Earlene's page

As I come to the end of the IG campaign I've run, I decided to share the tweaks that I made, in hopes that the information proves useful to anyone else. As all PCs had a vested interest in the future of Numeria, Part 1 of Book 5 was not really going to work out very well as a stealth/intrigue mission.

Back when my players were coming to the end of 'Lords of Rust' I predicted my Iron Gods campaign was going to work quite a bit differently, specifically around book 5. We had a player who was going to be missing a few sessions over the summer, and we decided we would proceed and I would catch the player up with a solo session before moving them back to the main party. My PCs are as follows:

Meera Gra-vol: Kellid (human) Barbarian/Inquisitor of Gorum (Black Horse, hopeful to unseat the Black Soverign and destroy the Technic League)
Tor Firebrand: Kellid (human) Barbarian (young Gorumite who lost his love and seeks a foe strong enough to kill him)
Traveler: Android wizard (traveled most of Avistan, returned to Numeria to study technology)
Terrahk: Ratfolk alchemist from Chitterhome (saved Khonnir, now along for the ride)

While the bulk of the party handled things in Iandaveigh, Meera discovered her father (a well-known Black Horse) had been killed by the League.
Meera's player and I played around with the mechanics of mass combat, and I included a number of social encounters to have her 'unite the tribes' as Kevoth-Kul had done years before. With a wide supporting cast, she rejoined the party to complete 'The Choking Tower' and 'Valley of the Brain Collectors' pretty much as written. As 'Palace of the Fallen Stars' opened, things start to get crazy.

My prior experience with Mass Combat as a PC taught me a couple things, and we learned more along the way. I found 2 things personally distasteful: low levels meant battles were short, and one bad roll was disastrous; few units meant that one player was controlling the action while the others simply watched (or more likely, played around on their phones)

But this was book 5, and my PCs were not nameless rat-catchers. Every player had an army or two, and they were well equipped for battle. With their troops, the PCs returned to Scrapwall to save it from the White Scars before taking Chesed and starving the capital out. When they marched on Starfall, they destroyed the forces loyal to Kevoth-Kul, and marched straight to the throne room.

With the new Sovereign in place, the PCs easily laid waste to the League, and move on to tackle 'The Divinity Drive' as written (more or less). Since I'd like the work on this to be available for folks to use, I will be replying to this post with unit descriptions for my PCs, as well as the ones for the Technic League/Kevoth-Kul.

Welcome your personal Preparation Page!
For the next two or so weeks, you'll be playing a solo game with your GM. You'll be able to pursue your own goals during this time, as well try and get information or other help for the upcoming rescue.

Please keep to your own thread! Obviously this rule is going to come down to the honor system. Both the discussion and gameplay thread will be between you and the GMs. Everyone should feel free to discuss and explore their own secrets without the fear of other players learning them. You will have one GM running your game, but the other will dot in to keep up with everyone's story and to cover in case your regular GM is unavailable. We will use the same councilor profiles, but treat them as GM posts.
For OOC group questions, use the Alive in the Red Revolution Discussion, but avoid the Gameplay thread there while these threads are open. If your PC wishes to discuss anything with another PC, you must seek them out and roleplay the interaction.

Pacing The Chronometer at the top is going to track how close each player is to the next event. If you are able to post a lot, be prepared to post more detail, and move the hours more slowly. If you're posting less often, that's perfectly fine, but be prepared to move things along a little quicker.

Goals In addition to your participation with the Cerulean Council and their schemes, each PC has both personal goals to achieve. In addition to these goals, you all have everyday obligations to fulfill. The goal of our game is to play ALL these aspects; the full immersion of your PC's life. Keep all these things in mind, as well as the mundane needs of your PC. (food, sleep etc.)

Info bar We definitely want to see a block of info for each character, HP, AC, Saves, Init and Perception Modifiers. Please include anything specifically relevant.

Welcome your personal Preparation Page!
For the next two or so weeks, you'll be playing a solo game with your GM. You'll be able to pursue your own goals during this time, as well try and get information or other help for the upcoming rescue.

Please keep to your own thread! Obviously this rule is going to come down to the honor system. Both the discussion and gameplay thread will be between you and the GMs. Everyone should feel free to discuss and explore their own secrets without the fear of other players learning them. You will have one GM running your game, but the other will dot in to keep up with everyone's story and to cover in case your regular GM is unavailable. We will use the same councilor profiles, but treat them as GM posts.
For OOC group questions, use the Alive in the Red Revolution Discussion, but avoid the Gameplay thread there while these threads are open. If your PC wishes to discuss anything with another PC, you must seek them out and roleplay the interaction.

Pacing The Chronometer at the top is going to track how close each player is to the next event. If you are able to post a lot, be prepared to post more detail, and move the hours more slowly. If you're posting less often, that's perfectly fine, but be prepared to move things along a little quicker.

Goals In addition to your participation with the Cerulean Council and their schemes, each PC has both personal goals to achieve. In addition to these goals, you all have everyday obligations to fulfill. The goal of our game is to play ALL these aspects; the full immersion of your PC's life. Keep all these things in mind, as well as the mundane needs of your PC. (food, sleep etc.)

Info bar We definitely want to see a block of info for each character, HP, AC, Saves, Init and Perception Modifiers. Please include anything specifically relevant.

Welcome your personal Preparation Page!
For the next two or so weeks, you'll be playing a solo game with your GM. You'll be able to pursue your own goals during this time, as well try and get information or other help for the upcoming rescue.

Please keep to your own thread! Obviously this rule is going to come down to the honor system. Both the discussion and gameplay thread will be between you and the GMs. Everyone should feel free to discuss and explore their own secrets without the fear of other players learning them. You will have one GM running your game, but the other will dot in to keep up with everyone's story and to cover in case your regular GM is unavailable. We will use the same councilor profiles, but treat them as GM posts.
For OOC group questions, use the Alive in the Red Revolution Discussion, but avoid the Gameplay thread there while these threads are open. If your PC wishes to discuss anything with another PC, you must seek them out and roleplay the interaction.

Pacing The Chronometer at the top is going to track how close each player is to the next event. If you are able to post a lot, be prepared to post more detail, and move the hours more slowly. If you're posting less often, that's perfectly fine, but be prepared to move things along a little quicker.

Goals In addition to your participation with the Cerulean Council and their schemes, each PC has both personal goals to achieve. In addition to these goals, you all have everyday obligations to fulfill. The goal of our game is to play ALL these aspects; the full immersion of your PC's life. Keep all these things in mind, as well as the mundane needs of your PC. (food, sleep etc.)

Info bar We definitely want to see a block of info for each character, HP, AC, Saves, Init and Perception Modifiers. Please include anything specifically relevant.

8 Gozran, 4718 AR; Sunday

"The southern exit doesn't intersect with the catacombs," he announces as he runs his hand along the wall. "My understanding is that a Councilor from before my time carved it with Stone Shape spells. Still took quite a while, I imagine."

The passage is long, and winding, though it doesn't intersect. It finally ends at a staircase, where Damien stops. "The shop upstairs is abandoned. Come and go as you wish, but not if you're being followed." He leads the way upstairs to an abandoned bakery. Sparse, and perhaps untidy, the windows are blacked out but intact.

"There's a secret knock," Damien raps thrice, pausing for a moment, rapping twice more, then thrice more before an arcane circle flashes momentarily. "Give me a minute to turn the corner," he smiles as he turns the knob. "See you Wealday.

Sunday is the only day of rest, which to Le Commune would mean that the folks are typically working on something more relaxing than heavy labor by comparison. They perhaps build furniture, teach children a new skill, take inventory, etc.

8 Gozran, 4718 AR; Sunday
Le Voile leads those using the north exit. The passage off the basement is fairly long, and comes to a ladder that descends into the catacombs below. "I use these tunnels quite often," Le Voile remarks, as she leads the descent. "There are certainly dangerous places down in Le Vide, but this stretch is not one of them."

Le Voile moves quickly ahead, the small ragged bundle making leading the way easily in the dark and cramped passageway. The smell of rot and mildew grows stronger as you pass well under the Kantele. Finally, when the rank smell fades, Le Voile stops at a ladder. The passage continues on from there.

"The shop upstairs is abandoned. Come and go as you wish, but not if you're being followed. And don't get lost down here," the mysterious small figure bounds off deeper into the tunnels.
You exit the old furniture maker's shop, the east side of the Theatre Quarter. The sun rises higher in the sky, but the southern wind has picked up, and promises to keep the air cool.

Sunday is the only official day of rest, which means Vice territory is busier. Most teams take certain weekdays off, opting to spend Starday and Sunday in their various areas of influence. They watch for trouble, and also for which businesses

8 Gozran, 4718 AR; Sunday

Le Voile leads those using the north exit. The passage off the basement is fairly long, and comes to a ladder that descends into the catacombs below. "I use these tunnels quite often," Le Voile remarks, as she leads the descent. "There are certainly dangerous places down in Le Vide, but this stretch is not one of them."

Le Voile moves quickly ahead, the small ragged bundle making leading the way easily in the dark and cramped passageway. The smell of rot and mildew grows stronger as you pass well under the Kantele. Finally, when the rank smell fades, Le Voile stops at a ladder. The passage continues on from there.

"The shop upstairs is abandoned. Come and go as you wish, but not if you're being followed. And don't get lost down here," the mysterious small figure bounds off deeper into the tunnels.
You exit the old furniture maker's shop, the east side of the Theatre Quarter. The sun rises higher in the sky, but the southern wind has picked up, and promises to keep the air cool.

Sunday is the only day of rest, although city services still run. I imagine the Clerk is very busy on Sunday, although how Emilien spends his next few days is up to him.

Welcome to the group discussion for Alive in the Red Revolution! Sorry to start everyone off with so much reading, but we have a list of things to bring to everyone’s attention:

1. Multi-threads: As our expectations had explained, we are going to be running this as a multi-thread game. This means you'll have 1-2 active threads for the game, depending on where you are. This discussion thread will be for all group discussions. The associated gameplay thread will be where we conduct our group meetings before splitting off into short term games with fewer players. Solo/duo games will shut down each event cycle, so this will be the only thread that’s always active.
I'm also considering a third thread just for Emilien and Wyssal, for business owner things. If you have any feedback using multiple threads, let us know.

2. The Map: It has been brought to our attention that our map of Isarn lacks something extremely important: a key. We are also planning to add entries for the buildings each of you have used in your backstories.
I've added a map clipping on a google slide (link), where Wyssal, Emilien and Nyx can add their respective businesses. We would like a description similar to the other Gazetteer entries from each of the respective 'owners'. Ask if you have any questions. Once we have your entries, we will create a map with key, as well as the new locales.

3. Player Resources: Our game is going to be pretty complex. Mid-level, using a few different optional rules system, splitting the group. We will be keeping a folder you all may access for your reference. Luckily, we GMs are crazy, and we have created some complex tools for us to use. The idea is that once you learn the complex game rules and the complex spreadsheets, it becomes easy to implement later. I tried to anticipate our needs, but please request anything you want to see.
We don't expect anyone to go through and memorize everything, but please have a look around. Like the Gazeteer, you’ll get a feel for the material so it’s easier to reference later.
To call out a few documents directly, please familiarize yourself with Verbal Duels rules (link) as well as the Dueling Spreadsheet (link).
I used a weekly calendar template we can use to display where each player (link) is chronologically, between the event phases.
One of these days, I'll get my spellbook (link) caught up, but for now I made one with just the spell lists you 5 will use: bard, investigator, and occultist. I have master copies of ALL this content, feel free to make any changes you like.
Lastly, my downtime spreadsheet (link) is pretty complete, and will hopefully make operating The Clerk of the Cork and Sloboda Legal Office easier.

4. More on your characters: Finally, the prompt. To start off the discussion, I think we want a discussion post from everyone about about their character's regular public lives. Things like where they live, their day to day, events or activities they do weekly. Certainly some of your characters are familiar with each other, and this should give us as GMs ideas to work with, as well as threads of familiarity between one another we may not have seen.
These examples should be public information. Be as secretive as is appropriate when meeting someone new in game, but please be generous to our two information brokers, they may know something untoward but not life-threatening. Once we've gotten to know each other's characters, we can jump back over to Gameplay for some in character play, and the characters can get to know each other.

8 Gozran, 4718 AR; Sunday

The winter months of ‘17 and ‘18 have been fairly harsh, even as the snow broke in late Calistril, the days of Pharast have been wet and dreary. As you leave your abode, the sun is rising on a cloudless day filling you with a moment of rare optimism.

You find it in your pocket: just a crumpled bit of newspaper. You're no schmuck, no clueless out-of-towner. You lived in Isarn for a while and you know better than to let your guard down...and you didn’t. You caught a half-dozen pickpockets as you watched the execution. People don't just get their hand into your pocket, much less leave something.

But it's just a piece of paper.

Once you're alone, you take the letter from your pocket and uncrumple it. You check it front and back a few times. In red wax pencil, someone has written a location: Lolly's Toy Shop, a place you never heard of. On the opposite side, circled in the same pencil is an opinion piece. It's an 'open letter' from a citizen, printed by The Galt Gazette.

No one stays alive in Galt taking leaps of faith. Blindly giving your trust is perhaps the quickest way to find a knife in your belly. This note however really piqued your interest. Using the letter of a newly executed ‘enemy of the revolution’ to pass notes was certainly a bold gesture. The mysterious messenger knew to pick a place people had not heard of. Perhaps too secretive. It took you hours of asking around. Eventually come across an elderly gentleman who fondly remembers looting store back in its prime. He gives you directions to an abandoned neighborhood deep in the Industrial Quarter.

The large wooden sign, its color long ago faded, is lying flat in the alley. The whole block is abandoned, except for some raccoons chittering in the distance. You study the shop, peering in the storefront and down the alley, looking over your shoulder three or four times. Weapon ready, you enter the ruins of Lolly's Toy Shop.

Inside is completely dilapidated, the rank smells of animal and wood rot greet you as you enter. You make your way through the shop’s debris slowly, ready for anything. You catch a glimpse of something way in the back, a glint of light. As you approach the source of the glint, you see a mirror, polished and unbroken! You check your surroundings again, finding something in perfect condition after looters have picked the place clean was unusual, to say the least.. You edge ever closer, deathly cautious but equally curious.

The mirror sits atop an old toymaker's workbench, leaning against the wall. Its reflective surface faces back out into the shop. A single sheet of paper sits on the workbench, completely blank except for a line at the bottom. You take a closer look at the reflection: the shop in the mirror is dark, but something in the mirror seems different. You check behind yourself again before looking deeper into the mirror. As you gaze into it, a candle at the end of the bench lights up, but only within the mirror, the candle on the table next to you remains unlit.

The shop beyond the mirror looks like another world. The wood of the structure is new, and the floor is clean of debris. All shapes and sizes of toys fill the shop. A pair of rocking horses are neatly placed on the floor, side by side. The shelves, still fixed to the wall, hold hand-carved wooden toys. Many works are bare, others finely painted. There are small horses, complex marionettes, and the same single sheet of paper on the workbench, sitting just under the mirror.

You look about the room again, the one you’re standing in. You’re surrounded by the same filthy ruins, yet the vision of the Toy Shop in its prime remains in the mirror. In the reflection, the page left on the workbench has some writing, different from the writing on the scrap of paper in your hand.

You nudge the mysterious sheet on your own side of the glass, and watch its reflection move in the glass. The real sheet bears only a blank signature line, only beyond the glass does the page bear the Pledge. They move in perfect tandem somehow, acting one and the same.

Puzzled at the circumstances, but the pledge is pretty simple. Something about the writing speaks to you. You think for a moment, and check your surroundings again. You could just leave if you wanted, but instead you pull out a pen and sign your name to the page.

A calm and droll voice pierces the silence, ”Welcome, friend of Galt.”. You look up from the pledge to see a small creature, little bigger than a goblin, wrapped tightly in robes. Its face is completely hidden, but its arms held out warmly.

You're not sure if the figure appeared, or if you'd been transported. You no longer see the decrepit old toy shop around you, instead you see the pristine shop from the mirror. The smell of fresh wood replaces the foul city smell you're used to. The wooden floors, the walls, and shelves are clean, free of dust and grime. Finely crafted toys line the shop.

”Welcome, Citizen. I am Le Quatrième Voile, an activist of sorts,” the small person wrapped in cloth greets you. ”My associates and I have been watching you. We may be interested in enlisting your unique services to our private organization.”

”You have been brought here, to a mindscape of my making, so we may speak freely.” The voice sound otherworldly, but calm and patient. "You are free to leave, should you like, but we suspect that you are someone who wants to see things change around here. In this city, in this country."

"So, tell me a little more about yourself..."

A faint flash of light from above the clouds illuminated the gloomy sky. The rolling thunder that followed mixed with the whispers of the crowd. Since early morning the crowds had been gathered around La Scène, the fixed platform at the threshold of Le Vieille Ville, the central district of Isarn. When the nearby temples had finished ringing their mid-day bells, the rhythm of the snares sounded off from beyond the gatehouse to the old city. The crowd erupted.

The part of the crowd around the north side of The Stage, cheered raucously, but the larger section to the south drowned out those in support of the day’s events. Boos and hisses filled the air. A pair Grey Gardeners had been waiting patiently on platform. If they felt any particular way about the jeers, their masks betrayed no such emotion. The procession, four more Grey Gardeners and over a dozen guards from the Le Vieille Ville, escorted a single prisoner with a brown burlap bag over his head. They paraded between the two halves of the crowd and up to the platform. The most silent and patient attendee of the day was Madame Margaery, the most notorious of the national engines of death.

When all six Gardeners gathered on the stage next to Margaery and her awaited victim, the drummers picked up their rhythm to a march. Chipper flutes fluttered in, and a second procession came out from the gatehouse. Flanked by more Galtan guards, Citizen Goss, the Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, joined the day’s festivities. He smiled and waved at all in attendance, as though he were a victorious emperor returning home. He walked tall and proud, basking in the jeers as though they nourished him.

The yelling surged louder as Goss took the stage; he smiled and continued to wave as he found his spot beside the Final Blade. He continued to smile widely as the jeering finally began to die down. A tall man in red leathers, with a matching mask and a pointed cowl, ascended the stairs to La Scène to join the others. No matter their opinion of Goss or the current council, every Galtan, especially the residents of Isarn, feared and respected the Red Raven. As the vigilante scanned the crowd, the cheers and boos alike gave way to silence. The thunder continued to roll.

"Fellow Citizens!" Korran Goss' voice boomed out over the crowd. "I thank you for joining us today. We are gathered to watch as another enemy of YOUR government pays for spreading malicious lies and toxic rhetoric." Cheers and boos erupted again at the Goss' opening remarks. The Chairman smiled back at them for a short while, before signaling the Gardeners.

The executioners ripped the burlap sack from the prisoner’s head. The prostrated man struggled against his bonds, but his shouts were lost among the loud cries of the assembled mob. He railed uselessly against his bonds, but the Gardeners dragged him behind Madame Margaery. Cries for justice and mercy alike fell on the deaf ears of those on La Scène; a half dozen Grey Gardeners flanked on the left by The Red Raven, and Korran Goss to their right. The cheers surged louder as the Gardeners kicked the prisoner’s knees out from under him. They set his head into a pillory, fixing his neck firmly below the indifferent instrument of death. The lead Gardener, only set apart from his brothers by a small crest on his shirt, lifted his arm high in the air. The crowd quickly fell silent again.

Taller than an ogre, Madame Margaery's dark wooden frame loomed high above the crowd. The sharp, slanted edge of the blade held aloft between the parallel wooden posts. Between the posts, directly below the blade, a special pillory with a spot for only a person’s head. One of the silent Grey Gardeners, hidden beneath the mask of their order, stood at the lever. Once thrown, the heavy blade would fall, claiming both the prisoner's life, and his soul, in seconds. The heavy silence sat on the crowd. All throughout the crowd, people bowed their heads or looked away. Some citizens unconsciously rubbed their own neck in fear.

"Any final words, citizen?" Goss called out.

"My people! Listen not to this demagogue," the prisoner called out as loud as he could, but bent as he was under the Final Blade it was too soft to carry the impact the Chairman's did. "You were promised free and fair elections, but Goss has no intention of holding-"

Goss nodded at the lead Gardener, whose arm fell sharply. His loyal brother at Margaery’s lever promptly followed his command. Not the smallest gasp escaped the crowd, all of them far too familiar with the bloody scene. The silence of the crowd was broken as prisoner’s head rolled across the planks as his headless body slumped from the pillory. The dark brown cedar of Madame Margaery’s frame drew in a dark, red color as it drank the soul of its victim. When the red faded from the wooden frame, the crowd dispersed quietly as the thunder grumbled above.

"Thank you, citizens, for your support!" the Chairman called after the crowd as they left.

The ship from Mordent Spire started as the least relaxing Urram had ever experienced. The weather was terrible, the going was slow, and Urram was unable to concentrate. To the crew, this was just another of the many journeys they would make to the Shattered Continent this year. Urram had made this trip before himself, yet something about this journey was very different, and that idea was unsettling.
------
"Seeker." a young cabin-boy raps on your door. "īlon emagon ūndegīva se human lōgor. Pōnta sōvegon se flag hen Andoran, hae ao vestretan. Ao kostagon jikagon skori ao issi konīr."

Welcome to our Discussion. I want to thank you both for joining a new PBP GM's game. I know it can be risky but I'll do my best to make this game as fun as I can for as long as I can.

I'm doing my best to figure out the intricacies of these boards. For example, if you are the GM making the first post in a discussion thread, and you do a 'stealth dot,' it locks you AND your players from the thread. I'm really open to your feedback, as I'm the least experienced out of our trio. Anything you want to throw out now or in the future, I'm always happy to consider any suggestion to improve our game.

With regard to your builds, I have do allow a period of adjustments in my home games for build details. I usually ban players from making changes after 3rd level, but a shorter time period may be more appropriate here, so we can play that by ear. Any adjustments you want to make at this time, after reviewing each other's sheets of course, is encouraged.

One thing for each of you I want to address before beginning our prologue:

Kari's Companion. My apologies for missing your question before your submission. This adventure gets pretty aquatic eventually, but I'm flexible as far as keeping Hrolf and using spells to get him aquatic, leaving him behind, or changing the companion altogether.

Fenna's martial half. If we stick with swashbuckler, I might need some suggestions on how to run parry/riposte.

I'm mostly a GM these days, and have some knowledge gaps with some classes (kineticist >< ), which works out fine usually since the player is the expert. I will review the options you pick, but promptly forget it, so apologies in advance for when I err.

I believe Fenna and Kari will end up with an interesting buddy dynamic: the pragmatic and passionate half-elf, and the whimsically wise gnome. I look forward to all the fun we'll have. Please offer suggestions and questions to your hearts' content.

Thank you again, and welcome!

Due to technical difficulties, you have been redirected to a new thread.

Please go ahead and dot in. I’ll have the start post up shortly. We will have a bit of run-up to the actual adventure, but not much, I promise. You should also check in on Discussion, since we will have a bit to address before we begin in earnest.

Please go ahead and dot in. I’ll have the start post up shortly. We will have a bit of run-up to the actual adventure, but not much, I promise. You should also check in on Discussion, since we will have a bit to address before we begin in earnest.

You came to Almas to search for a better way to use your exceptional and unique skills. The Bountiful Venture Company Limited is seeking exceptional specimens for its newest expedition. If accepted, you will earn a gold piece signing bonus, as well as the opportunity to make history. You will be chartered to Talmandor’s Bounty where you will help in both the colonization efforts, and the exploration of the region. Only the best and brightest are welcome aboard the Peregrine so prepare for a thorough vetting by the company.

----

Presenting GM Clockwork’s Ruins of Azlant Gestalt Game
Player’s Guide

This will be the first PBP I run on these boards and I prefer to have a game with fewer players as I find it can make for a richer storytelling experience in PBP style games. I will be selecting only 2 recruits, and the character creation rules will generous to support fewer players. I am looking for long-term, active posters that can tell a rich story.

Recruitment opens immediately and closes 2:00am EST on January 24th.

Gestalt Characters

25 Point Buy: 18Max, 8Min before racial mods

Any Paizo material: (Race, Class, Archetype, Feat)

Background Skills: Who doesn’t play with Background Skills?

Traits: Any one trait of your choosing and a Campaign Trait from the Player’s Guide.

Feat Tax The new Colony shall be feat tax free!

Starting gp: Max of the better gestalt class.

Posting requirements:1-2 posts Monday-Thurs, 1 on weekends, more is better.

Other notes: I don’t like to outright ban things, but I’m not a big fan of really odd races (kitsune). If you want to submit an odd race, please make it interesting. Not a huge fan of either Summoner classes, and Vigilante doesn’t really fit the adventure’s vibe.

Questions post here or pm me

"My son, it is time to go home."

Estruan had known for some time. Loathe as he was to break his reverie, his father was right. He had been kneeling for hours. He gave his offering a final pat; a bag of seeds he'd lain on his mother's headstone when he had first arrived. It seemed a waste, which his mother hated. At the same time, it was a tradition, which his mother loved.

"I'm sorry," Estruan said meekly. He hadn't spoken in hours. "I could have gotten a lot of work done today."

"Don't bother with that," his father gave him a light pat on the back.

The two men walked reverently, side-by-side through the graveyard until they arrived back at their wagon. His father's new mule, who he had not bothered to name yet, was already hitched and waiting. They both climbed into the driver seat, and wordlessly determined who would drive... Estruan.

"Pascual has some squash that will be ripe soon," his father Guillermo broke the quiet rhythm of the wagon. He nodded to the north, where the light of the setting sun gave Pascal's fields an orange glow.

Estruan hummed an agreement. Guillermo was not a man to speak of such benign facts. He was making an effort to talk, like his mother might have.

"The Luciano girls were talking about making pies from them," Guillermo continued. "Maybe Wealday." Talking was very unlike his father, filling the air with useless words. His mother Maria, she always talking.

"She hated me for leaving," Estruan changed the subject. "I should have been here."

"No, son," his father corrected. The dull pain in his voice was clear enough. "Maria was your mother, and she loved you with all her heart. She could not hate you if she tried. And she was PROUD of you."

"She shouldn't have been," the young man responded. "I did little more than stand next to a door at the Ruby Fortress that no one wanted to walk through in the first place."

"You were doing your duty. Just like the sons she gave birth to."

"It wasn't the same, father." Estruan's anger was tempered. "They died in battle. They died for a CAUSE."

Guillermo looked at his son gently, letting the sounds of the countryside sit between the two men. Estruan wondered if he had been the same way with his other sons.

"Your mother loved you," the elderly man reaffirmed, gently, but with a stern pat on the knee. "I wish that I could take her place, especially today. She was better with words than I ever was."

The wagon rolled on without a word. Estruan gazed upon the beautiful rolling hillsides of the small Rostland village. Nowhere else felt like home. Two years he had been stationed in New Stetven. At first he was quite fond of his post. New Stetven was a sprawling metropolis, so much different from the tiny hamlet where he was raised. But the bustling city's charm wore off fairly quickly.

While the men he'd entered military service with were stationed in much more dangerous posts, Estruan had been posted outside the Ruby Fortress. He was sure that Domo had interfered, somehow, and assured he had the least dangerous post in all the Brevic Army. 'Domo,' was all Estruan had learned to call the mysterious man that checked in on his adopted family from time to time. He'd apparently brought Estruan to the couple as an infant. Guillermo and Maria, already a middle-aged couple at the time, had lost their two sons in war. Even though the baby was clearly of Issian descent, they named him for the Rostland hero Estruan Aldori, and raised him as their own son.

As Estruan pushed the nameless mule through the trio of shacks that made the farmIng community a hamlet, he recalled the good times he had there. As a child, none of his friends cared much about his heritage. His friends would play Aldori Swordsmen, and chase one another up and over fences, through the fields of Aventen Village. Even though he was more and more an outsider as grew, Estruan fondly remembered his childhood, before Issian and Rostlandic politics left the simplicity of childhood behind.

Now, returned from his duty to the military, the same military that protected both Issian and Rostlandic ancestral lands, he was regarded coldly by the villagers. Estruan thought how his mother and father might have suffered for taking in an Issian child, even as their sons born by blood had given their lives in military service.

"She didn't hate me," Estruan spoke finally. They had arrived back at their farmhouse as sun had only just set. He stepped down to help his father unhitch the mule from the cart. "I chose my words poorly. She was harsh with me though, after I told her I was joining the army. She didn't agree with my choice."

"No," Guillermo was ready with his response. "Your mother had strong convictions, and she gave our own sons, her sons from birth I mean, the same challenge. And she pressed them until they left home. As you know, they were followers of Old Deadeye, as we were--"

"As I am," Estruan affirmed.

"As you know, it is the duty of those in our faith to protect their community," Guillermo shut the stall door and moved to fetch some hay for the beast. "How this call to action is interpreted can be different. Different for each community, for each person."

"But the army protects the people," Estruan interjected.

"You didn't know them, but your brothers held the same convictions as you did, when they left." The old man stood in front of him now. His smile even more gentle in his old age. "Your mother saw things differently. But she respected your choice. To live your faith in your own way."

"Why didn't she say as much?" Estruan could feel the lump in his throat.

"Because," Guillermo put his hand withered hand on his son's shoulder. "It was important to her that you live your life with conviction. That NOTHING could make you question the path that you took. Whether the doubts come from her, or other soldiers, or even from yourself. Even if your duty was to stand by a door that no one wanted to walk through."

The cold night winds blew away the silence.

"I should have been here," Estruan's voice broke under the weight of his guilt. "I should never have left."

"You left to find your place in the world son," his father embraced the young soldier. "And if you stay now, you will break her heart as she waits to take her place in Heaven. Your place is not here in Aventen. You belong to the wider world. You go to keep our way of living safe, and you keep your vows to Erastil."

"I know," the young soldier sniffled as he backed away, hiding his shameful tears.

"She is so proud of you Estruan," his father pressed. "I know the truth of it. You will go forth and do such great things, and you will continue to be a man she would be proud of."

"You're right, father," Estruan smiled with sadness, and relief. "Let's go eat."