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Post by Wolfy on Sept 3, 2013 15:54:17 GMT -5
Ok, so... I need people. XD I can play one of the group that the nameless one has come across, but I'd rather not if enough people join. Once he's seen, by the way, I'll add more description of what he looks like.
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Post by NightWing on Sept 3, 2013 19:03:11 GMT -5
I'll participate if it's necessary. Might have to try to come up with something new to fit into the world, which as you know is far from my specialty.... but I'll try, of course.
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Post by Wolfy on Sept 4, 2013 0:03:00 GMT -5
It's necessary. >= You join.
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Post by Omnomivore on Sept 4, 2013 0:30:03 GMT -5
Can we have some background on this world? Are there just humans/shadow critters? Can humans be magical? Other sentient species?
...what I don't have trouble playing straight-up human characters shush.
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Post by Wolfy on Sept 4, 2013 0:48:13 GMT -5
Hehe.
Ok, background! That's kinda important, huh? XD
There are humans, shadow creatures (which can take the form of anything, but the weakest tend to take the form of small animals (rats and such), gaining size as they grow stronger... generally), animals... it's basically like an alternate earth as far as fauna goes. Sentient species would be... rare, though things from mythology can certainly turn up if ya like. As far as that goes, it is mostly things that can appear human. Things that can't tended to get hunted.
And yes, human can be magical, but only royalty can control light, aaaand... nothin can control shadow. XD
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Post by Omnomivore on Sept 4, 2013 0:54:38 GMT -5
Interesting. How is magic treated in this world? Rare/common, feared/admired/utilitarian? Some combination? What about magic constructs?
Sorry, I tend to ask a lot of questions when it's not an anything goes setting XD
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Post by Wolfy on Sept 4, 2013 0:58:55 GMT -5
That's ok! It's been a long time since I worked on this world, so questions help!
It's... middling rare. Less one in a million, and... more 1 in a 100, if that makes sense?
Because of the royal family, it was considered a good thing, but since the incident, the people have started turning on mages - the same way they did on the protectors - because the royal family tended to employ a lot of mages, and people feel they should have done more to protect them.
Constructs, like golems and such? Rare, but more because those were outlawed unless in service to the royal family.
... Lots of stuff revolves around the royals here. ^^; Their protection tended to be of the highest priority, which is part of why people turned on those who were supposed to protect the royals when tragedy struck.
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Post by Omnomivore on Sept 5, 2013 22:58:00 GMT -5
As per request, more questions from me...
Could you post up a basic recent history of this world, and sort of what the climate is? You've mentioned a lot revolving around the royals... well, how to the 'common folk' feel about that, in general? What affect do the shadows have on day to day life?
PS, how big of an area does this monarchy cover? How much contact does it have with foreigners? Do foreigners know much of anything about the shadow issue, or is it contained to this country?
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Post by Wolfy on Sept 5, 2013 23:32:20 GMT -5
Recent History (ie, after the ambush):
When the ambush happened, the people were unprepared. A good 50 percent of the land's population died in the first wave, with more dying as people scrambled to adjust. Farms, people living on the outskirts, and small towns were all the worst hit. A lot of the countryside is abandoned now, left to the shadows, and is desolate and dying. Cities tend to be brightly lit, though as energy sources become harder to come by, the borders of the cities shrink, leaving those people to the meager protection of fire and what weapons they can find.
Climate:
With the royal family gone, the mage's black market has become much more visable, as people scramble for whatever protection they can afford. Cities thrive, as the majority of people feel there is safety in numbers. A lot of poorer folk go hungry, as it is hard to grow food or keep livestock without expensive drains on energy to keep those places lit up.
Cults have started showing up, encouraging giving into the shadows, or claims of the shadows as higher beings. As time passes, these have gotten steadily more popular, and shadow sacrifices continue to help the thriving population of shadow creatures.
There are nomads, those who feel the cities are too big and there are too many dark crevices to be safe, and rely on their group of people and movement to keep themselves safe. They only visit the cities for supplies, selling off what they manage to scavenge from abandoned houses.
With the royals gone, people have had to find their own ways of killing shadows. Magic tends to be the most effective, so mages and magic weapons are in high demand, despite the feeling of distrust people feel for them. As such, there is a bit of a slave market where strong mages will sell weaker ones into service to curry favor with the wealthy. A new system of power is starting to form, and if the princess does return, she might not be as welcome as one would expect.
And then there are a handful of groups that have seen this trend, and decided to go searching for the royal family in an attempt to prevent it.
Batteries, coal, and oil are all more precious than gold now and hold a lot of bartering power, followed closely by preserved foods and cloth. Livestock sell well enough, but as it is hard to keep them from the shadows, are not seen as a good commodity. Pets, for the most part, don't really exist.
Common Folk:
The royal family was well liked, in general, but you can't please all of the people all of the time, and there were some murmurings, at the time, of rebels in hiding. A lot of resentment seemed to revolve around mage dissatisfaction and nobles annoyed with the monarchy's tight grip on overseeing how they did things. There was also talk of encouragement and gifts from those countries that felt the monarchy set the shadows loose to gain control of the whole world. With what seems to be no sign of their return, The groups of rebellion have either gotten louder, or dissolved altogether.
Shadow affect:
The shadows hunt down and feast on living creatures. They seem to prefer human, but will settle for whatever they can catch. They hunt in packs, and tend to get smarter than more there are in the group. A lone shadow is usually little threat, just rushing in at an intended victim, but packs can trick or manipulate people into their traps.
Normal weapons can hurt shadows, but it takes a great deal of effort to kill one with them. This is not a problem when facing one or two, but if that is all a person has against a group, it is nearly certain death.
Area:
The direct monarchy covers an area, to use terms of comparison, about the size of North America. However, they have treaties and extended family in connection with a great deal of the rest of the world. While the shadows started in the monarchs land, over time it spread to the other countries and continents, and treaties were made and marriages arranged. There were the lands that accused the royal family of releasing the shadows on them on purpose, and refused offers of assistance.
Those lands learned ways to deal with the normal flood of shadows, but when the ambush happened, communication shut down. No one in the monarchy's land is really sure of the status of the other lands. They can only assume the other extended members of the royal families have also lost their lives.
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Post by NightWing on Sept 6, 2013 0:27:13 GMT -5
Just so that I've actually posted something here instead of conducting the entirety of my discussion over skype...
I've got my concept, working on a backstory, it'll probably suck, but hopefully I'll be functional and not a detraction in the environ of the story. Thanks fer the writeup, and daybreak for the questions that prompted it. 's helpful.
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Post by Omnomivore on Sept 9, 2013 23:02:45 GMT -5
All right, I'm going to have to work up something in more detail, but as a quick run-down before bed...
My character is going to be a grouchy mama-bear type healer mage. Focuses in a lot of traditional methods, and is either from one of the nomadic tribes or has spent a lot of time with one. She's pretty careful about using magic around other people, given certain attitudes towards mages and the chances of someone without defensive magic getting snagged for the slave trade...
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Post by NightWing on Sept 10, 2013 1:23:08 GMT -5
Neat. Mine's an electric magic using sword wielder. Don't quite know what I'd classify the personality as. The system his magic operates off of is a bit different, but I've cleared it with Wolfy. We're discussing at the moment whether or not he's going to be a slave owned by her character... not positive yet.
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Post by Omnomivore on Sept 10, 2013 10:42:32 GMT -5
Oh, that could be very interesting, given my character's feelings on the mage slave trade... you guys will definitely not know she's a healer, then XD. She was probably hired as something of a guide, being a nomad and all... lots of survival skills.
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Post by NightWing on Sept 10, 2013 23:41:39 GMT -5
One way or the other my character won't exactly have any warm feelings about it either xD
That would make sense.
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Post by Omnomivore on Sept 10, 2013 23:45:14 GMT -5
I'd imagine not! Lots of potential in-character tension. I likes.
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Post by NightWing on Sept 10, 2013 23:54:12 GMT -5
Now we'll just see if I can RP it properly..... Probably not. *cough* I'm reeeally gonna have to work at finding a balance between lazy posting and overboard internal stuff.
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Post by Omnomivore on Sept 11, 2013 0:08:33 GMT -5
Hey, just find your comfort zone and start there. I'm pretty good at matching the style other people are using. Just, y'know. Write like a sane person.
To make you feel better, have my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE EVER example of terrible roleplaying (hint: it's about horses):
"How you arrived, is beyond your comprehension. Though, none the less, you are here…wherever that is. Lithosphere trembles beneath apical tips, culmination is elevated by extension, twin zeniths lace to scull. Herbage begins to quake gently; optical spheres focus as plume of dust materializes from ambiance. Bracing yourself, it’s creators become visible, a cadre of equus, innumerable to reckon. The suzerain of nigrescent emulsion takes precedence. Verile’s crania is flung as nadirs decimate quagmire. Lapets perk as masculine raises essence, shanks flaying through milieu, embers glinting. Timbre is emitted via larynx"
(Quadruped roleplayers be crazy. And yet I'd totally join a non-crazy game. If I could find one >_>)
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Post by NightWing on Sept 11, 2013 0:21:54 GMT -5
Dear God, the Purple Prose level is over 9000.
I'm going to assume by quadruped you mean something to do with My Little Pony..... ugh. Wolfy'd probably be up for it or something.
I just don't like being boring. xD It's about as simple as that. I want to give enough information to allow the character to be interesting, or at the least appropriately a part of the setting/story. I'm just... ya know... bad. Not that bad, I'm pleased to say, but I almost want to say that level of embellished writing HAS to be for satirical purposes....
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Post by Omnomivore on Sept 11, 2013 0:26:02 GMT -5
It's not, I'm afraid. By quadruped I mean a roleplay where everyone plays non-anthropomorphized horses/wolves/dogs/felines/insert animal here. Not MLP related whatsoever. And for some reason, some of them actually REQUIRE that you use ridiculous vocab like that, or that you write 200+ words per post. Sadly, this wasn't satirical, and there's whole games that are full of posts you need a thesaurus to understand. These people seem to believe that abusing the more 'fancy' words you use, the better writer you are. A literal translation: "How you arrived, is beyond your comprehension. Though, none the less, you are here…wherever that is. Lithosphere The entire solid portion of the earth, including the crust and upper mantle trembles (even massive earthquakes don't make the entire lithosphere tremble) beneath apical tip tips, culmination is elevated by extension (basically reaching a crescendo as time passes but written in a completely nonsensical way), twin zeniths highest points lace to scull (the oars on a rowboat, manual rudder, a boat propelled by oars, a one- or two-man racing boat, or a race involving such boats. That or he mispelled skull). Herbage Only the succulent, non-woody parts of the plants in the area begins to quake gently; optical spheres spheres having to do with the eye (but not the eye itself) focus as a? plume of dust materializes (because it didn't exist before) from ambiance the special mood of this environment. Bracing yourself, it’s creators (which apparently is every plant, animal and other that makes up this special environment) become visible (um, yeah, so they were invisible before?), a cadre key group of enlisted officers responsible for training new military units of equus asses (as in donkey, not this guy), innumerable too many to count to reckon. The suzerain feudal overlord of nigrescent kind of black emulsion paint takes precedence priority (so... the ruler of almost black paint is more important than... what? The rule of really black paint?). Verile’s crania multiple vertebrate skulls (so he's a hydra, not actually a horse! ) is flung (can't have been attached to the spine very well, then) as nadirs the lowest point, exact opposite of the zenith (... so the feet then?) decimate quagmire bog. Lapets (I'd like to say this is a name since it doesn't exist in the dictionary but the sentence structure precludes that...) perk as masculine raises essence (this clause makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, grammatically or even creatively T_T), shanks flaying stripping the skin off through milieu cultural surroundings, embers the smouldering remains of a fire (what fire?!) glinting. Timbre The characteristic quality of sound produced by a particular instrument or voice is emitted via larynx"
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Post by NightWing on Sept 11, 2013 0:36:45 GMT -5
I will never understand the jarring stupidity of a vast number of people. My sincerest condolences. That sounds awful. How can you enjoy that? It's like you just sh-... spat out a bunch of words onto a canvas and rearranged them so they sounded like they might fit because you looked them up but have no idea how to use them properly. I'm all for archaic or otherwise nonstandard language, but come on now... the only word for that is stupid. Or pretentious, I suppose.
And alright that makes sense. Forgive the assumption please, it's just referenced so often that it's almost impossible to disassociate it with any mention of a semi intelligent equine being.
It does seem like it could be interesting, but is there really any reason that the entire campaign needs to be based around such creatures to play one? I mean, in any sufficiently high fantasy setting it seems like it'd be easy enough to justify a means to communicate with others.
Edit: I did actually know a fair bit of the words that you struck out and replaced with italics. .... I'm not honestly sure how to feel about that.
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Post by Omnomivore on Sept 11, 2013 0:45:15 GMT -5
Hey, I totally understand. MLP is pretty ubiquitous. And I'd call it stupid. The language isn't even good enough to use pretentious, and that's saying something XD
The thing with quadruped roleplay is that you're playing something totally alien and interacting with the world in a way different than if your characters were influenced by the 'civilized' species, as we knew them. Usually there's little to no magic involved. It's more... Felidae and Watership Down and Warriors than it is, say, Redwall or Beatrix Potter. The setting is as interesting as the characters themselves. It's a storytelling thing, at least to me.
Not that I can't/don't play animal characters in mixed roleplay. Heck, I have a steampunk flygirl dinosaur floating around. It's just a different environment.
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Post by NightWing on Sept 11, 2013 0:53:00 GMT -5
Yeah, I only threw in pretentious for the sake of being thorough, honestly. Just in case. And thank you. I do so tire of hearing about it though..... lordy it's everywhere.
That's a fair point. I can't say I know what any of those are other than redwall, and even that I never read more than a couple of chapters of. That does sound like it would have a certain elegance to it if done properly. Also seems like it would be VERY difficult to do well. *runs away from the scary thing that would only shed more light onto incompetence*
And this is why I ask. Thanks for correcting the mistaken assumption, though I'm not positive I actually assumed it? I don't know. You answered my question, at any rate, quite fully. And that's quite the character concept. xD
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Post by Omnomivore on Sept 11, 2013 0:59:35 GMT -5
If you feel like having your heart torn out and stomped on for a bit, look up Felidae, Plague Dogs, or Watership Down on YouTube sometime. All were originally books, but they were animated into movies, too. Soul crushing, gut wrenching movies...
Ahem.
And yeah, don't mind me. It's almost 2AM here and I tend to ramble at the best of times. Seriously, though. I'm really chill. Try your best, have fun, don't be afraid to ask questions, and we'll have a great game!
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Post by Omnomivore on Sept 11, 2013 1:00:12 GMT -5
Also, yes. Darwin is special. She was one of the least ridiculous characters in the game I made her for, if that tells you anything.
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Post by Wolfy on Sept 11, 2013 1:08:14 GMT -5
I. LOVE. Watership Down.
Also, my character isn't really cast in stone yet, it's all kind up in the air. Can give you quick run down of what he would be, though.
He's looking for the royals because the way mages have been acting makes him sick. He kinda hates mages, but recognizes the tools for the job. Participating in the slave trade isn't exactly his best moment, but he felt it was basically the best way to make sure the mage couldn't turn on him.
And yes, he realizes the royals are mages as well, but again, the right tools for the job kind of thing. Plus, his parents have told him about what the world used to be like, and he decided it was better than what was going on now. He'd probably be in his mid thirties, so his memory of 'before' is fuzzy.
He would have told Night's character at auction that he'd be freed if the quest succeeds, and he wouldn't be ... exceptionally cruel. However, he would treat mages like tools instead of people.
... Now to see if I can actually PLAY someone like that. XD The last guy I intended to be a bit heartless kinda... turned soft.
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Post by NightWing on Sept 11, 2013 1:09:06 GMT -5
Sounds like that would be quite the entertaining game to read Yeah, I know of the movie version of watership down because someone I knew had their grandparent pick it up for them when they were visiting because it was a cartoon, so it must be for kids, right? Gave 'em nightmares. So the only thing I know about it is that it's about the tragic story of many bunnies dying horribly. Oh come now. I'm the last person that you need to defend rambling to. Did you see my post in the general discussion thread? That's me when I'm being controlled. Ask Wolfy about my rambling. <.<; I hope to. And I've certainly noticed that you're relaxed about things, which is good, because I tend to be hyper-super-mega-high-strung about my own insertions into anything other people are a part of because I have a very long and drawn out history of poor self esteem and incredibly high levels of self consciousness that are likely never to recede. SO there's that.
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Post by Omnomivore on Sept 11, 2013 1:28:26 GMT -5
It was a very strange and wonderful tabletop. Mostly strange.
Yeeeeah, they're all in that vein. As an animation nerd they make me SO HAPPY because animation can be a hugely powerful storytelling medium once people stop looking at it as 'kid stuff'.
I totally get it. I still get anxious about new games and new people. Often times I'll go in with one character and have to switch to another because the fit isn't right. It's a learning process. But on the other hand, it can also be great therapy! I play some really nasty, angry, and otherwise unpleasant characters, and they're great fun. Or the characters who are even more of an anxious, neurotic, depressed mess than I am... totally cathartic XD. I'm weirdly comfortable here, even after all this time, so it's a little easier to relax about it.
Aaaand back on topic! Yeah, my character won't be happy about getting saddled with that guy, Wolfy, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. She's competent, trained in medicine and survival. Can do a lot of tracking, trapping, hunting, etc. Not bad in a fight, but she's more defensive, and I don't think she usually uses more than a staff if she can help it. Maybe a little dagger, if things are really grim. Hurting people badly makes her skin crawl. I think she was either separated from her tribe or left them for... reasons. Getting back to you on that one. He probably ran into her looking for work in the city. Aaand she's a little older. Forties? But that hasn't slowed her down one bit.
I'd say go for it. If he gives you too much trouble we could always find a way to give him a change of heart. Or, y'know, just dispose of him and stick a different character in there XD.
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Post by NightWing on Sept 11, 2013 1:32:13 GMT -5
Always nice to have somewhere you're comfortable, and I look forward to actually getting to know you. Heard nothing but good things over the years xD
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Post by Wolfy on Sept 11, 2013 1:32:24 GMT -5
My biggest thing right now with him is figuring out how one keeps a mage slave under control.
He'd probably also be proficient with some sort of weapon, so not completely helpless on his own, but strength in numbers and yaddayaddayadda.
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Post by Omnomivore on Sept 11, 2013 1:38:24 GMT -5
Shock collar? =P
Okay, I really should try to sleep now. For reals.
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