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Let's have a go at this then. Just as a FYI kinda thing I'm working from Russian fairy tales, specifically the women in the stories of Ivan Tsarevich. -  Tsarevna I had a name, back in the old country. I remember that much. Many names, in fact. And titles to match. But for the life of me I couldn't tell you what they are. It seems like it's always at the tip of my tongue, but always just out of reach. I suppose that even back in the day I was rarely addressed by anything other than my appellation, so it makes sense that given time those names have just fallen out of use and faded away. It is a good thing that Tsarevna has always fit me well then, I say. There once was a tale about a wise frog. The daughter of Koschei the Deathless, she had been cursed to wear the skin of a frog for three years as punishment for disobeying her tyrant of a father. Something she had done one too many time now. One day in the swamp an arrow, loosed by youngest son of the Tsar, landed in her mouth. The young man had to find his bride to be, but it was surely his luck that his arrow hit a frog instead of a woman! Oh, the frog said, don't be quite so sure. And though skeptical at first, the wise frog convinced the young man that his arrow had struck true. Carrying the frog back to the castle, the young man was laughed at by his brothers and father. You intend to marry a frog, the Tsar scoffed. Why yes, the wise frog interjected, he did. Through wit, skill, and a little magic she passed every test (no matter how impossible!) the Tsar set for her, and she proved herself worthy of the youngest son's hand. In celebration of their engagement, the wise frog removed her slimy skin to reveal a beautiful young woman within. And threw it into the fire. Though her father had different ideas, once he found out about what his daughter had done. These were the early days of what was to come, and we learnt some of the hardest lessons of the war in those first few months. When invaders first arrived in our frozen lands I didn't think anything of them. This wasn't hubris, you understand, I had just yet to see just what they were truly capable of. And lacking any information, had to assume them inferior. Though I ruled my lands from a throne, I lead my troops to battle and fought on the front lines. Countless battlefields have been soaked to the bone with the blood of those who stood against me, and there was nothing to tell me these interlopers would be any different. My lead scout division met The Adversary advance just before dawn broke. And was routed by midday. They achieved their objective, they gauged the strength of our advancing enemy. But only one soldier came back for every four that died. And there was only one response to that. I mustered every soldier I had to command, left my dearest Ivan with a decree to evacuate the kingdom should we not return, and set forth to engage The Adversary before they gained a foothold in our lands. The battle was won. It raged for days. Adversary fighters outnumbered my army two to one. We faced monsters from the smallest of gnarl-toothed goblins to hulking, boulder wielding trolls. Witches commanding dark magic kept their dead standing and fighting until legs were hacked off. Barely ten thousand able men survived. But the day was ours. And the moment I arrived back at the castle, my husband gave the order for the kingdom to empty and flee. Knowing that I had lost the war after just the first battle was a cross I hadn't had to bear before, and I couldn't face giving the order to fall back and surrender everything I had to The Adversary on top of it. For us, it was the start of the Exodus. There once was a tale about beautiful princess. Though she lived in an isolated fortress hidden in the woods, her beauty was known across the land. Men came from far and wide to woo her, though she spurned all their advances. Her heart belong to another. One day her closet friend, the Grey Wolf, howled at her window to warn her that a man was coming to steal her away for good! Without hesitation, she leapt on the Grey Wolf's back to escape. But to her surprise this wasn't simply any man, but the youngest son of the Tsar! He explained that, through a series of unfortunate happenstances, he now needed to take her back to a local King or else his own life was forfeit. In exchange for a swift marriage, the beautiful princess agreed to help the young man. She devised a plan to fool the local King, as her friend the Grey Wolf was a sly shapeshifter who could imitate even the beautiful princess. By the time the ruse had been found out by the King, the Grey Wolf had easily escaped and the newlyweds were more than a week away by horse and safe in the domain of the Tsar. Oh Ivan. He was always an idiot. However tenacious, daring and brave. Inventive, resourceful and lucky. Sweet, caring and loving. But he was an idiot. He was terribly naive, far too trusting of strangers, easily led astray and tricked by connivers. He never had a plan before he blundered in, flying by the seat of his pants. Getting himself mildly killed more than once. But he was my idiot. After we led our refugees from our lands to safer domains we did the only thing we could do, turning back around to return to the fight. It all starts to blur together after the first few years, but we must have been fighting together like this for well over a decade. And you know what? It felt almost like when we first met, more than anything. Perhaps it was just my head trying to relate the situation to something familiar to help me cope, but there were certain parallels. He the brave knight in shining armour wading into battle, and I the cunning princess pulling him out of the fire. Neither of us having kingdoms or subjects to look after. The two of us striking out on our own against monsters and terrible odds. Getting screwed over by bastard witches. And never once did he leave my side. Neither of us were the type to give up easily, which is why we fought on for so long even as kingdom after kingdom fell. But we must have done some good to keep going as we did. We must have. Tenacity to save a life is one thing, throwing lives away over wasteland is just futile. But when the time finally came to board the boats for the one place The Adversary could not follow, I was relieved. Battle is one thing. War is one thing. A running, years long retreat where every skirmish is a delaying action is nothing but slow, methodical slaughter. I had seen too many good, innocent people die for nothing. After so much fighting the excuse to just flee to safety felt to me like the warm embrace of my mother's arms. Not that I would ever let Ivan know, I had to be as ready to fight as he was. except I wasn't. When the final boats were leaving, riding his luck as always, Ivan was one of few to insist they stay behind to continue the fight. Skirmish, sabotage, gather information, do whatever they can to keep us safe from The Adversary on the other side of the gate. But I couldn't go with him. There once was a tale about a warrior queen. Ruling her lands justly and leading her armies to many victories. Looking over the corpse-strewn battlefield of her latest conquest, a man rode up to her encampment. He was the youngest son of the Tsar, and was invited into her yurt to rest for the night. Love was blossoming between the young couple, but the warrior queen was a woman of war and soon had to leave to command her army yet again. She left the kingdom to her husband, trusting him to rule in her stead. There was but one thing she asked of him, to not look inside her oubliette. But her husband was a curious man, and it was a matter of days before he threw open the trap door. Inside he saw an old man shackled to the floor, in chains large enough to moor ships. Oh sir, the old man croaked, please! I beg of you, just a sip of water. I have tasted not food nor water for years! Taking pity on the old man, an entire bucket of water was lowered down to quench his thirst. But the man he took pity on was none other than Koschei the Deathless, now given strength enough to break his bindings! My thanks, Koschei bowed to his unwitting rescuer, but now I must go see to that daughter of mine! Stunned to see him riding free once again, the warrior queen was quickly overpowered by her father. Carried off, she was taken to a small forest fortress and herself imprisoned in Koschei's own dungeons! For years she was trapped while her husband tried again and again to free her. So desperate was he that eventually he struck a bargain with the foul witch Baba Yaga to free his wife. But the naive young man soon found out why one does not deal with the wicked Baba Yaga, as his wife managed to escape the dungeon and return to him. As a bird. If there is one thing that I learnt from my father, and my marriage, and my rule as Tsarevna, and my leadership on the battlefield, and from our cruel winters themselves it's that you never show weakness. The moment you do is the moment you get overrun; be it by an army, a wicked witch, or your own doubts. But I'll admit to being somewhat lost for a time after I arrived in New York, in the years before our community had really come together. The war had taken a toll on all of us, and I was not exempt. After all, what is a Tsarevna without a land to rule? Or subjects to protect? What is a Tsarevna without her Tsarevich? But I persevered through the pain and tried to make myself useful. I found myself asking, what does one do in New York? All of us who travelled across were encouraged to blend in, find an apartment, get a job, earn money, adapt to the whole Mundy thing. And I know many Fables who managed this without issue. Even the Grey Wolf was getting by. I, however, was not so fortunate. When it came down to it, I lacked marketable job skills. What did I have going for me? I can't use my magic out in the open, and it was hardly up to the standard of a proper witch. Even if I somehow wanted to spill blood again, leading an army to fight in the streets is against the law. New York has 'elections', so there's little need for a Tsarevna to rule. And keeping a low profile meant there was no using my beauty to earn me a living. Besides, I couldn't do that to Ivan. As the post of Fabletown Sheriff was being discussed, I was among the first to volunteer for the position. I no longer had any right to rule, and I accepted that a long time ago, but I still felt it was my duty to protect the people as I had once done. As a warrior I have fought armies and as a ruler and tactician I have lead them, in both organising a police force or launching a military sortie I am able to help. I owed it to myself to not simply shirk this responsibility and to have a hand in the prosperity of our community. It's what Ivan would have done, without even a second thought. The big softie. ~ Re: extraordinary powers. Besides being forcibly changed into various small animals, I don't think there would be much in the overtly powered category. She would have some measure of magic from Koschei, I think. And the stories show her as notably beautiful, so that might need to stand out. Other than that it's noted that she's talented, skilful and intelligent, with quick wits and a way with words. And as queen she was a committed ruler, fierce warlord, and deadly fighter. Probably some degree of toughness and fighting skill in there. Ivan also had a sword, Kladenets, which I can imagine Tsarevna inheriting and using liberally. Nothing terribly special about it, it's just a magical shashka. Translates to 'self-swinging sword', apparently. pre:Name Tsarevna Sex Female Virtue Fortitude Vice Wrath Concept Russian princess Alignment xxx Affiliation Sheriffs Chronicle Fables and Exodus Attributes Intelligence () Presence Strength (|) Wits Manipulation Dexterity Resolve Composure Stamina Skills Academics Animal Ken Athletics Computer Empathy Brawl Crafts Expression Drive Investigation Intimidation (|) Firearms Medicine Persuasion Larceny Occult Socialize Stealth Politics Streetwise Survival Science Subterfuge Weaponry Specialities Investigation (Crime Scenes) Occult (Slavic Fables and Magic) Weaponry (Swords) Powers Daughter of Koschei Armour (Beta, When damaged, each in Armour downgrades one level of damage one category) Durability (Alpha, Every in Durability grants character one additional health level) Invulnerability w/ Extra: Broad Category (Gamma, Negates one success from physical attacks) Regeneration (Gamma, auto heals one level of bashing damage, or downgrades one level of lethal damage, per ) Wise Warrior Queen Mega-Attribute (Gamma, add for rolling and meeting prerequisites/reduce penalty by three, Strength) Mega-Attribute (Gamma, add for rolling and meeting prerequisites/reduce penalty by three, Intelligence) Mega-Skill (Beta, add for rolling and meeting prerequisites/reduce penalty by three, Intimidation) Magic in the Blood Illusion (Beta, Subvert senses of others, 1 Verve, Intelligence + Expression + Illusion) Sword Kladnets Super Speed w/ Weakness: Attached to Sword Kladnets, Specialised (Alpha, 1 Verve/turn *Gain +1 Defence and Initiative per dot *Speed is multiplied by dots in Super Speed plus one *Can activate at any point in a turn including during someone elses turn and before rolling initiative *1 Verve to take an additional rolled action per dot per turn with cumulative -1 penalty and no multiple dice pools *Special dash attack! Get up to full speed before doing so, slam target with body, or strike them with a limb or weapon. To get up to this speed, move at least 10 yards in a straight line, then make a single melee attack as an instant action. This attack has a +1 bonus for each 5 yards moved or for each dot in Super Speed, whichever is lower.) Merits Resources () Approximately $500 disposable income and $1000 of assets. 'Modest' would be an overstatement, but after so long on the battlefront Tsarevna had gotten used to living it rough when she is not at home. So she is happy to live in her spartan apartment on the very edge of Fabletown, waiting patiently for the day her Ivan will return and make their house a home. She doesn't think it's right to settle down in comfort and opulence without her husband there to share it all with. Status: War Veteran () Standing, authority and respect from commanding part of the war effort. A warrior queen like no other, Tsarevna's exploits during the war against The Adversary are well known and still remembered. She lead from the front, being the first into battle and the last to cover a retreat. Her tactical knowledge and military strategies saw her armies win victories where so often The Kingdom suffered nothing but defeats. Today she tries to not think about those days, for they were dark times. But Tsarevna stands ready to lead the fight again should Fabletown ever come under threat. Enhanced Item () Curved sword, +1 damage die, 9 again. One of the few keepsakes of Ivan she has, Kladenets is an enchanted sword that is famous across many Slavic tales. A deadly weapon, even a child could use it and put down a trained swordsman in a bloody mess of a fight. Tsarevna is just the latest owner, with her husband holding claim to the sword for the longest time out of anyone. Legend has it that the sword was forged on the island of Buyan until it was raised in anger against the North Wind. Kladenets managed to somehow cut the North Wind, and the sword drunk deep of his blood. Ever since, Kladenets has swolen with the power and swiftness of a mighty winter storm. Danger Sense () +2 on reflexive Wits + Composure tolls to detect impending ambushes. Regularly leading troops into battle, Tsarevna acts as her own scout. There's simply not often a better choice, and never one who can escape and survive if discovered by the enemy. She has developed a sharp eye and keen ear for noticing ambushes before they have a chance to happen, and when she suspects something she never leaves it alone without checking it out. Iron Stamina () Ignore up to -2 brought on by injury or fatigue. Upon resting, sleep like the dead for twelve hours. Having spent her life trudging through ice and snow, as frog, bird, and human, Tsarevna has built up an extraordinary endurance over the years. This is no magic, just pure determination and resilience that has kept her going longer and harder than most Fables could manage. Striking Looks () +1 to all Presence or Manipulation rolls when using looks to entertain, persuade, distract or deceive. As much as she is strong and deadly, Tsarevna is also striking and beautiful. While it is true many Fables are somewhat good looking, Tsarevna is one of the fairest among the fair. She is not known for using her looks to get something she wants, which makes it all the more convincing when she decides she needs to. Her beauty is owed to her mother no doubt, whoever she is, as it couldn't at all be from the repulsive form of her father. Equipment Damage Size Durability Notes Sword Kladenets 4 (Lethal) 2 (Long Jacket) 3 +1 Damage from position of height, 9 again Weakness N/A Advantages Health | Willpower Power Level Verve | Morality | Size Speed ||(||||) Armour Defence () Initiative (|) XP: Attribute: Resolve +1 10xp Attribute: Dexterity +1 10xp Skill: Investigation +2 9xp Skill: Occult +1 9xp Skill: Politics +2 6xp Skill: Empathy +1 6xp Skill: Expression +2 6xp Skill: Intimidation +1 12xp Skill: Brawl +1 9xp Skill: Survival +1 6xp Skill: Weaponry +2 12xp Power: Armour 2 10xp Power: Durability 2 6xp Power: Illusion 1 5xp Power: Invulnerability 7xp Power: Mega-Attribute 7xp Power: Mega-Attribute 7xp Power: Mega-Skill 5xp Power: Regeneration 7xp Power: Super Speed 2 6xp Advantage: Morality -1 +5xp --- 150xp Robodog fucked around with this message at 23:36 on Aug 5, 2014 |
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Jul 31, 2014 00:50
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Finished tweaking my app. I might have a poke at the sheet but man, the last few nWoD ones I've done have not worked out great at all. While not outright a villain, Tsarevna is a mass killing general who has no qualms over chaining people away forever. Also, daughter of the most evil man in Russian folk tales! That might count for half a point.
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Jul 31, 2014 03:13
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Puppies are dicks posted:Ooo that's a really neat fable Robodog. Since you've namedropped the Baba Yaga already how about working in her three immortal dudes? Bright Day, Black Night, and uh... third guy? It'd be really neat if those guys were around and were Russian mobsters/had a segue into Fabletown Russia or something. Ahh, third guy. Most people don't suspect third guy on account of his nonchalant demeanour. But those in the know understand that if Baba send third guy around to pay you a visit, you're in serious trouble. I had that idea for the background, yeah, just didn't have anywhere to slot it. Being crafty on the whole, I imagine a fair few 'villain' Russian Fables made it across and signed the compact. Leaving Tsarevna in the awkward position of having to live in peace with many bastards and witches she tried very hard to murder back in the homelands. Koschei. Baba Yaga. Her boys. Domovois. Zmey. etc. This is why she wouldn't live in the Slavic district.
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Jul 31, 2014 03:43
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Puppies are dicks posted:It just popped into my head while reading your fable during the part about advance by dawn, rout by midday. I was trying to put a couple of subtle things touching on that in the post, yeah. The seasons, weather, and times of the day play important roles in Russian and Slavic myths! For example, they have the personification of sunstroke in the form of Lady Midday. Who is to say if some of them decided to hop on the baddies side! Probe, Hans sounds like a right sorry bastard from what you wrote. But it captures his attitude and voice really well. Being fearless is a good trait for a cop though, things might look up Hans soon 
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Jul 31, 2014 04:21
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Well I took a punt on making a sheet, and it's edited into my BG post. I think it does but I'm really not sure if it works at all! Layering the More Than Human hack on top of it probably busted the whole thing. So if you gotta tear it all down mugrim, go ahead. Criticism helps to learn. I do have one specific question though. I left three merit points because I'm not sure how exactly to make my magic sword. Do I just go through the resources merit, or is there something in More Than Human that does it?
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Jul 31, 2014 15:51
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Sure thing! Making sheets look nice is my job  pre:Name Mr/Mrs Fable Sex Insert Virtue Insert Vice Insert Concept Insert Alignment ? Affiliation Sheriffs Chronicle Fables and Exodus Attributes Intelligence Presence Strength Wits Manipulation Dexterity Resolve Composure Stamina Skills Academics Animal Ken Athletics Computer Empathy Brawl Crafts Expression Drive Investigation Intimidation Firearms Medicine Persuasion Larceny Occult Socialize Stealth Politics Streetwise Survival Science Subterfuge Weaponry Specialities Skill Name (Awesome Speciality) Skill Name (Awesome Speciality) Skill Name (Awesome Speciality) Powers Power Name (Rank, Description, What to roll) Power Name (Rank, Description, What to roll) Power Name (Rank, Description, What to roll) Merits Merit Name () Potted merit description. Merit Name () Potted merit description. Merit Name () Potted merit description. Weakness Weakness if you want one! Advantages Health | Willpower | Power Level Verve | Morality | Size Speed | Armour Defence Initiative | XP: Attribute: Xxxxxx +1 ?xp Attribute: Xxxxxx +1 ?xp Skill: Xxxxxxxxxx +1 ?xp Skill: Xxxxx +1 ?xp Power: Xxxxxx 1 ?xp Power: Xxxxxx 1 ?xp --- ???xp
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Aug 1, 2014 02:05
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Antivehicular posted:Okay, I'm looking through the given superpowers, and it looks like there aren't really any options for true resurrection, just Raise Dead (which appears to make zombies barring an exceptional success). Do you have any suggestions for modeling the "put someone's body parts back together to return them to life" thing, or should I let it go? http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/MTH:Powers_Q-Z#RESURRECTION < this looks like resurrection? mugrim posted:Robodog, that sheet looks great and up to snuff, that's an insanely resilient character and a good portrait. The one thing is resources. As of now you got your sword and the clothes on your back. I got most of it right, woo! Thanks. I left the three merit points over for stuff like that, once everything else is settled I'll put some points into resources. I went through all the powers again, but there is nothing that I could use to really model a sword off of. The closest is 'Claws' and that is all based on brawling and being attached to you. It really doesn't fit. Do you have any ideas?
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Aug 1, 2014 03:14
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Kinda regretting not picking a proper witch or something now, there are a lot of interesting powers in this hack. But there's nothing that's just straight 'melee hit other guy' that I can use for the sword, not without it being weird acid blood or bone claws or elemental fireballs or something. I might need some help with this. Would copying a sword out of Armoury Reloaded and paying merit for it work, maybe? Or something like that? I don't know, otherwise the only thing I can see working is buying a greatsword and shoving it in a duffle bag. e: Oh! Do I know Russian and English off the bat, or do I need to pay for the language merit for that? It's just the Russian would, I'm guessing, only ever get used for speaking with an accent and saying 'Bozhe moi!' and 'Chort Vozmi!' Robodog fucked around with this message at 11:56 on Aug 1, 2014 |
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Aug 1, 2014 11:42
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Antivehicular posted:Not to harsh your fun or anything, but as someone who submitted a female character, I'd really rather not play with someone who's going to patronize that character all the time as a permanent part of their nature, you know? Also Tsarevna might kill you. On top of bringing about democracy? Definitely getting killed.
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Aug 1, 2014 18:55
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^ Totally still going to kill him on principle.mugrim posted:Robodog, here are some sword ideas: These are all neat, but there are only maybe two of these powers that work well within my stats and none of those are actually offensive. If the hack can't support, like, a direct enhanced 'use to hit dudes with' weapon should I just give up on the whole thing and go with mundane equipment instead? e: Invisibility might work, Kladenets was also known as 'the hidden sword', but that still wouldn't let me hit people with it which is the roadblock I'm hitting here. Robodog fucked around with this message at 04:10 on Aug 2, 2014 |
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Aug 2, 2014 03:59
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Okay, thanks Chaos Triangle and Mugrim! I went ahead and used the Enhanced Item merit on a curved sword and gave it +1 damage and 9 again like you suggested. Kinda guessed on the cost there, one dot per increase and two dots overall. Then I just went with your Fragarach super speed idea as a power on the sword, and linked it to the curved sword with 'Weakness: Attached to Sword Kladnets'. I figured that the North Wind idea can play just as well from Russia. So I hope that's all okay!
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Aug 2, 2014 17:27
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Who needs a gun when you can throw a punch? Basically the same thing. Okay, when I said I had finished tweaking the sheet before? I may have fibbed. I tweaked it again, mostly just tightening up a couple of skills and descriptors, and cleaning up the formatting a little. I am pretty darn sure that I'm done now, though. So if it looks good then- oh. Oh, oh no! What's this!? It looks like somebody has been digging up Tsarevna's dirty little secrets! And is up to no good with them! Just what kind of trickery is this!?
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Aug 6, 2014 00:07
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mugrim posted:Can someone do me a favor and C/P the post count, as in the breakdown of who posted how many posts in the thread, the one you get by clicking the total posts number? It's telling me that the thread is archived for some reason... Ever since we had that forums breakdown a few weeks back stuff like 'search' and 'post counts' have been totally loving broken. Robodog fucked around with this message at 03:06 on Aug 7, 2014 |
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Aug 7, 2014 02:55
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Might be off by 1 here but: mugrim: 028 Probe 17: 016 Puppies: 006 Soonmot: 002 ryuujin: 002 basic chunnel: 005 antivehicular: 012 robodog: 013 axeman: 007 chaos triangle: 004 mr fowl: 003 cap. carrot: 005 zephonith: 002
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Aug 7, 2014 03:07
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Probe 17 posted:Woah hey Robodog looks like you're trying to overtake my post count! I better step up my game! I save my a-game for the game thread  Puppies are dicks posted:I do not have a character sheet, but aside from a handful of talky skills and some sort of crafts related to tailoring general king-related stuff like being able to ride a horse or swing a sword mildly competently is all I had in mind. What does some skinny rear end tailor know about statecraft? Nothing!
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Aug 7, 2014 07:02
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Probe I think you mean 'I can barely work my cassette tape player.' 
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Aug 10, 2014 06:36
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So long as you do it with period appropriate weaponry
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Aug 10, 2014 06:41
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Antivehicular, if we put our hands up maybe teacher will notice us again and give us some posts to do things with!
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Aug 14, 2014 04:08
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Antivehicular, come on let's team up and bust some crooks!
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Aug 23, 2014 14:47
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Okay! Well if Antivehicular and Probe are off with the fairies, I guess I'll just wander on down to the shop where Johannes is needlessly shouting at innocent people.
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Aug 26, 2014 04:44
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Come over to Victor's shop and throw a brick through the window! We're pretty much done here anyway!
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Aug 26, 2014 09:05
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Hot off the presses, new pics of Ella!!!!  
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Sep 14, 2014 01:30
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Found them on the Tumblrs! I can go back through my history to source the artist if you like!
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Sep 18, 2014 03:44
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Puppies are dicks posted:Must have missed this from a while back, but if you've still got it sure! http://popobana.tumblr.com/post/90410303243
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Oct 8, 2014 04:09
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