Yeah, I can always amuse myself at my current job, and my bosses even allow me to read at my desk, which is a bonus.
Anyway, on to some stuff dreamed up while quiet yesterday:
Just a rough drawing of the city districts. An a quick blurb on each:
The Shambles: District where much of the manufacturing in Opal is located. Rendering plants, tanneries, smithies and distilleries all are located here. Points of interest include the Hyrkmirian Embassy, the Shipworks and the Temple to Volund/Rava. Local Tavern: The Rusty Rooster.
Eastfaring: A working-class district where many Shambles workers make their home. Points of interest include the Leatherworker’s Market, the Varranio Glassworks and the Dawn Market. Local tavern: The Glisterbank Brewery.
Central District: One of the original parts of Opal, the Central District still serves as the administrative heart of the city. Points of interest include The Grand Temple of Quetzalcouatl, The Captain’s Guild, and the House of Convocation. Local tavern: The Zephyr’s Kiss.
Old City:: The original hub of habitation in Opal. It is still occupied by many older noble houses. Points of interest include the Carvacchio Amphitheater, the Temple of Gozreh, and the Grand Ducal Palace. Local tavern: The Foc’c’sle.
Driftwood District: The rowdy and rundown docks of Opal. Points of interest include the Broken House Sanitarium, The Temple of the Shark Gods, and Larmer’s Coffee House. Local Tavern: The Purple Siren.
Longreach: A mixture of housing and shops. Points of interest include the Opaline Leaper Bourse, the Palm Brandy Distillery and the Saddlery. Local tavern: The Dragon’s Tooth Inn.
Westfaring:: Mixture of warehouses, middle class housing and college buildings. Points of interest include the University of Opal, Erd’s Antiquities and Oddments and the Temple of Oghma. Local Tavern: The Steel Quill.
Highwatch: Highest point in Opal, Highwatch is where the richest families build their palatial dwellings. Points of interest include the Cloud Ballroom, Gem Boulevard and the Founder’s Hall. Local tavern: The Red Rose.
River District: Warehouses and river docks. Most of the Uplands plantation produce is unloaded here. Points of interest include the River Keep, the Confectionary and Greff’s Jungle Outfitters. Local Tavern: The Levee.
Upper Opal: A collection of higher hills. Merchants and well-to-do captains make their homes here. Points of interest include the Exotic Animal Souk, the Temple of Abadar and Boulevard of Relics. Local Tavern: The Hogshead.
Market District: The commercial heart of Opal. Points of interest include the Opal Explorer’s Guild, the Temple of Cayden Cailean/Ometochtl , and the Opaline Chandlery. Local Tavern: The Golden Perch.
Opal Harbor: Harbor shielded by a large manmade breaker known as Arturo’s Wall. At the edge is a large lighthouse known as The Octogon Light.
I got a new cord for my computer. No more problems I hope. Thanks.
Thanks guys!
I am very happy to breathe life in this setting. There is nothing so intoxicating to a DM to watch his creation unfold and evolve as the players explore it. Glad you are having a good time.
... The Temple of the Shark Gods ...Nice, happy religion, right? Something tells me these are NOT the guys to run to for healing, especially if you're bleeding badly ...
Uhhh no. Their way of making money is basically modeled on the Cosa Nostra business model.
Shark Priest: "That's a fine ship you got there."
Captain: "Thanks mister."
SP: "Be a real shame if you should come to grief out in the open ocean."
C: "Uhh. What do you mean?"
SP: "Lotsa bad stuff out there. Sharks, Sahaguin, hurricanos. A smart captain like you would want to have a few divine prayers said to ward such unfortunate circumstances from occuring, wouldn't you?"
C: <resigned> How much of a donation to get those prayers?"
Basically the Shark Gods are Dajobas and Sekolah. They are considered a mated pair,(Sekolah is female in this sect) and share worship. Any open devotees are feared, but tolerated. Opal makes its living off the sea, and when you do that you try not to piss off any sea gods.
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Hey Pat, here is an interesting Question for you. Well eventually there will be a question after a lot of preamble...
You are incorporating the Gods from many different settings into your own. As you know I am leading Joleesa towards becoming a Shadowdancer. I have a God from my own setting I was creating waaaay back for 2e. His name is Shale and his main Portfolio was Shadows. In my setting he was the main God for one of the countries.
And so my question is this:
If I can 3.5/PFRPGerize Shale would it be possible for you to incorporate some hints about him into the story? Maybe as pictograms on a wall of a Forgotten Temple, or as writings in an old manuscript. This would lead Joleesa to not outright Worship him (he is NE) but to be intrigued by the idea of utilizing Shadows and lead her down the path of Shadowdancing. (Oooo, a Favoured Soul of Shale... interesting). At this stage she will be ready for Shadowdancer at 7th Level (maybe 8th, I haven't fully decided yet as it's a long way off, but 7th is the current goal).
If you say no I won't be offended... it is your World and I certainly don't want to step on your toes when it comes to creating who or what goes into the Setting.
Mornin' Pat! (At least I am assuming it is morning for you?)
What the hell time is it over there anyway. You always seem to be on at this time and I'm just wonderin' what time you generally Post at.
6:16 AM Sunday the 14th here. Oh my God, You're ... from ...the ... FUTURE! <Dramatic music>
As to your spoilered question:
Another Flash:
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Ehhh ... If you look at real world mythology pre-Abrahamic takeover folks with multiple pantheons usually just equivocated when new gods showed up and just assumed they were different aspects of their gods for the culture that worshipped them. The Romans were famous for this, with Jupiter having aspects that tied him to Amon-Re, Wodan, etc. I assume that the 'new' gods the Dragoran refugees brought to Opal are being co-opted slowly by the native pantheon.
I've already worked up a lot of ties between Cayden Cailean and the Aztec diety of alcohol, Two Rabbit/Ometochtli
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I bought this today with my birthday money from my parental units.
I loved this show when I was a kid. I'm hoping my kids will love it too!
Don't know if you remember it but it was about a boy's quest through South American to find the Cities of Gold, ahead of the Spanish Conquistadors.
More info here.
And this may jog your memory.
Cheers
WOW. O.O
Never even knew that existed. I don't think I ever even heard of it!
Sits down to plot how he can convince his wife to buy it for Xmas and watch it with him.
By the way. Joleesa and crew are at Lovethian Howe's room. You gonna ask him any questions? ;)
I loved Mysterious Cities Of Gold, brilliant.
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By the way. Joleesa and crew are at Lovethian Howe's room. You gonna ask him any questions? ;)
I'm thinking at this stage to let Seven Eagle take over. From his rantings earlier both Tobias (I'm asssuming) and myself thought him to be one step short of living in the Sanitarium. Therefore we decided to do the talking. However from here it's his area of expertise and we should probably defer to him (at least until we think he's rambled off into nowhereland (which I'm gonna assume he's not really gonna do).
Check the thread. Larcifer posted that 7E was waiting until you guys started talking.
Pat, one other questions about duels, for future reference: how would my 'smiting' spells be interpreted? I.e., in a standard fight, would they be considered the same as an offensive spell, or 'allowed' since they hold their charge in the weapon itself and rely on an actual hit?
Good question. I would adjucate that as long as the magic is held in the weapon itself no one could really complain. After all, if one combatant had a magic sword it would be allowed. The concept of 'fairness' is a nebulous thing in duelling. Opalines love to watch duels, and they appreciate fighters with flair. Things like BBQing an opponent at a distance, running in and out of range, flying up and dropping alchemical Molotov Cocktails on someone ... these things are never crowd pleasers. Spell duels are a whole 'nother thing, but they are usually rare, as wizards rarely resort to open brawls.
Also, a duel that was fought 'unfairly' may lead to a complaint being sworn out to the local magistrate for 'unlawful use of arcane force during a duel.' While this doesn't happen all that often, why risk ending up a rower on a naval ship for 3-5 years?
Flash:
Just bringing the discussion over here. Got your email. Looks good. Perhaps I will make up a lost city for Shale to have been suzerain over. I imagine he was an ally of Xipe Totec, but more than likely tired of ruling openly and left the Xoltec pantheon at some point.
EDIT: Check your email. There's something in it for you! :)
Flash:
A little elaboration on Shale I worked up, basically tying him to the setting:
During the Second (Xoltec) Age the city of Chichen Tilacahuana Teel-LA-cah-HOO-ana began to venerate Shale as Tilacahuan <The Shadowlord/Striker in the Dark/Black Ocelot>. Shale’s first Xoltec high priest Huezacahotl Hoo-WAYZ-ah-cah-otil substituted Shale veneration for the original Tilacahuan rituals, stealthily murdering the old religious order and proclaiming the shift in the god’s focus openly after years of subterfuge (the original Tilacahuan was a god of clouds and wind). It is rumored that Shale himself assassinated Tilacahuan in the Divine Realms, stripping him of his divine energy and casting his corpse into the Astral Plane. Shale/Tilacahuan came to be worshipped as an ally of Tezcatlipoca, Xipe Totec’s chief lieutenant.
Chichen Tilacahuana became a center for assassins and shadow magicians during the height of the Xoltec Empire. During the Xoltec Civil War many of Chichen Tilacahuana’s citizens favored the rebels, mainly because Tezcatlipoca’s priesthood was high in their councils. When the conflict began, Shale/Tilacahuan decided that he had had enough of the limelight. He withdrew from the conflict at this point and deserted his temple and Chichen Tilacahuana. The city fell to ruin during the Night of Bloody Bones. Some say that Shale/Tilacahuan granted his true worshippers escape from death by refashioning them as eternal shadows that guard the jungle-overgrown ruins of Chichen Tilacahuana to this day. There are rumors of an open portal to the Plane of Shadow somewhere in the Temple of the Eclipse in the heart of Chichen Tilacahuana.
Shale/Tilacahuan is still venerated during the Third (Zapatec) Age in secret temples scattered throughout Mazatil, but he is content to keep a low profile. He is still worshipped fervently by the Black Ocelot Society, a secretive ring of assassins and shadow dancers who claim descent from the Shadowlord’s original priesthood. The Black Ocelots are active in many Mazatil cities, and some say even further afield.
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Flash:
A little elaboration on Shale I worked up, basically tying him to the setting.
That is freakin' awesome!
Got your mail. Read the first couple of paragraphs. Looks good. Are you looking for spelling/grammatical corrections and such, or just an idea of how good the story is and possible changes to make it better?
Hey flash, if you feel like proofing other stuff let me know I have one ready :)
I hte being on the outside of an inside joke...:(
BTW good mornign to you two. I am at work, ahhh Nursing and the night shifts....
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I hte being on the outside of an inside joke...:(
Pat is doing some proof reading of a story I am writing here.
He's just asking me to return the favour.I suppose it's not that funny when you think about it. It just made me laugh.
You can send it on over to me if you like and I'll be happy to take a look at it for you: flash_cxxi@hotmail.com
BTW good morning to you two. I am at work, ahhh Nursing and the night shifts....
I'm in Australia too. It's 8.30pm here. :)
Good morning Larcifer! What inside joke?
Oh and good news! I am most likely getting an air card, so I will be able to access the Internet at work. Now you'll never be rid of me!
<cue maniacal monkey laughter>
Edit: Oh OK. I get it. I can proofread as well, Larcifer. Shoot me a copy to spamreef(aT)hotmail{dOt}com and I'd be happy to look it over.
Sweet guys, i do not get off work until 7am and its 2:36 am right now, I am on my break. Once I am home at 8 am I will send it to the both of you, it is still a rough draft, thanks guys!
Just adding my posting dot!!
I think I mentioned it earlier, but this is my last day for 8 days as well.
So have a great Christmas and Ten Foot will catch up with you all in a week.
Thanks for the input guys. Assuming you folks don't get in anymore duels the next few weeks of posting will mainly be getting ready to travel. There shouldn't be any bloodshed until the New Year.
Davi/Tobias. Just bringing your questions over to the discussion thread:
1. How much does one of those riding dinosaurs cost?
I'd say what you would pay normally for a heavy warhorse. About 400 GP.
2. What effect would breaking a vial of Alchemist's Fire on someone while the two of you are grappling have?
Umm.. Not sure. I just kinda made that up to illustrate a point in duelling (I just reread The Song of Ice and Fire series recently). I would imagine the effects would not be good since GRRM describes it as a highly-unstable magical green napalm substance that can self ignite in the proper circumstances. Brrr.
3. Would being lit on fire require a Concentration check to cast spells if it doesn't deal any damage?
Hmm. I would say if the spellcaster hadn't taken any damage from the hit it's kind of unfair to punish them any further. Anyone with more experience in adjucation of such matters have any input?
2. What effect would breaking a vial of Alchemist's Fire on someone while the two of you are grappling have?Umm.. Not sure. I just kinda made that up to illustrate a point in duelling (I just reread The Song of Ice and Fire series recently). I would imagine the effects would not be good since GRRM describes it as a highly-unstable magical green napalm substance that can self ignite in the proper circumstances. Brrr.
Thanks. I'm only asking because we're probably going to be fighting something with Improved Grab at some point in this adventure. If only the thing grappling me gets hit, I managed to injure the thing. If both of us get hit, it's hurt and holding onto something that's on fire, and I only have a 1/6 chance of getting hurt thanks to my fire resistance. If I'm the only one who gets hit, I'm still going to resist most of the damage and the thing is still holding onto something that's on fire. Of course, this whole plan goes lopsided if the thing has fire resistance or if it drags me underwater, but then I'd be in trouble whether I was on fire or not.
EDIT: This brings up another question: How much damage would grappling something that's on fire cause?
EDIT: This brings up another question: How much damage would grappling something that's on fire cause?
Hmmm. I'll have to think on this one. Using fire resistance as a defensive tool, while ingenious, is kind of gaming the rules a bit. I would imagine that most lower intellegent creatures wouldn't touch you if you were on fire. Intellegent ones would find a way of tossing you in a puddle.
Davi, just thought of another thing when cogitating on your fire resistance/defensive scheme. The fire resistance only holds for your body, so any items you carry would be negatively affected by lighting yourself aflame. Plus you would have to soak yourself in a flammable substance to ignite, which would also cause a lot of collateral damage to your stuff.
Since we are readying to travel (I think) I would say a bit on the river travel.
Travelling the Opal River
The Opal River is the main conduit to reach settlements in the hinterlands of the Uplands. The Opal River is a large body of water that is choked with marine traffic, dinosaurs and the occasional pirate.
Many folks travel via paddlewheel. The most famous paddlewheel boat is the Opaline Queen, a full 150 ft long with several decks and a large sternwheel powered by a Hyrkmirian-designed elemental-powered clockwork engine. Used mostly for bulk transport, the Opaline Queen has several varying levels of passenger staterooms. The passage to Fort Trevins (the paddlewheel's farthest upriver destination) is about four days. Tickets vary depending on the level of passage. Anywhere from 1 GP to 100 GP per trip. Transporting mounts is 5 GP a trip, and 10 GP/ton of goods. These prices assume that the owner is loading/unloading the mounts/goods.
Smaller boats are willing to take on passengers, but these boats are subject to the vagaries of wind, weather and monsters. Also, most can't handle loading mounts like the paddlewheelers can. Assume about a week in travel, barring no calamities. Rates are usually haggled out with the captain.
Riding is also quite common. There is a fairly well-maintained road that leads up into the Uplands, following the Opal River. Riders can find frequent fortified villages with traveller's inns along the banks. Riders do expose themselves to more monsters as they ride, but can travel at their own pace. It's about a week on Leaperback to Fort Trevins from Opal. Riding is free, but entering a village or using an inn can be expensive.
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Since we are readying to travel (I think) I would say a bit on the river travel.
And this poses an interesting dilemma... Joleesa spent the last of her money on Lumien (damn impulse Dinosaur puchases). She has just over 4sp left to her name (hence her desire to find employment when we all met). Someone may have to spot her the Paddleboat fee. Good 'ole Ten, he'd love to loan me some gold from his savings... pay it back with interest. ;)
Evening Flash! No worries. Looks like the games will be shutting down for the most part until 2009. Enjoy your camping and stay clear of the Goannas!
Is their any kind of local pack-dino or animal a little cheaper than a leaper? Something used for carrying gear or pulling carts/wagons?