Amanuensis

I'll be done with the flavor soon. The main thing you really need to know is that we disembarked at night due to the timing of the seethe and we are manning the ship's deck in spite of the darkness. So far things are going smoothly. Our destination is Diggen's Point, AKA the Rock, which is another day and night's worth of travel away. To get there in time we'll need to start doing shift work. Some people will be in their cabins while others hold the lines. As for the turn over, this will be the permanent one. I started the game slightly earlier than planned because it was ready, but my typical schedule has me finishing work at 9PM EST, so 10PM EST is the best time for me to get everything done.

LG108, Night One — Disemdark The last of the sun slid off Erik’s Island and left the harbor copper-dark. Out beyond the pilings, the Emerald Sea lay quiet, then shivered—first hints of the Seethe rousing for the night. Gulls drew in closer to the roofs, all wings and watchful eyes. On the quarterdeck, Helsmaster Salay watched the green expanse for timing, then the crew for readiness. Quartermaster Fort stood beside her with his slate, taking notes. Armsmaster Ann leaned against the rail, goggles pushed up, revolver low on her hip, fingers checking the latches of a lacquered case of pots. Charlie (the Better) tucked himself into her collar, whiskers testing the breeze. Master Illi and Master Rane joined them, salt still damp on their cuffs. Fort tapped his slate. “Recruits show high spore-curiosity, low deck enthusiasm. Good hands when the cups are in play. Fewer when it’s mops. Potential: strong. Discipline: teachable." Ann snorted, fond rather than mocking. “They’ll race to throw a Verdant, but they hide from a brush and bucket. That said—trigger work wasn’t awful. Two clean Verdant binds on the practice bush, one Sunlight petal with decent aim, and only one over-wet Crimson. No one’s missing fingers.” She patted the case. “They listen when the pots come out.” Salay’s mouth twitched. “More talk than lift on the salt barrels.” “Talk builds trust,” Fort wrote, “if you channel it. I split them into study knots at dusk—gave each knot a task and a name. They’ll show up for each other before they show up for us.” Rane nodded. “We can work with that. Night plan?” Salay’s gaze slid to the horizon where the green darkened and the Seethe’s rhythm began to pulse steady, like breath. “Veterans hold the night shift while we ride the Seethe. Recruits sleep—unless they choose to shadow a higher rank. Illi, Rane, gather them, pass it down: optional accompaniment. No heroics. If they join a watch, they stay glued to that leader and keep their cups dry.” Illi grinned. “I’ll take a handful along the lee rail and make them count rope coils. They can earn their bunks by morning.” Rane’s smile was thinner. “I’ll keep mine at the fore. Zephyr discipline, hand signals, nothing wet. If anyone yawns near a pot, I send them to their hammocks.” “Understood,” Salay said. “We depart on the next long beat.” She glanced to Fort. Fort had already sketched a quick plan on his slate: Veterans: bell 1–4. Recruits: cabins. Volunteers → Illi/Rane. Ann: mid. Salay: helm. Fort: Stores + heads. He underlined dry twice, then tilted the board so the last wash of sunset could catch the words for all of them. Illi looked out over the recruits clustered at the gangway—their cups slung tight, their voices too bright, their hands still tingling from a day of safe demonstrations. “They’ll do,” he said, softer than his grin. “They will,” Fort agreed. “They just don’t know it yet.” Salay rolled her shoulders and reached for the wheel. “Make them know it. Then make them make each other know it.” Illi and Rane bowed off, turning sharp at the ladder. As they went, Illi called, “All hands to muster by knots! Volunteers to me or Rane—choose now or choose your cabin!” On the main deck, the old crew slid into night-worn habits: lamp wicks trimmed; Zephyr bellows tested with a whisper that sent a clean breath down the gangway, cooling nervous faces. A few recruits peeled away from their friends to fall in behind Illi; a few more found Rane with their mouths shut for once, which was a good sign. Ann locked the case, clipped it to the rail, and set her palm on the muzzle guard of her revolver like a promise. Charlie (the Better) dinged his bell once; she scratched his neck. “Let’s keep them proud of their hands,” she murmured. Fort swung down to the Stores, counting by touch, then up again with a nod. “Dry. Accounted.” Salay read the Seethe’s build—one, two, long—and planted her feet. She filled her lungs and let the deck hear her. “ALL HANDS—ON DECK!” Boots thudded. Lamps flared. The ship leaned into the first push of the night, and the harbor fell away as if the world had remembered how to breathe. Night One has begun and will end on Saturday, October 4th, at 10:00 PM EST, approximately 24 hours from now. If you did not receive your GM PM, please @mention me and I will remedy that ASAP. Player List @Araris Valerian — Armiel — Novice @Belandrius Ohhmar — thOmmAs — Apprentice @The Unknown Hammerer — Illi — Master @TwinStorm — Rane — Master @CoderDrag0n8 — Sozar — Apprentice @ThatOneWorldhopper — Fuejrheisjjeirjeujdjeuuduwii — Novice @RoyalBeeMage — William Thorne — Apprentice @Hoid Slayer — Shifter — Novice @IcedOutPenguin — Itenii — Novice @A Jo in the Bush — Emmett — Novice @Doc12 — Braid — Novice @STINK — Roberto — Apprentice

Turn has ended, still at work but hopefully will be home soon

Just over 15 minutes left in the turn for any last minute order changes

Elims do get an NK, which is what kicks of my exes (normal way I run my games).

I finish work at 9 PM EST, which is the same time the Day ends. Night One will likely take me until 10 PM EST to post. Plan accordingly

Roseite is the only ability that can prevent the Cultist Kill

Players are told what spores they receive and nothing more

You can not do orders-in-advance, AKA submit orders using items that I've not confirmed have entered your inventory. Failing to Prepare a Pot will result in the ability backfiring on you, which vary based on Rank and Type. I'll save the specifics with a PAFO tho The only thing that can stop the Midnight Cultist Kill is Roseite. Both the kill and sprouting Midnight are capable of reaching players in their cabins, given the nature of Midnight Essence Familiars.

Sorry y'all, forgot this one last important bit Day One Quartermaster's Spore Storeroom ~ Zephyr Charges 2 Verdant Charges 2 Crimson Charges 2 Sunlight Charges 1 Roseite Charge 1 Midnight Charge

LG108, Day One — Welcome Aboard The Rat's Tale came in at first light, her hull throwing a long shadow across the green-glittering expanse around Erik’s Island. Gulls wheeled in a patient gyre over the docks, careful to keep their wings dry; even birds knew the “sea” below was no water but a shifting plain of Emerald spores—quiet until a drop touched them, then an explosion hungering vines. Fenders thumped. Lines sailed and found bollards. The ship hands went about the dance without names or fuss: bowsprit kissed the pier, springs took the strain, gangplank slid down and bit wood. Canvas skirts along the rail shook free a dusting of salt and were checked for damp. Only when everything was tied, chocked, and triple-looked did the officers step ashore. Everything glinted with hints of silver here. Helmsmaster Salay first, her eyes doing a quiet inventory of the crowd: fishers off the night nets, children with their mothers, a handful of island guards on break, and curious bystanders. Quartermaster Fort followed, broad-shouldered, a slate hanging at his hip. Armsmaster Ann came last, coat salt-scrubbed, goggles resting above her brow, a compact revolver low on her right, a lacquered case at her left. A small rat rode her shoulder like a badge—Charlie (the Better)—his whiskers licking the sea breeze. They were known enough that a small cheer went up from the quay, joined by the friendly clatter of coopers hauling barrels of salt toward the gangplank and a fishmonger’s crew rolling carts piled with Lake Erik’s salmon packed in crushed ice. Recruits clustered near the end of the pier, identifiable at a glance by their recruitment cups slung tight and the look of people trying not to fidget. Salay lifted a hand, and the cheer settled into expectation. Fort chalked a quick WELCOME ABOARD on his slate and presented it with a small bow. Ann unclasped her case and spoke, voice pitched to carry without shouting. “You’re here to learn Sprouting. We’re here for recruits, salt, and salmon—enough to keep you fed while you earn your ranks. You’ll get dawn and dusk lessons, ship work between, and a bunk that stays dry because you help keep it so.” She opened the case. Nestled in fitted felt lay palm-sized pots: neat spheres with seam-lines and thumb ridges. “Our rounds,” Ann said. “Ball-shaped bullets we call pots. Each one holds a thumb of water, a measure of Zephyr to give the throw or shot a push, and a second spore to do the job: Verdant, Crimson, Sunlight, Roseite, or Midnight. You can throw them like firecrackers.” She flipped one and caught it, casual. “Or you can fire them through a proper tool.” Her hand brushed the revolver on her hip—six fat chambers, roseite-banded ports to keep reactions where they belonged, sights filed bold. “This one’s mine. You’ll train on cousins to it.” Ann glanced to Salay, who nodded. Fort, already seeing three steps ahead, had a small demonstration space ready: a scrubby dockside bush growing from a crack in stone, a mirror hung on a frame, and a plank of pier wood clamped upright. A roseite drop cloth ringed the area, a wink to safety. “First: Verdant.” Ann thumbed in a green-marked pot and fired low. The pot struck the dirt at the bush’s base, cracked, and a measured mist kissed dust and leaves. In a breath, vines whipped up and around, binding the bush tight in a tidy spiral—neither a tendril wasted nor a strand straying beyond the roseite ring. Ann lifted a dry cloth; the moment moisture left, the vines browned and eased. “Reactions, not life,” she said. “Start them on purpose, stop them on command.” “Second: Sunlight.” A yellow-marked pot clicked home. She shot the mirror’s lower edge. A crystal petal flashed across the glass, clear as breath on frost. Ann angled the frame; a bright dot bounced from the mirror to a warehouse wall and skittered across a painted E until it gleamed like new. Murmurs rose. “Lenses for finer work—signals, reading, shipwright tricks.” “Third: Crimson.” Her tone flattened just enough to be heard as caution. Red mark in, muzzle to the plank. The shot cracked; the pot burst and a fan of hard red spines punched through old wood, leaving toothy daylight holes. A dockhand whistled low. Ann tipped a nod at the roseite ring. “Edge work, hull work, most often fight work. We preach control first.” She holstered the revolver, then let the Zephyr in a cooling pot sigh across the crowd. A soft breeze drew sweat from faces and the smell of salmon brine out to the safe green plain, where it would do nothing at all. “Roseite shields and Midnight tricks we teach only on the ship,” she added. “You’ll learn more about sprouting when you’ve mastered how to keep your pots sealed. Results can be shaped—made neater, tighter, pointed where you intend. That takes practice and a good head. Fort here is our best shaper.” Fort tapped his slate—SHAPING = INTENT + CONTROL—then erased and replaced it with: WE WILL TEACH YOU. Salay stepped in, voice like a keel line. “Terms are plain. Show up dry, work honest, learn fast. You’ll start as Novices, have a path to Apprentice if you stick, can eventually reach Master with dedication. We take care of ours; you’ll help take care of this ship.” Ann pointed back toward the waiting carts. “And if you’re worried about meals—eat once with Fort and tell me you’re still worried.” Charlie (the Better) hopped down, took a token from Ann’s palm—rat-and-tail R stamped deep—and carried it to the nearest recruit. The boy’s cup clinked as he reached; the rat’s bell chimed once, bright as the morning. “Before anything else, though, we've got supplies to load. Use this time to get to know your fellow crew members. The sooner we are ready to sail for Diggen's Point, the sooner your training can begin." LG108 has officially begun! Day One will end on Friday, October 3rd, at 9:00 PM EST, approximately 48 hours from now. If you do not receive your GM PM in the next fifteen minutes, please @mention me and I will remedy that ASAP. Player List @Araris Valerian — Armiel — Novice @Belandrius Ohhmar — thOmmAs — Apprentice @The Unknown Hammerer — Illi — Master @TwinStorm — Rane — Master @CoderDrag0n8 — Sozar — Apprentice @ThatOneWorldhopper — Fuejrheisjjeirjeujdjeuuduwii — Novice @RoyalBeeMage — William Thorne — Apprentice @Hoid Slayer — Shifter — Novice @IcedOutPenguin — Itenii — Novice @A Jo in the Bush — Emmett — Novice @Doc12 — Braid — Novice @STINK — Roberto — Apprentice

Should have the game up in 9 minutes (possibly sooner). As such, I'm going to go ahead and say no more people are allowed in sowwie

EST, yes. Sorry about that, I don't know why I typed P there xD

I will close sign ups for any last minute stragglers at 9 PM EST (1 hour and 50 minutes from now). @IcedOutPenguin do you have a character name?

The waterfall of spores that cascades from the moons; I had used the term wrong but get that now TBH I was double checking the crystal Soulcasting elements to see if I could figure it out; thought Ruby ones might possibly be incendiary / explosive a la "Spark" so all good either way Gotcha. Welcome aboard, friendo o7 I am in the process of finishing my Tress reread so I can feel satisfied with the flavor / setting. I am probably going to need to do turnovers at 10 PM EST, as most of the days I work are 1-9 PM. As such, I will probably start the game at that same time tonight, however I might drop the turn a few hours early if I manage to finish everything before then

Welcome aboard, friend! Happy to have you. I will say that you can technically do 5 posts (half discussion, half RP) over the course of 72 hours for the max earnings, but I do think with the addition of a Day Action, ranking up should be a little friendlier / less of a min-max thing. Out of curiosity, what differentiates the Ruby Sea from the Crimson Sea? I've been trying to theorize the other 6 Lunagrees but it's tough

It's one action per turn (1 Day Action, 1 Night Action), i.e. two per cycle.

Sorry brother, I forgor to address you too when I was writing my post last night. This works, I appreciate your interest in the concept and will accommodate. As for the action economy - Every Day, players can pick 3 of the available spore types. If they do not succeed in getting any or fail to submit an action, they get Zephyr. This does not count as an action. This means at the very least, you'll always be able to get a PM going by N2 - Every Day and Night, players get a single action to either Prepare or Sprout, with the Study action being available during the Night only. If you use an action on another player during the Day, no one is in their cabin and thus you don't need to worry about whether or not they are currently targetable. Anyone who Studies or Prepares during the night is effectively immune to night actions that require them leaving their cabin.

Yeah, so For a Novice Zephyr Pot, you'd spend 1 Zephyr for the base and 1 Zephyr for the secondary. For a Master Verdant Pot, you'd need 1 Zephyr and 3 Verdant. So let me run through a chain of events. On D1, there are 3 Verdant, 3 Crimson, 2 Sunlight, 2 Midnight, 1 Roseite available. You, Penguin, submit in your GM PM that you want to try claiming 1 Verdant, 1 Crimson, and 1 Zephyr. Going into the night, I pick who gets what spores using RNG. If you fail to get a spore that you wanted, you will automatically get Zephyr instead. Penguin gets 2 Zephyr and a Crimson. Penguin realizes that making a Novice Crimson Pot will always fail and wound him. Penguin contemplates either studying to Rank up faster, or preparing a Novice Zephyr Pot using his 2 Zephyr for slightly less XP. He ends up submitting in the GM PM to prepare the Novice Zephyr Pot, that way he can message another player and try coordinating in the background. At the start of the next day, you will now have that item available for use for your next action, which you will submit in the GM PM (i.e. "Sprout Zephyr on Coder") NOTE: I AM MODIFYING THE RULES SLIGHTLY AND ANNOUNCING IT HERE Players will have an action slot during each Day Turn. For this slot, they can either Prepare or Sprout a pot, but not Study. This should allow players to PM more frequently and make use of their items before they die. Considering this change, I may need to adjust the XP Rank Up thresholds after I sleep

Sorry, yeah. I've been a tad busy and very low energy when I'm not, planning on responding in a bit to everyone just got home from a long day at work so going to take a little to eat and relax

Seonid! Welcome back

What aether were you thinking of doing? Yes, you can absolutely join! Welcome to the family, Beland o7

Ehhh. I think I'd prefer a worldhopper over a more powerful version of the specific magic system associated with the game mechanics, but I am open to pitches and working it out to not be obtrusive. Mostly the issue would be if I include the Spore Eater role, which I don't think I will unless we get 16+ players. You don't leave your cabin at night if you Study, Prepare, or sprout Midnight. Every other ability requires you leaving your cabin to use on someone else. Experts are just Masters with a particular specialization, nothing changes beyond that. Yes. Novice Zephyr Pot, Expert Crimson Pot, etc.

LG108: A Tale of Rats and Spores Game Premise 10 years after the events of Tress and the Emerald Sea, you will board The Rat's Tale—a great ship and Sprouter institution that trains recruits how to manipulate spores and navigate the Twelve Seas. Every player is therefore a Sprouter by default, but will be split into ranks that have different capabilities. The majority will begin Novices, some will begin Apprentices, and few will begin as Masters. Apprentices will have a PM with their Master and all Masters will share a doc. Ranks can be progressed via consistent active participation (see: Experience and Promotions). Player Factions Royal Loyalists are the innocent, uninformed majority whom justly serve the Verdant Kingdom. They win upon removing all Midnight Cultists from the game. Midnight Cultists are the corrupted, informed minority who seek to avenge the Midnight Sorceress. They share a doc to freely conspire. They win upon reaching parity with the Royal Loyalists. Day / Night Cycle 48 Hour Days. Day 1 will not have an execution, but from Day 2 onward, a player must be voted out to walk the plank. Additionally, every Day, there will be X/Y Spores available for players to claim from the Stores (other than Zephyr Spores, which are infinite). Players can only claim 3 Spores each Day regardless of their rank. However, Masters will be able to give an extra Spore of their choice to one of their Apprentices each day via their GM PM. Players can also trade both Spores and Spore Pots via their GM PM during either turn, and may also Prepare or Sprout, but not Study. 24 Hour Nights. During the night, players have access to three possible actions: Study: Double your experience gained this cycle; Prepare (Pot): Craft a Spore Pot and gain +5 XP; Sprout (Pot): Expend a Spore Pot to use its effect and gain +5 XP. Giving another player a Spore or Spore Pot is a free action. Additionally, one Midnight Cultist can submit an untraceable kill (they will not leave the cabin, as they will use a Midnight familiar) Spores, Pots, and Sprouting All Spore Pots require 1 Zephyr Charge and N Secondary Charges to prepare, where N is the rank of the effect. If a Sprouter of a lower rank attempts to prepare or use a Sprout Pot of a higher rank, there will be a chance of failure. Zephyr and Zephyr Novice: Create a PM with target that expires in 1 Cycle. Apprentice: Create a PM with target that expires in 2 Cycles. Master: Create a Group PM with up to three targets that expires in 2 Cycles. Expert: Create a PM with up to three targets that never expires. Zephyr and Verdant Novice: If your target leaves their cabin, block their action. Apprentice: If your target leaves their cabin, block their action and the action of their target. Master: If your target leaves their cabin, block their action, the action of the target, and the action of everyone else who targets them. Expert: If your target leaves their cabin, imprison your target until you decide to release them, blocking all actions from and to them. Zephyr and Roseite Novice: Shield yourself with crystal, protecting you from one action. Apprentice: Shield any target, protecting them from one action. Master: Shield any target or yourself, protecting from all actions. Expert: Shield another player and yourself, protecting from all actions. Zephyr and Crimson Novice: You will fail to safely prepare this into a Pot, inflicting Wound on yourself. Wounded require 1/2 of active players to vote for them to be healed or they will die at the end of the Cycle. Apprentice: If your target leaves their cabin, inflict a Wound. Master: If your target leaves their cabin, inflict a Fatal Wound. Fatally Wounded require 3/4 of active players to vote for them to be healed or they will die at the end of the Day. Expert: If your target leaves their cabin, kill them! Zephyr and Sunlight Novice: If your target leaves their cabin, discover their target. Apprentice: If your target leaves their cabin, discover their target and action. Master: If your target leaves their cabin, reveal their target and action in thread. Expert: If your target leaves their cabin, reveal their alignment in thread. Zephyr and Midnight Novice: Investigate target's stock. Cannot be Detected or Blocked. Apprentice: Steal one random Spore or Pot from target's stock. CbDoB. Master: Steal two random Spores or Pots from target's stock. CbDoB. Expert: Steal all Spores and Pots from target's stock. CbDoB. Experience and Promotions Every Cycle, players can earn +10 XP via active participation (+5 for 5 discussion posts, +5 for 5 roleplay posts, which can be 5 posts total or 10 separate). Studying doubles the amount of XP you would gain that cycle (10 to 20, 6 to 12, etc). Preparing Pots, Sprouting Pots, and Cultist Kills all earn +5 XP. This means the max any player can get is 20 with Studying or 15 with a night action. Upon gaining an amount of Experience within a Rank, players will be automatically promoted the next Day, which will be announced in the thread. Novices promote to Apprentice upon earning +50 XP. Masters will have the next Day to pick in their doc who will get a PM with them in the Night. Apprentices promote to Master upon earning +60 XP. A new Master Doc will be made in which the old Masters must decide on a single Apprentice to give each newcomer. Masters promote to Experts upon earning +70 XP. In order to become an Expert, Masters have to declare a specific Spore they wish to specialize in. From then on all activity XP will count for this, but only actions involving the relevant spore will earn XP. Optional Roles King’s Mask: Begins the game as an Expert for all spores. Can belong to either alignment. Spore Eater: Begin the game as a spore gestator. You do not need Spore Pots to use abilities of your relevant Spore, however, there is a cost. Can belong to either alignment. Order of Actions Study/Prepare/Trade > Zephyr > Verdant > Roseite > Crimson > Sunlight > Midnight Questions & Answers Q: What is the breakdown for Prepare/Sprout failure? A: Attempting to Prepare or Sprout an Apprentice ranked Pot has 25% of failure, Master 50%, and Expert 75% chance if you have not yet achieved the Rank yourself, regardless of how close you are. Player List Araris Valerian as Armiel Belandrius Ohhmar as thOmmAs The Unknown Hammerer as Illi TwinStorm as Rane CoderDrag0n8 as Sozar TheOneWorldhopper as Fuejrheisjjeirjeujdjeuuduwii RoyalBeeMage as William Thorne Hoid Slayer as Shifter, the Mage Slayer, the Forsaken Son IcedOutPenguin as Itenii A Joe in the Bush as Emmett Doc12 as Braid Stink as Roberto Pinch Hitters KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren Aeternum Spectators Seonid GAME TO BEGIN A WEEK FROM NOW ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1ST

Hey so I am about to post the sign ups for my back up game. TBH I am perfectly happy to keep these sign ups open until enough people can play and start it whenever, or the mods can just lock the thread until a game needs to be run again and no one else is able. I personally am still really excited to run this one but sometimes timing doesn't work out and that's okay too.