The Ninth World Turns - A Numenera PBP (Inactive)

Game Master ATXRedBeard

Large machinations are at work, seeking to disrupt the balance of power that has long kept the lands of the Nine distinct. The rulers are not content with the petty squabbles of their fathers; each is grasping for power and resources to upset the status-quo. Resist or submit, change is coming to The Steadfast. Will you sit passively on the sidelines of history, or will you rise up to claim your place?


51 to 83 of 83 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>

ATXRedBeard wrote:
Mechanus: Please help me by describing in more detail about the caravan journey from Matheunis, The Cold Desert (p.208) to Aian. Feel free to elaborate as you see fit but I am imagining that your sharp mind did not keep you doing drudge work for long, that soon you might’ve begun keeping logs, paying out wages, assisting the caravan boss, etc. If you are trying to keep a low profile, that is fine too. Specifically, please describe and name the caravan boss.

Using some liberal interpretation of stats and powers. All cosmetic.

Is this what you are looking for?

caravan journey:

The sun set was particularly mesmerizing this day; the stones turned from blue to grey as the light dwindled. It was cold again, which was a good thing for Mechanus. No one asked you why you were wearing a hooded cloak when it was cold.
The procession continued toward some destination he knew not nor cared. Aneens, tall and gangly, carried their fair share of the stones and supplies but a lot of people had to walk. Not him though. He got to sit at the edge of the floating platform, his legs dangling a few feet off the ground. And that was fine because he earned that right, given to him by Muur, the caravan master…

He had been walking with the rest of the guards up until a couple of days ago when the platform screeched to a halt. It had tilted to one side, with most of its cargo sliding off to land amidst the blue stones of the Cold Desert. There was only one person who had any idea how to fix the ancient piece of equipment, but it soon became clear that he was not good enough. After a few hours where everyone else was thankful for the break, Muur was furious.
The short man had turned all shades of color as he screamed at the poor man trying to fix the transportation device. Muur commanded respect, well fear more than respect. It was not easy to see why people feared him, but it was easy to see that they did; they all kept their distance from him. So Mechanus also stayed away from the angry man but something whirred inside his head and Mechanus stepped away further from people lest they also hear what was going on.
But images flashed in front of his eyes, of similar floating platforms and schematics and instructions…

The nano approached the platform and took the technician’s tools, who was only too happy to have someone else be the focus of Muur’s anger. Mechanus seemed to look away but was only concentrating on the images in front of his eyes, images no one else could see. With skill he did not know he had, he expertly used the tools at his disposal to fix the platform. In a matter of seconds the platform was humming; in a minute it had regained its horizontal position and was ready to continue the journey. In a couple of minutes, Mechanus had become one of the most valuable persons in the entire caravan…

He smiled at the smooth ride. It was slow going, but he would arrive in style. Wherever they were going.


Oou! I was feeling write-y. This'll be fun to respond to!


Mechanus wrote:
ATXRedBeard wrote:
Mechanus: Please help me by describing in more detail about the caravan journey from Matheunis, The Cold Desert (p.208) to Aian. Feel free to elaborate as you see fit but I am imagining that your sharp mind did not keep you doing drudge work for long, that soon you might’ve begun keeping logs, paying out wages, assisting the caravan boss, etc. If you are trying to keep a low profile, that is fine too. Specifically, please describe and name the caravan boss.

Using some liberal interpretation of stats and powers. All cosmetic.

Is this what you are looking for?

** spoiler omitted **...

Yep! Thanks Mechanus, great description - exceeded my expectations! I appreciate the vivid description of Muur & your own internal thoughts. I feel like I know Mechanus better after having read it!


Here's my short for the prompt as well

Spoiler:
Basai had been assigned to heavy labour today, heavier than usual. The crate shi was moving was marked 'fragile' but so heavy that even shi moved slowly. It almost feels like they're moving a mountain, shi thought as shi bore the brunt of the weight from the crate. It was as tall as a human and nearly as long, comprised of wood reinforced with synth and buckled straps were across each of the faces of the cube. It felt like whatever was inside was also dense enough to break through its container if it shifted suddenly. An ore sample, perhaps? Or some strange device the fleshlings are so fond of... If it was a device, shi was less interested... shi was not very good with the minutae of delicate instruments and it was a seldom occurrence things were either large or robust enough to withstand hir inspections.

The same theories were circulating among the overseers, inspiring them to shout nervously at Basai as shi lumbered slowly along, broad feet sinking into the dirt with each step. Shi was weary and fractured, like shi had been exposed to the temperature extremes of frost shattering. The most recent Harvest had been... thorough and painful. Hir owner had been down to observe, resplendent in posh, tailored clothes as if expecting someone, and had demanded extra gems and ore be extracted. Even the crystals that grew about hir orifice, often too irregular to be worth the handlers' time had been taken. Rough hewn and dull, dust sifted from between the cracks of hir limbs, steam puffing out in random spurts as shi huffed with tiredness. Hir crystals, what were left of them, shimmered deep blues and violets that often greyed out as Basai's mood swung low.

Sydney Mintz hadn't even granted the usual one day recovery buffer... whatever was going on was important enough to risk further injury to his prized living ore. Basai surmised that it was more about the goods than hir comfort. What little shi knew of humans allowed hir to extrapolate from there and guess that these goods, and the people associated with them, were somehow very important to Sydney. The Diruk rumbled thoughtfully as shi shifted the parcel on hir back, eliciting angry shouts from hir overseers. Shi was tough, yes, but the obviously did not realize shi was not the most flexible creature and carrying this big crate was awkward even for hir.

When shi reached the place the crate was to be stored, shi set it down with a big puff of steam and a flicker of positive colours before crouching in the sand. They'd only assigned the one crate thus far and shi fully intended to conserve hir strength. The crate teetered a bit, as if something inside had moved and Basai eyed it curiously. It was obvious that the contents were exotic... and possibly dangerous, given the nervous chattering of the nearby guards. For once their gazes weren't on hir, but the crate and none had chosen to stand near hir.

Whatever this crate was, it had given hir a rare moment of space and peace. Gingerly, shi reached out one rocky hand to touch the surface of the crate but before shi could make contact, a sharp lance struck hir arm, startling hir. Shi hissed a stream of steam, sharp and sudden, as shi reeled back, turning to regard the owner of the lance. That had hurt. “I am not a beast to pull around...” shi rumbled lowly, unimpressed. Shi had long lost hir tolerance of their misunderstanding hir – shi was different, not stupid. Hir crystals flashed orange and red, angry colours, as hir temper flared.

Shi stood then, hands balled into fists, and venting angry spurts of steam. The Diruk stood head and shoulders taller than most humans... an intimidating sight. “Stop pulling me around, direct or ask, not pull.” It was hir last attempt at diplomacy. Around hir, the guards shuffled nervously, gaze flickering between the one of their number unfortunate enough to raise the ire of the Diruk and Basai hirself... shi seldom rebelled but when shi did, things and people suffered significant damage.

Unfortunately, all shi received was a pair of lances deep into hir legs, making hir stumble as they pierced hir armor, causing hir to fall to hir knees. The guard that had impaled hir looked on impassively, “Unless you want one through your chest, I suggest you stop resisting.”

The anger that had gripped hir fled just as quickly as it had risen, leaving the Diruk hurting and tired on the ground. Stubbornly, shi lifted hir head to meet the gaze of the other with the empty sockets of hir 'eyes'. “I will put one in yours some day.” There was a definite derision in hir tone that earned a snerk of disgust from the guard.

“Watch this one. We want no trouble today, these... shipments are important to Lord Mintz. Them over that.” He gestured at Basai then moved on.

Basai remained on the ground a moment before pulling the lances out and setting them beside the crate. Shi could throw them, impale the guards... but they outnumbered hir and shi knew shi wasn't hale enough to fight the whole bunch. Had Syndey imposed such a brutal Harvest deliberately? If it had been routine, shi knew shi would be more able to wade through the fleshlings. Hir mood soured considerably as shi knelt beside the crate, wishing for the company of the handlers who were kind to hir... they patched hir up, sometimes.


Basai the Diruk wrote:

Here's my short for the prompt as well

** spoiler omitted **...

Thanks Basai. I wonder just what could be in the crate? **GM Grin**


xD Indeed!


I stumbled upon your Reddit post today. Here's my disclaimer: I haven't played Numenera, but I am currently reading the rules as I would love to run a game for my RL friends.

Without further ado, here's my application for consideration:

Breona is an Inquisitive Jack who Explores Dark Places.

All the fluff:
Appearance
The most striking thing about Breona is that she's actually hardly striking. In fact, it's easy to overlook her, and that's fine by her. At 5'9" she's tall, and her skin is dusky. Dark ringlets sometimes fall into her brown eyes, but she prefers to keep her head covered with a dark hood, her face always remaining in shadow. There are no obvious numenera on her, but the only time her face lights up is when she discovers new cyphers and oddities. It's easy to forget Breona's presence, and she actively seems to encourage it. She is the dark blur on people's minds, asking for a route to some place mysterious, and then quickly forgotten.

Background
Hailing from the small town of Severro, a community on the Sadara River southeast of Aian, Breona had very little interest in the family trade, ghianche. While her family were no farmers, they had a strong mercantile interest in the product, to ship it upriver to Aian, or as far as the capital. Instead of listening to the teachings of her father, Breona preferred reading about the wonders of the Ninth World and all the magical remnants of fallen civilizations. When she found her first cypher at the age of 12, while digging up something shiny next to a ghianche shack, she knew what she wanted to do. When she pressed the button of the intricate device, and it re-appeared meters away from her, she was hooked. She had to find more of these precious cyphers, learn from them, study the wonders of the world. Lucky for her, her brother Gerrit is a far more attentive merchant-in-training, which actually means her parents do not particularly care what she's doing, as long as the family business is safe.

Personality
Breona might appear shy at first glance, as she is incredibly withdrawn into her studies. However, it is easy to strike up a conversation with her about topics that interest her. She is particularly keen on maps, and will do anything to collect more maps for her collection.

She has a tendency to get impatient when she's bored with something. She will get snippy and walk away, which is often interpreted as rudeness. She doesn't mean to be impolite, but really, is it so hard to be interesting?

The road to Aian

The Ziven family is trying to expand their business by selling ghianche to the Baras Conglomerate, a number of allied merchant houses in Aian. Gerrit Ziven is to present the finest ghianche leaf in the city himself. The young, personable man is eager to work his charms, and his younger sister Breona, at age 19, is similarly eager to roam the streets of Aian. She wants to browse the libraries, visit small map shops, and see a multitude of cyphers to fill her heart with the joy of an explorer.


Breona wrote:

I stumbled upon your Reddit post today. Here's my disclaimer: I haven't played Numenera, but I am currently reading the rules as I would love to run a game for my RL friends.

Without further ado, here's my application for consideration:

Breona is an Inquisitive Jack who Explores Dark Places.

Thanks for your application Breona! I appreciate that you read through the posts and went ahead and created some backstory fluff & got your character to Aian. Here are two oddities, you may choose one of them for your character.

Oddity1: 2d100 ⇒ (18, 32) = 50 Corebook #32 - Small Coin Pouch that holds twice as much as it appears it should

Oddity2: 2d100 ⇒ (68, 54) = 122 Table 2 #54 - A synth torc that makes the wearer so dizzy that its almost impossible to walk a straight line.

Stay tuned for more! Let me know if you have any questions about the process. I will be taking applications through Thursday evening and will post a completed party sheet on Friday.

Also, if you are interested you could write more about the journey to Aian with your brother. You could write about your adventures in the city. Let me know if your brother is meeting with all the merchant lords or only Sidney Mintz, is Mintz the first he has met with or has he been in the city for days? Do you always go along with him or are you only going along on this meeting & why - did your brother think it was going to be special? Was he nervous or excited?

The more we all create about this world, the more engaged we will all feel when we get started. Also, as I am considering players I want to make sure that they are excited about the game & like to write clear descriptions about the actions and motivations of their characters.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I am extremely interested in joining! I know I'm late to the party but I am very familiar with the Cypher System and have watched Numenera play throughs on youtube. I work night's at a hotel and I have been dying for some kind of hobby to keep me from going crazy at night! I promise long and thought out posts! I love the idea of a PbP campaign as I have never been involved in one!

I've created a few characters and wrote a background for my favorite one. This way I can hopefully fill any roll you need! :) (But i'd prefer to play Daks :P)

A Mystical Nano who Wields Power with Precision

A Mystical Nano who Bears a Halo of Fire

A Rugged Jack who Controls Beasts

A Swift Jack who Murders

A Strong Glaive who Wears a Sheen of Ice

A Graceful Glaive who Rides the Lightning (Personal favorite. Think Arcane Archer)

Background: When Daks La'furn was a young boy of about 14, he and his family were traveling from town to town. His father was a merchant and provided for his family by selling goods, and any Numenera they could easily salvage. His father did his best to take care of Dak and his two twin little girls. Their mother had died giving birth to the twins, and Daks' father was to broken hearted to ever find another. He did, however, make a decent living, and they were happy for a time. Until, one night, long after the twins had stopped whispering secrets to one another, and the weight of the day had taken its toll, came a terrible storm. By the time they had stepped out of the small cart they called home, the Espron which pulled it were whipped into a frenzy. His father told Daks to take the girls into a near by cave, which looked to be the remnants of a once mighty ship. Dak rushed his sister inside while his father worked with the Espron to lure them and their home to safety of an overhanging cliff face. But by the time Dak saw what was coming by the faint light of his fathers glow orbs, the cart, the Espron, and his father had been swept away. Pulled apart in so many different directions by non other than the fabled Iron Wind. Of course Daks had herd rumors of the Iron Wind, "but it was just an old wives tale" he thought. "A fairy tale used to keep children from wandering to far from home." But there he stood, facing the chaos of a god, with nothing but his fear and his will to steel himself. He tried to pull the door of the ancient cave shut, but it was old and there was no handle. Looking to his sisters Daks new that he had had no choice, there was no time for anything else. He wrapped his fingers around the cold synth door and pulled with all his might against the strength of the wind, nearly crushing his fingers in the process. Then it happened. The Iron Wind reached the. A pain like he had never experienced in all of his life crashed over him. Where his smashed fingers once where, there was nothing but fire. He could feel his hands being ripped apart over and over again. Through the door it spread, up his fingers and hands it spread, into his arms till he could no longer tell where the pain ended and he began. Lightning reached down like the hand of god and crashed into the ancient ship, rippling through it's once great outer shell and into Daks. He saw the flash, but could not feel it's burn. Blackness followed. He awoke some days later in the arms of his sisters. His throat was dry, and the light burned his eyes. He could hear the chatter of voices. Looking around he saw a small group of nomads who had been using the cave as shelter. When the lightning struck they where able to pull him away and shut the door. "You saved us" said an elderly man with a leg made of synth. The man was bringing him food and drink. He reached out for the cup but reeled at the sight of his own arms. They shone in the sun with a silver, shining pale blue. They moved and felt like flesh, but they looked to be some sort of metal. His mind was racing, but his thirst was stronger, and he reached for the tin cup of water. As his hand grew close sparks jumped and danced from his fingertips against the small cup. Again he pulled back, his hands now shaking from the shock of recent events. His sister took the drink and put it to her brothers lips, and he drank, and he slept. After a few days rest he was able to travel on his own accord. The nomads took Daks and his sisters the White Lake, a small town known for it's exotic turtle eggs. Daks learn the art of the bow and many other ranged weapons by a former noble of Milave named Taruk Saraktus, and to hone his new found electrical powers by a Nano named Sek Tuk. They lived here for four years where before Daks was finally willing to leave his sisters with Maw, and elderly women who had taken them in and treated them like her own children. Daks set out to better himself, and the lives of his sisters, as well as repay Maw and the town of White Lake for taking them in.

Appearance: Coming in at 6.1 he is think and muscular. He looks wound as tight as his bowstring and his eyes are a vibrant pale blue. He's nearly nineteen, but he looks older then his age, and has a fair amount of stubble which looks to be the start of a rugged beard (which doesn't hurt). His most distinctive figure, his metallic forearms (which reach to just short of the elbow, are wrapped in cloth and the wheres thin leather gloves over his hands.
[Here is an idea of how I would imagine him looking. (but sci-fi.)
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/284712007670006580/ ]

Personality: His emotions often control his actions and he is quick to act, but he is tactical and quick thinking. He is always ready with a quick joke and a laugh among his friends, but can be very serious in times of conflict. He is also fiercely loyal and would die for his family. As far as his friends are concerned, he tries his best to help the team and his teammates, even risking self harm. But his place is on the outskirts of the skirmish. He will do his best to stay alive for the sake of his twin sisters.

Combat Style: Leaping around the battle field, Daks is quick on his feet, and always ready with a bolt. He'll shoot his enemies with his lighting charged arrows before they even know he's there, and in the blink of an eye he's gone!


Thank you for applying Jeremy - Please create an Alias for Daks with a complete character profile. I hadn't thought to apply the Rides the Lightning ability to ranged attacks - good idea! Look at the other applicant's profiles for examples on how to do this, or to my own Alias's for Balanders or Center. I am new to PbP myself but have been reading other games and talking with other GMs for the past couple weeks in preparation for this game. Also please read through my Recruitment posts and make a post that explains how Daks has found his way to the city of Aian, where the campaign will begin.

You may choose one of the following oddities for Daks.
Oddity1: 2d100 ⇒ (28, 57) = 85 Table 1, Cloth mask that makes each breath taste like mint
Oddity2: 2d100 ⇒ (58, 43) = 101 Table 2, A porous stone that can be used like soap and has a fresh smell

You might want to check out:
Doomed Hero's Guide to PbP Gaming.
Guide on Applying to Games.


Those guides are interesting. :3 I come from a creative writing background and have been free-form role-playing for years so it's interesting to see the perspective the other way (from live tabletop to play by post with rulesets). Much of the guidelines seem to be the same as what I've experienced, which is comforting.

The speech aspect is different to what I'm used to though, haha. I'll have to keep that in mind.


return to Aian. Need Mechanus approval:

Lo sand had pass time in the Cold desert. It was the first he gone to and not the least. He helped establishing villages to survive at first using his budding nature skill and he repaired their infrastructure when they were broken. He had visit Nihilesh and other notable place of the Desert. He hates how Nihilesh was structured being too much like Aian in their caste-like structure and the living machine. That had not stopped him to stay some time as a worker in the first tier. Surviving in the wilderness is not an easy thing when you start and there nothing wrong to be curious.
He was in the return with his missing leg when he cross road with Mechanus’s Caravan. They were in the return also. Lo Sand propose to trade some Shin and his expertise in the wilderness and repair for a transport. In this time, his mechanical leg was more of a crutch in spite of his repair. It was difficult to move with.

Muur was an acquaintance of his, one of the rare former poor in fact, but he wasn’t ready to accept an invalid. Lo Sand haggles with him using his experience against wild beast and know where to find unfound deposit that Lo Sand wasn’t interested with.
Muur accepted. During the travel, (if Mechanus want) He bond with Mechanus after he repairs the platform. Lo sand was impressed by him. The latter even “repair” the mechanical leg better than Lo. It was like he had a normal leg again. Lo sand found Mechanus shy and maybe afraid of something but ready to help if needed.


@ Basai
Using third-person limited? Yeah I was thinking about that a bit too. As I've been reading through games it makes sense for readability, but It is different from what I am immediately used to. It seems like you - Altha - are already using third-person limited tense in most of your posts.

@ Lo Sand
Thank you for your post.


I've used 3rd Person Limited for as long as I can remember. It's actually jarring for me when people use 1st person in play-by-post roleplays. Haha

I meant more the formatting of speech that's suggested - bold being mindspeech, etc. I've generally ascribed to the <<talk>> style mindspeech from Animorphs because I found it elegant.


Okay, here's some more background info I have written. I have recently written some fic in present tense, so if I slip into that, mea culpa.

I am looking for a fellow player who might have passed through Severro and might have helped Breona with digging up her current prized possession, the Small Coin Pouch that holds twice as much as it appears it should (the oddity I picked).

The journey to Aian:

A mesmerizing glint kept catching Breona's attention. With tilted head, pretending to listen to Gerrit's words, Breona studied the glimmer. Almost dreamily she then moved to studying landmarks around them, from her perch on one of the crates of the riverboat. Her family had chosen the safe route of river travel to transport their most valuable commodity to Aian, which has made this trip leisurely. Boring. This glimmer upon the waters of the river was the first thing that truly caught Breona's attention. Giving up the pretense, she moved forward, to the railing, her brother's voice a droning background sound, with all her attention on the glimmer. Is it a cloud of nanos hovering above the water? The tip of a majestic artifact? A cache of cyphers? It's dark and hidden and fascinating. Gerrit touched her arm, to get her attention, and she swatted him away like a gnat. Instead she kneeled, studied, drew, another map for her collection, another place to return to once this trip to Aian was done with.

---

A week later, and they have arrived in the metropolis. Gerrit had prepared himself properly and knew exactly where they had to go, whereas Breona felt nothing but a sheer sense of being utterly overwhelmed, by sights, sounds, smells. Input overload. Nervously, she tugged at her most valuable possession, her pouch, using it as her anchor. The more nervous she got, the more collected her older brother seemed. His dark hair was neatly slicked down, and he oozed charm, as they went ahead to get rooms at a small inn with the name The Emerald Mug, close to the compound of the Baras Conglomerate. "The merchant's name is Sydney Metz, and we'll deal with him directly. Or rather, I will. I am not sure why mom and dad thought it was a great idea to take you airhead along." There's a degree of fondness that's in Gerrit's words, but also a certain sense of aggravation. He was on his own, not part of Breona's agenda, and he knew it and didn't like it. "Don't run off. You're supposed to add feminine charms to the meeting with Metz tomorrow. As we don't know what he particularly cares for..." He left this open-ended. "And seriously, get rid of that hood tomorrow. Let him see your face, smile, and tell him about our amazing product. The sooner you do that, the sooner we can part ways. That's what you want, don't you?" His smile was toothy and wide, and not 100% honest. He would have to do better than that with Metz tomorrow.

"I don't know...I mean, yes, I would like to stay a while longer. I'm old enough, and..." Breona's voice faltered. She had brought all her belongings along. She was ready to make her place in the world, yet hadn't had the guts to be open about it to her family. "Think mom and dad will be mad?"

Gerrit shrugged expansively and turned towards his room, to leave his sister alone. "Not if you help me sell the product first."

It's a long, sleepless night, full of anxieties, plans made and discarded, and possibilities. So many possibilities, as many as there were numenera in the world.


@Breona - Thanks for fleshing out your backstory. I like Breona's adventurous sensibility and her desire to make maps and explore the wild. It won't be long now before I finalize the group and give everyone time to finish making backstory connections.


I'll finish it all tonight! Should be done by around 1 or 2 EST! (I'm on mobile and won't have my book till then. I have a friend in from out of town so we're out for drinks.) But here's a start on how I arived in Aian! (This is on mobile so it's brief) "I never thought this is what the life if an explorer would be." Dak thought as he swept the inn floor. He had arived in Aian a few weeks early half starved with no shins and down to his last bow string. He had survived off what he could hunt but, as he grew closer to the city hunting became harder. The previous bar boy was run off for stealing the good wine and as luck would have it Daks was looking for a place to stay. So here he was. The grand adventurer. Stuck in a dead end job working for 2 shins a day living in what could be a called a broom closet. This was not the adventure he had set of to have...


I'll also create a few other aliases so that way you can pick what's best for the group.


@ Jeremy - I appreciate your willingness to be flexible with what you play and I am happy to let you deliberate between a few characters - if you look at my aliases I did the same when thinking about applying to another game. But, for the sake of the application please pick the one character that you are most excited to play. Right now I have Daks down as the character I am considering. As long as his profile & info is complete by Friday morning when I wake up then I will be happy to consider your application as completed. I will announce the final party line-up sometime during the day on Friday.


Basai the Diruk wrote:

I've used 3rd Person Limited for as long as I can remember. It's actually jarring for me when people use 1st person in play-by-post roleplays. Haha

I meant more the formatting of speech that's suggested - bold being mindspeech, etc. I've generally ascribed to the <<talk>> style mindspeech from Animorphs because I found it elegant.

I do like the bold formatting for spoken dialogue but I haven't found a way to express inner dialogue that I am super happy with. I will not begin the game by forcing all the players to use any specific formatting, but if we are having any problems with clarity I will insist on some specifics.


ATXRedBeard wrote:
@ Jeremy - I appreciate your willingness to be flexible with what you play and I am happy to let you deliberate between a few characters - if you look at my aliases I did the same when thinking about applying to another game. But, for the sake of the application please pick the one character that you are most excited to play. Right now I have Daks down as the character I am considering. As long as his profile & info is complete by Friday morning when I wake up then I will be happy to consider your application as completed. I will announce the final party line-up sometime during the day on Friday.

That's great! He will be ready with bells on. I appreciate this opportunity. Thanks for putting this whole thing together!


ATXRedBeard wrote:
Basai the Diruk wrote:

I've used 3rd Person Limited for as long as I can remember. It's actually jarring for me when people use 1st person in play-by-post roleplays. Haha

I meant more the formatting of speech that's suggested - bold being mindspeech, etc. I've generally ascribed to the <<talk>> style mindspeech from Animorphs because I found it elegant.

I do like the bold formatting for spoken dialogue but I haven't found a way to express inner dialogue that I am super happy with. I will not begin the game by forcing all the players to use any specific formatting, but if we are having any problems with clarity I will insist on some specifics.

Yeah, we'll all have to adapt to what you like. For example, I like players to write in past tense but most GMs prefer players to write in present tense.

Don't be shy to let us know what you prefer and also remind us because we will forget. :)

Game on!


Hello I never played Numenara but made this character about a year ago for a home campaign that never quite took off. Hope to find him a home here. Sorry for the late entry...

Jay Zin a Swift Jack who Controls Beasts

appearance:
Young and slender Jay Zin has a light complexion and darker features. He is sporting his first beard which is more of a year old 5 o'clock shadow than anything else.

background:
When he was born Jay was orphaned at the Sanctuary of the Eye in the City of Ledon. The caretakers there took him in and raised him teaching him the ways of the Angulan Knights. Less than a year ago he was sent out to learn what he could in the world. He has been travelling south by way of various merchant ships and trading caravans.

personality:
Jay Zin is young and inexperienced. At this stage of the game he is simply traveling to travel and trying to figure out what he as a an Angulan Knight should be doing.

crunch:

Pools:
Might: 10/10 (Edge: 0)
Speed: 14/14 (Edge: 1)
Intellect: 16/16 (Edge: 0)

Skills
Skill: You are trained in Riding Actions
Skill: You are trained in Speed defense Actions.
Skill: You’re trained in initiative actions (to determine who goes first in combat).
Skill: You’re trained in running actions.
Flex Skill: At the beginning of each day, choose one task (other than attacks or defense) on which you will concentrate. For the rest of that day, you’re trained in that task. You can’t use this ability with a skill you’re already trained in to become specialized.
[/spoilers]

Abilities
Pierce (1 Speed point): This is a well-aimed, penetrating ranged attack. You make an attack and inflict 1 additional point of damage if your weapon has a sharp point. Action.

Skill With Defense: Choose one type of defense task in which you are not already trained: Might, Speed, or Intellect. You are trained in defense tasks of that type. Unlike most tricks of the trade, you can select this trick up to three times. Each time you select it, you must

Tier 1: Beast Companion: A level 2 creature of your size or smaller accompanies you and follows your instructions. You and the GM must work out the details of your creature, and you’ll probably make rolls for it in combat or when it takes actions. The beast companion acts on your turn. As a level 2 creature, it has a target number of 6 and a health of 6, and it inflicts 2 points of damage. Its movement is based on its creature type (avian, swimmer, and so on). If your beast companion dies, you can hunt in the wild for 1d6 days to find a new companion. Enabler.

Cypher Use: You can bear two cyphers at a time.

Inability: You’re fast but not necessarily graceful. The difficulty of any task involving balance is increased by one step.

Equipment

Starting Equipment: You start with clothing, two weapons, light armor, an explorer’s pack, a pack of light tools, two cyphers (chosen for you by the GM), one oddity (chosen by the GM), and 8 shins. Before selecting your weapons, armor, and other gear, you might want to wait until after you’ve chosen your tricks of the trade, descriptor, and focus.

Additional Equipment: You have three days’ worth of food for your beast companion, plus a harness, collar, or similar accouterment.
Other Details
Connection: Pick one other PC. That character seems to disturb your creatures in a way that you can’t explain. You know that you must keep your animals away from him if possible, or you might lose control of them. Additional Equipment: You have three days’ worth


Thought it would be fun to explore the Angulan Knight angle.
Prologue:

Jay Zin ran to the entrance ramp to the Sanctuary of the Eye as quickly as he could with his xi-drake lazily flying behind him. Ten minutes ago he had been asleep in his bunk dreaming about a warm miskin Pie with a bleren glaze on top. His stomach rumbled just thinking of the epicurean inspired dream. He' hadn't had time to grab breakfast. The directions from the young runner were for him to get up and head to the South entrance ramp as quickly as he could and be ready to travel. Early in his days long before he had passed the Sacred rights that made him a devotee of the angulan knights he had learned that when you were summoned you didn't take your time for any reason. You came immediately.
In a single leap and two weak flaps of its wings Azzuretta, Jay Zin's xi-drake and best friend in the world, managed to quickly pass the near 16 year old and land 20 feet ahead of him looking back at him with a look on its face seeming to display impatience with his slow progress.
"Look you scaled leather Kite, not all of us can fly like you and, it's impolite for you to show off like that." He could hear the slight chirp that passed for a laugh with the xi-drake. They were unable to speak but it is a fool who underestimated the intellegence of the dragons. This particular xi-drake had a bluer hue than many of those of her species.
So girl what do you think it is this time. A training mission? I hope it's not just another errand to town. Maybe I get to go on patrol. Azzuretta just shook her head a sign of annoyance between her and Jay Zin. Oh we don't even have time to talk for one second. It's always work with you. Lets get to the next mission. You never want to have any fun. He had been slowly turning towards her as he had approached her and turned away from her to continue on down the hallway when the great beast took a powerful leap, landing on his back, sending Jay Zin to the ground and with a single pump of her 9 foot wingspan propelled herself 10 feet down the hallway turning as she landed to admire her handy work.
Slowly getting up and dusting himself off Jay Zin pretended to be angry... Now you want to joke. You can't just let me have the last word can you. Her only response was a shake of her long serpentine neck and a soft chirping sound.
.........

At the Entrence ramp Grand Knight Clare't Mon stood solemnly waiting for Jay Zin. He was looking at some random device attached to the back of his hand. Jay Zin had always wondered what it was but could never figure out the readout and had never felt comfortable asking the elderly veteran about any of his personal affairs.
With a twinkle in his eye the elder man began his favorite game. "There you are lad. It's been twenty minutes since I sent word for you to report. Did you stop for an early morning Repast." Jay Zin knew from experience that silence to a direct question from a superior in the order was unacceptable. He also knew he had done nothing wrong but that wouldn't stop The Grand Knight from taking him to task. Innocence was not a concept that seemed to hold much meaning in The Sanctuary of the Eye. Jay Zin new his only chance to avoid a tongue lashing was to make the old man laugh.
"Sir... I was taking Breakfast in bed with your mother when the summons came. It seemed like it would be rude to just leave her."
The old man took a stern look but Jay Zin knew he had played the situation correctly. With any of the other Grand Knights he would never have dared such a comment, but Clare't Mon wasn't any of the other Grand Knights. "Oh is that so. You do realize my mother has been dead for the better part of fourty years... I hardly think she would have noticed one way or the other if you had left. For that matter with a sword as small as the one in your pants I doubt she would have noticed if you had left in mid couitus even when she had been alive." Then the old man laughed at his own joke.

"Ah you were always one of my favorites Jay... always knew how to take a joke on the chin. With some of these new recruits if you so much as look at them they start crying. At any rate I volunteered to give you this mission. You see Lad this is your Graduation. it's been ten days Since you were knighted as red devotee and it's been decided that it's time for you to head out and begin questing."

Jay Zin's heart dropped into his stomach. He took a look out the door. He had passed through it many times but he had always known he would be comming back the same day or in a few days at most. Questing would mean that he wasn't expected to come back with out being able to report a deed or accomplishment of some sort. He would no longer be here where it was safe but out in the world combatting the evils of the unnatural.

"I'm not ready....
"You're ready... you've passed all the tests and have shown yourself to be quite skilled."
But Jang is a better fighter and Lia'Dian is a better mage. I'm not as good as...
"You're more skilled then those two fools put together. You're resourceful and quick. Your strong enough to beat Lia'Dian in a martial fight, and smart enough to defeat Jang while avoiding the use of brute force. You'll adapt to the things that you see out there better than most knights do.
But Azzuretta isn't even big enough to carry me yet...
"She'll Grow."
But I have so much more to learn...
"Everything you Need to know you already learned from us, and out there you will learn so much more. "
"but...."
" Look boy this is the way of the Angulan Knights. If we all just sat around and waited till we felt like we were ready than nothing would ever get done. The mortality rate might be a little bit lower at first but in the long run without us out on the front lines protecting Midgard humanity would come to a crashing stop. It's happened before but it's not going to happen again. Not on our watch. You're ready lad and you're not going to get any more ready here. It's time to go out and take your place defending Midgard with your brothers and sister in the order. Staying here would be more comfortable for you, but being too comfortable has lead more than one knight to ruin, and You Lad are to smart for that."

With a purposeful bump Azzuretta butted Jaye Zin in the back and with a powerful leap jumped into the sky.

Grand Knight Clare't Mon smiled... "You better get going boy... Looks like your xi-drake is leaving you behind...."


@ Jay - I like the character, I can tell you have put some thought into him. Since we are approaching the last few hours of the application process I understand it is asking a bit much, but it would help me to know that you are interested in this specific game if you could give me a travel vignette or two of Jay Zin and Azurette making their way down to Aian. Presume that you have a lead that is taking you to the area. If your character is chosen we can work on the details of that lead. I would also like to read your impression of arriving at the city of Aian. For inspiration look to the campaign details where I have posted my "Traveller's Log." I know that you might not have time to put a fine polish on everything, but even a few quick images would suffice to let me know that you are willing to commit to this game setting. Thanks for applying, I look forward to reading more of your stuff.


Good luck to everybody.


Jeremy here! Daks is finished!


just woke up... Will have something up within an hour...


My apologies took a little more than an hour but I did have fun... forgive the lack of editing and polish... who knows how many spelling errors and run-on sentences are in there.

Entry 1:

Jay Zin sat on the deck of the fast moving ship watching the waves slip by unimaginably fast. He was headed to Qi... one of the largest and richest cities in the whole entirety of the steadfast. He looked up into the bright sky and saw a single cloud off in the distance it was a strange greenish hue and shaped like a tower. It didn't move in the same way as other clouds but it would not belong before their ship had moved beyond it. Their captain apparently had been saved by an Angulan Knight when he was younger and allowed Jay free passage on the ship. He said it would take less than two weeks for the his ship "The Falcoln" to make what he called the Kaparin run.

The boat itself was a marvel. The water in the front seemed to atomize flow under the ship as steam and reconstitude itself in a powerful jet of cooled water. The whole first day Jay had been scared to even approach the side of the boat after having been told that if he fell under he would be steamed and cooked in less than a second. Even if he somehow cleared the steam trough under the boat the speeds at which the boat traveled in open water would make it nearly impossible for them to find him.

Jay Zin was sitting back watching the strange greenish cloud shift colors into more of the purple range of the visible spectrum as Azzuretta landed on the deck next to him. She shook her head and nearly collaped as she placed it in his lap. He could tell she was exhausted.

you stupid kite... this ship is too fast for even you to keep up with for very long.... 5 minutes in the air and your worn out just trying to get back. Don't worry in a few days we will be in Qi and be able to see how the people of Draolis live. The captain says we will be there for two nights before we hop over to Iscobal.

Jay Zin leaned his head back listening to the quiet thrumm that seemed to resonate through the Synth shell of the entire ship.

Entry 2:

Qi was a fascinating place. The balloon ride from the harbor to the Durkhal had been particularly fascinating to Jay. The entire city had been layed out before him like a map on a table. The only thing that had not looked like it was a tiny toy was the Durkhal, home to "The Order of Truth". More than one priest had recognized him as an "Angulan Knight" here and he even had a dinner date with a kindly old priest who had beamed at him when he found out he had been questing for only a few days. The Priest had been immpressed by his ability to travel so far so fast and had wanted a closer look at Azzuretta. Dinner had been the finest fare that Jay Zin had ever had. At one point the young knight had even wondered why the "Angulan Knights" didn't have a closer relationship with "The Order of Truth".

During the walk back to the harbor Jay Zin had been appalled by the conditions of those living on the outskirts of the Enourmous City. He and Azzuretta had even foiled a roberry attempt. Apparently having the bearing of an "Angulan Knight" and the companionship of a Xi-Drake had been enough to ward off the attacker. The man who Jay unwittingly had saved begged him to help him get home. Twenty minutes of walking later Jay Zin was leaving the man at his home with a few coins pressed into his hands. Here he was in the Shadow of the home of the great Order of Truth and there was so much poverty and crime. Just being a Knight had been the difference to make this place better, That moment solidified to Jay Zin why the Angulan Knights could never work directly for the Order.

Entry 3:

Jay Zin was sitting in his customaryspot on the falcoln, its hull thrumming away under him. It always amazed him how little wind the ship threw up as it flew across the surface of the ocean. He had been told that a wind vortice was being created by the ship whuich meant that basically they were in the eye of a storm. Azzuretta landed on the deck next to him obviously wanting to be grounded before the ship got to fast for her to catch up. The last trip that experience had been a bit of an ordeal. Don't worry girl, The captain says the trip to Mulen should take 3 or 4 hours. Barely enough time to get the ship up to full speed before he needs to start slowing it down again.

Entry 4:

Mulen's Crstal Towers were an amazing sight to behold. The way the sun bounced between the facets of the building had been breathtaking. Apperently there was a whole catacombs of warrens and underground homes beneath the ground there but Jay Zin knew he didn't have the time to examine and seach through any of that. Just sight seeing the Crystals had been enought for him here.

Entry 5:

The Trip from Rachar to Mulen had been uneventful and now Jay Zin walked the strange streets. So much of what this city was allowed Jay Zin to understand what the Order of Truth was trying to do. The buildings here were all strange and old. Many had never been explored and some were simply considered too dangerous to enter. A strange place to build ones life. Your house next door to who knows wahat in a condemned building. Jay Zin had asked one of the watch members if he could go upto the platform above. The man took one look at Azzuretta and said he didn't think it would be a problem. He had been smiling and smirking when he had introduced Jay Zin to the gravity Manipulating Mutant Baurn. There hadn't been allot of talk between the two but the Mutant had not been rude.

Jay Zin found himself back on the deck of the ship headed to Kaparin wondering about the Angulan Knights charge to preserve humanity. Mutants represented so much of what they were supposed to be trying to stop. But here was one serving the needs of humanity. He had obviously been no threat to humankind. All of Jay's training had welled up in him telling him that this represented the enemy... but he knew that wasn't true here. He would need to spend some time thinking on it.

Entry 6:

Jay Zin found himself in The Red Fleet Museum. He knid of laughed at how similar the feel and structuree had felt to him. Like "The Sanctuary of The Eye" the RFM as the locals called the Museum was filled with old men showing off trophies of days when they had been out accomplishing more and doing things themselve. Jay Zin had spent less than an hour there before he left knowing that he didn't want to look at the accomplishments of others. He wanted Accomplisments of his own. He went in search of some way to get away from the ocean. He wanted to go somewhere that was different from Ledon where he had grown up and it had been apparent to him to find that he would need to leave the relatively wealthy coastal cities behind. It Wasn't long before a merchant headed to Glavis, Orila, and then Rarmon had offered him free food and lodgings where ever they went if he would travel with him. Something about having a Knight around never hurt no one... except maybe a Mutant or Bandit right. Jay Zin had made sure he understood that Jay and Azure didn't work for him but... that they would be happy for the company and would not turn down his hospitality for as long as their paths seemed to cross.

P.S. Found this in my researching for this post and traded it into my build for the skill of my choice I had possessed.

Member Benefits::

After passing through all the
proper initiations to become a Red Devotee, a
member of the knighthood can choose to gain a
special +1 bonus to damage when he feels as though
his combat is working toward upholding the charter.
(The player and the GM can decide whether a
particular situation warrants the bonus.) This ability
must be chosen in lieu of a new skill.


Thank you all for applying. I am happy to see that this game was able to generate a fair amount of interest. Unfortunately, I need to limit the team to 5 players. The final team will include Mechanus, Basai, Jay Zin, Breona, and Daks.

For those of you who did not get included in the party, please keep up with the game as we begin our adventure. It is possible that a spot will open up in the future. Thank you for your applications again, I really appreciate you showing interest in the game.

I am opening up the discussion tab for the group now, the majority of our gameplay will take place there. All discussion not done in character should be demarcated with the ooc command. The Gameplay tab will be reserved for ongoing GM Turn Recaps. Each day I will take the actions of the players and weave them into narrative format that will end with certain GM instructions and questions. These recaps will also include character info, status, enemy info, etc.

A first step for each of you is to dot & delete the gameplay tab. Post anything to the gameplay tab & then promptly delete your entry so that you will be added to this campaign as a player.

You will also see my first Recap on the Gameplay tab. This is a recap of what players have posted of their backstories so far, and some suggestions for how to get all the characters into the same physical space so that the story can proceed. I am hoping that we all can respond in the next 24 hours, using the Discussion Tab.

Thanks!


Yay! This was an excellent thing to wake up to! lol Congrats to everyone who was selected and I hope to see those who aren't kicking around, it's always fun to discuss events with an audience.

Read the recap, looks like an interesting start! I'm very much looking forward to a hand-crafted campaign - can't wait to see what bits and pieces you pull from. :3 I should have my response up sometime today - I've got a few errands to run first.


Thanks for the vote of confidence!

Heading over to the game threads now.


Congratulations fellow party members!


Awesome, thank you! Congratulations to the rest of the party, and looking forward to the game.

51 to 83 of 83 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>
Community / Forums / Online Campaigns / Recruitment / The Ninth World Turns - A Numenera PBP All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.