
Archon Adept |

Hi folks,
So, I've got one PBP taking off, but I definitely have time now to run a second, and I'd love to run some PCs through the latest AP, Council of Thieves. It's too early to actually make characters yet, becuase we're waiting for A)The rules and B)The Player's Guide. So, for now, I'm just looking for names to be thrown in the ring. Also, be aware that I try to run a game that is driven by characters and story, not stats.
I'd be shocked if we can't get more than six interested people, so please understand that I'll do a random draw to see who gets in. (And yet, I still know someone will post saying 'Are you full yet?'...please don't be that person. ;)
So, if you'd like to traipse about Westcrown and partake of the first AP to make use of the PFRPG rules, please just give a holler. It'll be fun!

Robert Jordan |

if you've got two open seats both myself and my girlfriend would love to play. We've been looking for a PbP that was starting fresh and this seems like a great AP coming out. So count us in, not entirely sure on the classes we want yet.

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Crossing my fingers on this one. But I'll put my name here as well. (If you want to penalize me for being in your other game, go ahead. I don't have enough players around where I live, so I get bored easily. :P)
Call me a PFRPG glutton. Cleric of Urgathoa.
But for the character, I would like to be either a Cleric of Gorum or a Paladin of Arazni.

Heaven's Agent |

... or a Paladin of Arazni.
OK, now you've got me really curious. I don't imagine Arazni's up to calling holy warriors, now that she's all bones and rot and all, but I love the unconventional characters immensely; I had a lot of fun playing a paladin of Kelemvor that had to keep the existence of his ghostly wife from his order. If you don't mind my asking, what spin are you contemplating for the character?

Quandary |

I'll throw my hat in.
I have a "rogue-ish" Cleric concept that I think will fit this campaign well:
Varisian exiled from Nidal,
because I was born with birthmark sign of Sivhana (Goddess of Secrets, enemy of Zon-Kuthon)
(more a social focus than traps/stealth, probably only 1 actual Rogue level, focus on concealing/revealing magic)

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stardust wrote:... or a Paladin of Arazni.OK, now you've got me really curious. I don't imagine Arazni's up to calling holy warriors, now that she's all bones and rot and all, but I love the unconventional characters immensely; I had a lot of fun playing a paladin of Kelemvor that had to keep the existence of his ghostly wife from his order. If you don't mind my asking, what spin are you contemplating for the character?
Well, I'm hinged on three words from the Gods and Magic book. That, and the magic item described there is totally cool. Basically, I have enough faith in my demigoddess (like the priests of Aroden) that her divine essence is kept alive. I'm not exactly certain how this would be adjudicated by a DM, but I'm a strong believer in the idea of faith in a deity = life and power of the deity. The priests of Aroden may have lost their power, but Arazni died more recently and a vestige of her divine power may remain somewhere in the Multiverse.
I could play a Knight of Arazni (Either 3.5 version or the Pathfinder compatible one in Tome of Secrets) if I do not have access to divine powers..
I guess what I'm saying is if there are still priests of Aroden, there could be (unfortunately naive and misguided) paladins (or knights if they don't have access to divine powers) of Arazni.
Although I suppose you could argue that a Paladin's connection to the divine is based on his personal beliefs and empowerment (his Charisma, instead of his Wisdom) rather than any spiritual connection with a deity.

Heaven's Agent |

Although I suppose you could argue that a Paladin's connection to the divine is based on his personal beliefs and empowerment (his Charisma, instead of his Wisdom) rather than any spiritual connection with a deity.
Traditionally, paladins are linked directly to their deity. The class isn't usually presented as a career a character chooses, but as a charge given to an individual directly by a god or goddess; a deity calls such an individual to forward his or her agenda, and as such a dead (or in this case undead and corrupted) deity couldn't have such champions at all.
I think, though, that you've hit on an intriguing alternate route. The CS does mention paladins of "no specific god", which I would assume function in a manner similar to a cleric that follows an ideal rather than a patron. A paladin of Arazni may be a stretch, strictly speaking, but a paladin that embraces the teachings of the Red Crusader has potential. Even if said teachings belong to a dead faith. Final say belonging to Archon, of course.
Now the question becomes how do I go about coming up with a concept intriguing enough to stand next to your paladin, should you go that route ...

Archon Adept |

Archon can I make a suggestion:
Instead of having a random draw, how about we make applications. Included should be character name/race/class/bio and reasons why you want to play Council of Thieves.
Well, to tell you the truth, I did think of this. There are merits to going either way. In the end, though, I decided to go with a random draw because I'd feel bad about asking people to invest a lot of time writing up a bio for a character they may or may not actually get to play. And, as it stands, I don't want to reverse myself now after already announcing that it will be a fair draw for everyone.
Maybe for my next game, though. :)
I appreciate the suggestion.

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stardust wrote:Although I suppose you could argue that a Paladin's connection to the divine is based on his personal beliefs and empowerment (his Charisma, instead of his Wisdom) rather than any spiritual connection with a deity.Traditionally, paladins are linked directly to their deity. The class isn't usually presented as a career a character chooses, but as a charge given to an individual directly by a god or goddess; a deity calls such an individual to forward his or her agenda, and as such a dead (or in this case undead and corrupted) deity couldn't have such champions at all.
I think, though, that you've hit on an intriguing alternate route. The CS does mention paladins of "no specific god", which I would assume function in a manner similar to a cleric that follows an ideal rather than a patron. A paladin of Arazni may be a stretch, strictly speaking, but a paladin that embraces the teachings of the Red Crusader has potential. Even if said teachings belong to a dead faith. Final say belonging to Archon, of course.
Now the question becomes how do I go about coming up with a concept intriguing enough to stand next to your paladin, should you go that route ...
Members of the Order of Arazni are often secretive cult members devoted entirely to the resurrection and purification of the Red Crusader. As before, her holy symbol incorporates a golden sword, with a ruby cabochon centered on the crossguard. The cult has added two serpents twining on the sword: a red one reaching upward and a black one reaching downward, biting each other's tails. The red serpent represents the divine blood of Arazni, while the black serpent represents the undead corruption of her divinity. Arazni is also sometimes symbolized by a phoenix, representing the birth of divine life from the ashes of her old, as well as the divine healing powers for good.
Knights and priests of Arazni now meet in the Templess of Aroden, or hold secret meetings to hold rituals and divinations to bless Arazni's lifeforce and discover what must be done to resurrect her. In some ways, the knights and priests of Arazni may be willing to act against the established religions and orders of the day, if it will help their order's cause.

Robert Jordan |

if I recall Arazni is now the Harlot Queen of Geb, since the people who seem to care about Arazni are the Knights of Ozem so I assume your character is from that area. I was leaning towards paladin as well just more traditional in deity choice and intriguing in race I would love to play a Tiefling paladin of Iomedae

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Nope, I was going to play him as a Westcrownian. It was to be the new center of the Aroden religion upon his return. Since Arazni was his agent, I'm sure there are followers (at least a few) of her in the city. My family most likely.
And yes, Arazni was corrupted. We fight for her purification, her resurrection, and her repentance of evil. All who repent from Evil emerge from her shadow. All who degenerate from Light into Darkness follow the path that a part of Arazni took. We strive to transmute those portions of ourselves and to engage the inner conflict as well as the outer. We seek not only strength of spirit to emerge victorious from spiritual battle, but also the courage to honor those who did not, including the Harlot Queen. Our spiritual strengths balance out that great weakness, if it was a weakness. It may be part of the Cycle of Life and Death, Good and Evil, Creation and Destruction.
There is a greater order in the Cosmos than we mortals are aware of. All that is necessary for us to know is that our struggle is with darker powers rather than with creatures of flesh. We battle the inner abomination. The Red Crusade is fought with those who embody evil, and with the parts of our selves that bring evil into our own lives. We will succeed where our Crusader failed. And by succeeding, we lift her spirit out of the dretches to which it has unwillingly been hurled. We, the Red Tongues, are the flames that lift the Phoenix. We are the Red Serpent, conquering the Black. We are gold in a world of iron.

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Nope, I was going to play him as a Westcrownian. It was to be the new center of the Aroden religion upon his return. Since Arazni was his agent, I'm sure there are followers (at least a few) of her in the city. My family most likely.
And yes, Arazni was corrupted. We fight for her purification, her resurrection, and her repentance of evil. All who repent from Evil emerge from her shadow. All who degenerate from Light into Darkness follow the path that a part of Arazni took. We strive to transmute those portions of ourselves and to engage the inner conflict as well as the outer. We seek not only strength of spirit to emerge victorious from spiritual battle, but also the courage to honor those who did not, including the Harlot Queen. Our spiritual strengths balance out that great weakness, if it was a weakness. It may be part of the Cycle of Life and Death, Good and Evil, Creation and Destruction.
There is a greater order in the Cosmos than we mortals are aware of. All that is necessary for us to know is that our struggle is with darker powers rather than with creatures of flesh. We battle the inner abomination. The Red Crusade is fought with those who embody evil, and with the parts of our selves that bring evil into our own lives. We will succeed where our Crusader failed. And by succeeding, we lift her spirit out of the dretches to which it has unwillingly been hurled. We, the Red Tongues, are the flames that lift the Phoenix. We are the Red Serpent, conquering the Black. We are gold in a world of iron.
I think I have an idea for my Pathfinder Official Gameplay Character.
A deityless Paladin who venerates Arazni, the Red Crusader. :)
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I, as well as many others as it seems, would be very excited to take part in the CoT AP as a player. add my name to the pool.
just to be completly fair though, I know a thing or two about the plot already-
if that bothers you, maybe you should not allow my to play...

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I hope that my subscription won't jeapordize my chances. I can keep myself to reading the other articles, or staying away from whatever you don't want us to read. If I happen to peek at something I shouldn't, I can keep it seperate from my character.

Archon Adept |

I hope that my subscription won't jeapordize my chances. I can keep myself to reading the other articles, or staying away from whatever you don't want us to read. If I happen to peek at something I shouldn't, I can keep it seperate from my character.
It's fine, fish. I'm sure you'll notice that there are lots of Pathfinder subscribers who are interested in playing. I completely trust that anyone with access to the adventure will exercise appropriate restraint, keeping player and character knowledge separate.

Archon Adept |

All right, you lucky six...the moment is at hand.
First dibs to:
AJCarrington
Heaven's Agent
Uzzy
Dark Arioch
Calixymenthillian (hereafter known simply as 'Calix' 'cause I ain't typing that name ever again!)
d'Anconia
If the six of you would, please pop in quickly and confirm your spot in the game. If you've changed your mind, please state that as well so a replacement name can be drawn.
Thanks to everyone for the massive interest in the game, and my regrets to those who didn't get pulled. Still, don't bury the thread too quickly, in case alts are needed.

Heaven's Agent |

If the six of you would, please pop in quickly and confirm your spot in the game. If you've changed your mind, please state that as well so a replacement name can be drawn.
I'm definitely still interested, and will start looking through the Core Rules and Player's Guide as soon as I have access to them.
At the moment I'm leaning toward a martial cleric or paladin for the game, possibly a tiefling should their presentation in the Player's Guide flow well with the concept I build. But I usually have ideas that strike me as I look through source material as well, and it's very possible that I might change my mind later this week.
A quick question: I've yet to read the Westcrown article, for fear that it might spoil some surprises in the adventure. But I'd also like to look through it to help come up with a character concept. Is it generally spoiler free?