Malylev's page

Yeah, personally I still feel pretty up in the air about how much we as PCs can push the narrative. I'm not sure we've gotten a solid answer on that. If it's the kind of situation where we as players could write scenes while Hurley is busy, that would go a long way to keeping everybody engaged. But then it becomes a question of how much of this is a game/AP and how much is it just narrative writing collaboration.

Also, ironically if it was that open for us as PCs we might need to do even more OOC discussion because we'd want to compare notes and agree on things between us as to how scenes should go and NPCs should act.

I think without Hurley being available to facilitate or give us a really in depth roadmap along with freedom to write without him actively involved this game is going to languish pretty badly.

So, I've run this a few times while trying to tie more into the Brevoy politics and I've never really felt a need to tie the Stag Lord into the machinations to the north. Like, he's sort of a ASoIaF free folk kind of character. You don't need to make a 4th level Ranger and his 4 henchmen significant to the lords of the great houses hundreds of miles away. That kind of leans toward the Star Wars problem where all the heroes are somehow related to the Skywalkers and you only ever see Coruscant and Tattooine- it kind of makes the world really small.

There's a big open space in between the powers of Issia and Rostland with a power vaccuum already- where the Rogarvians used to be and have now disappeared. It seems more likely that the Surtovas or whoever would be funding guerrillas there rather than way out in the Greenbelt.

The tie-in to Brevoy politics is already in the PCs, as a charter organization organized by the Swordlords and sponsored by the Dragonscale Throne. Making the Stag Lord a fall guy or cat's paw for somebody in New Stetven seems unnecessary when Zsofia or Tsia could already be that.

Like Jack said, this is the PCs' story, not Tywin Lannister's.

Same, I hope your dad recovers soon.

“Far be it from me not to trust Lady Candlemere’s confidence in her sword-arm, if she wishes to do justice by that means,” she says gravely, acknowledging Zsófia’s talents. “And if, as our host told Jack, these bandits are behaving ever more contemptuously, we might not wish to bar the gates and risk them offering insult and then returning in greater numbers. Although, depending on who arrives and in what mood on the morrow, we could split the difference: if they will not see reason, as the most reckless rush in, cut them off by closing the gates behind the screen of Ta Bayang’s spell? Divide, and conquer.”

Mal glances sideways at Trillium as she ignores the part of the conversation that might see one get stabbed or bludgeoned but goes on, looking over at Oleg. "How heavy are your gates, Oleg? I confess, I've never seen them closed." He nods at Tsia. "We'd have to position enough people behind the gates to shut them quickly, and they'd have to be willing and ready to fight if any bandits get through."

I think GM's post said our first test comes on the dawn so I don't know if Jack gets that couple of days.

Trying to catch up to the conversation.

Jack nods. "You have the right of it, sniicressa ("white/snow/frost-cousin"). If they all come to the gates, we archers can wait atop and let loose a volley. If we could fix the catapults, all the better. But I am a bowyer, not a siege engineer. Unless the repairs are simple...?"

He looks at Oleg and Svetlana for more details. If it's a matter of replacing rope, for example, and the problem was simply not enough hands to fix it, maybe they could do something...

Mal shrugs. "I'm half a carpenter." The weather-beaten man says with a chuckle. "We should at least take a look at them. I don't know how much fixing a roof and fixing a catapult have in common but it won't hurt to see."

"An ambush has merits. Those of us on the gates can begin firing once they come through. Once they are distracted, you can engage with your blade."

"An ambush also gives up our only advantage right from the start. We've got walls and bows, we might as well use them. I've got a crossbow. I'm not a crack shot but I can hunt. Are we sure we want to get into a melee with these people?" Mal reaches down to pet the half-grown prairie lion resting next to his chair. "Skokan here could do some damage as long as they're not covered in steel but would we not be better off closing the gates and then shooting them from the walls?"

Jacks eyebrows rise with the display of the shadow manipulation. "Can you do that for yourself only or for others?"

"About the fog- is that just normal fog? We wouldn't be able to see through it either? That sounds dangerous for us, if we're going to be stumbling around in a fog with a bunch of bandits."

Just repeating this as having some guidelines here in the discussion thread or campaign tab would be really helpful.

Yep. Hurley, thanks for the notes on changes to the first adventure. But it seems like the real stumbling block here is on how much leeway you as lead GM or whatever want us to have as PC-writers. Is it basically 'write what you want as long as it's within the bounds of the first KM mod'?

Do you have any preconceived ideas about how you want published NPCs to act that you want us to keep in mind as we write?

On fey: I think Pathfinder really leans into their manifesting either as the spirit or guardian of a place... or of a concept. So I think they would not have a universal way of communicating but their speech would reflect a given fey's nature. A fey associated with drama and poetry might speak in iambic pentameter, but one associated with water may simply speak in a gurgling tone and mellifluous prose.

I generally wrote fey as more human-like the less powerful they were. Like Perlivash and Tig Titter-tut are basically tween pranksters and the Lantern King is an unknowable eldritch god, with dryads and swanmays and Nyrissa and whatnot somewhere along that spectrum.

I tried doing the iambic pentameter thing to differentiate the First World and fey from the prime material and humanoids in one game but it was a huge PITA and I dropped it.

I bring this up because if our well-intentioned GM cannot manage everything about this game, they might be willing to delegate some of it to us in a similar fashion. In Ars, we usually try to assign aspects of the setting to players with characters that are not very involved in those adventures, but it might be that the opposite is better here because those of us with characters that are extremely invested in certain story elements would probably be able to storyguide them better, and I suspect would be more engaged in pushing the story forward because it affects their character. But I know that can also feel a bit monomaniacal, and one of the reasons we went with our various character directions is because we...

Much like I asked of Hurley, it would also be helpful if all of us shared the story beats we want to see for our PCs. Not just in a 'I wrote it in the backstory' sort of way but more an explicit 'Ta Bayang performs the Darkhallow and uses the ritual to replace the Forgotten Prince as an archfey' or 'Szofia beheads Joffrey Baratheon on the Iron Throne' kind of way. If we all have the same signposts it would help us all write in the right direction.

Does the GM, or other players have to work around what I've established? The same with Svetlana. If I lay her blueprint, what if someone else wants something else instead? Do NPCs just morph as needed by someone at a particular time without ever having an "objective" core identity we all work off of? If NPCs aren't malleable in that way, what if the Svetlana I establish runs counter to the Svetlana someone else wanted, but I posted first so I win?

I think with the style of play that's been proposed we'll all just have to 'yes and' everything with respect to NPCs. We might need to keep a Google Doc or something with notes about what NPCs have said or done before so we can keep characterization straight, but going with the traditional improv idea of building on instead of retconning what's come before seems like the only practical way to share storytelling.

Or, if all these things are supposed to get hashed out among us so we reach a consensus before those kinds of decisions about people, places, and so forth are made, when do we ever get around to posting in-game?

I'd love to do this now or far in advance for major NPCs like Sootscale or Irovetti (or Hargulka or Rhoswen if they're included or even Maegar Varn or the Swordlords if we want to get deep into backstory) where their motivation might change their approach to the PCs.

For minor but not majorly game-affecting NPCs like Oleg/Svetlana, Kesten, or other potential advisers like Jhod or Jubilost maybe we could just do a bullet point kind of guidelines sort of thing.

For antagonists who are going to fight with us regardless, like the Stag Lord or Armag, we might not have to do as much work.

Hey, Hurley. Since we have you here could we get a general idea of where you want your story to go? I think we're all probably pretty well able to separate OOC from IC information and if we know the general story beats you want to hit that would help us keep the game moving in your absence. Even if you just said something like 'the first mod pretty much runs as written' that would be very helpful since it would tell us what to to write toward (i.e.- Happs's bandits showing up in a few days).

Since you touch on fey in your post, are you leaning more heavily into the Nyrissa storyline and planning on hinting at her presence early on? I've seen (and usually include in my games) Realm of the Fellnight Queen to ramp up the fey presence in Kingmaker earlier than the AP does on its own- are you planning on doing that?

Basically, anything you can tell us about your planned direction will help.

I usually just tell the players fluff info like that. I'm not a fan of rolling for what is essentially just background fluff.

Calistril 28th, 4710 AR
Oleg's Trading Post, The Stolen Lands

Mal's expression had lightened as the group finally approached Oleg's trading post. They had been back in his home range for a couple of days now and having left the more populated Restov region clearly made the weathered looking young man more relaxed.

Skokan, the half-grown prairie lion who followed him around also less wary now that they were in more familiar territory. The big cat, about the size of a big dog and not what most people would think of when they thought "lion" ranged in front of the group and behind, sometimes disappearing for a time before turning back up when the carts and horses stopped for a break.

Approaching the fort, Mal whistles loudly, calling Skokan as he jumps down off his horse.

Any conversation, reverie, or other quiet moment is broken as the group is hailed by a stocky man with weathered skin and mutton chops. "They have arrived! Svetlana, put the supper on, the guards are here at last!" Coming out to meet the party, he approaches to take the lead horse by the reins and lead the party and their cart into the trading post. "Fine timing you've got, not a day too soon! Those rotten thieves will be here on the morrow. Come in, we'll get you fed and prepared. Svetlana, my dove, let's have some bread for our new heroes!"

Soon after, a blonde woman appears from inside a building bearing a tray with a fresh, steaming loaf of rye bread. Her beauty belies her simple clothing and meager surroundings. "Friends, come in! Empty the rocks from your boots, supper will be along soon."

Mal frowns at this, glancing at Jack first, then Zsófia and the others before turning back to Oleg. "Bandits? Who told you when they're coming back?" The young man might not be known as much of a warrior in these parts but everyone knows the strange man with the lion is always willing to lend a helping hand. He takes a closer look at Oleg's face and Svetlana before looking around at the fort for signs of damage. "Are you two alright?"

As promised, the party has scarcely had time to get unloaded before Svetlana has a humble feast laid out on a long wooden table. Bread, hearty stew, and even an unassuming bottle of wine grace the table with a place set for every member. "Tell us," says Svetlana, "what news do you bring from the city?"

Mal chuckles and looks at Zsófia. "That expedition we heard about was real." He gestures at himself and Jack, both known to the residents of the Greenbelt. "Me and Jack got on it, along with some new friends. We're supposed to deal with the bandit problem and map out the region for the Swordlords. At least they sent along some supplies to help out," he said, shrugging.

Lana. She's the cook. Most depictions I've seen of her is she's sweet and hospitable. I don't see a need to runa against the grain.

Yeah, Svetlana. That's how I see her, too, though with one of the fetch quests she sends the party on it shows she also wants to start a family so I added the idea that she wants the PCs around to foster a community to raise her kids in. I also kind of had the idea that she's the equivalent of a mail order bride? But that's just my head canon.

Oleg, meanwhile, isn't interested in people building near his trading post (both because he moved out here to be away from crowded cities like Restov and because he doesn't want competition) but dotes on Svetlana so if she wants something Oleg will support it.

Yeah, for sure.

Bokken, too. Personally, I made Bokken into Miracle Max from Princess Bride. :)

So with the premise of the game being collaborative storytelling, would/should Jack or Mal have insight here into Oleg's personality that will shape how he acts when we meet him?

Put another way, DM do you have an outline for Oleg's personality that Jack and Mal should stay within or can we color him however we want?

The Road to Oleg's

Zsófia laughs, nodding to Malylev. "I hold no illusions concerning the enthusiasm or number of my presumed subjects and vassals, my friend. These heavy titles I carry are mostly for Brevoy's hungry maw to chew upon, not to feed those who live here on the frontier. My relationship with House Surtova may benefit us in the long run, but for now it seems like more of a liability. In any case, since what I bring to our endeavor is less on the practical sensible pioneering gumption end of the pitch and more on the looming dangerous political trouble side, I felt you all deserved to know the lay of the land, at least from my perspective."

She scrunches up her nose as she realizes she will probably have to address her relationship with the Swordlords. "I fear that bridge is fallen and burnt already, Silver Dawn. The Aldoris and I, ah, are not on as good terms," she admits diplomatically. ""I think we are unlikely to receive any further goodwill from them going forward. I have what I think are very good reasons for my dislike, which I do not like to discuss, and I have never cared to learn why they have never respected me." She huffs a haughty breath through her nostrils and closes her eyes, then opens them again. "So it may be that we will be glad of the king-regent's favor if it becomes necessary for us to negotiate with Brevoy over matters of state."

Malylev shrugs. "Maybe. Maybe not. The Swordlords I've met tend to have a practical streak, at least when it comes to the idea of Rostlandic independence. I wouldn't count out help from that quarter yet. If we're successful, at least. If we're not then we'll probably just be forgotten and never talked about again." The weatherbeaten young man laughs and shakes his head. "Can't say I'd mind that, except for the fact I'd probably be dead."

"If there is room in your new realm for preserving those forests unspoiled, you have my support. The affairs of human rulers do not concern me, and I do not have any allegiance to any of them. I merely wish to explore these lands and learn of any tales or legends concerning my kind." They tip their head towards Silver Dawn in an acknowledgement of a somewhat shared scholarly goal, then turn to Malylev in an abrupt change of subject. "You've been living here for a while, yes? Any interesting local delicacies you've tried? Tasty herbs, especially."

Mal looks over at Jack. "Hmm. What do you think, Jack? Parsley, dill, chives- all those grow here natively but I'm sure you know those. Marjoram, maybe, for one you haven't tried? Good with garlic in soup or flavoring meat. And caraway makes the best bread. People up here tend to make hearty soups, savory meats, and lots of potatoes. Lots of garlic."

(I'm just looking at the map and it looks like it should have a temperate northern climate so I'm going with Czech dishes. I know you said Italian/Ottoman names but I think we're too far north for Italian/Meditterranean herbs and flavors.)

"I too find politics tiring." Jack found it took him so long to understand the machinations of local politicians, someone dies and everything changes. "But I understand what we do may affect what happens in the region. Still, I am here to answer the call to explore. And ..." He pauses, considering what he is willing to share so far. This is probably the most Jack has spoken since you all went on the road together, apart from when he had specific opinions on how to hook up the wagon to the cart-horses pulling them.

"Well, I seek information on something. An artifact or reliquary called 'Briar.' But I will not let my personal interests interfere with our working together."

Rocco huffs, apparently adding his own opinion to Jack's statement.

The blonde human chuckles. "I'm not much interested in politics, either," which was odd since Mal had been talking about it so adroitly, "but you picked the wrong group if you didn't want to have to deal with politics, bud." Mal gestures vaguely, generally indicating Restov and Brevoy all around them. "No matter what we do it's going to piss off somebody powerful, probably with an army or at least a few dozen thugs to send our way. So we'd better make friends and allies down here if we want to keep our heads on our shoulders."

“What say you, Malylev? Apart from herbs thorny or tasty, might we inquire of colourful? I only dabble in dyeing, but I suspect a regular supply of silks in all the colours one might wish is not to be relied upon where we’re going. And it might be a start towards more practical alchemy, in which, it has been brought to my attention, I am sorely lacking.”

Malylev whistles. "I don't know much about that, to be honest." He looks at Jack. "Do you, Jack?" The human shakes his head and purses his lips, thinking. "I know onion skins can cause a stain if you boil enough of them- brown and purple or red? And the inner bark of a birch tree can get you yellow. Or brown again. Sorrel, I think, can do red." He looks plaintively over at the elf explorer, a good natured smile on his friendly face. "Help me out here, Jack."

He hadn't added anything about why he was on the expedition. Was that by chance or design? The young man just seemed to be a happy go lucky sort out to help out whoever he came across. If Ta Bayang had thought she recognized him from Stoneclimb this cheerful fellow might not align with her memories of Lord Manolescu's lost heir. That young man had been quiet, serious, and seemingly overburdened with the weight of being heir to House Manolescu. Malylev here barely seemed to have a care in the world.

The Road to Oleg's

Momentarily perplexed by Ta Bayang's statement, Zsófia gives the fetchling a strange look. Then she nods to Malylev and Jack, slowing down to acknowledge her as they all travel. She scratches the nape of her neck, and sighs. "Candlemere is located within the Stolen Lands, and was once the county seat of the Narlmarches, technically making me a marchioness. I was given the title by the king-regent of Brevoy as a favor to my father, who is... well, a good friend of his. I do not know much about the estate, but part of my reason for joining this expedition is that I want to scout and secure the lands and thus prove my claim. But it is a delicate political situation, for it means I am somewhat beholden to the Dragon Throne, personally. Our charter comes from the Swordlords, but by including me in the party, it is tacitly endorsed by Brevoy as well." She smirks cheekily at Jack. "I welcome your thoughts," she adds, trying her best to sound sincere.

Malylev glances at Jack before looking back at Zsófia. "Have you ever been to the Stolen Lands before, lady?" He makes a broad gesture with one hand, encompassing all of the south and west. "The people out there don't recognize any lords. They're mostly hunters and trappers and small subsistence farmers just trying to survive from winter to winter. There's barely anyone to support a lord, much less an estate out on Candlemere Island." He shrugs. "I don't know what the Surtovas told you or your father but at best you've been given "control"," he makes a gesture with his hands to indicate the irony of the word "of an independent River Kingdom in the making."

"At worst?" The blonde, bearded man nods at her. "It's a set up designed to fail and embarrass the Swordlords. Either way, it doesn't sound good for you. Or us."

I got some surprise guests in town and am taking off some time from work to show them around. I’ll try to get on the computer but probably won’t be able to post til Friday.

Let me know if that characterization of Ezvanki Keegh is different than how you want him to be in the game, GM. Or if you wanted him off limits to us I can go back and revise.

Also I'm imagining a cart on the trail for some reason but I don't know if we would have a cart. I've got a horse and saddlebags but would anybody be interested in going in on a horse and cart for hauling stuff around?

Also also I just realized I didn't describe Mal's menagerie so we'll just assume his cat and bird are off rummaging in the grass or something. :)

On the Road to Oleg's - Day 4
Malylev knew Jack was far better at spotting trouble or weather on the horizon but he couldn't help but be up front. He was glad to be on his way back to the Stolen Lands, enjoying the fresh air that didn't stink of too many bodies all crushed in next to each other, and looking forward to seeing some familiar faces. Plus he had told Ebrar he'd look in on them to check on Feyza's cough.

He looked back over his shoulder at Zsofia's throat clearing, slowing Milha a bit to let her know he wasn't directly leading her anymore so she would keep her eyes on the ground. The tall, blonde haired young man's weatherbeaten face made him look older than he actually was but the creases at the corners of his eyes just told strangers that he smiled often.

Oh. Oooooh! This must be that thing that some mortals struggle with, and about which the fey had overheard some whispers. When they wanted to have offspring, but could not conceive. Remembering the joy that her daughter had brought their mistress, Ta Bayang looks at Zsófia sympathetically. "I'm sorry. But you are still young, there may yet be hope."

Mal chuckled, not really understanding what Ta Bayang was talking about. He nodded at Zsófia, though, indicating he wasn't laughing at her. "I did hear that, Lady. I thought it was someone making a joke in poor taste, the Stolen Lands being wild and all."

Nope. I've gone so far as to allow for crafting feats to be used as justification for things like masterwork weapons, but a free 900 gold should be more than sufficient to purchase a reasonable kit without the crafting discount. Frankly, trying to extend that further just looks like powergaming for the sake of it. If you have a specific case you'd like to submit for me to consider, I'm open to hearing you out.

Nope, just asking for math purposes.

Speaking of equipment: GM I've got about 5 gp left of spending money. I think that's the suggested cost for a generic tool. Could I use that to buy a hatchet for chopping firewood? I don't see a specific cost for one. A weapon-grade handaxe is 6 gp and I'm not looking for something balanced to use as a weapon. We may never need it, but I feel like Jack would kit himself up to be able to run a camp and I forgot stuff for getting firewood.

Why not just buy a dagger and say it's a wood-splitting hatchet? Or a kunai, since it specifically calls it out as rugged enough to be used as a tool.

GM, I'm finally sitting down to finish Mal's gear. Question that could apply to anybody with crafting feats: as long as we're capable of crafting it with a Take 10, may we buy gear we could craft at the crafting cost?

I do worry about boring Trillium and Jack and Malylev, but maybe that would make it more accessible? (Especially if Ta Bayang makes the proceedings less boring. :) )

I'd be happy to have a scene where the important nobles in the group are hobnobbing while Mal is trying to guess whether anybody recognizes him (since he was Wyman Manderly's recognized heir) and he's sneaking off to the kitchen to try to unionize the help and preach the glory of socialism. Say what you will about the Swordlords but at least they understand class struggle. ;)

I wrote something in her background where she thought disparagingly of one of the ladies of House Orlovsky and in her mind used the word "countess" as a slur. I imagine she's thinking of someone in particular whose behavior has struck her as particularly "countessy". So it might be particularly amusing for everyone if the party chooses it as a nickname for her, because she will try to be gracious and laugh it off but it will drive her crazy. It makes sense, because most people don't know what a marchioness is, and as Malylev pointed out "Countess Candlemere" sounds...

Aaaaand done. :D Mal will be calling Zsofia "Countess Candlemere" as long as they're not around actual nobility where it would be confusing.

I know the original didn't but the 10th anniversary edition was updated with stuff from the CRPG so it might have gotten that start. Unfortunately I don't have that one.

She has a title granted by the Dragonscale Throne to a smaller part of The Stolen Lands. I've been saying it applies to the Narlmarches, but since that's a pretty big chunk of land-- more like a county or duchy-- it might be better to say she's the Baroness of Candlemere instead, and for her to believe that her estates should also include the wild lands to the west.

Surely if they're just making up new titles out of whole cloth they'd at least go for the alliteration of Countess of Candlemere. ;)

I'm pointing out the canon I had in place when I started recruitment. For backstories that conflict, we'll have to massage the details unless they're crucial to the character, in which case we'll find a compromise. In Zsofia's case, the minimum would be that she would trace ancestry through "Charles", Choral's heir. Alternatively, we could have a situation where the first generation of House Rogarvia are largely made up of Choral's warband with "Charles" as their eventual leader. So maybe Choral did have a "cousin" and there could be legal lineage that connects them, but that wouldn't establish an actual blood relation of the sort that is relevant to the foul magic of the Vanishing. If there is such a blood connection, it would have been a result of breeding in subsequent generations. So you've got the first generation of House Rogarvia freely intermingling with the other noble houses, and especially the Surtovas and their bannermen.

Yeah I think it might be tough to have a legitimate blood heir to Choral outside of some weird Rogarvian exception to the Disappearance, especially after 6 generations of noble intermarriage.

@Malylev: Jack's been in his village in Brevoy for a decade or four (he's lost track) but IIRC Bokken (he's the herbalist hermit, right?) is old enough Jack could have come across him in his travels. Perhaps he occasionally goes to check on him and trade for potions. So certainly perhaps he's run into Mal and discussed the opportunity to join an expedition together.

Sounds good!

@Trillium: With what you say about her boldly striding forth into foolishness, I could see this sparking a protective instinct in Jack who might offer to watch your back. Not in a weird hovery way, but just an oof, this girl needs all the help she can get. Would that make sense?

Mal would be happy to get in on that too.

Other stuff: I think Jack is a lover of stories. He might not pay attention to a lot of politics and history but knows local folk tales and the like. People's history. He's got no skill points in lore or knowledge local so it's not going to be coherent or super immediately useful stuff but I might try to come up with some tales he's fond of (which may or may not be accurate) that could feed into some of the world events. If that makes sense.

Mal isn't a big storyteller but he likes meeting people and would potentially know a lot of random hunters, charcoal burners, trappers, etc. who just live in the area. It would be nice to have someone along to tell stories around the campfire at night.

I don't think she'll let on yet that she considers the whole kingdom her inheritance-- she'd rather wait until it matters. For now, her title is simply "Baroness of the Narlmarches," and she intends to find out all she can about her estates while following the conditions of their charter. I imagine that as she gets to know and rely upon the other PCs that she will come to think of the kingdom as "ours" rather than hers, and herself as more of a figurehead for their collective endeavors.

Oh that's interesting. So she has a legal title from the Dragonscale Throne of Baroness to this land already? That might put her on the same social level as Drelev to our west. I wonder how that might affect the possibility of non-Surtova allies.

I wouldn't be surprised if Swordlords or other Houses try to bribe/suggest that maybe Zsofia not surviving would be the best for the other members of the expedition. It would be pretty embarrassing for Surtova if their assigned expedition leader fails/die.

Hmm, would that mean anyone politically savvy knows Zsofia might put a target on their expedition's back? Maybe. Cool! :)

Which is to say, since I imagine she’s been through Restov before, there’s probably a spot she can easily slip back into in the shadow of the Aldori sponsors of our expedition, as one of their hangers-on. If anyone else has had dealings with them before – Ta Bayang on behalf of the Medvyeds, or Malylev if he occasionally comes into town to see what the nobles are up to, even incognito, for example – they might recognize Tsia from there. That way we can still work in the possible nodding acquaintances Malylev suggested, if anyone wants.

Yeah, that works. Jack and Mal show up and Mal recognizes Tsia from his visits to Restov and they all agree to help each other?

I imagine all that will get sorted quite quickly as our characters get to know one another - maybe Jack is the one to put things together and bring Tsia’s actual name to light for the group? or anyone who might acquire weird anthropological factoids about the cultures on the other side of the mountains? – but if anyone wants to run with the idea that their character knows (of) her already, what name they know her under might provide an outline of the ground they or their circle are starting from, with Tsia. :)

Sure, what name would she go by in Restov? Not among Swordlords, since Mal would try to stick to the working class folk.

I think Malylev and Ta Bayang are enough alike that they would know each other from one of Mal's visits to Stoneclimb.

Perfect!

Mal knowing half the party already really goes with his high Cha and the idea that he likes talking to people (angling for the Counselor leadership role).

This is coming along together very nicely! The Swordlords were initially going to charter just one group (Maegar Varn's group) but they were caught out by the Brevic nobles and had to charter multiple groups as a result. The Swordlords are heavily banking on Varn to succeed and the PC group will be the disfavored group. In truth, you're really only there to save Maegar Varn the trouble of dealing with the Stag Lord, and if you get killed in the attempt, so much the better (is the Swordlords' thinking). You're the group of weirdos that they couldn't really fit on any of the other teams they were putting together. You're disposable. Which also feeds into why you have to clear out the bandits before they'll even consider giving you actual landholding rights.

Yeah, that tracks. Experienced group to the east, connected leader to the west, and Zsofia the obvious Surtova plant gets the dregs that showed up and just volunteered out of the blue. Hopefully they quietly die and Varn can pick up the pieces in a couple of years. ;)

I'm leaning toward having Choral's heir be the legitimate offspring of Myrna Surtova. I had originally been toying with the idea that Caelyndraxis might have eaten Myrna on the banks of the Lake of Mists and Veils the very night she and Choral were wed and proceeded to impersonate Myrna for the next ten years, but the more I think about it, the more I like the two dragons as bickering siblings rather than incestuous. Caelyndraxis likely wasn't keen on taking human form and certainly had no interest in carrying or birthing a child. As far as the two dragons are concerned, the whole royal line are disposable tools in their quest to amass wealth and power. But the Rogarvians were still dragonblooded and probably had a high incidence of draconic sorcery in their line, and probably an above average incidence of illegitimate offspring with various other magical heritages.

That's interesting since neither Zsofia or Mal are currently the legitimate descendants of Myrna, unless I'm reading Zsofia's background wrong. Zsofia's descended from a cousin of Choral and Mal is descended from an illegitmate child of Choral's heir and Mal's 5x great-grandmother (wife of the founder of House Rath, which is a reskinned House Mormont from Game of Thrones). Did you want one of us to change that or is it not a big deal either way?

In terms of getting the group together and the Gambit Pileup, Tsia would naturally gravitate towards Maegar Varn’s expedition, since that region’s closest to her home turf, but as a largely unknown, outside quantity, the Swordlords might find it convenient to fob her off on Zsófia, who, in turn, might think – at least at the outset – that this way she can deprive the Swordlords of a potential sympathizer. (The less political folks’ eyes glaze over. :p ) Despite how “current” Brevic history is to Tsia, and so worth keeping an eye on, to start with, it’s just another safety issue as she swans about as a gentlewoman antiquarian whose local interests are about much, much older periods.

This sounds good. You've got Zsofia as Surtova's representative, Ta Bayang representing Medvyed, Tsia nominally representing the Swordlords, and Mal, Jack, and Trillium as neutrals.

I was thinking that Tsia might have ended up in Restov most recently by way of what will eventually become the general neighbourhood of Varnhold. If Malylev was mentored by Bokken, maybe he picked up on the rumours of plans brewing for the Stolen Lands and decided to look into things when a trip to resupply on some town-ish materials presented an occasion, and he and Tsia met (at least briefly) en route, and they (and possibly some other folks travelling together for safety) picked Jack up along the way? Malylev might well look like someone who can take care of himself, but Tsia almost certainly looks like someone in over her head on dangerous roads.

Yeah, that works for me. It also looks like Mal and Jack might also have a good reason to know each other since Jack has been living in the Stolen Lands and Mal has been apprenticing with Bokken and both of them are the helpful type, so this trio could have met up on the way to Restov?

And if Mal and Ta Bayang knew each other from the Medvyeds court, that's 4 PCs that know each other at least well enough to nod hi in passing. Though Mal isn't currently going by his given name he'd still probably be recognizable.

Just linking the Google Doc here for my own ease of reference.

Hey everybody. Thanks for picking Mal. I'm quickly skimming all the profiles and what's been posted so please forgive me if I miss anything important. Just off the top of my head, I find the following interesting and/or have questions about:

-Really interesting that you picked Zsofia and Mal, since they've both got the last lost heir of Choral bit in their background. Could be interesting if the dragon comes looking for his blood heir and finds 2 of them, maybe the auguries got confused because they're both in the same location.

-I use Czech for Brevoy names so I'll have to work to remember we're using Ottoman/Turk/Italian names for that.

-Looks like Ta Bayang and Mal have a lot in common. They might even know each other before joining the group, but maybe that makes the universe too small.

-Lots of long-lived PCs here. That could have implications for how the human kingdoms/nobles to the north and south view the upstart kingdom. Idk how Surtova or the petty kings in the River Kingdoms would like to see a Duke or Duchess who might rule for 700 years right on their borders.

-Like I said in the recruitment thread, I like to lean heavily into the Brevoy politics and shamelessly crib from ASoIaF/Redcelt's GoT in Brevoy thread. I am a pretty big nerd when it comes to the Song of Ice and Fire books. I would prefer to keep the normal Charter setup for the background because (like you said) it makes the PC kingdom a potential trigger for the upcoming civil war. In my head canon, this gambit into the Stolen Lands is the thing that eventually/soon kicks off a hot war between the Swordlords and Surtova/Lodovka/Orlovsky with Medved/Garess/Lebeda being forced to pick sides, since Surtova can't allow the Swordlords to establish an ostensibly separate kingdom to the south and possibly create a bridge between the Swordlords of Restov and the Swordlords of Mivon that might lead to a Swordlord kingdom that could rival "Brevoy" (which was forced together by Choral and is already coming apart at the seams).

-Re a Gambit Pileup, that makes a lot of sense when you look at all the competing expeditions. The PCs are the least likely group to be successful and I think in the original AP lore they're the most beholden to/reliant upon the Swordlords. I could be wrong about that, I've been running a years-long Kingmaker game and might be conflating my lore and the AP lore. Regardless, you've got Maegar Varn to the east, closest to Restov and more experienced than the PCs, and the Drelev expedition to the west, headed up by a connected and well funded nobleman. The PC expedition, in contrast to the others, is a bunch of randos who just get thrown together and told to, like, go kill some bandits or whatever. So if you assume Drelev is backed by Surtova and Varn more directly by Restov (or Lebeda, who in my game is very rich) then it looks like the PC expedition is kind of a Hail Mary. Sorry this one kind of got away from me, lots of thoughts about the politics of it.

I'll definitely have more thoughts as I get more familiar with everyone's backgrounds and ideas.

Thanks for letting me play!

Final Submission

This is Malylev's final submission. Since he doesn't get his animal companion until level 5 he's mostly a buffer/debuffer and healer. Outside of combat he's basically a wandering healer and handyman who emerges out of the wilderness and disappears back into the night.