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 This used to be a wonderful, glorious land. Deep enough into the West to be truly exotic and unique, yet close enough to the Blessed Isle to allow for ease of transportation for those wealthy enough, it was originally 'settled' in the first age by an Anathema whose name has long since been erased from the records. A den of horrid torture and debauchery, it was settled as a sick pleasure resort, until the glorious Dragonblooded rose up, and cast off this vile overlord. Since then the island has survived much turmoil - always strangely untouched, the people of the island barely suffering during any of the earth shattering events. It was an idyllic land, blessed and glorious, where the rich would come to relax, to be free of any worries or cares. Most recently, Dynasts would brag of having stayed in resorts upon the island, they would save for months and put in for long vacations specifically to visit this land, that may as well have been one of its satrapies in everything but official status. But that was years ago now, it seems like lifetimes ago. In only two years the land turned from one of the most wonderfully blessed places outside of the Isle itself, to a wretched, horrid land. Why it happened is something that is still up to debate - some say the people offended the Immaculates, other say an Anathema cursed the land, more say that it was the return of a terrible disease from time before time. Regardless, a plague swept through the island, and people died, in a wave of brutal deaths, one after another. The visitors who brought their jade and silver with them stopped coming, and even as people died to plague, more died to starvation, to infighting. The farms that toiled to provide for the luxurious resorts and beautiful art and crafts grew at a tenth of the size they had before. The royalty tried - they called on ancient alliances, they asked for Realm aid, they contacted old gods of the land from times before the Immaculate faith. Nothing worked. The people tried to flee, but ships sat in the waters, sinking any boats fleeing the island, under guise of keeping the plague under control. It was a situation of chaos, of death. And it finally ended, as the King claimed his last breath, all signs of the disease fading away within a week of the King's death. But the effects remain - much of the beautiful city of Ghede is in shambles, with criminals fighting openly in the streets, most of the guards having abandoned their duties to either flee or join the criminals themselves. The outer reaches of the island are no better, where entire fishing villages lay empty and bare, where large fisheries formerly with fourty workers now try and run with only four or five. It is a land where the peasantry distrust and blame the royal family, where there is no escape. Where ancient schools of beautiful martial arts filled with young artists wanting to conquer the world's toutnmsnrts once stood, now stand rival gangs forcing citizens to learn their way of fighting. It is also a land of infinite possibilities, for people like you. An ancient land full of treasures that could save your people should you wish to do it that way, a land of strong people with stronger wills if you can gain their trust. Best of all, it is a land where no one sets foot, and where the word Anathema no longer matters - for now. All you will need to do is rebuild it, brick by brick. It is time for a new dawn, in this land under the sun. Game Info Wow, that was an overly long opening, so lets get to the important bits - the specifics about how this PbP will work. Obviously from above, this will be a Kingmaker game. It will probably not be world spannign adventures - well, until you decide to go conquer. It is using s custom kingdom that you can read about above, but who cares, make it what you want in play. First off - I will be looking for at least one character of royal descent for the game, and having ties to the royalty is encouraged! Second off - I am looking for four to five characters, and I'm more likely to make a full circle than I am to take two of one caste. Sorry, I like the circle system. Lastly and the biggest thing - this game will be using BP only. There is no XP! You will earn BP over the course of the game, that will be spent exactly as it was in chargen. Systems that interact with xp will be changed over to BP when it comes up! Yay. Martial Arts also no longer needs a Merit nor a point in Brawl. Each martial art is still separate dots. This recruitment will be up for... An indeterminate time period. Probably a week. Also, don't be a creep or you won't get in. Contact me in either #allunderheaven or #swampthings. Application Requirements Obviously I want a bio, and I would prefer a picture. Make a character using the excell sheet here - Make a copy and fill it in.. In addition to telling me why you Exalted, I also want everyone to answer three questions. quote:1. Did you lose anyone to the plague, or the horrific blockades that killed those who fled? KittyEmpress fucked around with this message at 14:46 on Oct 24, 2015 |
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Oct 23, 2015 18:13
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Is this play by post or roll20?
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Oct 23, 2015 19:59
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It says in there, but I didn't bold it! It's a PbP game.
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Oct 23, 2015 21:08
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Until KittyEmpress can link it in the OP, the sheet to use is here - Make a copy and fill it in. Working on a Night who could possibly be an Eclipse instead, depending.
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Oct 23, 2015 21:35
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Thanks, I'll app a character hear then sense my scheluge isnt steady for a roll20 game. I'm thinking as sorcerer who uses Nightingale style just unsure on caste. JesterOfAmerica fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Oct 23, 2015 |
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Oct 23, 2015 21:59
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Grandmother Ebb, Zenith Caste Strategist Grandmother Ebb was once just another young maiden from a minor noble family, though few living mortals can claim to have known her back then. She was beautiful in her own way, but quite brash and pig-headed. When she came of age, she refused an arranged marriage and took the first ship off the island. In foreign lands, she joined a mercenary company. She quickly rose through their ranks and beyond, less on her virtues as a combatant than her keen military mind. Within a few decades, she'd built enough of a reputation that she was able to keep herself quite comfortable as a trainer and adviser to larger militaries, even some Dynastic houses. However, in time she began hearing rumours from her homeland. While the island hosted visits from many wealthy and powerful patrons, that had also served to attract the attentions of thieves and ne'er-do-wells. Quite simply, the island had developed somewhat of a bandit problem. While the local martial arts schools and the bodyguards of noble visitors could handle most ordinary attempted robberies, not everyone was so martially inclined. And besides, if a visiting Dynast had to see to their own protection on the king's roads, well, that was a black eye for the royal family's reputation in the eyes of the world. So, motivated by lingering patriotism and a small amount of homesickness, Grandmother Ebb returned. Her wealth and family name bought her a command position in the island's rag-tag militia, and so she went to work. She ruthlessly cut out wastage, implemented promotions based on aptitude rather than family background, recruited heavily from the peasantry, and tripled road patrols. The nobility who'd lost their prestigious positions kicked up a fuss, and Ebb was generally too busy with military matters to respond, so it seemed inevitable that her tenure would be short lived, except for one saving grace; her methods worked. The roads became much safer as camps of brigands were either wiped out or quickly disbanded, and the island became known as one of the safest in the West. Success pardons any number of ills, and Grandmother Ebb, who'd since married one of the few noble-born officers that had survived her purge, found her family name elevated to just below the royal family in influence. She ran the island military with precision and care for a couple decades longer, until she finally retired, citing her age and desire to get to know her numerous grand and great-grandchildren. She spent a few years in contentment, until the plague came. It swept through the island, claiming half of her descendants in the first year. Worse, from her elevated position she could see how fear and distrust dominated the land and turned the people against one another. From her contacts in the military, she heard of mass desertions, food riots, and the breakdown of all authority. From her noble friends, she heard tales of hoarded food, of hidden escape plans, and of the royals stymied. No longer in a position of authority, at first all Ebb thought she could do was listen and wait for things to end, one way or another. And then, one day she received word that her youngest great-grandchild, a girl of six, had passed away - not from the plague, but from being trampled in an uncontrolled food riot. She spent the night in prayer, wrestling with herself, and when she finally came to a decision, she saw a vision. She doesn't speak of what she saw, but the next morning she had the vitality of a woman decades her younger and was ready to challenge the world. Which was necessary, because her first actions were to stage a partial military coup. She took command of what was left of the island military, purely by virtue of having personally trained the entire officer corps. Then she set about restoring order. She ordered the hidden food hoards of the nobility seized, and began immediate distribution to the peasantry. She arranged escorts for doctors and healers and enforced quarantines. She organized evacuations and had refugee camps built. It was not pleasant work, but few denied its necessity. When the plague finally passed, Grandmother Ebb found herself in command of the last vestiges of an army, in a nation teetering on the brink. But this time, she has no intention of retiring. She will see her home rebuilt and restored, no matter what it takes. Did you lose anyone to the plague, or the horrific blockades that killed those who fled? Grandmother Ebb did not raise any cowards, which ultimately proved costly to her offspring. Ebb's dozens of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were on the front-lines during the crisis; they treated the sick, guarded the defenceless, and generally tried to raise spirits wherever they went. But that also meant they were disproportionately infected with the plague or victims of violence, though none were ever killed fleeing. Tell me about somewhere on the island you find or found interesting. Once, when personally accompanying a road patrol, Grandmother Ebb scouted ahead and discovered a beautiful pool of water in a deep forest clearing. Around the pool were tiny winged creatures flitting about - they spoke to her in accented Low Realm. In return for some rations, they offered to let her fill a wineskin with the pool water, which she accepted. Whenever she took a drink, Ebb found the water slaked her hunger as well as her thirst, and when she accidentally spilled some in a stagnant water puddle, the puddle became completely clear and pure. She hasn't yet found reason to go back, and further scouting reports on the area don't mention any pools of water in lush clearings, so for now it seems to have been her little secret. Tell me about someone on the island you care about, and why. Do they know you have Exalted? Diligent Joy is Grandmother Ebb's oldest surviving daughter in the military. Joy commands a unit of elite scouts of her own creation - incredibly well-trained infiltrators and warriors chosen for their aptitude with unconventional tactics. Mother and daughter are incredibly close; Joy is the only one Grandmother Ebb has explicitly confided in about her Exaltation, though she's fairly certain other close friends and family members have an inkling. Green Bean fucked around with this message at 04:55 on Oct 25, 2015 |
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Oct 23, 2015 23:53
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WIP I may need help to make sure the sheet is correct. Aria Esmeralda, Zenith Caste Songstress  Aria was one of many street orphans in the cite of Ghede. However, she was was one of the lucky ones in that she at least had a the Marriot Gang looking after her. The gang taught her the basics of survival on the streets. However as she grew older the gang say that Aria had better skills in singing and interest in the spirits. So with the blessing of the Gang Aria went to join the Songbears, a minstrel cult that has existed on the island as long as anyone can remember.Thanks to the Realms presence the Songbears were always on the move within their own home. Under the vigilance of the Songbears Aria tutelage begin with learning the songs of old and the proper way to entreat the gods. The first song initiates learn is the tale of the beginning where everyone had a voice and was unhindered in letting it ring out to the world. Of all the lessons she learned this first one always stuck with her the most. As she traveled the island she saw how the excesses of Ghede spread all through out the island. It was two weeks after her final initiation when the plague hit. Being one of the few Songbears in the area Aria joined in a massive song to try and call the upon the gods to heal the city. It failed. Aria continued to sing for one whole week in an attempt to heal her home, but instead her determination earned here the Exaltation of the sun. Entrusted with this new power and with the power vacuum left by the Realm Aria wishes to turn the Marriot Gang and Songbears into more powerful entities in the kingdom as repayment for all the help they have provided for her. To Aria the evacuation brings a new opportunity for the island to start over and rediscover its own history separate from all the other countries in Creation. However even with this goal, Aria remains unsure on how to achieve this. Most of the time when Aria is not working on business for the Songbears, she goes to receive advice and perform jobs for the Marriot gang. The gang, is mostly hazy about Aria abilities, save for two people, but are aware of the fact that she is gained tremendous new influence within the Songbears for being a new recruit. Within the Songbears Aria has risen to prominence for surviving the failed ritual. Although this is has not granted her leadership positions, the cult has begun use her as a symbol of the gods favor and the harbinger of a new age. Aria herself is not sure how to feel about being the Songbears' new icon to Ghede and the rest of the island. She enjoys her ability to be a presence to the people but finds that she has a much harder time in attempting to convince the others in the order to sing for the sake of the songs instead of underhanded deals. Did you lose anyone to the plague, or the horrific blockades that killed those who fled? Trio Asiel, the high priestess of the Songbears died in the same ritual to that Aria obtained her Exaltation from. As spirits rushed the cove where the ritual was held she sacrificed herself to buy time for the others. Trio was Aria's first teacher and the one who performed her final initiation rites. Tell me about somewhere on the island you find or found interesting As a requirement for initiation into the Songbears Aria had to take a pilgrimage across the island. On her return trip to Ghede, Aria found a cave holding a large store of jade. The jade was both unrefined and in the form of talens. After finding this out Aria keeps watch on this cave to see who is stockpiling there. However, the jade grows but no one ever appears. Tell me about someone on the island you care about, and why. Do they know you have Exalted? Crimson Raven is Aria's brother in everything but blood. It was him that first introduced Aria into the Marriot gang. As soon as Aria returned to Ghede she told Raven about her new-found power. He is unsure what to do with the information. As the current leader of the gang, Raven has to often works to grow the gang's influence. This is become remarkably easier now that the plague has evacuated the Realm's Dynast and Dragonblooded. Raven was the biggest proponent for allowing Aria to join the Songbears, he reasoned that having in end with the cults will allow them favors that will allow them more power to control the underworld. JesterOfAmerica fucked around with this message at 00:47 on Oct 26, 2015 |
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Oct 24, 2015 00:11
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Twilight Exalt goes here in the near future.
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Oct 24, 2015 00:39
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WIP Alla of the Seven Bells  Totally 100% Trustworthy Eclipse Grand Vizier Backstory: Darling, you shouldn't believe what people say about me. They're just jealous. My name is Alla, of the Seven Bells. I don't like to throw around the term “grand vizier”; it gives people the wrong idea. I prefer to think of myself as a sort of professional consultant to rulers and kings; sit beside the throne, never on it, is my motto. I've been an advisor and helpmeet to one satrap, two princes, and three ex-husbands, and despite what you may have heard, if they'd actually followed my advice, all of them would still be alive. Prince Vatu, of Lantern Bay, in particular, should have heeded my warning about the volcano god. I had to leave that one in quite a hurry, steps ahead of the pyroclasts, my fortune and skin barely intact. Always know when to leave and make sure their will is up to date; that's another of my little mottos. So why, you may ask, is someone as rich and influential as myself here, in Ghede, of all places? Even its citizens will admit that it's a bit of a shithole. Well, I doubt it will hurt anything to tell you; I was born here. Right over there, in fact, in the ruins of the palace. My father was cupbearer to the king, the most loyal of servants. My whole family was in service. We were a palace relic; a generational lineage of stewards and servitors. We cleaned, cooked, dusted, and laundered every inch of that place. It was considered to be a great honor, and we wore the service tattoos of the royal family proudly; mine's here, on the forearm, see? Got it when I was four, so it's stretched out a bit. When things went bad for the royal family, they went very bad for us. The king was unpopular, and we were his most vulnerable representatives. A mob dashed my cousin Audra's brains out with a rock when she went to the market to purchase eggs. After that, we were quarantined in the palace, and the adults in our family began to look for ways to smuggle their children out. They would serve to the last breath, but their children must live, no matter the cost. I was parceled out to a minor V'Neef household in An-Teng when I was six, and became little more than a well-trained slave. That was years ago, though. How many? Darling, never ask a lady her age. The important thing is, I grew into my power. It's a short step between servant and advisor, if you're clever and if your employers are bored dilettantes who rarely bother to think deeply on any subject. And from there, you have access to all kinds of things. I have been to the Blessed Isle, walked its gardens, seen its jade vaults. I have taken tea with a god, and brokered a treaty between the wind and the waves. I was taught to kill with my bare hands by Tinctured Sorrow, a monk immaculate. And now I am home. And I find my home broken. It's a disgrace to the memories of my parents and kin, a degradation of their service. I'm going to fix that. I am going to find what's left of the royal family and raise them back up to something approaching nobility. They will take my advice, and prosper. If they know what's good for them. quote:1. Did you lose anyone to the plague, or the horrific blockades that killed those who fled? quote:2. Tell me about somewhere on the island you find or found interesting. quote:3. Tell me about someone on the island you care about, and why. Do they know you have Exalted? Old Kentucky Shark fucked around with this message at 18:15 on Oct 24, 2015 |
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Oct 24, 2015 05:59
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Seventh Shadow Backstory: This wasn't ever supposed to happen. But life isn't ever that easy. I was born as one of the bastards of Ghede, the result of one of the frequent liaisons between the king and his small army of courtesans. We were kept in a wing of the palace specially reserved for us, far from the eyes of the queen. We were always taught that, while we weren't in line for the throne, we were still family. And this kingdom was still our kingdom. That we had a duty to serve its people, and to serve the royalty as trusted hands, advisors and retainers. Half-brothers and half-sisters to each other, and half-brothers and half-sisters to the next generation of princes and princesses. It was a good life. We were expected to work for the good of the kingdom, but other than the queen's occasional fits of anger at an especially uppity bastard we weren't ever mistreated. I wasn't close with all of my siblings, but there was camaraderie. And then the plague started. It didn’t seem so bad at first. But no matter what anyone tried, it just kept getting worse. Spells were tried, and failed. Allies were called, and died. Spirits were summoned, and were helpless. We died, throwing ourselves into the disease, trying to do what we could to help. And nothing changed. The people turned on us, in the end. It was confusing, and frightening. We were trying to help, but they just saw us as part of the problem, one of the most visible parts of the royal family, of royal blood. We retreated back into the palace, barring the way as we could, and the angry mob – some of them people we’d worked with for years – followed us. We fought where we could, retreating to try and protect the worst-off, but we were overwhelmed. I was one of the last standing. And rage filled my soul, guiding my hand as I lashed out again and again. I cut half of them down with my dagger, the blade dripping with their blood. And I cut half of them down with my tongue, the venom in it causing them to flee in shame and terror. But as they fled down the corridor, with my black aura shrouding me in the depths of my rage, I realized the worst thing of all: that they were right. Or at least a little right. They knew that it was the king’s blood that was causing this curse. But it never occurred to them, in the midst of their terror and suffering, to look beyond the diluted blood in front of them to the source. I didn't want to do it. But life isn't ever that easy. I did what I had to for the kingdom. For the kingdom I loved, and served, as its loyal daughter. And a week later the plague had vanished as if it had never existed. It might have been a coincidence, but it wasn’t. And no one can ever, ever know. quote:1. Did you lose anyone to the plague, or the horrific blockades that killed those who fled? Almost everyone. I was closest with my older half-sister, Twelfth Song. She was even less cut out for court life than I was, but she was a gifted healer and very popular. When the plague hit she was one of the first to help, organizing efforts to quarantine the sick and to assist the injured. She was one of the first healers to come down with the plague, too. I broke her quarantine to sit by her bed and hold her hand while she was dying. She kept telling me that everything would work out, that it would be okay. It wasn't. quote:2. Tell me about somewhere on the island you find or found interesting. There's a hidden chamber buried deep in the depths of the Palace, connected by a well-hidden tunnel to one of the large storage silos in the Merchant's quarter of the city. I used to go down there to hide when the pressure got to be too much or I just needed some time apart. I started to use it more regularly as a way to get in and out of the palace. Before things got really bad I used it to go out, but when I came back the passageway was gone. I snuck back into the palace and came back through that way, only to find out that it was now connected to an alley near the dockyard. I've been to busy to use it since, but there's something going on there. quote:3. Tell me about someone on the island you care about, and why. Do they know you have Exalted? Some of my surviving half-brothers and half-sisters suspect, at least, but Second Bramble was one of the few survivors who was with me when I Exalted. We hadn’t been especially close before; I always thought of him as a bit of a stick in the mud, and his straightforward mind was never terribly happy with the kind of cunning and treachery that I practiced, but after seeing me stand and fight we’ve grown much closer. He was one of the King’s Royal Guards before being seriously injured in the attack on the bastards, and he’s been slower to recover from his leg wound than I’d like, but he’s getting there. Side note: While technically in line for the throne, Seventh SHadow is supposed to be far, far away from the line of succession, and she also desperately doesn't want to be. She could work as the sole PC royal heir, but if there's another selected she'll happily slot in under them for the prince/ss slot. Other notes: Royal bastards are given very generic names until they distinguish themselves, which involves a complicated ceremony and formal adoption into one of the lesser lines of the Royal family. What that means now with those branches dead is a fair question. Seventh Shadow is her birth name; she may take another in time, but fresh off her Exaltation she's keeping it. to-do: finalize picture RPZip fucked around with this message at 09:03 on Oct 28, 2015 |
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Oct 25, 2015 00:12
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 Seventy-First Hour Assam, Night Caste City Watchman. Bonus Point Expendature -1 Athletics +1 -1 Stealth +1 -1 Dodge +1 -1 Archery +1 -1 Martial Arts +1 -2 Socialize +2 -2 Investigation +2 -1 Merits (Resources) -1 Merits (Contacts) -4 Charm (Investigation) Backstory: Let me tell you, I'm not a nobleman, I'm not a pious priest, or a learned scholar, or even a particularly fierce warrior. I'm just a Watchman, I was born someone of no great worth, took a job in the watch because it was decent pay. And then, I got to be there when the country became a little slice of hell. You think the country falling apart at the seams was a horrible incident from someone on the outside looking in, Sir, I want you to imagine what it was like actually being there. Being there, when the bread went up in price and the people rioted, when the powers that be took to burning down whole sections of the city in a desperate attempt to stop the plague spreading, when dangerous, stupid idiots used it as a chance to 'revenge them selves on their oppressors' and just made the whole mess a lot worse. And especially the people trying to evacuate, were driven back at sword point by our 'stalwart allies'. I was there, me, and a few other watchmen. Do you know why I call myself 'Seventy-First Hour Assam?' Because over three days, I had to keep a lot of frightened and desperate people safe from total disaster. And it was bloody hard it was, when the Barricades were getting pounded on, when fights were breaking out across the city, when we were losing men by the hour, I was there, I made myself there, the entirety of the city, back and forth, three straight days, very little sleep, brief breaks for food and water, non stop. It drat near killed me, it nearly did kill me. I was in a warehouse when I exalted, it was the armory, a bunch of people got it into their heads that now was the best time to rob from the city and escape into the wilderness, and what we thought was a minor disturbance turned into a death trap. And then in the midst of an ambush, surrounded by dead comrades and men intending to kill me, on my last legs, I received one hell of a second wind. And so Sgt. Assam, dying, exhausted, and pushed to his limits at the 71st hour of this entire mess became close to a god, took up his firewand, stared down a mob of 20, maybe 30 men who were suddenly looking very concerned and... Well, I'm not entirely sure what happened next after that, except that I made it out of that warehouse, and they didn't. And now, we come to today, the city is, well if not back in one piece, in a state where another catastrophe isn't likely to happen soon, crime is rampant, there's barely any order, we seem to be missing a monarch and no one wants to come near us after the whole plague business. And so, it seems to have fallen to us, to clean up the mess, and something tells me that won't be as hard as people might expect. Questions: quote:1. Did you lose anyone to the plague, or the horrific blockades that killed those who fled? A lot of the strength in our force collapsed almost overnight when this bloody mess first started, a lot of good friends, there were 9 others in my squad at our watch house and now, I'm the only one left. A few of them caught the disease, and died, some of them ran I can't say they fared well, I don't think anyone got out of that hellish quarantine we were put under, and others joined the criminal underground, thinking that if all hell was breaking loose then they want to be on the 'winning side', can't rightfully blame them, there are a whole lot more desperate people and opportunistic bastards for any Guard to handle, let alone an understaffed and under-equipped force like ours was then, you make it your duty to uphold the law but when there are no laws left, what do you do? The general feel was that everyone who stayed on the force were either too scared to run or too stubborn to quit, but I made that oath, and I wear that badge, and I choose to carry that weight. It hasn't gotten any easier right now either. quote:2. Tell me about somewhere on the island you find or found interesting. Ramshackle is a shanty town outside the city proper, built in the ruins of what was 'Old Ghede' and houses most of the cities more destitute population. No one is entirely sure what Old Ghede used to be, some say it was the living quarters of the Anathema's great many servants, others say it was a Necropolis destroyed in the terrible fighting between the Anathema and the Dragon-Blooded, and some even believe it was the temple of an old and terrible god it's name lost to time, and it's worshipers long dead, but for the most part it was an area that didn't have many people living in it, and was for the most part left alone. And then the calamity happened, and suddenly, there were a lot of very poor and very desperate people with nowhere else to go, who found a large and fairly undisturbed area on the outskirts of the city, and made their homes there. And let's be frank a lot of it's criminal population have made their home down there too, most of the Guards stay as far away from the place as they can, under the rules of Ghebe it's technically not part of the city itself and outside of it's laws, so it became very easy for a criminal, once he escapes the boundaries of the city to slink into the old ruins and shadowy alleyways and disappear from sight. The problem is of course, for every utter bastard who makes a living cutting throats and stealing silver that lurks there, there are even more people who are trying to survive, you can't turf them out as they would have nowhere else to go, and you can't put guards there either, so for the most part the city leaves it to its own devices. quote:3. Tell me about someone on the island you care about, and why. Do they know you have Exalted? Back when I first joined the watch, I was put into a squad with a man called Sergeant 'Suffer Not Injustice' Josiah as my superior. A devout man, extremely religious in his manner though I was never sure to what god exactly and also the man who taught me everything I know about coppering, back to front. He was, well I won't lie, he was a hero to me, he pulled my rookie arse out of the fire more then once, told me how to spot when someone isn't being wholly honest with me, the best places to stand on cold wet nights, that sort of thing. And then, he taught me the Righteous Devil style. I was, I would like to think a pretty good shot, won bets for it even, and then one day, I am practicing my rifle drill, trying to hit a target from what I actually learned was longer then the firewand's range, and Josiah takes me aside and asks me a question. "Do you want me to show you how I would do it?" I didn't quite understand why, but he takes from this wrapping of cloth, a firewand, I think, because if it was it was some of the best craftsmanship I have ever seen in my life and he puts it into my hand and turns me towards the target, 'Try now' he said. And I fired. And I missed, which was rather disappointing, right up till the point where an assassin, who had been attempting to get a bead on my old Sergeant all this while, dropped off of the rooftop, and it was more then twice the distance from where I was aiming. He then takes his hands off of the Rifle and tells me, 'I want you to have this, my time here is coming to an end, and in my stead, I want you to protect these people. I want you to carry a torch into the darkest of places. I need you to steel yourself my lad, because there is a reckoning coming and I am going to be needed elsewhere. Keep the peace lad, your job is to keep the peace, no matter what. Remember that." And then... Well, what happened happened, and Sergeant Josiah vanished. No one in hindsight knew where he actually lived, but all that was left to me was the Fire-wand and some Martial Arts and so, I kept the peace, I worked around the clock to keep the peace, and now, well it's not so much of a peace, but it's not outright anarchy either. There's room for improvement, but now? I am just getting started. TheNabster fucked around with this message at 18:47 on Nov 1, 2015 |
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Oct 25, 2015 00:59
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Taemira of Parlan, Twilight Caste Royal Mentor And also Prince Yuka:  “This is too tight,” Prince Yuka complains, trying in vain to loosen the ties on his elaborate dress shirt. “It's exactly as tight as it is supposed to be,” I explain quietly. Not too forceful, because it is my duty to be his friend and companion. Not too gentle either, because it is also my duty to train him in the customs and habits befitting a ruler. “You have to understand that some discomfort is often required to look your best. And you do look your best.” I give him a sweet smile as I begin sewing in the pearls, which are so delicate that they can only be attached once the wearer is in the shirt. “I guess so,” he concedes, a smile playing across his own face as well. He takes a deep breath and turns his face away from both me and his reflection before speaking again. At least I have trained him well enough that he doesn't move his body. “It's not your fault, 'Mira.” “I never said it was,” I say, but the reply is an instant too slow. We've known each other since he was a small child, well over a decade now, so Yuka catches it instantly and falls silent, not wanting to argue with me. But even with his silence, he is trying to tell me that I'm not responsible for allowing him to come with me on my brief sabbatical, during which the rest of his family died. He believes they died of the plague, but I know better. I know I am responsible. Even though his siblings had all technically 'graduated' from my services years ago, I still should have been there to save them from the diseased, starving mob that trampled them to death as they tried to leave the city. It was a duty I had written on my heart, making it more important than any sworn oath, and I abandoned it for a weekend of childish escape. It had become my duty ever since my family, the minor House Parlan, made a deal with a cadet branch of the royal family that I would tutor their children in the ways of etiquette, leadership, and court manners, as well as protect them from all danger. In return they would receive money, prestige, and an honorable way to get rid of me. After all, I am the seventh child, and the bookish fourth daughter, no less. I am a refined, talented, and intelligent lady, but simultaneously too high and too low on the ladder for a suitable marriage. Thus, mentorship was an excellent choice for my parents. Really, the deal was a political coup. I did resent it for a long time, of course. For years, I prayed at every shrine that one of the princes would fall hopelessly in love with me and our families would have no choice but to let us marry. While some of our relationships did... skirt the edge of impropriety, they had no trouble moving on once an eligible princess came along. Eventually, after soaking a few pillows with my tears, I gave up. Which is for the best, because it has allowed me to focus on making myself and my charge the best we can be. It probably saved our lives too, because it gave me the skills and knowledge needed to survive a hostile island full of assassins, bandits, and angry commoners for as long as we have. And then to escape the Immaculate Order when my efforts to escort Prince Yuka to safety caused me to Exalt. Truthfully, he helped a lot too, and a quite-undignified part of me thinks it's because I trained him so well. Now that things have calmed down (or at least that there is a temporary lull in the storm), I need to find allies for him. As if reading my thoughts, he finally breaks the long, brooding silence I've surely been in. “Where are we going today?” “To see your great-uncle,” I tell him as I finish attaching the strings of pearls to his outfit. “He can help you restore order to Ghede. Now that your parents and brothers have succumbed to the plague, you have to rule your family's lands in their stead, but you can't do that without support.” It still disturbs me how easy it is to lie to Yuka about how his family died. He's strong, but he can only endure so much at once. “I know,” he says, stammering only a little bit. He has become so brave under my tutelage. “And I'm glad I have you for that. But then what?” “Then what?” I repeat, surprised and delighted to hear him voice thoughts I've had myself many times. “Why, whatever you want, Prince Yuka. You have a grand destiny ahead of you.” I pat his head tenderly, messing up his perfectly coiffed hair in the process. drat. At least my sentimentality only ruined about an hour of work this time, instead of resulting in a whole family's death. He starts to laugh, though, and that gives me the strength I need to keep going just a little longer. In my mind, I gather up all the times like this that we have shared and put them on like armor as we prepare to leave. Questions: 1. A couple of my pupils, the ones that didn't die the night the mob attacked, did succumb to the plague. The one thing I couldn't protect them from. As for my own family, I've lost contact with them ever since they tried to get through the blockade. Finding out what happened to them is also one of my priorities, but that can't happen until the Prince is on his feet again. 2. I used to love the private Royal Library. I would go there even when I wasn't teaching, just to walk its echoing marble halls and get away from the salty sea air for a little while. The must of old paper has always been comforting, ever since I was a child. Has it been destroyed, or ransacked? I haven't had time to find out yet, and I am dreading the answer. 3. Obviously the Prince knows I have Exalted, since it was while protecting him from the many dangers of the island that I did so. He's been slightly more distant since then, presumably afraid of me. But if this new power will enable me to protect him better and carry him further, then I'm okay with it, in the end. I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt a little though. My family doesn't know a thing, but circumstances might change that if they're in danger. I don't relish that thought. My parents were always strict taskmasters with high standards. Now imagine their disappointment when they find out I've become a demon from myth and legend. Orbs fucked around with this message at 04:07 on Oct 25, 2015 |
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Oct 25, 2015 02:55
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Rejoice Heaven Collision Backstory: I grew up in the palace. While it wasn't particularly large as far as palaces go, it was still a palace, and we had everything we could possibly want. I was a potential heir, so I was given the best education and training; I was never much for studying, so I focused more on swordplay and socializing than reading ancient texts and memorizing all that occult nonsense. I don't know what became of my tutor, V'Neef Avogadro, or where my parents exactly are right now, but I do miss them. I was never good at appealing to the people, but I got on well in the political games of the mainlanders who came to court, and it seemed like every possibility in the world was laid out before me. My only regret was that I hadn't Exalted, didn't have the blood of the Dragons; I had always felt like if I could just be a little better than I was, maybe there'd be something bigger than this Island for me; A generalship on the mainland, membership in a Great House, perhaps even a position in the Imperial City. While I loved our island, I started to feel like I was outgrowing it. How ungrateful adolescents are. Before I could realize how good I had it, things started to get bad. The plague was spreading, and no one knew the cause. Some speculated the local royalty engineered it to disperse the mainlanders and maintain control into the distant future; Some suspect the mainlanders introduced it as a prelude to full colonization. Between being royalty and having substantial contacts on the mainland, I drew a lot of suspicion from both factions, and my reputation as a schemer wasn't entirely unearned. As it got worse, I realized that if I could disappear, it might take some of the heat off of my remaining parents, siblings, and contacts. I had sparred with some of the Immaculates before and petitioned them to accept me as a nun. The monastery had far more meagrer conditions than life at the palace, but I became far more capable; The Immaculates defended the local population from the bandits and the fanatics, and did their best to minister to the plague victims. Many lives were saved, and I did my best to help, but in the end, we lacked the resources to stop what was going on, or even determine the cause. Some tried to run the blockade to get additional assistance; many died in the attempt, but Sister Iselsi Elenia and Brother Cathak Ulon made it through the blockade. Were they too afraid to come back? Did they find something? Those two and many more, I have no idea what became of them. TBA 1. Did you lose anyone to the plague, or the horrific blockades that killed those who fled? 2. Tell me about somewhere on the island you find or found interesting. 3. Tell me about someone on the island you care about, and why. Do they know you have Exalted?
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Oct 25, 2015 06:21
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Grandmother Ebb - Most of the 'standing' soldiers abandoned their duties and stole their arms to go and create gangs, as if the kingdom no longer existed and they might play at being great warlords. How do you plan to deal with them? How did you keep the soldiers you do have loyal to you? Do you have any spies secretly still reporting to you, or are you afraid the opposite might be true? Alla - First off, the plague only started 2-3 years ago, so she wouldn't have been sent off in a panic at age 6. Otherwise it looks good. What do you want for the kingdom? Do you fancy this as a time to take over, or do you want to help repair this kingdom, and keep the royalty on the throne? Aria Your bio is incredibly short, can you just give more information on Aria? Assam - Much like the soldiers, many guards went to ground with their gear, joining up with the highest bidders and now running little petty gangs. How do you feel about knowing you might face down someone you once drank with? Who is in a place of real power with a gang now, who you regret being on opposite sides with? Rejoice - Finish the app! But also - So many people died tending to the sick, and catching the plague themselves. Did you try and help the victims, even though you might die? What pushed you to Exalt, and how do you feel, knowing what the Immaculates teach?
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Oct 25, 2015 22:48
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Seventy-First Hour Assam "Not might face, have faced. And it doesn't feel great, I will tell you this, having to slam your old drinking buddies into the cells because they have taken to a life of crime, but that is how it is, they run, so I chase. Personal isn't the same as important, I always tell myself that, what might have been personal once, is not important now in the face of the facts. It doesn't help as much as I would like it to. And for some people, it gets really hard. Back when I was a merely a Corporal under Sgt. Josiah, at the time the watch had a 'special' section ran by a man named Captain Ibin Al'Razza. Ibin was, well no one is entirely sure what Ibin ever was, some people thought he was a buffoon, until he would come out as sharp as a tack, and a mind like quicksilver, capable of doing with words what other men would need swords to do. A thin slip of a man that seemed like nothing more then a silly posh toff given office by a friend in high places, and there in lies the dangerous part. Because Ibin in part ran both internal investigations and the secret police, a combination that basically meant he had a license to get away with a lot of bad stuff. They called themselves the The Serene Household, when we were finding cutpurses and looking for murderers, these people were somewhere out in the island watching, waiting, and occasionally a person would disappear, or a copper would find that he had lost his job because of actions picked up by the Household, and the loved - oh how they so very much loved - little rooms with no windows in a dark back alley somewhere, where people went into but sometimes didn't come out of, and yet all the time, people still thought of him as just some flunky who doesn't do any real work. And when the Calamity came and the King was getting quite desperate to find the cause of the plague outbreak, or rather any cause to explain it, Ibin Al'Razza's operation was extended to the entire island, and suddenly oh they were finding all sorts of ne'er do wells and enemies to the state. Suffice to say, he did not help matters one bit, and in the end it was almost a relief when the mob eventually stormed their headquarters. But there was no one there. Not a trace, and I went in after they ransacked the place and went through it again, couldn't find so much as a misplaced note. I can deal with thugs, I can handle with maniacs, I could even possibly tangle with an influential politician. But the idea of that man hiding somewhere on this island with all the funding, all the equipment, and a bunch of people willing to do almost anything for him, and not so much as an inkling of what his plans or goals even were, and it's something that preys on my mind often, a nagging thought that prods at me in the dead of night. As for right now I haven't seen him recently, nor have we heard anything from any of the surrounding towns, so I can only hope he tried to jump the quarantine and drowned, it would be the least he deserves. Somehow, I doubt it though. TheNabster fucked around with this message at 23:29 on Oct 26, 2015 |
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Oct 26, 2015 00:17
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KittyEmpress posted:Grandmother Ebb - Most of the 'standing' soldiers abandoned their duties and stole their arms to go and create gangs, as if the kingdom no longer existed and they might play at being great warlords. How do you plan to deal with them? How did you keep the soldiers you do have loyal to you? Do you have any spies secretly still reporting to you, or are you afraid the opposite might be true? Grandmother Ebb can understand why many of her soldiers deserted, disappointing as it may be. The kingdom was powerless in the face of the plague, and in the early days the army did little to help. She does not begrudge them their desire to return home and protect their families. Indeed, many of them returned to the ranks when Ebb retook command and started doing more than just cracking down on the peasantry, and she has welcomed them back with open arms. As for those who never left, she's found time to track them down and personally thank them for their loyalty. She will not see it go unrewarded. She will not be nearly so kind to those who have formed their own gangs, and worse, turned against the people they swore to protect. She fully intends to hunt them down and eliminate the threat they pose, by any means necessary. These petty warlords are using what she taught them against the kingdom, but she will show them the difference between student and teacher. Still, realism tempers her natural anger. Those gangs who are essentially glorified local militias rather than brigand groups can ideally be courted and absorbed. Of the gangs who are more malignant, their ringleaders will be put to death, of course, as well those who have committed particularly heinous crimes, but the rank and file will be spared when possible. The island's position is too precarious to waste trained warriors, though certainly they will be watched carefully. Considering the island's current circumstances, it is a miracle that so much of Grandmother Ebb's force remains intact. The most obvious credit goes to her training. Ebb did not simply drill her forces in skill at arms and formation marches - she tried to instil in them an ethos of self-sacrifice and service to a larger cause that helped keep her soldiers loyal even in the face of impossible circumstances. More prosaically, while military life was difficult and dangerous, even during the heights of the crisis it was often better than the alternative. The army had supply infrastructure and food reserves in place before the plague came, and depleted though they were by the end of the crisis, the average soldier ate slightly more reliably than the average peasant, making desertion a risky proposition. A final reason, and one that Ebb refuses to credit, is that it was her name that kept so many of her soldiers loyal. Grandmother Ebb has led the island military for decades; right now, there are recruits serving under her whose grandparents she led into battle. She'd become a somewhat legendary figure among the soldiery even by the time she retired, known for her unbreakable loyalty and a seemingly unending life of service. More than just a crime, desertion would be a betrayal of that legend. Grandmother Ebb has a some inside sources informing her about the roving gangs of former soldiers who now infest the island. One or two of them are doing it out of genuine loyalty, a few more are serving both sides and waiting to see who comes out on top, and she's fairly certain one of them is just straight up misinformation. As for the other way around, spies are always a risk, but one Ebb has dealt with before. No one gossips like a soldier, so troop movements and important dates must be carefully managed and rationed out on a need-to-know basis regardless. Ebb is fairly certain her officers are loyal on the whole, and those that she trusts implicitly are keeping their eyes open.
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Oct 26, 2015 02:18
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Miyaran, Dawn Caste Princeguard Background I failed. The others tell me it was beyond my control, but I was still responsible. I try to not let it show. They look to me now for protection. Leadership. And yet failure grinds down on me like a millstone, weighing me down. When we got to this island, the Prince was so happy. All smiles, badgering everyone with his unceasing curiosity. 7 years old and so proud to be on his first diplomatic mission, even if his presence was only ceremonial in nature. The first time he left the palace. The country. Unfortunate timing the others say. As if that changes anything. Dead is dead and his is far from the only death I'm carrying. Over 300 of us disembarked on arrival. 50 more left on the ship. Diplomats, servants, guards and sailors, it was a group sent to show how seriously we took this alliance. The villa on the royal grounds we were led to was a magnificent sight, even if it stood in the shadow of the far more impressive palace. The prince was only required to meet the royalty on the first day, with the rest of the proceedings being handled by the diplomats. The next few weeks were spent exploring the island with the Prince. A beautiful country this was. Looking back now, I'm glad the Prince got to experience these sights. Once the disease began to spread, we stayed to finalize the agreement. What difference would a day or two make compared to the potential gains the diplomats argued. And I listened. Once unrest began spreading in the capital a day later, I overruled the diplomats and made preparations for our departure. We pushed our way through the throngs of people between the palace and the docks. The docks were a complete mess and our sailors were hard pressed to keep the agitated crowds off the ship. 150 got back on the ship, the Prince one of them. I stood on the pier, holding off the unfortunates with my subordinates to ensure the safety of the ship. All the non-combatants and dignitaries were aboard the ship. I still see the figure of the Prince struggling with his maids, screaming my name as the ship set out to sea. I hadn't told him I'd be remaining. From instructor to bodyguard, I've spent well over half my life in his mothers service. For all of his life, I've been his shadow, his older sister, his protector. The mixture of relief and sadness I felt when the ship slowly bore away from the island was probably the strongest feelings I've ever felt thus far in my life. It was quickly overshadowed by the despair that followed. Warships awaited off the coast. I saw the sigils on the sails. Our sigil was among them. In a matter of minutes, the ship was burning, tiny figures leaping off the sides, only to be met by clouds of arrows. I stood there, frozen, staring out at the sea for what felt like hours. The scene repeated itself a few times as the ships who set out just after ours suffered the same fate. The rioting crowds that had been trying to force their way onto the ships stood mute as well, watching their hope of escape from the plague disappearing. Eventually Taran regained his composure and roused the rest of us to life. I left it all to him, my ever-capable right hand. The next few days are a daze to me. They tell me I fought as if possessed as we tried to eke out some semblance of order in the little corner of the docks we'd appropriated. Looters, riots, gangs, everything seemed to boil over all at once. With the sea on one side and the city wall on a second, it was thankfully an easier job than it would be had we settled in one of the more central areas of the city. We took in refugees. Kept them safe. We needed something to do, to take our minds of things and just work. Some of us fell sick. Died. My fellow knights were made of stern stuff, but to this epidemic, it seemed to make no difference. It spread, no matter the measures we instituted. At first the city guards resented our presence, but once order broke down, most of them joined up. The rest of the city fell to lawlessness and vigilantism in equal measure. Our corner of the city was more peaceful than most, but between the pyres and the constant intrusions of gangs and looters, it was not a nice place to live. Once it became clear that this was no short lived crisis and food became a luxury, we began securing as many of the boats and fishermen as we possibly could, roaming not only the docks, but also the fishing villages closest to Ghede. Most of them were happy to join our growing gathering of seafolk and foreigners. We had a few run-ins with other gangs, but most of them were ill equipped to match us. Once the guard completely fell apart and began joining these would be warlords in their districts cum fiefs, matters became a lot worse though, and we gradually stopped going outside our little corner of the city. Now that the plague is over, I have no idea what we should do. I'm responsible for so many more people now. And I'm not sure if I can handle it. There are other pockets of order in the city, but I don't know if I can trust them with my people. Huh. My people. I wonder when that happened. No matter. I can't stop now. I don't have anything else. 1. Did you lose anyone to the plague, or the horrific blockades that killed those who fled? The Prince, and so many more. The Prince haunts me the most, but every single one of the deaths that followed is another grain of sand on the scales of my soul and I don't know how much more it can take. Thankfully all those I've kept safe help counterbalance it, but it's not enough. I'm not sure any number of people would ever even it out. 2. Tell me about somewhere on the island you find or found interesting. The Grand Market of the Noble district. A melting pot of cultures and trinkets from across the Realm once, now, worse off I'd imagine. Between the reactionaries and would-be revolutionaries and everything else, I can't imagine it is still a shadow of its former self, but I'd still like to lay eyes on it once more. Remind me of a better time. 3. Tell me about someone on the island you care about, and why. Do they know you have Exalted? My fellow royal guard. Taran included. We've trained together, worked together for 7 years and finally survived this entire mess together. I assume they all know about my Exaltation. Taran at least knows, as we've had many a talk about it. With all the fighting and bloodshed we've been through, I can't imagine the rest overlooking it. I trained them better than that. Character sheet(I think I'm done?): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YlWP_QKBJZJgzBsxv4kIt_qlnoDpnmjxdkSJYYiHV3Y/pubhtml Cynic Jester fucked around with this message at 10:00 on Oct 29, 2015 |
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Oct 26, 2015 16:30
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KittyEmpress posted:Alla - First off, the plague only started 2-3 years ago, so she wouldn't have been sent off in a panic at age 6. quote:Otherwise it looks good. What do you want for the kingdom? Do you fancy this as a time to take over, or do you want to help repair this kingdom, and keep the royalty on the throne? Now, you might wonder, why would someone as obviously talented, beautiful, wise, and charismatic as myself avoid shouldering the burden of leadership? Well, part of it comes from my family; we lived to serve others. As a principle, it's literally tattooed into my flesh. But the years have taught me the wisdom of it, as a philosophy. Let me tell you about Siwalt. Siwalt is a little island principality about four days sailing from the shores of the City of the Steel Lotus in An-Teng. Siwalt lies on a dormant volcano, and its beaches are coated with black sand, mixed with fine black sea-salt. The dark salt, once properly combed and filtered, is prized by chefs of the Blessed isle for the flavor of the impurities. This makes Siwalt one of the famed spice islands; a tiny boutique economy dependent entirely on foreign trade. When I came to Siwalt, it was ruled by Cynis Majaad, an unblooded and unregarded member of her house, who had run the local economy into the ground and owed several years worth of back taxes to the Empress. When she had attempted to import slaves to farm the salt beds, the transport ships were set upon by the native raiders, destroying her investment and putting her further in debt. Majaad was in trouble, and was obviously in need of an adviser. At first, Majaad was unwilling to take advice from an ignoble foreigner, but I was persistent and charming, and she was lonely and out of her depth, so I soon had her ear. Her problems, I explained, stemmed from her middle management techniques; whips and chains might all be very well in House Cynis, but the local islanders, once they'd tasted the lash, tended to disappear into the densely forested inner jungles, emerging only sporadically to take revenge with arrow and blow dart. Majaad was suffering labor losses of 3% monthly. This needed, I told her, a gentler hand. I went into the jungle and bent the ear of the local chieftains, explaining concepts like negotiated piece-rates and salaried labor, and eventually I managed to coax a volunteer labor force to emerge from the island's depths and to start farming the salt. It worked. Salt outputs doubled, and increased in quality. Cynis coffers start to fill at a rate that promised to make a dent in their debts. It was so successful, in fact, that when she visited the Blessed Isle to report the good news, Majaad was promptly assassinated by one of her Dynast cousins so that he could take credit for the increase himself. Cynis Vult made himself satrap of Siwalt and moved into Majaad's old palace. And do you know what changed? Nothing. Vult sat in Majaad's chair, drank Majaad's ancient plum wines, indulged in Majaad's vices, and listened to my advice. He played a rather better game of Stones against me, and was rather worse in bed, but that was all the difference Vult made. Harvests swelled, wealth accumulated, the locals grew prosperous now that they were finally getting paid, and the island was on the verge of emerging from debt, to the delight of house Cynis. And then the typhoon hit. Salt is soluble. It washes away in the monsoon season and is baked back into the sand during the dry months. When an off-season typhoon hit the island, it washed away an entire year's harvest in one night. Incomes disappeared. The island's coffers emptied. Vult went home, hat in hand, and attempted to explain why he was going to make a payment. His family was wroth, his star fell from the sky, and he was exiled to the iciest and most remote outpost in the North. Yet another young cousin was sent to take his place. So I packed my bags and moved on; the repetition had grown rather tedious. I left detailed notes behind, so that the next cousin, if she were halfway intelligent, could continue to prosper once the weather settled down. Last I heard, she was doing okay. So what does that tell us? It tells us that rulers are expendable. They get the credit, and take the blame. They are the first on the block when the revolution comes. The bureaucracy, though; the bureaucracy remains. If i had been ruler of Siwalt, someone would have tried to assassinate me, and i would have been blamed for a storm that I had no control over. But instead, I managed to walk away with an increased reputation and many pounds of jade scrip, to start all over in Port Trireme, where I met my second husband, the pirate. But that's another story.
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Oct 26, 2015 18:40
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 Falling Leaves, Dawn Caste Mercenary Commander Falling Leaves used to be a typical mercenary. Sold off as a slave to some Guild merchant in the Scavenger Lands, trained to fight by some worthless group called the Six Sons in the Southwest, sent to kill in proxy wars for the Realm until someone managed to outbid them. He never had much choice in life, save to be excellent at what he did or die a miserable death. However, his luck changed dramatically after the Six Sons had accepted a contract to support a Realm incursion against the Lunar Anathema who had occupied The Caul. Hundreds of battle-hardened Realm troopers and mercenary auxiliaries marched through the towering gates of Faxai, ready to reclaim the holy land for the Scarlet Dynasty. It took less than a week and only one battle for the army to be crushed. Three days after setting foot outside of Faxai, the army Falling Leaves was supporting was ambushed. A Lunar had managed to stealthily kill the commanders of the army before raising the attack. Without a head, the rest of the body was easily cut to pieces by barbarians and beastmen. Falling Leaves soon came face to face with one of the Lunars himself, a snarling half-man, half-panther mass of muscle covered in shining quicksilver tattoos and the blood of Falling Leaves' commander. Knowing that he would die, Falling Leaves decided to make one last ditch effort. Readying his saber and steeling his resolve, he prepared himself to strike the Lunar as it leapt for him, ready to tear out his throat, even though he knew that it would most likely fail. But in a sudden burst of golden light, Falling Leaves found the strength and skill to cut down the Lunar in mid-flight, ending its life in one masterful blow. After their war-chief was killed, the Lunar forces back off, wary of the new Dawn that had risen on the battefield. Fallen Leaves found himself with the remaining survivors of his fellow mercenaries. Laughing, he said, "Forget the Realm and forget the Six Sons. We went to Hell and back today! If you're still standing, consider yourself reborn! Those who come with me and fight at my side from now will be lead to eternal glory and unimaginable wealth!" Those who accepted were the first of the Hell-Born, the new mercenary group lead by Falling Leaves. They left Faxai and quickly established themselves as a premier fighting force. For the right price, the Hell-Born and their champion would scourge the enemies of whoever had hired them. In time, their group had become one of the wealthiest military organizations in the West. Eventually, Falling Leaves smelled a new opportunity; a city-state by the name of Ghede had recently fallen to plague. Whoever was left fought bitterly over the scraps. Sensing the chance to establish a domain of his own, Falling Leaves hired a ship to take him to the kingdom, where he and the rest of the Hell-Born dug in to await for their first offer from whoever could afford their services. 1. Did you lose anyone to the plague, or the horrific blockades that killed those who fled? Lose anyone? I just got here! Although I suppose I did know a few guys who worked here in the area, contacts and friends I met out further West who came here when the kingdom was on its last knees to do some contract work. Don't think any of them made it. All of them got sick from whatever the hell was going on and passed away. Terrible. They should have died on the field trying to kill some mean son of a bitch instead of from something you can't even fight. Was enough to make me take a crash course in field medicine after hearing about that. I think I'm getting the hang of it now. 2. Tell me about somewhere on the island you find or found interesting. Well, there's the fort we made when we got here, call it The End. Get it, because if anyone attacks us, it'll be "the end" of them? I crack myself up sometimes. But I suppose if you want me to be serious, there's a really nice shrine I found in a cave near the fort. Statue of a big guy with four arms, each holding something different. Found it while I was scouting out a place where we could dig in for a while. Pretty intact for something that's been there for who knows how long. I sometimes go there to think when I get a little tired of carrying on with everybody. Nice and warm down there. 3. Tell me about someone on the island you care about, and why. Do they know you have Exalted? I can name almost everyone in my company. That bulky fellow over there with the cleaver and big gut? His name's Ming and he saved my rear end back when I was still a nobody, hacked a hobgoblin to bits when it pounced on me from out of a lake. Been best friends ever since. That Northerner woman with the eyepatch and the fancy firewand with the ivory grip is Scyld. Don't know how she manages to almost always hit her mark even after she lost her eye in that scrap we had with the Lintha, but she does it. Short feller is Randall. Don't make fun of that weird claw hand he's got, or he'll use the other one to gently caress you up with that sledgehammer he carries around. Everybody in my outfit knows I'm an Anathema. None of them care, or at least the ones that do leave quickly or die quickly. Think it's because the ones who care about that Immaculate poo poo are dumb as a sack of bricks. I mean, the others in my merry band know that they'd rather be on the side of the guy who can cut ten men in half before you can blink than the side of a puffed-up Dragon-blood rear end in a top hat who can't do half the poo poo I can.
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Oct 26, 2015 22:59
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Zephyr, Night Caste Spy The Tailor An elderly, kind old lady, Madam Lashiya seems to almost blend with the rocking chair that she spends her day sewing and weaving clothes while watching the streets. When not working for those who need her services, she likes to gossip alongside the other crones in her neighborhood, guessing who is to marry and who are having trouble at home, as well as various social happenings on her circle. The Soldier A tall, scarred man whose demeanor and behavior resemble more like a thug than a guardsman, Raker has achieved a certain reputation on the streets as a heavy drinker who frequently takes bribes from various of the city's gangs in the form of drinks and favors. Despite his rough exterior, however, he is sometimes seen giving money to street children and beggars, talking and drinking alongside them as well. The Spy  Known only by her codename as Zephyr, operatives by this name have served the Royal Family for dozens of generations, reporting (and officially existing) only to the King and the highest council members and serving in the shadows with espionage, counter-espionage, human intelligence and wetwork. The current Zephyr is an orphan girl, taken at a young age by her predecessor after her family perished during the very first outbreak of the plague that swept the island. Alongside a dozen other orphans, she was part of an intelligence network of beggar children used by the previous Zephyr in order to know everything that happened in the streets as soon as it happened, and also underwent rigorous, painful training in order to discipline her mind in case of her capture by enemy agents. As the days passed, those who underwent the same training as her started to drop, one by one, overwhelmed by the Zephyr's rigor and harshness. Yet only one remained, the silent and stoic girl that never hesitated no matter what. Her master watched contently, despite his insides slowly being rotten by the disease in his body, the plague that contaminated him yet remained hidden due to his sheer willpower. He named the girl his apprentice, and taught her all the techniques and secrets that the various Zephyrs have gleamed during their existence, yet still wary of leaving this world without leaving a "perfect" substitute. One day, the Zephyr and the apprentice were eavesdropping on conspirators who plotted against the royal family, a rogue faction that wished to take control of the island for themselves for their own dark designs, only for the master to be wracked with a terrifying cough fit, his lungs expelling blood and phlegm, giving away their position to the conspirators, who quickly drew weapons and readied themselves to fight. The apprentice was an able fighter, but she was only one, and her master was in no condition to resist as well. As she tried to fight off the traitors, a mark brightly shone on her head, and the Zephyr watched in awe as his apprentice, who a few seconds ago was overwhelmed by various armed enemies, quickly turned the tables on them, fighting off and eliminating every single one of the men in the room. The apprentice rushed at the master Zephyr's side, horrified to see that the disease that he has hidden for so long now was ending his life. The Master smiled as he reassured her that she was to be the next Zephyr, and took her hand, which was holding a still bloody knife... To his own throat. Yet the new Zephyr soon realized that sentimentality was a hindrance to her line of work. As she took over her master's duties, she used her newfound powers to create two personas, the Tailor and the Soldier, to expand the intelligence network that was left by her predecessors, and now is ready to protect the shadows of the island, just as she was taught by her mentor. 1. Did you lose anyone to the plague, or the horrific blockades that killed those who fled? This servant has lost all she had, but also gained an opportunity at the hands of my mentor. It is not this servant's place to question the will of the heavens, or to cling to her past. What happened happened. Yet, the passing of Master Zephyr... Sorry, this servant wishes to talk about this no further. 2. Tell me about somewhere on the island you find or found interesting. "Raker" has gathered a good amount of intelligence on a place called the Shadow Serpent Inn. Despite most of the patrons being irrelevant drunkards, there seems to be a gambling den on the basement of the inn that attracts a fair amount of underworld types to it, types who give information quite easily if you quench or pressure them enough. 3. Tell me about someone on the island you care about, and why. Do they know you have Exalted? It is unwise for those in my line of work to keep this kind of bond, but... This servant has taken the liberty of adopting a few younglings. Like me and those who trained with me, they have some promise on our line of duty, and I am aware that the possibility of me dying in a mission exists. If that happens, then I wish to have at least left one successor to serve as the next Zephyr, but it's still far too soon for me to reveal details about my own powers and the techniques and responsibilities of our "lineage" to them. Plutonis fucked around with this message at 04:23 on Oct 27, 2015 |
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Oct 27, 2015 01:53
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Turtle Once a man came from across the sea. Did he flee his past? He was no longer young, but perhaps not yet old. Did he dream his journey? He moved with grace and care. Had he been a dancer? His eyes were sad and ancient, perhaps a priest. When he bathed in the pond, the children saw many scars. "Ah, a soldier," murmured the parents. The man would not answer, but would only say gently, always so gently, "I am here now, and that is enough." His name, also, he would not share. With the parents, he would say, "I am still searching." With the children he would ask, "What do you think it should be?" and then, "Why?" The village was at first suspicious, as one would expect, but over time the man's favors and quiet presence on his hut up the hill by the pond won people over. He would bring healing herbs to the sick, and revealed a patch of wild taro when the harvest failed. Over time, when there was nothing else to do, the children would follow the man around. "What are you doing?" they asked. "Practicing stillness," he replied. They wandered off. "What are you doing?" they asked. "Catching turtles," he replied. They helped all afternoon. "What are you doing?" they asked. "I am learning about the Crane," he replied. They tried that for a while and one fell over and hit his head and the man carried him home and that was that for the children learning about the Crane. One day one of the children suggested the man be named Turtle. "Why?" asked the man. "Because you are slow and nice catch turtles," said the child, who had been the most fervent follower of the turtle catching expeditions in the past. The man had even rescued the child from his attempt to eat a turtle the child came across on the path up the hill. The turtle was surely grateful and given the small population of turtles in the pond, actually eating one would have been a major blow. "Good enough," said Turtle. And so Turtle lived for many years in his hut on the hill near the pond and slept on the earth floor and practiced stillness and helped the sick and learned about Crane and learned to hear Earth's whispers and caught turtles, which is what cranes do, after all. When the plague came, Turtle was no longer a man of neither youth nor age. He was old. He volunteered to tend the first to fall ill and tried to keep the others away. He was old and still and at peace, let the young and vibrant live, he thought. He burned the bodies at the top of the hill near the pond and he fell ill in turn himself. It was a dreadful illness, but Turtle had lived for years on only what he could find in the small forest on the hill near the pond or what the villagers gave him, had dreamt with the earth, knew how to be still, and had no more need for his body, so he carried one more corpse to the top of the hill. It took all day to travel the short distance and gather the wood for the pyre and set the villager's soul free. Turtle sat down to be still one last time with the sunset on his favorite rock at the top of the hill. It was shaped to match the curve of his body and had always been a relief at the end of a long day of catching turtles and practicing stillness and sleeping on the earth and getting old and all those other things. Everyone needs a break from time to time, after all. The sun flashed into Turtle's eyes across the distant ocean and his fever burned unbearably hot and he dreamed of many things he had never dreamed and could never remember, bathed in the light of the sun. What he did remember when he awoke with the dawn, fever broken, body hale, was standing on the beach at the lagoon as sun set and looking back across the lagoon where the sun and tide revealed the narrow entrance to a cave where he needed to be. Turtle walked back down the hill near the pond and tended the sick and burned the bodies and marveled how clearly and easily now he could dream the earth's dreams and practice stillness and learn about Crane. When the plague at last burned out, Turtle bid farewell to the handful of broken villagers, urging them to seek aid from the city, and found the cave from his dream. In the cave Turtle found a smooth place where one might sleep, a large place where one might move freely, empty racks for the storage of two pairs of fan and hook sword, one rack much nicer than the other, a battered yet serviceable set of fan and sword on a shelf, and a small door in the stone that opened at the touch of his hand. Within the niche revealed by the hidden stone door, Turtle found a marvelous flowing robe of brilliant white and a small gray stone with which one might ward off the effects of the Wyld. Turtle thought it was odd that he knew the stone was a hearthstone and could ward off the effects of the Wyld, which he had never seen, but he shrugged; it had been a very strange dream. Now Turtle walks toward Ghede in a brilliant white robe whose sleeves swish pleasantly like Crane's wings, bearing the practice weapons She (who is that, he wonders) had left for him, seeking the stolen pairs of fan and sword (One sentimental and decorative and the other burning with the righteous love of the Unconquered Sun. He thinks that's a strangely specific thing to know but carries on down the path.) and determined to use his newfound Something or Other to help the island recover. Sorcerer Archetype - Stone Dreams At the center of Creation, beneath all things, waiting patiently, standing firm, supporting all is Earth. Few mortals... <in progress> -tldr: Be like Earth and Earth may bless you. Shaping Rituals
Bouquet fucked around with this message at 01:46 on Oct 30, 2015 |
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Oct 27, 2015 07:34
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I'd like to propose the following two house rules, which help make Crane Style and some actually useful real-world styles (like sword and shield) feel less like second class citizens:
Two pretty minor changes but now Crane Style actually works as described in the flavor text. It's probably still not good, since Defend Other is so rarely going to be the best choice in combat, but at least I won't feel like a total chump. edit: Oh yeah, I'm also cheating by only having four out of my ten Caste/Favored abilities be Caste abilities, but it's only because this seems perfectly reasonable for a Twilight and it is impossible to do this spread of Abilities with any Caste in the book, RAW. (I continue to advocate for the requirement to be 3 Caste, 7 any instead of 5 caste, 5 any in a more general sense.) Bouquet fucked around with this message at 06:52 on Oct 28, 2015 |
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Oct 27, 2015 23:49
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 Cold-Hearted Sage, Dawn Caste Martial Sect Heir The art of archery is to obtain inner harmony, to clear the mind of everything but the bow, the arrow and the target. To anticipate the wind by existing within it. To be the bow, the arrow, the wind, the target and the path that connects all these things. To release the arrow not when you think you can hit the target, but when you know you can't miss it. Such a mindset requires patience and a willingness to focus first on the goal, letting all other desires be cast aside. Officially my teachers look down on my use of the bow, as a distraction from the core tenants of martial arts they wish to teach. I think they used to tolerate it only because of the degree to which I excel at it. Nowadays, well I'll get to that. Growing up for me was the camaraderie of brothers with my fellow disciples. They watched out for me when I wanted to learn the bow in secret. I covered for them when they wanted to sneak into the nearby village or were late to wake for the morning lessons the next day. Shared the punishment with me when we got caught. They taught me about the world and how to live as a man within it. They named me who had no name. I remember Little Yao who always wanted to sneak off drinking in the nearby village. I'd always be forced to pour cold water over him the next morning so he would make it to the morning lessons. As one of the few still well enough, I was with him when he passed from the plague. I remember Brave Arrow, who always would be off on some adventure outside the sect grounds. One time we hunted a Tiger together. He charged in to distract it while I waited for my chance to finish it in one shot. Teacher Calm caught us carrying it back. He made us hold Candle Against the Depths Stance for three hours. When the Darkness Sect decided to wipe out our Sects future while the teachers were away, it was Arrow that warned us. He died at the gate when they broke through. I remember the time Honest Sparrow needed our help to man the family fishing boats. I insisted we practice the drills aboard ship so teachers could not accuse us of slacking. We got yelled at by Teacher Ryechi for drunkenness with all the swaying that accompanied our movements. He was somewhat mortified when the sect master personally intervened to ask us how we'd resurrected the original form of Invincible Flowing Water. There after the entire sect started learning to sail. Honest Sparrow was wounded when the gate was forced open. It fell to me to carry him back to the main hall as I needed to gather more arrows in any case. I remember the martial tournament held each year between Winter Harbinger Sect and our Sect in preparation for the Grand Tournament. It was a supposed to be friendly affair between two local Sects. Back then many were convinced Black Ice Wolf of the Winter Harbinger Sect would win the tournament every year until he was too old to qualify. His first showing in the tournament was that impressive. In his second he was beaten by our Sect's Boundless Rose, in his third by our second strongest Raging Oak. When the gang of thugs who were once Darkness Sect moved against us, Black Ice Wolf was with them. As my second set of arrows ran dry keeping the way clear for Boundless Rose and Raging Oak to retreat up the stairs to the main hall, Black Ice Wolf saw his moment. I shouted a warning when I saw him climbing but with the redoubled assault from the front, there was little they could do to fight a fresh warrior of the Wolf's caliber. Once his scythe had taken their heads, he showed no further interest and simply left. As for me, well I should have died too. Down to my sword, alone and out numbered. In the midst of the melee, as I made my last stand to bar the way into the hall; I was chosen. Blessed by a god I'd never worshiped. The cursed anathema of legend. In the midst of disease and chaos the Immaculates and the Realm did nothing to stop. I'm a little upset and I'm going to do something about it. The very first thing I'm going to do though, is restore some order. It is what my brothers would have wanted. 1. Did you lose anyone to the plague, or the horrific blockades that killed those who fled? Despite his wounds Honest Sparrow survived the night. He and I are the last living disciples of the Shining Depths Sect. He is currently the only one who knows of my new found power. I was able to clean up much of the carnage before the teachers returned from their meeting with the other sects and the light had long faded. For his part when the Sect Master heard of what had transpired, he was outraged. Many of the teachers wished to immediately punish the Darkness Sect for the intrusion but it was a Sect long thought disbanded, where ever they were training was a well kept secret. 2. Tell me about somewhere on the island you find or found interesting. I've only been allowed to attend the Grand Tournament once as a spectator. Located in a valley at the base of the highest mountain on the island. It is a dangerous place to even travel to, due to the number of ferocious beasts in the surrounding wilderness. The Grand Tournament is held in an large aging fortress as has been island tradition for many years. It has been sealed since the quarantine. When I saw it, it was a place of riches and power few would see outside the Realm. The dragonblooded patrons would come either to bet on the martial arts fights or to participate themselves. It has many different arenas contained within its expansive grounds. From the simple many pillared hall traditionally used for finals, to the underground stage suspended from the ceiling with metal chains, over a pool of magma. Island legend suggests that the heart of the fortress was once the temple of Wu Zhongyuan a god of battle who ruled over the island before the Realm came and imprisoned her for her hubris in failing to submit to the mandate of heaven. That year, the victor of the mortal contest was Fierce Ling of the Summer Tiger Sect. That year few were her equal and she had no trouble progressing the final. Her movements were profound and her mastery of the martial arts was far above my own. 3. Tell me about someone on the island you care about, and why. Do they know you have Exalted? My brother disciple Honest Sparrow has always been the most in touch with village life outside the sect. Most of his family died with the plague, but before then he was always finding ways to help them when they had difficulties. After everything that has happened he is not quite as lively as he used to be. He was always the most idealistic of us brothers and the destruction of the island that he has witnessed has been a larger blow because of it. These days I keep an eye on him and try to keep him motivated through the grief. As a martial artist, I believe Honest Sparrow stays most true to our Sect's most ancient traditions. His movements are filled with his love of the sea and I believe he has practiced as often on a boat as he has on dry land. One day I believe he will leave this island behind to seek adventure and a new home elsewhere. Perhaps he might be pursuaded to start a branch Sect somewhere, but the island represents too much pain for him to remain for long. If things weren't such a mess, perhaps he would have left already. He is as honest as his name though and won't abandon the survivors until things begin to improve. Rotekian fucked around with this message at 21:23 on Oct 29, 2015 |
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Oct 28, 2015 20:59
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Putting in 28ish hours notice. Apps close tomorrow night at 11pm est. Bouquet, I'm fine at making war fans have shield as a trait, and with letting dual wielding apply bonuses to clashes at least when in crane form, since its a Big Thing for crane style to do. I'm not making any changes to caste/favored abilities and how they work.
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Oct 28, 2015 22:41
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Miliani, Eclipse caste Treasure hunter and master of disguise  My father always hated being so far down the line of succession, but I didn't much care for what he wished for me. Too many demands. Too stifling, to be expected to sit and study to learn to manage territory that didn't matter. My brother took to it better. Perfectly, in fact, which let me follow my own interests. My family thought me a lazy wastrel, shirking responsibility in everything but combat training. They didn't understand that I could not bear to sit still, that the tutors bored me to tears, that I could not bear the thought of a political marriage. But, Sol bless my brother, Kirol did. Nor did he ask questions when he found me in the city wearing skirts instead of pants. I became an explorer. There was nothing I didn't find, from criminal hideouts to buried ruins, and no lock I didn't learn to pick or disguise I couldn't put on to find what I needed. It was the plague that brought me back home, when I learned that my father was ill. He died before I returned, and I worked with Kirol even as people died around us. I am not sure why we were both spared; he tended the sick without regard for his own safety, never once thinking of running, and I traveled the streets to find whatever I could to help him and our people. It was when I returned from one of these trips that I found Kirol defending himself from an assassin. I rushed to save him, light surrounded me, and when the assassin was subdued in the face of a new Solar Exalt, I sanctified his oath to truthfully tell us, and no one else, what he had come for. Pity for him that he and the men who sent him in some bid for our empty coffers didn't realize that the oath was indefinite. We survived, though many did not. I kept the peace as well as I could with the gift Sol granted me, securing aid from spirits and gods, and hunting those who would seek to prey on the unfortunate, in whatever guise suited best. Exaltation made me quite good at that. Now, I try to pick up the pieces. I look out for threats to my brother and my royal cousins, as well as to the people and spirits, and settle disputes when I can. Most people besides Kirol know me better as Veils Cast Aside. But I still feel the restlessness, perhaps worse now. Since I Exalted, I've had dreams...memories, perhaps, of something on this island that was once important. When I have the chance, I search for it. Until then, I am rather good at finding what's lost. And I will find what caused the plague that ruined us. 1. Did you lose anyone to the plague, or the horrific blockades that killed those who fled? The plague itself killed my parents, my young sister - all my immediate family, save my brother. Some of my cousins died to sickness, others when they tried to escape. In my mind, I understand the purpose of those blockades. In my heart...I'm not sure I can forgive the necessity. 2. Tell me about somewhere on the island you find or found interesting. There are almost too many to count, but perhaps the most intriguing is the ruin beneath the hillside south of Ghede. Even before the plague, the homeless and impoverished camped there; it was a common place for children to dare each other to spend the night. Now, it houses more in its sheltering nooks, and no one ventures there if they don't have to. It's been known to make sounds deep inside, past doors no one can open. No one knows what causes it. Now that I am a Solar myself, perhaps...but I have not had the chance to explore when there's so much to handle at home. 3. Tell me about someone on the island you care about, and why. Do they know you have Exalted? Kirol has been at my side no matter where my whims take me, in heart if not in body. Or perhaps I have been at his. He is understanding, clever - he would be a fine ruler if the chance came. He saw me Exalt, and I swear he is the only one who seems to recognize me no matter what disguise I take. I haven't managed to fool him yet. Echo Cian fucked around with this message at 07:04 on Oct 31, 2015 |
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Oct 29, 2015 21:38
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Captain Mariñelarena of the Etxarte, Eclipse Caste Privateer Heya, there! Sit down, and I'll explain. I wasn't supposed to leave, y'know. The Etxarte are a family and a priesthood, right? Not that anybody goes to the temple to worship. Old families of the island relied on I 'n us to read the stars or deliver a blessing... in return for healthy donations, of course. It wouldn't be a bad life, really, but it turned out it didn't suit me much. The secret is the song, though. It's sung daily to keep it asleep. Nobody knows exactly what it is, seeing as the family's been living on the island longer than anybody else knows. It's said the back of the temple is built on... well, nobody knows, but it breathes sometimes, you can hear it. I swear on my mother's gave and the Unconquered Sun and my ship, too! Not that anybody knows what the words of the song mean any more. But it's said too long a lapse in the song - though I guess it's more of a lullaby - brings disaster to the island. Only a few noble families outside of the temple knew about this whole deal, making sure the temple had supplies 'n safety. But I wasn't happy about it. I was born to the chief family, which meant that I would live and die in the temple when I came of age. Most singers, they work in shifts, but I would have to lead the song every day. Daily practice and ritual purification all the time, every day, until my voice gave out or I did. Never came to terms with it. I would escape to Ghede and watch the boats come in. After awhile, they kinda gave up and lt me ride on the supply wagon that was sent for shopping trips, but it wasn't ever the same as running away on my own. It was a boy that changed things for me. Iñaki was crazy cute, and it was the sort of thing they tell about in stories, or at least I saw it that way when I first spied him from the cart. He followed and we met before we were separated by my uncle. Of course, you bet I snuck away to meet with him a few times until they found out. Mother was furious, so much so they actually locked me in. Eventually, my anger and frustration built up like a storm, and one day I was able to escape her when I got food by smashing my plate into my guard's face. Sorry, Nekane. Of course, I was predictable and went right to find Iñaki. I was so clever and sly, sneaking into his family's home, only to have my heart broken when he told me to go home for all our good. He even shouted for the guards, and I fled, knowing I would be in more trouble than ever. Sure, his family probably put 'im up to it, but that somehow just make it worse. I ran and I ran, until hid aboard a ship's hold, becoming a stowaway when I awoke in the morning at sea. When the sailors found me, I somehow thought they'd just take me back, but it was Captain Beshadu that snapped me out of it, nearly shouting at me. "There are no stowaways on the Stormy Petrel. There are sailors, and if you aren't one, then you'll go over like any other piece of dead weight." I was so terrified, ha! I did whatever I was told, even though it took skin from my fingers and left me moaning on a blanket in the hold with aching muscles and pitch stuck to me. Still, I wasn't treated unfairly, and our first time in port at the Blessed Isle was amazing. The food! Riding pandas! Real Exalts! Even more amazing to the Captain was the fact that I returned. I was completely hooked, wanted to see the world, every last inch. It was a year or two before I was considered able, and I volunteered for lookout more often than not. I loved being up in the wind, even as the mast swayed. We visited Ghede once, and nobody recognized me with my cap, scarf, and sailor's voice. I saw Iñaki in passing, and I'm not sure it was my anger or my face that took him aback, but he didn't seem to report me. But I was fast back on the sea again, forgetting Ghede except when joining in on a shanty. The songs of the sea were nothing like home, but song has its own sort of power. Beshadu was amazing. It was like she had been plucked out of the sea to sail and fight, though sometimes she would tell stories about the Lap. Never went there, though. Years later, there was a call from Ghede for food and medicine, with a king's reward for those who could run the blockade. A plague had struck, or so they said, and for the first time in a long time, all I could think of was my family and the temple. I asked, well, begged Beshadu to take on the job, and she was reluctant, but the thought of retiring on the reward did have its appeal. The Stormy Petrel soon was rushing the Realm blockade, but it was worse than they said. They had claimed only a single Dragon led the fleet, but there were perhaps a half-dozen. Our hope had been to avoid the Exalted, but by the time we saw the shine of animas, there was no turning back. It was like sailing towards the stars. The battle saw our ship holed and Beshadu brought down by an Exalted's arrows. It would have been beautiful if they weren't aimed at us, tracing impossible, curved paths over the battlefield. When our arbalests were wrecked and we ran short on firedust, the Realm captain called for our surrender. We were already taking on water, and we would at least make it with our lives if we turned over. But I was too angry to even think of that. I thought of my family and of Ghede and saw Beshadu bleeding out beside me. I found myself shouting back in a sailor's tongue, and called to take our sinking ship to ram the Realm vessel. It was more just a tantrum, y'know, than a hope, even with our superior numbers. Guess they didn't think they didn't need so many soldiers with an Exalt on board. There was just no way for us to overcome an Exalted, especially in small quarters and without our artillery. Still, I think I was ready to die. Maybe that's why I didn't. As quick as that, I started glowing, and people started listening. We rammed into their vessel, rushing over the deck and swarming the Realm soldiers off their own ship. I was able to protect myself until I got close enough with the Exalt, forcing him overboard, and he fled across the water, running across it like solid earth. Rescuing what we could from our sinking ship, we took up the new vessel with its artillery, warding off pursuit with the cannon as we made for shore. I wasn't ready for how bad it was, though. Noone was around ready to give us any reward. It was a small blessing that the plague kept the Realm from making proper pursuit, but soon we had our own troubles. Beshadu would die of her wound but a day after, and though we tried to distribute supplies, we were mobbed. I had only one other to turn to. Some of the crew got sick, too, and I honestly didn't know what to do other than to put them in the hold and make sure the ship's doctor was the only one that went under. Heading inland and leaving most of the crew behind, I went to visit the Etxarte temple. What I saw was even worse than that of the city, and only a few remained. My mother had fallen ill, but not from the plague, but some cancer that ate at her. She wasn't dead, but she couldn't sing. The plague followed, and those that remained claimed it was the death of her voice that was to blame. They cursed me, but not as colorful as sailor talk, but she shut them up with what was left of her throat. She did not need to tell me what I had to do. I went and sang. I still remembered the words. I'll always remember the words. Soon thereafter, the plague died out, along with mom. I don't know if what I did helped end things. The docks became one of the few safe places, and we distributed what we could. Some was no doubt lost to quarrelling gangs, but we did what we could with what we had. Beshadu had left us as one of the best crews in the West and it was up to us to sail for supplies, deliver messages, help people escape, and so on. As time went on, we became... merchants, privateers, sometimes even a passenger ship. I took care of the ship and crew for Beshadu, and the ship and crew started to take care of Ghehe. But we can't sail too far, because I have to sing the song at the temple every now and then. It seems my voice, my Exalted voice, has a more profound effect at our temple than any who have come within recorded memory, which leaves me free to help my home, but... also binds me to it, since nobody else alive can recite the song so well. Still, I have one of the finest crews in our sea, a gift from the Sun to share, and one of the Realm's treasured vessels rechristened in the name of righteousness. Our ship stands for freedom - the crew could vote me out by popular agreement, should they so choose - as I've learned to treasure mine. Well, the Cussed Puffin may not be the most righteous name, but we've always been "serious upon sea, fools at shore". And it turns out the more you drink, the better it sounds! Let the Realm have fearsome names. We'll be fearsome and let the name follow. So, are you ready to come aboard already? We could use somebody like you, and I think - I think - you could use somebody like us.  1. Did you lose anyone to the plague, or the horrific blockades that killed those who fled? Iñaki died trying to flee with his family, or so I've told. There's no body, but... I passed on that jerk a long time ago. Still. I didn't want that to happen to him or his family. They just thought they were doing that needed to be done. Who knows? I might be wrong. A little. A lot of the Extarte passed, a lot of people I knew. Maybe if I... well... anyway, the family has been forced to bring in a branch family from one of the poor noble families left in town, the Sorne. That's meant the secret isn't as... secret as it once was. But their kids are doing good work. Maybe one of them will get good enough to take up... oh, I can't force anybody to do that. I'd have to be their choice. I have forever to find a better way, so someday they won't have to. 2. Tell me about somewhere on the island you find or found interesting. There was this waterfall near where I used to run away, and behind the waterfall is... writing or pictures in the stone, and tremendousgears. I haven't looked for it since I was little, but I think it was a big stone mill at one point, and the soil and rocks just piled over most of it. I think you might able to get inside if you cleared away the rocks. Never really thought about it again too much, there are a lot of sites on the island where there's writing or a strange rock, but this was one of the few that made any sense, right? 3. Tell me about someone on the island you care about, and why. Do they know you have Exalted? Who doesn't know, really? I mean, they tell stories of me blossoming out at sea, though not everybody really understands what it meant, and you have those that weren't around and don't believe. Immaculates! Ridiculous to see people deny the old gods when I grew up on top of one. So. There's my Uncle Ortzi, one of the few elders left in the family, who oversees a lot of the work. I remember he used to drive the cart way back when. I owe him a lot for taking care of things and letting me stay with my ship. There's Hallowed Nightingale, a young sifu who's gang has had it out with my crew a few times. But he isn't a bad guy, he's just really protective of his fishing docks. We don't exactly get along... we don't get along at all, but there's a respect. Also, he's a much better fighter than I am even without Exaltation! Thankfully I have the soldiers on crew that can at least keep him busy, though. Sometimes he just needs a good fight. I don't really understand, that's more of a martial arts thing, right? I have too many responsibilities to just get into scraps over pride, fella!  Variant: Caste can be changed to Twilight if necessary! Just swap the relevant caste and favored, along with switching Bureaucracy and Integrity out for caste skills, along with switching their relative skill levels. Alien Rope Burn fucked around with this message at 23:32 on Oct 29, 2015 |
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Oct 29, 2015 23:24
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In regard to my Twilight app, since you said you really liked some of the other characters related to the royal family, I could change it around so that she has already lost all her students, and is in search of a worthy heir to train instead. Would be a good hook for my character and the others if I get picked.
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Oct 30, 2015 03:43
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The choices have been made! The dice have been thrown! (note: no dice were thrown) The results are in - Our Amazing, Strong, Awe-Inspiring Dawn: Miyaran! Our Inspiring, WIllful, Lightbearing Zenith: Grandmother Ebb! Our Genius, Ethereal, Instructing Twilight: Taemira! Our Loyal, Hardlining, Crafty Night: Assam Our Diplomatic(?), Talented, Well Traveled Eclipse: Captain Mariñelarena BUT WAIT FLYING OUT OF THE BACK CORNER???  Could it be, a second eclipse? gently caress yeah it is Miliani Right, so I want all of you to add at least two intimacies to your characters - specifically, inter-circle intimacies. They can be positive or negative, and of any level, but you know each other at least, and have some emotional involvement. Use this thread or the IRC to chat about that kind of thing. KittyEmpress fucked around with this message at 04:29 on Oct 30, 2015 |
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Oct 30, 2015 04:24
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Added the intimacies to my sheet, but reposting them here for convenience. Miyaran (Genuine Admiration) [Major]: Grandmother Ebb respects any loyal soldier, but one who willingly risks their life in the defence of others has her admiration. She eagerly hopes to meet this foreigner one day. Taemira (Maternal Love) [Major]: Ebb has a lot of grandkids, but she keeps her eye on them. Taemira is a darling grandchild, and an excellent tutor; she deserved better than she could have hoped to receive as the seventh child of her fourth daughter. With her family line so reduced, Ebb does not intend to lose any more. Assam (Professional Respect) [Major]: There are a lot of ex-military fellows in the Watch, and Ebb respects the work they do, even though they're only really half-military. Anyone who stepped up to maintain order like Assam did is welcome at her table. "Captain Mariñelarena is a great officer. She can be better." [Major]: As another former runaway from family pressures, Grandmother Ebb sees a lot of herself in Mariñelarena. Ebb has been finding and honing officer material for the better part of a century, but this may be her greatest challenge yet. Miliani (Vague Sympathy) [Minor]: Grandmother Ebb vaguely recalls Miliani - there were a lot of Princelings before the plague. She remembers an awkward little boy sporadically in court who quickly stopped attending, and possibly an unsuccessful arranged marriage with one of her grand-daughters. This new woman seems quite different, and Ebb hopes whatever epiphany she found will aid the kingdom - it can afford nothing less.
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Oct 30, 2015 05:44
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KittyEmpress posted:Right, so I want all of you to add at least two intimacies to your characters - specifically, inter-circle intimacies. They can be positive or negative, and of any level, but you know each other at least, and have some emotional involvement. Got partway through and realized - are we presuming we've already formed a circle?
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Oct 30, 2015 07:44
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Alien Rope Burn posted:Got partway through and realized - are we presuming we've already formed a circle? No, but you do at least know each other. You don't have to know you're Exalted, but you can if you want to. This is more 'i remember one time when I was in the city, Assam tried to be a nice guard who protected me from some thugs, what a nice boy heehee.' Thus why you only have to care about two of them, not all of them. Edit: And yes, I would like these intimacies posted in the thread 
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Oct 30, 2015 15:33
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Miyaran - A Worthy Equal (Major) "You know what part of the city would have made this whole situation a lot worse if it wasn't pacified? The Docks, and of all areas I was most afraid of spilling into what safe areas we had left, it would be a crowd of angry and frantic people from that quarter, but it seemed that everytime I sent a runner that way, the situation was under control and someone competent was in charge. So someone was defiantly doing something right to be sure, you may not be a guardsman Miyaran but you did a guardsman's job." Grandmother Ebb - Absolute Respect (Major) "Of course I know who Grandmother Ebb is, there is no military or near military man on this entire island who hasn't heard of old 'Stoneface Ebb'. She's got a will you can bend iron iron around, a mind you could sharpen steel with, and quite frankly I would have given a year's wages to have just one of her officers commanding the watch, rather then the people we usually got. This woman deserves the respect and/or fear she inspires." Captain Mariñelarena - Wary Tolerance (Minor) "Alright, on the one hand, straight up no weasel words, I don't bloody trust privateers, I don't trust them one bit and I almost on instinct know that when incidents around the docks start occurring, to immediately check the the dockmaster's office to see what bloody might-as-well-be a pirate has docked with us today, and that is where I can find who is responsible more often then not. But, she's technically a priestess and the law around priestesses is, complicated; Her crew hasn't done anything but some occasional rough housing with other gangs, but that is how it is most of the time in the docks anyway, and she stopped the city from starving so i'm letting her off with a preemptive caution, for now." "I don't know what to make of you." (Minor) "I don't as a rule, try and stay informed on nobility, and those who are my 'betters', and so there are two noblewomen or people connected in some way to nobility, and I don't know a thing about them, 'cept one of them's a noblewoman adventurer and the other's a tutor. Well my default position on anyone I need to know, but don't really know about, is a passive suspicion of 'I'm going to keep an eye on you, but I am not sure there is anything you're hiding of interest to me' and perhaps there will be nothing and we will all be well." Veils Cast Aside - Uncertainty (Minor) "Yes, I have heard there is somewhere in the city a masked vigilante fighting crime, it's... Honestly I don't know what to think, the copper in me thinks 'Oh great a vigilante, people taking the law into their own hands is the last thing we need'. And then on the other hand, the me who is getting overworked from trying to keep a lid on this place thinks 'This person is doing my job in places where I can't be at that time, and she is obviously doing it well, let us for just this once let the law bend just a little'. And well, technically nothing being done here is against the law, there is no law here against combating crime, so I have had no reason to investigate this person further." TheNabster fucked around with this message at 02:29 on Oct 31, 2015 |
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Oct 30, 2015 15:41
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Grandmother Ebb - An experienced soldier, worthy of respect (Minor) There aren't many left on this island worth listening to when it comes to military matters. Most of them despots of their own little kingdoms, but from what Miyaran has seen and heard of Ebb, she is one of the rare few that haven't given in to a desire for power. And based on what the grapevine has to say about her extended family, a lot of the would-be warlords won't have an easy time going forward. They've never met, but Miyaran reckons they'd see eye to eye on many an issue. Captain Mariñelarena - Chaotic and caring (Major) Not many would take on the blockade just to bring food in. Fewer still succeeded. Just for that, Miyaran probably gives Mariñelarena more leeway than she otherwise would. The times they've worked together, things have gone well, but Mariñelarenas wild streak is about a mile too long for Miyarans tastes. Still, her crew are capable and mostly keep themselves in line which says a lot when you consider the crew. Assam - A true guard (Minor) Not many of the guardsmen in the city are still worth the title. From what the former guardsmen in the docks tell her, Assam is one of them. Taemira - A painful reminder (Minor) Miyaran has heard of the Prince and his companion, going from Noble to Noble in an effort to do something, though she isn't quite sure what yet, nor what to make them or their efforts.
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Oct 30, 2015 17:17
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Here's what I have in mind for Taemira's intimacies so far: Grandmother Ebb: Respectful awe (major) Her actual grandmother, whom she has heard stories about since she was little. Rejecting the petty influence of others, but then still doing what's right. So inspiring. Miliani: Catty jealousy (Minor) They've crossed paths before, and each time, her attitude has annoyed Taemira. Miliani does whatever she wants, and has even had political marriages to turn down! Taemira tries to one-up and snipe at her at every opportunity. Whether or not Miliani has noticed or cared is another matter entirely. Also, the irony of disliking Miliani for the same things she respects Grandmother Ebb for has totally escaped Taemira so far. Miyaran: Professional respect, personal sympathy (Minor): The Royal Tutors are actually a minor branch of the Royal Guard, so Miyaran is technically Taemira's superior. Not that they've interacted much, but she has heard about Miyaran's efforts on the docks and what happened to the Prince. Perhaps she's projecting a little, but Taemira imagines the guard must be feeling exactly the same weight of failure she feels. Assam: None yet, but Yuka has an intimacy of Hero Worship (Major) "Lately, Prince Yuka will not shut up about this 'awesome' watchman he saw the other day. Apparently he stared down dozens (or was it hundreds?) of angry rioters or something and saved the city. I'm glad the boy has a male role model to look up to, but I wish he'd tone it down a little sometimes. I am, of course, completely supportive out-loud." Captain Mariñelarena: It's hard to tell how old Mariñelarena is because anime, but it seems like she might be in an age range for Yuka to have an unrequited crush on her. For reference, he's about 12, so if that would be too weird I'll think of something else.
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Oct 30, 2015 17:41
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Captain Mariñelarena + ... ... Grandmother Ebb (Veiled Respect, Major): "She's been protecting this island as long as I can remember. And she knows a lot, and I love her stories. But, well, she needs to remember I'm a Captain and an Exalt, right? I'm not totally green!... or would that be blue, for a sailor?" ... Miyaran (Contentious Friendship, Major): "I'm glad to have her helping out across the docks, and she's crazy dedicated! I think she takes on too much, though, it isn't her fault. Still, my crew and I do things our own way, and the nobles aren't the bosses around here anymore. We're equals, right? I mean, I hope she thinks that, too." ... Seventy-First Hour Assam (Vocal Discord, Minor): "My crew aren't a gang or pirates, so why does he treat us like one? I don't like people taking cheap shots at my crew. I mean, yeah, things can get a little rowdy, but life aboard a ship is tight, and you have to let loose. Otherwise you'll just snap like bad rigging. But everything we do is legal, as much as there is any law left around here! Take it easy, guy!" ... Prince Yuka (Protective Goodwill, Minor): "He's been through a lot, but he's pretty together for a kid, right? Kind of worried his tutor might be tugging him by the ear, but maybe that's what he needs. I think he's a little sweet on me, but ah, you know. He's just chasing that Exalt shine. I'm sure he'll get over it and find somebody respectable. Maybe I should introduce him to one of the Sorne girls? Eh, I know better than to act like some noble matchmaker..." ... Veils Cast Aside (NA): "One of my crew says he spotted some mystery man warding off a spirit, but he was full of spirits at the time, so I dunno. Hope our secret savior is bonafide, 'cause I don't know about folks who are hooked to the shadows. Seems like just a way to avoid answering for anything you've done, if you ask me."
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Oct 31, 2015 01:22
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For anyone not in IRC: Those dealing with the plague on the streets were likely to have met Veils or at least heard of him, or even before then. Can work out some encounters if anyone wants to have fun with that. Ghede's Heroes, Support and Admiration (Major): So many people have held the city together. The watchman who becomes more determined in crisis. The woman who guards the docks, despite...setbacks. That captain who ran the barricade. Ghede might not have survived without people like them. I aid them in whatever ways I can. Grandmother Ebb, Wary Respect (Major): If there's one figure in the court to look up to, it's her. What she's done is incredible. Although I've assisted the guard, we've seldom met in person that way, and it was always as Veils. She should learn who I am, but...I'm not sure I want these personas to collide for someone with so much political clout. Taemira, Reluctant Sympathy (Minor): She's in a difficult position. I have to remind myself of that whenever we meet or I might be uncharitable. She doesn't understand me. Same as my parents. But...that isn't necessarily her fault. It's upbringing, the role she's stuck in. The prince does need her. Rising to her bait won't benefit anyone.
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Oct 31, 2015 07:03
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One small thing before I post the IC thread, since I went over all the char sheets now for final checks, and mostly it looks okay. Mari and Miya - Lower your command rating a point or two, you're on an island that has like 7000~ residents now with the plague. You aren't each running around with 500-800 men, which is what Command 4 represents. 2 Command is probably most appropriate for your characters. Miya - You have no resources! Use those dots to get resources! You can't be a royal guard if you literally do not have money for food. Assam - You also have no resources! C'mon, surely the Guard pays SOMETHING?
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Nov 1, 2015 18:37
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Pay has probably been backed up for several months, mustn't grumble at least we get fed  I'll see if I can move a point around
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Nov 1, 2015 18:44
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IC Thread Up
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Nov 1, 2015 18:52
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KittyEmpress posted:One small thing before I post the IC thread, since I went over all the char sheets now for final checks, and mostly it looks okay. Command 4 can also mean a size 3 group of elites with elite drill, which is what I'm running, which is the remnants of the soldiers who arrived on the island with her. Size 3 is as low as command goes, it's just the quality that varies. I'll shift some points around, but a big thing with Miya is that she has no formal backing nor is she interested in taxing those under her. Communism hoooooooy
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Nov 1, 2015 19:25
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