Reign of Winter (group two) (Inactive)

Game Master Whack-a-Rogue

*Tear of disappointment*

Send it to protect the commoner's retreat.

*shrugs*

How big is the doorway to the hut?

Yay! What a good battle to wake up to. And on my birthday too!

*waves hand causing birthday cupcakes to appear *

Happy biryhday!

*Tear of disappointment*

Send it to protect the commoner's retreat.

As cold as it sounds, we need it to protect ours.

If we fall, the world ends in ice, if they fall, it only them.

This would, sadly, be Vashti's choice.

Ered would agree with Vashti. Right now, the others are expendable, and they understand this risk. We must protect our path to the Hut. The Hut is the key to everything.

Very well.

Agreed.

Looks like everyone's running. Sounds like a plan. I just need to know the final decision regarding the Slaygundam's actions.

Go wreck the witches!

I think the consensus is to have it cover us.

And wreck witches. Every dead witch is a witch that can't be used in the coven.

As much as I will be saddened to see the ol' slaygon go, It is probably for the best.

All HP is restored and all class abilities/spell slots are replenished. You're considered to have had 8hrs of rest + spell prep time.

:O

Didn't expect that!

Thanks, YBD. Hopefully my post won't take things TOO off the rails. :)

Hilariously Death's Heretic points out that those who come into contact with the First World are constantly sexually arroused to the peak. As our protagonists find out the hard way while trying to walk :3

I think this was very appropriate how Ered changed. Hopefully it doesn't break everyone's trust in him.

Heh

Nah it was cool :3

Don't know how it would break anyone's trust. I don't remember any of us making an "okay guys, if we go to an alternate plane of existence absolutely no transforming, promise?" oath or anything.

Since the back half of Book Two marks the point level-wise where the party surpasses real-world upper limits, I figured our journey should take on an appropriately epic scale. We're not playing "Lord of the Rings" anymore. :-)

There are a couple more surprises in store for various party members as we work our way back to our regularly-scheduled programming. ;-)

There are a couple more surprises in store for various party members as we work our way back to our regularly-scheduled programming. ;-)

*Puts train conductor hat on*

No Eggnog Elementals this time. ;-) There may or may not be a tree covered with shiny stuff in the near future, though.

Will he try to pounce Silence in retaliation for last time?

Also, YBD, you mentioned you'll be adding Mythic Ranks to baddies to even them out against us later on, yes?
Legendary Games is about to release RoW-tailored stuff in the near future.

Just saw that post. ;-)

EDIT: And, yes, I've been modifying enemies for quite some time now. It's rare for me to leave a baddie as-written, in fact. Except for that stove. It was annoying enough as-is. ;-)

So, someone did a character rebuild I see. Very nice entry!

Thanks! The Dictator and I have been working on it for quite some time. I was surprised it turned out so well.

And I just got a super big surprise. I've been on the search for a dog to train as my first service dog. Well, I lucked out, and found the perfect dog today. A 12 week old with the perfect temperament, so he came home with me and has been glued to my lap or arms since I met him.

Now I just have to come up with a name and begin training for him.

D'awwww

Yay!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Excellent score ered!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry X-mas!

As a heads up, I will be going camping in a few hours.

There will be no net access where we go, so won't be able to post until Sunday afternoon.

I think that's the case for most of us.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! :-)

Merry Christmas!

Oh, and since I apparently forgot to put it in my gameplay post, thanks YBD!

*glomps*

Have the merryist of merry christmasses all! Do your best to not bedistracted by all the shiny papers.

apropro

and much thanks for the snow globe, I am sure felinerai's will be much more excited about it later. :)

I'll post later. Been really busy with the pup. I promise, I'll get responding.

Okay, I've asked YBD and Sigrun a lot to help me with this and it doesn't appear to be working even after all they've done.

The moment Hila was introduced I should have toned or at least guided Neverhome a little bit better, but instead I let it flow organically, and for the worst. Probably one of the stupidest decisions I've ever made.

I didn't think anything of it at the time when I made him after reading the Irrisen book but that's probably worse in giving him so much hatred towards a whole species, and now I'm stuck playing some piece of s~+% genocidal bigot.

I live in the bible belt, I deal with bigots all day every day. I don't want to play a bigot. I don't want to play a reformed bigot. I don't want to be a bigot.

But now he's so far entrenched in his hate I don't know how to salvage him, short of just retconning everything involving Winter Wolves out of his backstory or just trashing the character.

So I have a question. Is it just the wolves or is it anything Irrisen? Seems he's hard headed, and if need be, I think Ered might be a good one to talk to him.

My understanding is it's predominantly Winter Wolves although Frost Giant hate is also strong. It's tough because this is such a "shades of gray" AP. Ered, Percy, Sigrun, and Hila all have similar stories/experiences. The thing Rysky and I have been struggling with is figuring out how to make Neverhome enjoyable to play without sacrificing the character concept or changing what's already happened.

He hates Jadwiga too but has so far been only wary of Ered since like Neverhome he's a half-Jadwiga.

Unfortunately when Hila came along it just exacerbated everything and I stupidly didn't think anything was wrong it at the time. Now it's grown too deep into him that I don't think I can change his mind without forcefully overwriting him.

For f@$~s sake not even Sigrun was able to sway him.

Out of curiosity, does the fact that Hila's a young child who's outnumbered 9-to-1 if she tries anything make a difference?

To Neverhome? No.

To him it doesn't matter that she's a kid or that she's outnumbered since if she were to turn on the party she could still hurt someone, especially if she did so at a dire moment.

What does he think of Zses?

I think there's no reason to lose the wariness of things that are known to be evil. I think what is important is for him to realize he is hating a child. A child that the group (and his love) has adopted. I think that caution is good, as far as the character, but I wonder if there is a point that he can see that maybe she's different? That she stood against everything she has ever known, as a child, and stayed with us. Protected us.

One thing I noticed is that this hatred of Hila is creating a rift between him and Sigrun. A small one, but one that will grow and gnaw at them both until it is irreparable. Maybe that starts to hit him?

One angle I'd never looked at before was that the hatred will turn him into what he hates most. Is it possible that he could see that?

His distrust of her may be enough to involve Zses and Ered.

Regarding Zses: Neverhome considers Jawdiwga/Witches not only their own thing, but their own distinct species different than humans. Zses he thinks is some sort of Skald or something, and no one has really called him on it yet.

Regarding Hila: I think we're unfortunately past that point. I don't want to make any more rifts or make anyone more uncomfortable so that's why I finally decided to do something about this.

(You'll have to explain the "you are what you hate" angle in dumber terms to me since I don't think Neverhome's hate will turn him into a Winter Wolf)

I think it is sometimes necessary to make a player "executive" decision and have something click for a character even if circumstances don't necessarily force a thing (the "click") to happen. Maybe Ered's transformation gets him to thinking about how things aren't set in stone. Or maybe one of Sigrun's examples keeps nagging at him. For example, the fact that Percy hasn't roasted Zses's liver over the campfire in spite of what he is and what he's done (pursuing her sister without consent) could resonate with Lyosha after the initial out-of-hand dismissal. He could then seek out that someone (it doesn't have to be Percy) and takes their advice to heart.
And presto, the bigotry cracks and a new day dawns. Slowly, sure, but your on the path.
Bigotry and blame are easy RP gold. They are excessively easy to rationalize and tend toward drama, which is fantastic for RP. That makes it a natural way to go, as you've experienced. None of your RP has been bad. Goodness no. Your RP is great! But this transition might not be something the story can force. You might have to nudge him toward the right path as a player and set up the experiences he needs to grow out of his bigotry. I doubt the AP will provide that for you. I've had to deal with that and have had to write in limits for Percy or she would have cursed her sisters Boy Toy by now. Not a good thing for the health of the game, clearly.
I don't think any of your responses have been irrational. I would be wary too except Hila's Halfling provides a trust buffer or a trust by proxy effect for Percy. She trusts Hobbes, therefore she trusts Hila. Is that a mistake? Maybe. Would the betrayal make a great scene to play out. Totally.

(I hope that made sense)

So I'm stuck playing a piece of s@#$ bigot who hopefully, if all the right circumstances are met, might someday turn into a recovering bigot?

If I could make "executive" decisions more often I doubt we would be having this conversation. I don't have that much control over my characters.

No, I don't think you're playing a piece of s*#* bigot. I think you're playing a three dimensional human who had reasons to hate, and is choosing the better path. That's not a bigot or recovering bigot. Ered, initially, planned to kill his mother, but that changed. Anyone can be redeemed into a totally different person, especially in a game like this.

I think you're way too tough on yourself. Even as IC frustrated as I've been with Neverhome, I love the character. He's one of my favorites.

YBD will attest, I almost left the game because I felt useless, but the change in Ered happened.

And as far as the hate angle, I mean that he hates the Wolves for specific reasons, and he's slowly developing those personality characteristics in himself. He just doesn't see it yet.