Discussion of Scotley's upcoming 4e Swashbuckler Game

[Leif]

[sblock=Insight]
Thanks for the offer, but I don't play Call, nor do I care to learn yet another system, even if it's similar to one that I already know. *sigh* Guess I missed my chance! Oh, well, thanks for the offer, anyway!
[/sblock]

And, renau1g, you've proven yet again that you are truly one twisted individual! Thanks, I'd hate to be the only one. Oh, wait, there are LOTS of us here, aren't there?

 

[pathfinderq1]

So, hey- can us lurker types help out with the worldbuilding? It seems like 'Europe' is at least sketched out, but I had some ideas for the farther corners of the world...

And how are you handling languages, with racially-centric countries? Franzian would seem to be 'Common', especially as the center of the game-world. But would 'Avalonian' be Elven? Would there be two versions of Dwarven (one for Alba, and one for the 'Holy Dwarven Empire'), or do dwarves in both spots speak the same language (perhaps with lots of words borrowed from elven in Alba)?

Or am I asking too many questions, and should go back to lurking quietly?

 

[Leif]

I'll venture to take a stab at your questions, pathfinderq1, with Scotley's indulgence. Seems to me that these sorts of questions are more properly answered by the players whose characters come from said regions. So if you want to join us, your more than welcome to decide for yourself! Come on! You know ya wanna!

And, to the others: I've already established that Manous Artouche is an immigrant to Franzia, so I'd be perfectly happy for him to be acquainted, or friends even, with any of the others from the region.

 

[Shayuri]

My character is from England, which I believe was called Caledonia?

I gave her Common and Elvish, to reflect the heavily elf-themed culture of the British Isles. Do I need another language to be understood in Franzia?

 

[Vertexx69]

I think Thayoon could know any of the more acrobatically inclined characters that have been in the city for more than a few days, and might even be part of a troop of street performers that entertain/pilfer the visiting merchants to the marketplace.

 

[Leif]

I think Thayoon could know any of the more acrobatically inclined characters that have been in the city for more than a few days, and might even be part of a troop of street performers that entertain/pilfer the visiting merchants to the marketplace.

Manous has been there for a few years, but he's not exactly too 'acrobatically inclined,' you know? Now, he just might be a regular spectator of street performers....

And in other news: Here we are just over halfway through February, and the Thread Header is still proclaiming ENWorld's 'January Sale.' Is the sale held over, or is it just still advertised to permit some easy "I told you so"'s??

 

[Walking Dad]

You can have some history together before joining the Hounds or after as you wish.

Are there less official hounds mission? A rag-tag band of performers would be a great traveling cover.

 

[Maidhc O Casain]

I'm picturing Aislinn as being from Avalon - one of the few humans from that country. Right now I've got her as a village girl suddenly struck with visions from her god (Boldrei?) that have convicted her that the fate of Avalon is tied to that of Franzia.

These visions came with vastly expanded powers and abilities - further convincing her that they are true gifts rather than craziness. She's traveled to Franzia and joined the Hounds in the belief that her best chance of influencing Franzia's fate (and thus Avalon's) lies with them.

 

[Shayuri]

It would be interesting to make Druidism (or maybe "primalism" to include shaman and so on) the 'official' religion of Avalon, and the unofficial major religion of Caledonia. This would be a kind of naturalistic animistic religion, venerating primal spirits rather than 'gods.'

In this alternate timeline, we can speculate that the Isles were never conquered by whatever Roman equivalent there is, so they remained pagan. Non-pagan would be the worship of one of the variations on the 'standard' divine pantheon which is common to most nations of the European continent.

 

[Insight]

It would be interesting to make Druidism (or maybe "primalism" to include shaman and so on) the 'official' religion of Avalon, and the unofficial major religion of Caledonia. This would be a kind of naturalistic animistic religion, venerating primal spirits rather than 'gods.'

In this alternate timeline, we can speculate that the Isles were never conquered by whatever Roman equivalent there is, so they remained pagan. Non-pagan would be the worship of one of the variations on the 'standard' divine pantheon which is common to most nations of the European continent.

There are pros and cons to not having a "Roman" invasion of Caledonia (and Alba, to a lesser extent). The pro is that it allows the native cultures (the Dwarves and the Elves living there) to remain and grow without interference. They would almost certainly have come to blows at some point, so it's not like it would be peace and harmony up there. The con is that it continues a homogeny of the land that isn't very realistic.

"Romans" being all over Europe is a pretty big deal in terms of the cultural foundations of the continent, but I could see it going either way in our alt-Europe. Keep in mind that the Romans in our world (Earth, in case you've forgotten) didn't have to deal with magic or elves and dwarves already living in (and likely having a strong culture in) a land they intended to invade. Unless we're going to postulate that the elves and dwarves in Caledonia and Alba were not as technologically advanced as the humans (our "Romans") at the time of the invasion.