Seonid

And the new Ranger/Arvin/Will O'the Wisp post is up! The dragon hasn't reached The Dalles yet. I tried, but there were too many loose ends left that needed wrapping up. But this is the last one outside of The Dalles. The next one will be in the morning, when Paladin reincarnates, Ariel wakes up and can teleport him back, the three of them can get in the car to go to The Dalles, and Arvin and Ari take a dragonflight in. I want to see the look on Arsenal's face when Arvin tells him not to fire the anti-air guns at his incoming dragon.

Well that works too...

Ranger picked himself up from where he had jumped from his bike as it exploded. Nothing seemed broken, so that was probably a good sign. Paladin had already gone roaring off after the Epic who had ambushed them. Ranger had more important concerns. Ariel lay, neck twisted at an odd angle, nestled up between a pair of tree roots where she had come to rest. He ran over to her uncertainly. She could regenerate, true, but he'd never seen a set of injuries as bad as this one. As he approached, he could see that the back of her head was caved in from where she had hit the road, and her clothes were torn and ripped from her violent trip across the asphalt and into the tree. Come on Ariel, he thought as he knelt by her side, examining her injuries. You can do this. Don't let a simple motorcycle ambush be the end of you. There! One of the abrasions was closing as he watched. He carefully moved her broken body out of the hollow in the tree to give her room to regenerate. The back of her head started filling out as soon as he pulled her out, and he heard cracking sounds from her neck as it twisted back to a normal orientation. He was almost ready to breathe a sigh of relief when she started jerking and twitching uncontrollably. The fit lasted for nearly two minutes, before she fell still. Ranger had seen this happen once before, and there was only one explanation. Paladin was dead. Shivering slightly, he picked Ariel's limp body up in his arms and moved off into the forest to find a safe place to wait. * * * * * * Will O'the Wisp slipped quietly back through the forest, almost skipping with excitement. It had been a good day. He'd sent a couple of vanillas to be eaten by a giant lizard, he'd drowned an Epic in quicksand, and the secret he had been sent to secure was about to be his. He would just have to face it. Today was going to be hard to top. The idling gravitonic car hummed quietly on the road in front of him. He settled to his search, whistling contentedly as he rummaged through various papers and knick-knacks in the glove compartment, trunk, and scattered over the back seat. Arvin was obviously not a neat car owner. An hour later, he still hadn't found what he was looking for. He was just about to pull out a knife and start cutting open the seats when a thought hit him. If I had an extremely valuable and extremely secret to take back to The Dalles, would I leave it in my car? Not a chance. I'd keep it on my person. With building frustration, he rushed back towards the clearing where he had left the vanillas. * * * * * * The clearing was empty. The vegetation smoldered, as if Arvin had turned to fire in a desperate attempt to save himself. The torn dirt and tracks told the story of a titanic struggle, but there was no sign of either vanillas or lizard. They had vanished without a trace. Will let out a scream of rage. It was gone. * * * * * * Arvin lay awake in the back of the cave, one arm curled protectively around Ari as she slept. The dragon lay at the mouth of the cave in the growing twilight, every now and then taking a bite out of the roasted monitor lizard. The events of the last few hours were still confusing to him. The lizard advancing. Another roar, out of nowhere. A burst of flame, white hot like a smelter's furnace. And then he had been grasped firmly but not dangerously in a vast claw, flown to this cave in the side of a mountain. A dragon. A real, honest-to-goodness dragon. Arvin wasn't sure about a lot of things, but he knew one thing for certain. This little girl - this little Epic - was like nothing he'd ever encountered before. He lay back to try to rest, but it was a long while before his whirling thoughts slowed down enough for him to drift off.

I don't think that Nighthound is on the list enough times...

Excellent character, Winter Cloud. That name, though... It's certainly unique. I like it. Welcome to the RP. (And good on Fina for bucking the gender stereotype trends. Does she use a hand axe or a throwing axe? Or both?) Definitely possible. The reason they tend to specialize in one or the other is both practical and cultural. Each memorized spell takes up a portion of the Mage's ability to function as a lever, and so reduces the amount of power they can transfer. If he/she's willing to make the sacrifice, then memorizing the spells is almost a non-issue. (There is still the very important issue of actually learning the memorized spells. They are definitely not something that can be made up on the spot. It takes years of research to actually get a new spell working. Sometimes more. Not something that someone is likely to pick up on their own.) The cultural issues are harder to surmount, but not impossible. For communities based around one form of magic, the other is often taboo, if not regarded as downright evil. For the Mages at Lushbeck, for example (about a century dead, in our RP, unfortunately), the mere act of studying Type IIa magic was punishable by death (whether or not you were a member of the group. They actively hunted down users of that kind of magic). Paladins and Inquisitors are not quite so assiduously against Type IIb magic, but they certainly consider it unnatural, and proscribe its use. But every group has people who buck its norms. Even the strongest cultural norms are broken by someone, somewhere. You can have your character be that person. Whether or not there will be social consequences depends on your character's backstory... As far as the map goes, well, I'm a little behind on that. I hope to have it finished by the end of the week. At some point, I ought to put together a map of the city of Menkor, too. But tomorrow's projects are: finish the cultural bits, get Kobold's Spirit/Material interactions piece up, and get a political description of the area up, so that y'all know who the major players are. As far as technology. Gunpowder is a thing (although pistols are brand new - as in, only like 4 of them in the world so far new). Currently, full plate armor is the preferred protection of the rich and powerful. More average soldiers can't really afford that very well, so they make do with whatever they can buy. A powerful ruler or war leader will sometimes provide high-quality armor and weapons for his soldiers, but these are generally reserved for the elites, as almost nobody is rich enough to buy it for a whole army. Cavalry prefer the lance (except for light cavalry, which use sabres or longswords). Crossbows are the preferred ranged weapon, but there are a few groups that use longbows. Mercenaries depend on where they are from. As far as engineering, think high Middle Ages on the verge of the Renaissance. No steam engines, but we are still capable of fantastic feats of architecture. Magic isn't widespread enough to have a significant impact in the daily lives of the average person (although it is quite prominent in folklore). On exceptional occasions, a really sick person will be brought to a local temple for healing. Sometimes it even works (pretty much, when the healer is an actual magic-user or a doctor instead of a charlatan.) Temples are mostly the centers of learning and study, as well as religion. There are a few secular schools, but not a continent-wide network of them. Naval technology is not extremely sophisticated, but we are up to, for example, three-masted galleons able to tack into the wind. And armed with cannon. What other kind of technology questions did you have in mind? Also, I'll get back to you on the whole magical limitations thing. My break's up now. Sorry.

Does this mean that this meeting could actually be canon? That would be sweet.

Midsummer's Day, 1375 Twelfth Year of the Reign of Avar Leduinne, King of Menkor Avar Leduinne, King of Menkor, sat at the table with his councilors and advisers. Faces were grim in this room, as they had been for nearly three years. Three years since the cursed Inquisition had led a military expedition to the city, intent on rooting out all heresies and heterodoxies. Three years since Father Julian Mathienne, ranking prelate of the Martyr, was imprisoned on those same charges. Three years since the first bell had tolled for the funeral of their independence. The ravaged countryside was a testament to that. Smoke rose almost daily from some new farmhouse, burned for some impropriety of worship. It was almost as if a war had passed over the landscape. Sometimes, Avar wondered if war would have been better than this. He had taken the oaths of the Church of the Martyr under pressure. The Empire grew closer every year, absorbing lordships and dukedoms, kingdoms and cities. The Court of the Gods had bowed before his pressure, the King of Al'Lidne hung on a stake by his hands outside the Tribunal's Judgment Hall until he starved to death for opposing their decision. He had heard that the bones, picked clean, still hung there. With that capitulation, the fragile alliance of Atani dominions had fallen apart. The Church had seemed the only way out. He hadn't considered the Inquisition. And now he was here, on the verge of committing the greatest heresy yet in his kingdom. He had sworn the oaths of compliance with the Inquisition when they came, certain that nothing of note was unorthodox in his kingdom. His people had been instructed to comply with the Inquisition's orders. He had hoped that they would be satisfied quickly and leave. It had always been a fools hope. General Algoux spoke, breaking the grim silence. "Your Majesty, I have had news from Norene." That was the last place the Inquisition had visited, another Atani convert princedom. Things had been bad there, too. "My agents report that the Inquisition followed exactly the same pattern there as they have here. They burn farms and shops to inspire terror, then isolate any political leaders who oppose them. By the time they moved on, leaving an 'advisor' behind them, Lord Kerrim was only a figurehead." Lord Carlin, earl of Montdyke, spoke up next. "They will do the same here, unless we stop them." The speech was a formality. The decision had been made in secret meetings weeks before. But the formality helped to stave off the fear over what they were about to do. But it was time now. The formality was over. It was his turn to speak. "It must be done then. Carlin, I want a proclamation in the streets. The Inquisition is no longer welcome in Menkor. Any Inquisitors or their soldiers remaining in the city after nightfall will be arrested and summarily executed. General, is your strike force ready to storm the prison?" "Yes, your Majesty." "Then do it. Do it now. I want the prison ours by the time the proclamation hits the streets." "Yes sir." "Then this meeting is adjourned. Everyone perform your task with faith. And may the Martyr have mercy on us all."

I'm in. I guess I'll pick female from district 11, because everyone seems to be snapping up all of the males. Gotta be some balance, right? Niobe, female tribute from district 11. (Note that I've never actually read Hunger Games. I just want to get in on the Sanderson Elimination action...)

Hmmm....The Dalles has been quiet lately. I think that I need to bring a dragon in. Maybe on my lunch break at work tonight... :ph34r:

Today's the day!! Expect a new thread for the actual RP. I'm just going to give in to the inevitable and let this one become the planning, scheming, ponifying (when appropriate), and snarking thread. And anything else. I'll update the OP with rule information today, as well as posting the first installment of the RP. Hope everyone has fun!!

We should do something like the various Oregon threads: Have a main thread (this one) for discussion, plotting, snark and hilarity, and a new thread each month where we post the prompt and all of our responses to it.

I still want to participate in this, but I won't be doing anything until finals week gets over.

That's amazing!!!!

Feel free to make any ponies you want. I look forward to the end product. And thanks for the compliment on Ari, Kobold. I've been trying to get her voice right, and I was rather proud of the storytelling Epic power. Expect a profile for her shortly (but not too shortly...)

New post up. Will O'the Wisp and Ari. And it's for real this time. Sorry for the false alarm earlier y'all. Hope you enjoy it. I'd say more, but my break's over. Gotta run!

Will ran through the forest, breath heaving. That sparking epic, the one with the shining sword and the silver armor, just wouldn't let up. And Will was beginning to get tired. Very tired. Something had to give. He squeezed through two fallen trees, then left one of his wisps in the opening. Hopefully the shock he'd get from running into it would be sufficient to delay him. As he ran, the sound of curses following gave him a quick sense of relief. He'd gained a few precious seconds. It happened too quickly to react. The ground gave way beneath Will's feet, and he found himself falling down through a muddled mix of sand and water. Quicksand. The same patch he had led those two girls to the day before. How could I have missed that? His thoughts were furious, but they changed quickly to panic. Frantically, he started clawing his way back to the surface, then he remembered himself and relaxed, floating. That was the only safe way to deal with quicksand. The more you struggled, the more you sank. His face broke the surface, and he gulped in huge mouthfuls of air. Where is that Epic? Where did he go? That was the important question now. If he didn't locate the man, it wouldn't matter whether he made it through the sand or not. That sword would skewer him much too quickly. He pulled himself out of the pool, his last wisp floating around him. The forest was still. He noticed a flash of silver and turned his head quickly. The Epic was charging towards him, straight across the pool of sand. At the last second, he leaped powerfully, trailing drops of blood from his severed arm. He looked like he might clear it. Will's eyes lit up. That arm was a weakness, and he had a way to exploit it. With a flash like lightning, he sent his last wisp to the leaping Epic, bringing it directly into contact with the severed stump of the arm. He saw the spark even through closed lids. He heard the splash as the Epic fell. Will opened his eyes to see the armored man thrashing frantically near the edge of the pool. The last sound he made was a scream of primal rage as his head sank below the water. * * * * * * Ari huddled up against the tree trunk, shivering in terror. She was almost frantic with her fear. Her mind was threatening to shut down. Somewhere, on an instinctive level, she knew that she needed to calm down. So she did what she always did when fear threatened to take over. She told herself a story. The giant lizard roared at her new daddy. He was brave, but all he had was a big stick. She didn't know any stories where people beat lizards with big sticks! Maybe she could tell herself a story about the brave knight in shining armor that saved the day. And they could all go live in a castle together! But wait. The prince from Frozen turned out to be a bad guy. She wasn't sure if she wanted a prince to come if she couldn't trust that they'd live happily ever after. Well maybe there was a story about a unicorn that came in and made her feel better. Maybe one with wings that could fly her and her daddy away where they would be safe. But a unicorn couldn't get its horn through that lizard's thick skin. There was only one story she could think of. Reaching well back into her memory, she pulled out a story about a great dragon. She remembered that she hadn't liked that it went around eating people, so she had changed it so that it went around eating monsters and saving people from them. That was a much better job for dragons. Besides, they were so pretty and colorful... She began the story in her mind. Once upon a time, there was a brave girl and her daddy, who were being attacked by a giant lizard. Suddenly... As she went on, her mind slowly calmed, and her fear slipped away. The lizard roared again at her daddy, moving closer. But this time, it was answered with another saurian voice. This one was much louder, and it answered with fire.

Hmm...Asha'man that joined the Children, eh? I'd find that a pretty good description. They have their own army, aren't beholden to any nation, and operate anywhere their religion holds sway. (And places where it doesn't that aren't powerful enough to make an issue over it.) The Inquisition would be similar to the Hand of the Light, in this analogy. A mix Asha'man and non-channelers in the Hand of the Light. As far as magic, we're looking much more like channeling rather than soulcasting, but neither is a really good match. I've been saying for a while that I need one last revision on the magic stuff I've posted, as well as a revised creation mythos, and I hope to get to that soon. Not to mention the cultural/geographical background stuff I've been promising for months now. Schoolwork is taking it out of me, though, and I keep hearing that real life is more important than forum roleplaying games (I know, heresy, right?). I'm just glad that the semester is almost over. Sorry to hear that. If you do get time in the future, you're welcome to join late. Or if this gets successful enough to support spin-offs, you'd be welcome in there too. Also, I do hope that you enjoy reading through this while it's running.

Congrats! This is still good stuff. And whether you finish in time for NanoWrimo or not, this is worth reading.

Wow! Lots of speculation from a post I just dashed off before lunch. That's rather...flattering, really. Here's a stab or two at answering some of the questions that have been raised, while attempting to preserve spoilers for the future. Ari doesn't know that she has powers right now, however, they do kick in to protect her in many instances. She wasn't able to escape because her weakness was in play. That also means that Arvin's first soft spot for her was all his own. Her imagination amplified it, to be sure, but his protectiveness is rooted in past trauma. Twilyght knows some of that. He probably wouldn't have agreed out of the blue to be her adoptive daddy without her powers at work, but he would certainly have felt protective of her. In other news, the post later tonight will have our first Ari viewpoint. She has a...unique...way of using her powers. Hope y'all will like it. Also, Ari and Arvin visited Newcago recently.

Definitely RAFO on that one. We'll put it this way, though. Arvin is currently immune to Pandafication because an Epic whose power is imagination is imagining him very strongly as her daddy. And her daddy isn't a Panda.

I'm hoping to get a post up today too. It should be a good one. Too bad I missed the boat on getting the first dragon in there...

Definitely a fun tradition!

I'd actually kind of been planning on this. Is that legit?

Count me in. At least in theory. Definitely after this semester gets over.