Fantasy Voyage To The End [OOC]

[Ayama]

The concept opens up quite the can of worms.

For Lorelei, being her position, might she suspect the abyssal is there as act of sabotage? Does she have proof? Is Mari complicit? If not, what then? Desiderus was an important figure of the church, and one who had a similar curse. He was a wise and devout follower, and loyal to the church... how might his story effect her views on if Mari is worth trying bringing her light or if she might be too dangerous? A butting of the heads, surely... an angel on one shoulder, a devil on the other. But worse still... someone set up this act of sabotage... who and why? At least she is here to keep 5hat plot from.coming to fruition.

For Mari, her curse. Its what some people might be banking on to end this Princes future. Even if Mari does not know she is a pawn... how well can she hold onto herself? Would she want to? The deeper down into the abyss she goes, and the greater the darkness... the darkness may prove all too tempting. At that point, would she even want to bother with the light? Would she develop feelings for the Prince? Would it matter? Would she try to bring him into the darkness that her curse is beckoning her towards? Or would she try all the harder to hold onto light? And if she learns that she was but a pawn in a scheme, and that who placed her there expected her to fail... what then?


For the Prince... who he develops feelings would indeed create a great deal of contention. As stated before, his duties prevent him from romance at a whim. Would it make a difference if he felt that strongly about someone? And if the result would mean a detriment to the country and stability of it, could he in good conscious allow it? Or would he need to make that sacrifice for the people he is to reign over in the future. As well, his belief in the Church, how far would he go in holding out hope for an individual? If someone where falling to darkness, a friend, a loved one, family... how far might he go to help bring them back?








As a suggestion who might be behind this scheme....


The tricksome brother of the Prince as mentioned by Scaleless

By means unscrupulous and immoral, he is aiming to win. Using contacts within the Church, blackmail, leverage, corruption... whatever the means, he pulled strings to see that someone would be assigned to his brother to make things that much more difficult... or kill him outright.

Oof, that's a lot xD

 

[D. Rex]

Oof, that's a lot xD

Yeah. Perhaps too much. With as much subplots as we got going on already, it might just be a bit more complicated than need be, considering how many other characters there seem to be. I tend to follow rabbit holes of ideas a bit too deeply.

Will try thinking of it from a different angle than the Church.

 

[D. Rex]

The Church wouldn't back Mari UNLESS she showed some exceptional amount of reformative resolve and/or sought them out for help. The danger to the Prince isn't big enough and Mari is not powerful enough to warrant outsourcing protection to a cursed abyssal with no credibility or backing. It'd be like letting a felon watch your house because they seem sad about their felonious status without knowing anything about them.

The other prince would also have no sway over the Church. This is a Roman/Orthodox analog not an Angelican analog. Royalty have no authority in Andrad.

So Mari would need to have a history with the Church of Sol for this to work.

or

do it without their involvment at all. Like if the mad Prince commissioned her personally.

I like that last suggestion better than the Church. It still keeps a number of those priorly mentioned worms, but puts more emphasis on an antagonist already in play.

Could make confrontations with the plotty prince a bit more interesting. And can start fleshing things out in a that direction. Adding some more fuel to future encounters with him. As well as an immediate conflict of interest for Mari to worry about.

 

[Ayama]

I like that last suggestion better than the Church. It still keeps a number of those priorly mentioned worms, but puts more emphasis on an antagonist already in play.

Could make confrontations with the plotty prince a bit more interesting. And can start fleshing things out in a that direction. Adding some more fuel to future encounters with him. As well as an immediate conflict of interest for Mari to worry about.

So Mari was like "can I join?" and Lorelei was like "Objection!" and then Carolus was like "Overruled!" xD

 

[RaiAthar]

Ayama Maybe this has already been sugested, but I think It's more believable that Mari is even on the expedition to begin with if no one else but her knows about her curse.

 

[D. Rex]

So Mari was like "can I join?" and Lorelei was like "Objection!" and then Carolus was like "Overruled!" xD

I suppose that would depend on how Mari enters. But probably something along those lines.

But might also depend in how we get together as a group? Could easily be we group up into a bigger group since we happened to have taken the same path down.

Though, Pumpkin Spice Cyanide how much veto power does Lorelei have?

Ayama Maybe this has already been sugested, but I think It's more believable that Mari is even on the expedition to begin with if no one else but her knows about her curse.

This would be true, can't object to something we don't know about.

 

[D. Rex]

Though it is kind of funny to think of Lorelei screaming in his ear when he makes a bad decision.

 

[Ayama]

Though it is kind of funny to think of Lorelei screaming in his ear when he makes a bad decision.

I think him making a decision Lorelei disapproves of sets up for interesting dynamics between the three as the story progresses, with Mari gaining the cleric's trust/respect when she saves the prince's life or fights her dark impulses. Maybe Lorelei will give her a talisman or protective light spell in recognition of this.

 

[RaiAthar]

Ayama Everyone finding out AFTER that Mari is cursed instead of in the beginning still sets up the dynamic you're looking for, but you might have to wait a little bit for it to kick in.

Get this: She fights with us; she protects us; she eats with us; she laughs with us; she IS one of us. Then everyone finds out the truth when she loses out to her dark impulses in a really tough battle. She's going to have a lot of explaining to do, especaily to the priestess I imagine. There's a ton of drama there.

Jasha would vote to put her down.

Anyways, that's my 2 radon.

 

[Ayama]

Ayama Everyone finding out AFTER that Mari is cursed instead of in the beginning still sets up the dynamic you're looking for, but you might have to wait a little bit for it to kick in.

Get this: She fights with us; she protects us; she eats with us; she laughs with us; she IS one of us. Then everyone finds out the truth when she loses out to her dark impulses in a really tough battle. She's going to have a lot of explaining to do, especaily to the priestess I imagine. There's a ton of drama there.

Jasha would vote to put her down.

Anyways, that's my 2 radon.

I don't like that as much simply because it's just been done so many times. Personally I think it's far more interesting to start off from a place of conflict and tension and prejudice to work towards understanding and camaraderie. After Carolus overrides Lorelei's objections, he could be the one requesting Mari be given an amulet so that she isn't a threat to the rest of the party. Sort of like 'See? She's not dangerous, so y'all don't have a reason to object anymore.' Which of course wouldn't do anything about prejudice or fear.

Also from a practical standpoint, her wings and horns mark her as an Abyssal, which is why she's shunned everywhere she goes, so there isn't a way for her to lie about being cursed- you see it when you see her. Plus, if she's talked to Remus and Cicero about it prior to the start of the RP, then they will know as well, so that's another caveat.

 

[Pumpkin Spice Cyanide]

Though it is kind of funny to think of Lorelei screaming in his ear when he makes a bad decision.

That's all Lorelei can do since she's only really good at finding the truth, not using magical foresight and intuition to make the best decision like an Adjudicator. She can be wrong.

 

[RaiAthar]

Ayama As long as she doesn't feed on the blood of the living, it's not really relevant to my guy, so you do you, sister.

 

[Ayama]

Ayama As long as she doesn't feed on the blood of the living, it's not really relevant to my guy, so you do you, sister.

XDD She's not a vampire

 

[D. Rex]

I don't like that as much simply because it's just been done so many times. Personally I think it's far more interesting to start off from a place of conflict and tension and prejudice to work towards understanding and camaraderie. After Carolus overrides Lorelei's objections, he could be the one requesting Mari be given an amulet so that she isn't a threat to the rest of the party. Sort of like 'See? She's not dangerous, so y'all don't have a reason to object anymore.' Which of course wouldn't do anything about prejudice or fear.

Also from a practical standpoint, her wings and horns mark her as an Abyssal, which is why she's shunned everywhere she goes, so there isn't a way for her to lie about being cursed- you see it when you see her. Plus, if she's talked to Remus and Cicero about it prior to the start of the RP, then they will know as well, so that's another caveat.

Well let's not forget how Carolus might factor in here. Still not entirely sure how he might he isn't the type to give someone a free pass just because they have a pair of pretty legs. So it how much he vouches for her would depend on the content of her character. That said, unless given good reason, he does start with giving the benefit of the doubt and an open mind.

That also doesn't mean he will simply cast aside the advice of a church appointed official. Even should he choose to go against her advice, it be doing so after consideration.

Still, going into the depths with a time bomb at your side would not be the wisest of moves, so mitigation of risk simply makes sense. That then begs the question to be discovered... if the lives of others are on the line, would the benefits outweigh the risk? And would Carolus put that faith in her to take that risk? Interpersonal conflicts abound.

That's all Lorelei can do since she's only really good at finding the truth, not using magical foresight and intuition to make the best decision like an Adjudicator. She can be wrong.

I think it will lead to a great many interesting discussions, personally. I am exaggerating though, I don't think that Carolus will give her much reason to scream at him.

 

[Scaleless]

Got to sit down and start our intro, may have to delay it until the 13th. . . So either tomorrow night (for me) or the next evening. I’m feeling a bit drained lately ngl, so sorry if I’m a little slow in getting back to you here. Getting started has me excited again so I’ll be back to my usual lore spam in no time.

Ayama I’m not gonna force anything on ya in terms of introduction plotting. Pick whatever you are most comfortable with or go with the flow. I like the idea of the rival prince hiring her as a way to try and sabotage. Otherwise you can join up with a different character and get introduced later. Perhaps Jasha and Petra. I am against a massive group forming for more than a few replies so will probably try and split everyone into 2 groups each floor. You can earn trust with the prince that way through encounters overtime if that is what you want.

Hyphae Love your profile btw, a utility mage is gonna be real handy to have around. I don’t see anything that needs to be tweaked beyond the magic being listed. You can stop here if you’d like. Just let me know when/if you make any updates.

Considering making an NPC section as they are introduced… For plot relevant ones like our dear mini prince and friends.

 

[Ayama]

Ayama I’m not gonna force anything on ya in terms of introduction plotting. Pick whatever you are most comfortable with or go with the flow. I like the idea of the rival prince hiring her as a way to try and sabotage. Otherwise you can join up with a different character and get introduced later. Perhaps Jasha and Petra. I am against a massive group forming for more than a few replies so will probably try and split everyone into 2 groups each floor. You can earn trust with the prince that way through encounters overtime if that is what you want.

My proposal was for the Church to impose restrictions on her as the only way to accept her being there. If that's an issue then, as the GM, I need you to make a call on what fits with the plot and the lore to include her in the expedition, but she's not about to agree to do something shady just to get a spot on the team.

 

[Scaleless]

My proposal was for the Church to impose restrictions on her as the only way to accept her being there. If that's an issue then, as the GM, I need you to make a call on what fits with the plot and the lore to include her in the expedition, but she's not about to agree to do something shady just to get a spot on the team.

The expedition is led by Eligus who has 0 issues about hiring a cursed individual in their ranks. He does not care—if anything that would be a boon to him. There is no issue there. If you want to be within the prince’s clique at the start, that is up to them. As I’ve read, the church is not going to tolerate her existence or proximity to him in any regard if it can be prevented, let alone mediate it. If she is among them, it is certainly not because they sought her out in any capacity. As Cyanide wrote she would need a prior history with the church to get their backing. The church does not have authority over the expedition, it is Eligus’ effort, she does not require their permission to be there.

Characters who are seeking to participate in the expedition are paid and doing so under Eligus—to reiterate. If you want reason for her to have some proximity to the church or Prince Carolus prior to this, that is up to you to plot out. I am failing to think of anything more to aid you on this that has not been suggested. You do not all have to be one massive group at the start, again, I will likely be splitting it into two groups very early to make it more manageable. My suggestion is that it is easier and more valuable to plot with Jasha or Petra and simply build rapport IC with the prince through your encounters in the Abyss.

 

[Hyphae]

Hyphae hello, hello. I'm running a burial service for unfortunate abyss divers. Free of charge and all belongings will be stored somewhere. Would you like to use it for Petra's father?

We're only a few years late, I'm sure the body will still be there. How large could the Abyss be anyway?

Hyphae Vaimi would be super curious about Petra's magic if she doesn't end up finding them annoying ^^; Plus they suffer from a similar responses to channeling large amounts of magic, so I'm sure they could learn a thing or two from Petra ^^

Honestly when I read Vaimi's character sheet I was a little worried about how similar she an Petra were in terms of their magic. I concidered changing Petra up but my lazyness and lack of creativity prevailed in the end. Hopefuly, I don't end up stepping on your toes too much.

As for interactions, Petra would no doubt be equally interested in Vaimi's magic and if she's able to get past here inherent bias towards anyone lucky enough to recive a formal education, I reckon the two of them could probably get along quite well. Concidering, Vaimi's focus on formalised modification of spells, it might be interesting to see how she reacts to the abominations Petra managed to construct through the inefficient and no doubt wildly dangerous process of blindly mutilating her own spells and trial and error.

Hyphae Love your profile btw, a utility mage is gonna be real handy to have around. I don’t see anything that needs to be tweaked beyond the magic being listed. You can stop here if you’d like. Just let me know when/if you make any updates.

Planning on making some minor edits to the character sheet but nothing major other than writing out those spells and adding in a bit on why exactly she's decided to decend. I'm unfortunately cursed to overthink the underlying mechanisms behind how any given spell works when I create them, but I should have it finished today if all goes as planned.

 

[Hyphae]

Oh, I meant to ask. What timezones are people operating out of? Feels like you're all most active at the times at the times I'm busy or asleep.

 

[Echocoa]

Honestly when I read Vaimi's character sheet I was a little worried about how similar she an Petra were in terms of their magic. I concidered changing Petra up but my lazyness and lack of creativity prevailed in the end. Hopefuly, I don't end up stepping on your toes too much.

As for interactions, Petra would no doubt be equally interested in Vaimi's magic and if she's able to get past here inherent bias towards anyone lucky enough to recive a formal education, I reckon the two of them could probably get along quite well. Concidering, Vaimi's focus on formalised modification of spells, it might be interesting to see how she reacts to the abominations Petra managed to construct through the inefficient and no doubt wildly dangerous process of blindly mutilating her own spells and trial and error.

Don't worry, I'm fairly confident they will compliment each other more than they would step on each other ^^ Vaimi's Metamagic would likely help to make Petra even more adaptable when they work together!

Vaimi would probably be able to learn a lot from Petra's modifications, and I'm sure their trial and error would have resulted in some very unique spell structures that would probably not be normally encountered in an academic institution. Assuming Petra doesn't resist their annoying curiosity on account of their education I agree that they'd probably get along very well ^^

 

[Echocoa]

Oh, I meant to ask. What timezones are people operating out of? Feels like you're all most active at the times at the times I'm busy or asleep.

I'm Central, U.S., so it's about 14:00 for me right now o.o

 

[Hyphae]

I'm Central, U.S., so it's about 14:00 for me right now o.o

Sounds about right. Truely timezones are the worst part of being Ausie. I supose I must refrain from posting spoilers from the future.

 

[Ayama]

The expedition is led by Eligus who has 0 issues about hiring a cursed individual in their ranks. He does not care—if anything that would be a boon to him. There is no issue there. If you want to be within the prince’s clique at the start, that is up to them. As I’ve read, the church is not going to tolerate her existence or proximity to him in any regard if it can be prevented, let alone mediate it. If she is among them, it is certainly not because they sought her out in any capacity. As Cyanide wrote she would need a prior history with the church to get their backing. The church does not have authority over the expedition, it is Eligus’ effort, she does not require their permission to be there.

Characters who are seeking to participate in the expedition are paid and doing so under Eligus—to reiterate. If you want reason for her to have some proximity to the church or Prince Carolus prior to this, that is up to you to plot out. I am failing to think of anything more to aid you on this that has not been suggested. You do not all have to be one massive group at the start, again, I will likely be splitting it into two groups very early to make it more manageable. My suggestion is that it is easier and more valuable to plot with Jasha or Petra and simply build rapport IC with the prince through your encounters in the Abyss.

If the person in charge of the expedition doesn't care that she's cursed there's no need to plot out anything, really. I was just making suggestions to try to accommodate for the fact that she would probably be perceived as a risk or liability, as well as throw out plotting ideas with the other characters since that's clearly something you've been wanting us to do.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

We're only a few years late, I'm sure the body will still be there. How large could the Abyss be anyway?

The hole itself is big enough that guarding all of it is not a feasible thing to do, so I guess its larger than several cities combined. And it has dozens of layers with predators in it.

Oh, I meant to ask. What timezones are people operating out of? Feels like you're all most active at the times at the times I'm busy or asleep.

Don't worry, I'm Indonesian so our timezone is kinda the same. Just staight up the opposite of american central time.

 

[RaiAthar]

Echocoa Viami in my head-canon

Spoiler