the morning to judge the affects your sorcerous initiation would have on Snake Style and vice versa, so I cannot comment there, but I am interested... Hm. I just noticed that he's an Eclipse. Interesting... Hm. See, while I know it's totally unfair, there is some part of me that hopes for a perfect circle, because fun, but I'll resist my temptation there for now.

Quote from: Vekseid on October 30, 2015, 06:25:58 PM
Hmm. That rules out a Dawn, for certain. Chaoticsky seems to have a good Zenith concept.

Craft-based Twilight. He would be a recent arrival - clearly an outsider, used to being unwelcome and may not even speak a local language. His features are nearly as chiseled as his creations. His motions are calm, slow and deliberate, and while distant or aloof, he never shows a hint of anger. When attacked outside his home, he withdraws. Most probably don't attack him in his home.

[snipped, I'll put it down below]

He would have arrived at the City of Bridges late in the rebellion or perhaps shortly after, and, seeing the state of the city, just begins repairing things. Hauling in enormous chunks of stone on his shoulder, possibly hiding his lower arms at least initially. He brings them to various damaged structures and begins chiseling them into the exact shape needed to set them. After awhile, people notice the four arms, as he is often chiseling in two places at once.

May need to give him a retainer to help him communicate and trade for what he needs, though. I can expand further if you are interested.
I do like this concept. I like this concept a great deal. Which rebellion were you thinking of? The more recent, I imagine, but I'd love to be clear on this. Um, anyways, Akhetan is based in no small amount upon Mecca prior to the rise of Islam, so without a family/tribe, he'd be quite the outcast - as well as regularly being cheated by merchants, attacked by thieves, etc. People without families to back them up in Akhetan tend to get dumped in the river because it's just that sort of place nowadays. Why didn't he end up there? Where would he come from? Why would he have four arms? How did he earn his (theoretical) retainer's loyalty?

Quote from: Vekseid on October 30, 2015, 06:25:58 PM(Speaking of the Satrapy proper, one city every few hundred miles along a river? >_> Could add more cities, maybe, or shorten the length?)
I'll shorten it, yeah. I only put in a few cities because I feel like most satrapies aren't going to have that many - just based on the kind of Bronze Age/Iron Age basis that Creation has.

Quote from: Thufir Hawat on October 30, 2015, 06:37:32 PM
Does it have space for another one? Say, a Dawn Caste martial artist that wants to solve problems without killing, though not necessarily without fighting :P?
Based on your warning in the OP about violence, I hope you'd see where I'm going with this >:)!

Another option I have is a Zenith who takes it seriously to punish murderers. He uses being Zenith as a way to ensure they'd know exactly how the victims felt, because the Zenith Anima allows him to ;D!
He would, in fact, be quite uninterested in preaching, at least at the start.
I have to say, I do like the idea of the Dawn - in part because I didn't know if anyone who read the stuff I wrote about the violence would dare chose a caste that is sort of defined thereby. I encourage you to choose that, in fact. As for room... well, see (far) below. Also, same sorts of questions, but again, see (far) below.

Quote from: ChaoticSky on October 30, 2015, 09:00:53 PM
The answers to those will come in the full bio ~_^

Not so much innocent (rather, she is, but;) she's of the mind that the truth should come out regardless, that if the truth can destroy a thing, then it should, and what grows out of that will be better than the old thing that was based on a lie. And yes, im well aware of the irony involved, considering how the First Age got towards the end and whos fault that was >.>

*snerk* now your just trying to tempt me~ I'm totally okay with that. And yea... shes pretty direct, she exalted as a Zenith for a reason, shes as subtle as the sun in your eyes!

...Not stupidly so mind you, shes not a walking parody, but she does love occam's razor.
Ooh, good. I just didn't want you coming into this as... faithful in the truth of things as she is, because I get the feeling she's going to end up disappointed. Often. I mean, I don't know if anyone will dare throw rocks at her, but they'll definitely not be quite so pleased by her calling what many of them have dedicated their lives to - their children's lives to is some enormous lie. Especially since the hierarchy is the hope they have for the future - if they do their duties well, maybe they, too will become Dragon-Blooded eventually.

Quote from: AndyZ on October 31, 2015, 12:11:23 AM
Going to keep an eye on this.  What all has been claimed so far?
Okay! Let's see if I can make up a list.

Muse - Night caste Dancer/Courtesan who seeks to end the drug trade from within the Guild.
Vekseid - Twilight caste crafter, with four arms and a steady nature.
HairyHeretic - Eclipse caste ex-Dynast sailor who's become something of a larcenous con-man, if I understand correctly.
ChaoticSky - Zenith caste preacher who values honesty above all else, by the looks.
RSGAlex - Eclipse caste sorcerer-legalist who's also likely a martial artist and seems to be poking his fingers into crime.
Thufir Hawat - Dawn caste fighter who would rather not kill?

That seems to be it. All that said, however, I do have some concerns as to whether I can handle six or seven players, as this is my second time STing/GMing ever, and my first time doing so for Exalted 3e (obviously). While I'm reluctant to kick anyone out who wants to play, I do think that there are going to be at least two other games going on, so I'm sure that those who don't get in here will get into at least one of the other two, if not both. At any rate, if anyone's willing to reduce my burden as an ST, I would appreciate it.

Secondly, there is some amount of overlap between characters, and while I appreciate overlap is good in some places, there're three characters at this point who kind of appear to be involved in some way with crime and such, and while that's wonderful for a game about criminals and taking over the underworld or the like, that was not what I'd planned for this particular chronicle to be about. Now, that's not to say you can't do it, only that it was not the intended focus of the game. Um. There was something else... Eh, I forget, but feel free to bounce thoughts off me as to what I've written above. I'm just a tad concerned, and I don't want to create any hard feelings between us. :(

Finally, I'm going to assemble some questions that I'd love for you guys to think about for your characters. You don't need to answer all of them, necessarily, but thinking about them would help both you to define your characters and their intimacies, as well as help me figure out how I can involve your intimacies in the chronicle ahead.

Questions, Spoilered for size of Post


  • Where does your character come from? What direction do they originate in, and how does that shape who they are today?
  • What was your character's family like? Do they have good relationships with any of them? Are any of them even remotely in the local area, or are they all fairly distant?
  • How does your character feel about the Realm? Their presence in the Threshold?
  • How does your character regard the gods?
  • Has your character had any lovers or friends that they have lost? That they haven't?
Just stuff like that. I'll get more specific with certain characters and offer suggestions when I can, but I just wanted to jumpstart the thought processes.

... Eesh. I totally didn't expect to write that much.
Current Status: Busy-ish, but back. I'll try to check in more often nowadays.

Check out my world!

Thufir Hawat

Quote from: Winter King on October 31, 2015, 07:30:17 AM
I have to say, I do like the idea of the Dawn - in part because I didn't know if anyone who read the stuff I wrote about the violence would dare chose a caste that is sort of defined thereby. I encourage you to choose that, in fact. As for room... well, see (far) below. Also, same sorts of questions, but again, see (far) below.
I tend to hammer the "violence has a price" thing into my players as well. It's what I would expect :P.

So I'm definitely sticking with the Dawn!

QuoteMuse - Night caste Dancer/Courtesan who seeks to end the drug trade from within the Guild.
Vekseid - Twilight caste crafter, with four arms and a steady nature.
HairyHeretic - Eclipse caste ex-Dynast sailor who's become something of a larcenous con-man, if I understand correctly.
ChaoticSky - Zenith caste preacher who values honesty above all else, by the looks.
RSGAlex - Eclipse caste sorcerer-legalist who's also likely a martial artist and seems to be poking his fingers into crime.
Thufir Hawat - Dawn caste fighter who would rather not kill
Yay! That means I'm in, right?
Maybe.

QuoteThat seems to be it. All that said, however, I do have some concerns as to whether I can handle six or seven players, as this is my second time STing/GMing ever, and my first time doing so for Exalted 3e (obviously). While I'm reluctant to kick anyone out who wants to play, I do think that there are going to be at least two other games going on, so I'm sure that those who don't get in here will get into at least one of the other two, if not both. At any rate, if anyone's willing to reduce my burden as an ST, I would appreciate it.
Eh, that's why I asked if there's still room. Wary not, you wouldn't be "kicking me out"...that would be the case if we had begun the game. But telling me there's not enough room isn't the same.
Just consider it carefully how many PCs you want to run for at once...these are Exalted PCs, it's harder. I know that. Personally, my limit at this power level in other games is 4 PCs, and I prefer 2 or 3 for a more manageable game (though I might start with up to 6 and let the PbP attrition rate take care of the numbers >:)).

So, once you set your limit, which you should do without considering who wants to play, announce it here. If it's less than six, someone will have to drop, with whatever procedure for picking applicants.
In that case, I'd be fine if you end up deciding that my Dawn isn't the one you want the most in that game. Better no game for me, than the GM burning out due to overload...because then nobody gets to play, me included.


QuoteSecondly, there is some amount of overlap between characters, and while I appreciate overlap is good in some places, there're three characters at this point who kind of appear to be involved in some way with crime and such, and while that's wonderful for a game about criminals and taking over the underworld or the like, that was not what I'd planned for this particular chronicle to be about. Now, that's not to say you can't do it, only that it was not the intended focus of the game. Um. There was something else... Eh, I forget, but feel free to bounce thoughts off me as to what I've written above. I'm just a tad concerned, and I don't want to create any hard feelings between us. :(
My character isn't one of those where Larceny is important, but I'd like to point out that Solars in Immaculate Land are criminals by existing.
We'd have to have some interaction with other criminals, I suspect.

QuoteFinally, I'm going to assemble some questions that I'd love for you guys to think about for your characters. You don't need to answer all of them, necessarily, but thinking about them would help both you to define your characters and their intimacies, as well as help me figure out how I can involve your intimacies in the chronicle ahead.

Questions, Spoilered for size of Post


  • Where does your character come from? What direction do they originate in, and how does that shape who they are today?
  • What was your character's family like? Do they have good relationships with any of them? Are any of them even remotely in the local area, or are they all fairly distant?
  • How does your character feel about the Realm? Their presence in the Threshold?
  • How does your character regard the gods?
  • Has your character had any lovers or friends that they have lost? That they haven't?
Just stuff like that. I'll get more specific with certain characters and offer suggestions when I can, but I just wanted to jumpstart the thought processes.
Answers


  • He comes from Nexus, his parents are from different directions. Curiously, seeing this place where everything is for sale, made him learn adamantly one thing (Defining Principle: Some Things Are Not For Sale).
  • His family was a good one. His father was an artist of some repute taught him his style and when to use it, how to be a man with principles, and to appreciate beauty. His mother taught him to talk with people instead of fighting, to hide and the basics of surviving without people. What else would you expect of a God-Blooded mom?
  • As a fact of life. He doesn't see a point in fighting against the sun rising, either...that might change now that he's Exalted, though. One thing he appreciates: The Immaculate Faith. And that is, in his book, a good thing, as it restrains the gods...he left Nexus after clashing with a devotee to a local god, which made the god side with the devotee. He tried to fight them in the middle of the god's power center. You can guess how this would have ended, had he not Exalted there and then (and left no witnesses in the primary surge of power).
  • As his mother's kin! That is, uncles and aunties...sometimes, though, these are the bad kinds of uncles and aunties. He has already taken a drunk (human) uncle out of a family gathering before, he might have to do that again.
  • Lost lovers and friends - most of them, since he's not a native, because they remained in Nexus. He shall always remember Dalia's black eyes... but they weren't meant to be together: she was into his father's primary art. He was into the secondary one. Sometimes that makes him sad.
    Current lovers and friends - he does, indeed, have a current lover. She's a girl from a Listener family in a village who ran to a bigger city, but they're not exactly that close, yet.
    Other than her, he's close to his landlady, which is just cute, and to an Immaculate monk.
    They practice Crane Style together - the Immaculate finds his version funny, because it's "Street Crane" vs. "Monastery Crane", and they talk about gods and Exalted, violence and techniques, on night-long discussions with the occasional glass of wine, meat, and rice (although the Immaculate usually refuses to partake in anything but the rice).
  • Something you didn't ask about, but I thought I should inform you: the PC can be ready within a day...admittedly being a Dawn is a large advantage here. Instead of adding charms from 26 abilities, I'm just going to pick advantages, attributes, abilities, and a total of 5 Charms. It's easier when 10 of your starting Charms are just "Crane Style, Supernal"!

Quote... Eesh. I totally didn't expect to write that much.
I'm actually impressed with the number of multiquotes you did ;D!
Join The System Gamers List
Request thread 1 Request thread 2
Request thread 3
ONs and OFFs
"Love is a negative form of hatred." - Roger Zelazny, This Immortal

A&A thread!

Winter King

Quote from: Thufir Hawat on October 31, 2015, 11:04:58 AM
I tend to hammer the "violence has a price" thing into my players as well. It's what I would expect :P.

So I'm definitely sticking with the Dawn!
It's one reason why I'd like to include you, man. :D I think that it's a pretty big thing I like doing in my games.

Quote from: Thufir Hawat on October 31, 2015, 11:04:58 AM
Yay! That means I'm in, right?
Maybe.
Eh, that's why I asked if there's still room. Wary not, you wouldn't be "kicking me out"...that would be the case if we had begun the game. But telling me there's not enough room isn't the same.
Just consider it carefully how many PCs you want to run for at once...these are Exalted PCs, it's harder. I know that. Personally, my limit at this power level in other games is 4 PCs, and I prefer 2 or 3 for a more manageable game (though I might start with up to 6 and let the PbP attrition rate take care of the numbers >:)).

So, once you set your limit, which you should do without considering who wants to play, announce it here. If it's less than six, someone will have to drop, with whatever procedure for picking applicants.
In that case, I'd be fine if you end up deciding that my Dawn isn't the one you want the most in that game. Better no game for me, than the GM burning out due to overload...because then nobody gets to play, me included.
An excellent point. I am inclined to say that I probably won't pick more than 5 players, because three was my last experience, but PbP should be more merciful than the chat thing I did for the other game I've run. I mean, I don't know how much the power level has to do with my own difficulty running games, but rather my own desire to bring out the characters backstories and explore things that matter to them in depth. With that in mind, I may focus on one or two characters at a time in a given story/scene, if the rest of the players are okay with that. (I made it bold 'cause it's important.)

Quote from: Thufir Hawat on October 31, 2015, 11:04:58 AMMy character isn't one of those where Larceny is important, but I'd like to point out that Solars in Immaculate Land are criminals by existing.
We'd have to have some interaction with other criminals, I suspect.
Oh, absolutely. I was just expressing concern over the mild over focus - I don't want people feeling like they can't shine in X category because Y other character does X just as well/better than they do. It may be a mistaken concern, but there ya go.

Quote from: Thufir Hawat on October 31, 2015, 11:04:58 AM
[Answers Snipped]
Noted. :D
Quote from: Thufir Hawat on October 31, 2015, 11:04:58 AMI'm actually impressed with the number of multiquotes you did ;D!
Me too.
Current Status: Busy-ish, but back. I'll try to check in more often nowadays.

Check out my world!

AndyZ

Well, I'd love to play, but I understand if you have enough people as is.

If things get attritioned down enough that you want another, I'm easy to reach.
It's all good, and it's all in fun.  Now get in the pit and try to love someone.

Ons/Offs   -  My schedule and A/As   -    My Avatars

If I've owed you a post for at least a week, poke me.

Winter King

Quote from: AndyZ on October 31, 2015, 02:44:37 PM
Well, I'd love to play, but I understand if you have enough people as is.

If things get attritioned down enough that you want another, I'm easy to reach.
I'm fairly sure that attrition is a thing. I'll definitely reach out to you, if/when it happens.
Current Status: Busy-ish, but back. I'll try to check in more often nowadays.

Check out my world!

RSGAlex

Quote from: Winter King on October 31, 2015, 07:30:17 AM
Okay, I like what you've got, but I would love to see more details (details are an ST's joy, because it means I can bring in details as best I can from your character's background). I'm not in a state of mind at eight in the morning to judge the affects your sorcerous initiation would have on Snake Style and vice versa, so I cannot comment there, but I am interested... Hm. I just noticed that he's an Eclipse. Interesting... Hm. See, while I know it's totally unfair, there is some part of me that hopes for a perfect circle, because fun, but I'll resist my temptation there for now.


Questions, Spoilered for size of Post


  • Where does your character come from? What direction do they originate in, and how does that shape who they are today?
  • What was your character's family like? Do they have good relationships with any of them? Are any of them even remotely in the local area, or are they all fairly distant?
  • How does your character feel about the Realm? Their presence in the Threshold?
  • How does your character regard the gods?
  • Has your character had any lovers or friends that they have lost? That they haven't?
Just stuff like that. I'll get more specific with certain characters and offer suggestions when I can, but I just wanted to jumpstart the thought processes.

... Eesh. I totally didn't expect to write that much.

Well, as I was planning the point spread, the power to mix the two would be an evocation of the artifact's. (Also had in mind a second shaping ritual but that can definitely wait.) The up side is that I can make some changes, swap a few things around, and keep the same idea or make some different changes and merely be a very crooked bureaucrat and gambler who decided that being the kingfish of a small pond wasn't enough and so decided to jump into a much bigger one.

Now, let's get to that list.
Also Size


  • The official Guild transliteration from Foresttongue to Riverspeak is 'The Land of Living Miracle Tree", which is certainly poetic and greed inspiring, despite being a bit overly literal. It lays in the southern bits of the East, just slightly before the point where one would be comfortable saying that it is definitely the Southeast. To anyone that can see, it marks him as a foreigner. To anyone that can hear, he sounds like a tribesman. And to those that truck with signs and portents and gods, his oaths and reflexes mark him as a strange one, saying prayers equally to the Dragon of Wood, spirits of trees and growth, but most importantly it shows up in his treatment of the law. The law is like a tree branch, to be often altered for better support, to be bent if a minor impediment, but to be (seen) deliberately (being) broken as little as possible.
  • Of his branch of the Quill Path, Tarno was the first son (but not the oldest as that went to a one-day-older cousin), and certainly he stood out as one that was likely to cause some issues for the Sword-Star Way families to which his part of the Quill Path family belonged. Too talented to not promote in some way, unwilling to become the utterly subordinate son or husband of any of the Way families, and too involved in the secretive affairs of both parts of the families to marry to an outside family. And other than a cousin (mother's younger sister's side) and some even less close relatives (a few not even part of the Quill Path anymore!) that followed the Zenith woman, he feels quite confidant that all of them are very, very distant.
  • While the innate hostility of the Realm to people of his persuasion does sour Tarno on the Realm a little, and the barriers between the castes of the Realm and those of home grate a little (but only a little, since becoming one of the Chosen he's quite appreciative of the distance between even the best of mortals and the greenest of the Chosen), he cares more for the opportunities that the Realm, its presence in Dun-Lap or Lat, or Lak, and the possible greater opportunities provided by forces leaving or concentrating, or just choosing to cut ties has Tarno giddy with ideas. As for the Threshold, well, from what he knows, that's just an empire's business as usual, and if the fair folk were to have left en-masse, isn't that was the Sword-Star Way families would have wished to make of their home?
  • The gods (and elementals, esp. water and wood) are for worshiping, definitely in proportion to how they'll help. Those associated or good for trees are always held in high regard, and Tarno often swears by the name of the Immaculate Dragon of Wood. Many, many, many years ago an Immaculate Priest came by and preached, and, well, the way that people living in a divine (if insensate) tree took to a spirit of Wood was unsurprising.
  • While Tarno had a few ... close friends, some of the same station, some below but that he was often dealing with in an official position, that others might call lovers, but he wouldn't. Early on, it looked like it might hurt his chances, and later on, well, he was just a bit bitter and dissatisfied. Or perhaps it's just prevarication on his part. After all, he decided to leave them all behind when he vanished like a thief in the night.
Signature Recreation Pending....

Downloading Drivers 1 of @*.

Please wait warmly.

Winter King

Quote from: RSGAlex on October 31, 2015, 03:04:43 PM
Well, as I was planning the point spread, the power to mix the two would be an evocation of the artifact's. (Also had in mind a second shaping ritual but that can definitely wait.) The up side is that I can make some changes, swap a few things around, and keep the same idea or make some different changes and merely be a very crooked bureaucrat and gambler who decided that being the kingfish of a small pond wasn't enough and so decided to jump into a much bigger one.

Now, let's get to that list.
[Snipped + Noted]

Oh, see, now I'm beginning to understand who he is. It wasn't entirely clear to my bleary mind in the early morning. So, what is he seeking in Dun-lat? It seems like power, or influence? Hm, how does his caste/path come into who he is? That is, how do you see it affecting him in this new setting? Also, there's a lot of things that are implied there that I'm not entirely certain I'm grasping, but I'm not sure how relevant it is to the chronicle we'll be looking at.

How would you describe Tarno? That is, what drives him onwards? How does he define himself?

Quote from: Thufir Hawat on October 31, 2015, 11:04:58 AM
Answers


  • He comes from Nexus, his parents are from different directions. Curiously, seeing this place where everything is for sale, made him learn adamantly one thing (Defining Principle: Some Things Are Not For Sale).
  • His family was a good one. His father was an artist of some repute taught him his style and when to use it, how to be a man with principles, and to appreciate beauty. His mother taught him to talk with people instead of fighting, to hide and the basics of surviving without people. What else would you expect of a God-Blooded mom?
  • As a fact of life. He doesn't see a point in fighting against the sun rising, either...that might change now that he's Exalted, though. One thing he appreciates: The Immaculate Faith. And that is, in his book, a good thing, as it restrains the gods...he left Nexus after clashing with a devotee to a local god, which made the god side with the devotee. He tried to fight them in the middle of the god's power center. You can guess how this would have ended, had he not Exalted there and then (and left no witnesses in the primary surge of power).
  • As his mother's kin! That is, uncles and aunties...sometimes, though, these are the bad kinds of uncles and aunties. He has already taken a drunk (human) uncle out of a family gathering before, he might have to do that again.
  • Lost lovers and friends - most of them, since he's not a native, because they remained in Nexus. He shall always remember Dalia's black eyes... but they weren't meant to be together: she was into his father's primary art. He was into the secondary one. Sometimes that makes him sad.
    Current lovers and friends - he does, indeed, have a current lover. She's a girl from a Listener family in a village who ran to a bigger city, but they're not exactly that close, yet.
    Other than her, he's close to his landlady, which is just cute, and to an Immaculate monk.
    They practice Crane Style together - the Immaculate finds his version funny, because it's "Street Crane" vs. "Monastery Crane", and they talk about gods and Exalted, violence and techniques, on night-long discussions with the occasional glass of wine, meat, and rice (although the Immaculate usually refuses to partake in anything but the rice).
  • Something you didn't ask about, but I thought I should inform you: the PC can be ready within a day...admittedly being a Dawn is a large advantage here. Instead of adding charms from 26 abilities, I'm just going to pick advantages, attributes, abilities, and a total of 5 Charms. It's easier when 10 of your starting Charms are just "Crane Style, Supernal"!
It occurred to me that, now that I am being more coherent with my thoughts, I should pry out some more construction from you. Hm, does your Dawn appreciate the Immaculate Cult or the Immaculate faith? The former is the more widespread group who see the Scarlet Empress as the idealized being of Immaculate Enlightenment and are led by the Mouth of Peace on the Blessed Isle, while the latter is focussed more on the Scavenger Lands and has much less power because it's center is in Lookshy - it also doesn't support the Realm in any way, instead claiming that all people can emulate the Dragons in this life. I would think the latter, but I want to confirm. How does he feel about his new status as Anathema, if he feels positively towards the Immaculate faith? Does it bother him, that he's supposedly possessed by the long-dead ghost of a sorcerer who made pacts with the Yozis to steal the power of the Sun? Or does he feel that the Immaculate faith is... mistaken?
Current Status: Busy-ish, but back. I'll try to check in more often nowadays.

Check out my world!