(IR) 2nd ooc-thread of the 5th IR (open)

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Forgive the delay and the lack of replies, all. Crazy, crazy week so far.

Here's some intro :

Dark Covenant : Part One

Tamryn ducked behind a column as the floating skull shot fire from its gem-encrusted eyes. The stream of flames struck the spot he leapt from and charred the rocky debris. To Tamryn’s eyes, the fiery blaze looked a diseased violet color, though he guessed it should be orange. All the hue in the room was altered by a silky purple light that emanated from a giant crystal sphere in the center of the room. This unholy device hummed and flailed gray tendrils of ash into the air, while feathery figurines drifted within the sphere’s belly.

“Ced, by the Seven, get out of here! I’ll hold it off,” Tamryn called out.

He knew the thief was somewhere among the rubble in the room. For once, Tamryn didn’t look down on the thief’s tendency to vanish during battle. Four of his comrades lay dead and drained around the room and withdrawal was the best option now. The skull, this demi-lich, proved deadlier than the sages had insisted.

“PALADIN?” gasped a powdered voice from the skull. “PALADIN. GIVE YOURSELF TO ME AND WE CAN END THIS GAME. YOU PROLONG THE INEVITABLE.”

Tamryn panted and focused himself. He could not hear the skull move but could guess how long it would take to come to him. With the black funnel that emanated from its mouth, it sucked out the souls of four people who Tamryn had spent most of his life with. His heart slowing down a bit and resolve cleared, he stepped out from around the column, sword held high and charged the demi-lich. Trouble was, the demi-lich was two feet from him when he turned the column.

Cedric Half-foot leaned against the wall of the antechamber sobbing softly. In the next room, he saw the giant crystalline sphere, the demi-lich, the husks of four of his companions, and Tamryn. The demi-lich had just taunted the paladin and was now floating toward the column. Cedric wanted to shout, wanted to scream, but could not find his voice among his terror. He whispered to Tamryn from across the divide, knowing that Tamryn could only hear the blood thumping in his ears at this very moment.

“BOO!” the demi-lich rasped into Tamryn’s face. Tamryn paused, stunned. Was that supposed to be funny? Did this creature think that a child’s word could frighten him? He raised his holy sword over his back to drive it into the center of this creature, when the giant crystalline sphere bright purple light went dim.

The demi-lich turned from him immediately, and spun toward the crystalline sphere. Bobbing across the debris-covered floor, it bounced away from Tamryn and slowly spun around the sphere.

“BROKEN?” the skull said, more to itself. “BROKEN FROM THE NEGATIVE PLANE? WHAT TRICKERY IS THIS? MY APOTHEOSIS!!!!”

Tamryn tilted his head at the floating monstrosity. Thank the Seven, he thought. They had given him an opportunity! He heard a whimper behind him and turned to see Cedric, eyes red, cowering in the next room.

“It’s ok, Cedric.” Tamryn hushed, “the day is ours!” And with that, Tamryn charged the occupied demi-lich.

Cedric’s heart lifted and he moved to the doorway, watching his companion run toward the demi-lich. Biting his knuckle, he inwardly cheered Tamryn as his sword arced high and slammed strongly into the back of the skull. His stomach folded, when he saw that there was nary a scratch on the skull and it turned around.

Dropping it’s intimidating voice and speaking in conversational tone, the skull spat “Don’t bother me while I’m thinking.”

A green halo of putrescence grew around the skull. Wisps from it cycloned around its head and shot toward the paladin. Drawn up in green smoke, the paladin’s lone figure began to fade as he slowly disintegrated on the spot. Plate mail armor and his blessed sword clattered upon the floor.

The demi-lich spun back upon its creation, heedless of the stacatto of retreating footsteps in the other room.
 



A SUGGESTION TO SERPENTEYE, FORSAKEN ONE, AND JAMES. AND ANABSTERCORIAN (down at the bottom of the post.) ANY EVERYONE ELSE (by default! :) )

Ok, I'm not the gamemaster of the 5th IR.
However, if I was, I would make the following rulings, based on the last 2 pages of posts:

Forsaken One retains his claim to the Red Kingdom.
Forsaken One receives his claim of the Ethergaunt as per their description, and Serpenteye's IC ruling (and maybe, they are more powerful than Serpenteye has ruled, and he will increase their strength! Horrors! :D )

But ...

Forsaken One is disallowed from attacking anywhere WEST of the Celestial Imperium/Upper Khanate/Lower Khanate (that is, anywhere west of Venus' holdings) with the Ethergaunt from turns 1 through 3.
He may strike the Celestial Imperium, and Upper/Lower Khanate and Orcreich, but nowhere west of there (Erypt, Ellaves, the Tharquish Empire, Fireland, and the Barbarian Seameast are all west of there, and thus off-limits.)
The Ethergaunt are also barred from attacking the continents of Anakeris, Aquaria, and the Isle of the Phoenix, way off to the east. This prohibition is for turns 1 through 3, and on turn 4 drops. After that, the Ethergaunt may attack these places as well.
The Ethergaunt are also prohibited from striking Hyperboria and Polaris for turns 1 through 3.

The Ethergaunt MAY strike against Zingia, Nippon, and Hempmonaland, starting from the word Go.

Forsaken One may do anything he likes with the Red Kingdom. The Red Kingdom may act as it pleases on Turn 1.

Because of the nature of the Ethergaunt, the Red Kingdom and the Ethergaunt MAY NOT cooperate or associate with each other: Forsaken One must play them as separate powers, and as enemies.

- - -

Now, why would I make such a ruling, if I were the gamemaster?

Here are the IC reasons:

It is in the Flanaess and Baklunish lands that everyone is continuously shooting off their mouths, their arrows, and their spells.
It is in the Flanaess and the Baklunish lands where the heart of the scheming and conniving is going on.
The Flanaess and Baklunish lands are the place that are threatening to bring chaos and ruin down upon all of Greyspace.

In other words, guys, the Flanaess and Baklunish peoples are the Troublemakers, and Troublemakers tend to get it first.

The Flanaess and Baklunish lands are the most obvious, visible target, and the Ethergaunt would focus on them first. After all, if none of us OOC had ever heard of Lynn or the Red Kingdom before now, why should the Ethergaunt have heard of them IC? I ask you: honestly, wouldn't the Ethergaunt prefer to attack the choice targets first?
Everyone knows what Greyhawk City is, so the Ethergaunt would know also.
The Flanaess is just chalk full of massive populations sitting exposed and ready to be exterminated, whereas the rest of Oerik is less populated.

Remember that the Borg went after the planet Earth in the film? They didn't stop first at Vulcan, or Rigel, or Orion. Or even at Klinshai or Romulus. They went after Earth. Because Earth was the most highly visible target - it was the capital of the Federation.
Well, the Flanaess is the capital of trouble and chaos and population and scheming and warmongering in Greyspace. So the Ethergaunt would go there first.

In other words, the Flanaess and the Baklunish have been broadcasting one too many X rated films (or, let's say, the metaphorical equivalent) of gore and blood and mayhem to the rest of the universe.
And now, the rest of the universe has become annoyed with the quality of the television programming, and decided to ... shall we say? ... burn down the TV station. (And just think, one of these days, all that X rated stuff is going to awaken Cthulu and the Elder Ones, and then ... )

- - -

OOC, this solves a number of problems, and coincides with the desires of the players. Here's how:

Forsaken One wants to start this game with a bang. The Ethergaunt nuking the Flanaess and Baklunish lands first (which is full of powers and players, including ME) is the way to do it.
If I were playing the Ethergaunt as the gamemaster, I WOULD go after all the rest of you first, and go after isolated Lynn and the Mare Mysticum later. If you remember, in the 3rd IR that is precisely what Vecna did, too.

James wants a little peace on Turn 1. A more slow paced start. This guarantees that he gets that peace. He has a chance to orientate himself to the game, before the full load of assault and chaos reaches him.

(It does not guarantee that the Red Kingdom won't attack Lynn (James), or that ... I ... won't attack James, or that Melkor won't attack James, or that anyone else won't attack James ... but since we have the Ethergaunt to deal with, it makes it a lot less likely.)

And this way, James does not have to give up his very creative work on the Mare Mysticum and Lynn. And he can still have his claim in Polaria as well, since there is a land bridge to Polaria through Gigantea from the Mare Mysticum.

This brings instant excitement and chaos to those of us (including me) who desire it. I'm sure Melkor, William, and some of the others are just waiting for those Ethergaunt. And Creamsteak. And Anabstercorian. And Venus. And Zelda. And Bugbear!
We went through the 3rd IR. We KNOW what chaos means. We KNOW what it means to be nuked.
And we know how to answer such attacks. We know how to deal quite efficiently and ruthlessly with powers like the Ethergaunt! We know how to nuke back most efficiently and nastily!

The new players who are threatened by the Ethergaunt: Eluvan, Rikandur, Devilish, Knight Otu (I thought you were in the IR too, weren't you?), Guilt Puppy, Airwhale ... have powers that are sitting RIGHT NEXT TO (or directly above, in some cases) our Powers.
If the Ethergaunt attack their powers, they can rely on us to ally with them (at least, temporarily. A common enemy makes for strange bedfellows.)
Thus, we of the 3rd IR can join forces with the new players, and with our combined strength send these monstrous Ethergaunt running like scared rabbits back to the Astral Plane, then go after them there and hunt them down to the least and the last!

But ...

As you can see, if the Ethergaunt appear in all their force over the Red Kingdom, then Lynn and the Mare Mysticum are the first places they will attack, simply because they are the closest places around to the Ethergaunt point of entry to Oerth.
Unlike our powers, the Mare Mysticum and Lynn are isolated. None of us can really help them. It's not like the Flanaess where we are all breathing down each other's necks: James is isolated out there. Before we could send sufficient aid to aid him, James would be wiped out.

- - -

Now, you'all will say to me: this is unfair. Why should James be let off the hook, and we have to suffer?

Ok ...

1. I'm suffering with you. Most of my cities are in the unrestricted areas. In no way am I trying to get out of the brawl: I'm in the thick of it with the rest of you. And Hempmonaland is extremely vulnerable to attack. Those Ethergaunt could wipe out my Empire of the Yuan-Ti is a heartbeat.

2. James wants some fun. If giving him 3 turns of relative peace is required, then let him have those turns! After we destroy the Ethergaunt, THEN we will deal with his goody-goody faerie elves and slackers of Lynn! (evil grin)
I mean, the world is not going to end because the Ethergaunt can't attack the Mare Mysticum and Lynn for 3 turns. Nor will the Mare Mysticum and Lynn gain supremacy in those turns: it is physically impossible.

3: Forsaken One is trying to be creative. I see no problem with rewarding creativity. This is an IR. All the nasty, fiendish, blood curdling creativity of the most scheming, conniving minds in all of ENWorld went into the 3rd IR ... and so should it be in the 5th IR! :) Let the creative be creative! Heh ... we will be creative BACK, and these Ethergaunt will rue the day they dared to take US on. Because we of the Flanaess are the nastiest, toughest, roughest, meanest, most devastatingly and horrifically destructive powers in ALL the multiverse (that's right, Cthulu, you better stay hidden. You better run. You better hide!)

4: If you feel that James still has an unfair advantage, because we are going to get nuked and he isn't, then ask Serpenteye for more ICs and Epic PLs to compensate you!

5: James will be happy. And he keeps the Mare Mysticum, Lynn, and maybe gets Polaris also.
Forsaken One will be happy. He has his (nasty!) race, they are coming to kick butt, they will kick butt, and the IR will start off with a bang.
And the rest of us, knowing that being nuked is Standard Operating Procedure for an IR, will simply exterminate these Ethergaunt, then go on to the REAL business at hand: exterminating each other!

- - -

Anyways, that's what I'd rule, if I were gamemaster.
Heh. But I'm not. Serpenteye is gamemaster! So, you must deal with him ... and hopefully, work with him and trust him, since he has an awfully hard job to do.

Serpenteye, what do YOU think of my proposal?
The rest of you, what do you think?
If you think it stinks, SAY SO. (heh: you always did in the 3rd IR, so say it now!)
If you like it, tell Serpenteye. He might just go for it.

James, Forsaken One, what do YOU TWO think of the proposal?
Fair? Reasonable? Does it satisfy what you both want?

- - -

Oh yes, I almost forgot:

Zindia, Nippon, and the Nippon Dominion are unclaimed.

And I'M claiming Zindia!

You heard it right. From the horse's mouth. Zindia is MINE. :D
Zindia will put my ICs on a level with those 600s and 700s I'm seeing on the charts.

Zindia is, of course, a large, prosperous, and wealthy surface nation. It's just chalk full of resources and people and greenery and mountains and whatnot.

Too bad it's people turned to the evil dieties (including Lolth, for some of them), isn't it? :)
Too bad they believe Eclavdra should be their rightful Queen, no?
Too bad the drow have ASCENDED to the surface and acclimated to the sunlight, in Zindia, and freely intermingle with the surface dwellers in peace and ... harmony (!!!)
You know, sorta like Dambrath in Faerun? Oh, you don't know? Trust me, you don't want to. Some things are best left undiscussed and unknown of. Wisdom is not always a good thing!

- - -

Anabstercorian, want to claim Nippon and the Nippon Dominion? You need the PL!
You and I can have a nice little messy brawl down there in the Pearl Sea, all to our ourselves. :D (After we exterminate those pesky Ethergaunt, of course!)

Edena_of_Neith
 
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I hate from being barred from options... And I was discussing other alternatives with SE over email this afternoon and we aren't finished on that yet (I believe).

So thanks for the suggestion but we'll see how it fares :)

And I know I'm a know it all but... its Zindia not Zingia :p And Drambrath is half drow and half elves and hardly any drow I believe. Drow who are accustomed to sunlight are the Vaerunian drow in Cormanthor. :)
 
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To Forsaken One:

Well, of course you do not like having restrictions.
I merely state what I'd rule as Gamemaster, but I am not the Gamemaster here. LOL. I merely try to be of use. (sorta like the drow: if they are not of use, Eclavdra has them killed ... lolol ...)

Compromise. You and James want opposing things.
So I would rule on a compromise that gave you both what you basically wanted.

I don't think it would mess the rest of us up too badly, since we will unite to kill those infernal Ethergaunt. Heh. You know we will!
Unless of course, Vecna shows up and allies with them. I wouldn't put it past Serpenteye to do something like that ... (chuckles ruefully)
 

TO RADIANT ONE

Hey there! I saw your post, and read it!
Welcome to the IR.
A pleasure to meet you, sir.

If you are interested in playing, there are some pretty big nations that are unclaimed out there.
In the southwestern region of the continent of Oerik (the southwest side of our war, in effect ... on the southwest side of the map) are these HUGE powers: The Tharquish Empire, the Tarquish Dominion, Ishtarland, and Ellaves. East of them is the powerful nation of Erypt.
None of them claimed. And none claimable by us, since we are already filled up with claims.

Check them out on this map: http://members.aol.com/cathbhadhx/tsroerth.gif

Or, you could go over to the east and claim the polynesia style continent of Aquaria, or the mysterious continent of Anakeris. And create your own home-brew nations and peoples there, with only your imagination limiting your creation.


Want to join in? Want to play?

It's a game of world domination, and anything goes. The wily, the cunning, the clever, and the lucky (!) will win. The others ... well, there is always work aplenty and to spare for slaves!
 
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(chuckles)

What are you worried about, Forsaken One?
We'd only wipe out your Ethergaunt in the first 3 turns.

The Red Kingdom is too far away for us to bother with it, especially since we are being nuked by your Ethergaunt!

AFTER turn 3, worry, yes! Heh. Be afraid. Be very afraid!
But before turn 4 ... I wouldn't think the Red Kingdom would be in any real danger.
 

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