GM Aest's Wandering Eye Inquisitives: An Eberron Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master Aest

"Yeah, but I didn't put two and two together that was Kaz until you said that!"

You're so cute when you're angry. Did anyone ever tell you that, Zoh?

Zohruk smirks, raising an eyebrow with mock skepticism. "I think Xoriat's gettin' its hooks into you. And watch that talk, Yhrrilka thinks I'm out killing someone tonight."

Okay. I'll wait until tomorrow morning, my time, to update. After that, I'll be moving at the pace the game wants to with regard for my schedule.

Her paladin's death hit the group hard, and I think I wrote my finest song in Kingmaker in response. It was an epic moment. Thank goodness he got better, because Kaz's death hit the players as hard as it did the characters...

That song made me cry. Easily the best game I'm in; top-notch writing from everyone.

Okay! Time for a gameplay post! And I need to figure out how unhinged I want Quill to be...

(Zohruk leans over to Rataji, his voice taking on a slightly flat quality.)

"If they're going to solve this case, they'd better stay..."

(pauses, put on sunglasses)

"...on their toes."

YEEEEEEEAH!

My only regret is that it took me so long to realize that joke was begging to be made.

Rataji grins. "I'm sure they'll make a pointe of it!" Then she pats Zoh's cheek before putting on sunglasses of her own.

"There's 106 posts before the close of Act I, we've got a full carton of popcorn, it's dark -- and we're wearing sunglasses."

(black hat mysteriously appears on Zoh's head out of nowhere)

"Hit it."

I like the trait! I know that you were suggesting it for Bojd, but it could apply just as well to the heckle crew...

Looks okay to me, Bjod.

Great! I'll put it on my sheet.

Out of curiosity GM, have you put any more thought into my proposed shifting change from the interest thread.

I know you said you might consider a penalty for unshifting (deshifting?) but I never got an official decision.

Yeah, let's treat it like Rage, with fatigue for dropping out of it, and see how that plays.

Huh. Selmy, that sounds like a cool mechanic. So you have three party members that can change shape? It's a really interesting make up.

Quill, I love sleeves of many garments! It's my favorite magic item EVER.

___________________________

Rataji grins as she offers a green M&M to Zoh. "And... they're finally off! Think they'll be able to dance their way out of trouble?"

Zohruk takes the M&M, debates whether it's supposed to be a dig at him, shrugs, pops it into his mouth.

"As long as their opposition isn't tutu fearsome, they oughta be fine."

He reaches into his coat, pulls out two bottles, cracks one, offers it to 'Taj. "While they're still cold..."

Shifters can't full-on shapechange. They're basically the forebears of PF's skinwalkers, with an ability to take on a more bestial-looking form.

EDIT: forebears, get it! HAH!!! I kill me...

It is a cool mechanic, unfortunately I just realized as I was working on my crunch I overlooked that I took a shifter trait that boosts a stat I have no bonus in, so I accidentally gimped myself in shifting rounds for lower levels.

Looks like I'll be saving up for some con boosting items.

Quill, I love sleeves of many garments! It's my favorite magic item EVER.

I know, right? It just made sense for Quill to have. Eventually, I'd love to get her glamered armour, but this will do for now.

I'll be far from computers from Friday morning until Monday morning. Please bot me as needed.

Totally digging the image links, by the way; they're awesome!

Thanks. They won't be in every post, but they seemed well-received in my Kingmaker game, so I try to use them when applicable.

Bojd, nothing under the stage but 50 or 60 tanks of water containing drowned Hugh Jackman replicas...

No, no, no. That's where we put the orchestra. Which is composed of, um, 50 or 60 drowned Hugh Jackman replicas.

No, no, no. That's where we put the orchestra. Which is composed of, um, 50 or 60 drowned Hugh Jackman replicas.

ALL THE FAVORITES EVER.

Amazing Coincidental Fact: Fifty Drowned Hugh Jackman Replicas was the name of my band in college. Granted, this was 1988 and no one knew who Hugh Jackman was, but in the end it caught on...

We're the replicas of Jackman
Van Helsing, Wolverine

Like John, George, Paul and Ringo
Floating in a yellow submarine
We're the creepiest things
You all have ever seen

We're the underwater orchestra
(We all play the tambourine)
We're the replicas of Jackman
Van Helsing, Wolverine!

We're the replicas of Jackman

Van Helsing, Wolverine
We're the creepiest things
You all have ever seen
We're the underwater orchestra
(We all play the tambourine)
Like John, George, Paul and Ringo
We live in a yellow submarine!

(Zohruk laughs hard enough to snort his drink through his nose. A bottle of Darguun Stout is NOT a drink with which you want that to happen.)

"Ha-AUUUGH!" (clutches his face in a pained manner)

Bojd, nothing under the stage but 50 or 60 tanks of water containing drowned Hugh Jackman replicas...

I understood that reference!

Thanks. They won't be in every post, but they seemed well-received in my Kingmaker game, so I try to use them when applicable.

Really enjoying it as well.

Okay, this is something I should have done at the very beginning of the game but didn't in my excitement to get things going.

There was some mention of having a somewhat-connected backstory originally, and I was thinking it'd be cool to explore it a bit more, just so the characters are more comfortable with each other. So, with that in mind, I'd like to ask for a bit from each of you over the next couple of days about what the other group members might know about you. This could be experiences you may have shared from before the Last War, personality quirks, passions, etc.

I'd also like to get to know you guys as players a bit better. I don't want or need names, but I'd like to know countries you're in and states if you're in the USA, plus anything you'd like us to know.

I'm Chris, and I'm from western Colorado in the United States of America. I have a bachelors degree in history, and enjoy writing. I'm currently teaching at an elementary school as a teacher's aide while working on my graduate school applications, and hope to become a historian.

Hmm... I'm fine with most everything as far as info goes. I go by Wallace (not my first name but you'll see why in a minute), I live in Missouri in the USA. No degree to mention of but I did electrical engineering the Marines. I'm medically retired from it (I'm also only 30, feel I should mention that because most people assume I'm really old when I say retired). Unfortunately I'm unable to work, but I do still try to challenge my mind with various stuff. I'm trying to Learn Japanese and then German if I can manage the first.

I'm Steve, a 20-something year old guy from New York state on the cusp of becoming a 30-something who has always been an 80-something at heart. I'm a crazy cat lady and and perhaps unsurprisingly into various things often associated with roleplaying games (board games, video games, fantasy novels, bad puns, etc.).

Never went to school, though I'm hoping to finally go this fall, either to study linguistics or anthropology, or maybe not either, the list is ever changing. I don't particularly care what I do I just enjoy learning and being challenged, though I do have a pipe dream of becoming a voice actor one day. Yes, I'm that guy at parties doing accents or weird voices even before the drinks have been poured.

About me: I'm Veronica, but my friends call me Ronnie. I'm a 25 year old Aussie lass with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (majoring in photography, minoring in printmaking) but I'm currently unemployed due to the difficult job market in South Australia. I'm a two-star PFS GM, my favourite class is bard, and my favourite race is samsarans (though I've yet to play a samsaran bard). My hobbies include bookbinding, cross-stitch, reading and writing poetry, and live heavy metal photography - and of course, far too many PBP campaigns.

About Quill: She'd love to be an actor, but didn't have a chance to try her hand before getting caught in the tail end of the war. She loves reading, especially plays and scripts, and sometimes practices lines when she doesn't think anyone's listening. She likes cats, and would love to have one or more as pets, but the others (especially Selmy and Bean) probably have a thing or two to say about a potential feline presence in the building.

She's most comfortable with Jynn, as a fellow changeling, but also has a deep respect for Tavik and Bojd, and their skills at ferreting out truths. She probably isn't terribly comfortable with Selmy, but tries to respect him, and sneaks Bean table scraps from time to time.

The others probably know her as open and friendly, but with a cheeky streak. I'm open to other people's interpretations of the character - might even work a few ideas in!

I'd completely forgotten to focus at all on Selmy, thanks for the reminder Quill!

Selmy is a warrior without a war to fight, and he's the wrong race to be considered a cunning intellectual or a brilliant strategist, no matter his tactical achievments during the war. Coupled with his rough upbringing Selmy is a man who has always felt out of place in the world. He's learned to take advantage of people's misconceptions about Shifters to play the gentle giant or the dumb brute when the situation calls for it, opting to let the world keep thinking he's nothing but clenched fist. Grumpy, critical or just awkward, Selmy walks through life just wanting to find something that makes him feel like he's making a difference.

Despite his personality however, he craves community. Shifters are not lone wolves and he hopes that this new job will bring back his feeling of having a 'pack' that he had while traveling with the Bloodwrought.
And as far as cats Quill, I don't think Selmy would object.

In regards to a connected backstory I think I've come up with a few reasonable explanations as to how Selmy may have met Tavick and Bjod. Quill we've already come up with a vague connection that I think suits our PC's so I figured we could keep that, and Jynn I think it would be nice to have a party member Selmy doesn't already recognize. Especially with their personalities being so different on the surface it could be fun to explore those interactions as two people getting to know each other.

I've been really enjoying reading about you and your characters!

I'm Hilary, a 50 year old librarian with purple hair, two kids and three cats from Minneapolis. I like making up songs on the spur of the moment, bicycling, yoga and aikido. Oh, and wasting way to much time reading your gameplay!

I'm from Canada. I work in education, in my forties. I only PbP, though I used to play regularly, until life commitments made it too complicated.

Bojd spent some years at Morgrave on a House Tharashk scholarship, then went to work at Throne hold.

What most know, is that he's not working for House Tharashk, but he usually changes topic when asked about the details.

One of the few people who knows is Selmy, whom he met during his return trip from Thronehold.

Not sure how he would have known or met the others though.

Jynn would probably know each person as a different person then himself.

He would've found a kindred spirit in Quill once the two shapeshifters figured out what each other was. Quill would probably be the only one who has seen personally his natural look as opposed to his normal assumed look.

Selmy he would have sympathy for and would talk with him about how life was growing up as such but as different people that met him in the tavern for drinks here and there.

As far as Bojd and Tavick, he would find it more then humorous for him to try and trick them here and there and attempts to figure out just how smart they are and if they can figure him out amidst the world of lies and tricks around him.

I think we're mostly supposed to figure out how we've met each others prior to the start of the game, no?

Yeah, that and let everyone know a little bit about how you think your characters might behave. You've been together for a week now, in addition to before the Last War, but I skipped the "getting to know you" scene in favor of increased action.

Ah, ok!

Here is a bit about Bojd:

You don't know about the voices, nobody does. What you know is that Bojd's scholarly hunter mien has eroded a lot after Thronehold. Furthermore, Bojd is now given to absent spells where he seems... distracted.

I'm Mikael, a 29-year old freelancer in Southern California. I'm currently on leave from my Ph.D. program in history (Chris, let's talk!) while I figure out whether I should pursue a different career or if I truly want a life in academia. I'm currently looking for work as a proofreader/copy editor (preferably working in the video game industry) while editing college admissions essays (again, Chris, let's talk, lol). I have two pet rabbits, a major sweet tooth (with miraculously normal blood sugar), and dreams of teaching at Hogwarts. I was also a contestant in RPG Superstar one year; that was fun. ^_^

*

Bojd: Definitely a kindred spirit, but he seems different since coming back from the Last War. We all saw things, but now he's even more hard-boiled than he was before. Sure, he tries to hide it under a slick veneer of gentility, but there's more to him than meets the eye. A lot more. And I'm gonna get to the bottom of it or my name's not Tavick Tarker.

Jynn/Quill: I know they're different people, but with all the shapechanging going on, I have trouble distinguishing between these two. I don't necessarily agree with their methods, but sometimes the only way to get to the truth is to fight deception with deception. They're both also very sweet in their own way; I'm surprised to see that sort of thing since the War. I just wish Jynn would stop trying to mess with me...or is it Quill who keeps doing that? Hmm...

Selmy: He's sharper than he gets credit for, even if a little rough around the edges. I wouldn't be surprised if he's some sort of secret mastermind, but he I think he values his comfort a little too much for an undertaking like that. His parents are sweet people too, though you might not expect it from looking at them. At least they season their food, which is more than I can say for my folks.

Is Tavick still with us?

Hi all.

I'm thinking we may need to replace Tavick. If that's the case, I'd like to open it up to a few players who PM'd me after recruitment was up. However, I'd like to run the idea past you all first. Thoughts?

Sounds good to me.

Might as well give someone else a chance if we have an opening.

I'd like to apologize for the lack of post speed. I wanted to resolve the Tavick situation before continuing.

In other news, I have a fifth player, and it's both one of the people from Recruitment and someone I know from another game. However, he won't be playing that character because it wouldn't fit the party balance. I'll ask him to stop by, but by the time I do, he'll probably have seen this.

Ooooh! Fresh blood! :D

Hi folks, I'm one of the "fresh arms" Aest has warming up in the bullpen. I submitted Tazantahrac (drow slayer) as my original submission, but I'm looking at something else for this time around. Character concept is slow in coming, but I'll be letting Aest know as soon as I've got something.

Hey Aest, I'm stepping down as an understudy -- too many games on my plate. Can you mark my character as inactive?

Hello. There will be no post today.

I just got home from a meeting with all of the literacy paraprofessionals in my school district, as well as about half of the computer paraprofessionals. Due to "budget cuts" (read: the previous superintendent was a big spender, and the new one decided 3000 iPads were more important than staff), every one of those paraprofessionals is losing their job at the end of the year.

Needless to say, I'm unhappy, and will likely begin drinking in the next two hours, once I pick up my mom and some vodka/red bull. I'll be making sub plans so that the other staff doesn't have to deal with me hung over and bitter, but I won't be in much shape to post, I'm afraid.

I've been there and feel your pain. Sorry to hear, take what time you need to vent and destress.

That really sucks...

First up, I'd like to apologize for my sporadic silences. I've been working up to moving house, and the big day was today. We don't have an internet connection yet, and probably won't for several days (though we're working on it). I have a smartphone with a data plan, but 500MB doesn't go far when I'm using it for job-searching as well. However, my mother lives 5 minutes away and I'm welcome there any time, and there's a library within walking distance, so I'll be around.

Please don't write me out of the campaign, as this is temporary. I'll be here, but sporadic. If I'm holding things up, bot me. If there's something Quill would reasonably do that would help the party out of combat, have her do it if I don't get to it first. In combat, she's a pretty standard barbarian, power attacking with her greatsword. However, I'd like her first use of masks to not be a bot post!