Fellowship of the Witching Hour OOC Thread (Full)

[kookalouris]

Let me shine a little clarity

I should have been clearer,

The Gilman family members that helped influence Miskatonic died (or at least, left this world) centuries before Sam was born. I wanted to hint of a family that has a centuries-long plan and, through fortune and sacrifice, Sam was removed at least temporarily from being a part of it.

As it turns out, Sam is so far removed from the Gilman aristocracy that she may have attended a few classes without even knowing of her ancestor's involvement with the school. At game start, she is probably unnoticed by her professors as well, given her adopted and (locally) unremarkable surname.

What is she studying? Mythic lore or occult history. She is surprisingly at home with the odd artifacts and local haunts that she wants to know more about them. That and she keeps busy to keep from dwelling on her perceived guilt.

As for Maya's death, it may have been ruled a suicide because there was no rational explanation for such a death in otherwise empty cell. At least nothing science could imagine...

 

[kookalouris]

More on Sam

More on Sam...

Saddened by Maya's loss, but honestly delighted to keep Sam in the family, the Ripleys set about raising their odd cousin. Martha Ripley was especially delighted, having been blessed with nothing but boys, to have the chance to raise a typical little girl.

Within a few years, Martha had the loving grace to admit that Sam wasn't going to be ~typically~ anything, especially lady-like. Sam's virtues were more typically masculine, directness, honesty, courage, optimism. While capable of deliberate feminine charm, Sam's general nature was to be exactly who she was.

As she grew, Sam loved life on the farm but could not fully articulate a sense of incompleteness. The idea of being able to explore all of the mysterious world appealed to her and the sheer grace and freedom of the air seemed to embody all that she was missing.

She asked her oldest brother, John Jr. a WWI vet pilot, to give her lessons in his old Jenny, now a crop duster. He refused. Sam simply stated that she would learn to fly if she had to spend all of her money on lessons, even if she had to sneak out to the lessons, even if she then had to dress up as a young man (not all schools allowed women). Otherwise, she would simply 'date' as many cocky flyboys as lessons (flying or 'otherwise') might take, from Kansas to the other side of the world, if need be.

Knowing Sam's determination and her general penchant for honesty, that last threat removed ALL obstacles to John's reluctance, whatever the truth might have been.

Surprisingly, Sam turned out to be a truly gifted pilot and actually helped her family more profitably with the crop dusting than chores on the farm. Together two pilots, brother and sister, made the dusting such a valid concern, they were able to afford a new plane. Sam got John's hand-me-down Army Surplus Jenny.

With two pilots and planes, what had been a crop-dusting business could be an air show. And so the two Ripleys became local barnstormers and local heroes.

But it soon became apparent to Sam that they would remain local heroes if only due to John's safe and conservative maneuvers. What would get Sam a real plane and freedom would be more money. And what would bring more money was more crowds. And what would bring more crowds would be more apparent danger.

She quickly designed a more risky and flashy routine and suggested it to Junior, who absolutely forbade such a near-suicidal show. Sam smiled and nodded which Junior mistakenly assumed was agreement.

Come the next show, Sam simply took her Jenny out of the established routine and into a dizzying loop with additional jinking and rolls thrown in. The Jenny predictably stalled, a wing spar snapped, and the plane began to plummet to the ground.

At the last moment, Sam managed to right the plane and landed to a cheering crowd. She had already felt an exhilaration beyond words, as she had offered herself to Heaven and been given back the Earth as her gift.

Livid, Junior and the rest of family demanded that Sam ground herself and return to the farm. She gently reminded them that the plane was hers as part of her compensation and she was of legal age (barely, but still). Both were obvious to the family but the fact that the usually agreeable Sam would actually invoke her rights (property and self) over the well-meaning family was still a shock.

Ultimately reacting just as firmly, the family did not reject her but told her she could not stay at the farm until she gave up the plane. Heart-broken but determined, Sam left the farm to an uncertain future...

I will write the last part of Sam's origin soon.

Notes:

None, really. Sam's happy childhood is the most mundane thing about her.

Gerry

 

[Dlsharrock]

As for Maya's death, it may have been ruled a suicide because there was no rational explanation for such a death in otherwise empty cell. At least nothing science could imagine...

My intonation was that this was how Lovecraft's mother died. In the same asylum as his father.

I realised the link to MUAM was distant. I'm just covering my back against one of those "leave this to me, my name carries a lot of weight down at MUAM/the police station/Town Hall/The Pentagon/etc" situations

 

[greenstar]

Not necessarily oh he of extremely concise posts. I've studied the RAW a bit about this and I think we could wrangle something with Magic Points. Not seeing into the future maybe, but... hm. Let me have a look at it and get back to you when I sort out your character sheet.

I'm a she.

 

[Dire Lemming]

So how much of this would Sam's good friend Adam know?

I'm a she.

Haha! I guessed right!

 

[Dlsharrock]

Livid, Junior and the rest of family demanded that Sam ground herself and return to the farm. She gently reminded them that the plane was hers as part of her compensation and she was of legal age (barely, but still). Both were obvious to the family but the fact that the usually agreeable Sam would actually invoke her rights (property and self) over the well-meaning family was still a shock.

So you're not going with the Bermuda tri-angle? That's a shame. I liked the strange plane crash idea. Her family's reaction seems a bit harsh too. You can't fly like that because we love you so much we don't want you to die, so to stop you, we're going to disown you?

I'm a she.

Should read:
For therein, forsooth, lies your mistake kind gentleman upon whom I have invested so little and yet from whom I receive so great and shall receive greater still, I am of no doubt, in the form of a right rip-roaring rollicking Cthonian outing of the like I've not yet, nor never shall experience the like again. For I, whom you referred to as he, am in fact of the opposite gender nomenclature! I, most bold and sexist swine, am a laydee. Oh yes. May you stick that in your long stemmed pipe and have a jolly good puff, or the heavens be damned and hell be praised, for that sir is the truth of the matter.

But 'I'm a she smilie' will probably do just as well

 

[Dire Lemming]

Yes, it's also be intelligible... What?

 

[Dlsharrock]

Character sheets and related gumpf sent to Dire and greenstar.

We now have four players, one of whom has chosen to develop their character idea over email rather than thrash it out in public.

Current members of the Witching Hour Fellowship include a doctor, an inventor, an artist and a grounded pilot. There's also the possibility of a brawler on the cards.

Will post more tommorrow, particularly about where characters live in Arkham (plus a map of Arkham), and a bit about personal assets and costs of living. I'm hoping to get the IC game thread started tommorrow afternoon.

Koukalouris, still waiting to hear if you need me to draw up your character sheet, or if you'd prefer to do so yourself?

 

[Dire Lemming]

Ooo ooo! I just had an idea for another invention! A crank dynamo powered Tazer! You wind it five times and it'll hold a charge for about ten seconds. How does that sound?

Oh, and since we have a doctor he could get the idea to use it to revive someone from cardiac arrest like a defribulater or however it's spelled!

 

[kookalouris]

Sorry for the confusion...

Oh, no. Sam "the crazy pilot who killed her crew" is probably the LAST person anyone in authority would give creedance to. Don't worry about her being able to pull strings with anyone. At most, she might THINK she can pull strings.

I honestly didn't know that both Lovecraft's parents had died in an asylum. I guess the old chestnut is true, no good horror writer ever had a happy life.

Actually, Adam will know just about all of her secrets (Sam's not the kind of girl to keep secrets) and I AM going to use the Bermuda crash. I like the idea. I have only put up 2/3 of her origin. The last will be her solo flying career culminating in the crash.

I see your point, the family does come across as uncaring, which is not what I intend. Let me amend the origin.

I am a little unclear as how exactly the characters will be constructed. Do the players make the character from the rules or do you, David, from our descriptions? Either way is fine with me.

Let me speed up the final part of Sam's story (up to now), I have a feeling it will answer questions I'm leaving undone...

Gerry