Duvors

Well currently character levels don't exist so I don't feel we need to worry about that yet. Tough I do think some thought should be given to keeping track of unassigned Creation Points as players may want to save them in case they need more to increase something then they actually have.

"Well I think he is. But anyway, thank you for your time." Enson rose to a standing position and was about to walk away when he stopped and turned back to face the man. "I'm sorry," he said "but I nearly forgot. Do you need any money? I can't remember the last person I saw sleeping outdoors who didn't." If the answer is yes, Enson will give the man five credits. Having received his answer (and acted upon it) Enson strode over to the rest of the group. "So," he said, "I couldn't find out where what we're looking for is, but some strange men were seen heading that way," he pointed in the direction indicated by the man, "which may indicate where the auction is being held. That said I'm uncertain what to do next, do you wish me to accompany you, follow Yelana to ensure that she isn't alone if she's attacked, or strike out on my own after the aforementioned strangers?" Enson will do as the party requests.

I'm honestly not certain about the idea of having comms be an item you can buy as I feel that might fall under 'some comms' which, as Endgame has stated, is unfair. Honestly however I feel that I'd be fine with comms existing if they operated more-or-less as @samurai-turtle suggested. That is, the player has to actively say they're using them (and the players on the other end can choose not to pick up if they feel their characters are too busy) rather then them being always on. And remember, if someone doesn't want to type out a wall of exposition they can always say 'I tell them all I know' or 'I recap the events of the past five weeks' or something like that. On another note though; I feel recent events have brought something rather important to light. The current character sheets have no way of keeping track of what spells a character knows, which is rather important. I've added mine to the one linked from my signature (beneath proficiencies), but I feel we should address this.

As a player I'm against having comms for the same reasons Endgame is, particularly the first one. I love the dramatic potential and roleplaying that comes from the uneven distribution of information amongst characters. I especially enjoy PM interactions, which are meant to be somewhat personal experiences for the player, which would be impossible (or at least very difficult) if all the characters were in constant communication. However I feel that I should bring up something from the old game that seems pertinent, and that is Z-mail. For context, Z-mail was more or less a magical E-mail system that allowed you to send letters and items to NPC's and other players instantaneously and for free. And while it could theoretically be used in much the same way as it's suggested comms could, but they just weren't. For whatever reason the only things they were ever used for was sending things to characters in other quests or for special holiday events, probably because the effort to use them wasn't really any greater then having your character go over to where everyone else was and information-vomit all over them. Yeah that honestly sounds a bit too much like how QMs used to react to people attempting to use a magic compass in the last game for my liking, a handwave to explain why this unwanted plot-breaking device doesn't work. I'm sorry but that sounds too much like metagaming. I feel that a character should actually go to the trouble of actively passing on information to the rest of the party rather than have everyone automatically know what everyone else is doing. Which I suppose is my biggest objection to the whole idea.

"Really? What did these weird people look like, where did they go?"

"I see, thank you. Now, ah, there's someone I'm looking for here you might have seen. He's a Fangreak, sort of insect like, tall with a blue carapace and dark blue forehead, four red eyes, came to the planet in a yellow E-11 Dart. Have you seen anyone like that recently?"

"Hmm, I see. Tell me, what happened to the royal family after that? And while we're on the subject of the occupation do you know why the Cydonians are here?"

"Ah, excellent!" said Enson sitting on the ground beside the man. "Someone with your knowledge is exactly the sort of person I need. Tell me," he said gesturing around him, "what happened here? I heard that this planet had been recently occupied but unfortunately that's the extent of my knowledge."

"Unfortunately I don't think that is the case. If it were I feel our conversation onboard the ship would've gone rather differently. If you'll pardon me." Disengaging himself from the group, Enson made his way over to the blue man lying beneath a tree. Upon reaching him he bent over slightly to make eye contact and said; "Excuse me, may I take a moment of your time?" @Endgame

Having made his way down the ramp Enson stopped before the (rather intimidating) soldier and gave a respectful nod. "Greetings, my name is Ensonvilterayquis (Enson if you prefer) and these are my companions; Kleeck, Dunola, Igaz, Tester Three, and Yelana Fennix. Here is our permit." he said, producing the Landing Pass and handing it over. Enson gives her the Landing Pass. "Pardon me for asking, but shouldn't there be Customs or spaceport security or something like that we should be going through? Just one soldier at the end of a landing pad seems a bit ad-hoc to be honest."

Enson nodded to the pilot. "I will remember to do so given the opportunity." he said without the slightest hint of levity. "I will take it if no-one else minds." said Enson, holding out his hand for the pass as he spoke. Enson will accept the Landing Pass.

Enson seemed to be about to say something to Kleeck before he was interrupted by the incoming call. Resigning himself to the situation he rose from his seat and followed the others down. Enson bowed to the projection respectfully. "it is good to meet you Mr. Vannoy," he said, "my name is Ensonvilterayquis (or Enson if you prefer) and these are my companions; Kleeck, Dunola, Tester Three, Yelana Fennix and I see Igaz has already introduced himself." He waited for the man to answer Igaz's question before speaking up again. "Can you perhaps give us the name and appearance of the thief we are to find? I'm afraid the document we received did not contain as much detail as one might need."

"Excellent! It's always useful to have someone of your expertise along. I've often wished I knew more of alien cultures myself. In fact my desire to learn more is part of the reason I left Vin'quo, my homeworld, in the first place." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Tell me, have you ever been to Vin'quo yourself?" Enson paused as his conversation was briefly interrupted by the droid's presentation, a stern frown replacing his former expression as he learned of the planet's current state. He shook his head grimly, saying as he did; "I'm afraid that military occupiers are rarely lenient in enforcing their dictates upon a subjugated people, we may have to act discreetly for the duration of our stay."

Enson nodded politely to the droid. "Thank you sir," he said, "Your welcome is most appreciated, as are your skills as a pilot." The monk was sitting cross-legged in his chair, his hands clasped across his stomach and a cheerful smile on his face. Though his seatbelt was a little too tight for comfort. Still, he could live with it. Shifting slightly in his chair, he turned to look at Kleeck. "Tell me," he said addressing the Ornithun, "I understand you are versed in the cultures and languages of many different worlds. Tell me, have you ever been to this planet before or have any special insight into it's inhabitants?" @KotZ "Hmm, what?" Enson said, looking over the back of his chair at the robot with a confused frown. "Why, no. Whatever made you think such a thing?"

Thanks, that's very kind of you. And if no one minds I think I'll take this adorable spider-monkey man.

So, it's been well over a year since I posted anything on this site, and I'm sorry for that. After the end of the final quest I felt too burnt out and, quite frankly, unhappy to do anything after a while. And after waiting too long I eventually lost motivation to come back at all. By the time I decided I wanted to try and involve myself so much time had passed that I felt afraid to intrude. So again, sorry. That said I'm glad to see there were other people more motivated than me and who had enough enthusiasm for the game that they set out to make a successor to it. It makes me extremely happy to see how much effort has obviously gone into this and how enthusiastic everyone is for it. I'm not entirely sure what to say now, I seem to have written myself into a dead end. Let me try again, I'm sorry I've been away for so long and haven't been part of all the work you've been doing. But if you're willing I'd like to try and change that.

Sorry everyone, I've been suffering from a sudden attack of ennui these past few days. I promise I'll have something up soon.

"Very well. What I want to do might not work in any case, but it's important to try." Throlar looked at the letter in his hands, rereading it to make sure it had no spelling errors and just generally sounded good, before folding it as neatly as possible and quickly dashing off a name on the outside. He then reached back into his pack and drew forth a number of items, laying them across the table in front of him. A pair of boots made from white scales, a white spear carved in the likeness of an ancient dragon, and a black lance wrapped in a green and yellow banner that no-one had seen him with before. He then set to work bundling them up with the letter (a task that seemed to involve a multitude of oddly colored pieces of string he seemed to have in his pockets) and, once finished, tossed the resulting mess into the air where it promptly vanished with a soft 'pop'. "There, that's that." Throlar stood up from his seat. @Waterbrick Down "Captain Attina," he said, "I'm sorry about this, I really would like to stay and try to talk things out with you, but duty calls. I hope you understand." With a quick bow, he turned and strode out the door.

"Err, Thank you Arthur, it means a lot to me that you trust me enough to nominate me as a Veteran. And It's not that I'm unwilling to lead so much as I'm afraid to lead. I'm already worried about the possibility of messing up spectacularly and I'm not even decided on if I want to accept or not. Besides, it's like I told Lind, I can't just sit around here waiting for problems to come to me, being reactive instead of proactive. If that's what being a Veteran means then I can't accept. For instance, I've just had something brought to my attention that may concern the lives of everyone in the city and I have to act on it as soon as possible. Almost immediately actually. And thank you miss," he said addressing Olivia, "I'll be willing to follow you to the place in the letter as soon as possible, but I have some stops to make first. I have take a brief trip to the Faerie to see a friend, Pereville, and I'd also like to meet someone, the fiancée of a young man name Waldorf, if someone will tell me where they are. I have some very interesting reading material I found that I'd like to share with them." @Kintobor@Palathadric

"Yes." a sigh, "Believe me, if I felt I could offer you anything better I would, but quite frankly I don't think I can. I know you have given yourself and those directly under your command over entirely to protecting this city, and I know that you must have sacrificed much to accomplish what you've done. However, the person who has saved them from pirates and invaders time and time again is not what the people of Eubric see when they look at you. What they see is a member of the family that has levied ruinous tariffs against merchants, that helped fund the construction of a wall to imprison the city's poor in the Hovels, that can and has seized whatever they like from any ship in the port and uses a shell company as cover for illicit smuggling, that wanted to have the Sungold Alliance impress every person they could from the Hovels to serve on their ships, a member of the house so corrupt and tyrannical that your uncle felt he had to kill your father, the head of the house, in order to accomplish any meaningful reform. No, wait, I shouldn't have mentioned that, I'm sorry." he said with genuine contrition. After a brief and awkward silence he began again. "You saw how easily the mutinying sailors took the fort away from you? How willing the populace of Eubric was to be rid of you without even the slightest hint of a scandal like the ones that brought the other houses low? How long do you think, if we gave you back everything you had before with no strings attached, it would be before another mutiny occurred to drive you out of your home once again? And how likely do you think that this insurrection would also end up fighting against the leadership that allowed your return, destroying it even? And there's more, if they succeed in removing the old leadership once again they'll likely form their own council or government or whatever, at least until the next revolution destroys that. Think about it, if whatever council or government that's formed here isn't satisfactory to the people of Eubric there's a possibility they'll try to remove it violently. Then the removers will themselves be removed by the next set of disgruntled citizenry and so on ad infinitum. I'm legitimately worried about Eubric becoming a constant cycle of revolution and counterrevolution unless we stop it here and now. And if accomplishing that means asking you to willingly give up ownership of the docks, your fleet, and the smoking ruins of your childhood home then I will make that request." He tapped his foot in agitation for a moment before speaking again. "Look," he said, "if you want a way to keep your family's property yours, then I have a suggestion. You can keep the ships and the fortress, but you lease them to the Council for use by the Ministry of War in return for regular payments. And if you chose to accept the position of War Minister then you'd still have command of them to boot. I don't think it would be quite the same as what you had before, like I said you'd still give up the rights to levy tariffs or undertake actions against criminals within the bounds of the city but it would be more then my original offer. But honestly I'm worried that if this is the course of action taken it could easily be seen by the people as a return to the status quo, which in turn would undermine their faith in the Council. And if that happens then, like I said, they may simply choose to replace it violently. And I would also be essentially turning your family into mercenaries employed by the city, which you may object to. However, if neither of my offers appeal to you, and no other agreement can be made that satisfies you, then I ask you to leave the city in peace. Because if you continue the blockade then the only option we'd have left to us to attempt to break it is violence, and the only restitution of your property you can possibly gain from it will be at the cost of the resentment of the city's population. Enough blood has been shed today, and I have no wish for further death." He sat back in his chair, hoping that his diplomatic training would see him through. "Err, yes to the first if possible. To the second I'd say they'd have to withdraw their military forces from the city as they have proven willing and able to use them for political ends, but otherwise can probably remain unmolested. As to the third I honestly don't know, I haven't had time to think about that and I don't think I will in the near future, sort it out yourselves if it bothers you."

Sorry for not saying anything for the past couple of days, I'll have something soon.

@Waterbrick Down (I'm fine with the second option.) "Attina," said Throlar diplomatically, "I know this is a difficult situation, but bear with me. We both know it's for the best that you and your fleet continue to protect Eubric, so in order to ensure this I think you should be selected as the Council's first Minister of War. Your duties will consist of protecting Eubric from foreign invasions and protecting merchant ships from attack by pirates. In addition you will be given command of the fort in the harbor once it is rebuilt and be able to use it as your base of operations. You will also have the responsibility of seeing that the walls of the city are manned and kept in good repair. However, as Eubric is now to have a proper government it cannot tolerate a non-state actor possessing total control of a massive armed force within the city, especially when that city constitutes the cities defenses. The ships you command, the fort in the harbor, the walls of the city, none of these will be the property of you or your family but property of the city and the Ministry of War and any flag they fly will represent the city, not the Bonapartes. In addition, you and your ships and men will be held accountable to the rest of the council, a second council whose duties will be to ensure that you and the other council members do not abuse their position, and the laws of Eubirc themselves whatsoever they may be. I'd also suggest renaming the fort to reflect the changes in the nature of it's ownership. Finally, you will be stripped of the ability to collect or levy tariffs or to appoint Harbormasters, as those will be the exclusive domain of the Ministry of Trade, and the duties of policing the docks, as that will be part of the duties of the Ministry of Public Safety." Throlar leaned forward slightly. "I know this must seem like an insult to you and your family, to be asked to give up so much after what you've already lost, but I assure you I am not making my demands out of malice. My only personal contact with your family prior to this, an encounter with Captain Lane during which he helped Heroica break up a ring of slavers, was entirely positive. But many people do not have fond memories of your family and your servants and if we want this council to work and prevent any future uprisings then we need to convince them that you can be trusted and that things won't just go back to the way they were. Furthermore, if Eubric is to remain stable in the long term then the different members of the council cannot operate it for their own gain nor can there be any competition between them. And we most emphatically cannot allow the city to remain lawless and ruled by a squabbling merchant aristocracy. I know that you probably aren't happy with my requests, I know that I wouldn't if I was you, but if you value the stability of this city then I beg you to seriously consider them at least. And I know you must love this city, why else would you spend so much effort protecting it?" Throlar looked at his hands, and more specifically the letter he'd been intermittently writing for the last few minutes. On the one hand he was flattered that these people would want him to be a Veteran, and some part of him wanted to accept. On the other hand it was like he'd told Lind earlier, he couldn't sit idly by behind some desk while threats like Rosier and Amber Makepeace that threatened to bring absolute destruction festered in the background, growing in power till they struck without warning. "Hmm, what?" Said Throlar as he was jerked out of his contemplation by the voice beside him, "Mutual... you don't mean- no, that can't be, why on earth would she want to talk to me?" he said as he took the note and read it.

Well thats character development for you, and out-of-character development as well. I'm a much different (and hopefully better) person now then I was when I started paying this game of ours. Still, I'll miss you and Eric when this is all over.

Blackgull always struck me as a deliberate personification of the negative aspects of the Bonapartes in order to give them a definite face so that he could eventually be defeated, thus providing a satisfactory finale to the Bonaparte storyline. After all, 'corruption' is a bit too nebulous to have a boss fight against. But that's just my two cents.

@Waterbrick Down "I'm sorry, who is this Rear Admiral Melville?" "Rear Admiral Melville," said a voice that was clearly audible to everyone in the room, "was one of the most trusted and relied upon Bonaparte Admirals in service and the commander of Fort Hemlock, formerly known as the Jolly Roger's Grotto. He was also a power-hungry necromancer with plans to raise an army of undead and conquer the world, which is par for the course for most necromancers in all honesty. His machinations were only prevented by the actions of a group of heroes who were hired by Captain Illdria here to rescue her crew from captivity in his fortress, the Bonapartes only became aware of his plans after he was already dead." Throlar blinked in surprise. "Well," he said after a moment, "errr, thank you Ophaniel, didn't know you were so well informed. Well," he said, turning his attention to the Bonaparte delegation, "I can tell just form the sound of it that it's a rather extreme case, but the ease with which Melville seems to have committed this grandiose act of treason does demonstrate that giving captains 'independence in the affairs of ships and their crews' is a very bad idea. And even if they don't go rouge there is still the possibility of them using their power to abuse their crews-" "Which is also something Melville did, he placed all of the solders in his fort that he could under mind control and had those that couldn't be controlled killed." "-which is unacceptable." Throlar paused, his brow furrowed, as he processed Ophaniel's interjection. "He did that too?" he said after a moment. "Yes." "Well."