Dice Trial by Fire - Exalted 2e OOC

[Sherwood]

Sherwood
I'd like to have Annika's thieves discretely search for information about the spies they've found. Would that be another three Intelligence + Investigation rolls?

Yes, please.

 

[MasterDAF]

Hey y'all, after the post I just uploaded, I just want to give assurances that I'm not about to go all Dark Knight on this or something. Based on Viktor's intimacies and past with Dynasts, and the explanations being given, I couldn't let him sit idly and just go along with the situation. Perhaps while Hax was shackled, but certainly not after he was freed of his chains and told he was essentially free. Viktor wouldn't react this extremely to hardly any other group in Creation, but Dynasts deserve nothing (in his eyes) but incarceration and death (not to be confused with all other Terrestrials in Creation, who can be convinced to fall in line).

I definitely won't take it to some annoying "vs everyone else" kind of situation, and will probably instead grudgingly accept some kind of order from Aredin about leaving the Dynast alone and leave the meeting angrily.

Just wanted to give that heads up, before anyone reads it and is like "is he off his rocker!?!"

 

[Rykon]

I don't want to clutter IC, but responding with "Did you really just spit on my floor?" was really tempting.

 

[Sherwood]

It is a good interplay for the game. I am enjoying this story quite well.

 

[Rykon]

Still eager to see how Ragara Hax responds to the explanation given those rolls. I don't have any compulsion effects, just an excellency and the presence success doubler.

 

[jaydude]

Yes, please.

Done.

 

[jaydude]

So as my last post may have indicated, I have somewhat revised my viewpoint on the matter of Darian's mental abilities.

I don't think that in-character I have much right to protest the use of mind-altering charms on ethical grounds, seeing as I plan to have my character and her subordinates blackmail, manipulate, torture and assassinate people for the sake of our empire. And at the end of the day, this whole game is really just improvised storytelling being done purely for fun, and not something worth stressing over at all.

With that in mind, my main concern is that, besides IC worry that Darian might use her charms on more willing potential allies, we would be handing our enemies useful propaganda ammo if they found out about them.

 

[Rykon]

I reckon it might be different if the charmsets had any real alternative to being more persuasive without the mind whammy, but it doesn't. It's just a flaw of the edition.

Like the jedi mind tricks, it's just a quirk of the setting in my opinion.

 

[jaydude]

Looking at Darian's charms, I'm a bit worried that the effects on Hax might not be permanent. For example, it says that he can shake off the effects of Memory-Reweaving Discipline for one scene by spending one willpower, and that the effects last until he breaks his commitment to the false belief. Any idea how he could do the latter?

Also, it sounds to me like she removed all his memories of participating in the Wyld Hunt. It's a bit late now, but I think I would have kept those ones in unless they showed the "Anathema" in a negative light, so that he could feel remorse for them and be persuaded to atone for them, and removed the ones related to what he was taught to believe by the Immaculate Order and the Realm, so he has less reason to distrust "Anathema".

Edit: Unless it was a purely therapeutic thing, to help him not have to deal with traumatic memories.

 

[Rykon]

I can't speak for Darian's intent, but that makes sense to me. Let's us calm them down enough temporarily to listen rather than ignore every argument. It can be used to stack the odds in our favor in the short term sure, but long term the decision remains one of their chosing, one they are free to turn against.

IC rant post incoming. Work's a bit busy today.

 

[jaydude]

Rant post? I feel worried.

 

[MasterDAF]

Rant post? I feel worried.

Rant post? I feel excited!!

 

[Rykon]

I was reminded of the scene from Marco Polo, where he tells a white lie to the Khan. So the Khan has to kill the servant witness to avoid punishing Marco or facing public opinion that it's ok to lie to the Khan.

Obviously this game wouldn't proceed with such extreme focus on appearances, but Aredin nonetheless takes pride in the dignity of their rule.

 

[MasterDAF]

I respect Aredin's actions of anger on behalf of Darian being disrespected (as he sees it), and am really glad to see the way you've taken the ring's supernatural reinforcement of your intimacy and run with it. Makes me all the happier that I was able to forge those for y'all, really cool to see the rings having a small effect on the RP.

I'll admit though, I'm surprised Aredin pulled Lookshy into the discussion. I was all set for Viktor to unhappily tuck-tail and leave, considering Darian's words and if the ends justified the means for memory-adjusting (assuming certain conditions were put in place, such as it would only be used on Dynasts, as he doesn't care about their well-being). With Lookshy now being threatened with such memory-adjustments however (at least as Viktor sees it), he's in pure nightmare territory and can't just walk away. His brothers-in-arms from Lookshy are counting on him. Gonna have to think a few minutes to find a way to respond that doesn't lead to drawing lines further.

Ba-da-ba-ba-ba, I'm lovin' it! xD

 

[Rykon]

A little early in play to unveil the Lookshy plan, but that's an entirely different route than the prisoners are being taken down.

 

[Rykon]

I'll have to reply when I get home I think. Viktor seems to have missed the point of Aredins argument.

It boiled down to condemning them for this is bad cause it would also condemn Lookshy, which is also bad.

Explaining that IC sufficiently will require more care than I can conjure on a phone.

 

[Sherwood]

I am absolutely loving this game so far. Thanks to all my players for helping to provide such a colorful canvas on which we paint a masterpiece.

 

[MasterDAF]

I'll have to reply when I get home I think. Viktor seems to have missed the point of Aredins argument.

Sort-of. I think he's getting part of it, but he's extremely biased so hearing anything he's construed as threatening towards Lookshy (even though I'm sure that wasn't the intent) is quickly clouding his judgement and pushing him to grab on like a dog with a bone (or a toy in my dog's case).

Looking forward to your response!

 

[Psychie]

Just so long as everyone remembers that this is all in game, and not to get worked up from the gaming we are all doing. I am having a ton of fun with this game so far!

 

[Rykon]

Just so long as everyone remembers that this is all in game, and not to get worked up from the gaming we are all doing. I am having a ton of fun with this game so far!

Likewise. I haven't really had the blessing of developing a character this far, much less a nation-building type game. It's a hell of a time for sure.

 

[Rykon]

Quick question... Is Viktor's hatred so intense that it requires a conviction failure to not act against them, violently or otherwise? That sounds like either a motivation or a flaw level intolerance to force that kind of roll/virtue suppression. The intimacy would mostly just set initial disposition and bias any social influence related to the subject.

If it is that intense, perhaps a bigger conversation needs to be had in the group of what the desired direction is for our world takeover strategy and what the future M.O. will be with Dynast prisoners. All in character, of course.

 

[MasterDAF]

Quick question... Is Viktor's hatred so intense that it requires a conviction failure to not act against them, violently or otherwise? That sounds like either a motivation or a flaw level intolerance to force that kind of roll/virtue suppression. The intimacy would mostly just set initial disposition and bias any social influence related to the subject.

If it is that intense, perhaps a bigger conversation needs to be had in the group of what the desired direction is for our world takeover strategy and what the future M.O. will be with Dynast prisoners. All in character, of course.

No need for for adjusting our 'Kingdom MO.' His feelings towards Dynsasts are just an extremely negative intimacy, not of motivation level (although in hindsight, perhaps I should have made them a small intolerance).

I must've worded my post poorly, as I didn't intend for his disposition post-apology to be noticeable to anyone besides Koharu. I meant it to be more of just a product of his built-up stress over the situation and trying to see things somewhat differently than he was used to. Having him spend WP and take a point of Limit was just something I felt would be mechanically a neat representation of his stressed demeanor (and I like looking for opportunities where RP appropriate to accrue limit, as it happens so infrequently).

If y'all feel my reason for spending WP/taking limit wasn't suitable, I'll go ahead and reverse it. I just felt it would be an interesting way to mechanically represent his internal conflict.

 

[Rykon]

I'm just curious if Viktor wants to lobby for them as an at war entity and whatnot like Aredin considers Raksha to be kill on sight. No negotiations, no imprisonment, just brutal extermination. Given the quagmire of Realm structures being fundamentally at odds with our desired end-goal I could see an argument to be made for harsh dismantlement over annexation (like we can with Lookshy).

 

[MasterDAF]

Ah, gotcha. To that I would say: were it in Viktor's power to do so, he would immediately clap every Dragon-Blood of the Blessed Isle in manacles and have them stand trial for crimes against the Threshold, and for forcing their serfs (who already have a nill chance of upward mobility without connections to a major or minor house) to participate in their state religion where select deities/Exalts are good and others (as definied by Scarlet Dynasty) are bad, rather than giving serfs the option to worship the entire pantheon of gods.

Those who were found guilty (of which he would expect for all high-ranking Terrestrial Dynasts down to most mortal Patricians and cadet houses) would be executed for crimes against the people of Creation and for disobeying the rightful heirarchy under the Mandate of Heaven for their own gains. It should be noted though that he knows very little about Queen Merela, besides she and her fellows held the Mandate given by the Sun, and knows nothing about her Ochre Fountain Empire before the Solar Deliberative (hopefully we'll learn more about it IC in Rathess), so he believes the Solars basically always ruled as a joint-governing body and that the Realm rules wrongfully by utilizing a monarchy system.

He views the majority of the mortals and small people on the Blessed Isle to be little more than victims of the Dragon-Bloods' tyranny over the Realm (though for certain members of course that could be debated, but he doesn't sees it and treats almost all as victims). As such, those who are found guilty (plus most mortal citizenry) would be allowed to live, but the infastructure would all be repurposed (or torn down and replaced) to create a more 'wholesome' society.

There are obviously some logical falicies in place here, but that is Viktor's perception of the Realm and it's Dynasts. He would see them executed (or at least incarcerated for the remainder of their lives), and their entire culture exponged from history as he sees it as a stain and insult to all others outside the Blessed Isle. He wouldn't necessarily call for the death or imprisonment of all Realm soldiers, as most are following orders and could be convinced to change their ways for a better system (and aren't each puissant enough in spirit/essence to pose the same threat as rebellious Dragon-Bloods).

There might even be the rare individual Dragon-Blood of the Realm who could sway him to ally/friendship through repeated actions that he approved of; however, it would take a lot of work to reach such a point and he would likely chaff against doing so unless ordered to (until he got to know the individual DB better).

 

[Kalin Scarlet]

I hope my post didn't confuse anyone, as I went from attempting to describe Heaven's deeper feelings in regards to Sirocco, followed by memories of another, one that brings him the slightest pangs of heartbreak to remember. I considered addressing his feelings for Sirocco (I think that's the best nickname I'm gonna get unless Heaven decides on another...) In relation to his motivation, and the internal struggle that makes him desire both, but I couldn't quite fit it here, so I went with what you see now. Again, I hope I didnt ramble or drag anything out. Or worse, just make a really lame post xD