Sir Jerric

I'm guessing that if the Viewer survives tonight, we would like to learn more about Trimat's role. If he's faking being a Viewer, it would be nice to get a clear idea of his actual role. With that and the role that was scanned last night, we should be able to lynch accurately enough to have good odds of winning this. 11 players remaining 1 darkfriend down (Good case) - 8 vs 3 - Night 5: - 6 vs 3 - Day 6, if the Forsaken is lynched - 6 vs 2 - Night 6: - 5 vs 2 - Day 7, if a darkfriend is lynched - 5 vs 1 - Night 7: - 4 vs 1 - Day 8, if a darkfriend is lynched - 4 vs 0 - Game over, village win (Rough case) - 8 vs 3 - Night 5: - 6 vs 3 - Day 6, if a darkfriend is lynched - 6 vs 2 - Night 6: - 4 vs 2 - Day 7, if a darkfriend is lynched - 4 vs 1 - Night 7: - 2 vs 1 - Day 8, if the Forsaken is lynched - 2 vs 0 - Game over, village win (Bad case) - 7 vs 4 - Night 5: - 5 vs 4 - Day 6, if a darkfriend is lynched - 5 vs 3 - Night 6: - 3 vs 3 - Day 7, if the Forsaken is lynched - 3 vs 2 - Night 7: - 2 vs 2 - Day 8, if a darkfriend is lynched - 2 vs 1 - Night 8: - 1 vs 1 - Day 9: If the last darkfriend is Aiel-blooded Game over, village loses (Worst case) - 7 vs 4 - Night 5: - 5 vs 4 - Day 6, if an Aiel-blooded is lynched - 5 vs 4 - Night 6: - 3 vs 4 - Game over, village loses 54413072387032129540221714 13128225501314173982136082 46907313381041141756478312 25207214388380832953734745 10628312108382172182134027 25207339544013118247257313

I think you character will be just fine. If you want to pretend that the executions were done at sunset, then your character could have just arrived behind Korb and Vhalin. It would be a slight modification of Contrary and Breath's posts, but I don't see any dependency issues. Or you could play off your closing statement in your first post, and have her being seriously introspective. That only needs a little interest in the strange people's conversation to tie Karya into the current situation. Or we can ignore the paladin and you can introduce another character. That would be cool too. If you want to try that, you could try to round out the party. We have a ranger, an armored monk, a brawler mage, a sorceress, an alchemist/rogue, and a crazy noble. I suppose a healer type role would be the main hole in our array. But don't let me stop you from creating the character you want to play. You're here to have fun, after all. To Swim: Sounds like an interesting fellow. If he's serious about trying to keep you safe, he's going to be long past exasperated with your regular runs around the city. Perhaps he has been trying to train a couple fellows to run with you, the they aren't skilled enough or motivated enough to be of use? Any feedback on my rules?

I didn't actually do NaNoWriMo last year, since I didn't start a new story, but I did write 50,000 words in the thirty days of November. I just wrote anything that came to mind, and made liberal use of the Enter key when anything didn't follow with what I had already written. When I stopped myself from rewriting anything, I started typing better than 1300 words per hour, which made short work of the 1667 daily target. When the forward momentum ran short, I would jump into the head of the character who needed to speak or act next, and wrote their thoughts on everything that had a bearing on their decision until I knew how they would act or speak. Then I would write that action or dialogue from the scene appropriate viewpoint and repeat until enough had happened to achieve the goals of the scene. Worked great. Not only did I get scenes written, but I created lots of background information about every character involved and they felt so much more complex and interesting for it. Post-November editing was a simple matter of stripping out everything that wasn't the actions or dialogue I wanted, and then correcting all the context discrepancies created by intervening pages of navel-gazing. And adding scenery and blocking. And showing body language instead of telling emotions. And sometimes restarting the entire scene to add a new character, or to remove one. . . Okay. Editing it wasn't simple. Welcome to the aftermath of NaNoWriMo. =)

@Matrim: I was wondering what you were trying to get at with those posts. Welcome to the game. I would appreciate at least a little third-person blocking attached to your posts, rather than continuing the context-free dialogue. I was about ready to have Vhalin get all confused by the disembodied voice and interrogate himself about dozing off on the job. =) @All: With one of the central figures of our current dialogue out for a couple of days, I wonder if we might do a little story groundwork and perhaps set a few rules to keep everyone moving in the same direction. Total freeform is doable, but many people find things a little more comfortable when they know what is expected of them. As far as rules, the only things I have in mind are (I hope) common sense and in line with what people have been generally practicing. General: Each player has final say over the actions and dialogue of their character(s). Be respectful of other players decisions on their character's actions. They are not yours to change. Any player may introduce any elements to the world that they wish. Any player may offer alternative ideas about the world to foster a collaborative story. Try to avoid modifying the world after players have already been acting on said elements. When a player introduces an NPC, try not to mess up their story plans for it. Combat:Minor enemies can be introduced at will. Minor enemies can be eliminated in any sensible manner a player chooses to use. Significant foes should be introduced with enough fanfare as to make their status obvious. Or just say "This thing is a boss thing" in blue text in your post to be clear. =) Significant foes are not defeated easily. At least the first two attempts should fail for good reasons. All successful attempts must be different than the attempts before it. Describing your attempt and leaving the result open for suggestions is always available. All of the above are open for debate. Please confirm the ones you like, argue the ones you don't, or tell me to go away and stop imposing silly rules on your fun. =) Story ideas: I've had a little campaign idea for a few years that might be fun to use. It has a little twist, so I don't want to spoil the surprise. If you'd like to try it, we would need to travel to somewhere with a woodland environment and a small logging town under attack by dark forces, all enclosed in a dead-end mountain valley. The dark forces can be attached to the Necromancer business or just a side quest. A few hours out of the way while we are "just traveling through" is sufficient lead-in. In the short term, once Vhalin gets to Korb's estate / city manor / whatever-you-call-it, he is going to want to head immediately to the person in charge of Korb's security. Hopefully such a person exists and is several degrees more sensible than Korb is. =) And at said estate, Vhalin may finally be willing to remove his cloak and veil. He is probably sweltering under that lot in a desert seaport.

I agree, I would like to hear more from the people being challenged. But tomorrow being the holiday it is around here, I will be out for family time in the morning and will only maybe get the chance to read more than this. But I think that Leas and Nath have made about the best decision possible given the facts and reasoning presented here. Bunnt will need to be voted out this time, unless he has some really solid evidence of his innocence. 251332735083541445407338701783 141217731222124580561483397382 903245255011132720451714566041 822517124530227329251214252912 174032837073371220171229835313 305460143983534612507312401273 131282179045544540252737201113 389037127330171253528312132041 954740492553251330542540133982 389047952045451282221245704712 178272138373124041271730735483 702772255017831447122583071176 821225103773321320723830722532 131037273017763912471260377338 404147835617121425604925256237 608338391283107337125049833813 90224722738212

That sounds a great deal like what goes on over in the Role-playing Forum, except with a plot idea and a pre-framed cast. Might be better to try it there. =) From my own experience, I read a ton of fantasy, and always teased that I would eventually write novels of my own someday. But despite my breadth of experience in the genre, I would never make more than two pages before I would be at a complete loss for ideas. I decided that what I was missing was a plot. I had world building down pat. I could design characters that I thought interesting. But all I ever seemed to have for plotting was everyday life, or big events that had no structure. I didn't know how to lead up, or build up. I finally fixed this by metaphorically bashing my face against the grindstone. A raw, brute force approach to sculpting a plot. Writing Excuses had suggested borrowing from fairy tales, so I read about half of the Grimm's fairy tales, trying to find a plot framework that appealed to me. And once I had that, I had to fit it into the world and the characters. Or I had to fit characters and world building into the plot. Or maybe fit the plot onto the seven-point structure. Or the Hollywood Formula. Or the Hero's Journey. The whole process was a huge trial-and-error mess. I must have put in fifty hours of mental labor trying to design a plot for that novella. And when I finally got one working well enough to start, I had to patch it after a single scene. And after the next one. And the next. The novel still isn't finished a year later. The plot is still rickety. But over the past year, I've already pieced together ideas for four more plots, and it seems to get easier every time I try. In summary, I'm saying about the same as several people before me. Write. Even if it hurts. Even when its awful. Until you work through it, your problem will still be there. So pick a tool or two, and chip that writer's block away, word by word. If the progress isn't going well, change tools and compare. Find the ones that fit you. And write. And by the way, Quiver, I thought your Paladin of the Sea bit had some excellent world building and character. Come back and share some more. =)

Well, that's four defenses and zero counter-arguments. Anyone else want to have a go? 54307376321250252720211217472949398360174512822514 11101382112573837032833037127315108325131445401745 11121482172511102513147390824620731338401747122117 13507213471773701776121229821425117073543940544110 72387045252713601211136037127350174721121713807214 73137082419013141239701282762950562982298350733982

I also questioned the verification of Aonar when I was invited to join the counsel, and I was provided sufficient evidence to convince me that he was not a Darkfriend. Being a conscientious player, I will not publicize his role. He may choose that for himself. My evidence of my trustworthiness is primarily based on my counsel position, as the others spent a great deal of time on trying to establish who was safe. I am basically as trustworthy as the other three members are. If you wish to throw us all out, you may, but all of us being Darkfriends would be a very unlikely scenario. 152762107225141370211325531314822247 532519203754734630835373294745607217 475667402182471712457910831387821550 837612122567302239473914792083122512 137615702525821267207312157321257980 131773138215104176821267405283121347 825325790025121312258212256730147321 472183171347127990251282132515204713 726740411229126041121712103727305312 835088174712838014131037387380831714 131350274120832122141283308241801562 271072251413603747308739828013827311 258310532167 Edit: forgot the word "other" =)

Erik helped Leas carry Ralv's corpse over to the long burial trench, and set the body down respectfully on the edge of the piled earth that covered Grimlar al'Pil and the others who had died before. Bunnt and Newan stepped up beside them to lower Lam's body next to Ralv. With all the deaths, they had decided against individual graves. The occupants of the filled end of the trench were marked with upright boards, the only material readily available. Erik stretched his old back a little before settling down with a board and a small chisel. Leas sat beside him, taking up another board. "I'll take care of Lam. Bunnt. Newan. Start shoveling." Do line breaks really matter? =) 411747131540252582 125054467053128345 203722827212305450 214717218347122022 732514112582112022 394739472560291213 121317108380372730 411347171540838287

I thought the buffoon impression of Korb fitting after giving you two chances to answer Vhalin's questions, even if that might have been a simple oversight on your part. Vhalin is trying to do the job he agreed to do, and that requires information. =) I've been describing my character in MAG terms. Which really means a list of five core traits along with a Tragedy. I'm not going to share Vhalin's tragedy yet, but I have no reason not to share his traits: * Drive: Finding magic experts * Profession: Underworld ranger * Specialty: Enclosed spaces * Feature: Quick reflexes * Personality: Stiff The personality trait is meant to describe how Vhalin comes across to other people. He knows that he doesn't fit in, and he gets stiff and formal to avoid creating unnecessary trouble for himself. He is observant, as befits a ranger, and he has over twenty years of experience dealing with foreign merchants as he guided caravans through the underworld between the dwarves, drow elves, and his homeland. What he has not had time to get used to is being the foreigner. He is out of his element here, but he is not going to make foolish assumptions. The other element where his personality comes to play is in Vhalin's adherence to a rigid code of morality. One element of which is a rejection of all fermented drinks. In Swim's latest post, Korb trying to order a drink he would be willing to consume could be a whole scene unto itself, if the local culture does not provide support for such a practice. But given the nature of the tavern, I have difficulty convincing myself that Vhalin would even bother ordering anything. Disreputable customers, filthy floors, needing to focus on guard duty, not wanting to remove his veil in such an environment, weighed against maybe a few hours since last getting refreshments. But even if he did order something, he's been in town for a couple of days, and he'll have some local change available. He has more than enough experience to know that flashing gold in this type of environment is asking for trouble. In fact, he's going to be rather on edge with Korb offering to throw money around in this audience. =)

The standings: 15 players remain 9 villagers have been eliminated 1 Padan Fain has been removed 0 players are corrupted 5 players are on the darkfriend team, assuming the standard 20% team evil ratio 1 of the five darkfriends is the Forsaken There are reasons that a lower ratio could have been used, but assuming the worst is better for strategy. With the loss of the Wolfsister and two fireballs used, our only means of dealing with the darkfriends is lynching. Unless there is a third Channeller, which I doubt. With the Forsaken still in play, the darkfriends can kill two villagers per night. - 10 vs 5 - If we lynch a villager today: - 9 vs 5 - Night four: - 7 vs 5 - Day five, if another villager is lynched: - 6 vs 5 - Night five: - 4 vs 5 - Game over, villagers lose - 10 vs 5 - If we lynch a darkfriend today: - 10 vs 4 - Night four: - 8 vs 4 - Day five, if another darkfriend is lynched: - 8 vs 3 - Night five: - 6 vs 3 - Day six, if another darkfriend is lynched: - 6 vs 2 - Night six: - 4 vs 2 - Day seven, if either the darkfriend or the Forsaken is lynched: - 4 vs 1 - Night seven: - 3 vs 1 - Day eight: Could end in a villager win here, might not. - 2 vs 1 - Night eight: - 1 vs 1 - Day nine: practically no chance that there is a villager mayor, so lynching is out. - 10 vs 5 - If we lynch the Forsaken today: - 10 vs 4 - Night four: - 9 vs 4 - Day five, if a darkfriend is lynched: - 9 vs 3 - Night five: - 8 vs 3 - Day six, if another darkfriend is lynched: - 8 vs 2 - Night six: - 7 vs 2 - Day seven, if another darkfriend is lynched: - 7 vs 1 - Night seven: - 6 vs 1 - Day eight: Could end in a villager win here, might not. - 5 vs 1 - Night eight: - 4 vs 1 - Day nine: Things continue until that last darkfriend is gone. Or the villagers wipe each other out. - 10 vs 5 - If we lynch a villager today: - 9 vs 5 - Night four: - 7 vs 5 - Day five, if a darkfriend is lynched: - 7 vs 4 - Night five: - 5 vs 4 - Day six, if another darkfriend is lynched: - 5 vs 3 - Night six: - 3 vs 3 - Day seven: lynch the Forsaken or the villagers lose. At any time, an Aiel-blooded could be hit on either side (I don't know how many or which teams), stopping one lost player on that side. Very bad for the villagers if a Darkfriend Aiel-blodded is lynched before the Forsaken. Based on the above, tonight is not a clincher, but the odds will be horrible if the Forsaken does not get lynched now. Many people agreed with Wilson's logic regarding the Forsaken fearing a viewing on the first night. Bela had been slightly suspicious. But the player who had most cause for fear was the one who got called out by the player who proceeded to message every player in the game, and was the most likely to be able to find and direct a viewer's knowledge. We desperately need to remove the forsaken. I've spent three days and three nights trying to identify suspicious targets and testing the waters. I don't have time for tossing dice. I vote for Grimlar al'Pil. Please, if you have any better information, or any information at all, SPEAK! Silence, and the lack of cooperation it causes, will doom the villagers.

I rather like Korb, as I've said, but I don't like this Vhalin guy that Swim has been writing about. Seems a bit of a dullard, or perhaps just childish. Not to blame Swim, you understand. I've been writing a deep third limited viewpoint, which does a marvelous job of hiding details that other authors would need to do a good job writing my character. Adding to that is my use of the mysterious stranger introduction that still hasn't directly told anyone even the name of Vhalin's species, anyone can justly accuse me of bringing this problem on myself. So I've taken the liberty of once more rewriting the course of events according to Vhalin's experience, trying to preserve as much of Korb's character as possible in the process. Thanks for the practical editing practice, Swim! "Am in no swift hurry. May ask from what cause you run?" The noble did not appear to have noticed the question. "You're new here, I assume?" Or perhaps the man wanted to learn more before he spoke. Vhalin grimaced behind his veil as he looked down the street in the direction of the noble's approach."Yes, Lordship. Not yet two sleeps since coming." Nothing appeared to have followed, yet. "Nothing to be ashamed of, my man. Everyone arrives at some point. My name is Korb - just Korb, please, as I'd rather not be mistaken for somebody important - and I'd like to purchase your services as a bodyguard for tonight, and possibly longer." So the noble was running from some kind of trouble, was he? A bad bet? Still, in a city this segregated, Vhalin did not think it likely he would find many offers for employment. And there was no telling how long his quest would take. Might as well get some income while he had the chance. "Am called Vhalin. A ranger in your words. Willing to assist your lordship; though, am not knowing what you consider threatening?" "Excellent, goodman Vhalin!" The nobleman beamed, and again neglected to approach Vhalin's question. This Korb fellow clearly did not want to disclose his secrets; a serious flaw in a man hiring a bodyguard. The noble slipped something from his sleeve and flicked the small projectile at Vhalin. Vhalin leaned to the side and snatched the object from the air. Turning his fist around, he saw a good sized coin caught between his fingers. Gold even, if he was not mistaken. He looked over at Korb, and the man backed away with a hand raised, palm outward. "I'm sorry for that, friend. Just testing your reflexes. Something of an interview, if you will - and you passed, believe me." That was an oddity of veils. Seemed the man thought he'd been glaring at him or something similarly threatening. "This seems a large payment for short service. Curious what you seek to involve me in?" Vhalin emphasized his question by tossing the coin back. Korb missed the coin in the darkness. The little disk bounced off Korb's left shoulder and fell to the cobbles. Korb swore loudly, "Rotted land!" Vhalin grimaced again. Unfamiliar the phrase might be, but the disrespectful tone of cursing still grated on his ear. He shifted his balance, waiting for a response. Korb caught at least part of the hint in Vhalin's posture. "Ah, . . . well. The job won't be anything particularly dangerous. I'm simply a wealthy man with some money to throw around. Let's go inside, shall we?" He patted Vhalin's back with a little more force than necessary, then bent, picked up the coin, and pressed it into Vhalin's hand before turning and striding over to the inn. Vhalin looked the coin over one more time. The man's secrecy was going to be trouble. The temptation to bow out of the job almost made him toss the coin aside and walk away. But he had agreed to at least one night. He slipped the coin into his belt as he trotted up, entering almost on Korb's heels. He stepped sideways to get a good look around. The interior looked worse than he'd anticipated. Old stains marred the floor, a mottled mixture of wine, ale, and blood. The assortment of patrons looked hardly better. Some looked like mere thugs and longshoremen. But several others stood out. The brawler mage from the street fight conversed with a huge suit of plate armor. A woman in intricately embroidered red sat watching a lighter-armored figure from across the room. And Korb had his gaze locked on a black coated man drinking at a table opposite the entrance. "Zakk, is that thing friend or dead?" The question resonated from the huge armored figure. Korb appeared too take the question as referring to himself, though he keep his tone casual. "Friend, I hope, possibly even future associate. I do hope you refrain from killing me, please. Please." Vhalin sized up the talking plate armor. It stood about three times Vhalin's height, and it's armor looked to be made of obsidian and steel. If it were purely natural materials, his blades would penetrate that well enough, though he'd stand good odds of breaking them. But that glowing rune on it's head screamed mystic properties. His hand ran across his belt, ready to pull a glass-rune if the situation turned nasty. "Who are you?" the brawler mage asked, flatly. Vhalin spotted the brawler's leather vest and plated gauntlets, and as his cloak settled, a large sword as well. Odd that he hadn't pulled that on the lizardman earlier. "Just a man with too much money and too much time," Korb sighed. "I'm looking to purchase the services of a soldier or three? You do have that mercenary look about you, friend." Vhalin rolled his eyes behind his veil. What game was Korb playing at? And no, I've still not told you people much. I'm trying to find a good excuse to take Vhalin's hood and veil off, but in a city this species-ist and with no one of his own kind to back him up, he's rather reluctant.

So the noble was running from some kind of trouble, was he? A bad bet? Still, in a city this segregated, Vhalin did not think it likely he would find many offers for employment. And there was no telling how long his quest would take. Might as well get some income while he had the chance. "Am called Vhalin. A ranger in your words. Willing to assist your lordship, though am not knowing what you consider threatening?"

In my post? Swim had Zakk out in the street fighting the sslyssin who had kicked him, so I showed Zakk's exit from the tavern. Vhalin has yet to set eyes on Dreaming's character, as it/him remains inside the building with Shiv, Quiver, and QC's characters. I don't want to try involving it/him until he comes back to describe it/him. And a name would be really handy too. That first-person perspective was interesting, but just a little short on useful hooks. Exit: Forgot to mention Quiver. Sorry.

I also enjoy the excellent third-limited narration that Korb is providing. I'll throw in a request for Vhalin's voice to become practically growl-free once Korb has had some time to settle down. His accent is gruff, but slightly tonal. Excusing the fact that Vhalin doesn't sing much, he'd be most comfortable in the tenor range. The magic-wielding man in the leather vest had barreled back out as the lizardman reached the tavern's threshold. Again they tumbled into the street, the brawny man's frost magic clearly giving him an edge as the two brawled. Running footfalls gave Vhalin a few moments warning. His spin saved him from a direct hit, though the club glanced across his mailed chest. Then his assailant plowed full on into him. Vhalin used his rotation to absorb the momentum, while a swiftly closed fist relieved the tumbling attacker of his weapon. Vhalin staggered to a halt facing the lamp post. The weapon he now held was . . . a gilded cane? He turned to see a fine-dressed man rolling over on the cobblestone street, now much disheveled by the fall. "What was . . . are you . . . ?" Vhalin didn't know what to make of this. The man quickly regained his feet, then cast about looking for something. Vhalin relaxed as the man finally recognized that his cane was in Vhalin's hand. Clearly this had not been an attack. Vhalin let to cane fall and roll toward the strange nobleman. "Good evening, friend," the man said, voice and hands shaking from his tumble. He bent to collect the cane. "How do you feel about making a few coins tonight?" Vhalin blinked. Not the sort of question he had expected. He wasn't certain that he had expected a question, even. "Am in no swift hurry. May ask from what cause you run?" In case anyone hasn't caught on, the sloppy grammar in Vhalin's dialogue is deliberate. He started learning Common about eight months ago, and assuming it is anything close to English, his capacity might be considered impressive. If he gets to hang around you people enough, I plan to migrate his syntax to express your influence. =)

Not bad, Swimmingly. I enjoyed the world building in particular. And thanks for choosing to encounter Vhalin. But you did skip a few details in describing him. First, you missed the size differential. Vhalin is not easily described as a hulking figure unless you are a housecat. In a collision, Korb is likely at least half again Vhalin's weight and his center of gravity would be over Vhalin's head height. Far from bouncing off, Korb would plow through him and face plant in the street beyond. You should consider slowing down first. =) Also, you overlooked the pattern of attitude in my post. Vhalin would not growl at Korb. He is a tiny person in a foreign land and tends to assume that he has made yet another cultural misstep. His response would be "Apologize, lordship." once he saw Korb's clothing. He might even give you a hand up if you did choose the face plant approach. See where that scene adjustment takes us, and I'll be back to post Vhalin's response in a few hours.

Scene blocking update: Xiaoli, Karya, Aesalyn, Zeith, and Dreaming's character are all in the tavern common room. With a dead sslyssin. Zakk tackled a sslyssin through the common room window, wrestled in the street, and was kicked up through one of the tavern's second story windows (american labeling). Vhalin is standing at a street corner, watching the brawl. Korb was walking along a street away from the docks. Vhalin doesn't look too intimidating at first glance, if Korb wants to approach him.

BreathTaker: My read was that a lizardman in the common room tried to pull an explosive potion vial from its belt to throw at Dreaming's character. But his character used some fast reflexes to redirect the explosive into the lizardman's mouth and slew it. He then pulled the lizardman's purse from its belt and tossed it to the bartender. Easiest solution is that this is not the lizardman that Zakk tackled out in the street. Two locations, two lizardmen. I don't believe Zeith had only one pursuer. If he was meant to have but one pursuer, too late. Someone else fixed that for you. =)

The sunlight pressed down on the city streets, throwing sharp-edged shadows against the cobblestones. Vhalin felt the sun watching him; a hot glare that he could point to without having to remove his hood. Yet all around him moved humans and elves, dwarves and lizardfolk, all seemingly uncaring of the incredible presence in the blue dome above. He walked steadily with the crowds, glancing over the wares on display in the windows of Silari's Crafter's Row. The name seemed rather inappropriate. Rather than a single row, the craft shops covered five blocks, and were thoroughly mixed with inns, taverns, and warehouses. If there ever had been a plan for the city, it most surely had been burned. And that by the hand of a frustrated noble, whose exasperation with these people was completely justified, if the modern populous was anything to judge by. A display of fine leather work caught his eye and he turned. Immediately, he was struck across the head by a passing basket. Vhalin caught himself on the lip of the window, narrowly avoiding a second collision with the end of a swinging axe handle. He stood cautiously, the window ledge pressed against the small of his back. His ear smarted despite his unseasonable cloak, but he kept his hand at his side. A stern voice brought his attention around to the leather crafter's door. The crafter was a stocky human with a bristled ring of whiskers surrounding his down-turned mouth. He stood with his arms folded, glaring down at Vhalin and clearly waiting for a response. Vhalin hesitated, and the man spoke again. This time, watching the crafter's face let him pick out the still unfamiliar words of Surface Common. "If ya have no business for me, halfling, get outta my window." Vhalin turned to face the man and bowed his head formally. "Apologize, master crafter. Only sought a moment to catch my breath." The crafter's brow furrowed. Whether at the odd accent or the odd proportions of Vhalin's hooded head was unclear, but his snarled words displayed no uncertainty. "Don't need loiterers getting in the way of my customers. Away with ya." Vhalin attempted to walk away, but managed a single step before yet another passer-by knocked him aside. The crafter's harsh laugh almost drowned the words of the passer-by. "This isn't your part of town, little man." A casual shove, and Vhalin almost toppled into the brick wall of the next shop along. He reached out, but his gloved hands slid on the bricks. He hit the cobblestone walk on his side, his mail absorbing the brunt of the impact, his cloak fanning out across the ground. He scrabbled to get his boots under him, and his trampled cloak caught at his neck when he tried to stand. He growled his frustration, yanking his cloak back around him at the next break in traffic. A few moments later he had melded into the flow of the crowd, but he continued to growl at himself. A moment of attempted indulgence, and he had nearly been trampled. Foolishness. He had a mission to do, even if he had only the faintest idea of where to start. The crowd thinned as Vhalin left Crafter's Row. He stopped beside a lamp post at the corner, looking around. He needed to find some leads; someone who knew enough of surface magics to give him some direction. Across the street, a bearded man crashed into a lizardman, causing a wagon to pull up short, the horses bucking in the traces. Vhalin thought the horses' shying rather excessive until the lizardman kicked his assailant into the air. The blue glow on the man's hands was just noticeable as he crashed through an upper floor window. Vhalin winced. A few notes in case someone wants to describe Vhalin: He is swathed in a thick, sleeveless cloak of a simple soft grey tone. The first notable feature is that his hood, instead of resting like the one in my profile image, appears to be supported in the back by a pair of ridges. When one comes close enough to see into the shadow of his hood, one can observe a veil is shielding his face from view, but there are signs of a short snout rather than a human face. Under the cloak Vhalin is wearing a long-sleeved knee-length tunic of dark grey, with matching leggings. Sleeves and leggings are tucked into gloves and soft boots respectively. Yes, this garb is literally to the point of no skin showing. Atop this layer is a suit of scale mail with a dull, mottled blue-grey coloring. A plated belt holds twin swords at his waist along with a bundled leather cord and a belt knife. Two other knife hilts show at his boots. And this entire package stands at three feet tall. About. Vhalin is in fact measured at 34 inches, but who's counting? =)

Fun concepts there. The second one, I've read a short story on Tor.com that used a sci-fi construct with that kind of power. It was a creepy story, though. I'm sure there would be a way to make a pleasant story with that idea. I'm too patient to want to bother with that application myself. But depending on the implementation, there may be some other useful things to do. Also, that sounds a lot like something from the third book of a certain boy wizard story. Now that's is a different way to limit weather control. Interesting. Thanks for the ideas. I suppose I could put volume measurements on the mystic knowledge list alongside weights and locations. I probably could do temperature and velocity as well, come to think of it. Should I call them Metermagi? =)

I vote for the "discuss here in blue" mode, as that allows for new players to jump in without missing important details. If they take the time to read, at least. Would anyone mind me using a custom non-human race? I designed it for a 1st Ed AD&D world some eight years back, but never used the setting. Most Voted Backstory: (Total Votes: 1) 3) My race is a rumored group that very few surface-dwellers have encountered. There are some narrow bands of cultures that have economic relationships with my race, but none are at all local to this area. My aim is to allow for the rest of you to be excusably ignorant of the details of a race that I haven't told you about, and to allow me to treat your errant guesses as by-products of rumor-mongering. Name: Vhalin Drive: Finding magic experts Age: 43 Profession: Underworld ranger Height: 2' 10" Specialty: Enclosed spaces Weight: 64 lbs. (83 lbs. with gear) Feature: Quick reflexes Race: Lebaiym Personality: Stiff Equipment: Two glass swords Two glass daggers (balanced for throwing) Sling and pouch of shot Undisclosed number of glass-runes (for slinging or throwing) Night-camouflaged Ceramic Scale mail Appearance: When Vhalin wishes to avoid speciesist antagonism, he wears a thick, sleeveless cloak of a simple, soft grey tone. The first notable feature is that his hood, instead of resting like the one in my profile image, appears to be supported in the back by a pair of ridges. When one comes close enough to see into the shadow of his hood, one can observe a veil is shielding his face from view, but there are signs of a short snout rather than a human face.This cloak was full length, but was cut short in an early combat encounter. It now hangs only to his elbows, slightly above his waist. Under the cloak Vhalin is wearing a long-sleeved knee-length tunic of dark grey, with matching leggings. Sleeves and leggings are tucked into gloves and soft boots respectively. Yes, this garb is literally to the point of no skin showing. Atop this layer is a suit of scale mail with a dull, mottled blue-grey coloring. A plated belt holds twin swords at his waist along with a bundled leather cord and a belt knife. Two other knife hilts show at his boots. His gait is slightly unusual. He is always balanced on the balls of his feet--standing, crouching, walking, or running--necessitating the soft-style boots. This stance leaves his knees slightly more flexed when he is at rest. His fingers are slightly shorter than the normal proportions as well. Story: Vhalin joined the army at age 17, and served for 9 years, primarily as a long-range scout. Following that, he began guarding merchant caravans, and quickly moved up to guiding them. He is an elite among those who travel the underworld, now having over twenty years of experience guiding caravans through the underworld between the dwarves, drow elves, and his homeland. But for all of that, he is also dedicated to his religious principles. He has a rigid code of morality, one element of which is a rejection of all fermented drinks. He is confident, and considerate of others. He has a great deal of common sense and practical experience. He is observant as befits a ranger. He knows that offending people and picking fights is an impractical method of getting his way, beyond the chance of injury that comes with such behavior. He prefers not to waste energy on arguments and confrontations. He will step aside, or bow out, to avoid wasting time on people who aren't going to listen. In a foreign society, he is not certain what behaviors are going to be taken the wrong way, so he tries to be careful about his words and gestures. People who observe this see him as excessively stiff and formal. He is not intimidated by threats, or boldness, or much of anything. He is respectful of authority, and he is respectful of knowledge. He is willing to assume that unless he is the expert on the subject at hand, other people may know more and are therefore worthy of respect. People who act the fool, on the other hand . . . Dialogue: The sloppy grammar in Vhalin's dialogue is deliberate. He started learning Common about eight months ago, and assuming it is anything close to English, his capacity might be considered impressive. If he gets to hang around the other characters enough, I plan to migrate his syntax to express their influence.

So now the score is one enemy down, and five villagers lost. We have nineteen players still in the game and best guess is four or five more enemies. I would like to remind people that Wilson's plan is still operational. That Fain had been among us was not too surprising, and even with his removal, identities will still be concealed to minimize the impact of a darkfriend incursion. The planning team is Witless, Leas, Khamsi, Weas, and myself. If you have a role, please get in contact with one of us. If you are a regular villager who wants to participate, you are also welcome to contact one of us with your role as well. The more people participating, the merrier.

Just pulling a few standouts that caught my attention this time, as my window is brief. So hard to not talk about them all! Do you get to play a Mega-Groundhog's Day with your entire life? Or is this a hive mind where the magic-user flits between lives like TV channels? Getting mad? Take a moment and count to one hundred. Now that, that one could be an awesome book all by itself. You should write that one. =) Literally putting emotions into cooking. That deserves some consideration. There is something deep there, for sure. I just can't quite put a finger on why that sounds so neat. I've been designing an enchanted item based on the Legend of Zelda's power gloves. Rules like when both gloves are in contact with the item, its effective mass drops to 10% of normal. So it is like connecting a circuit, but if you take one hand off, well . . . I hope you're fast on your feet. I used that power on a world I designed almost 15 years ago. Still considering using that world for a story at some point. Might not hurt to try stuffing the base concept into a different system, though. After all, half of Sanderson's systems have physique boosts, so why not mute sound in two different rule sets? Probably would fit best in the Anime-hair system; although, I had been trying to make magic seem really dangerous in that world. . . Thanks again to everyone submitting powers and wishes. This is getting to be a nice little idea quarry.

Erik leaned back from the paperwork and massaged his temples. If only there was another way to identify these darkfriends. But no, he had to sift through all of the reports, looking for hints of inconsistencies and misdirection. And he was finding them. There were signs almost everywhere. Why did he have to travel through Cairhien? It was almost like the Pattern had it out for him. Despite the timing of these posts, I have been pouring through the evidence for over an hour now, and had already settled my firmest suspicions on Jain, with Trimat being a close second. I am not going to ask for your reasoning, as you've posted that three times now. You are welcome to make a more thorough explanation of your choices, though. And might I add, by my count there are still four players who stated an intent to vote later. I am curious to find out how many follow through. Edit: Fixed a typo. Edit2: That is an absurdly bold phrasing there. Perhaps role-playing a Borderlander patrol sergeant is bleeding over into my OOC discussions. =( But my point was that I feel my vote is sufficiently grounded in the fact that he has posted odd explanations multiple times already. I had no intention of telling anyone that they shouldn't counter-argue me. If anything, I really need the feedback.

As with Argent, you raise some interesting worldbuilding questions that would be very interesting to explore in full. And as I said to Argent, I hope you will make a thread in which such a discussion can be fully explored, and will let me know if you do. But I'm really hoping to keep this thread focused on magic powers, and the tasks that people might want magic to accomplish. See this? This part is much more in line with the topic. Particularly that first sentence. Tasks that cannot be achieved with Real science. That is one of the things we want magic for. That is what breathes life and creativity into fantasy and space operas. Exploring the impact of being able to do things that we cannot quite do, or definitely cannot do. But there are people who have at some point or another wished they could bypass those boundaries. I want posts about those wishes. And you offer two of them here. Instant transportation via portal, and inifinite energy. Tasks that magic might do for us. Thanks for the breakdown of tasks. Nice to have someone else's take on applications to achieve the ends. If anyone is curious, my "psychological paradox" came from the conflict between that last sentence and the natural understanding of "Taking the easy way causes more problems than it fixes." That would be the normal storyline attached to shortcutting one's problems, but since the magic is supposed to be actually fixing the problems, then it shouldn't have that consequence. But breaking that means breaking natural behaviors, which leads to a false feeling story. But if the magic is built into the plot properly, then it shouldn't fix everything, but if it doesn't, then it didn't do what it was meant to have done . . . And now my head is spinning again. =)