TheObsoleteMan

Enjoy the holiday weekend, to you and everyone else who might be celebrating!

I forget, have any of our crew members been afflicted with Mire during the recent events? Duo has some skills at relieving those maladies (strange as those methods may be...), so if needed, I could use his Montage to help another PC heal up, mentally. Or is that something that happens outside of a Montage? Otherwise, I think I'll probably have him try to acquire some information through his usual method, finding Whispers (whose narrative details I will edit onto my previous post).

Much had happened while Duo had been "sleeping." This much became quite apparent as Helena and the newcomer--Alfred, was it?--bombarded them with information. The tzelicrae's many minds momentarily slipped free of their collectivity, spinning out into a hundred different directions, before being drawn back in. Duo shook their head--such as it was--and tried to concentrate on the moment at hand. It seemed they still had a bit of recuperation to go through. As they took in what had taken place before they discovered themselves aboard the Slipfang once more, Duo began to remember what they had been, where they were going. In an attempt to reassert their identity, they stretched their body back up into a bipedal stance. They struck a much more distinctly inhuman figure now, with naught but spidersilk and rags holding them together. They swished their cloak around their "shoulders" to hide some of their more arachnid parts and bowed to Alfred. "We are--pleased--intrigued--to make your acquaintance, Alfred. It is our hope that we can be as of use to you as you have been to our compatriots." In response to Alfred's inquiry, they reached up to touch the mask they wore. How long had it been since they'd first found it, those fledgling minds in the bodies of mere spiders? How had it informed the creature that Duo had become? "Indeed, indeed. Ours is a--motley--incongruous--consciousness, to be certain. You might say we are of two minds when it comes to--most things--everything." Though the sibilant, clicking tone of Duo's voice never changed, the "other" voices came through clearly when they spoke. They turned to Helena and gave an even deeper bow. "We are eternally--grateful--indebted--to you, friend Helena. Not many would risk their lives under the canopy for a fruitless rescue mission. Your have our thanks, and our undying loyalty." Their masked features turned toward the plant Helena mentioned, but just as quickly they shied away, pulling their cloak tighter about them. "That is a--strange--unsettling--plant indeed. Perhaps we can learn more of it here at these--Six--Seven--stones..."

Hey all, thanks for waiting up. It's been a hectic week. Having looked over everything, I think we've got a great set up, and I have no objections to the items mentioned. Many thanks for the synopsis! I'll be good to go any time. I typically don't post a lot on the weekends, no, but I'll be sure to keep up to date this weekend so as not to bog things down at the start. Thanks again for your patience everyone.

A bit of a self-indulgent first post back, so forgive the verbosity. It'll probably take me a minute to get back into the groove of writing Duo. They weren't exactly a "typical" character to write in the first place, and after their recent trauma, they've changed for the stranger I think. But it'll be fun discovering who/what they are now along with you guys! I'll figure out what to do for Duo's montage and have something up ASAP.

That which dreams cannot truly be dead... The being that had been Duo wondered about the validity of such a statement. How could we know that the dead do not dream? They certainly moved and talked and infested the world at every turn. They had seen this, felt it, been touched by it. So who was to say that the dead could not dream? And so--as was their custom--they argued among themselves. But they found it was a hollow argument, superficial, bereft of any true insight. Why could they not formulate their ideas? What was this fog that obscured their own mind from themselves? Indeed, why were they considering such an idea in the first place? It was with great difficulty that they searched their memory for the answer. They swam through the misty depths of their own subconscious. What a strange feeling, to find your own mind(s) such a desolate and alien place. What had happened to them? What had happened to their mind(s)? Then, among the mists, they heard voices. No, echoes of voices, of things said hours ago, or days, or years. Was that Ham? Helena? Was K crying out in pain? Was Kryk T'k shouting at him not to go? Was that their own voice(s), calling out to someone--something--in the darkness, daring them to face them? Flashes of light erupted from within the fog. Duo recoiled as if blinded, shimmering afterimages swimming in their vision--a great ruin, grasping vines, vicious flying creatures. And they felt the mind. A legion made one. Like them, but so unlike them. A twisted mirror image, born in some unnatural crucible, spiraling out of control. It called to them, but they dared not answer. Darkness came for them again. Why had they dreamed such things? Why were they pondering their dreams while still asleep? That which has died can only dream of life... Another thought came unbidden to their mind. Was this their own thought, or a Whisper, worming its way into their subconscious? Why was death so prevalent in their thoughts? They fumbled for what had been lost in the fog. The echoes, the afterimages, the thoughts... yes. These were Duo's thoughts. They belonged to them. The pieces began to fall into place--what had happened to them made clearer as the fog receded. But their mind(s) was/were still weak. Where once they spun their webs of the consciousness out into the vast and teeming ether with ease, now they could hardly cling to their own cognition. They needed more minds to share. With every ounce of strength, they reached out to find their place in the waking world. A familiar aura radiated back at them--the Slipfang. That comfortable, formidable beast, with its own quiet consciousness that slumbered just beneath the surface of the hull. Those faithful crewmembers--Ham, Helena, K, Kryk T'k. And someone else, someone new. And something that made them recoil, draw back into themselves, before venturing more carefully out once more. They reached beyond the confines of the Slipfang. They sang the song of their ancestors into the leaves and limbs as their ship sliced deftly through them. And the call was answered--younglings and elders alike; plump and striped older brother; lithe and jet black little sister; uncle, with his great hairy body and ponderous gait; auntie with her shimmering belly and glistening webs; grandma and grandpa and all the cousins they could muster. Each and all heard the song. Not all of them came. Not all of them were ready. But those that were clambered aboard the Slipfang, breaching the tiniest gaps or leaping aboard as it passed in the night. They came and they listened. Duo touched their minds, led them to their own conclusions, let them find their own sapience amid the riotous cacophony of life in the Wildsea. And those that did were given a choice. Join them, or seek their own way. And so Duo's mind(s) grew stronger. They wove their web--in the world of metaphors and in the world of the senses--cocooning themselves in their silk, soft and strong. There, they pieced together the remnants of their mind(s). What Duo had been was gone. But what remained grew strong once more. That which dreams itself alive again can never truly die... Duo awoke. The Slipfang rocked gently beneath them, like a gentle ardent mother tending a baby's cradle. They looked around their room, where remnants of webs hung everywhere. Their body, such as was left, was now wreathed in their silk, clad only in what few scraps of cloth and tarp they had scrounged from the ship. But before them lay their cloak--no longer stitched together from disparate pieces, but woven from their silk, light and glittering. They gingerly stood on new legs, their body now hunched and quadrupedal. Still weak, they donned the cloak and went to their door. As it creaked open, they heard the shuffling of feet as someone--or several someones--came to investigate. For a brief moment, they were frightened, shaken, wanting to retreat into that cocoon they had emerged from once more. But then they saw them. Their crew. Their friends. "Ham? Helena? We... how glad our hearts to see you again!" Duo had returned. They weren't certain how or what exactly they had come back from. But they were. And their friends were. They all were.

Hello again all! I'm glad to be back in the spidery shoes of Duo. Thanks to for the kind reintroduction. I'll have an IC post up by tomorrow, with a bit of insight into how exactly an arachnid hivemind reforms itself after an encounter with a swarm of angry hornets.

Sounds good to me! Discovery and understanding (or realizing that we can't understand) the world we now live in seems like a big part of what will make this game interesting. So I'm all for it.

I personally like the idea that the cataclysm was so terrible and wide-reaching that--in the back of all our minds--we're not really sure there even is a home to go back to. I imagine that's at least part of the impetus, to discover what happened to the rest of the world. Which may (but I don't think necessarily has to) imply a certain amount of time passing between the cataclysm and our journey. Depending on the exact time frame we want to go with, it would make sense that either A) we're all desperate to escape "ground zero" as it were, and discover the full extent of the cataclysm over time, or B) we come to realize in the aftermath that the world has changed and decide that we want to set out to discover the fate of our respective homes (and complete our vows as stated). But those are only two possible directions, of course! I also sort of forgot about the whole "rebel factions" element. Is that something that anyone feels their character might have been involved in? Do we think our unit might have broken away when Kuno died, and tried to stop the war (or at least protect the innocent bystanders)? Lastly, re: the nature of the cataclysm, I personally don't need to nail down any specifics. I'm fine just knowing that both sides were complicit in what happened, and that the elements we've mentioned (the spirits and the sundered/warped landscape) are a result of it. But that's just me!

Actually, I really like this! It adds yet another layer of drama and tension to the characters and their relationship. While Vigo (he has a name now!) might wish to bring Ari back home, he probably is very reticent to go back himself, for that very reason. It creates a nice dynamic too, where he knew Ari as a little child, then had to watch her become this hardened fighter, more out of necessity than maybe any actual desire to be a warrior. He probably feels guilty about that too, poor guy! As for the inciting incident, I too like starting in media res. The thought of trying to escape some sort of dangerous situation in the wake of the cataclysm sounds perfect. Throw the characters into peril and see how they get out of it--no better way to get your feet wet!

Just a few more ideas to hash out and I'll put together a proper sheet for my character. Sorry for the delay! I'm sort of vacillating between two slightly different backgrounds for my character. 1. Someone who has basically been raised in Kuno's army and grew up idolizing him. Rose in the ranks to become a lieutenant and took over at some point after Kuno's death, but before the big cataclysm. 2. Part of Ari's father's unit, perhaps also rose to a leadership role. While he still idolized Kuno, didn't have the kind of close connection as in option 1, but might have been closer to Ari instead (sort of a surrogate uncle or something). Both would still be suffering from the guilt of getting most of the soldiers under their command killed (or at least not being able to save them), I guess the main difference is the scope of their former "power" and their connection with various characters. Also, I see their motivation as mainly facilitating the vows of the other characters--making sure they get where they need to go in order to fulfill them. I see him as previously very ambitious, wanting to be a powerful warlord like Kuno, and having those dreams crushed and thrown in his face when everything goes to hell. Now, he's been humbled, and fears thinking too far into the future, especially about his own fate.

I had a flash of inspiration while looking over everyone's concepts, and a connective thread sort of popped into my head. This is just a suggestion based on what we have so far. Let me know if it fits with what you all are envisioning for your characters! [UNNAMED] (TOM's character) was the second (or third or fourth) in command to the great warlord Kuno (connected to Vlad's character Melia). Ari's father's unit served under Kuno as well. When Kuno died during the war, [UNNAMED] had to take command. Unfortunately, that didn't go so well, as we all find ourselves as the last few survivors of the army. Amongst them was a soldier (Delorphin) who was (entrusted? burdened?) to safeguard the secret weapon of Kuno's army--the last of the ancient dragons, still just a fledgling at this point in its life. Each has a reason to depart the battlefield and return to the shores from whence they--or those they swore vows to--came. Just some loose connective tissue that could be developed further. How does everyone feel about the basic set up?

Right now, I'm leaning towards either the medic or the captain. I feel like they have the clearest goals and greatest investment in the group as a whole. For the medic, I was thinking some combination of Herbalist, Improviser, Loyalist, and possibly something a bit more esoteric, such as Talisman or perhaps some kind of animal companion. For the captain, the obvious choices would be Commander, Veteran, some Combat asset, and perhaps even a Kindred (a surviving lieutenant or something of the sort?). But those are just initial thoughts. I'd be happy to adjust. And I definitely think that either one ties in nicely to Ari's background, and could be tweaked to make them even more closely intertwined.

Name: Vigo of the Iron Isles (aka Vigo "the Ox") Culture: Ironlander (Iron Isles) Attributes: Edge +2 Heart +2 Iron +3 Shadow +1 Wits +1 Assets: Loyalist (I) (Path) - When you Aid Your Ally, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit. This is in addition to the benefits taken by your ally. Veteran (I) (Path) - When you burn momentum to improve your result in combat, envision how your hard-won fighting experience gives you the upper hand. Then, take +1 momentum after you rest, and add +1 when you make your next move. Once per fight, you also take initiative when burning momentum to improve a miss to a weak hit. Sunderer (I) (Combat) - When you Strike or Clash in close quarters, you may suffer -1 momentum and inflict +1 harm on a hit (decide before rolling). Vows: See the remnants of my company safely back to their homes (Extreme) [Inciting incident goes here] Backstory: Vigo was never the wisest or the most talented individual in his village. But he was strong and loyal, and when the great conqueror Kuno drafted the men of his village into his service, Vigo was one of the few who went willingly. He idolized the figure of Kuno--a cunning warrior who commanded respect and wielded power unlike anyone else Vigo had ever met. But the realities of war were far different than the glory promised by Kuno. Soon enough, Vigo found himself trying to lead the ragged remnants of his unit--the men he had grown up with, whose children he had played with. But Vigo was never the wisest, only the biggest. His men followed him loyally, to their deaths, in the face of unfathomable destruction at the hands of the warlords he once sought to emulate. The only one he could save was young Ari, the son of his friend Orvar, who had traveled far, only to find that his father had died years ago. Gathering what few other survivors he could, Vigo sought to pay his penitence--even but a little--by keeping them safe in their journey home. Where he failed the men under his command, he prayed he would not fail them...

I like the idea of two major powers, with perhaps some smaller allied/conquered kingdoms that are press-ganged into service of one of the two sides. It makes for an interesting dynamic, where some folks might be whole-hearted supporters of the "cause" while others wonder why they have to fight someone else's war. And it doesn't preclude the rebellion angle either--maybe a coalition of subordinate nations declared independence/neutrality and tried to break away from one side or the other during the conflict? Then one--or more interestingly, both--superpowers resolved to use drastic measures to secure their power... and the rest is history. In terms of continuing to create characters/the world, should we pin down some more concrete character ideas and build around those? Or do we want to keep developing the history and setting, and let the characters emerge out of that? Either way, I've definitely got plenty of character ideas already percolating from the conversation!