Messages

1

BM General Discussion / Re: OOC power-gaming???

« on: May 19, 2020, 09:19:33 PM »

Federation and a coalition have different meanings, so it is you who are changing your story from my perspective by trying to switch those terms.  There may have been some expressions of IC solidarity in response to what were at the time your IC complaints, but these are understandable responses to you trying to drive an IC wedge between those opposing you.  You left it very late in the day to make any OOC points at all to us when we were clearly involved and they were made in pretty bad temper.

A coalition is a more temporary arrangement by definition.  In this case a shared IC common cause against Thalmarkin aggression, something that for us has roots beyond this event.

A coalition is < than an alliance.  A federation as the word meaning and the game set up will tell you is > than an alliance.

Switching those words about as though the same would be disingenuous, a word you deployed against someone who was quite aptly reflecting their scepticism on your own claim of us all being in an ““"unofficial alliance block.”””

If you think there is an agreement between Irondale/Nothoi/SV to fight on the same side in any conflict you are incorrect.  There is a treaty involving OS and SV, called the “Southern Coalition” that is also more complicated than it might seem based on IC and maybe even some OOC resentment remaining from our preceding war.

OS have not fought Irondale or Nothoi in the past.  They only fought us.  By that logic we would equally be eligible to be excluded from what you wish to present as a "uniform alliance" for the sake of your own argument.  But that does not fit with your previously stated dislike for my realm.

Making something “clear” to Irondale and reaching agreement with them are also very different things.  You only get to police who and how Irondale can talk to other parties if they agreed to your idea for a specially defined war.  They obviously didn’t agree thus you failed at the first hurdle.

It is not a personal attack to criticise a flawed argument.  If you want to be more sensitive about criticism maybe throw less of it around.  Policing people's use of inverted commas and now criticising Irondale for not agreeing with you with for what you say was in their best interests, ergo their decision was selfish etc.

Someone else is probably better placed to communicate these concepts to you so I am not looking for an ongoing flame war OOC.  I did not engage with your own posts on your personal interpretation of events as that is your subjective view and good luck with it.  If you are going to object to other players taking even "mildly" different views on events though, then I am entitled to set the record straight.

2

BM General Discussion / Re: OOC power-gaming???

« on: May 19, 2020, 04:19:00 AM »

The quotation marks are disingenuous. This isn't speculation, there is one confirmed both IC and OOC.

I don't accept this characterisation at all.  Polar Raven's use of inverted commas is perfectly reasonable.  This was very much the case of realms finding common cause/enemy on a singular issue.

Matthew R's characterisation is much more accurate:

I think a point that I and others take issue with here is the description of the coalition as an alliance bloc.  Our characters all had different reasons for wanting to fight Thalmarkin, the fact that everything lined up all at once does not, in any way, indicate that those realms would have ended up at peace with each other afterwards.  There is a substantial segment of Obia'Syela that wants to fight the Vales and Nova again, as soon as is practical.  Saoirse is very leery of the Sanguine Order, and conflict there is almost inevitable if she stays in power (which is by no means guaranteed).  And that's just the stuff that I personally know about that could cause the whole thing to come tumbling down.

Yet you respond to this by saying you didn't regard OS as being in the same block/behaviour?  What determines that other than your arbitrary say so - or your desire to court favour with players you deem superior? (which is a problematic mindset in itself).  SV's connections with OS despite being complicated as Matt R observes, are closer than with Nothoi or Irondale but by no means fixed.

The problem comes in that you made an OOC decision to forsake diplomacy, Irondale made a decision to go heavy on generating common cause diplomacy around the same time; having the potential to negate VS and draw common cause with SV.  It isn't for you OOC to tell them they cannot do that when they had already been making those connections prior to your declaration.  You seem to feel entitled to determine not only your dominant realms actions but everyone else's too.  If this war was going to be so much in Irondale's interests "fun" wise or otherwise, you failed to even make that case to them. 

Irondale/Nothoi's dominance as supposed inevitable victors in determining the terms on which the conflict ends seems something you failed to factor in also, even if as you tenuously argue, there would ever only be one outcome from even that more limited conflict.  You didn't let the losers in previous wars set the outcome for the end of those wars.  How were you planning to bring this war to an end after you lost some ground?  But the truth is that it would more accurately only be presented as posing a greater challenge for your realm rather than being a selfless war you were bound to lose, it was something Irondale clearly did not welcome with the risks it brought to the fragile bonds of a new realm.  Were you guaranteeing not to take any regions from them?  Irondale was already vulnerable on food and with trying to bring disparate players together who were already at a low morale from previous defeats.  It would have been better to seek agreement before setting that in motion rather than arrogantly to tell everyone how you have decided things should be - not only for your own realm but everyone else's too.  Thalmarkin's day of reckoning was always likely to come eventually, again it is not for you to be the sole decider in how that might come about.  As this thread lays out from different players, there were already plenty of IC stories building towards settling those scores.

As Matt R points out there are headaches regarding when and how to go OOC on these matters.  When we have been contacted OOC in a semi adult manner we have reacted promptly to mitigate the imbalance concerns.  There is still the counter balancing real sentiment that this takes advantage of our better nature in the process given your flimsy dismissal of hardships you inflicted on both characters and players through past events, which you justify only in retrospect and not with engagement with those players' concerns.  Hardships you have not shown willing to face up to for your own realm which you imply deserves some special status.  For ourselves going OOC too soon with VS would have removed the IC tension from the situation.  There was great uncertainty when our forces rounded the point of no return at Reeds leaving our homelands exposed.  If we had gone OOC too soon it would have stifled that tension and limited VS's agency to react in what turned out to be a very unexpected manner (but again justifiable IC).

Issues regarding imbalance could have been and ultimately were, addressed promptly when we were contacted in a mature manner OOC rather than an escalating mix of IC/OOC arguments culminating in you inferring we/I was borderline cheating.  We shared a good natured enough brief OOC exchange where the only point I made was if you wanted to look at OOC resolutions message me directly rather than playing to the crowd as you had been with your mixed IC/OOC arguments.  You chose to do the opposite to that.

Other than the difficulty of determining when to go OOC, and the need for that to be consultative where possible rather than telling people how you expect them to behave, it does also reveal a common likely problem.  Players will inevitably disagree on interpretations of past and present events.  Your attempt to present yourself as IC bully, OOC teachers pet with "special" insight or presumed (by you) approval from the mods is problematic for me when different interpretations are inevitable.  If we are working towards a good protocol outline with the declarations that could be positive, but if there is sufficient grey areas around the OOC side then debates seem more likely to be inflamed rather than mitigated.

3

BM General Discussion / Re: OOC power-gaming???

« on: May 13, 2020, 04:13:20 AM »

Thank you Gildre for your answers and then thanks to Anaris for the answers and both constructive and informative over all reply.  I appreciate the constructive engagement and tone at a time you have been handling a mechanical game change at the same time.

My sincere thanks for the considerable efforts that must go into this, and for picking out the more constructive elements of what must have seemed in parts a rambling expression of my concerns built up over a period of time.

The answers given already have shifted my understanding on most of the points you had asked for clarity on but I will revisit them tomorrow when I have a bit more time to see if I have useful questions remaining.  My doubts about everything diplomatic had been shaken by some of the harsher criticisms that had been directed at me by others previously.  All the best.

4

BM General Discussion / Re: OOC power-gaming???

« on: May 12, 2020, 12:18:28 AM »

Hello I play a character in The Shattered Vales.

I should start by saying I do appreciate the effort made by volunteers to dev, operate, mod and titan patrol the game.  (And sorry to Polar if I am perceived by Polar to be sidetracking his thread).

I would like to do 3 things in my post.  Over and above the 3rd point is the only thing that really matters to me.  I would prefer something informed on the questions section as it could serve as answers for people in the future to avoid my unhappy experience.  My other points offer context or at least something of my account, just finding fault with my experience will not interest me or benefit those that follow.

1) Introduction.  I play the Emperor of the Vales.  I think many of the things that have been said and inferred about my realm recently have been unfair and plain wrong in a lot of instances.  In varying degrees quite a few of us feel like second class citizens in the Vales.  I find the titan intervention insulting.  As this is subjective there is little point arguing with me about it.  I am insulted frequently for my (fairly uninteresting job) so I can compartmentalise that fairly well.  It is not what I look for first in an escapism game, but I can handle it.  I will be taking active steps to remove myself from that environment IG.

2) Points already raised.  I am struggling with the point earlier in the thread.

"The fact that you share a common enemy does not make you allies." seems very valid and appropriate to the situation to me.

Walk into a room with 10 strangers and smack each of them in the mouth on your way by.
All of a sudden 10 strangers who don't know each other and have nothing in common (other than the smack in the mouth that you just gave them) have a common goal.

Are ANY of them in the wrong for wanting to return your smack in the mouth?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is an OOC restriction for game balance. Attempting to make sense of it by real-world analogy will fail.

It is exactly as real and logical as only being able to move one region per turn (even if it only takes 6 hours to get from region A->B->C), or only being able to recruit troops in the capital (even if the recruitment centers are out in the rural regions).

The examples can be explained at least partially logically so there is no comparison to just ignore diplomacy unless it fits a prescribed box.  We move through regions with a unit, each region is a distinct governed region.  For a small contingent it does not move just as the crow flies or even hare runs.  There is only enough time per turn to navigate the difference between one different region.  Gauging the politics and base provisioning along the way.  Not until the corps. unit system were armies able to move rapidly through areas at only the rate of hours travel alone.  The recruitment centres in the capital is imperfect, but you can argue mobile units of noble guards need recruiting at the royal/imperial capital where the finest troops need to be sworn in by ceremony.  You can recruit local bound troops in the form of militia.  Noble troops come from the capital.  Both examples also benefit from being physical things with physical effects.  You cannot believe your way into another region nor can you have the concept of having 50 cavalry if you don't.  A friendly realm and an ally are concepts along a scale eg acquaintances>mates>friends, different value weighting but similar concepts.  Indeed the Alliance Bloc could sensibly be meant to be seen as the practical extent of what your diplomats can manage in a formal arrangement.  Outside that you suffer the not insignificant consequences of maybe being friendly or having shared enemies without a formal effective structure.  This is the point my many questions arise from because otherwise it makes no sense, was never clearly presented as such and creates loads of problems that have never been addressed any where I can find access.  Just to say "real world analogies will fail" is self evidently weak, a bit like saying you can argue anything with facts - to do away with those pesky facts.

I have touched on the valuable point Raven made in my earlier brief post.  Yes very much, there should be other things considered when assessing what makes evenly matched sides in a conflict.  I simply do not buy the argument made that Thal entered the war expecting to lose. (If nothing else its ruler was spectacularly unprepared to deal with being anything other than the alpha dog).  By attacking Irondale so soon there was no chance for them to build unity or preparedness.  The political effect of losing one of your merged parties cities (and be unable to retake it) threatened the very real risk that Irondale might not recover from that early shock.  They began cultivating people who shared that hatred for Thal's past and current tyrannies.  In your own "Thunderclap" intervention you state, "While a realm that botches its diplomacy should certainly expect to find itself on the wrong end of a beating.." but you never indicate how, if we were not allowed to oppose them with interests short of formal alliance.  Sitting watching a realm you respect getting turned over for the 2nd time after its predecessors were destroyed or broken up = diplomatic failure and a lack of consequence for ignoring diplomacy if you can keep a core hard hitting momentum going.  No dictator would ever be resisted in that scenario.  IG or RL.  And don't forget we have been witnessing that very occurrence without the slightest intervention til now as it was someone else's fun being ground under the heel.

Any way, that is all too subjective to go anywhere but at least I have voiced an aspect of the counter points that have been raging amongst realm members and other rulers,  And I haven't even touched on the fact everything we thought we knew led us to think Vordul would join Thal making an even contest all in all.  But again the supposed consequence of Thal's lack of any diplomatic consideration meant Vordul had to have the agency to reject the assumption they would just do as bid. 

3) Finally to my questions:

Where on the forum were the interpretations and implications of the Alliance Bloc outlined?  Is there anything on the wiki?  If so, please would you point them out.  If not would this not be a desirable feature before starting to describe supposed players you believe the best of, of being abusive?

What practically happens if you are in an alliance bloc within size limits, but which then outgrows it?

Are treaties and embassies and diplomatic pledges not captured by an alliance all illegal now?

Despite a very complicated background 5 rulers from 3 realms, Vales, Nova and OS (2 realms switched rulers during the drawn out negotiations) worked strenuously to form a treaty to stop a war going to destruction/leaving a beaten realm in-viable.  Ironically Thal bragged about trying to derail this at least twice, the second as Polar alludes to with scrolls, with zero consideration for OS's fun.  Our treaty basically was a mutual protection pact to allow OS to recover.  NOT accepting this responsibility to help OS back on its feet after the conflicted feelings arising from the war would have been OOC unfair IMHO.  We outgrew the alliance bloc limits while OS was recovering and us still negotiating, but adjusted it to mutual defence against an attacker which is not a full alliance.  Any post war settlement relies on some diplomatic support being lent to the defeated or else someone else will just follow up a 1st successful invasion with a 2nd by a different realm.

How exactly are we supposed to make any sense of favourable relations/histories we cannot fit in an alliance bloc based on this new harsh interpretation?  For my realm we owe existence to Nothoi granting us a city, and built strong Daishi ties.  To ignore their plight a second time would piss on that friendship/history but at various stages we were too big to ally.  Similarly  my realm owe a debt to Ar Agyr, if there are no circumstances that is allowed to be repayed through even defensive action how is that anything other than cutting diplomacy out of the game?

If all these scenarios are simply, well you just have to accept it as a price for the supposed interests of fun that seems to lose a whole dimension from the game for a flawed attempt at balance (as already pointed out an elite aggressive realm can dominate damaged/disunited recovering ones.  In this war Thal managed 100% movement at key moments.  This is not normal nor should it have to be, other armies move as more of an oscillating blob.  But these are players too and you seem to be ignoring or placing a lesser worth on their experiences.)  It does pose a fairly obvious solution.  No one has any allies, simply informal friends/favourites and just reacts diplomacy up when trouble or opportunity presents.  You could even see allies roll in and out to keep pressure on while an enemy got no chance to recover.  Are you saying that is acceptable?  It makes more sense despite obvious flaws/exploits.

The final sickening irony is that after being reached out to in semi reasonable terms (rather than harangued and implied to be cheating) we had been bending over backwards to find workable solutions.  This trusting the players was non existent then and has destroyed my interest in the game.  Rather than pass a !@#$ sandwich with just a bite taken out to my successor I would appreciate some considered answers on the questions posed.  I can do without snide or condescending input.  Thanks for your time.

5

BM General Discussion / Re: OOC power-gaming???

« on: May 11, 2020, 09:34:44 PM »

I have appreciated some of the points you have raise Polar.  I think particularly the imbalance between just basing on regions in the alliance block and the number of players (especially active skilled ones in an established well resourced realm) vs a more sprawling disorganised, new and less well resourced bloc of realms is a very important distinction.  I think others have picked that crucial point out so it was worthwhile from that point of view alone.

The other questionable benefit is it has played a part in provoking a rare bit of input from me.  As will follow.

I think looking for agreement on opinions in forums is generally futile, so if there are a couple of positives/points made you have done alright.

6

BM General Discussion / Re: Whats Going on with Portal Stones

« on: November 18, 2018, 12:08:37 AM »

On a minor technical point it would be useful if the portal stone failure/death message went to all in the region rather than just the individual.  In the middle of an attempted collective RP those remaining had to wait a couple of days to figure out what was going on from a supposed crucial moment.

An unintended consequence of the portal stones changes might create an opposite incentive to what seems to be being encourage.  Namely, if you do find a few portal stones you effectively start an arms race.  If you do not use them and someone else activates a portal, the implication of the last event was you would lose half of them.  Or was that element a one off?

If BT isn't meant to be a bit D&D, or whitewalker influenced if you prefer, then perhaps someone could tell the legions of undead which keep crashing into our walls and sending bored players to experiment with what little variables left they can find?  The main portal stone event which seems to have caused upset was because it was far too powerful.  On BT where mystic happenings are not out of place, more frequent but far less powerful portal events could still be positive as well as meaning people outside the inner circle get a chance to learn about them prior to major daimon events.

Finally to answer your question M-Dan, my impression was you were slightly unlucky but certainly not extremely.  The 1st failed event, we didn't get the outcome we were looking for, partly because you cannot always expect direct results and our request (via an alchemy theme, that gold funds should be boosted as lords/knights were becoming impoverished) was either not deemed worthy, or more likely was simply overtaken by the more pressing narrative of the portal stones being reformed at the very time we were activating them.  The 2nd attempt as you accepted you knew there were risks, so you were only somewhat unlucky.  We learned the death chance certainly is not a negligible one.  I suppose part of your grievance is whether our efforts were always going to be an unrewarded endeavour even if you did avoid the death risk.  That I don't know, and knowing would be useful to managing expectations.

Finally though I will turn it around and say you did not fail and thus were not unlucky after all!?  You drove an RP that definitely engaged 3 of the nobles of my realm and drew in another 4 adventurers from elsewhere along with one mysterious passing tramp.  I understand some disappointment but I and others enjoyed elements of it, and hope you did too at times?  Thus we were successful in one meaningful sense.  We had fun, learnt a tiny bit and added a line of RP we can still pursue.  Cheers.

7

Roleplaying / Re: The Alchemists' Portal

« on: October 09, 2018, 10:45:45 PM »

Ah, the portal stone thing happened locally too.

In these dark days the lights of the portal seem to have only made things darker still right now.  At the moment my only hopes lie with what resembled a flying cow..  Everyone else involved isn't in too great shape to investigate though, except me 

8

Roleplaying / Re: The Alchemists' Portal

« on: October 09, 2018, 07:43:10 PM »

These are probably the last updates I will post unless directed otherwise, in order to keep some of the mystery of the ritual and outcome in character.

I would just add a big thank you to my comrades for their input, and to the dev/mod giving our RP such prompt attention.  In part I posted here so that there would be record of our musings if it took some time to address, so thank you for indulging/humouring us.  I enjoyed it.

9

Roleplaying / Re: The Alchemists' Portal

« on: October 09, 2018, 07:40:03 PM »

Rising Tension

message to everyone in the vicinity of Iato - 1 hour, 22 minutes ago

The steady flickering within the circle has sped up. It changed ever so gradually, so that it was hard to tell it was happening, but at first it was no more than one pulse every five heartbeats, and now it's faster than one every two heartbeats. The violet lightning has been climbing higher, too, rising from the center of the circle to trace an outline in the air. It appears to be a roughly oval shape a couple of meters high, starting a meter above the ground.

Further from the circle, the people of Iato have started noticing something going on as well, beyond the very obvious column of light reaching into the sky. The air has begun to feel heavy, like the air before a storm, and animals all around have begun acting agitated and upset. An ever-growing flock of birds has begun to circle the column of light in the sky.

 
Roleplay from Paul

Message sent to everyone in Iato (3 recipients) - 1 hour, 4 minutes ago

Paul had a bucket in each hand and was staring expectantly into the clouds above.
His eyes darted this way and that...
"Ready everyone! The golds a comin!"
Rufus and Arterius gave the adventurer a disappointed look but even a fool could tell that something was happening and far sooner than anyone had expected.

10

Roleplaying / Re: The Alchemists' Portal

« on: October 09, 2018, 07:35:09 PM »

Roleplay from Arterius Kye

Message sent to everyone in Iato (4 recipients) - 4 hours, 42 minutes ago


As the light begin to fade, Arterius eye's shifted frantically about. Surely something divine was about to happen. Blessed Obeah wouldn't guide mortal man with hints and clues and then do nothing would she? Then for only an eye blink before the light was gone he saw it. Something dark and nearly unidentifiable, just beyond the veil...


Flickers At The Ritual Site

message to everyone in the vicinity of Iato - 2 hours, 37 minutes ago


Over the course of several hours, the initial flare of light dims, but the column reaching into the sky remains. After some time, Arterius notices a faint flicker of light coming from the channels of now-cooling metal connecting the portal stones to the center of the circle. It shimmers and ripples along them from the portal stones, looking like tiny bolts of violet lightning.

As he watches, the flickering seems to settle into a steady rhythm...almost like a heartbeat...

11

Roleplaying / Re: The Alchemists' Portal

« on: October 09, 2018, 07:31:05 PM »

Roleplay from Rufus

Message sent to everyone in Iato (4 recipients) - 8 hours, 14 minutes ago

Rufus the red monk answered the call to assist the alchemists ritual without hesitation.  Seeing the dignitaries struggling with the stones he stepped forwards finding the stones willing to pivot rather than lift if directed towards their proper positions.  As he touched the first stone he felt enfused with some ancient power something he had felt only once before along time ago when he was so close to death.


Shivering he recovered his senses only when the last portal stone was in place but now his other passion gripped him.  The allure of the flames!  As the cauldron and sulfur were ignited he was drawn like a moth entranced by the flames.  Against reason he was compelled to reach out to the portal stone anointed with sulfur and for a moment his hands touched the burning stone – unnaturally captivated by its beauty.  Then his mortal senses caught up with him and he recoiled screaming.  A lesser alchemist eventually came to his aid with water - if only to allow the ceremony to proceed undisturbed.  As the alchemists worked for their obsession with gold Rufus the screaming red monk sobbed in pleasure and pain at the beauty of the flames which could deliver it.


Ever more the monk would occasionally collapse into bouts of screaming agony - scarred body and mind by the burning stone

12

Roleplaying / Re: The Alchemists' Portal

« on: October 09, 2018, 03:17:00 AM »

Roleplay from Arterius Kye

Message sent to everyone in Iato (4 recipients) - just in

The light shot upward into the sky with blinding speed. Even having known such an effect would happen the priest Arterius staggered back a step and reflexively pulled his arms to his eyes. Through force of will he lowered his forearms and peered into the veil of light. Obeah would protect him, he was sure of it, and deliver unto him and the others gathered something. But what was to be seen...

13

Roleplaying / Re: The Alchemists' Portal

« on: October 09, 2018, 02:52:16 AM »

Roleplay from Paul

Message sent to everyone in Iato (4 recipients) - 4 hours, 7 minutes ago

The Cleric Arterius had been teaching Paul the words and sequences from the Ancient Journal all day. Sweat dripped from the adventurers head as he struggled to remember all the knowledge being cascaded to him.
​As darkness descended the only light came from the bubbling cauldrons and the eerie silver glow that was now emitting from the eight portal stones he had helped collect. Now together the stones had developed a life of their own, pulsing and whining, and as the adventurer and the cleric discovered they had become so heavy they were almost impossible to move. At this point the mysterious adventurer Rufus had tried and to his amazement moved the stones with ease. Paul noticed that his previously piercing blue eyes had turned a similar eerie silver as the stones themselves.
​"Begin the ritual" commanded Emperor Ehrich and with the help of the whispered words of advice of the Cleric and the strength of Rufus they began the delicate task of following the ancient words and shifting the stones along lines scratched in the dirt.
​At regular intervals the assembled Alchemists brought small iron dishes containing molten metals which were pored carefully into the grooved lines which the portal stones were pushed along. Those much wiser than him had been working on turning rock to gold for years and the belief was that in their hour of need activating the stones would give them the power to do just that. Each different metal was supposed to chanel the energy of the earth itself to form the gold that could save them. For a moment Paul allowed himself to daydream - his share of the gold would buy him the castle he'd dreamed of, servants too, who'd call him master and a big fancy chariot.......
​A crackle of lightning snapped him out of his trance, and he focussed again on the words Arterius had tought him. The final sequence of movements pushed all the stones together in a pile and as Rufus placed the final stone there was an almighty boom, then silence.


Strange Lights

message to everyone in the vicinity of Iato - 4 hours, 6 minutes ago

A column of light shoots up into the sky from somewhere in Iato, and there is a strange humming sound. Beasts behave bizarrely. Nothing else seems to happen...for now.


Roleplay from Paul

Message sent to everyone in Iato (4 recipients) - 3 hours, 48 minutes ago

Paul dusted himself down then looked apprehensively up to the sky. A huge column of light had engulfed them but as his eyes adjusted to the brightness he was disappointed not to see gold raining from the skies.

14

Roleplaying / Re: The Alchemists' Portal

« on: October 09, 2018, 02:48:24 AM »

Roleplay from Ehrich Weisz

Message sent to everyone in Iato (4 recipients) - 6 hours, 43 minutes ago

The Imperial Alchemists provided eight reagents, the royal metals of Gold and Silver to be placed upon the north facing stones aligned with the constellation of Midas, whose great wisdom and wealth they sought to draw upon.  For the other stones Quicksilver was to be released, mingling with the air to evoke the portal.   Copper and Iron had been dissolved as acid waters to fuel the reaction.  Tin and Lead formed the mainstay of the common metals of the earth to be transformed, represented on different portal stones but also forged into a great cauldron into which the gold would surely flow.  Ready to ignite the final portal stone, brimstone was piled last with trails of sulphur leading to all the other stones and to the cauldron in the centre.

Each of these were positioned, ready for Paul to place the portal stones, flanked by Rufus and Teller to assist with the ceremony.  Before the great cauldron in the centre, a lectern supported the Dazzling Cook Book which illustrated the ritual formation on its centre pages and to which the adventurers would congregate once the stones were in place, to oversee the rituals culmination..

15

Roleplaying / Re: The Alchemists' Portal

« on: October 09, 2018, 02:45:50 AM »

Roleplay from Ehrich Weisz

Message sent to everyone in Iato (4 recipients) - 6 hours, 44 minutes ago


Each of the agents at the ceremony was to represent one of the four core alchemical elements;

Air for Priest Arterius, faithful to his goddess beyond the veil, and the air in which the portal would be realised.

Earth for Paul, who had delved longest into the dark passages of the earth to discover most of the portal stones along with many of the minor alchemy ingredients.

Fire for Rufus, touched by flames many years past and reborn as a roaming monk enthralled by strange and fiery rituals.

Water for Teller, a bard who had travelled across the high seas in search of adventure and fame, and who had discovered the Dazzling Cook Book to be placed at the centre of their ritual.