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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Easter" data-source="post: 1634184" data-attributes="member: 2168">This just in from Ebri Zol's player, Siduri, who is having trouble accessing the site (message is in three parts):Regarding Ebri's "excessive" introspection:Well, Angcuru, while it irks me, I don't think your comment is without merit.  It must also irk you, since you've mentioned it twice now. It's rather flattering to have someone care enough to be a critic.  So...It's true that Ebri doesn't talk much and when she does, that's either short or very long and verbose. For the most part, she remains an observer of the world, trapped in her head. She is limited both by the secretive Nephian codes and by her own antisocial pathology. (While she has a certain "book-learned" insight into psychology and behavior, she has no empathy whatsoever.) She has no need to discuss things with these limited creatures around her. They're incapable of understanding. They have nothing to offer her. (Except, just possibly, now that they know her leanings, she might be able to convert them to the Way of Shadow. It is possible that the Great Prophet wants her to do this, after all. Once they are out of combat, if she lives, you may see something change.)She could never just go into a fight and kill something for fun. Actually, she could do nothing for fun.  Everything she does must be informed by her vision of the religion of the Great Prophet. (Which, as we are coming to understand gradually, is probably a seriously warped vision.) Why? Because that central purpose-- all this internal verbalizing and reiteration-- is literally the only thing holding her cracked as a coconut self together.  This lady is seriously cuckoo.What I wanted to explore with Ebri was several things: how religion can be used as justification for all manner of horrid and inhumane things; how it can be used to abnegate responsibility for the self...  and this: Ebri is an example of the horrible things that can happen to a person when they are not allowed to be a child. No terrible abuse. No trauma. Just simply that.  No childhood, and reverence in place of love.She is terribly difficult to write. I do not think I have done her justice. In fact, I have been tempted to kill her several times. (But don't hold your breath.)I suppose that I will have to give you all a real, live flashback to make up for all the long-winded prose. I guess this is your notice to expect one.--Sid <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />But then I thought: Why? Why have a character if she's simply crazy, and I'm playing her to explicate her insanity and its cause? Because that would be stupid and pointless, and REALLY not fun.Though we've been playing for more than two years (do you believe?  Chocolate kisses to you, Carnifex!) we are still only a little ways into Chapter Two.All this has been to successfully establish who Ebri is as the story begins.  She's a zealot with a unsuited mission, and she's losing her marbles.There are two things that offer a way out of this tragedy:1) that there may be a true religion beyond her delusions, something she hasn't even grasped yet, something that she is incapable of seeing, borne down as she is by fear and pride and arrogance.2) the companions she travels with, if she can make the choice to accept them.Any combination of divine and/or human grace might save her. And thereby hangs the tale.(Gee, thanks for helping me clarify that, Angcuru. Really!)Sid.<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />But to your original point: that there is too much introspection, and therefore it makes it less pleasurable to read as a whole.Perhaps it does. I concede that. I know I certainly am irritated when I have to wade through too much useless repetition and description in other games just to keep all the players and DM on track. But the crux of it is:1) I am writing for free at significant cost to my free time2) this is NOT a novel3) Though it makes me happy to think that someone else might enjoy it, I am writing this primarily for my own pleasureSo, I write what I like, and if I am pressed for time, I write what comes easily. And on any given day, introspection will be a fair chunk of it. Regards,Sid <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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