Hey, posts will continue to be shaky at best for me. I recently dropped most of my games, but I love Eilidh as a character and want to continue to play her. Bear with me.
Well, that was a fairly brutal outage...
Okay, I'm back... sorta. I spent all night driving home, so I don't know what I've got in me. I might pass out for a few hours involuntariy, but since I'm at home in my own bed, that's not a terrible thing. Technically I'm off for a couple more days, but I'm going in to work tomorrow. I know, it's weird, but I love my job.
Edit: what's happening, and when do I get to go?
As far as what's going on, two roses have been picked up, one each by Allie and me. Now just hoping to get outta Dodge intact. ;-)
All ok?
I don't know. I'm sure DMR wouldn't just vanish for no reason. He's been pretty okay about letting us know in the past. Maybe just wait it out?
Agreed.
Ayup.
I've got friends in the military, and the training he mentioned going on reminded me of that. It's possible if that is his job, he got speedily taken somewhere without the time to let us know what was going on. I'm sure he'll show up soon and at least give us word of what is up. He's always been straight with us before, so I hope everything is going well for him.
Absolutely. Plus, doesn't he have a new cohort coming soon? Maybe Mom decided to pick up the leadership feat early.
Also agree. Just want to make sure hat he doesn't think we've forgotten about him because I'm loving this game and especially loving Kassie as a character. Happy to wait as long as necessary!..
Also, I' m at a conference this week in Cairns (tropical Australia) so have plenty to keep me occupied!.... One presentation Today was on the attractiveness of beards!
Okay, I'll bite....
How attractive are beards?
My wife is particularly fond of well trimmed beards. They give the impression of both manliness and refinement. She hasn't allowed me to shave completely since we've been married, but twice for halloween costumes with the provision that I grow again right after.
My wife is not a fan, which is probably just as well, because after about a week and a half I'm usually clawing at my face, scratching.
Ugh. I apologize for the long and unexplained absence. There have been some issues with the pregnancy and I've been spending a lot of time otherwise engaged.
I hate to do this once again, but I do not think I can maintain the speed and involvement this game currently needs. At least not at the moment. Hopefully, things will calm down a little in anywhere from a week to a month or two. I would like to put a hesitant hold until ~09/15/2015 to better evaluate continuation at that time.
My intention is that everything should return to a normal state of hecticness sometime soon and the game will pick up where we left off :(.
Again, many apologies for the long delay. Now to go cancel out of the handful of games I was still in..sigh.
A short-term halt doesn't trouble me; if I hadn't seen you come back from one already, I'd be more worried.
I hope everything's alright with wife and baby. I'll say some prayers for the family.
Take care of yourself and your life. We'll still be here.
A short-term halt doesn't trouble me; if I hadn't seen you come back from one already, I'd be more worried.
I hope everything's alright with wife and baby. I'll say some prayers for the family.
He took my answer...
Seriously, I hope everything goes well. You'll be in my thoughts. Talk to you sooner than later.
Take a break, you've earned it. Take care of those important things, okay?
Sorry for the delay in replying to this,... have been at a conference all week. Take care of yourself Raven,... Kassie will be sticking around ready and eager whenever you're ready to go. Good luck to you and your wife.
In the meantime, how is everybody else? School starts up again for me next Monday, so I'm finally hurtling toward senior year (after about 3 junior years).
Kassie, how was the conference? Did it make the 12-hour long lizard hunts worth it?
Daen, how are you healing up?
Zohruk, how was the family vacation?
Allie, uhh... uh... I got nothing. Don't take it personally. Life good?
Was great, thanks. Hersheypark was fantastic; it had been years since I got my roller coaster mojo working, and, um, wow.. I evem got my older boy (5.5yo) to ride the Comet, after whoch je was hooked. :) We've got another little weekend getaway this weekend, to Cayuga Lake in NY. After that, we brace for the start of the school year (my wife's a teacher, and my older boy starts kindergarten in two weeks, which seems staggeringly impossible, yet here we are).
I'm going to assume the aforementioned senior year is in college. Good luck, man! Whatever it is you're studying, is there a clear path to "life after next May?"
I too hope everyone's doing well. Later on!
Hey, all! Just popping by to let everyone know I started a new job this past Thursday!
Hope everyone else is having a reasonably okay time as well!
Fantastic! Congratulations. I hope it works out well.
Hope you all have a good holiday weekend!
I had a pleasant holiday. This weekend was Irishfest, so that was a lot of fun.
Congrats on the new job! I hope everything is well with everyone else.
Zoh, I definitely forgot to respond to your other questions. It is senior year of college, yes. I'm studying chemical engineering, so while I don't have a specific plan in place yet, I'm not really concerned about likelihood of employment. Mostly it's just taking the time to spruce up the resume, the LinkedIn profile, etc. and applying.
I had a pleasant holiday. This weekend was Irishfest, so that was a lot of fun.
Congrats on the new job! I hope everything is well with everyone else.
Zoh, I definitely forgot to respond to your other questions. It is senior year of college, yes. I'm studying chemical engineering, so while I don't have a specific plan in place yet, I'm not really concerned about likelihood of employment. Mostly it's just taking the time to spruce up the resume, the LinkedIn profile, etc. and applying.
Fantastic, good luck. The weekend here was pleasant enough, now it's back to school for my wife (she's a 5th grade teacher), and my older boy starting kindergarten (so it's been all kinds of changes around our house).
Allie, again, best wishes on the new job.
My youngest daughter started kindergarten yesterday. And the even younger boys are not used to having the house so empty, so they've been a bit grumpy. On Labor Day, I felt a bit betrayed by some old friends acting like jerks. It's probably good we don't hang out much anymore. Other than that, I actually had a really good weekend. I made waffles.
I don't do waffles, really; I just can't ever get them to come out the way I like. But muffins, or pancakes, then you're speaking my language.
Damn. I really meant to post earlier! I haven't forgotten about the game. However, handling full time work plus grad school plus baby classes leaves me with no time. Unfortunately, with a baby on the way I don't see it getting easier in the foreseeable future. I unfortunately have to close this game. Before I go, here is a brief spoiler of where the story was going.
Grimolds dead companions were hired by a sketchy fellow to rob the shadowy figure meeting with Fisk. The man Fisk met with was a necromancer working alongside a pack of wererats and werewolves in the city. They, on the surface, were there to cause havoc and chaos as retribution for Knight of Ozem attacks in the Fangwood (and a more nefarious purpose, see below). This puts suspicion on Fisk.
The Sczarni thugs were hired by thediagruntled wererat leader over a dispute with the necromancer. He wanted them to rough him up a bit.
The lycanthropes used silence scrolls (the ash in the prison) and an invisibility ring to kill the thugs to tie up a loose and because they had seen the human face of the wererat leader. The fire was set by one of their members. The orphan who saw all this and who kassara was looking for was captured by them and is in their lair.
So. How does all that tie to the Bloodstones of Arazni? The true ring leader is a gravelord from Geb sent by the Harlot Queen to retrieve that which can harm her. The Knights were gathering the Bloodstines to attempt a new crusade in order to defeat her and return her bones to a sanctified place. The grave Lord allowed the wererats to send the Sczarni after the necro. He knew the PCs would be there and would see it. He planned to use this to place strong suspicion on Fisk. Fisk was acting on Commander Cerban's orders to pretend to betray the Knigjts. He was spreading false information--which the gravelord knew. He was trying to set the hopefully gullible newbies as patsies.
Back to the orphan and the wererat. The base was an old warehouse. Within were three prisoners. The orphan who could name the face of the wererat leader. A maid who was kidnapped from the Crusader war school. And a knight of ozem.
Maid first. Do you recall the fight on the staircase with Leo? After the fight, one of the maids mentions that a girl didn't come in for her shift. The captured maid is that girl. The wererats impersonate her to steal Comells notes on the Bloodstones.
The kidnapped knight is there as a red herring. He does from exhaustion and poison shortly after being rescued. He is in fact a disguised gravelord. He places more suspicion about not trusting the Knights remaining at the bonewatch.
Remaining? Yes. The commander takes most of the Knights on a mission to Belkzen. Remember those scouts, Zohruk? They found a bloodstone but needed heavy artillery and forces to retrieve it.
Fisk is left in charge. Hopefully this encourages the players to avoid trusting in many of the remaining Knights.
The secret passage Grimold was hired to look at is in fact where the Bloodstones are being kept. The Scorpion suspects someone is out to steal them and is actually hoping to foil it. However, the information leaks as the Scorpions mouth is in fact the wererat leader. Also, somehow, Grimold would find out this information.
Further digging would actually lead players to Dazen and Comell to find out what traps or dangers guard the bloodstones and how to avoid those traps easily.
This all culminates in a massive attack on the Bonewatch from within. Several scrubs have been turned. Undead and lycanthropes inflict chaos everywhere. This would, hopefully, encourage the players to get to the bloodstones and keep them safe. Through details dropped here and there they could easily bypass the bloodstone pprotections. This was all part of the ggravelord's plans. He attacks the players around the bloodstone which reacts and helps them beat him. Upon winning, any player who touches the artifact activates a second power. It grants a gestalt level oof paladin.
The arc would clean up with clearing Fisk. Hhowever, the attack leaves the Bonewatch devastated as many scrubs and knights die. Further, the commanders attack fails and the Knights learn the orcs have a new Warlord who is preparing for a new war. with greatly diminished numbers, the Knights are forced to use scrubs for low level issues. The next arc would deal with that as well as the renewed war with Belkzen as the wall falls and Lastwall daces another crisis. Taldor would maneuver to provide aid with the intention of annexing Lastwall once again.
Damn, sorry to hear it. But it sounds like things are, if busy, at least not catastrophic. So good on that.
I had a blast in the time I was on board with this game. Thanks to everyone for making me feel welcome as a player (whether Zohruk felt welcome, well, that's another story...). If any of you ever find yourself needing a "fourth for bridge", look me up.
DM, the parenting tips that I find/found mattered the most:
1) For God's sake, the one about sleep when the baby sleeps. Do it!
2) This too shall pass. I say that as a mixed message; you can ride out the rough spots, but also try to enjoy the moments as you're in them.
See you in reprints,
Ghorrin Redblade
aka Zohruk
Hey, thanks for everything DMR, this was a fun campaign and I appreciate all the effort and time you've put into it. Work hard, and put first things first. We'll miss you, and we wish you all the best.
If we are doing advice for baby, as a father of four, I've got two words of advice as well.
1) Say no.
2) Don't change your answer because of tears. Ever.
Kids are smart, and they'll figure out how to manipulate the system in your house to the best of their ability. Make them be polite, finish their chores, and take responsibility for their actions as early as possible. Sticking to those guns turns out polite, hardworking, responsible people, of which we are in desperate need in the world at large.
As for the rest of you, it's been a real treat. Ellie, I get to see you a fair bit in our other thread, but for everyone else, it was fun. I'll definitely keep you guys in mind if I am filled with an abundance of opportunity.
FWIW, if you ever put the band back together, I would repeatedly hit myself in the head, Tyler-Durden-style, until I forget everything I read above. Of course, given my awful memory that might not be necessary. :-D
DMR, if you see this, know that this was an excellent game. I've tried to model some of what I'm doing in my Kingmaker after you, and I really enjoyed all the characters here. I'm sorry to see you go, but am also happy for the time we had in the game. Good luck with your baby!
FWIW, if you ever put the band back together, I would repeatedly hit myself in the head, Tyler-Durden-style, until I forget everything I read above. Of course, given my awful memory that might not be necessary. :-D
I do plan to run it again at some point although with refinement. The class rolling had little impact and only served to slow things down. Some fat could be trimmed from how actions occurred each week. A calendar of classes easily available with better tracking of who is going where when on what days ahead of time could make posting overall smoother and quicker.