[Tavern] Tower's Shard 2010

[stonegod]

[sblock=OOC]Re Warforged: ryryguy and KD are right: They are living creatures, life given to artificial creations. They have emotions and feel pain, though they may not be very good with them or have explored them much.

The key thing to remember is that while robots/androids/cyborgs/golems explore some of the same narrative space, the means by which they do so are very different and the consequences different (an sentient AI that emulates emotions is different from a mass of wood and stone given life in a setting where souls are known to be real). I just want to avoid anachronism in the setting.

Re Warforged and Marks: Anything can have a mark. They are just rare outside of the appropriately marked races. Which means every PC has them. [/sblock]

 

[evilbob]

[sblock=marks]Edit: Ok nevermind; stonegod has clarified the rule.[/sblock]

 

[stonegod]

[sblock=Marks]Just to be clear: NPCs should never have marks they shouldn't have. Only PCs as they can be special according to prophesy.[/sblock]

 

[evilbob]

"Boastful? To what end would I exaggerate my abilities? How would misinformation assist allied units?" Unit 16 asks, mostly to himself.

"And this is... unusual?" The wheels again are spinning in Unit 16's head. He regards the young half-orc carefully.

"Not in here it isn't..." Brews mutters under his breath. "But yes, those are not common, and are occasionally the source of some... tension. You may want to re-equip your shield if we ever get another customer."

"As a deception?"

"More of a lack of advertising," Brews advises. This last point clearly didn't quite land, but Unit 16 adjusts his shield to make it easy to pick up quickly.

"This mark appeared during the blank time," Unit 16 says to the half-orc. "My memory has no information as to its manifestation. I cannot render a response." Unit 16 looks pensive for a moment. "So: how did you acquire yours?"

Brews drops another glass.

"But, I am to ask a question to cause her to talk about herself because everyone likes to talk about themselves, am I not?"

[sblock=Mezegis]I know yours is hidden; I was thinking of this more of a lucky insight roll based on your sudden interest. (Unit 16's completely unpracticed with conversation, but even he can "read" people; it's useful in battle.) If you'd prefer it's off-limits, we can retcon. Or deflect! [/sblock]

 

[Mezegis]

[sblock=Evilbob]with a passive insight of 12, I'm gonna ask you to toss out a roll. If you beat a 14 I'll go with that I am doing something to clue you in, otherwise I'll deflect. I'd roll something myself, but I'm at work and can't access the rollers. [/sblock]

 

[evilbob]

[sblock=Mezegis]Fair enough! A battle of the untrained off-skills!

Ha! A lucky roll indeed! (With Ryda's bluff of 1 she'd need a natural 20 to beat that, right?)[/sblock]

 

[Mezegis]

At Unit 16’s question regarding her dragonmark, Ryda’s eyes go wide and flicker down to her thigh, where she realizes she has unconsciously been tracing her own mark while discussing his. I… I got mine while trying to save my own life. I was much younger then, and my brother was going out on his first training mission to exercise his own mark. We were ambushed by Khyber scum. I was so young, but those mongrels didn’t care, they tried to run me through, and I thought I was dead for sure, until my mark flared and helped me escape. Like you, the Prophesy decreed that then was not my time, but as a freak, I couldn’t stay where I was.

Ryda’s mouth continues for a second, but no sound comes out as her brain processes what she just said to nearly a perfect stranger. I would prefer if the knowledge of this was not shared. You stay alive by having an Ace up your sleeve, and that is one of mine.

 

[evilbob]

"Another deception, then? Only this one I will keep of my own accord!" Unit 16 looks pleased. "My knowledge of your tactical advantage will not be shared. It seems that I should ask the same of you: a mutual agreement?"

Brews also looks up from the far end of the bar with a smile, and gives a "lock-key" motion over his own mouth.

"I wonder if I also manifested this mark while preventing my own destruction? Is that a requirement for gaining one? I am also curious about why this mark makes one a freak. Does it have to do with this Prophesy you mentioned as well?"

 

[Mezegis]

Ryda stares at the warforged a moment, a look of utter disbelief etched on her face. I see you really don’t know much about non-combat related things do you? She settles herself and begins to recite: The Draconic Prophesy is a record of things to come that has been playing out since creation. Dragons of Argonnessen observe and record everything, from the positions of the stars and moons, to the arrival of dragonmarks in the world. They use this information to look for signs and portents of things to come.

Now, says Ryda as her voice returns to normal inflection, normally, dragonmarks are limited to a specific race and House. For example, the Mark of Healing is usually found among the Halfling healers of House Jorasco. In rare circumstances, a Halfling with the mark not of immediate Jorasco lineage is found, and they are quickly absorbed into the house and they are discovered to have ancient Jorasco blood or something. The bottom-line, is that Houses like to have everyone who bears their mark under their control. Even rarer still are the times when someone with no possible link to the House possesses a dragonmark, it is then described that the Prophesy itself decided to grant the mark. If the main House learns of this, there are any number of options they might use, and I shudder to think of those.

She then rises to her feet to get a better look at the revealed mark, Warforged have no House, and one displaying a mark is incredibly rare. I don’t know how you acquired it, but that mark indicates you are destined for great things. She then sweeps by and collects the 5 mugs she used for her tactical discussion and returns them to Brews, since he may need them as he seems to be dropping a few mugs today.

 

[evilbob]

"I was owned by some who were of House Kundarak for many decades, but I did not have the mark then. I wonder if it is related? In any case, your words have given me many clues, as well as thoughts to muse upon: marks being associated with a House and a bloodline, marks appearing without a bloodline as ours, marks being linked to a prophesy and marks being a driving force of both past and future events.

I have no use for a belief in destiny, but I agree that the power they represent will indeed lead a significant few toward a great many things."

Unit 16 stands and re-equips his shield, and prepares to leave. "In the meantime I will choose to believe a bearer of a mark is not a freak, but rather a powerful player in shaping this world. Although I will follow your example and keep my own from being well-advertised.

Thank you, young lady. Your assistance has been invaluable. I shall count you among my allied units, should need arise. I am Unit 16. What is your designation?"