[ooc] dnd - the nameless [thread closed]

[Seonaid]

Okay, I've been looking into things and feel like I'm missing a lot. Was there another thread, or a lot of email discussion prior to the OOC thread?

doghead: how do you want me to deal with Lisa? Would you prefer that I make a new character? If not, is there any background I need?

 

[doghead]

Seonaid

There may have been another ooc thread (sometimes I start a new one after generation) but I can't remember off the top of my head if I did that here. I'll look back over it tonight and get back to you, along with any info about Lisa that you need.

doghead

PS: the Halmae story hour is a great read. I got to about page 6 before I had to crawl off to bed.

 

[doghead]

Hey Seonaid,

The ooc thread covers everything from the word go. However, the first post has been updated a few times so there may be somethings that were there that now are not.

Regarding Lisa.

Lisa is the daughter of the Captain Commander of the Townguard.

My insight. This has driven the way I have played her, but hasn't (if memory serves me correctly) come out in the IC thread overtly.): Lisa has always felt, unfairly I suspect as he has never done anything to suggest it, that her father really wanted a son. So she has been driven by those deamons to prove herself as good as or better than any of the other boys in the town. Particularly at all things martial. Fortunately she has the build for it, standing 5'10" in bare feet.

She was first into the fray in the first encounter, although the wound she received shook her up a bit and she stayed fairly quiet for the latter part of it. She tried to join up without telling her parents before hand, but found her mother sitting having tea with the sargeant when she arrived. Her mother gave Lisa a gift wrapped in a cloth before she returned home. (It is the magical item refered to in the character generation notes, but I haven't identified what it is as yet.)

Lisa doesn't apprieciate any special treatment when the seventh train with weapons. (For Lisa, that is the quarterstaff.) And doesn't give any to those her size. She did give Nate a kick in the unmentionables though.

In the last encounter she was again in the thick of things, taking on one of the goblin leaders. She was also fairly ineffective up to the point where she was wounded. (Again. She's proven to be a bit of a magnet so far.) It was Nate who took out the goblin in the end. I doesn't take much imagination to work out how she feels at the moment (well appart from being happy to be alive of course).

OK. I think that that is it. If anyone else can remember anything significant from the IC thread, let us know. Seonaid, you are of course free to modify the character so long as it remains consistant with what has happened IC so far. Or in other words, so long as all that has happened so far IC could have been possible with the modified version.

If, after reading the above, you have had a change of heart, you are still free to go with a new character.

the head of the dog

 

[Seonaid]

Thanks, man, and glad you checked out the SH.

I'll get Lisa going soon, probably late tonight (in 8 or so hours) or tomorrow.

 

[doghead]

OK.

Lisa and Caddoc are up. Sorted. Welcome aboard.

IC thread is updated. I wanted to know who was going to do what at this point. I felt that going any further would involve presuming too much.

I've been a bit out of kilter recently. I'll work on getting the posting happening more smoothly from now.

From the SH that Seonaid mentioned above, I have lifted this pantheon of gods. It is one of the most elegant and game friendly that I have come across and would like to introduce it as the pantheon in this setting. Could you, TH in particular as it will necessitate some editing of Cromwell, let me know what you think.

Sidebar: Gods of the Halmae
courtesy of Fajitas

There is an old parable about the three blind men and the elephant.

Three blind men are asked to describe an elephant. The first feels around and finds the trunk. "Aha," he says. "An elephant is like a snake!" The second blind man feels around and finds the legs. "No, no," he says. "An elephant is like a tree." The third finds an ear. "You’re both wrong," he declares. "An elephant is like a manta ray."

So it is with the Gods of the Halmae. They are strange and mysterious, and defy simple explanation.

Here is what is (almost) universally agreed upon*. In the beginning, there were four fundamental forces, distinct in kind but equal in power. They joined together to make and maintain the World. Mortals call them Gods. What they call themselves is unknown.

(*The Sovereignty of Kettenek, a powerful theocracy, has a different view of the divine order.)

Each of the Gods has multiple interpretations, but where one is found, the other three are present also. They are the four elements. They are the four seasons. They are the cycle of life. They are the four axes of alignment.

KETTENEK (keh-TEN-eck)

Kettenek is seen as a stalwart figure, implacable and unmoving, Guardian of the Underworld and Lord of Winter. He brings the freezing cold, and like the cold he hardens and strengthens things. Foundations are laid with Kettenek. His words endure, and his law is rigid. He is God of the Dead, though not of death, and holds the barrier between the living and the unliving.

Kettenek’s domains are Law, Earth, Strength, Protection, and Death. Winter is his time of strength.

Anvil the Just is a follower of Kettenek. He is a member of the Justicars, an order devoted to Kettenek as the maker of Law. Justicars tend to see the world in black and white. Legal is permissible. Illegal is not. They are the judges and arbitrators of the Halmae.

Anvil also belongs to a growing sub-sect within the Justicars known as the Universal Law Caucus. This is a group of Justicars indignant about the way the Law changes from city-state to city-state. The Law, they argue, should be an absolute. Why then is it not the same in Dar Pykos as it is in Dar Aego? (In fact, an unscrupulous exploitation of these legal loopholes is what got the PCs into this mess to begin with.) The Caucus is working to change this, though they face substantial opposition from both other Justicars and civil authorities.

ALIRRIA (uh-LIR-ee-uh)

Alirria is the tender mother figure, caring and nurturing, lover of all life and the Lady of Spring. Her tears of joy bring the rains, which restore all things to health. Spring is the time of plantings and beginnings. Journeys commence in Spring, and children are conceived. Her world is a world of love.

Alirria’s domains are Good, Water, Healing, Plant, Animal, and Travel. Spring is her time of strength.

EHKT (ect)

Ehkt is a boisterous warrior, never resting, never shirking, like a fire, always growing in any and all directions he can. He is the Champion of Summer. Ehkt seeks all challenges, physical or mental, and demands that they be conquered. His days are days of war and learning. Summer is a time to take on adversity and to be all that you are capable of, for good or for ill.

Ehkt’s domains are Chaos, Fire, Sun, War, and Knowledge. Summer is his time of strength.

Lira is a member of the Questors, an order that sees Ehkt as the God of Challenges. Questors constantly seek new obstacles to test themselves. There is no quest, no dare, no stunt that a devout Questor will not attempt.

SEDELLUS (SEH-deh-lus)

Sedellus is a creeping, hiding figure, crouched and lurking, the Mistress of Autumn, the Wind of Change, the Whisper of Death. Things wither at her touch. When her chill breath blows, leaves fall, animals flee, cities topple. Some folk are ruined by her cruel whimsy. Some are blessed. Some are merely ignored. Which it will be, she does not tell. Autumn is the time of death, a time of upheaval, a time of change for weal or woe. And the Mistress cares not which.

Sedellus’s domains are Evil, Air, Luck, Trickery, and Destruction. The Autumn is her time of strength.

Most members of the party and the general population worship all four in equal degrees. However, there are many sects devoted to specific aspects of each God. For example, The Lady’s Handmaidens worship Alirria as the goddess of love, while Nature’s Tenders focus on her as the goddess of nature. Some join these sects because their vocations demand it. Some join because their personalities draw them towards one god or one aspect. But even those, like Anvil, who have dedicated their lives to one specific part of the divine order, acknowledge the presence and power of the other three.

There is very seldom in-fighting between religious sects. Like the blind men and the elephant, each interpretation is correct, if not wholly complete.

Between them, the gods govern every aspect of the world. But there is one exception: arcane magic.

A more detailed description of the sects to follow.

 

[doghead]

As promised ...

Sidebar: Religious Orders of the Halmae

The many different interpretations of the gods of the Halmae have led to the rise of a wide number of religious orders, each worshipping their own god in their own way. There are very nearly as many orders in the Halmae as there are different beliefs. Some of the major ones are described below.

Religious orders are not restricted to clerics, or even to divine casters. Anyone can belong to any religious order. Initiation rituals vary from group to group; it takes little more than a declaration of intent to become a Questor, whereas it takes many years of training and study to become a Justicar.

(NOTE: This is in no way an exhaustive list of religious groups in the Halmae. It is merely the list that I created for the PC packet at the beginning of the campaign. They were designed as seeds for character generation, tidbits to help spark the imagination. Details were deliberately left vague, allowing PCs interested in these orders to take part in their development.

Each entry include the most common classes, alignments, or clerical domains associated with each order, as well as any game-related trivia.)

Kettenite Orders
Kettenek’s Pillars
The Pillars live to serve. It is their mission to support all worthy and noble causes. They provide the foundation on which worthwhile undertakings can rest. They are usually Fighters and Paladins, but anyone who feels they can support righteousness is welcome in their membership. (Lawful Good, Law, Strength, Protection)

Justicars
Justicars worship the Law. They hold rigidly and mercilessly to its tenets. Everything is black or white for them. Legal is permissible, illegal is not, end of story. Judges and paladins are often found among Justicars.

Anvil, of course, is a Justicar, a member of the Universal Law Caucus, a splinter group within the Justicar Order. (Lawful Neutral, Earth, Law, Strength)

(NOTE: The Justicars are probably the most well explored order in the game right now. They have deviated somewhat from the way I originally saw them, and that’s mostly my fault. Since they occupy a prominent position in most justice systems in the Halmae, they have turned out to be a somewhat more politically savvy than they are described as above. Or, at least, the higher ranking ones like Tenacious are. Lower ranking ones like Anvil… they tend to be a tad more rigid in their thinking.)

Guardians of the Barrier
The Guardians revere Kettenek as the Lord of the Dead. They seek to ensure that those who have passed into the earth stay there. They seek to contain the undead, and more extreme members constantly protest resurrections. Many members of this sect have little to do with the living. They are often morticians.

Cyrus, during his brief tenure in the game, was a Guardian, as is the current head of the Church of Kettenek in Dar Pykos. All Guardians take the name Cyrus when they are inducted into the Order. (Lawful Neutral, Earth, Protection, Strength)

Crossers of the Barrier
The Crossers were originally an offshoot sect of the Guardians. They probed the secrets of the undead, learning how to create and control them. They seek to emulate the Lord of the Dead, by ruling over them. Needless to say, Crossers are not very popular in civilized areas.

Since the Crossers originated from Guardians that had gone bad, many of them also carry the name Cyrus. This couldn’t possibly ever lead to confusion. Or hilarity. (Lawful Evil, Earth, Law, Death)

Alirrian Orders
Nature’s Tenders
The Tenders worship Alirria as goddess of nature. They encourage harmony with nature. Many wander the wilds, offering the goddess’s aid to her creations. Others live in city-states, helping the people there to live peaceably with nature. Tenders are busiest during planting seasons, when every farmer around seeks their blessings. Druids and Rangers often belong to this sect.

Although Dennis is not a Tender, he has developed close ties with them. (Neutral Good, Water, Plant, Animal)

Nature’s Protectors
A more fanatical branch of the Tenders. Medieval eco-terrorists, the Protectors will aggressively protect nature against the encroachments of humanity. (Chaotic Neutral, Water, Plant, Animal)

Givers of Life
The Givers see Alirria as a healer. They dedicate themselves to providing for health needs. They are healers, physicians, midwives, etc. They live to help and aid the sick and injured.

The current head of the Church of Alirria in Dar Pykos is a Giver. (Lawful Good, Good, Healing)

Water Walkers
Walkers are consumed by wanderlust. They have a burning desire to see everything that exists in nature. They are always on the move. The longer they stay in one place, the more they miss elsewhere. Walkers often serve as messengers in their travels. (Neutral Good, Water, Travel)

The Lady’s Handmaidens
The Handmaidens worship Alirria as the goddess of love, and they provide, ahem, services in that regard. Their temples are effectively high-class brothels, but there is nothing dirty or illegal about them. Their priests, both male and female, seek to share love, sexual comfort, and respect with others.

Jelliana, of course, was a Handmaiden. And, while Dennis is not a Handmaiden, he has >cough, cough< developed close ties with them. (Neutral Good, Healing, Good, Water)

Ehktian Orders
Students of the Sun Blade
The Sun Blades see Ehkt as the god of War. Ehkt craves honor and glory, and showers praise on those who find the most. Most warriors, mercenaries, or soldiers belong to this sect.

The current head of the Church of Ehkt in Dar Pykos is a Sun Blade. (Chaotic Neutral, War, Sun, Fire)

Keepers of Light and Flame
Keepers believe that Ehkt encourages growth. To them, self-improvement is the ultimate form of worship. They seek physical (Keepers of Flame) or intellectual (Keepers of Light) perfection, depending on their personal focus; the holiest of Keepers seek both. Monks, Wizards, scholars, and librarians are frequently Keepers

The Keepers of Light are one of the more pro-arcane orders around. The Keepers of Flame have less interest in the arcane question. (Chaotic Good, Sun, Fire, Knowledge)

Questors
The Questors worship Ehkt as god of challenges. Like a fire constantly in need of fuel, Questors constantly seeks new obstacles to overcome. There is no quest, no dare, no stunt, no new or potentially exciting and dangerous experience that a devout Questor will turn down.

Lira, of course, is a Questor. (Chaotic Neutral, Fire, Chaos)

Sedellan Orders
Harbingers of the Future
The Harbingers worship Sedellus as goddess of change. All things must end that new ones can begin. Change is inevitable, and often frightening. The Harbingers do their best to shepherd people through changes, feeling no need to force it upon them. They are the most respected sect of Sedellus.

The current head of the Church of Sedellus in Dar Pykos is a Harbinger. (True Neutral, Air, Luck)

Fortune Riders
The Riders see Sedellus as goddess of chance, never knowing which way her fickle winds will blow, but always working an angle to get it blowing in their favor. Riders are often con artists or tricksters. The Order supports itself through games of chance. They are not generally well thought of, but who really wants to offend the goddess of luck? Rogues are often Fortune Riders. (Chaotic Neutral, Air, Luck, Trickery)

Children of the Wind
The Children are dedicated to Sedellus’s evil nature, to death and destruction. They detest civilization and all its trapping, constantly seeking to bring about its downfall. They have little formal organization, as they are generally killed on sight. However, they continue to strike, generally from small cells, leaving ruin in their wake. It is *highly* recommended that PCs not play Children of the Wind. (Chaotic Evil, Evil, Destruction)


GM’s Note: As I said, this list is by no means exhaustive. If anyone out there has cool ideas for new Religious Orders, feel free to send ‘em my way…

 

[Thomas Hobbes]

Kickin'! Cromwell doesn't take that much conversion- just turn St. Richard's from a monastary of Saint Richard's to a monastary of the Justicars. Works for me. I can also see Cromwell making the switch from rigidly black-and-white to politcally savvy as he gains levels.

 

[doghead]

Hey TH: I was wondering whether you would go with the Justicars. Had to figure that they were the favourite, but the Pillars looked like a possibilty.

I've been doing some reading with the goal of clarifying the social context. Some thoughts at this point (still draft, input welcome):
~ the fyrd (local milita): all freemen of a region are eligible for military call up in the case of attack on the region. There is no time limit on this duty. However, the authourity in question mush balance it with his responsibility to meet the 'tax' requirement his or her lord. Note - this is different from conscription of campaigns in other lands, where 40 days is the rule (beyond that payment must be made).
~ the regional authourity is the Margrave. Margraves are responsible for ensuring the security of the boarder regions and thus the safety of the hinterland. I'm not sure how much area the Margraves will have under them. One option is to make the Lord of Seven a Margrave. The other is to have the Margrave based out of a city further to the south. The latter is the current favourite - with the whole planes area between the two great forests from the northern mountains down to the within 100 miles of the coast to the south a collection of semi-independent semi-alligned frontier states.
~ The Margrave appoints someone (a Magistrate) to enforce the (Kings?) law. Often that is a Justicar, or the person appointed is assisted by one. The Magistrate can appoint people to oversee a particular field or area (a village, the marketplace etc). Justicars sometimes act as representatives for the parties involved.

doghead

 

[doghead]

Thoughts from this corner of cyberspace.

It seems to me that the lack of face to face interaction in PbP can be a significant factor in the high mortality rate of these games. It significantly limits the participants' ability to get a feel for how everyone is feeling. As a result, I have become a believer in posting things up for discussion. So here is the latest installment.

It seems to me that the loss of momentum and focus after the combat enounter in the ic thread is not uncommon in PbP games. I thought I would bring it up to see how it looks from your corner of cyberspace and, if necessary, find ways to keep the pace up.

From this end, I felt like I was doing more descision making for the characters than I feel comfortable with. ie. who did what and went where. What would help me are indications of the character's goals and concerns, and specific intentions. For example:

Lisa wants to get out of here as quickly as possible. She wonders if there are any other bands of goblins nearby.

"I'll keep an eye on the captives."

And unless told to otherwise, thats what she does. Except for the occassional glace around the area for any signs of trouble.

From this I know 1) what she is doing, 2) what she wants to achieve/avoid 3) how she will respond to a possible follow up event (new orders).

So, how does it look from your end?

 

[Thomas Hobbes]

Sounds like a plan. That's my general style of writing anyway.

Usually I'm just waiting for stuff to play off of (i.e, replies to my posts).