Sarachim

Hey, I'm still alive! Sorry about the inaction, the not-busy week I was expecting turned out to be, well, busy. Even so, I'm ready to begin soon. First, here's the calendar for our first session: http://whenisgood.net/gnjcmq Next, the six backstories that we have so far: Gramzon is not just a fighter, but also a blacksmith: Click to reveal.. “Ah yes, my brother, Gramzon. Gramon the Firebreather. How different he was compared to the rest of us. He so easily overcame the challenges that Rioles presented our family. I’ve always admired my older brood kin for how true and ambitious he was in all of his dealings. It’s no surprise that he was called on by Kirla at day. But I’m getting ahead of myself. “Gramzon hatched several years before I did. He was the second generation of our line that grew up in Rioles. Our Elder father raised our father here after he fled from Kimkaf and the evils that transpired in that city and its island. “Our Elder father brought with him his skill of the anvil and forge. He was able to establish a place in Rioles for himself and his brood due to his blacksmithing skills. Those same skills he taught to our father who in turned taught them to Gramzon and later myself. “Gramzon was never spectacular at the skills father taught him but only because he never devoted himself nor the time to become a master as I have. He did work with father at his forge in the heart of the city and it was as he worked that he met Cruzore who he later took as a mate. “Cruzore and he moved away to another part of town and lived there in peace for less then a year. She took ill late that summer and soon passed on. Gramzon was torn with grief. It was so great that he burnt down our fathers forge one day in a fit of rage after speaking with our father. It was that act that got him the name The Firebreather. “Later that week he brought all of his blacksmithing tools to me and left them in my care saying that he was leaving to travel alone to conquer his emotions before he lashed out again. “I did not see him again till he returned over three years later carrying a spear and with a broken look in his eyes. After returning he spoke little of where he had traveled or what had transpired on his journey. But he did return different then he had left. He regularly visited the temple of Sliros and would wander out to the farmlands surrounding Rioles. Two weeks after having returned he left once more only to join the human Franzal and worked for him on his farm.” “Gramzon seemed to have found peace and in the farmlands was able to keep himself occupied. I returned to him his tools and also gave him a small anvil and forge as a gift. That act cost me much of my business as the farmers now go to him for all their blacksmithing goods that he performs for little or no charge. But it is well that he serves them, I am able to make what I need here in Rioles. “Two years after he had settled into a life of farming and blacksmithing the dust came. So thick that it blotted out all light. Gramzon came to me seeking refuge along with Franzal and his family and I provided them a place to stay. I still cannot forget the dark dusty day he knocked at my door, backpack over his right shoulder, spear in the left, and the humans cowering behind him from the sands. The fire that burned in him when Cruzore lived had returned to his eyes. I think he knew Kirla was going to call on him a few weeks later to serve Riole. “That was the last time I saw him with my own eyes. Everything else that he and the party he joined did I have heard only from others. I just wish that I could see him again today” Wybren, the bard, has the worst internship ever: Click to reveal.. Some adventurers are destined for greatness. Their births were prophesied, or their superhuman strength or magical ability separated them from others even in childhood. Other adventurers have greatness thrust upon them -- there are countless stories about brave farmers who saved a nation. But for everyone else, there is a lengthy internship involved. Wybren Niemantsverdriet's father was a half-human adventurer of limited success. After a number of dangerous and barely profitable years, he married and settled down on the tiny island of Ussen. Young Wybren grew up listening to his father`s escapades as his bedtime stories. His idyllic childhood was brought short when his father fell defending the isle against a band of reavers. As his mother was unable to make enough to feed all his siblings, Wybren needed to find work. He was far too young to be accepted into the island militia in his father's stead, but a party of adventurers passing through his town were less concerned about his age. Thus began Wybren's long and varied years as a hireling. While his companions would travel the countryside and kill the less desirable inhabitants, Wybren would cook the suppers, sharpen the weapons, and feed the horses. Not glamorous work, to be sure, but it paid much more that he could have made as a shepherd or stable-hand. Over the years, he became more and more experienced, and Wybren began to take a more active role in the bands he worked with. One such party had a self-proclaimed "songsmith" as a member. She took the henchman in as an apprentice for a little over a year, by far the longest Wybren had ever worked with a single party. The young elf was initially underwhelmed by the lacewing's abilities, finding the conventional arcane arts to be more impressive. But his mentor soon made him realize that the subtle magic behind music worked directly with the listener's soul, rather than interacting with the environment in flashy displays, and could be just as powerful. Wybren is by no means a master at the craft, but his skills as a musician and musical enchanter are growing as time goes on. Wybren's greatest attribute is his luck. While only in his mid twenties, he has been a member of numerous adventuring parties for over a decade without loss of life or limb -- an incredible feat. Of course, he spent most of his career as a hireling, but still Wybren has seen quite a lot in his few years, and is always willing to share stories about his travels. Most of these tales end with the grisly death of one or more of his companions, however. Wybren's luck nearly ran out several months ago. The party he was with was caught in a cave collapse. Most members died, the rest were severely wounded, and their gear was either lost or damaged beyond repair. The elf suffered broken ribs and a badly fractured leg, and what savings he had left went towards healing him and his surviving companions. By the time he had finally recuperated, the dust storms were already sweeping over Riole and he was stranded. So far, he's been able to pay for food and lodging by performing in the town's inns and taverns, but wanderlust is driving the bard insane with impatience. Other than his abilities as a minstrel and the various skills he's picked up as a henchman, Wybren is quite personable. He's often acted as a mediator between his sociopathic employers and the more civilized folk who've needed to hire them for quests. He's not a horrible shot with the crossbow, but prefers to leave combat for the other "real" adventurers. Over the years, he's developed a very professional attitude towards his work. He prides himself on remaining polite and courteous whenever possible. At the same time, he avoids forming close bonds with his companions, knowing how short the average lifetime of an adventurer is. Eva the wandering healer is an enigma: Click to reveal.. Eva stared out (or more accurately, at) a dusty window, contemplating what decisions led her to this. Stuck here, covered in dust at practically at the end of her rope. In front of her was a book, one that held her entire reason for being here. She'd read it front-to-back repeatedly for the past hour, trying to make some sense of why she was here... Xiriatl the alchemist is down on his luck: Click to reveal.. Formerly the owner of a modestly successful potion shop in Riole, Xiriatl was forced into a career change after a would-be burglar triggered a booby trap and burned down his store. After salvaging what little equipment and notes he could from the ruins of his home, he attempted to find work making poisons for the thieves' guild. He soon found that if the city had a thieves' guild at all, it was not eager to make itself known to random homeless lacewings. With few other options open to him, Xiriatl turned to adventuring. While his physical frailty and the relative lack of work for adventurers in the area have posed some difficulties for him, he sees these challenges as opportunities for self-improvement. He aims to gain wealth, knowledge and power so that he can return to his studies as an alchemist free from material concerns. Dyen the perfectly legitimate businessman is strangely familiar: Click to reveal.. Dyen Dawes is not a criminal. He has never stolen, never killed, never raised a hand against another human being. He has cheated and lied and twisted the hearts and minds of men to his own whims. He is a sinner with the aspect of a saint. A shameless, consummate liar that never fails to produce a word that can strike at the very center of curiosity and drag coin after coin, kicking and screaming, from the purses of his victims. With the turn of a tale and the spin of a story (Aided, of course, by a prop or two), he could take the earnings from a hard day's work from the most suspicious of men. Pry from unwilling fingers a family heirloom, or a signature on any loan. No man could stand to turn him down after the words began to flow. He could coax a newborn from its mother's teat, or a fly away from a rotted carcass. Well, that's what he would say, anyways. He's a slightly tall, skinny, and with old pox scars on his cheeks and hands. He can't afford anything else really distinctive, but usually has a ratty old wide-brimmed hat somewhere on his person. He makes a living selling fake jewelry, bad loans, and pulling scams and confidence schemes on the naive and trusting of society. Due to the tendency of his business to leave behind an angry mob clamoring for his head, he's well-traveled. He hooked up with this adventuring party as, no surprise, part of a con, latching onto passerby at a moment of opportunity. Since then, he's followed them around because a con man could always use a partner, however unwilling. Since then, he's found that his skills in lying, cheating, and persuasion have uses far beyond that of a simple con. He hates dust. It was tough to pick the best backstory, but the winner is Eric, who is very, very lost: Click to reveal.. Portals. Mote is lousy with them. Most inhabitants of Mote know not to go near them unless they are feeling up to a dangerous adventure in who knows where. Unfortunately, portals occasionally appear in other worlds as well, and those inhabitants don't always understand the need to be cautious. Meet Eric. At first, he seems like a mercenary or vagabond. His armor is rusty, his boots are worn, and his clothes are patched. Then you notice that he makes an effort to keep everything clean and in good condition. Not many mercenaries or vagabonds are so conscientious. After that, you notice his weapon. Most inhabitants of Mote know that if they do decide to step through a portal and it takes them to a dusty storeroom full of ornate weapons, they should be very careful about what they touch. The weapons may be trapped or, worse, enchanted. Above all, they should never touch the halberd hanging on the wall with a sign next to it that reads, "Halberd of Vorves, High Priestess of Sliros from 1145 to 1208. DO NOT TOUCH!" Alas, inhabitants from other worlds don't always understand this common sense rule. It's an iron halberd that looks like it's seen better days but it is still quite effective in combat. It isn't enchanted, but it does have several words etched into the blade. The script is archaic and so the only word most people can read is the name Sliros. Most inhabitants of Mote know that if they spot a mysterious figure with scale armor and a scythe quietly assessing them that they should respond either by running away or by falling to their knees. They know enough not to respond with a bewildered look and the words, "Who the hell are you?" Thankfully, Sliros approved of what he saw in Eric, because he simply nodded and disappeared. At this point, it's obvious Eric is a traveling disciple of Sliros. Depending on who you are, you might be pleased to see him. Or you might not be happy at all. If you've traveled around a lot, this reaction will be replaced by bewilderment once you see his face clearly. There's something odd about his facial features. Sure, he's definitely all human, but which island is he from? Most inhabitants of Mote would be thoroughly shocked to discover a strange human in stranger clothes in their storeroom with an important weapon held clumsily in his hands. But not Lars the dwarf, a retired adventurer turned curator. He's seen many strange things over the years, and though some of them are dangerous, this human is clearly not. Though with a few years of training by an experienced adventurer might change all that. Luckily, Eric is a fast learner. Eric never answers. As far as he's concerned, his religious conviction is all you need to know. Once in a while he will retell one of Lars' stories, but he never mentions anything about his own past. He says it's because he's much more interested in what the future might bring. Most inhabitants of Mote wonder whether the gods they worship really do exist. Eric is one of the few people who know for sure. He promptly dedicates his life to upholding and spreading Sliro's ways. Honestly, the "No humans allowed" signs up all over town probably have a lot to do with his fervor. But if you are very observant, you might notice him pulling out a funny-looking broken watch he keeps in his pack. It's his last reminder of home. Most inhabitants of Mote never step through portals and so never know what it's like to be trapped far, far away from everything and everyone you've ever known. Eric wants to find a way back, but that requires the help of a powerful sage and they aren't easy to find. So he travels from one island to another, searching for anyone who know about portals. Sadly, his search is hampered by the fact that people desperately need his help wherever he goes. For his divinely-sanctioned lack of natural caution, Eric has earned the following perk: Sliros' Blessing Once per day, you can call on Sliros for help on a skill check. When you do, your Religion skill is used instead of the usual skill. This may fail if you are attempting an action that Sliros disapproves of. Nikki, you still owe me one. In case you missed it above, please fill out the calendar: http://whenisgood.net/gnjcmq Originally Posted By: Zotlqec, Royal Historian at Eolith I am convinced that our forebears' knowledge of magic far surpassed our own. The accounts of this are too consistent across time and place to be mere myths. My colleagues at the Academy devote themselves to recovering this lost knowledge. They leave me the task of ensuring that we do not lose any more.

FYI, I will probably be unable to sub. Good luck without me, Blood Marsh!

Quote: "What conversation topics are 'off limits' for you at a dinner party?" The weather, the food, and the guests' children. As for what you should say, you've seen the show. What kind of people do they usually have on? Imitate that.

Rowen's character, Gramzon, has been doing some shopping via PM. It's been a helpful exercise for both of us, so if anyone else wants to do the same thing before the first session they've got the chance. This could also be helpful if you want to shop in Riole sometime after the first session begins. Here's an excerpt, to give you the idea and hopefully save me from typing this stuff twice. Click to reveal.. Originally Posted By: Rowen changes of clothes. Also something to wear on the head to keep the dust from blowing into my eyes, ears, nose, mouth (Like what Lawrence of Arabia wears). Rope, a small knife, cooking wear, water skin, really sturdy boots, first aid bandages. If there are any shops in Riole that offer wears that are unique I would like to hear about them even if I can't buy anything from them at the moment. Originally Posted By: Sarachim That all sounds reasonable. Is 5 gold a good price for all that? I'm not used to the currency system yet, since it hasn't come up at all in Selos. Riole doesn't have much in the way of exotic wares. There's a bookstore that people don't pay much attention to, which could have something exotic in it if you went looking. Turve the blacksmith has a few antique or custom-built weapons of exceptional quality, but he keeps them as heirlooms so you'd have a hard time persuading him to sell one. Ships visit Riole occasionally, and sometimes carry exotic goods. Originally Posted By: Rowen Yeah, I can part with all of that for 5 gold. Would Gramzon or his family have any kind of relation (friendly or competition) with Turve the blacksmith? Originally Posted By: Sarachim I think that falls under backstory, which makes it your problem. EDIT: I should add that Riole's population is fairly stable (not many people move in or out) but also decently large, so with time you might know everyone's face but probably not everyone's name. So you wouldn't necessarily have any particular history with Turve or anyone else, though you can if you want. Also, don't try "he loves me unconditionally and will give me free stuff." That will not work. Originally Posted By: Rowen Sound reasonable to me. Lets say that they have heard of each other but nothing more then that until now. Also, Gramzon is interested in buying some armor for his whole body. Properly hardened leather for the legs and arms and metal for the chest. Are there any shops that might be able to outfit him in Riole? Originally Posted By: Sarachim There are a few tanners in and around Riole who could sell you leather body armor and accessories. Riole isn't the best place to go for price or quality, but hey, it's where you are. Metal armor is trickier. It exists, but demand for it is so low that Turve only makes it on request, and other, lesser blacksmiths basically never do at all. If we're imagining this shopping taking place the afternoon after you get the mayor's summons, then you don't have time to place a custom order and have it done by morning after all the shopping you've already done. Of course, other ways of getting armor exist. You might persuade the mayor to give you a suit, or find someone else who already has one. If you ever have time to kill and a big piece of iron, you might even try making some for yourself.

Originally Posted By: Nioca Originally Posted By: Lilith One way to deal with this would be to have skill costs increase in proportion to the value of the skill. Maybe on each level-up you get skill points equal to your new level, and raising a skill costs skill points equal to the current level of that skill? I like this idea, but there's a catch. What happens at low levels? You get 2 skill points to invest in... the skills you don't really care about? Odds are, any skills you want to invest in are already above 2 skill points. Or look at the other end of the spectrum. What happens at level 20? Or level 30? Sure, it'd regulate skills and keep them from getting to high... but you could also turn around and proceed to go bonkers on low level skills you haven't been paying attention to till now. A simpler solution would be to have levels give twice as many points and occur half as often. People will be more likely to spread their skill points around if they come in a big pile. Mechanical solutions may help, but ultimately I think that if people want more balance between combat and non-combat skills, the most important thing is that GMs know this and orient campaigns accordingly. The vicious cycle some people alluded to is the product of twin misunderstandings- players, thinking Eph is emphasizing combat above all else, put all of their points into that, and then Eph, interpreting this as a demand for a combat-heavy campaign, obliges. If we're all clear that's not what we really want, there's no reason it should keep happening.

Originally Posted By: Nioca It's part of a vicious cycle, really: Combat tends to be the deadliest thing to fail in, so players tend to invest heavily in it. To keep things interesting, the DM scales the monsters to the combatant's skill level. Players fight those monsters and think, "Oh, crap, I need to stay current in combat skills", and put levels there... QFT. In both campaigns, I started with a mix of combat and non-combat skills, and found that the combat ones got used more often, were more likely to fail, and carried higher consequences for failure. Since those seemed to be my character's obvious weaknesses, I invested in them pretty much exclusively at every level, but still found myself lagging behind characters who'd invested even more exclusively in combat skills and feeling useless. Eph and Nioca hit on important aspects of the problem, but I think another is that we've failed to account for the differences between the tabletop roleplaying we're basing this system on and an AIM chat. At a table, with only one person speaking at a time, it's pretty easy for players to coordinate their actions effectively and carry out the kind of complicated plans in which Thievery, Stealth, History etc. would be critical. At the very least, they won't actively work at cross purposes, while with AIM we often see one player trying stealth, another diplomacy, and a third attacking because they all started typing at the same time. And since the sessions move slower than meatspace roleplaying already, people are understandable reluctant to slow it down even more by discussing everything carefully before they act. If that's going to happen every time, and the usual result is a fight, why invest in anything but combat skills? Fortunately, we players seem to be getting less clumsy about this. It's a slow process, but I doubt we'd pick a fight with the octopus again.

I'm not sure what to post here, except that tonight's session was an appropriately epic ending to an awesome campaign. I'll have an epilogue for you soon, as soon as I figure out just what happens to Vitze. As for the next campaign, I've really got no idea what I'd like to see next. I think I'll see how the summer campaigns develop first.

Interesting. What did you have in mind?

It's still on. I've just been far busier than I've expected this week, so I'm still working on the campaign but this hasn't produced any visible results in a while. The good news is that I'm going to have plenty of time to catch up in the last week and a half of May, so I'm still planning to have our first session in the first week of June. Also, I'm still waiting on one backstory. You know who you are! Originally Posted By: Firdi, Master Transmutationist It took me a lot of time to master the art of self-teleportation, but I have long since gained it all back.

Originally Posted By: Dintiradan Also, the chess segment was just surreal, and makes me want to play Go again. If you think it's surreal in the log, you should have seen my face at that moment in the session. Luckily, Vitze used to know one of those guys who plays speed chess for money in the street.

Click to reveal.. Vitze Elf 2/3/6, 17/22HP (+2) 20/20 HP, 6/10 Stamina Bluff: 4 Streetwise: 3 Magic (Illusions): 5 Magic (Transmutation): 10 Religion: 1 Martial (Throwing Knives): 1

Originally Posted By: cfgauss Tea party ideas are no more racist/classist/whateverist than democrats, republicans, libertarians, or whoever else. Nobody is more ever more racist than anybody else. Quote: The demographics of tea party people don't seem to be too unusual, either. IIRC, the last time I heard (a few months ago) it was like ~33% former republicans and ~%20 former democrats. Its members are apparently mostly middle-class, on average, but that's probably misleading since the media always report averages and not distributions. And the people in it seem to be generally more to the center than the republicans or democrats. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/...ml?ref=politics The linked data, summarized: just over half Republicans, a third Independants, and a small number of Democrats. Compared to Americans in general, Tea Party supporters are more likely to self-identify as middle class but are in fact wealthier than average. They skew to the right of the American people on almost every issue, often far to the right, but believe that most Americans agree with their views. It is obviously impossible to measure racism directly in a poll, but 52% say that too much has been made of the problems of black people, and 25% that the policies of the Obama administration favor blacks over whites. Both of these numbers are about double the national average. Quote: So I'm not particularly impressed by what they're saying (well, I'm not impressed by the republicans or democrats, either!). But it would be nice to see it become an actual political group, since competition will at least have the potential to make politicians do a better job, regardless of what their ideas are. Or it could make politicians sink to their level.

Originally Posted By: Lord Safey 1. Your asking a large number of people to give up a way of life they have always know. Good luck with that. The top marginal income tax rate over time, including that proposed (but never enacted) for 2010 If you make more than $250,000 a year, but can't remember anything before 2000, then you may have to give up the life you've always known. Originally Posted By: Ackrovan What I don't like is the constant, belligerent attacks they endure about their supposed racism. . . . Most of them were caucasian, true, but that's just because the majority of white people are better off financially, while black people are still integrating into "upper" society, (Of course, maybe if we didn't spend all our money on rims and liquor we'd actually have some money >_>) so it really isn't a racism problem. If most black people are lower-class and most white people are middle-class, then isn't a policy that favors the middle at the expense of the low racist?

That was my first theory, but then Eph cryptically hinted I was wrong. . . or did he?!?

Same here. I'm just glad you'll let them into the canon.

Good catch, Triumph! I forgot racial bonuses. Fixing it now...

We've got a full party AND an alternate! First, our final party member, Leitha, an elven thief (Nikki): Click to reveal.. Leitha Mondra, Elven shankstress. Sex/Race: Female Elf Occupation: "I find things, and keep them." Alighment: Conniving. Strength: 3 Dexterity: 4 Intelligence: 3 HP: 10/10 Stamina: 10/10 Martial (Daggers): 2 Martial (Improvised): 2 Thievery: 3 Stealth: 2 Bluff: 2 (+1 Racial for 3 total) Streetwise: 1 (+1 Racial for 2 total) Perception: 1 That makes a full party of six. We've also got our first character off the bench, Dyen the elven con artist (hmm, where have I seen that before?) from Nalyd: Click to reveal.. Name: Dyen Dawes Occupation: Confidence Artist Race: Elf Alignment: Profit Deity: Kyrophius Strength: 3 Dexterity: 4 Intelligence: 4 Health: 8 Bluff: 5 Martial(Bare Hands): 3 Thievery: 1 Perception: 2 Streetwise: 1 Keep an eye on the thread, Nalyd, because you'll be the first in if/when somebody drops out. Originally Posted By: Lugla, naturalist Yes, I've heard of all the legendary beasts of Ouracasos. I'll believe in land sharks when I see one.

Oops, sorry. You both get grounded a lot.

Okay, mega-post coming, with a few things in it. First, we have two new characters. Here's Eric, a human halberdier (Dikiyoba): Click to reveal.. Name: Eric Race: Human Occupation: Disciple of Sliros Alignment: Mandatory good Religion: Sliros Strength: 5 Dexterity: 3 Intelligence: 3 Hit points: 8/8 Stamina: 10/10 Martial (halberd): 4 Martial (improvised thrown): 1 Religion (Sliros): 2 First aid: 2 Streetwise: 1 Stealth: 2 (+1 RB) Perception: 2 (+1 RB) And next, Wybren, a (mostly) elf bard, and the only character so far who hasn't got religion (Dintiradan): Click to reveal.. Name: Wybren Niemantsverdriet Sex/Race: Male Elf (paternal grandfather was human) Age: 26 Occupation: Hireling-cum-Songsmith Alignment: Jovial Strength: 3 Dexterity: 4 Intelligence: 4 Hit Points: 8/8 Stamina: 10/10 Speed: 5 Bluff: 1 Ranks + 1 Racial Diplomacy: 3 Ranks Magic (Enchantment): 3 Ranks Martial (Crossbows): 2 Ranks Perception: 1 Rank Streetwise: 2 Ranks + 1 Racial Second: I answer your questions, and I speak with the voice of a god. Originally Posted By: Dintiradan Building a bard with the current ruleset will be interesting. I'm thinking most of the magic abilities will be contained within Magic (Enchantment). There doesn't seem to be a Perform skill; should we add a sixteenth skill called Profession? That way, people could build characters with Profession (Minstrel) or Profession (Sailor). Another possibility would be to use the Crafting skill, though that looks a little odd. I'm inclined to allow Profession skills, at my discretion, but make sure there isn't an existing skill that would do the same thing equally well or better. In Wybren's case, Magic(Enchantment) seems to do everything Profession(Perform) would do, and has the potential to do more in the future if you're so inclined. Originally Posted By: Nalyd Is this still open? If so, I'm in. The party isn't full yet, but it's getting there. You're the seventh person to express interest, and I don't want to go above six, so if nobody drops out I'll have to make a hard choice. Somebody usually drops out, though, so if you want in definitely send me a character. Originally Posted By: Dintiradan Ephesos/Sarachim: What exactly is the process for learning new spells? I know that spells prepared is limited by INT, but how does one get access to new spells? One per level up? GM's discretion? Not a pressing concern, obviously, just curious. My rule is going to be that low- and mid-level spells won't require a teacher unless they're exceptionally complex/weird/arcane, and that you can learn as many new ones as you want any time you would be able to prepare new spells. As with all things, this is subject to DM's discretion. Third: Let's talk about timing. I live on the east coast of the United States. I expect to be busy during the work day, but I make up for this by not sleeping at night, so our sessions will probably fall somewhere in the 6PM-1AM Eastern Daylight Time range (EDT is GMT-4). I'll talk about this more when I know my exact schedule, and there will probably be other options like weekends, but if that time bloc is impossible for you please let me know now. Fourth: Expect a website with more extensive character information soon, including backstories, spell lists, and starting inventories. And fifth, ending quote! Originally Posted By: Bolit, Captain-Lord of Miana Since the fall of Exana, our republic has been the only power on Mote to maintain a standing navy. When I think of all the ways that our city has profited from this institution, I cannot help wondering why none imitate us.

Originally Posted By: Nioca Probably because HP can easily be recouped. For example, spending 2 HP on a level of strength will result in that expenditure paying for itself within two levels. Yeah, but you didn't do that. Thuryl made the same point, and it had occurred to me before, but I'm not sure the trade-off is as good as it seems. Having one or two party members with lower HP at the beginning is bearable, but an entire party made of glass is just asking for whatever happens to it.

We have another character, this time from Nioca. This is awesome! Click to reveal.. Name: Eva Roe Race: Elf, Female Occupation: Wandering Healer Home: Tanan Deity: Tanann Alignment: Emphatic empathic. Age: 21 ATTRIBUTES Level - 1 Strength - 1 Dexterity - 2 Intelligence - 8 HP - 8 Stamina - 10 SKILLS Magic (Evocation): 4 Magic (Conjuration): 3 Magic (Abjuration): 2 Religion: 1 Bluff: 1 (RB) Streetwise: 1 (RB) TRAITS Weak - Eva lacks in physical power. She has heightened difficulty in any task that requires physical strength (this applies even if strength is increased at a later date). And I thought Xiriatl was squishy. Originally Posted By: Kirkin, priest of Sliros The religious mysteries of the seafaring dwarves of Koros, their strange gods of wind and water and their exotic pieties, are still famously unknown in the wider world, even among those of us who devote our lives to the divine. Everyone seems to agree that this is due to the dwarves' unwillingness to answer questions about them, but as far as I know, none of my colleagues have ever asked.

Thuryl. Sorry, I meant to mention it in the post.

We have our first two characters! First, there's Xiriatl, a lacewing alchemist/mage/slinger. (Is slinger the word? Whatever you call a guy with a sling.) Click to reveal.. Name: Xiriatl Race: Lacewing Occupation: Alchemist Alignment: Obsessive Strength: 2 Dexterity: 4 Intelligence: 5 HP: 8 Stamina: 10 Speed: 5 Crafting (Alchemy): 3 Martial (Sling): 3 Magic (Divination): 3 Thievery: 2 History: 1 Religion (Tanann): 1 Next, it's Gramzon, a dragonborn spearman: Click to reveal.. Gramzon the Firebreather (Level 1) Occupation: Blacksmith/Farmer Alignment: Loyal (Lawful Good) Race: Dragonborn (Male) Religion: Sliros Strength: 6 Dexterity: 3 Intelligence: 2 Max Health: 8/8 HP Stamina: 10/10 Martial (Pole-arm): 4 Crafting (Metalworking): 2 Artifice: 2 Nature: 2 Religion: 1 First Aid: 1 Diplomacy: 1 So, one tank, and one ranged/utility guy. A good start. Space is limited and filling up fast, so don't delay! Originally Posted By: Zotlqec, Royal Historian at Eolith The Riolers do not often appear in my work. This is a rare achievement.

Thuryl discussed it with me before he posted, hence the "you already know this."

No problem. My first thought was to begin in the first week of June. I pushed it up without really thinking it through. If anything, I'll benefit from having more time after finals to prepare.