Sir Jerric

Ah yes. That was the part I was trying to remember to include and could think of. Thank you for reminding me. The original message had "(13)Famed Gamin," as it's opening line. Why I sent the message: One, talking is important. Two, I'd never tried initiating a conversation in my previous games, so I wanted to try it this time. Three, you and I had some rather amiable conversations in MR 1, so I thought you'd be a good selection. Four, in MR 1, you turned out to be an Enemy Sharder, but I had caught on to that, so I hoped to get a read on you this time. Five, in MR 1, you killed me with your fancy awakened Shardblade, and I thought it would be fun to reference that. Six, I was sleepy enough at the time to think that presenting myself ambiguously would be amusing. As it turns out, I think the message did it's job quite well. I can't think of any good reasons why you would post it publicly like that if you were a eliminator, so I am rather more inclined to the idea that we are on the same side this game. Of course, if anyone else can think of a reason why Gamma might post that way as an eliminator, I'd love to know what I'm overlooking. =) Have to leave for a couple more hours. Ta ta for now. =)

Well, if I hadn't been so busy all day, I'd been planning on claiming my message to Gamma before he got to post my name. But I wanted to get the bugs worked out of the fancy step, and that worked me through the afternoon beyond Gamma's post. Oh well. Are you saying the GM forgot to include part of my message, after he had told us he would just copy-paste exactly what we sent? What fun. =) (Not angry at you, Renegade, but that double identifier was important. ) I can tell you the number, if you want the extra confirmation, but I'd have to change my base sequence number for future messages to you if I do. Going back to speaking of the fancy step, since people seem to like the idea: Here's how to take the whole system one (big) step farther. Since you already have my message to Gamma as a sample, I might as well use it. I'd grab the words Having and Radiants, convert those to 24 and 34, add to get 58, square to get 3364, add the digits to get 12, add 16 for a result of 38=( v ). So in a reply, Gamma would want to give himself the title of "Gamin the Verisimilar" or something. Except he probably won't, since anyone who wants to impersonate him under my system knows exactly how to do it from this example, so "anyone" will need a better method of bluffing me. =) Lastly, I'll address a couple of concerns. While it might have been nice for one message to have gone through, the second part of this system will let you know how that turned out, since it is dependent on having all the previous messages. Stolen messages are not included in the sum, and the system continues to do its job. Learning your contact's sequence number does require a minimum of one message in each direction, but if an early message is stolen, just change numbers. Unless the eliminators pile on stealing messages from a single person, you'll get one through eventually. And if they do pile on, they lose out on stealing more important messages. =)

I'm trying to work out a message identity security system. It's a little complicated. =) Here's the basic step, that might be helpful all around. The fancy piece builds on this to identify the stated author as being the recipient of prior messages, but I've got a few more glitches to work out of that one before I share it. I'm also accepting feedback on whether or not people want such a scheme shared, since the eliminators benefit along with the good guys, except in the part where anonymity is no longer as useful, and snitching messages is rather more detectable.

Buy. It will even be due to a harmonic vibration. At some point, a lifeless will be made using the deceased's original Breath, and the effect will be . . . interesting.

But there is no wind in this model, so the runner can't be thrown backwards. He'll be slowed down each time he lifts off, and that will eventually provide a terminal velocity. But each push off (step) will accelerate the feruchemist, so his actual velocity will yo-yo across the terminal velocity as he continues running. There is no hard cap on his speed, just a deceleration due to air resistance. Other feruchemical powers that will help: Pewter for improved acceleration rate (but also increased drag) Iron for increased resistance to drag and lift Zinc to prevent mishaps with the erratic footfall timing of the evolving loping-gait Gold to fix the mishaps and deal with the incredible stresses Cadmium to negate breathing issues Even with Steel alone, I think a trained runner could achieve 150 mph or better under semi-ideal conditions. And then one little slip, and the "rapid deceleration" would pulp the poor fellow.

You know, if there is one thing common among the games on here, it is that people regret the lack of early conversation. Happened in QF1, in MR1, happened to the bad guys in LG7. Are we seriously going to just RP the entire first day away? Everyone in this game has the ability to send one anonymous message per cycle. Whether or not you have a doc to converse in, or rather, particularly if you don't have a doc to converse in, how are you going to put those messages to good use? Do we create a flood of randomly-directed bait messages to distract and confuse anyone that tries to use a Reverse Lashing to gather info? Do we try to use them like the usual PMs, knowing that the recipient has little means to confirm the author, and that your intended recipient may never get it anyway? Do we try to use them to promote ourselves as potential squire candidates, even though no one really knows who sent the message? Do we send out messages that list off who we thought the most suspicious in each round (and why) instead of publicly posting those thoughts, to see who replicates those thoughts to the main thread? Do we slap down the person who was brave enough to try and start a useful conversation, for giving away potential strategies that could have been useful if no one else had been thinking about that possiblity? (That seems like a common result of posts like this.) =D

Kal: Instead of trying to picture a normal running stance, picture a person running up a 60 or 70 degree slope -- something like the angle of '/'. Then rotate that image until the ground slope is more normal. Yes, the runner now looks impossibly tilted, but remember that he is effectively jumping forward with each stride. Running like that, the knees would stay more severely bent, and the heel would never come close to touching down, but the decrease in frontal surface area (wind would encounter the forehead and top of the shoulders more than the chest) would create an effect more like that of a marathon biker. It would be quite possible to push off fast enough to be exceeding the 125 mph threshold that the stationary, wind-pushed person can manage. But, going back to the '/' slope runner, such a runner would almost inevitably be pushed out from the slope by the circular motion of their thighs. Luckily, gravity is going to play on the side of our flat-land feruchemist and bring him back down ahead of where he lost contact. As the feruchemist accelerates, his movement will skew toward a lope as both the launch speed of his legs and the lift of his relative wind speed fight back. I think the common steel feruchemist would be able to achieve something greater than 135 mph average velocity, but the nature of his movement is going to make the graph of his moment velocity-over-time turn into a yo-yo pattern along the upper end. As for where mixing in the other feruchemical powers can get you too, 500 mph is probably not unlikely. The only other interesting resource I can think of off hand was David Farland's The Runelords books, where some of the characters used mega-speed magics and were worried over pulverizing their leg bones if they attempted to turn with poor technique. I think some of those characters were framed as running near 200 mph, but I don't have the books in front of me to check. Edit: also consider the first paragraph of this Wikipedia page. A running feruchemist isn't going to be the high-end of the surface area efficiency, but 150 mph doesn't too implausible.

Sell. I doubt he'll get married. Although seeing Wax's grandchildren is a possibility. Someone will come by and correct my accidental downvote of Kobold King. =)

Metam nearly knocked me over as I entered the tavern. It took me a moment to locate Serji. He sat much closer to the bar than was his usual want, likely due to the eclectic collection of foreigners who'd been lounging about the place all day while some earned their keep. Serji had saved a seat at his table for me, and I plunked myself down with a sigh. "You missed all the excitement," he said to me, eyes glinting. "That Reginar up and accused us of harboring Skybreakers among us; those chaps that he wants to 'dispose of'." I started to object. I mean really, how could I possibly be suspected of being a Skybreaker? Utter nonsense. But Serji merely laughed my objection off. "Relax. He said he suspected the people in this room. You weren't even here at the time." Nice of him to say that, but people are people, and I knew that sooner or later, someone among those over-zealous axehounds would accuse me. I hoped that they'd at least do it to my face. Serji put a hand on my shoulder. "There's far finer fish to be had than this lot. We've had a long day. Lay off that hard face." I brushed his hand aside, but I sat back and heaved a long breath. Trust Serji to keep a level head even when being accused.

Air resistance is going to be one of your bigger factors, Kal Dell. A good place to start getting some rough ideas might be the early portions of this article, which considers issues of wind-speed lift and human-vs-wind air resistance.

A fight, my good sir? Who said anything about a fight? All I said was an "encounter". There is a certain piece of writing advice that I like to apply to RP stories: We're a group of good guys, heroes. We have several good melee and ranged fighters, plus a couple of magic-users (assuming XiaoLi hasn't dropped out on us). We have some rogue type support. We might be a bit short on healers, but all in all, I think we have the majority of the classic adventuring party available.So what makes a challenge for a party like this? Opposition from authorities that are technically on our side. I see you've elected for the intimidation approach, and it even worked. . . . for now . . . ("Never throw anything away." Another excellent piece of advice.) Anyway, I'm fine with glossing over the rest of the road to Kyshin, if you don't have anything else in mind for the road. In fact, I'm entirely fine with time-jumping farther, if you have some plans for another interesting scene. I would appreciate if you wanted to share such plans first, in case that launches an interesting idea for something that would best happen before. But I'm willing to roll with whatever you throw at me, and I'll try to be more prompt than ten days this time. =)

That would be a reference to the Character Dossier method. Effectively, you build a worksheet of questions to ask yourself about each character in order to flesh them out.

I have no objections. Well, maybe there is the issue of me putting off my writing project in favor of "practicing" by roleplaying, but that's another story altogether.

Vhalin started as the drumming hooves switched to a jarring trot. The bright desert landscape made his eyes water despite his hood and veil. His horse, herd animal as it was, slowed its pace to match the rest of the group. He noticed Marie looking at him, and he turned to her in response. "Dozing on a cantering horse?" she said, giving him a quizzical sort of glare. "I thought you said you've never ridden before." "Am not familiar with riding horse, but is not bad without boots." Vhalin gestured at the saddle where his bare feet rested on the smooth leather. Sitting on his pack behind the saddle left his knees rather high, but the reins were long enough to accommodate his position. Marie looked more confused. "Not wearing boots makes you sleepy?" "No. Makes easier to sit. Cannot use boot rings like tall folk." Vhalin stood up on the saddle and looked around. "They're called stirrups." "Yes. Those." They were slowing as they approached another oasis along the highway. Like at the previous, many tents encircled the water. There, it had been well after midnight, and the camp had been still save for a few wary guards making rounds. Here, the warming light threw long shadows across canvas and sand alike. People milled about as they watered animals and gathered up gear. Several clusters looked to be gossiping, eyeing the east road and the riders silhouetted against the rising sun. "Another water break?" Marie glanced ahead. "Probably. At least." Vhalin looked at her again, and then at the rest of the party. Dusty and fatigued seemed to be the rule among them. He doubted he looked much better. The animals didn't look so bad, but the people had been moving for a full day longer. They dismounted in an empty gap between some of the tents. Saluard talked Zakk and the others into calling camp. Vhalin volunteered for first watch, and Bent offered to join him. Vhalin prowled around the perimeter of their section, listening more than watching. The openness of the surface made everything faint and distant. His ears still served him well, and he drove off two sneaks before they learned to take "the small one" seriously. The conversations in the neighboring camps were not difficult to pick out. People felt little need to lower their voices by day on the surface. He overheard enough to identify at least three people as having ridden out of Silari before them. News of the raid had stirred up the travelers, and more than a few sounded like their arrangements would be changing. Some thought to turn back west, fearing harm. Others wished to turn back east, fearing for their homes. Some wished to continue east in the hopes of a rare market opportunity. The largest portion had yet to make up their minds. Vhalin grinned at those latter ones. He'd dealt with their type far too often these past several years, and he was glad to have a break. ----- Noon came and went, and the party roused themselves to begin the next stage of their journey. Several more groups of Silarni refugees had arrived from the east during the day, bearing rumors of orc raiders razing the entire city, of half the population being chained and dragged onto ships, even a claim that ettins had taken over the palace and hung the king from the highest flagpole by his ankles. As the population of the oasis chewed on these lurid morsels and debated still more on which way to travel, a small company of calvary rode in from the western, Kyshin road. Glistening breastplates and mostly clean surcoats, lances high and pennants snapping in a breeze that still carried the tang of the ocean; all signs pointed to a unit that spent far more time on display than in action. The soldiers rode up to the oasis camps and one bellowed, "Greater Silari Province Highway Patrol. Certification check. Please regroup so we can keep this orderly." All around the oasis, merchants and caravan masters were producing sheaves of paperwork. Vhalin even spotted some in the hands of minstrels and shepherds. Saluard and Zakk looked at each other as the soldiers began to fan out through the tents. Zakk spoke first. "What's this about?" "I've not had reason to travel lately," Saluard said, his tone rich with irony. Vhalin thought he must have picked it up from Korb. "Why don't you know?" Zakk glanced around at the rest of the party. "Most of us sailed in. This is a desert after all." Everyone turned as loud voices came from some of the more recent arrivals. "The city was attacked! Buildings were burning! Of course we didn't apply for transit certifications!" The sergeant confronting them made a few notes on his waxboard. "And did you have a watering hole access permit?" "Didn't you hear me? The city was on fire. Burning!" "Very well," said the sergeant. He turned slightly. "Shackles!" Marie glared at Korb and Saluard, and at Zakk for good measure. "Not one of you gentlemen thought about going by the gates to pick up a certification?" Matt grumbled. "Should have stayed clear of the highway altogether." Zakk turned on him. "We're trying to get to Kyshin quickly. Couldn't have made any good time riding through wilderness." "Not to mention the need for water," Saluard added. "We didn't have equipment for an extended desert run." Matt snorted. "Guess papers weren't the only thing that got overlooked in this trip." He looked back at the soldiers approaching the neighboring camp. "What now?" ----- Adventuring party has encountered obstructive bureaucrat patrol! What will you do? I hope that I didn't fall too short of any lofty expectations there, BreathTaker. Also, advance apologies all around if I misrepresented anyone's characters, but this wasn't the sort of scene that would work with only Vhalin talking. Feel free to offer improvements or to just press on and attempt to solve the problem, as you prefer. This might be one of those cases where it would be fun to let another player determine the outcome of your choice instead of self-fiat, but what ever best serves your sense of fun. Out of curiousity, who here has GM'd a roleplaying game before? Or played in a GM'd game? Just as a gauge of experience with the medium.

Welcome, welcome! We now have fourteen players, and we certainly wouldn't mind several more. The player list in post #3 of this thread is once again up to date. I've taken the liberty of attaching a few colorful descriptors to some of the characters, the latest example being "Famed Gamin the temporally confused street urchin" since he's referencing places that don't exist in the Silver Kingdoms Epoch. Here are a few of the "exotic" names used, and the local equivalents that the map provides.

It is only dead if you fail to make a post. You can role play here just as well as anyone can. What do you want to do? Speaking of posting, I am in the process of drafting an encounter for after our first or second encampment out of the city. If anyone would like to do a little "my poor razed home" scene from a rise on the highway out of the city, the chronology would be best served if that were posted in the next 24 hours, or before my post is done if the draft takes longer than I expect. *Nudges Swim expectantly.* Some setting notes: I don't know how effective the raiders were exactly, but I'd estimate around 25% of the city could have been razed if the raiders weren't being picky. Higher or lower are completely possible, but keep in mind that Silari is not a small city. Most of the locals would retreat to the homes of neighbors and such, but travelers, merchants, and other detached folk are going to be sharing our road as they remove themselves from the war zone. Winds are going to be coming out from the desert by night, so the scent of smoke would be an unlikely element. A passing object blowing toward the city could be an evocative piece, if one wanted to play with that.

One more question: Tied lynch votes are no death, or is there a random death? Thanks for the clarifications. Looks like I got the Actions by Role accurate, if I read that right. Communication in this game is going to be interesting. Temporary docs and prioritized, interceptable, single messages will be a puzzle to work with. =)

Rules questions: Is Messaging restricted to one sent message per player per cycle? Or can a player send more than one in a cycle? Are the Windrunners in the Squire Doc? If both Windrunners recruit the same player, one recruit action is wasted? Actions by Role: Darkeyes: Lynch vote (public in thread) Send one message (targeted via PM to GM) Darkeyes Squire: Lynch vote (public in thread) Send one message (targeted via PM to GM) Use their assigned Lashing (targeted via PM to GM) * Lashing is not available on the day after previous use * Windrunner: Lynch vote (public in thread) Send one message (targeted via PM to GM) Recruit one Squire (targeted via PM to GM) Use one of the Three Lashings (targeted via PM to GM) * May not use same Lashing as last cycle * Truthwatcher: Lynch vote (public in thread) Send one message (targeted via PM to GM) Use Illumination (targeted via PM to GM) Skybreaker: Lynch vote (public in thread) Send one message (targeted via PM to GM) Use Division or Reverse Lashing (targeted via PM to GM) * May not use Reverse Lashing if used last cycle * Henchman: Lynch vote (public in thread) Send one message (targeted via PM to GM) Henchman Squire: Lynch vote (public in thread) Send one message (targeted via PM to GM) Use their assigned Lashing (targeted via PM to GM) * Lashing is not available on the day after previous use *

Player List: (Sir Jerric) Serji the net mender (Lightsworn Panda) Jain the Shin traveler (Kal Dell) Kaladen the namesake (Ashiok) Aladdin the urchin (twelfthrootoftwo) Twlv the terrible Thalath merchant (Wyrmhero) Wurum the smuggler (Quitecontrary) Madame Quismet the tavern keeper (Tulir) Rulit the ex-soldier (Mailliw73) Mallaw the old fisherman (The Only Joe) Jeno, of the Purelake (AonarFaileas) Faisan the bronze-smith (Gamma Fiend) Famed Gamin the anachronistic street urchin (Metacognition) Metam the doomsayer (Binnut) Tunnib the mercenary (a smart guy) Gart the ardent (Theorymaker) Tahrin Resten the dawdler (Alvron) Naihar the traveling informant (luckat) Lyce the Worldsinger Retreated Players List: (Kasimir) Simir the nightsoil porter Serji stared out at the waves, hands moving steadily across the nets on his lap. I didn't know where Serji had come from, nor how long he planned to stay in Telmont. The fellow didn't yammer on like some folks did, and he didn't ply me with questions like those grab-and-gone peddlers did. Serji had stepped up to my fishing boat one grey morning and wordlessly joined in untangling the pile of nets that the axehound pups had scrambled overnight. He had a way with knots; the nets had spread free in moments instead of minutes. As he helped heave the folded pile back into the boat, I had asked if he was minded to join me on the rising tide. I'd been struggling to keep my business running single-handed, and Serji turned out to be a blessed windfall. Take right now for instance. Even while staring out over the sea, Serji's hands slid over the nets, checking for fraying cords and mending holes. I'd have spent an hour after landing and unloading to do as much as he did on the return to the beach, and he didn't seem to pay attention. He knew nets better then my grandfather, yet the fellow couldn't be more than a year or two my senior. I skimmed the boat onto the sand, and Serji splashed over the side, prow line wrapped over his arm for purchase as he dragged the boat up the beach on the next wave. I cast a bemused glance at the neatly folded nets beside the vacated seat as I vaulted the other side to help. Serji would like to play. His nameless fisherman buddy is here as an external POV, and should not be accounted as a player character. Reading along with Long Game Seven, I thought it would be fun to write all the RP from the POV of a steward or a bodyguard. But since this isn't a noble court, I'm going to try a modified approach. This way, the POV doesn't have the option of giving away Serji's role. Edit: Question. Is Telmont on the Nightstream Sea, the Sea of Spears, Mevan Bay, Hoel Bay, or the Bay of Elibath? (Linked to WoK map of Alethkar) Mostly curious how close to Thalath (the Frostlands) we are. =)

Welcome back! Sorry you got eliminated and all, but I'm glad to have your character still in play. I am hoping to find an opportunity for Vhalin to ask some questions about specialists in magic crystals, and since Xiaoli is most magically adept character in play, she'd be his first choice for inquiry. He won't be asking until the group has had some time to settle into the traveling routine. I'm offering you a little advance notice, and I'm fine with Xiaoli suggesting a former associate, a living legend, or even herself as a reference. Or, if you want to work out a way in which Vhalin's query can be taken wrong in light of her own quest for a special magic crystal, that could make for a fun conflict. If you don't mind bouncing a few ideas back and forth in set-up, I'd love to know what you think and how I could help with your own story goals in exchange. Going back to the elimination business, I notice that Shivertongue has also become a casualty in that game. Perhaps he'll rejoin us as well? I am quite interested in hearing more about Aesalyn and Zeith too. *Nudge* @Anyone: I'm still looking for suggestions on what we are traveling toward. Running from the invading army doesn't require a two-week journey to the far side of the Inner Sea. Why are we heading there rather than handling a more local scenario? I expect BreathTaker to RP the answer, but he isn't the only player in this game. What story do you want to explore?

Vhalin hopped up onto one of the table's benches and looked around the pavilion at the eclectic group Korb had assembled. Saluard, Matt, and Bent seemed like sturdy enough fellows. Marie and Korb tended toward the unpredictable. He found Zakk harder to place. A solid arm in a scrap, ready with a laugh, forward with his agenda but somewhat closemouthed on his reasons. "Agree with Zakk on leaving Silari," Vhalin said in Common. "But what cause for journey so far north? You spoke of necromancer before. Are not orcs sign of action by darkness here?" If the tangled dialogue is a bit hard, I'm pushing for the characters to have a reason for their selection in destination, rather than just a direction. Sailing the ocean is fine by me, but what is north to be worth spending half a month to travel there instead of interacting with the local issues? Some potential ideas: The raiding ships are from the northern shores, so we are attempting to track down the source. The necromancer's plagues started in the north, so we are seeking the bad guy's history or trying to undermine his base of support. The necromancer's conquests have been driving toward the north, so we seek to get ahead of the battle line. I did not hear any feedback on my previous suggestion of a three-way bad guy conflict. Should I take that as no one having any objections? Inactive characters: Xiaoli (Quitecontrary) Karya (Quiver) Aesalyn and Zeith (Shivertongue) Tool (Dreamingofcheese) Just a short post to let us know you're still participating would be great. Bringing your character back in after we leave town will be much more complicated, but I'm always willing to help with planning re-entrances (or entrances). New players or changed characters are always welcome, and I'll help with those as well, if anyone desires.

You are quite right. That does sound like an interesting story. And you're also correct that it doesn't quite fit this system. What are the consequences if spirits can murder other spirits? Does the method of murder have the potential for only causing injury? Can a spirit recover from such injuries? Trying to find a good psychologist for your hallucination is a story that could be told with this system.

Thanks for the reply. I'm going to tangent for a moment before I respond directly. Since this topic was all about the process, Swim's post full of additional questions makes a good example of why I harped on attending to your plot and character ideas while building the magic system. Many of the ideas behind Swim's questions are plot options that did not come up as I designed the system. And because they weren't addressed, some of those ideas are simply not going to work with the system I designed. Does this mean that my system is flawed? No. The system I have is capable of presenting solutions and challenges for the types of stories I want to tell in this milieu. Perhaps someone reading this disagrees, and thinks that these questions should have been address, or should be addressed. They can be. I could throw those ideas into the mix, and refine them, analyzing the conflicts and the consequences, and hash out a new draft of the magic system to support those ideas. But in many ways, that would no longer be the same system. I won't speak of better or worse. Some of Brandon's novels are better or worse than others, and many on this forum will disagree on which ranks where. As an author, you are completely within your rights to take or leave any ideas that are offered to you. You can say no. Often, I would hazard that it is better to say no, given the advice I hear on handling writing groups. But in this case, I built this whole thing as an exercise, and posted the entirety where anyone can see it. Perhaps I don't want to incorporate anyone's ideas. What is stopping you from doing so? =) @Swimmingly: Writerly ramble aside, I'll offer a direct response. But first, I'm going to guess that the only Spoiler tag you read was Step 6, correct? Now: your questions, head on, answered by the rules as is. Clothing, accessories, items in your pockets, items in your hands; all of it vanishes with you as you are bonded. Which is to say that you would still have a spiritual representation of all of those items. They might not function quite the same. A sword isn't going to cut anything, since you can't move anything physical, and Bonded spirits can't be harmed. What happened to your body and the items? If there is anything in this system that could be considered a fuel, that is the closest to meeting the definition. All gone, used up, consumed. Won't reappear, ever. Tangent: Could the spirit lose the spirit items they were carrying? The items would be part of your image. They would be bound to remain within the same region as you are. And they probably would be with you when you transition to the attending state. They would go back to the native state of their own accord if you left them lying about unwatched, mostly because it sounds funny for an attending spirit to lose their glasses that way. Congratulations. That's one point you've sold me on addressing directly in the manual. So, you could eliminate your MacGuffin from the physical world using Alan and Becky as stated. Having a bomb as part of your spirit image would be a little odd. I suppose that might be a case where the perception of the bond holder comes into play; you aren't expected to have the bomb after it explodes, and time is an established modifier of a spirit's image. So if a person holding a bomb was bound just before it went off, the explosion would do no damage. And Alan is trapped as a bonded spirit for the rest of Becky's life, which might be considered collateral damage in some circles. Next question: No, bonded spirits have no ability to possess anyone in this system. I skipped that idea in part because of one of my other systems has ghosts and possessions and magic contracts, and I didn't have any inclination to use those elements in this one. However, if I were wanting to add more complexity to this system, more rituals that modified the relationship with a bonded spirit is the best opening for expansion without damaging the flavor of the system. If you (or anyone) wants to brainstorm some other ideas for contracted effects, feel free. You might even talk me into using them. =) Next question: Physical tokens are deliberately not in use. That was one of the things I considered early in Spoiler Five, though looking back I see that I wasn't entirely clear on that point. It is mostly in the idea of not wanting to disable the use of the magic from lack of available materials. Sure, in your point, one could grab some pebble for a token. But the other reason I don't have that element is in Spoilers One and Two, and the word Permanent. I like exploring permanent consequences, and attaching the bond to a token has a large measure of impermanence to it. Next: Mental failures due to physical debilitation or decay are offset by a bonded spirit's immunity to health problems. His mind would clear immediately. His appearance and age would be unchanged until his bond was transferred to a person who had not known him personally. Then the relatively older business would kick in. The physical enhancement is based on a healthy person of that age, since the bonded spirit does not suffer health issues. In this case, there would still be a benefit all around, but unbalanced exercise would modify the gains. Bonding a runner would provide a different benefit than bonding a rower. Mental abilities are the bonded spirit's, not the bond holder's. The spirit is the only one who has them, and will still have the ability to exercise them in whatever method they chose. Congratulations again. I ought to address this more clearly as well. More questions: Can a spirit be destroyed in any way while bound? Nope. Totally immortal. Is there anything a spirit can do to change the output of its power - can it purposefully sap its strength to deprive its master of that same strength? Considered something of this in Spoiler Five, and while it might be amusing, the bonded spirit is in service to the bond holder and allowing pettiness didn't appeal to me. Is the area which the spirit cannot leave arbitrary, or does that vary depending on the magical strength of the holder? The bond holder has no magical strength. The bonds they hold enhance their physical capability. More details on why I set the range as I did are in Spoiler Five (as usual). How long can a spirit last before the weight of their memories makes them go mad? Memory-induced madness is not a thing I believe exists. Other mental issues may use memories to manifest, but the memories themselves? Most bonded spirits are going to be like everyone else, remembering notable things, occasionally remembering things that relate to current events, and having trouble recalling specifics of anything on demand. Are there any creatures that inhabit the spirit side - perhaps the binding of animals to become spirits is a lost art (based around separate principles, perhaps overcoming with strength rather than extracting debt for services rendered)? Nope. Binding is based on guilt and debt, which doesn't apply to animals in the way it does to humans. Are there any coexistent magical arts in the world? Nope. Covered that in Spoiler Six, Overview, sentence one. =) Is there any way, any material or ritual, that can exclude a spirit's natural form from a place? Only way to interact with a spirit in native state is to be another spirit and wrestle with them. Or to frog-march their bond holder far enough from the area to prevent them. So, yes: move their bond holder. There you are. All answered. Two points to Swimmingly. And if you don't like my answers: change them, redraft the system, and come back and share. And if you want to write a story with your version or mine, at least consider putting me in the acknowledgements? =)

Written in reply to Zakk's earlier conversation. So that brawler mage had more dwarf to him than just his braided beard and drinking habits. Vhalin's surface Common was still shaky. Having the option of using Dwarvish could be useful in a pinch. "The the tussle was made more complex than necessary, thanks to an unfortunate selection of garments." Vhalin flipped the still unhemmed edge of his shortened cloak. "That has been rectified. You did well on those crossbows." Vhalin has an oddly soft accent when speaking Dwarvish, and the base tonality of his native tongue still is highly noticeable. But he doesn't have the issues of grammar. He learned Common from the dwarves just before coming to the surface. As for story suggestions, I am fine with any initial direction. I haven't solidified any plans for Vhalin yet, so he'll go along with the ride for the present. It occurs to me that the "big bad leads an army against the world" is a commonly used story. What do you think of three big bads fighting to find and obtain a McGuffin? Well of Ascension used a three way conflict to give the heroes more options. I'll also suggest that only two of the big bads have massive armies. The third can be a crafty sneak. And because discovery writing is the nature of the game, I don't want to know who the third is yet. It can be fun to get "tricked" by the sudden betrayal of an ally. At this point, I'd be fine with blaming the Silari raid on the big necromancer and "discovering" later that the second big bad is at fault. Lastly, I want to warn everyone that I am going to be very busy for the next nine or ten days. I may sneak in a few posts from my phone, but don't expect much. Feel free to spot Vhalin in background conversations with Saluard, but try not to engage him in too much direct dialogue since I won't be able to reply promptly. Edit: Five days and no replies? My story ideas aren't that intimidating, are they? Feel free to tell me to lighten up and just let events roll where they will. Won't bother me none.

You asked. I promised. Here is the delivery, in a separate thread to avoid derailing your topic. The manual is in the Step 6 spoiler box.