“Well, Jezebelle, now that you mention it, I wasn’t exactly friendly with his mother for the explicit purpose of conception,” Nes replies looking a bit chagrined at being jested at. He turns to Lriiestil. “But I was simply surprised that you survived,” he says carefully. “I’d be surprised if any of my children showed up after I’d written them off for dead,” he shrugs his shoulders and smiles more genuinely. “To be painfully honest, I was enjoying the lack of responsibility,” Nes laughingly admits.
“Speaking of which… son, there’s an opportunity on deck for you to make your old man proud, and earn a major boon,” he says. “I’ve challenged each of the gods to create a new unique mortal race that is interesting and has potential for civilization. That way everybody gets their own little team to support during an evolving series of challenges,” Nes explains. “So if you want to participate, you are welcome. I’d recommend really thinking outside of the box; there are some serious contenders already. I think we are both well aware that I won’t play favorites.”
To say that Nes looks surprised by Liriiestil’s appearance, is an understatement. If his jaw wasn’t attached, it’d probably have fallen off his face and skittered away across the floor. The silver-tongued god appears truly at a loss for words. He takes entire seconds to recover his composure.
“… hello. Welcome,” he says, doing his best to affect his trademark grin. “I am doing well enough, I suppose. I wouldn’t complain even if I had cause to,” he weakly quips. “I am… glad to see you survived the apocalypse. Ah… everyone who is not already familiar, I’d like you to meet one of my… well I suppose my only child, now- Liriiestil,” Nes says, like fatherly affectations are uncomfortable.
Nes seems to be visibly struggling to come up with something to say, which leads to what is most likely a rather uncomfortable silence.
“Can I get you anything- food, drink, or entertainment?” he finally asks, falling back on old hosting habits.
All three mods approve and we are past Steve's deadline, so looks like you are good to go, Monkeygod =)
Jezebelle, I like the idea of Domains granting more concrete benefits than they do at present, so support your recommendation. Now, as discussed, Nes’ cosmic decree has made it so that Concepts have rules, but can be used by anyone who fits and acts within the rules (so Erande can use poetry, because as you say, that’d be weird if he can’t without fighting you).
Obviously there is talk of revamping the combat system, but other options for benefits could be as simple as a +1 Combat bonus if you have a domain associated with the Concept being employed or an AP discount on doing things associated with your domain.
Yeah… I am not a huge fan of the justifications, but at the same time, I am really going to not try to get bent out of shape about interpretations of vague rules unless we establish something better. She could always just change what the domain is to fit. It is not like we have to stick to Pathfinder domains, and domains don’t actually do anything (other than act as a stepping stone for leveling). She could just call one of her domains Holy Strength and the other Holy Light, and it’d be fine, so ultimately doesn’t matter.
As Jezebelle says, you can just apply any spends towards any domain per the rules. I think that’s fine as far as progression since there are other balancing factors (actually purchasing the domain, actually purchasing the advancement, and minimum time to ascend). Plus, if you get into a back and forth that requires you to spend a pile of points, then you don’t have a pile of points to spend on your advancement.
To go into detail: Each Domain costs 3 AP, and ascension costs 5 AP in addition to that. So, if you plan perfectly and spend only 7 AP that allows you to qualify for two domains, then you still are at minimum spending 18 AP towards ascension. In 6 weeks, nobody is making more than 24-36 AP total, so that is a fairly major commitment of resources.
Nes breaks a shard off of himself so he does not abandon his guests. The piece of the Lord of Civilization makes his way slowly to Azdan’s realm, enjoying the site-seeing along the way. “Love what you’ve done with the place,” he quips as soon as the deathlord comes into his sight.
The Father of Fey takes a circuit around the room, looking over all of the many forms of death with the patience of an immortal. It takes quite a while. “I give you top marks for originality and I appreciate you trying to game the system,” Nes says with a smirk. “But while the latter earns my esteem, only the former counts towards your score. Please, tell me about your new potential children,” he says with a sweep of his arm towards the assembled creatures.
Hidden by the lollygagging within Azdan’s realm, the shard of Nes also weaves a rippling change to the universe. It rides the waves of Azdan’s decree, making it impossible to determine the source of the shift.
Cosmic Decree (5 AP): The universe has rational natural laws that can be learned and studied:
Every Concept must have a definition and rules, which are decided by the god during its creation. These descriptions may be as specific or vague as the god wishes. These Concepts may then be built upon or Alchemized by any god, but the more specific or Alchemized Concepts must incorporate all rules from the original Concepts. Any god may grant their creations any Concept, but the creation must then obey all rules of the Concept.
A god may use a Scourge/Boon action (3 AP) when creating a Concept to restrict the Concept to use by their creations only (unless they give permission or are defeated in combat as normal). The rules of a Concept can be changed by their creator or by another god who defeats the creator in combat, for 2 AP.
Note: Nes possesses the One with the Shadows ability, so no God automatically knows IC he was responsible for the above, but can note it occurring if it affects your creations.
I’m with Jezebelle and Steve on Lagdorn’s actions on all points and could not have said it better. I agree that Lagdorn needs to either create three separate magical concepts or just call it all ‘Balance’ magic and let it work thematically different for different alignments. I do not think anyone should regain anything for destroying something you created. It is not like they are recyclable, but I am with Steve on you being able to retcon their out and out utter destruction.
I think a Cosmic Decree by Lagdorn to enforce societal levels of advancement isn’t a bad concept, but it would need to be discussed further.
I vote for each deity getting to belong to a single pantheon. They can leave at any time and respend points if they wish to join another.
I am definitely down to act as a moderator, unless there are any objections. Yes, I guess we three would be a team of game designers… that’s probably a pretty good selling point. =)
I think you are maybe getting hung up on the ill-defined nature of the rules. Yes, they are vague, but that can be a feature rather than a flaw. This is obviously a storytelling game in the purest sense. It sounds like you just have a lot of baseline assumptions that aren’t being met, and you feel like we are putting the horse in front of the cart. Without set definitions of time and gravity, why are people making mortals and societies?
Why is time important? Why is gravity important? Obviously the lack of these things should affect the nature of the planet, but a world of Merlins where people zoom around like on the astral plane is just as viable as the Forgotten Realms.
I think the best advice I can give is to just relax and ignore all the basic rules of physics, biology, and sanity. If we get bogged down in details it is really going to detract from the fun and you may have an aneurism. Things work because the literal gods say they do. If a facet of reality seems important enough to do something about, then by all means go nuts, but until that point I am happy assuming that gravity functions or the speed of the great turtle hurtling through space is sufficient to keep people pinned to the ground. Nobody should spend points to make Cosmic Decree: Gravity, because that’s just a waste of points.
I worry that games of this nature (without a clear end-goal or direction from a GM) may very quickly stagnate if there is not some sort of internally driven action. The best way to do this is to have a lot of characters who all have strong conflicting motivations; then everyone becomes the proactive driver of their own story and the conflict forces interaction beyond small-talk. If everyone is not proactive, then proactive characters need to create situations for the reactive characters to react to. World-building then happens as a result as need arises (we have space-farers and so now space is a thing that matters, where before, who cares). If everyone world-builds separately, without common cause or reason, then it isn’t really collaborative world-building, it is a lot of people building separate worlds at the same time.
Lagdorn,
It isn’t a bad idea, but I think getting to the point of hitting the reset button means things have already gotten too bad for the game to really continue in any incarnation. I do think it is a good idea to get either official active Mods to start taking control or a single unbiased individual to step up as acting GM. The problem with the latter is that person should give up a character that they’ve invested time/effort in to remain truly unbiased.
I feel it is unfair to disallow Monkeygod on the principle that he was ‘too late’ or make him wait for arbitrary reasons. He had a good concept and was working out the kinks while gaining familiarity with the game. If he doesn’t have appropriate approval for his concept, then that is a horse of a different color. Talking about closing recruitment is not the same as closing. If it is desired to be closed, then he should at least be considered before it actually happens.
Unfortunately for Monkeygod, it is not appropriate for Melehan to retcon a perfectly reasonable IC action; it is just unfortunate that it played out like this. Perhaps Monkeygod might come in and shout ‘plagiarism!’ at Melehan IC since elves were his thing in the old world, not the new (yet). The other good available option is Monkeygod just changing ‘elves’ to something else, but keeping the root core of the concept intact.
It does seem pretty obvious that this game would benefit from someone stepping up to take charge of rules disputes, character approval, and being empowered to introduce plots/complications. I am willing to throw my hat into the ring on this count, and would sacrifice Nes on the altar of unbiased rulings. That also frees up a spot for Monkeygod. I would prefer not to do this though, if it is believed we can come to a consensus on the various rules disputes. Even if that is the case, we still need someone to declare 'this is how it is then' so the conversations don't drag on.
As far as pantheons: I completely disagree with the idea that gods can belong to more than one pantheon.
1) It defeats the idea of small alliances, which breed conflict- the lifeblood of a game like this. We do not have a GM who is introducing conflict, antagonists, or complications. If we do not encourage conflict ourselves then it won't happen.
2) It strikes me as having potential for abuse. Why doesn’t everyone make a pantheon and everyone join it? This is meant to be an extreme example to make a point.
3) It removes the inherent meaning behind a commitment to join a pantheon if you can just turn around and join another that strikes your fancy.
4) Historical examples are inappropriate for a game that has no bearing on the real world. So it does not matter if a real world god shared traits with another real world god, in two pantheons.
I am very firmly on the side of Lagdorn in the sense that his actions violate no rules or official precedent and are (in my opinion) very beneficial for this game.
TL;DR Lagdorn’s take on the game isn’t less viable, just different from how it has been played. Everyone could have been playing like him as well, but chose not to. If the existing gods do not like the changes he is making, then they should act against him In Character. This includes making Cosmic Decrees to ensure that such things don’t happen in the future.
Steve,
Lagdorn has at present done very little action-wise that is outside of the scope of worlds like Golarion, which possess space travel and even entire adventures devoted to space ships. His actions are even encouraged by the rules, “Steam Punk no matter how advanced would always be advanced not magical - so have fun with your dirigibles (Same goes for each other punk variant, such as clockpunk, biopunk, cowpunk. EXCEPT for cyber punk - that will be a legendary concept).” So even cyberpunk would be acceptable, for only 5 AP.
So he didn’t do anything odd. However, even if he had done something a lot more out of the box than he had, I would actively encourage and support it.
The point of the game system as written is to create a very loose set of rules in order to encourage creativity and roleplay. Gods can create anything they wish, from cyberpunk dystopias to generic fantasy dragons. It is set up to encourage settings more like GURPs than Greyhawk. Any restrictions would have to be imposed and made very clear to incoming players. My opinion is that such a restriction would be a really unfortunate move.
I believe that Yidhra has the right reaction. Lagdorn didn’t show up and say ‘all your people are now enslaved’. He had his creations land and begin attempting interaction with opportunities for anything from peaceful contact to all-out war. Yidhra now plans on adding In Character complications for Lagdorn’s people.
Jezebelle,
I feel it is a good thing that you and Erande felt the desire to create Mundane Concepts like architecture and shipbuilding, but these are not good examples for comparison to Lagdorn’s actions. Mundane Concepts have no mechanical effect, they are simply for flavor. Advanced Concepts like Steam Tech and Space Travel add +1 to the Combat of the creatures employing them. A more fair comparison would be to the Magical Concepts of Blood Magic or Song, which add +2 to Combat, for cheaper than what Lagdorn spent. So while the Oreads can drop rocks from space, the Jezites can sacrifice some guy and blow up their ships.
I think making assumptions that come from the real world or other fantasy settings is incorrect. There is no reason for Lagdorn to show the advancement of metallurgy before he creates steam technology, any more than it is necessary for Jezebelle to create concepts like Sacrifice before she makes Blood Magic. He made a Society with Form Society, and then gave them an Advanced Concept that is even recommended in the rules. There is no reason why a divinely created society needs to reflect the slow exponential technological advancements of the real world. This is on top of the fact that timelines are intended to be very fluid. Perhaps Lagdorn’s Oreads spent thousands of years advancing off camera. It wouldn’t matter IC, since it’d still be a surprise when they show up.
If people want to establish slow exponential growth as being necessary, then a Cosmic Decree to that effect is needed. For example: you must create a Mundane Concept before you can create a related Advanced Concept before you can create a related Magical Concept. If that is made to be the case then you would need to create Metallurgy, before Steampunk.
“I am not sure it would be… what is the word… sustainable? I saw a disease once that did something along those lines. People infected would just rapidly eat themselves to death,” Nes says, seeming more bothered by the long-term viability, than the minor detail of people dying gruesomely. “It is better for a creature’s root sufferings to be more emotional than physical, at least in the short term,” he speaks as if he has ample experience with this sort of thing. “For example, hunger in general is a positive motivating force for action, and only kills if it is not satiated for a long while. It builds and builds, desperation increasing slowly, until the mortals go to gloriously desperate lengths for the barest scraps,” he says, with academic tones.
“Why yes, my dear; a competition of creativity and creation. I feel that you are uniquely suited in both areas,” Nes says with a chuckle, as he watches her spin. “I’ve promised to do almost anything the winner asks of me.”
“It is weird, but I’m sure they don’t have to, my dear. We could always make it so that they don’t. Plant people who eat sunlight, perhaps, or mortals that subsist on magic, memory, or emotion,” Nes says with a fond, but slightly patronizing smile, like a proud father talking to a beloved child. “Some of my children in the old world would subsist solely on fear. They would play the most delightful games with the emotions of others, just to drink deeply.”
“Just between you, me, and the wall… I simply doubt I will ever understand the Gods of Death, so can offer no real explanation. The tasks they set for themselves seem incredibly boring to me; I cannot imagine any situation where I use my near-omnipotence to become an eternal bureaucrat,” Nes shrugs and grins dismissively. “To each his own, I suppose.”
Nes appears somewhat surprised but not upset at Yidhra’s touch to his shoulders. He silently ponders her words for a few moments. “Quite true. It certainly needs to be added to the docket, or we could always just replace their stomachs with some of Lagdorn’s steam engines.”
Nes still plays host for his remaining guests. His many important tasks include making excellent food and drink recommendations while regaling them the greatest triumphs and tragedies from a dead cosmos.
When Yidhra appears suddenly in front of him, he flinches in surprise, dropping his glass which disappears before it can shatter on the ground. “You all and your entrances… I should create a giant door just so there is an incentive to knock,” he says with a wry smile.
“Lady Chaos. Welcome. I was starting to think you were not going to be able to make it.” Nes bows gracefully in greeting. “Agriculture is a necessary ingredient for true civilization. It is hard to cram thousands of mortals together and allow some to specialize in interesting ways, if each worries about the next meal,” he says nodding, like he actually understands what the heck she means.
“Can you hear the echoes of my challenge?” Nes asks, motioning to the grand city below where the voices of the gods are still reflected. “Are you interested in competing?”
In a broad sense, yes, although obviously no rush on retroactively updating and I would assume there should be no cost. The rules can be vague, unknown, or mysterious. Additionally I assume everyone has the option of retroactively restricting a Concept they created previously by spending 3 AP.
Specifically, I do not believe that undeath (as I understand it) should have been a Concept, but a Boon/Scourge action taken when creating a race that allowed it to violate your Cosmic Decree for 3 AP (each immortal race would need to spend it as well). It was created as a Concept, but that shouldn’t be sufficient for everyone to now flaunt your Cosmic Decree. If you are okay with that though, then it would be a Concept that needs rules set by Yidhra (she does a good job already of outlining it) and available to all gods.
The Cosmic Decree: Everything Dies, requires no revision since it is not a Concept. I’ll go through and make a list of all the Concepts so far created, and therefore affected:
Sounds great! Woo corruption! I would recommend that you include the idea that all mortals or all creatures must sleep and dream. Otherwise, an easy loophole is creatures that don’t sleep not having to get involved. Then the Scourge/Boon has to be that the creature doesn’t require sleep/dreams.
It is certainly quite the power grab, but that should be encouraged. I think this is a really cool novel idea and give it two thumbs up. It’s very Sandman-esque. I also like the idea of the mirrors being tied to the dreaming.
Melehan,
I have a few thoughts. First, I want to point out that Nes encouraged the creation of new mortal races that didn’t exist in the old world – “Just remember, victory goes to the most novel, the most intriguing, and those with the greatest potential. I spent eons playing with humans, elves, dwarves, and so on. I don’t want to say that I am bored with them, per se, but a new universe is about new beginnings. I feel like broadening my horizons.” So, while I think OOC that elves are a perfectly good fantasy-world staple, you are going to need some more spice to make them competitive in his proposed contest. Like Lagdorn took the oreads and turned them into steampunk communists in SPAAAACE. =)
Second, the new player hoping to join (Monkeygod) was proposing to make a Father of Elves, so maybe coordinate or discuss the move with him over in the recruitment thread?
Well, it doesn't say they have to be rational from the perspective of mortals... I think I can abuse the loopholes in that decree enough to avoid having my character be too bothered by it. XD She is, after all, the Goddess of Paradoxes.
That is extremely correct, and Nes is a giant fan of exploiting loopholes (so thumbs up). =)
The rules of Concepts don't even have to fit within the bounds of common sense. Take Quantum Physics as a real life example of a system with rules that sounds like the stuff of madness.
Okay, here is my final draft. I will leave it here for a few more days before committing to the action in the gameplay thread in case anyone else has comments.
Cosmic Decree (5 AP): The universe has rational natural laws that can be learned and studied.
Every Concept must have a definition and rules, which are decided by the god during its creation. These descriptions may be as specific or vague as the god wishes. These Concepts may then be built upon or Alchemized by any god, but the more specific or Alchemized Concepts must incorporate all rules from the original Concepts. Any god may grant their creations any Concept, but the creation must then obey all rules of the Concept.
A god may use a Scourge/Boon action (3 AP) when creating a Concept to restrict the Concept to use by their creations only (unless they give permission or are defeated in combat as normal). The rules of a Concept can be changed by their creator or by another god who defeats the creator in combat, for 2 AP.
“Of course, my Lord Death. Thank you for attending! I would say that you are always welcome, but that would be a lie… and I never lie,” he says with a smile that gives nothing of his true feelings away. “Excellent! I am thrilled to hear you are participating. I figured that you’d be the hardest sell, but your involvement adds a great deal of spice to the proceedings. Not only does the threat of you gaining my favor act as extra incentive for everyone, but I eagerly await seeing the mortal life that Death dreams up,” Nes says, as he waves farewell.
I believe the magic concepts can come in many flavors, so there is lots of room for people to snatch up areas or forge new territory. Like, every god could create their own ‘type’ of magic. Liriiestil could focus on ‘storytelling’ magic, for example, or you two could alternately divvy up ‘arcane’ style magic and ‘divine’ style magic. Jezebelle seems a great fit for having dominion over divine magic (worship, praise, prayers) primarily as opposed to studious disciplined magic. Another idea- Jesebelle’s style could be spontaneous casting stuff like sorcerers or oracles, with Liriiestil going for memorization/research/discipline style casting?
Feel free to recreate fey if you like, Jezebelle. Nes has no plans on revisiting ‘failed’ designs (in his opinion). Anything he creates is going to not have existed in the old world. At most he is going to make a whole new type of fey-like creature to be his go to guys on manipulating the mortal flocks.
Corellon Larethian?! =) Yeesh! Are you sure Nes is Liriestil’s dad, or is that just what mom his mom told him? ;-)
I'll write up a more official post, but along with creating elves and being in charge of magic(possibly the creator, not sure), I was thinking of branching out into the classic elements as well, creating elementals and such.
I had a cosmic decree in mind too: "Magic exists, and mortals can use it, but never to harm or challenge a god". This means they either need to be godly themselves, get divine assistance, or use powerful artifacts to affect us.
Just to be clear, we have two material planes, the original and Mirridon, the afterlfe and heaven as far as planes go, correct? No Astral, Ethereal, Shadow, or Elemental?
Is the prime planet basically as big as we want it to be? Like if I wanted to raise another continent or a big ass island, that's fine, right? Plenty of room and all that?
Finally, I definitely like Nes being my father, though I would rather the relationship be a bit stronger, though not serious or strict.
I believe you would not need a Cosmic Decree to create magic; magic would just be a Legendary Concept. If Nes' Cosmic Decree goes through, then you would just define what magic 'is' and how it can be used. If you spend extra AP, you would be the only god that can have access to it without your permission or a fight. You could create a Cosmic Decree that makes it so that magic cannot be used against gods, or even broader, that mortals cannot fight gods. If the latter, then gods can't bring less than immortal beings to a god fight.
I think there is just one Material Plane, which forms an entire broad universe. Mirrodin, is just a different planet set apart from the planet most of the gods are poking around on (which needs a name?). I believe Azdan made the negative energy plane too.
My understanding is that the prime planet has a size that varies according to our needs, so you could in fact just raise another continent or big ass island. Probably just good to figure out how it relates to the other major features that have been created so far.
Well, maybe Nes was your god's father in the old world (that'd make sense with the whole father of elves thing), and just assumed that you went away to the far realms with the rest of his rascals? So he was always a crappy dad, but now you get to be an only child and a god to boot? That would certainly go further to forging a relationship.
Hah! Well, me and my 1d6 attack certainly isn’t too keen on getting into combat! =)
I believe that you are correct with the current rules, although I think it is unclear on how Concepts may be gained without fighting. I am just assuming that they can be traded or bartered, since otherwise it’d be a bit silly. That opportunity will still exist, but it will only be with the Concepts that your god truly covets (by spending additional AP, I am starting to think 2 AP sounds better than 3 AP).
I suppose at the root of it I just find it odd that Concepts can’t already be shared like this automatically. It seems weird that one god can give his creations the Concept of Cooking, but everyone else in the cosmos is really confused about this whole putting a piece of meat under a fire thing without that god’s permission or a fight. Maybe it fits in a Prometheus giving fire to humanity sense, but if that is the intention, then Nes definitely wants to turn things around like the Titan of legend.
There would still be interaction as above for the important Concepts. More so, I expect, since this change would increase their inherent value, raising the stakes. There would also be additional interaction as allied gods plan to take control of important Concepts so that they can set the rules for their use in their benefit or against rival’s interests.
Maybe I could make it so that the rules of Concepts can be changed by the god that controls them? That gives some greater incentive for trade/fighting.
Steve,
I think you are confusing Cosmic Decrees and Concepts. Cosmic Decrees shape the nature of the universe while Concepts are ideas that can empower creatures or groups (like the former is the canvas and the latter the paint). So, for example, with the Cosmic Decree: Everything Dies, the only way to get around it is to spend 3 AP to make some creature a god creates an exception to the rule or to spend a Cosmic Decree to counter yours. Creating undead is not a Concept, but a creature that is an exception to the rule you stated. This would also apply to immortal creatures (like outsiders or whatever).
To compare it to my cosmic decree, creating undead in that case would be analogous to making a Concept that is not open for anyone to apply to their creations. I am all for allowing such exceptions to the decree since they are an important balancing factor to Cosmic Decrees in general.
My decree would affect Concepts, which are the ideas or forces created by gods within the universe, and used by their creations. So like necromancy is an idea whereas undead are one exception to Cosmic Decree: Everything Dies.
As father of demigods and mortals go, I totally envision Nes as a dad with a comb-over and polyester workout suit. He's absent and aloof, and then shows up at your graduation with $20, a date half his age you've never met, and willing to take full credit for his kids' success.
As an added bonus, he's probably there to cheer on fellow graduates you didn't realize were your ha;f-brothers and sisters.
: )
This is like 90% accurate. The fridge horror is that he makes the comb-over and tracksuit look good.
“I am sorry, Jezebelle. I did not mean to mislead. I certainly do enjoy activities that can be done in pairs, but I take the philosophy that having more, makes for merrier,” he roguishly raises a brow. “And this is only the first of many challenges. It is perhaps more of an incentive to set the board with appropriately interesting pieces. I am sure many future games will stay just between us.”
“I am a huge fan of free will… to a point. Obviously, a baby doesn’t have any more free will than a rock, but if you feel your creations are mature enough to make their own decisions, then that is none of my business,” he politely and respectfully bows. “Just remember, victory goes to the most novel, the most intriguing, and those with the greatest potential. I spent eons playing with humans, elves, dwarves, and so on. I don’t want to say that I am bored with them, per se, but a new universe is about new beginnings. I feel like broadening my horizons,” he makes a wide gesture with his arms outstretched.
“If you are the winner, then the boon becomes yours to do with as you will. You can spend it straight away, keep it forever, gift it, or trade it. It is a favor. My children used to use them as currency,” he says fondly. “I would like to reinstate such a tradition amongst the gods, and must start somewhere.”
Almost done with the game thread, but have to sleep(its 2am)
Some concepts I've come up(Whichever is chosen, I will then give a writing sample in order to be accepted)
A god of Elves and Magic(Both Arcane and Nature), who will likely be aligned with Jezebelle, at least some what and with Nes, a LOT. Possibly even related.
A god of great beasts, natural fury, etc. Probably aligned with Lady Winter, though not due to being in the North, just because of her ties to the northern forests and beasts within.
A god of Devils and Hell. Possibly aligned with Azdan, but maybe not with anybody at all. For the record, not another death or destruction god, but one out to corrupt and tempt mortals away from their gods and force them to fall.
I had also really wanted to play a god of Undeath and Necromancy, but it seems that might be Azdan's thing.
I have a few others in mind, but this is a start.
Of the presented options I like either the elven magic-god concept or having an evil-tempter/corrupter god would be solid to. I would need to see more out of either to be sure. I am happy to work with you on incorporating Nes into your background, although must warn that he is definitely a deadbeat dad. =)
Good to hear you don’t see any issues. =) I think the biggest problem is that the system presumes that gods pay AP for concepts before they give them to creations or they must battle (or bargain?) another god for the right to not to have to spend AP. This would free that up and save AP, but with the added downside of having to play by whatever rules the god creating the concept dictates. This makes many root concepts- war, magic, etc. a bit of a race to see who gets to lay claim and set the standard. I hope that will be a driving force for interaction and drama.
Lagdorn,
My pleasure! Nes likes how Lagdorn rolls, but I figured that’s how things would pan out from your application. =)
I am trying to figure out cosmic decrees. Since my first concept for one is definitely controversial, I am throwing it up here for discussion, revision, and to help me get a handle on the rules.
Cosmic Decree (5 AP): The universe has rational natural laws that can be learned and studied.
Every Concept created must have a definition and rules decided upon by the god upon its creation. These rules may be as specific or vague as the god wishes. These Concepts may then be built upon or Alchemized by any god, but the more specific or Alchemized Concepts must incorporate all rules from the original Concepts. Any god may grant their creations any Concept, but the creation must then obey the rules as defined in the Concept.
Explanation
Per the current system (if I understand it correctly), you can grant anything you control any Concept you create, but if you want to give your creations a Concept that was created by another deity, you must engage that deity in combat (or I assume, just have their permission).
My proposal for a shift caused by Cosmic Decree would be that any Concept would be available for use by any god with their creations. This would represent that the Concepts are written into the fabric of the universe for anyone to see and take advantage of.
I think it should also be possible for gods to spend additional AP (2-3?) when creating such Concepts to make it able to defy this Cosmic Decree, and remain only available to their chosen people. This would represent race-specific powers (like efreeti wish-magic), power that is specifically crafted to operate outside of the rules (like the Shadow-Weave in Forgotten Realms), the information is just way to inscrutable for almost anyone to really understand (quantum physics), the god actively preventing the spread of the information, or some other reason.
Examples
Nes creates the Legendary Concept: Arcane Magic (5 AP). He defines Arcane Magic as being any ritual magic that alter the nature of reality by through planar energies. Azdan then decides that he’d like to create Magical Concept: Necromancy (3 AP) as a type of Arcane Magic. He defines necromancy as arcane magic that deals with undead by drawing upon the negative energy plane. If a negative energy plane doesn’t exist, then he can’t define necromancy this way, since it has to fit within the purview of Arcane Magic.
At that point, necromancy is just something anyone can learn by studying the negative energy plane and undead. In order to prevent anyone from learning necromancy, Azdan could spend an additional 3 AP to jealously guard the trade secrets, or actively prevent the negative energy plane from being accessed. If anyone wants to steal the secrets of necromancy, they'd have to combat Azdan for the right as normal.
Am I thinking along the right lines, and what are people’s opinions?
“Of course, Yir. Thank you for coming, and good luck,” the Lord of Civilization says cheerfully as the goddess departs.
Nes blinks at Lagdorn’s sudden and unexpected arrival. “The First Inventor? I like the sound of you already,” he remarks with a bright smile. “Sorry for not sending you an invitation, but you must either be new… or very good at keeping quiet,” he says with a chuckle, before turning towards one of his tapestries. He stares at it thoughtfully for a moment, before the colors begin to swirl and run with a wave of his hand.
When the tapestry settles, it shows a grand view of a world of endless metal and progress, with the People of Darksteel going about their daily toils. He watches it for a while, as pieces of the picture rapidly focus on various aspects of their lives and society.
“Mirrodin,” he says softly, a few times, as if tasting the name. “I’m impressed,” he concludes with a grin, turning around to nod cheerfully. “I like this science and technology thing you cooked up. Anyone can study something to understand it, and gain power over it through understanding. As long as they have competent recording of information and review of results, it seems like it works pretty well. I mean, I like magic, but the guidelines were pretty arbitrary. People kept making new spells, but nothing ever really revolutionized the system. The idea of set, logical, but hidden rules of the universe, that the mortals can potentially discover, is delightful! Like a puzzle within a game,” Nes literally applauds.
“Good show, sir. I definitely approve of whatever magics we come up with working the same way. If you don’t do it, I sure will at this point. I think it would be especially marvelous if we can keep the rules hidden from ourselves so we can share in the joy of discovery?”
Nes doesn’t appear to be concerned with the idea of potential war or aggressions. He motions towards the thrones and table. “Take a seat if you care to, First Inventor. All the food and drink of a lost world is at your fingertips for as long as you can stay. I am happy to make recommendations, or, you can…” he glances back towards the Mirrodin tapestry for a moment, “… experiment.”
“Wars? Who said anything about wars?” Nes asks with some confusion. “I mean, sure, I suppose it is inevitable, but war is a lot more severe than what I am talking about. When I say competition I mean just that… like sports. Friendly competition, that nevertheless gets people riled up and passionate.” He chuckles in bemusement. “Don’t get me wrong, I am not adverse to a good war every once in a while, but I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings about what I was talking about. I am not suggesting that we create a bunch of mortals just so they can kill each other. That would be a pointless waste.”
Nes turns to Melehan when he arrives. The fey god smiles both broadly and warmly. “Melehan, you old so-and-so! The honor is mine,” he says with an impish grin. “I invited every god in the cosmos, so I paid you no particular honor, but I am sincerely glad you came. I feel like out of all, I can have the most fun at your expense,” he says with a wink.
“This should be enough for me to start. Any late comers shall hear these words and are equally welcome to join the Games,” says Nes. “I promised all of you not only a party, but a challenge.” The Kingmaker plops down onto his antique wooden throne.
“I am a terrible father,” he admits with sad but earnest tones. “I learned it the hard way. I created many powerful immortal children,” he sighs. “I expected each to stand upon my shoulders to reach heights I could not dream of, but all were terrible disappointments,” he plucks up a purple berry. It gets flicked by his thumb into a long arc towards his mouth and he chews thoughtfully. “It was always the mortals, not of my making, that intrigued me most. Weak, stupid, and short-lived, they constantly strived to better themselves, and succeeded. I imagine that if they’d had more time,” he glances over at Adzan, “…then they might be here instead of us.”
“I will speak plainly of my motives; I desire unique new children to guide. Mortals whose like I have never seen, but who can surprise me for an eternity. I, however, lack the power, and admittedly the talent, to create them by myself. I am hoping that by offering a strong incentive that I can convince most of you to help me,” he says with a shrug. “The most beautiful board is useless without pieces to move.”
When Nes speaks again, it shakes the walls of the Metropolis like a minor earthquake, “To the god or goddess that can create the most novel and interesting race of mortals, brimming with potential for the Games of Divinity, I will give a major boon. I swear to grant the winner of this first contest any reasonable request within my spheres of influence, short of a cosmic decree. ”
“Each new race would be created to represent you in future Games, so the more power invested, the greater your ongoing advantage. Future challenges would build upon, and depend on, your chosen people. For example, perhaps in future Games we each craft a challenge that must be faced by a champion from each race, or we test each other’s chosen people to see which best perseveres against adversity,” Nes waves his hand like there are endless possibilities and he won’t go into them right away.
“Now, I am sure at least some of you are tempted to refuse without even giving it due consideration. Gods of death might see little purpose in creating life. That is the heart of the challenge. How can you win while furthering your own goals? What mortal race would befit the Lord of Death more than say… a people constantly aware of their own mayfly existence? They age a year for every day, but can steal the years of life left to others. Ultimately, Azdan’s scales are balanced or even tipped in his favor,” Nes waves his hand, like he is just throwing out one example. “Such a people are a fitting homage to the Lord of Death, and by winning my offer he has me do some great act to further his own plans,” the Father of Fey smiles in a sardonic manner. “He furthers my goals by creating a weak, flawed race, driven to succeed or die.”
“I am one of the least judgmental creatures in creation,” Nes says with no small amount of amusement. “It is not my place to dictate whether a good society should triumph over an evil one, or vice versa,” his voice puts sarcastic tones on the words good and evil. “In my experience, good is the word people use when referring to themselves, and evil is the word they apply to enemies,” the Kingmaker rolls his eyes. “There is only some cosmic morality if the gods wish it. I, for one, thought that was a horrid idea in the last universe. Unfortunately, I was hardly in a position to debate with Good and Evil when they divvied up creation,“ Nes says, somewhat bitterly. “Perhaps I should make a decree out of that at some point,” he muses.
“In any case, it wouldn’t really be an infant, just a really convincing facsimile,” Nes explains. Although that does beg the question of how he knows what that sort of stuff tastes like. “I do hope everyone remains civil while in my realm no matter what disagreements you may have. This should be a safe gathering place for all; a neutral ground for the airing of grievances, diplomacy, and socializing. I may not be the most physically imposing deity, but I did once literally raise revenge to an art form.”
Nes smiles as Yir and Jezebelle converse. He seems quite open to any suggestion of working together with anyone, but then that is kind of his deal. “I hope nobody becomes bored at any event I host, milady. If that were to happen, I believe I would be forced to find a sword to throw myself upon,” he says, but then turns to give Azdan a wink. “That was, of course, a jest, Lord Death.”
Started it some last night. Where is the ability list located? I somehow missed that in the rules section.
Also, if I might make a suggestion?
In the campaign info thread, list and link the current deities, with a small line about what they represent. This way, any other new players can easily see what already exists.
Oh, and is it possible to play more than one god eventually?
Next to "Gain Ability: Your god gains one Ability from the list." there is a [Show] tag that opens the list when you click on it.
“No apology is necessary. I just enjoy being a cad who pokes fun at his fellow gods,” Nes says jovially. “Azdan, especially. If I don’t do it, who will?” he remarks pointedly.
“I would love to regale Asildon with tales from the past. I would probably talk his ears off… assuming he possesses them,” he nods politely at the idea of Yir not being especially prone to civilizing her creations. “Thank you for your permission milady. It is greatly appreciated, and ties well into my reasons for drawing you all here. I have grand arrogant plans, and want to make my goals clear to all that care to listen,” Nes says hesitantly. He appears like he might go on, but stops himself. “I am not trying to be secretive or suspenseful, but perhaps I should wait a little longer for any other potential guests to arrive. I am happy to try entertaining you all in the meanwhile.”
One of the tapestries begins to display a great underwater kingdom built from living coral and the bones of long dead sea monsters. In the water swim fantastically colored creatures herded by beautiful mermen and mermaids. They sing strange ethereal songs meant to travel through water, instead of air.
Nes turns an ear towards the great open windows where the sounds of music, not of his making, drift in. He sets his glass down and rises to his feet as the procession makes their way up through the winding paths to the audience hall.
“Welcome, to you all,” he sweeps gracefully forward to grasp the offered scroll in one hand, and Jezebelle’s palm with the other. “It is I who am thankful, for both your gift and presence. It would have been a true tragedy to hold a party for gods lacking both beauty and passion,” he says, bending down to delicately kiss her hand in a genteel manner perfected in countless courts. The scroll is deftly slid into his sleeve. “I will enjoy this poetry thoroughly, once I have a moment to myself. I have little doubt that it will move me, and I don’t want anyone’s first impression of a god to include sobbing,” he says wryly.
When Nes pulls away, he smiles wide, and motions towards the table. “I offer all my memories made manifest for your pleasure. I recommend the varied fruits of the seldom flowering Pomielat tree or the magical confections of the archmagus Maraciel. Perhaps your honored guests might enjoy the flesh and blood of a child-emperor or nymph?”
The Kingmaker motions towards the tapestries which begin moving, displaying perfectly captured renditions of a lost world’s events, complete with sounds. “If you require entertainment… maybe the final frenzied moments of passion from the most hedonistic nations, or the reputedly lost plays of the old world’s greatest bards?”
Read over the entire rules section. Should I read the gameplay and discussion before posting concepts? I have several.
I'd recommend it, but maybe just go ahead and post some concepts so you can catch up while people give advice? Reading everything was pretty useful for me when I was trying to figure out how to best work myself into the game.
Nes cocks his head quizzically at the sounds. “No apology is necessary and you are always welcome. I'm sure I've got canals around here somewhere... Anyway, communication is a cornerstone of civilization, so I’ve always had an ear for new tongues. Besides, after listening to my fellow gods forget to use indoor voices,” he says playfully, “I can handle a little leviathan. It is certainly not disrespectful to use the bird to talk through. I’ve done it myself.”
“It is always a pleasure to meet a representative of a new intelligent species. I hope you are planning on breeding extensively and establishing a culture young man!” Nes says with a wagging finger like a sarcastically scolding father-figure.
“Very well. Speak up if you change your mind,” Nes replies genially to Aeon. “Thank you, although I can take little credit for my Metropolis. The preservation and organization is my doing. I am like a conductor getting praised for the work of an orchestra. It was a team effort, and I have simply outlived anyone else who could take credit,” he says.
“Ah, but you misjudge me sir. I quite enjoy divulging my plans. Some might call it monologuing,” he winks conspiratorially. “These cosmos are off to a fine enough start, I suppose, but I do have some suggestions on how it can be improved. That is actually my secret hidden purpose behind this little gathering of the gods.”
As Azdan sweeps into the room, Nes barks laughter in response to his words. “Perhaps not, and you are simply playing with me as a cat toys with a mouse,” he remarks while reaching out to refill his cup with frostberry wine from the lost kingdom of Zalakar. “Perhaps all your big talk of ending things is just that, and you are in no true hurry to turn the last page of the final book,” he teases. Nes is apparently the sort of god to have good natured fun at death’s expense.
He opens his mouth as if he means to continue, but the thunder of Yir’s arrival interrupts him. He nods in greeting to the sea goddess. “Of course not, milady. It would be a poor party if the host turned away unexpected guests. I look forward to seeing your new creations socializing with the angels.”
Noise carries in the Metropolis of Nes. It echoes forever down long silent alleys, allowing each word spoken in that place to be heard by all new arrivals.
When Aeon’s angels appear, Nes is in mid-sip of his wine. He’s a little startled, and spills some on himself. The purple stain is banished shortly after Aeon himself arrives. “Someone sure knows how to make an entrance,” he jests. "I should get myself an entourage."
“I’m glad you could make it. I suppose I should get formalities out of the way,” Nes clears his throat and speaks in a far more resonant and godly voice. “Welcome, to you, your servants, and any others who have yet to come. I offer you the rights of hospitality. Bring no harm, do no harm, and I shall do no harm unto you,” he lifts his wine and drinks deeply before setting it down empty. The golden table sags slightly under the impossible feast. All the delicacies of lost worlds and times are within easy reach, despite the seemingly finite size.
“Take a seat unless you prefer to stand? I am happy to provide any entertainment you desire: perhaps the gladiatorial-games of Merihan, the week-long orgy of Tedilasst, or the holy festivals of Aristad?” Nes asks with the polite tones of a host offering refreshments. “Something more exotic, perhaps? I couldn’t preserve more than memories of the great lost civilizations,” he slowly taps his temple. “Thankfully their shadows remain at my fingertips for the amusement of my guests.”
For my 2 cents (as a guy that just got approved), I prefer Lagdorn the Inventor. I don’t think he’d be stepping on Nes’ toes as written. It looks like he’d fit an excellent niche in the forge-god area we are lacking.
I agree that he could be twisted to more evil purposes if the Tsiron wants to make a badguy. Advancement can efficiently come from questionable morality… animal/human experimentation, pollution, slavery/exploitation, etc.
A final message goes out, spoken and heard, from mouth to ear, along old roads and new. It crisscrosses the world until it reaches the the gods themselves.
The party begins whenever you arrive. Time has little meaning. We may gather now, or an eon from now. In my halls, many ages meet, and it is an open invitation.
I should say, that I did a lot of mushing years ago, but this is my first play-by-post style game. I expect I may use odd terminology and apologize if I do anything weird IC/OOC. =)
My last post should serve as a scene-set for the beginning of Nes' hosted gathering. So everybody feel free to waltz in at your convenience (if you care to, of course).
I just realized my AP costs are wrong, they should be 5 and 5 (as opposed to 4 and 5), taking me down to 5 AP left.
Also, would large, storm herding sky whales be considered Legendary or greater life?
I'm leaning towards greater myself, given they are no where near as powerful as the Leviathans. But since I am on the fence I want to make sure I am not spending too little, or too much on creating this little buggers.
@Nes, I got a kick out of my letter, very nicely done
The sanctum of Nes is a tiered series of building built upon building, rising up into the sky like it was all some great labyrinthine whole. The long winding streets, many markets, vast temples, and homes both large and small lay abandoned. It is a metropolis thick with weighty silence; a ghost town writ large. It helps make the music echoing out from the highest tower a siren’s song.
The dining chamber of the Kingmaker would shame the palaces of the greatest mortal emperors. The walls are covered in ornate tapestries, each telling of the rise and fall of a lost civilization. The tables and chairs are all different thrones fit for the most ostentatious of kings… seats of silver, fossilized wood, stone, skulls, or stranger. The table is round and formed from tens of thousands of melted gold pieces, each a different currency. Food and drink from every society throughout time are set out for the taking, filling the air with strange and exotic scents. Music plays, appealing to erratic tastes, switching from dirges, to jaunty ballads, to waltzes, but played so expertly that one slides seamlessly into the next.
The Father of Fey sits upon a relatively humble high-backed antique chair. In one hand he holds a crystal goblet full of dark purple liquid that has already stained his lips.
An albatross swoops in an open window to deposit kelp on his lap. He plucks it up, sniffs at it, and then glances over the message with a raised brow. “If you wouldn’t mind, staying for a moment,” he remarks offhandedly to the bird. It squawks at him.
Nes goes back to wine-fueled contemplation until sea foam drifts in on the wind.
He reaches over to pour some of the drink into the palm of his hand before gently sweeping it across the neck of the albatross. “Please fly home to your mistress. Feel free to take a fish or whatever on your way out. Call it a tip,” he says. The bird swoops off, dipping down to snatch a boiled squid before departing.
The bird returns to Yir and speaks with Nes’ voice:
“You are under no compulsion to compete, simply by attending… but it is not that sort of contest,” it is a strange thing for the bird to move its mouth in time with the words. “It is a game of wit, creativity, and divine creation. It may take years or decades, to complete, and I offer a worthy prize to the victor. You are welcome to hear me out, and enjoy some entertainment, at my expense. You have the word of a god of honor that I have no nefarious goal or hidden agenda… that I do not plan to share in full. I desire to know you better, but I suppose if you refuse, that tells me something, yes?” the albatross grins as well as it can with a beak, before the temporary enchantment fades.
A series of messages is sent to each god Nes has awareness of. Each takes a different form as described below. All written in an extravagantly flowing script, and sealed or marked with Nes’ holy symbol from the old world; a lopsided crown above a too-wide smile. Each further contains a postscript with directions to his sanctum.
To Aeon, a tapestry woven from the living branches of trees set in planting pots:
Light of the World,
I send my sorrows for your losses, but my accolades on a fine new beginning. I wish to introduce or re-introduce myself to my fellow gods. We are sides of a coin, for you are life, and I am purpose. Life is hardly worth living without reason. I am hosting a gathering of the gods. All are welcome, but you in particular. I wish to offer a challenge, but fear that you have an unfortunate advantage over the other gods.
Sincerely,
Nes, Lord of Civilization
To Azdan, carved upon thin polished planks of human bone held together with leather from the same source:
Lord Azdan,
Yes, I have survived. You have my deepest apologies. I assure you that I have every intention of making amends for the insult. I believe, for starters, that you may delight in a proposition I wish to put forth. You are cordially invited to attend a little party I am putting together to celebrate my reemergence, and announce the first of many games I have planned.
Sincerely,
Lord Nes
To Erande, whittled around a mammoth bone carved into a horn:
Erande,
A god once watched the ending of the world from a safe haven. He continued watching still as others remade creation. When the time came, he announced his presence to his kin. This trickster-king challenged each to a game worthy of the gods. The ending remains unwritten. Would you care to live my story?
Sincerely,
Nes, the Kingmaker
To Jezebelle, tattooed upon the flesh of an extraordinarily handsome human man:
Dearest Jezebelle,
How lucky this new creation is to contain at least one true spark of beauty and talent. I have watched as you’ve stirred that spark into a fire, but I would see it burn in all the dark places of the world. How sad and bored you must be, with no one who truly understands. Allow me the honor of alleviating the monotony. I offer you a party, and a game. Interested?
Love,
Nes
To Nico Bolas, a thin sheaf of gold, the writing in silver:
Nico Bolas,
We have much in common, you and I. I expect us to become fast friends. I am hosting a little get-together and I hope you can make it. I have a challenge for you, and trust that you are not the sort to refuse a challenge? I promise great rewards await the victor.
Sincerely,
Nes, Father of Fey
To Nihil, nothing, specifically:
Nothing
To Oenar, written in tiny threaded rough-cut gemstones interwoven with clear white quartz:
Milady Winter,
We were not friends in the old world, but I propose that we come to know each other better. I am making a challenge to all the gods to prove their strength and cunning. A great and worthy offering goes to the victor. All are welcome to gather at my keep.
Sincerely,
Nes, Lord of Civilization
To Melehan, written upon the armor of a warrior's soul come to be judged:
Melehan,
You old stick in the mud! I’m glad to see that you made it. I bet if anyone needs a party, it’s you. I think that the souls of the dead can see to themselves for the span of an evening? Everyone needs a break… you don’t want to work yourself to death. Apologies! I couldn’t resist. You may not have the time or patience for my games, but you are cordially invited to hear me out.
Sincerely,
Nes
To Yidhra, written upon the wings of a thousand dying butterflies held together by spider’s silk:
Goddess,
I know we are unacquainted, but I have admired your work from afar. You possess the most cherished spark of mad creativity that I could never quite distill into my lost children. I wish to play a game for great stakes, but I imagine that it is the whimsical nature of the challenge that may appeal to you most. I cordially invite you to my sanctum for a small party to discuss the specifics.
Sincerely,
Nes, Father of Fey
To Yir, a plank of carved driftwood left over from a shipwreck:
Lady of the Sea,
I hope you are willing to look past our many differences and allow me to entertain you for at least one evening. You are a force of nature, but we both delight in the art of creation. I have a competition to pose to my fellow gods and goddesses. I think you may bring certain flair to the festivities that might be otherwise lacking. I do so hope you can attend. Please kindly do not damage my home… too much. I am rather fond of it.
Sincerely,
Nes, Father of Civilization
Actions:
Gain Ability (5 AP): One with Shadows - You are a being of deceit, a God who's lot is to lie and deceive. Your actions are hidden from those who they don't affect. No God can automatically know about any AP you spend unless that AP affects them or their creations directly even then they won't know it was you who affected their creations, just that a god did.
Weave Sanctum (3 AP): Nes’ sanctum takes the form of a city built upon the ruins of a city, built upon even deeper ruins still, until it has the appearance of a mountain crafted by men. For the moment, the many resplendent halls are empty except for the greatest within the castle at the apex. A banquet has been set by unseen servants. Music plays with no apparent source.
7 AP Remaining
I want to approve of both Nes and Yir. Nes seems like a social god that would play well (or bad heh) with others, and I can see him hanging out with most of the various gods. I generally trust Steven's judgement but before approval I'd like to see a little more about the backstory/role of Nes, and perhaps even something of a goal from a player perspective - what does the player want out of the role and what does ze aim to do? (in broad strokes/themes I mean, not specific actions)
This also goes for Yir - she fits a slot not taken, she brings some needed interest and care for the physical world apart from living beings, and she does even out the gender distribution a bit, which is a nice bonus. But there too I would prefer a little more written, similar to what I specified in the last paragraph, before giving approval.
Nes is a driving force for novel, interesting, and amusing structure. He plans to stir drama and conflict as a means of creating unity. For, example, creating villains, because outside threats promote teamwork. A hero is defined by their nemesis. Patriotism strengthens when rival nations polarize and make virtues of their differences.
He likes to set beings against each other in civil (or more rarely, not so civil) competitions that encourage creativity. In extreme cases, war brings desperate growth and advancement. Most importantly, he wishes to (and has successfully to date) do so subtly. In the old world he was every king's vizier, pushing for critical thinking, education, and ambition. He is a consummate manipulator, but always for ultimately noble goals.
As a god of ambition, his goal is nothing less than playing chess with all the universe as a game board. However, he does not care about wining. He would rather lose, and it be a beautiful game.
I think our characters would have a very... interesting... relationship. XD
My goal is to make an interesting relationship (for good or ill) with darn near everyone!
Jezebelle, our lady of passion wrote:
Well .. for one, this would be a god more on Jezebelle's page.
Also... if he is willing to rework his story I could very well see him as the offspring of Jezebelle and one of the more Lawful deities.Ambition and manipulation sounds like things coming straight out of her womb.
I would wait for the approval of the mods, but if you get approved you should consider the possibility since I do believe I'm close to provide you with a father.
I would be willing, but would prefer to start autonomous rather than the child of existing gods. I am open to compromise if necessary.
Scarletrose wrote:
Well we were talking about it lately. I would wait for Mod's ok but I believe we are open. there has been a cry for a tough selection though and I agree. we should strive to pick quality players.
(there is also quite a few "holes" in the current gods concepts. I think gods we are lacking right now will have a better chance).
That being said, I will leave it to the mods.
I attempted to target one of those holes, but can twist the concept if need be.
I am also happy to provide some references! I'm Steve Helt (Azdan's) lead writer on his design team (Four Horsemen), so I am sure he'll be willing to vouch for me.
If you'd like to read an example of my writing, I'm a short story finalist for the Ley Lines contest by Kobold:
Hey everybody! I hope I am not too late to the party?
Name: Nes, the Kingmaker, Father of Fey, Lord of Civilization
Played By: Stephen Rowe
Domains: Nobility (ambition, civilization, honor) and Trickery (cunning, manipulation, truth)
Theme: Honorable Trickster
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Attack: 1d6
Defense: 7d6
HP: 20
Description:
Nes saw the end coming an eon away.
Kingdoms rise and fall. Dynasties are forged from death. The dance of power continues until no minds are left to care. As long as two beings persist, there is always envy.
His most cherished children slowly left the world long before it died, secreted away in realms beyond his reach. This was good. Babes are born to outgrow their parents.
When the war began in earnest, Nes retreated to a safe haven and watched the final glorious moments. All he had built fell into chaos and then destruction. For the Kingmaker, it was like observing a symphony performed only once. He cherishes the memory, and yearns for a repeat performance.
He returns now at the dawn of a new dance, as the surviving gods plot anew. At his touch arise civilizations for the canny to control, and the violent to destroy. He is the friend with the answer, the ally with the plan, and the eternally amusing enemy.
Nes never lies, but the truth is a fickle thing. Nes never cheats, but only he knows all the rules.
His next symphony is sure to outshine the last.
The Father of Fey often appears as one of his now dead or departed children, with flawless skin, almond eyes, and long pointed ears. It is rare for his face to lack his trademark smile, like all life is a joke, and only he knows the punchline.
Mod: I am willing and capable of acting as a moderator.
