Dice Shadows of the Setting Sun (OOC)

[Rykon]

That gives me a free BP I can spend on something. I could try trimming down something for a familiar. Or put that dot towards command for even more troops, a size 4-5 battle group, or a size 3 with Elite Drill.

If we can find a reptile that tolerates the cold, I say let's build you a god-blooded/sorcery enhanced dino-steed.

Alternatively, there's Simhata's, Horses, Dino-Chickens (Terror Bird / Austrech), Giant Owls and Eagles (Strix/Great Eagle), Ice Weasels, Snow Lions (though they might be a little oversized)...

As for those that actually got speed ratings, top tier is a Horse or Simhata at +4.

Then I looked at the Lunar book...

We have stats for a Moose and it's pretty good.

Natural Soak of 13, Hardness of 7, Speed +4
Attack is 10 dice at 17L
Evasion is 1, but Parry is 4

Keen Nose Merit for double 9s on scent perception.
Swift-Hooved for double 9s on disengage, adding it to rush requires training to unlock the latent ability.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Lots of great discussion. A few things here:

I am pretty much ready for play. Except for a few changes to my CS to switch to the war supe. Also a few narrative things from you. Like if you had a name or anything regarding the main Fortitude Gang Leader that was heading the war. If you had any details on the God of Fortitude.

Siddel “The Viper” - Current "top dog" amongst Fortitude's gang leaders. As wise as he is cruel. And his cruelty and creative gore is how he made it to the top.

Xadite - god under Fortitude that trained Afureru. Never fully in view. Always trailed and cloaked by shadows. It adopted Afureru for a time by blessing her with its power to train her. Afureru, what did you trade or promise in return for Xadite's training?

Originally Afereru was intended as having essence before exalting, like stronger martial artists and stuff in 2e. However 3e apparently did away with that, and humans now require to be granted essence committed to them by powerful beings. Should that be the case, would it be okay if the God enlightened her with his training.

And continuing that! Would it be okay if I though up a few ideas for others like her that had been trained by the God. Some other Fortitude champions.

This is so. Does each trainee promise or trade something for Xadite's training? Or is it the same for everyone?

Past editions have set a precedent for what could be called an "Adopted God-Blooded". Basically as a result of a God or Elemental's charms they have not been "enlightened" to higher essence as a mortal, they have been realigned as if they were a child of that spirit complete with divine essence of their patron's aspect.

Given that Exalted native charm sets retain blessing/elevation magic, I don't think carrying that concept forward for spirits would mess with Third Edition's changes in a harmful way. What are your thoughts WlfSamurai ?

Yes. This is essentially what has, and does, happen down there.

Question: How much influence does the Guild have and how well would they fare if they happened to be unseen benefactors for Aeliana that can cause unforeseen complications down the line? I know the Guild does business with the Fair Folk and that lot manages fairly well. If a court was sponsoring games, it could all wrap up nicely.

The answer is somewhat complicated and very much subject to how the ST, WlfSamurai , perceives the state of the Realm, the Guild, and the diplomatic relationship between the two. So I can't give a definitive answer, but I can try and explain some factors at play to think about.

I will say the Guild has enough pull that an open attempt to hunt a Solar would cause noteworthy tension between major world powers. Timing, bribes, and planning would need to take place. Matters get complicated if Aelianna travels frequently. Ambushes can be staged, but plausible deniability only goes so far in practice when big wallets collide.

Aelianna has been basically solo, but the Realm did recently get their teeth kicked in up North and are currently getting a really embarrassing wedgie in Jiara from a Solar circle running an active coup in a coastal Satrapy (think City-State colony) that's likely closer to home than Aelianna would be for them.

The rest is entirely a matter of how many resources the ST feels the Realm/Lookshy has outside the Isle with the civil war brewing and the coastal city of Thorns popping with an undead occupation army all of a sudden. Not to mention several Satrapies I haven't mentioned having their own problems occupying their time. Many of those problems are also Solars too. So who catches hands first?

The Guild has a ton of pull, more so now that the Empress has disappeared and the Houses are in posturing mode. And, really, because of that, the Realm is stretched thin enough that a single Celestial might pass unperturbed for a few years.

With that, I think it would work better if Aelianna were only exalted a few years and then went on the move. It shortens that risk time and makes more sense than her exalting while the Empress was on the throne—which is what I think you're already working on adjusting in this question in the first place. So, I'll shut up now.

Rykon
What would I need points in Ride for?

Cause I can most likely.make do with 3 dots in Ride and get purchase Command 3 instead of 2.


Though that might be a much to start with for Wlf.

Fine with me. Just tell me how you came into command of so many (potentially elite) troops and who they are. We need to talk that part out, is all.


Now, onto another piece here. When I said that you start out allies, I'm saying that you ARE ALLIES, not that we have to work out how before we start. It helps, but I was also thinking we could work that out through play and it could emerge naturally how you came to be together and became allies.

BUT! You guys have put a bunch of work it and almost worked it completely out, which is super awesome. So, everyone can have 10 XP (to spend AFTER character creation) for working out—for the most part—how you guys came together.

The plan to start, when we're ready, is for me to give you a lay of what's happening and for you guys to decide what you're doing about it and where you're going to do so. Then we'll open a scene for that.

So, that's the plan.

Questions?

Esbilon , Epiphany , Rykon , Sherwood , D. Rex , Random Word , Teh Frixz , jaydude

 

[Random Word]

Okay, I went from zero words of story to entirely too many words of story, but I don't want to edit it down today. This is a problem for tomorrow me.

 

[Teh Frixz]

The Guild has a ton of pull, more so now that the Empress has disappeared and the Houses are in posturing mode. And, really, because of that, the Realm is stretched thin enough that a single Celestial might pass unperturbed for a few years.

With that, I think it would work better if Aelianna were only exalted a few years and then went on the move. It shortens that risk time and makes more sense than her exalting while the Empress was on the throne—which is what I think you're already working on adjusting in this question in the first place. So, I'll shut up now.

That works perfectly. I’ve gone ahead and readjusted her age of exaltation and kind of reconfigured things so the Guild had a hand in both her development and her subsequent derangement!

I’ve got the character sheet done on the actual sheet, I’ll be sure to format and get the rest of her info/alterations up on the site as I can. BBCode tests me.

 

[jaydude]

Now, onto another piece here. When I said that you start out allies, I'm saying that you ARE ALLIES, not that we have to work out how before we start. It helps, but I was also thinking we could work that out through play and it could emerge naturally how you came to be together and became allies.

BUT! You guys have put a bunch of work it and almost worked it completely out, which is super awesome. So, everyone can have 10 XP (to spend AFTER character creation) for working out—for the most part—how you guys came together.

This certainly works for me. Also, I don't currently have a reason for why my character came to Whitewall beyond being sent there by the Spider King. So if you want to suggest anything on that front, I'm all ears.

 

[D. Rex]

If we can find a reptile that tolerates the cold, I say let's build you a god-blooded/sorcery enhanced dino-steed.

Alternatively, there's Simhata's, Horses, Dino-Chickens (Terror Bird / Austrech), Giant Owls and Eagles (Strix/Great Eagle), Ice Weasels, Snow Lions (though they might be a little oversized)...

As for those that actually got speed ratings, top tier is a Horse or Simhata at +4.

Then I looked at the Lunar book...

We have stats for a Moose and it's pretty good.

Natural Soak of 13, Hardness of 7, Speed +4
Attack is 10 dice at 17L
Evasion is 1, but Parry is 4

Keen Nose Merit for double 9s on scent perception.
Swift-Hooved for double 9s on disengage, adding it to rush requires training to unlock the latent ability.

There is the nanuqsaurus! The "polar bear lizard" that is basically a fuzzy half-sized T Rex.


Simhata are definitely among my favorite! Thought it a shame they hadn't any proper write up in 3e yet save for cut content. Which I think we found in the Forest of Mind rp.


Also! How is a Moose that badass to have a hardness of 7! That's more than a medium set of Artifact armor! And some crazy attack too. Them meeses mean business.



Hold up. Did you say ice weasel? And oversized? Your telling me its possible for me to ride a giant weasel?

 

[Esbilon]

There is the nanuqsaurus! The "polar bear lizard" that is basically a fuzzy half-sized T Rex.

That thing is amazing. Just look at it!

 

[D. Rex]

We have stats for a Moose and it's pretty good.

Natural Soak of 13, Hardness of 7, Speed +4
Attack is 10 dice at 17L
Evasion is 1, but Parry is 4

Keen Nose Merit for double 9s on scent perception.
Swift-Hooved for double 9s on disengage, adding it to rush requires training to unlock the latent ability.

Also. Pretty good? That moose is a monster. Because I'm looking at a tyrant lizard, and Moose stats are quite comparable to big boy T-rex.

Soak 15, hardness 5
Speed +2
Bite at 11 attack with 16L
Ev 4, Parry 6

 

[Rykon]

Hold up. Did you say ice weasel? And oversized? Your telling me its possible for me to ride a giant weasel?

Yep. They are most certainly a thing and native to the north.

Also. Pretty good? That moose is a monster. Because I'm looking at a tyrant lizard, and Moose stats are quite comparable to big boy T-rex.

Soak 15, hardness 5
Speed +2
Bite at 11 attack with 16L
Ev 4, Parry 6

Hey, I didn't expect Bullwinkle to be a raid boss either. I was pretty shocked they made it so incredibly dangerous.

 

[D. Rex]

Yep. They are most certainly a thing and native to the north.

Hey, I didn't expect Bullwinkle to be a raid boss either. I was pretty shocked they made it so incredibly dangerous.

Man, weasels are awesome. How big are they?



I think it might be a bit of a misbalance. But the Tyrant still has some mean merits, some crazy health levels, and its size. So odds are definitely in its favor.

But goodness, a tough choice it would be to be rammed by a Moose in exalted or bit by a t Rex.

That thing is amazing. Just look at it!
View attachment 866228

And going back to this amazing thing.

I wonder if such a thing might count as a Northern variant of a tyrant lizard.

 

[Rykon]

Man, weasels are awesome. How big are they?

From 2E


it's low to the ground, but it could make a great familiar even without being a mount. Though I think it's large enough.

Edit: Hmm, given the relative proportion to the person in the image it'd take one with a giant mutation I think.

 

[D. Rex]

Lots of great discussion. A few things here:

Siddel “The Viper” - Current "top dog" amongst Fortitude's gang leaders. As wise as he is cruel. And his cruelty and creative gore is how he made it to the top.

Xadite - god under Fortitude that trained Afureru. Never fully in view. Always trailed and cloaked by shadows. It adopted Afureru for a time by blessing her with its power to train her. Afureru, what did you trade or promise in return for Xadite's training?


This is so. Does each trainee promise or trade something for Xadite's training? Or is it the same for everyone?

Siddel the Viper. I think Afureru would have enjoyed working for him if he was as cruel as that.

Xadite! Well I don't know much about him. His motives or his wants.

However, my original idea is that she had been trained by him since she was a child. At which point. Anything he would want from her, he could take. Much more reasonable that she was molded by him to become a tool for whatever purposes he desired.

Of which ties into the others. Creating a band of champions in his name, to do his will. It could be to enforce his beliefs, to sew fear, or more ambitiously bring about enough death to start turning Fortitude into a shadowland.

That last bit actually being a fine parallel to the idea I proposed of her soul being a redeemed abyssal. Of which I left out of the background for the sake of plausible deniability should we wish not to pursue it.

10 xp! Awesome! We are starting out strong! Thank you boss! I will put it to good use.

From 2E
View attachment 866243

it's low to the ground, but it could make a great familiar even without being a mount. Though I think it's large enough.

Edit: Hmm, given the relative proportion to the person in the image it'd take one with a giant mutation I think.

I remember those things now! And yeah it seems the average would be a pony when she would need a war horse. Though it might be fun to have one later.

Or even have it as her anima banner. As I do love me some weasels. But save for the kamaitachi sickle weasel yokai, it doesn't quite share much symbolism with Afureru. A crocodile works for her, but I already used it before and they aren't exactly cold climate friendly.

 

[Sherwood]

10 xp. So many things to buy.

WlfSamurai Does this go towards our 50 xp needed for Essence 2?

 

[jaydude]

Welp, I've finally decided on my Charms. And with that, my character is complete.

 

[Epiphany]

This certainly works for me. Also, I don't currently have a reason for why my character came to Whitewall beyond being sent there by the Spider King. So if you want to suggest anything on that front, I'm all ears.

Ever since Exaltation, Mournful Chalice has had a growing obsession with the Deathlords (mostly because she's rather sweet by nature while Lunars are driven by rage, this is essentially her Exaltation finding an outlet and channeling that rage towards an end). She's been in the North for a few years, under the tutelage of another No-Moon, Keen Eyed Snowcat, and it's easy enough to imagine her visiting the Mountain of the Spider King to pass on warnings. Perhaps the Spider King saw fit to send one of his junior Exalts with her to Whitewall, to investigate Marama's Fell as not just the lair of undead horrors but a potential breechpoint for an invasion of the North by the armies of the Dead. While the Spider King seems to channel his rage towards the Realm, another Deathlord invading Whitewall and making it the next Thorns puts another danger much closer to his doorstep.

I skimmed the core book and see that the Deathlords are back to being near-mysteries to the living world, save for the singular exception of the Mask conquering Thorns five years ago. Unless our ST feels otherwise, I still imagine Sijan is uniquely poised as a city to be aware of the wider scope of the Deathlords, the kingdoms they rule and a bit of their planning and power. As a Funerist with Lore and Occult specialties in the Dead, Mournful Chalice is also uniquely positioned to raise the alarm among the Lunars she meets of an ancient danger most of them haven't heard of before.

Not that I expect us to actually do much with the Deathlords, mind you. This thread is full of projects and ambitions. If we're going to tackle the Shadowland first, Chalice is already getting some of her agenda worked towards so it's all good to move on to the next. I just thought it might be a convenient excuse for the Spider King to send one of his own south to a city he isn't otherwise particularly interested in.

 

[D. Rex]

WlfSamurai

Additionally!

While I could get another dot of command.

An option I am considering, as I am not sure of the rules of maintaining an army in exalted.

Would two dots of resources, dedicated to my army, be able to represent their ability to sustain themselves? Be it through skill of hunting for food and furs, looting the enemy, and selling more dangerous monster related parts(if it doesn't come inherent with the army).

And upon that, would it cover their weapons and armor?

 

[jaydude]

Ever since Exaltation, Mournful Chalice has had a growing obsession with the Deathlords (mostly because she's rather sweet by nature while Lunars are driven by rage, this is essentially her Exaltation finding an outlet and channeling that rage towards an end). She's been in the North for a few years, under the tutelage of another No-Moon, Keen Eyed Snowcat, and it's easy enough to imagine her visiting the Mountain of the Spider King to pass on warnings. Perhaps the Spider King saw fit to send one of his junior Exalts with her to Whitewall, to investigate Marama's Fell as not just the lair of undead horrors but a potential breechpoint for an invasion of the North by the armies of the Dead. While the Spider King seems to channel his rage towards the Realm, another Deathlord invading Whitewall and making it the next Thorns puts another danger much closer to his doorstep.

I skimmed the core book and see that the Deathlords are back to being near-mysteries to the living world, save for the singular exception of the Mask conquering Thorns five years ago. Unless our ST feels otherwise, I still imagine Sijan is uniquely poised as a city to be aware of the wider scope of the Deathlords, the kingdoms they rule and a bit of their planning and power. As a Funerist with Lore and Occult specialties in the Dead, Mournful Chalice is also uniquely positioned to raise the alarm among the Lunars she meets of an ancient danger most of them haven't heard of before.

Not that I expect us to actually do much with the Deathlords, mind you. This thread is full of projects and ambitions. If we're going to tackle the Shadowland first, Chalice is already getting some of her agenda worked towards so it's all good to move on to the next. I just thought it might be a convenient excuse for the Spider King to send one of his own south to a city he isn't otherwise particularly interested in.

Yeah, I'm definitely fine with the idea of Mournful Chalice making contact with the Spider King, and Makuro being sent with her to investigate Whitewall. My character's not going to want to ignore a potential threat within that area, after all.

Edit: Just changed my backstory to include what you've planned, Epiphany .

Edit 2: Thinking of trying to integrate this with Zoya's backstory, maybe by having Makuro and Chalice learn of her while they're in Whitewall, and trying to reach out to her. Does that sound workable, Epiphany and Esbilon ?

 

[D. Rex]

Alternatively. It might be more narratively interesting to try to get it through story via Whitewall and invest those points elsewhere.

 

[Esbilon]

Edit 2: Thinking of trying to integrate this with Zoya's backstory, maybe by having Makuro and Chalice learn of her while they're in Whitewall, and trying to reach out to her. Does that sound workable, Epiphany and Esbilon ?

Yeah, we've been discussing it off forum, but we're not quite settled on the details.

 

[jaydude]

Yeah, we've been discussing it off forum, but we're not quite settled on the details.

'kay. If you could let me know how that pans out, I'd appreciate it.

 

[Rykon]

Okay, I went from zero words of story to entirely too many words of story, but I don't want to edit it down today. This is a problem for tomorrow me.

I don't know if I'd say too many. It's helped me get an idea for how to convert the Lunar Fury version of Toun into one that's more connected to the north for this game. Writer's block has been the worst.

 

[Random Word]

At the age of twelve, Kamai was attacked and razed by an Icewalker Tribe, leaving Makuro and his parents among the handful of survivors.

Oh snap. Makuro and Sigrdrífa are not fated to be BFFs.

 

[WlfSamurai]

10 xp. So many things to buy.

WlfSamurai Does this go towards our 50 xp needed for Essence 2?

Yes since this 10 XP is after character creation.

Ever since Exaltation, Mournful Chalice has had a growing obsession with the Deathlords (mostly because she's rather sweet by nature while Lunars are driven by rage, this is essentially her Exaltation finding an outlet and channeling that rage towards an end). She's been in the North for a few years, under the tutelage of another No-Moon, Keen Eyed Snowcat, and it's easy enough to imagine her visiting the Mountain of the Spider King to pass on warnings. Perhaps the Spider King saw fit to send one of his junior Exalts with her to Whitewall, to investigate Marama's Fell as not just the lair of undead horrors but a potential breechpoint for an invasion of the North by the armies of the Dead. While the Spider King seems to channel his rage towards the Realm, another Deathlord invading Whitewall and making it the next Thorns puts another danger much closer to his doorstep.

I skimmed the core book and see that the Deathlords are back to being near-mysteries to the living world, save for the singular exception of the Mask conquering Thorns five years ago. Unless our ST feels otherwise, I still imagine Sijan is uniquely poised as a city to be aware of the wider scope of the Deathlords, the kingdoms they rule and a bit of their planning and power. As a Funerist with Lore and Occult specialties in the Dead, Mournful Chalice is also uniquely positioned to raise the alarm among the Lunars she meets of an ancient danger most of them haven't heard of before.

Not that I expect us to actually do much with the Deathlords, mind you. This thread is full of projects and ambitions. If we're going to tackle the Shadowland first, Chalice is already getting some of her agenda worked towards so it's all good to move on to the next. I just thought it might be a convenient excuse for the Spider King to send one of his own south to a city he isn't otherwise particularly interested in.

Right. It seems like everyone has been writing as if they know the Deathlords or about them. I haven’t correct them, but this edition assumes that they aren’t a known quantity or even known at all to the average person. Mask of Winters being out in the open has made more aware of him, but what is his nature? Are there even more than a few Deathlords? Are there more or fewer than the older editions? Do you know about them?

I think Mournful Chalice is the closest to knowing about them, but they’re a mystery even for her.

The Lunars who are in the Silver Pact might know a little something about them: namely they exist and there’s upwards of 2 of them.

WlfSamurai

Additionally!

While I could get another dot of command.

An option I am considering, as I am not sure of the rules of maintaining an army in exalted.

Would two dots of resources, dedicated to my army, be able to represent their ability to sustain themselves? Be it through skill of hunting for food and furs, looting the enemy, and selling more dangerous monster related parts(if it doesn't come inherent with the army).

And upon that, would it cover their weapons and armor?

I don’t think that would be enough. I think you’d need more than that to keep them fed and in order. They will stay loyal to you, but they won’t be in good fighting shape after a period of time without upkeep.

Not saying you need the Resources Merit to do that or that it would happen right away, but you’d need something in play at some point to keep them fed and equipped.

 

[D. Rex]

Yes since this 10 XP is after character creation.


Right. It seems like everyone has been writing as if they know the Deathlords or about them. I haven’t correct them, but this edition assumes that they aren’t a known quantity or even known at all to the average person. Mask of Winters being out in the open has made more aware of him, but what is his nature? Are there even more than a few Deathlords? Are there more or fewer than the older editions? Do you know about them?

I think Mournful Chalice is the closest to knowing about them, but they’re a mystery even for her.

The Lunars who are in the Silver Pact might know a little something about them: namely they exist and there’s upwards of 2 of them.


I don’t think that would be enough. I think you’d need more than that to keep them fed and in order. They will stay loyal to you, but they won’t be in good fighting shape after a period of time without upkeep.

Not saying you need the Resources Merit to do that or that it would happen right away, but you’d need something in play at some point to keep them fed and equipped.

Hmm. I can put them elsewhere. Like a polar bear tyrant lizard mount.

Would sending out hunting parties help? How many hungry soldier can a mammoth feed?

 

[Random Word]

I don't believe Sigrdrífa has the faintest idea what a Deathlord is, but I have been writing assuming the Lover is still fairly overt in her efforts to recruit the most savage of Northern peoples to her banner in 3e, and a lot of the Icewalkers know there's a powerful being - probably a ghost - called the Lover Clad in the Raiment of Tears that lives in some far away palace that is the subject of many frightening stories. The latter part isn't important - if Sigrdrífa doesn't know the Lover's name, and just knows the Handmaidens represent some powerful being that's willing to offer generous rewards for certain - often violent - tasks and specific kinds of ancestor worship, that doesn't change anything.

I know the Lover is going to be radically different in 3e, but I assume she's still situated in the same place, and still active in Creation. It's just a part of Creation that's so remote and hostile to civilized peoples that she's largely unknown. Presumably the Bishop is still kicking around up here leading his doomsday cult, too, but I have no idea.

Sigrdrífa doesn't even know Thorns exists, let alone that it's ruled by something called the Mask of Winters, double let alone that the Mask might be in any way related to the Lover.

Anyway, let me know what Sigrdrífa actually knows and I'll edit things accordingly.