Welcome, Princes of Amber, to everyone's favorite game show, Character Creation!
Strength! Psyche! Endurance! Warfare! Which will be first?!
Warfare it is! The grand Attribute Auction will begin shortly with the most directly dangerous of the Attributes, directly in control of one's ability with weaponry, skill with tactics of all kinds, and the speed of your reactions!
However, before we begin in earnest and hear any bids, let's learn a little more about our players and the game. Let's have a quick sound off to make sure everyone's still paying attention - please post here using your character's profile (however basic it might be at this point) as soon as possible.
Chaney draws deeply on a cigarette, muttering ":hak: Damn cigs." with a wry smile. "So, you think you know how to fight? Pup, you ain't got no idea what fightin is."
"I have not followed the path of the warrior this cycle."
"Heh. I know a thing or two about fighting, partner. Don't last real long where I come from without knowin' how to handle a pistol and knife."
^ This is truth (and also how we end up with varied Rankings) - but if any of you are unclear on the rules at this point, I would advise maybe holding back on your bidding for the moment, as you very likely don't yet have an accurate measure of how many points you might want to try and hold back for Powers and whatnot. Once I'm sure we're all on board, I'll get to discussing some of the intricacies of how this will all go down - point costs, importance of Attributes, that kind of thing.
Actually, I'll probably start doing that tonight regardless, but either way, I would recommend not bidding if you're not sure about things just yet. On the other hand, if you're feeling confident, go for it; as soon as I've received bids from everyone for Warfare, those initial bids will be finalized and announced, and then the auction will begin.
That statement makes me feel like I should point out there's no need to use OOC in the discussion thread. In point of fact, I would greatly prefer it if we never use it in the Gameplay thread as well. I'd rather any and all ooc chatter and/or mechanics (basically anything that isn't actual roleplaying) be kept out of the Gameplay thread, which is a thing I'll make clear in the Posting Rules section I'll post to the Campaign Info tab later.
I'm gonna wait to send out my first bid until I hear a little more about the points and such, as Viscount K mentioned earlier. In case anyone was still in doubt, I know next to nothing about this system, so yeah. Any more information would be wonderful.
Present, but sending a bid yet.
There is planning to be done.
In case anyone was still in doubt, I know next to nothing about this system, so yeah. Any more information would be wonderful.
The wikipedia article has a section on the auction and some info on the rest
Auction Section
If we do not bid on an attribute, will we know what the rank costs were?
That is, after the bidding is done on an attribute, will we know how many points it will take to purchase, as an example, 3.5 rank?
Or will we have to say 'I want to be 3.5 ranked', and then find out how much it will cost.
Otherwise, if we sit out the first round of bids, will we be able to join the auction or must we wait and buy in after the winner is chosen?
@James After the first opening bid, everything is public. Your bids are known and final, so all the ranks and their bid values are known at the end. The ranks may not be evenly distributed at all so buying in might be painful.
It is a very reasonable strategy to not bid at all, or bid intentionally low, and then buy up to another rank. Its also reasonable to bid crazy high and effectively cut people out of buying up.
Alright, folks, a few new developments.
First, we have a couple new family members added into the mix. omewhat unexpectedly, we got some squeaking in under the original recruitment limit, so it is my pleasure to welcome:
Marjana of the Purple and Gold, The Raven Princess
and
Nikolas of Green and Crimson, He who Walks in Mist.
Second, for anyone who's hankering to get a firmer grasp on the rules, someone was kind enough to post this handy-dandy quick start guide to the original interest thread, and it's pretty thorough on the basics. I would strongly encourage you to take a look at it if you're new to all this, as I won't be recapping all the point breakdown for Powers and Items and the like here. If for some reason you can't look at the pdf, or have questions about any aspect of it, sing out and we'll walk you through it.
That said, I'll be posting in the coming minutes my own quick rundown of how I expect things to go, just to make sure we're all on the same page, as well as a few additional rules we're using that the quick start guide doesn't cover, either because they came from expansions or homebrew.
And finally, that rules spiel I've been promising. Here's how Character Creation goes down.
First,
There are four Attributes that determine an Amberite's ranking in sheer power.
Psyche, determining your mental strength. Psyche is the strength behind all magical Powers and your force of will, particularly in any direct mental combat.
Strength, determining your physical strength. Strength is a measure of the raw power of your muscles, and also your prowess in unarmed combat.
Endurance, determining your raw staying power. Endurance allows Amberites to heal supernaturally quickly, determines their ability to continue to act regardless of punishment, and most importantly, fuels all contests with any other Attribute. If other Attributes are the horsepower, Endurance is the gas.
Warfare, determining your talent in the arts of war. Warfare represents an Amberite's skill with any and all forms of weaponry, and also their sense of tactics both military and personal.
I will be posting about the particular importance of each Attribute as they come up in Auction, but for now, be aware of their basic capabilities.
Each of these Attributes will go through a separate auction, in an order to be determined randomly by me (we're starting with Warfare). Any points bid during an Attribute Auction are permanently spent, regardless of who wins the Dominant Ranking at the end, and relative Rankings will be determined based on points spent. If you make no bid, you will be initially set at Amber rank, with the option to sell that Attribute down further if you so desire, to Chaos or even Human ranking (done at your own risk!).
Steps of the Auction:
1) Initial bids will be sent to me via private message. This bid will be revealed once all players have placed their bid, and initial Rankings will be set.
~Decent strategies, depending on your mindset, include: Making a low bid or no bid to avoid getting yourself caught in the middle, making a mid-range bid to try and secure a Dominant ranking for relatively cheap or to make sure you have a decent spot, and bidding high in an attempt to intimidate other players away from the top spot.
2) Bidding will begin. Any player is allowed to bid, even those who made no bid in the initial bidding. You must bid higher than the current Dominant bid (no bidding somewhere lower to try and eke out a middling ranking). Players are allowed to bid any number, regardless of remaining available points, but beware - any overspending when Character Creation is complete will go into Bad Stuff, which is...well...bad. More on that later.
3) If bidding begins to slow, I will check to make sure if anyone else intends to make another bid. After a reasonable period of time has passed with no further bidding, I will end the Auction and public Rankings will be finalized.
We'll repeat the Auction until all Attributes are finalized. One of the big things to understand about the Auction is the importance of the Dominant ranking. The character in First isn't just a little better than the others, they are truly superior. Just as importantly, they can't be passed up secretly by anyone else, no matter what. In my game, the Dominant ranking can be lost eventually through in-game progression, but the person holding First will still be given ample warning and opportunity to hang on to that rank if they desire to work at keeping it.
Before we move on, though, players will decide if they wish to secretly buy up their Attributes. You can spend points equal to the difference between your rank and the desired rank, which will earn you a Ranking just below the character you buy up to. For instance, let's say Roy has taken second in Strength with 32 points and Chaney has taken fourth with 12 points. Chaney wants to buy up to Roy, so secretly spends another 20 points and effectively achieves rank 2.5. If more than one character has a .5 rank, ties will go (barely) to the person who originally had the higher ranking. The only players who can't buy up are those who have sold down their Attributes to lower than Amber rank.
Second,
Next up, we'll have another auction!
This auction is different from the initial Attribute auction in that there are no rankings, and points are not truly spent unless you actually win the position. Also, all positions will be auctioned off at the same time.
The positions represent major responsibilities for your character and large draws on your time, but at the same time, offer distinctly advantageous powers and servants at your disposal. Any character is capable of claiming one or more of the positions. You are by no means required to bid, and if no PC takes one of the slots, then an NPC will instead take control. The Positions of Power are:
Warden of the Forest of Arden: Primarily charged with keeping the borders of the only land entrance to Amber proper safe, the Warden stands in charge of many lesser rangers and has particular control over comings and goings.
Sheriff of Amber: The Sheriff has the responsibility of keeping the peace within the Golden City. Placed at the head of a sizeable peacekeeping force, the Sheriff maintains a position of authority over the multitudes within Amber's walls.
Captain of the Palace Guard: Within the palace itself, the Captain keeps watch over the royal family and their riches. His small elite force of guards take great pride in their duties, and serve their Captain with utmost loyalty.
Admiral of the North Sea: The Northern Admiral maintains the bulk of Amber's war fleets, keeping the City safe from the occasional raid from out of the northern Shadows and destroying the various monsters of the deep that threaten trade with the Golden Circle.
Admiral of the South Sea: The relatively calm Southern seas require less of a military presence than the North, but the fleet is no less impressive. The Admiral of the South holds mighty political sway, the fat southern lands sending a constant flow of riches to mighty Amber as both tithe and trade.
Third,
Constructs are essentially the bigger, badder cousins of Artifacts. At first glance, constructs seem a whole lot like artifacts or personal shadows, but there are some important differences: First off, building them is a little different. Constructs are powerful creations built into and directly tied into a primal shadow. So you start with that as a basic template. But then, you can start 'imbuing' the construct (free of any point charge) with any power your character already knows (pattern, trump, sorcery, etc.) One example in the book is an observatory powered by Trump, that allows visitors the ability to scry across Shadow. Well, that's great, you say. But kind of limited if I always have to be in that particular shadow to use the construct. Problem solved. For only a few more points, you can create a 'manifestation' of the construct. Something easily transported that serves as a link to the construct and it's power.
So at first glance, constructs seem super-powerful with a minimal point investment. Where's the catch? Well, there are two big ones: First off, one of the differences between constructs and artifacts is that when you spend the points on an artifact, you are permanently tethering that artifact/creature to you. Constructs on the other hand, can very easily be destroyed by someone with enough power, or more likely stolen or subverted. Secondly, constructs directly tap into the very building blocks of the multiverse. As such, they can begin to develop their own personalities and agendas, shaped by the power coursing through them. Inevitably, all constructs will 'go off the reservation', pursuing their own ends, which may or may not be anything you had in mind.
One last trick: Constructs can be built as being SHARED between players. This means divvying up the point cost, but more importantly, it typically means more powers that can be imbued into the construct (one player could put in advanced pattern, another trump, a third sorcery, etc). This is why it comes before purchasing Powers, Artifacts, and Personal Shadows. Of course, that involves putting an awful lot of trust in your siblings...
Fourth,
Otherwise known as: Everything else you need to spend points on! These are mostly covered in the quick start guide (again, ask if you have any questions), although there are a few things in the Shadow Knight expansion book available to players.
Implants: Just like it sounds, these are Artifacts implanted into a character's body. They're essentially items with Transferral properties, and can be anything from a cybernetic eye to a symbiotic parasite to a magical tattoo. You spend points for an Implant the same way you would for an Artifact, with these different abilities: Implant Quality in Owner, costing 10 points, and Implant Power in Owner, costing 15 points. Each Quality or Power must be bought separately. These two abilities are different from Transferral in that they can only impart Powers or Qualities to the original host.
Compelling: Costing 25 points, or 5 additional points if you already have Conjuration. Compelling is the ability to "conjure" feelings, desires, false memories, or other personality changes. It can be combined with Spell Casting or Conjuring artifacts for particular effectiveness, as it ordinarily takes a long period of time to get it rolling effectively. Spell Casting allows you to create the Compelling ahead of time, whereas Conjuring an artifact allows you to transmit a Compelling over an infinite period of time (i.e. 2 Compellings, one to keep the artifact on their person, and the other to convey your actual wishes).
Finally,
At this point, most of the mechanics are ready to rock, and we have a few final things to work out. We'll futz with your backgrounds and relationships, see if anything needs to change based on your final abilities and work out likely connections.
Any questions?
" . . . "
Nikolas watches with a blank expression peering from cousin's face to cousin's face. He plants his feet and slams the butt of his spear to the ground. The black shaft disappears into his cloak. The evidence of his skill at arms a bright crimson spot of Julian's blood at the tip, hardened to a red-tinged diamond point.
His face cracks into a slow smile of confidence.
In a dark room long ago, a young girl lifts a blade that's much too large for her and moves into an awkward stance. Then she begins to move, copying the motions she'd watched the fencing instructor teach his students earlier. Again and again, slowly at first and with more speed and confidence as the hours passed.
Glad to be aboard and happy my full character came across better than my first thoughts.
I think I understand the concepts. I'll send my first bid for Warfare shortly.
So, anyone interested in some pre-existing relationships? From what I can see, I am one of the few established Amberites, historically anyway, but any of us could have met in shadow.
James, Chaney, and Roy, maybe Etzil? I think we at least know our parentage. We might have been introduced at least during our first pattern-walk.
Or does our GM prefer we meet for the first time at the campaign's beginning?
James, Chaney, and Roy, maybe Etzil?
Eztil spent most of his life lost/imprisoned in the hell world you might get if you combined mesoamerican myths like Xibalba with Hellraiser and Earthdawn if the Scourge never ended. He might be stepping into Amber for the first time when the story starts (trying to decide if I should to the secret rank route).
Remotely possible that he met others before he was 16... not sure how secretive his parents were about him. Not sure who his amber parent is (but he definitely has one).
James, Chaney, and Roy, maybe Etzil?Eztil spent most of his life lost/imprisoned in the hell world you might get if you combined mesoamerican myths like Xibalba with Hellraiser and Earthdawn if the Scourge never ended. He might be stepping into Amber for the first time when the story starts (trying to decide if I should to the secret rank route).
Remotely possible that he met others before he was 16... not sure how secretive his parents were about him. Not sure who his amber parent is (but he definitely has one).
Yeah, hence the '?.' I wasn't sure if you had been brought formally to Amber or not. Just seeing if anyone was interested in crafting some background together. Though that looks like it might be hard; it seems most of us spent much of our history isolated. Can't complain; I did the same thing. :)
So, anyone interested in some pre-existing relationships? From what I can see, I am one of the few established Amberites, historically anyway, but any of us could have met in shadow.
James, Chaney, and Roy, maybe Etzil? I think we at least know our parentage. We might have been introduced at least during our first pattern-walk.
Or does our GM prefer we meet for the first time at the campaign's beginning?
Marjana could have met someone in Shadow. She would have concealed her heritage and likely the extent of her abilities, but it would be an interesting twist to meet up again in Amber.
If randomly meeting in infinite Shadow bothers anyone's sense of plausibility, we used to use the following justification, which I don't think was actually official: An Amberite, or other non-Shadow creature, staying in a Shadow makes it more real, which has little effect normally except to make it more likely anyone seeking a similar place in Shadow will wind up there.
Actually that may be closer to canon than I thought at first: That Shadows where Amberites dwell becoming real enough to cast Shadows of their own comes from Corwin's Avalon.
Vincent, feel free to tell me to shut up here. :) It's not like we'd know much of the metaphysics of Shadow in character anyway, unless someone's taking Advanced Pattern or otherwise trying to become an expert.
Victor,
Another more directly background related question: Have I outlived everyone I knew back home? Or are Golden Circle natives longer lived? There are indications even regular non-family Amberites live a long time in the books - Corwin meets servants and others he remembers after hundreds of years in exile, but it's not actually spelled out as far as I know.
Marjana,
Earlier, in recruitment, you professed an interest in archipelagos and/or Arabian night flair. If that is part of her shadow wandering, she may have passed through Mist, Nikolas' shadow of choice for the last century and a half.
She might easily recognize his as a wandering hero legend from there, sort of a cross between Sinbad and Odyssius. It wouldn't be hard to realize he was an Amberite playing, especially considering the feel of reality. At the time, he was making no effort to remain quiet.
Chaney has spent, at minimum, decades in Amber at one point or another. He was raised there and likely will have been around Amber and the Golden Circle for a few years at the start of play. Not a "homebody" but a frequent visitor once he got over his century or so of rebellion.
Some quotes from Chaney.
"My dad's a #$## and my mom's a hag. It's no great wonder I turned out so charming."
"I've bled in the Arena of Cynosure, marched with the Silverlights, killed countless demons of Chaos. I do not weep for blood."
"You remind me of a few guys I've killed, yah?"
(about "Mother") "Yah, she hates it when I call her toots."
Roy might have run into others during his travels or during his time in Amber. I haven't decided exactly how long it's been, but he's spent the last decade at least in Amber, taking a break from traveling around Shadows and soaking in the sights and challenges offered by true reality. I could definitely see him and Chaney being rivals of a sort, since it seems they're both proud of their martial abilities and history.
Victor,
Another more directly background related question: Have I outlived everyone I knew back home? Or are Golden Circle natives longer lived? There are indications even regular non-family Amberites live a long time in the books - Corwin meets servants and others he remembers after hundreds of years in exile, but it's not actually spelled out as far as I know.
(I'm assuming this was for me) Regular Amberites are, at the very least, extremely long-lived. They may not be truly immortal, but as you point out, I don't think it ever comes up, which says to me they are at least ageless enough that you never need to worry about it. I think the physics of the true reality just don't really care about people eventually breaking down.
A few things this evening. First up, I'm really happy to see all the chatter about possible connections. Keep up the good work, and if you need input, sing out. Speaking of which, you're totally correct, Marjana, in that 'random' meetings in Shadow happen more often that anyone expects due to the increased reality of Shadows where Amberites visit (unless they're specifically hiding, of course - then they tend to choose Shadows that area hard to find!).
Also speaking of which, at this point, you are free to choose if you have been in Amber for a little time or not after the summons. There was no command to arrive at a specific date, and you are certainly not the only attendees to the conference, so you can have been in Amber for as long as a month already as one of the first arrivals. This can give even those of you who have spent your lives in Shadow a chance to meet one another.
So far since bringing people further in game, we've heard from 6 of 7 players. Not sure if we're going to hear from Alric/YttriumDervish at this point, but we're going to start moving along as if he's dropped unless we hear from him shortly (helllooooo out there?).
And on that note, I've gotten Warfare bids from everybody but James and YD at this point - James, as soon as we hear from you, we'll begin the first Auction. You have any questions about the rules so far before you make your bid?
I've gotten Warfare bids from everybody but James and YD at this point - James, as soon as we hear from you, we'll begin the first Auction.
Umm, you sent an acknowledgement that you got my bid yesterday.
I did send the PM under the wrong alias (I had Odd John set to default).
*Blink* I am apparently crazy and didn't save my spreadsheet. You are correct, sir!
Are the Elder Amberites still in Amber? Can we describe interactions at all with our Uncles and Aunts?
Plus, has anyone else decided on definitive parentage (as much as anything is definitive in Amber; I guess I mean widely accepted . . .)? Nikolas is a child of Julian; I wonder where I might place my cousins on the family tree.
"...We had stood as allies against a mutual foe I had begun to believe unbeatable. Benedict had proved otherwise that night. Now that I saw it raised against me I was overwhelmed with a sense of my own mortality, which I had never experienced before in this fashion. It was as though a layer had been stripped from the world and I had a sudden, full understanding of death itself."
For the true master of Warfare, there are few surprises. Unbeatable with a blade or on the battlefield, true leaders of men with reflexes of lightning, he who stands first in Warfare is very possibly the most dangerous being in the universe. Who will stand above the pack?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
No Bid: Alric
6th: Eztil, 1 point
5th: James, 3 points
4th: Marjana, 11 points.
3rd: Nikolas, 16 points.
2nd: Roy, 23 points.
1st: Chaney, 57 points.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For the moment, Chaney has the lead by a mile, far outstripping even his closest competition.
Roy, has your time in the Deadlands hardened you to the point of taking down the boy raised in Grimjack's shadow? Marjana, have you trained with Benedict himself in the courts of Amber? Anyone else, is there some unforeseen training yet lurking in your past? Remember, Warfare is far and away the most directly dangerous of Attributes - every Amberite fears the Arms Master.
Are the Elder Amberites still in Amber? Can we describe interactions at all with our Uncles and Aunts?
Plus, has anyone else decided on definitive parentage (as much as anything is definitive in Amber; I guess I mean widely accepted . . .)? Nikolas is a child of Julian; I wonder where I might place my cousins on the family tree.
Nothing's set in stone just yet; even if someone has a specific idea about who their parent might be, we may need to make some adjustments as Character Creation goes on. I encourage everybody to stay fluid for the moment - in my experience, a lot of connections can get forged through the interaction in the Auctions, creation of Constructs, or public revelation of Powers or Items.
As for the Elder Amberites, many are still around, others are not - I'm holding off to reveal who knows what precisely until creation is complete.
Nikolas turned to evaluate each of his cousins in turn. Chaney bore himself with an ease and confidence that spoke of training beyond even what his father forced upon him. Each shift was fluid and controlled. At no time was his balance less than perfect. Nikolas thought that he had placed himself in the most tactically advantageous spot in the room, but in reflection, realized with some concern that Chaney could shift in seconds to obtain superior ground to anyone should the situation become violent. He will be one to watch.
Roy’s fingers danced – not at the handles of the pistols that should be useless but in a way that would have them out and pointed at Nikolas’ center of mass before he could ready an effective attack. A few countermeasures came to mind, but it was likely in a long conflict, bullet would best spear. He too merits a certain wariness.
The girl, Marjana, looked dangerous in her own right – as befits a woman of Amber. Her stance denoted considerable training, but Nikolas observed flaws – places where few would be able to find advantage. Thankfully, Nikolas is one of those few. Never let her achieve surprise . . .
The others, James, Etzil and Alric, they looked competent, but not like competition. What else could they bring? No one survives the courts without a trump up their sleeve.
-I am happy with my bid, I will not be increasing it for now.-
I'm happy with my bid. Not increasing.
---
Eztil looks confident enough, but carries only rudimentary weapons. His dagger is a primitive obsidian prismatic blade with a bone handle. Other than that he carries a modernized Mācuahuitl and bow. While he is respectful of those with more obvious skill with arms, the doesn't show much interest in weapons and warfare.
At this point, we're bidding in the open right? Just posting to the thread.
This will be interesting to watch. Will anyone challenge Chaney's lead?
"I remember you... it's Boy, right? Boy MacErrorin?"
:shots fired:
:P-
"Interesting," Nikolas turns his eyes back to the blustering Chaney. "You are so confident in your abilities that your first action here is to create enemies, not seek allies. I don't presume to speak for our cousin, but I wouldn't rise to such a ham-handed and deliberate insult. A shame your skill at war fails to influence your skill at words."
"You've obviously never been to prison, Nikki. And while you don't 'presume' to speak for the boy, you presume much when addressing me in such a manner." Chaney grins widely "Me an Roy, we got history. Now you're done hiding under your fathers skirts in Arden all these years, you'll learn what's what."
Any posts I'm making at this point are to foment rivalry in bidding and not necessarily 'canon'.
And, in Amber, if you don't hate them, you're probably not related to them :)
Got it 'Last Chance Grimson.' :)
I'm just nudging to see how aggressive my cousins might be and how diplomatic, who Nikolas might be able to work with in common goals, and who might become an obstacle I need to start plotting to work around . . . or through.
I'll wait to roleplay our (first?) meeting after creation is over. Just feeling eager.
Roy laughs at Chaney's comment and lights up a cigarillo. "Careful not to choke yourself by cramming too much wit through your mouth at once, there, Chaney." He takes a drag and frowns, as though considering something. "Then again, your wit's too small an' your mouth's too big for that to happen. Jaw away!" He chuckles and winks. "We all know you could beat me at knives or swords, even guns, Chaney. Question is, you got what it takes to hurt me when it counts?"
Yeah, I'm also just playing here. I figure this is a good chance to start setting up our characters and relationships, but nothing is actually solidly occurring. Also, I'll stick with my bid--much as I'd love Roy to be the best fighter, Chaney's got me outbid. Gotta save some points for my lovely shootin' irons!
Looks like Chaney used the "bid high and shut down the bids" strategy :). 57 points is digging deep even when we get Pattern for free.
I too am looking forward to meeting everyone. In some ways I regret my insular character background but my background writing took me someplace strange after a suggestion by our good GM collided with some of my original ideas.
I very much appreciate all the roleplaying going on here, folks, and consider this a free forum to solidify your character's personality without any consequences. As someone said earlier, anything posted during this phase can safely be considered non-canon unless all players agree without contention that it happened.
And so far the son of Grimjack remains as First in Warfare, his blade the swiftest, his aim the truest, his tactics the finest.
Will anyone challenge his supremacy? Remember, Dominance in Warfare allows for feats as incredible as dodging invisible opponents, cutting down a spellcaster before he speaks even one line of power, or mastering competitive Starcraft 2 in minutes. Where other Attributes can be considered a measure of raw power, Warfare is a measure of skill - and as we know, the Dominant rank is not impeachable by any ordinary effort.
So far, Nikolas, Eztil, and Roy have all allowed their intent to allow Chaney to best them forever on the battlefield. Will they change their minds? Will James stand forth to prove himself? Will Marjana reveal herself as the superior fighter? Or will Alric step from the shadows to claim his rightful place as Master of Arms? Only time will tell!
Sorry everyone, I've been without a PC and didn't think to check anything but my Campaigns.
I'm content with not bidding on this particular attribute, and now that I have a campaign dot, I'll see this and actually participate from here on. Sorry about that!
Marjana smiles at Chaney. "And sometimes it's not wise to boast so loudly. There's always something stronger and it might even be in front of you." She laughs. "A lesson I had to learn more than once in my youth. Even in prison, sometimes it makes sense to walk quietly or even seek allies."
A couple steps takes her to a dominant position in the room that Nikolas had missed and the flaws he had noted vanish with the movement.
-- Since no one else is stepping up: 65 points.
And there we have it! Marjana, in a simply subtle maneuver, reveals herself to the Court and all assembled that she might yet prove to best her newfound brothers in the "manly" arts of the sword.
Will they attempt to prove her wrong?
Absolutely; if nothing else I'll get a picture and name up for the rest of the auction.
Also, apparently Discussion doesn't give a dot, but now I remembered to check and won't forget about this again at any rate.