GM, you're welcome to speak for him in your posts as well, if it seems appropriate to the occasion! But he is a talkative little fellow to Verene, though perhaps shy/suspicious of strangers, and I don't want to put responding to every little thing they might say back and forth on you.
@Verene Not knowing their true tie works for me, as does knowing eachother casually from being magical students in the same city. But I imagine he would've been inquisitive if he ever saw your mark. Was is permanently hidden?
To summarize for my clarity as we've discussed a lot of options:
-We were seperated very early, presumably as babies, and we only know we have a sibling because we were told by our respetive sibling families, who are different?
-No one knows your brother is an aasimar because his aasimar traits hadn't manifested yet because he was a baby?
-We never saw eachother's tattoo?
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Sounds fair. If he goes scouting ahead, I might just have him return and report to you in his words, rather than narration, because he might not always understand what he sees, for instance.
Verene's Riftwarden mark is on the back of her neck, and she takes no special pains to conceal it, but her hair covers it almost all the time. So, not knowing her well, it's certainly possible Elliot never would have noticed it.
Here's my thinking on the events between them. Sure things: they are twin siblings raised apart, whose parents were Riftwardens lost on a secret mission less than a month after their births. They definitely know each other from magical instruction, both have the Riftwarden birthmark, and Elliot is obviously an aasimar while Verene is human. Please feel free to make what choices appeal most to you from below. I'm good with any of these.
1a. Always knew they were siblings raised apart vs. 1b. Recently found out they were siblings raised apart vs. 1c. Still don't know they were siblings raised apart.
2a. Always knew about the Riftwarden marks on the other vs. 2b. Recently found out about the Riftwarden marks on the other vs. 2c. Still don't know about the Riftwarden marks on the other.
All right... I have a slight preference for recently found out about eachother and their marks. While it's more dramatic to have them find out somewhere during the story, it'd also feel a bit forced to me to try and act surprised after all this talking about it OOC :')
I guess we could start as feeling awkward knowing they suddenly have a sibling they know virtually nothing about and being unsure how to act around the other?
Sounds great to me! Discovering as an adult that you have a long-lost sibling is definitely awkward, but I like it for these guys.
@Elliot: I was thinking it might be amusing if Merixia initially mistook Elliot for a fellow tiefling because of the flaming hair. Then he could tell her about peris, she would feel a sort of kinship due to the fact that peris are fallen angels trying to atone for their sins.
Speaking of the flaming hair, do the forums have an icon like that you could use?
Might be an ifrit picture that suits you?
Sorry for the slow posting - my family are all working from home as our city is currently in COVID lockdown. Also, my cat is being feisty and naughty and not leaving me to work and it's my hubby's birthday. Ha. A lot on my plate - so, again, my apologies. :)
Great opening post, GM!
Yes, an excellent opening post! I like how you've set the scene for each of us. A lot of GMs don't bother.
It's interesting how Merixia and Elyda reacted differently to the sculpture.
Merixia: "Eh, Ragathiel has bigger fish to fry and so do I. I'll give her a friendly warning. There aren't any laws saying you can't sculpt succubi, after all, Lord Hulrun just doesn't like it. Nothing to do with helping a fellow tiefling, nope."
Elyda: "Heresy! I'll loom a little, be intimidating, and hopefully she'll stop making blasphemous statues. No need to involve Lord Hulrun though."
Same goal, very different methods. And yes, Merixia will totally stick to the letter of the law rather than the spirit if she disagrees with the spirit.
It's interesting how Merixia and Elyda reacted differently to the sculpture.
Merixia: "Eh, Ragathiel has bigger fish to fry and so do I. I'll give her a friendly warning. There aren't any laws saying you can't sculpt succubi, after all, Lord Hulrun just doesn't like it. Nothing to do with helping a fellow tiefling, nope."
Elyda: "Heresy! I'll loom a little, be intimidating, and hopefully she'll stop making blasphemous statues. No need to involve Lord Hulrun though."
Same goal, very different methods. And yes, Merixia will totally stick to the letter of the law rather than the spirit if she disagrees with the spirit.
Ha! She IS an inquisitor after all and likes order and rules. Yet, she tries to do the right thing for people and doesn't want someone imprisoned/killed for being a Tiefling and making racy statues of succubi. She's built more on being an intimidating force rather than a sweet, smooth talking creature - so she thought quietly drilling the point home would fulfil her duties to the church as well as the community. ;) I'm still trying to pinpoint Elyda's voice in my head.
Catching back up again after sleeping...
@Merixia I like that idea!
@Elyda Thanks for selecting some fire avatars, out of those images I like #3 the best.
Though, for non-paizo material, I think i'd go with this for his pyromancer revision:
https://www.facebook.com/HiidraStudio/photos/pcb.102506081489545/1025058281 56237/
A bit steampunky, but it has the the golden eyes, the famling hair, is reasonably close to what I imagined his original appearance was and his clothes can serve as a cold weather outfit. And I'll just say the cigarette is actually a shrunken wand/rod :)
Is it possible to search for images by name on paizo? Perhaps I could remake the profile with the #3 image as a placeholder and use the above linked one for actual iomage/the crop for battlemaps and such. I need to rebuild the mechanical sheet anyway to account for the archetype change.
I noticed you asked for us to meet with another PC, but having been the first post I thought it plausible to head to one of the NPCs you presented. This unfortunately seems to have put Thesius away from the rest of the group. Please let me know if you would like for me to change my post.
It'd help to have him go over there, but I don't mind him being alone, Thesius. I can juggle two scenes pretty well. It's just I didn't want to have all five of you running off to do different things in the festival.
Alright, I believe I'll have him remain where he is. Her having a bow seemed like a good choice since he was saved by a mysterious figure with a bow earlier in his life. Thinking back on it, even more so after bad memories had crept up.
Aha, I'd forgotten that [SPOILER NAME] used a bow. But yes, that is a logical reason to seek her out!
@Elyda Thanks for selecting some fire avatars, out of those images I like #3 the best.Though, for non-paizo material, I think i'd go with this for his pyromancer revision:
https://www.facebook.com/HiidraStudio/photos/pcb.102506081489545/1025058281 56237/
A bit steampunky, but it has the the golden eyes, the famling hair, is reasonably close to what I imagined his original appearance was and his clothes can serve as a cold weather outfit. And I'll just say the cigarette is actually a shrunken wand/rod :)
Is it possible to search for images by name on paizo? Perhaps I could remake the profile with the #3 image as a placeholder and use the above linked one for actual iomage/the crop for battlemaps and such. I need to rebuild the mechanical sheet anyway to account for the archetype change.
@Elliot: That's my favourite one, too. If you go to change your avatar under the alias, click the male gender box and search the given pictures - the icon appears at the bottom of page 2. I hope that helps. :)
And that is a cool picture of Elliot. I adore Steampunk.
Worldwound GM, I plan on having Thesius take 10 to note the various ancestries present at the stall. Would a 17 in Knowledge (local) and Knowledge (Planes) be enough to identify everyone? Is there anything else you would like for me to roll?
Hm... I think that he'd recognize the aasimar as such, as well as the tieflings, but he wouldn't be able to discern what lineage they were associated with. Verene's easy, as she's human, of course.
That makes since. Especially with the distance, it was just to have him note the odd assortment of ancestries at the table. Even in a place like Kenabres, it seems odd to find two Aasimar and two Tieflings at a table.
As far as I know, Verene and Thesius know each other.
@Elyda thanks, I'll definitely use that to save some time. On a different not, given Elliot's past with the inquisition and that we've never met before, I think I'll start out with him being a bit afraid/wary of her until they know eachother better. Does that work for you?
@Worldwound GM Is there a chance to buy one of the items as the other tiefling packs up and leaves? I'm somewhat intrigued by how the moon and star figures radiate a sensual element, and I think Elliot would be too.
@Elliot: That works fine and makes sense. I kind of added a bit to my more recent post - Elyda is making her way forward to where your guy is with Merixia (who she knows from sparring) and the unknown Verene.
I'm logging off for the night. I'll check the boards and respond accordingly in my morning. Night from Oz! (time zone: GMT+10)
@Worldwound GM Is there a chance to buy one of the items as the other tiefling packs up and leaves? I'm somewhat intrigued by how the moon and star figures radiate a sensual element, and I think Elliot would be too.
Unfortunately, she's not willing to sell now - she feels as though she's being unfairly harassed.
Oh, I definitely interpreted "well-sculpted forms of humanoids" combined with "a sensual element" as "the forms are tasteful nudes." Haha.
Sorry Elyda, it seems like she and Verene might be getting off on the wrong foot. Verene doesn't approve of imposing one's own religion's view about what is and is not heretical on others, especially when they weren't doing anything technically illegal. And while I know Elyda means well, and wanted to save the tiefling from what might be real trouble, Verene doesn't know that.
Oh, I definitely interpreted "well-sculpted forms of humanoids" combined with "a sensual element" as "the forms are tasteful nudes." Haha.
There were some of those, in point of fact. More than you'd expect in Kenabres, but less than would be truly scandalous. Of course, the night is a prominent theme among them. Sleeping, lovers, sitting in respite... she was quite talented before she felt offended. Don't feel too bad about that, she's kind of immature and easily upset.
With regards to possible intraparty animosity, I do want both players to commit to the idea that their characters won't hate one another enough that they become disruptive. Does that seem alright to both of you?
I am probably overreacting, but online it's easier to break bridges than mend fences, and I wanted to head any possibility of OOC ill-feelings off at the pass.
Absolutely! I don't think this initial coolness will last long anyway, both because Elyda does mean well and Verene looks for common ground wherever she can (also they might have... uh, other things to worry about), but I definitely wouldn't let it color my OOC feelings, become disruptive or take up too much oxygen in any case.
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I’m a little confused. Elyda was speaking low tones and only to the Tiefling sculptor with a point of not being overheard, yet Verene and Elliot (I think) seemed to have overheard the entire conversation. Yet when Verene mutters something about inquisitors Elyda may not be able to hear her from Elyda’s current position? By that theory, then Elyda’s conversation could not be overheard and the group seems to be reacting simply to Elyda’s appearance as an inquisitor and the Tiefling busily packing her wares, scowling at Elyda and the seller retreating?
I’m just trying to get clarity on the situation at hand so I know how to next. proceed with the rp. This is not an angry ooc. :)
Personally, I really dislike character vs character animosity and try to steer clear of it in such forums. I have no issues with initial misunderstandings (which can be cleared up quickly) and it can seem natural, but any prolonged in game animosity and I simply don’t engage in it via my characters as it isn’t fun for me.
I'll say that the stall was small enough that you all could hear (if not fully understand, given the fact that some of the speech was in languages some don't understand) the whole thing. The exception would be Thesius, who only just arrived, and thus hasn't heard any of the warnings.
From my perspective: Elliot didn't overhear anything. He was simply at the Tiefling's stall trying to buy something, got distracted by Merixia and Verene arriving and then saw Elyda arrive last. He's somewhat terrified of the inquisition, and all he notices is her whispering something to the stallkeeper, the Tiefling getting upset (she doesn't seem to whisper her response to whatever is said and I assumed that part at least was audible) and taking off.
Without knowing what you said or that you're trying to help the girl, he assumes you were browbeating/intimidating the shopkeeper. So in that sense, there's some IC misunderstanding going on. For what it's worth, I don't enjoy roleplaying out something like IC serious dislike to others either. Only actually had one such occurance across all my campaigns ever and I'm still not entirely sure if the other writer moved past that incident OOC. It doesn't seem worth it regardless. I'll just stick to him being afraid/intimidated at first and growing past it over time.
Also tried to make a small post to diffuse the situation a bit.
I'll say that the stall was small enough that you all could hear (if not fully understand, given the fact that some of the speech was in languages some don't understand) the whole thing. The exception would be Thesius, who only just arrived, and thus hasn't heard any of the warnings.
Not a problem - I appreciate the clarification on the scenario, GM. Thank you! :)
From my perspective: Elliot didn't overhear anything. He was simply at the Tiefling's stall trying to buy something, got distracted by Merixia and Verene arriving and then saw Elyda arrive last. He's somewhat terrified of the inquisition, and all he notices is her whispering something to the stallkeeper, the Tiefling getting upset (she doesn't seem to whisper her response to whatever is said and I assumed that part at least was audible) and taking off.
Without knowing what you said or that you're trying to help the girl, he assumes you were browbeating/intimidating the shopkeeper.
Based on our prior OOC conversations and Elliot's in character general issue with the inquisition, this is a reasonable in game reaction. Thanks for clarifying Elliot's POV. :)
Yes, I was operating on the assumption that Verene did not overhear the specifics of either Merixia's or Elyda's statements to the artisan, as both Verene and Elliot were standing right in front of the stall before Merixia or Elyda approached, but both women were deliberately speaking in low tones when they addressed the artisan. Similarly, if she's just speaking to Elliot quietly, they might or might not hear her (but it's totally fine if Elyda's player decides she did!)
Verene did hear the specifics of the sculptor's replying angrily in Abyssal, then in Common (she doesn't speak Varisian). Then she saw the woman start hurriedly packing up and leaving. Elyda is obviously a martial type, probably of Iomedae (though perhaps she doesn't wear her symbol prominently? I assumed she did and Verene would recognize it.)
So given the sculptor's words about "controlling everything," Verene assumes that she was too late to give her own friendly warning, and an inquisitor has arrived and spooked/intimidated her into leaving, probably although not certainly because of the "heretical" statue. And specifically because she didn't hear Elyda's first words, she thinks the shopkeeper was definitely threatened, and is trying to allow everyone to save face and pretend that maybe it was a misinterpreted "friendly warning" that the tiefling woman overreacted to, instead.
P.S. "Inquisitor" here meaning a member of the church with responsibility for rooting out heresy etc., not necessarily the class abilities of such, which of course there's no way to know yet.
That's also why I said, "while I know Elyda means well, and wanted to save the tiefling from what might be real trouble, Verene doesn't know that." If we could in fact hear everything, then although she could not understand the Varisian, it would make her more likely to see everyone involved in a positive light. Sorry, I was trying to strike a balance between everyone (except Thesius) standing in functionally the same place, and Elyda/Merixia's stated intent of discretion, leading to perhaps more IC misunderstanding than there should be.
I understood your meaning of inquisitor in this sense - so no worries, Verene. :)
Elyda's manner is more direct (she doesn't really beat around the bush unless it serves some special purpose) and can warrant certain reactions/overreactions, especially if someone is viewing it from their own perceptions/point of views. I find it can be hard to strike a balance in character and I appreciate that you were trying. IC, I feel Elyda is often aware of the censure of those suspicious and afraid of her calling/duty, yet it can tax on her for she is not mean spirited nor xenaphobic. I'm certain she will show this as the story/plot unfolds.
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I like how this group's going so far, though it is, of course, very early yet. We've yet to even start the AP, which technically starts by throwing you into the action. I thought I'd let you guys get a sense of your characters' voices first.
I like how this group's going so far, though it is, of course, very early yet. We've yet to even start the AP, which technically starts by throwing you into the action. I thought I'd let you guys get a sense of your characters' voices first.
I appreciate that! It really helps me to get into the swing of things.
As for the whole altercation, Merixia was trying to help and apparently bungled it. :P She knows Elyda from the temple of Iomedae, so she's not mad at her. More like 'ooh, that approach is going to backfire... yup, it did.' So she figures Elyda is the kind of warrior who doesn't have much in the way of social skills.
Man, I love playing dragons, especially metallics. It's so fun to have that mixture of alien thought processes, good intentions, and the supreme draconic confidence.
A confidence well earned with their abilities. Especially one with her credentials.
Yeah, I like the group and posts so far as well! Lots of detail and good engagement. I'm off to sleep for now, gn.
Same here! Really enjoying getting to meet everyone in-character this way before being thrown straight into the adventure.
The questions, by the way, start with, "But why were you watching us?! Why are you here?! Do dragons get days off from doing Cool Dragon Things where they just wander around the market eavesdropping and like, saving puppies?"
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"Oh, no, I wasn't watching you, I was watching the tiefling you chased away. She's kind of cute."
But yes, Terendelev does have reasons for what she does, even if sometimes that boils down to "instinct for people." She's older than Cheliax - both as an independent country and as a province of Taldor, so she's got a fair amount of it.
Huh. Apparently Iomedae's current herald once served Ragathiel, but asked for a transfer when Iomedae became a full divinity after Aroden's death.
That will be interesting if we happen to meet said herald. It’s a mythic campaign, so that’s a possibility!
GM, I found conflicting information on tieflings’ lifespan and aging. According to the ARG, it’s the same as for aasimars. But according to Blood of Fiends, it’s the same as for humans. I went with the latter since I was already in that book looking at variant bloodlines. Which version do you want to use? Given that Merixia’s dad is also a tiefling, I can just make her human mom her stepmom instead, and say they were freed by the Gray Corsairs when Merixia was nearly an adult. That would make it possible to have a half-orc as her mentor.
I tend towards the latter - Blood of Angels and Blood of Fiends both say, essentially, "as normal for the peoples from which they originate."
I didn't want to mention it, 'cause it might cause some confusion with Verene and Elliot's agreement, but yes, human-born planestouched age at the rate of humans. With the possible exception of Duskwalkers, who aren't born - Not relevant here. Anyways, that's how I play it, 'cause from what I can tell there seems to have been some confusion with the ARG just porting over 3.5's systems and assumptions on that part.
Elliot, I've used the image you indicated interest in for your token on the encounter maps. Let me know if you'd rather use the image on your current profile.
I'm going to hold off another post so soon. I want to give others time to chime in. I at least got it to the point where it seems like most of us an see.
Well, technically, only Thesius, Verene, and Thamyris couldn't see. Unless we're counting NPCs, in which case, yeah, now most of you can see. :P
Something about casting light and then someone still not being able to see, even before the picture. :P
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Just so everyone's clear:
Verene can see normally within four squares of the dancing lights, and has dim light (and thus a 20% miss chance) for a further four squares (8 squares total) - beyond that is dark. Thamyris and Thesius can see clearly within eight squares of the dancing lights and a further eight squares (16 squares total) with the dim light and 20% miss chance.
Elliot, Elyda, and Merixia can see 60 ft. (or 12 squares) total, whether in dark or light, perfectly clearly, but since they don't have low-light vision, they don't see anything beyond that range.
Oh, right, since I wanted to ask you guys: if anyone has better spreadsheet knowledge than my own (which is to say, none) or has any interest in tracking treasure, let me know so I can link the loot list into my profile bar. Otherwise, I'll have to make do with my own inept method of tracking such things.