Restless Cherry Blossom's page

Due to financial considerations, I must cancel all my subscriptions. Please cancel this order if this request is timely, thank you.

I have received this order in the mail, and my checking account shows that the payment has been made, but I still don't see the items in my Digital Content. Has something happened?

Martella Lotheed * stands before you in a private chamber in the cozy cafe the four of you have come to know quite well over the past few weeks. "Wonderful, you're all here, now the fun starts." An impish dimple 'next a crook'd smirk hints at more fun for some than others.

*: pg. 4 War for the Crown Player's Guide

Hi there!

As I mentioned in one of the initial Recruitment posts that there would be some house rules used. Here is where we will discuss them, as well as questions/answers about comfort levels & such. I bring up comfort levels because, as a much more social oriented campaign, this one goes places you don't necessarily associate with D&D/Pathfinder, and I would like to know before hand what people are going to be, or not be comfortable.

In the interests of actually getting this out this time so we can get moving, I am going to keep this brief.

Character Creation:
20 pt buy.
1st level starting
average starting wealth (CRB pg. 140 or check the PRD)
Allowed races: CRB, Aasimar, Changeling, Ganzi (Planar Adventures pg. 234), Tiefling
Allowed Classes/Archetypes: CRB, Advanced Player's Guide, Ultimate Magic, Ultimate Combat, Advanced Class guide, Ultimate Intrigue, Ultimate Wilderness; Pathfinder Player Companion & Campaign Guide at my discretion (Which is to say, if I have a copy & have reviewed it. If you aren't sure, ask.)
PC's choose up to three Traits (one Campaign, required; one non-Campaign, gratis; one non-Campaign with selection of one Drawback from Ultimate Campaign)
If you don't already have the AP Player's Guide for War of the Crown, please download it from here.

Once all of you have posted to here, we will discuss How we want to proceed. I have several house-rules (OK, some house-rules) I wish to present.

Hi there!

For those of you who either haven't played with me before, or didn't bother to check my posting history; I have an unfortunately erratic history with PbP in general, (particularly lately), and a really bad one with running PbP campaigns.

Mostly I am putting that out that so you know what you could well be getting into if you sign on for this little experiment.

That said, I wanna try running a PbP Burning Wheel campaign. As this is Paizo's Website & not the Burning Wheel forums, that may be seen as whimsical to the point of absurdity, but for those of you who know me this should come as no surprise...

"What is Burning Wheel?" You might ask. Well I'm glad you did. Burning Wheel is a skill-focused FRPG, which means instead of 'levelling-up' with the accrual of XP, (Like Pathfinder), you improve your character by improving individual skills at their own pace depending upon personal choice & focused effort.
Character Creation is also much more 'concept-based', rather than 'Class-based'. While your character concept may fall into a particular Archetypical niche (Bruiser, Holy Man/Woman, Wielder of Arcane Forces, Sneaky Git), this has less to do with what Class you chose & more with the choices you make in the course of play, particularly in the game I am intending to run.

Here is the second half of my pitch, You will all be playing Kids to start.

Alrighty then. Here is the rule to start: Only post here if this interests you & you think you can handle a game with an erratic Chronicler & a system with which you may or may not be comfortable. Characters are children who have survived the death of their parents & the effective destruction of their village(s)/homes. Racial Stock available are Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Roden (think Halfling-sized Humanoid rodents), Orcs, Trolls, and Great Wolves (think intelligent, Horse-sized Wolves).
As a further note, while Humans, Roden & Wolves can work out their differences with the other Stock; Elves & Dwarves have severe difficulties dealing with Orcs & Trolls, and vice versa (Largely because all three have a very strong Tolkien-esque vibe to their mechanics. You've been warned.). So the odds are good, if somebody comes to me with an Orc concept & somebody else comes to me with an Elf, I'm likely to chose one or the other, not both.

How old can you be? Early adolescents, just hitting puberty, for the most part. For Humans, that means early teens at the latest. For Orcs, much the same. For Great Wolves, this means you have only experienced one Winter (yes, you are less than two years old). Roden age a bit faster than Humans so you are definitely less than ten years old. Elves & Dwarves will be in their early twenties.

Recently unemployed & I'm having to eliminate all non-vital expenses. Hope to re-subscribe soon.

Thank you, you all have been great.

Please remove Pathfinder Module Ire of the Storm from this Order.

Thank you

Just received my physical copies. Everything is in good shape, but I received two copies of 'We be Goblins Free' instead of one copy & one copy of 'We be Goblins Too'. Are you out of physical copies of 'We be Goblins Too'?

Thanks to this & this & reading the opening scenario for the first adventure in this AP (I promise I put the book on the shelf after & won't touch it 'til we're done Captain Tripps).
A previously undeclared fondness for Classic Westerns got me thinking about the idea of an 'All Halgra's kids' party for Giantslayer. That was about as far as I got, particularly as that Movie plot doesn't bear any resemblance to the first adventure in Giantslayer.
But I still like the idea.

So if you were to play an 'All Halgra's kids' party, how would you do it?

Note, thanks to the Adopted Social trait, just about any race could be considered for one of her 'kids', not just Humans, 1/2 Elves & 1/2 Orcs.

Yesterday someone posted an inquiry about converting the Caliban Monster to a PC race. Unfortunately my search-fu is weak & I am not succeeding in finding it again.

Really should have dotted when I read it, ::sigh::

Would someone be kind enough to find & link it for me? I made a cursory attempt using the Race Builder from the ARG & believe I have something workable, although it is 17+ RP even without the Racial Hit Dice...

Contents of a letter addressed to Antonin Aldori, office of the Lord Mayor, Restov

Toilday, 2nd of Erastus, 4713 Absolom Reckoning.

'Dear Angus,
I've convinced Antonin...
By the way, did any of you Swordlords ever consider that changing your names to 'Aldori' when you were inducted into the order makes it all but a requirement that you be referred to in the familiar?
As I said, I've convinced Antonin to deliver any letters I send with a report to you.

That said, I'm still alive. Granted, that much is obvious, elsewise how would I be sending you this missive?..
The worst I can say about these people is that they really have no idea what they are facing here...
Of course, this is the River Kingdoms, where ignorance will kill you faster than a Daggermark Blade, but at least none of them seem willful or malicious about it.

Master Leveton reminds me of one of those Galtan Patriarchs we used to aid getting his family out from under the Red Revolution, certain that now everything would fall into place & life would return to 'normal'... Exactly what is normal when all you have known your entire life is paranoia, distrust & fear?..
Nevermind the fact that he had simply exchanged one set of dangers for them, dangers he was at least experienced with, for another. Oh well, there are reasons they seldom stay in Liberthane. Gralton's doors are always open they say. Never been there myself.
Can't say that I blame his wife for not being as thrilled to be here; though, to be true, she seems to be growing to it.
Their nephew seems a game enough lad...
Listen to me, if Hadin is younger than I am, it's only by months...
But he hasn't seen battle yet, hasn't seen slaughter. I can tell that much just looking into his eyes. None of them have.
Oh, they're able...
With the exception of the Lady, every man-jack of them knows how to handle a blade well enough. But none of them have stood a line, piss running down their breecks, praying that no one's mettle breaks & the batard's coming in don't make it through to do some real damage. Eh, we were all young once, weren't we?

I mentioned a Lady. As it happens, there are at least three of name in this endeavor. Granted, the Orlovsky knight has little but his spurs to him & I cannot, for the life of me, understand why House Lebeda would allow such an eligible daughter to go wandering unescorted when she could be wed far better to their advantage...
Obviously, she is hiding at least as much as I am. I suspect we will see a notice of some sort in time.
Finally, the expected youngest son. Theod Garess holds himself well. Fairly obvious he has little waiting for him back in Brevoy.

Then there are those who I wonder what they are doing here in the first place. I'm not complaining mind you, simply wondering. Well, granted, why one of the 'half-men' would want to make a name for himself here where the freedoms hold sway is obvious...
Now that I think on it, I wonder what they call themselves? 'Half-men' really sounds a bit insulting if you put some thought to't. I'll ask him next I get the chance, if I get the chance...
I'll tell on that later.
There are four others whose blood runs not-man, or at least 'not-all-man'. Two of the Elf-folk. One's a forester, an able archer from the looks of things. The other...
Keeps to himself so far. Looks as though he might be a Wizard though. There is also a priest of Dreams, his blood looks to hold both man & Elf. Finally, a less-favored soul seems to have a bit of the Hold's in him, we haven't spoke much, he keeps to himself. He hasn't opened his mouth to put his foot in yet, which puts him wiser than at least half of us here, including myself...
Wait! I had forgotten Sir Orlovsky. He acts so like one of the blood I forget that's not all that flows through his veins.
A foreign giant, not really, but taller than me certainly. He's not Ulfen, not Iobarian, not from anywhere I recognize. Perhaps he's Garundi?..
There is a songbird, of course. Wherever there are 'grand endeavors', you'll find those to sing of them.
Mother told me that once...
When you get past the preening, he seems capable enough. He carried his weight yesterday, well enough.

Speaking of yesterday. Those reports you mentioned when you told me about Mother's scheme look to possibly have been understatements. Something's brewing here. Looks like someone 'homespun' might be having the same ideas your friends have been entertaining.
Calls himself the 'Stag Lord' & he's been able to mount a force large enough he feels called upon to field 'tribute' parties a dozen strong. That's never good hereabouts. Honestly, I wasn't certain I'd have the chance to send you this letter, for all that Lord Parsal's mentorship stood me in good stead.
None of us died. Honestly, none of us took wounds serious enough to trouble the priest more than a chant or two, total. Much of that I lay at fortune however. The Bandits had the foul of it to put themselves inadvertently between those of us who had already made ourselves known to Oleg & his, and those who arrived yesterday. I don't expect to see that manner of fortune again in my lifetime.
Unfortunately, matters went from desperately against us, to desperately against them so quickly we were only able to capture one for questioning...
and no one here knows how to interrogate a prisoner.
Fortunately,
and I wonder how long that will last...,
This force left their camp comparatively undefended. Only a handful remain, though it's only a forward camp. Half of us intend to move against them on the morrow. Hopefully, they will have the sense not to kill the leader this time.

Give my regards to Mother, though I know we shall not see each other again, she is long in my thoughts.

I may be imagining this out of whole cloth, but I seem to recall a spell in Pathfinder that gives a magic item intelligence temporarily. I am failing to find reference to such a spell anywhere.

Is my Web-fu weak, or am I delusional?

Due to the seemingly increasing amount of traffic on just this topic over here, and I freely acknowledge that I am as guilty of it as many others; I'm starting this thread to try & move the many discussions going on there over here so we can talk about the original point of that thread there again.

Not certain if that made any sense or not, but going with it anyway. There's beer in the fridge, popcorn in the microwave & plenty of chairs to pull up so let's go!

Mid-Night, 2nd Pharast, 4711 AR

I am so very tired, but if I don't get this down, I have no guarantees I will remember it properly...
Well, today started with a blunder & didn't finish much better. I should have actually read that stupid letter first...

Facts, Yamyra, facts.

Having received a letter from 'Venture Captain' Heidmarch yesterday...
No, it's two days ago now...
I arrived at Heidmarch Manor, also known as Pathfinder Lodge #263, Varisia, on the morning of the first of Pharast. Fancy was with me, of course. At the time I...
assumed the letter was a request for the return of the Lodge's copy of Ipswick's 'On Thassilonian Architecture & Common Dweomers Thereof', which weighs at least a third as much as I do, so it was either Fancy come with & carry the enormous great thing, or hire a porter & I'm not made of coin thank you very much...

Facts, Yamyra, facts...

Not long after my arrival, Miss Carmina Scarnetti, a very nice, though a trifle...
Well, simple young lady, also a Pathfinder, arrived, having also received a letter. Since 'Venture Captain' Heidmarch had requested in the past that I aid miss Scarnetti in acclimating herself to those areas & social strata of the city with which she was unaccustomed, to my mind very nearly all of it...
Well, I concluded that the Venture Captain had an endeavor she wanted an agent for, probably one involving ancient Thassillon, since I hadn't been expecting the Lodge to require the return of the tome in question for a month or more...
Oh wait, before Carmina arrived there was another, one Koriah Azmeren, a full-fledged Pathfinder with several articles in a number of separate Journals under her belt. However immediately upon her arrival the Venture Captain & she secluded themselves in Sh-
In the Venture Captain's private chambers. Which is why I didn't remember that she arrived before Carmina.
Oh I do hope this will be enough to jog my memory in the morning...

Three years ago came the Winter War.

The Weasels, long our enemies, became our bane, as they smashed through our Southwesterly borders.
By the wit, wisdom, and leadership of Gwendolyn, Matriarch of the Mouse Guard; and no small measure of Guardmouse sacrifice & blood, we beat back the Weasel horde, but at great cost.

Our Southwestern border is not what once it was. Several mouse communities were lost, their citizens now homeless, or worse.
The Weasels threaten our borders no more, but in their absence a new danger threatened.
Disgruntled by the 'performance' of the Mouse Guard, various 'free Mice' answered the call of Midnight, to usher in a new era of Mouse dominance, both over other animals, and over other mice.
By the actions of the Guard, Midnight's army was broken at the gates of Lockhaven, the Mouse Guard's home & Sanctuary, but Midnight's poison had spread far & wide among those mice who had grown fat & powerful in their homes, and who saw little need to recognize the efforts of the Guard when it meant letting go their own dreams of empire.

The Winter War is done.
Midnight is banished,
but the Mouse Guard, and by extension all the Mouse Territories, are the least stable they have ever been in several lifetimes.

Are you the mouse to step forward & do what needs to be done?

Below, there will be a series of questions, thinking of your answers to them will guide you through creating your Guardmouse.

The snows have finally melted enough for trade to resume. The Rostland is praying for a better harvest year than last & the Aldori are making noises again.

Word throughout Brevoy is that this is the year Noleski Surtova claims the crown, not just the power. Not two breaths later someone is laying odds on the Orlovski's or the Swordlords rising less than an hour after.
The four of you have more immediate concerns. Some of you want freedom, some of you want a place to call yours, all of you whether you know it or not, will want to know who is really on the other ends of the ties that bind you...

The Place is the free city of Restov, just North of one of the wildest, least explored, most quixotic locale in a region known for wild, unexplored, quixotic locales...
The Date is Toilday, the 23rd of Calistril, 4710 AR in the Age of Lost Omens...
You are the Players...

Here is where we will discuss any specific questions you or I have.

Though for now we will settle for a simple roll call.

I am jumping into the big kids pool & giving a shot at running a Play-by-Post. I really like Kingmaker so that is what I am starting with.

Therefore, I am opening the gates to adventurous souls who have an interest in carving a place for themselves in the anarchic powder-keg that is the River Kingdoms.

Character Creation Guidelines:

Crunch
20-pt buy, all core races & classes.
I have copies of Goblins of Golarion, Orcs of Golarion & Blood of Fiends, consequently I am willing to consider Changelings (described in Pathfinder #43) Goblins, Orcs, and Tieflings as viable player races.
Base Classes from APG and Ultimate Magic, Gunslinger from Ultimate Combat. Not that I dislike Samurai or Ninja, I just don't want them in this game. Note, if you play a Gunslinger or just with firearms, this is an Emerging Guns environment. No starting advanced firearms.
Archetypes will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Traits: You get two traits free, one needs to be a Kingmaker trait from the Kingmaker Player's Guide.

Fluff
Your Background needs to include:
Why you want to take your chances forging a new place for yourself in the 'Wilderness' of the Stolen Lands. This should also include your future goals, they don't have to be detailed but I do want an idea that you have them.
Who you know/who knows you. You didn't grow up in a vacuum, so give me an idea who cares (for good or ill) whether you live or die. I don't need stats on them, but I do want to know: their name, how they relate to you, how you relate to them & a general description of them. You should have at least one friend, one good friend, one acquaintance, some body who would like to see you fail and somebody who would like to see you dead. Yes, this means they need to be separate people.
Note, a strong factor affecting my choices will be spelling/grammar. I realize there are a lot of good role-players out there who don't necessarily have strong skills in those areas (for a number of viable reasons) but A: written English is the medium we are using to interact, and B: it thoroughly throws my ability to immerse if I have to spend an half my time reading your posts just parsing what you are trying to say. The preview button exists for a reason, you don't want to know how many times I use it on my posts.

Kingdom
The Kingdom rules will be used so have an idea what kind of Leadership role you should/want-to take. Have a back-up role as well.

I am holding at four to begin. I am not placing restrictions on Alignment although I will say that I do not accept Chaotic Neutral to be an excuse for poor impulse control. I will take applications from now until Sunday night, May 27th. I will post my choices Monday, May 28th. If I haven't received a response on the Discussion list from a character by Tuesday, May 29th. I will invite the next person on my list. We will discuss ideas/goals until at least Friday, June 1st at which time I will start the ball rolling. Good luck, hope we all have fun!