[OOC] Danger! Excitement! Adventure

[Wernher]

Hey there. You guys wouldn't have seen Missy around?

[Wernher]

Name:
Lord Magnus von Steelbeck, "The Conquistador"

Race/Subrace:
Griffon

Sex:
Male

Appearance:

Very large in size even by griffin standard, his fur coat is becoming entangled with grey and white fur, many patch being missing showing a scar or another and although it is covered by fur on most of his body, his left front leg shows remains of the plague known to the Deers as 'Swamp rot', a sickness he managed to heal on his own without shamanic intervention, a feat saying as long as his scars to the natives about his incredible endurance, even if it left him scared and part of his flesh almost completely insensible to any physical stimuli.

Age:
55

Personality:
Although he swore that he'd behave, Steelbeck still isn't used to be in a position where he isn't in command and considering ponies as his equal is hard at best. His racism is so pervasive he can hardly control the arrogant stares and comments he keeps blurping out. Still, he knows the value of companionship in life or death situations and has evolved as quite the donkey, although those left alive to tell the tale can be counted on a claw.

Background:
A proud griffon and once a powerful Sovereign Prince, his life was one of the average griffon noble: Fighting off challengers and backstabbing the family and other nobles to gain more power, he lived by this creed and eventually became the Sovereign himself, getting involved in 2 succession crisis at the death of the king, less than 3 years apart of each other but failed to take the throne, another more powerful securing it. When news came about the exploration of the Equestrian Princess Twilight Sparkle of the Equestrian Kingdom and how they planed to 'Invade' their southern land, Steelbeck saw the opportunity to gain more power and decided that in the name of the Griffon Kingdom, he'd secure the southern land for Griffin kind, this of course, in exchange for the title of Viceroy of all the lands he managed to conquer and hold. The deers could serve as slaves or cattle, no one cared. Thus, Magnus assembled a large force from his household and went south, deep into territories not even the griffins knew of to try and bring wealth to the kingdom and himself.

Little did he know, it was the beginning of the end and although he knew some success at first with the sheer amount of manpower and war supplies he had brought with him, he quickly found that white conquering the territory was easy, holding it was another matter entirely. The deeper he went, the more stretched out his resources were and he constantly failed to find the ore and spices he had promised to bring home. As he went deeper he lost contact with civilization all together and in the meantime cogs were turning in the Kingdom and his own children and wife were taking his place, pretending he had died in his foolish enterprise, never to be seen again eaten by the wild.

He came back 4 years later, almost dead with only a handful of griffins compared to the hundreds that had followed him at first, sick by some unknown disease and raving about tales of lost civilizations, strange magic and unknown lands no one had ever laid eyes on in centuries. Thinking he was mad (And because he didn't want to relinquish power), his own son cast him out of the castle and although he tried to fight this by dueling him, Magnus hadn't fully recovered from the sickness that afflicted him and was defeated.

He was exiled to Equestria, barely managing to make it by until Twilight Sparkle, having heard of his tale asked him to join the Explorers, his knowledge of the geography, dangers and lands in general to be explored being invaluable. Although Twilight expected to have to insist to get the prideful griffon to cooperate with Equestrians, von Steelbeck accepted almost immediately. This would allow him to achieve what he had began, to rub it in the faces of those who had cast him out and called him a fool.

[Imperfectionist]

-sigh- I don't know, Wernher. von Steelbeck's background makes the exploration unnecessary, doesn't it? Twilight can just grill him for information, write it all down, and boom, mission accomplished.

The entire point of the game is that the Explorers have no idea what they're going to find, they don't know if there will be danger or not, and von Steelbeck clears up all of that uncertainty in a very unsatisfying way.

Rosie:
"From the marks on these walls, I don't think anyone has seen this city for hundreds of years! Everyone be very careful."

Magnus:
"Actually, I've already been here. Don't go down by that lake, the whole place is poisoned. There's a lost civilization under those buildings right there, they already think of me as a god from last time, and every hour on the dot a dragon swoops by singing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. Not much of interest other than that."

Rosie:
"Oh."

That's hyperbole, but hopefully you see what I mean. If Magnus already knows the land, the Explorers don't have much to do. Besides, the "Southern Lands" south of the Elkwood are entirely different from the "Southern Lands" south of Equestria, and the Princesses would not have allowed a massive expeditionary force of Griffons to attempt to occupy Equestrian territory, so I'm quite confused as to where Magnus and his griffons actually went... And if they didn't go to the same places as our team of Explorers are going, why is he even here? :( Apprehension and confusion abound with this character, Wernher.

[Wernher]

I was thinking that Steelbeck would have a 'General' idea some things lessening this.

First, he flies and is pretty arrogant about it, so I doubt he'd just blurp out these things, if anything his geography insight might be more vague and relative to give a position compared to how far deep you are: "There's a mountain there, a large stone structure here so we should be around here on this completely blank map, distance wise."

Second, for Irony's sake I think he'd say 'Don't do anything, don't drink any water, don't eat any fruit, my people were dropping like flies the moment they started eating and drinking stuff here, however I'm not actually a trained to say what actually caused this.'

For the ruins the key thing would I think be that he's seen one of many and although he could see paterns and give tips like "There are generally traps by this point." or "I don't trust them, I saw tribesmen make sacrifices to their gods once". Because after all he may have seen SOME things, he would be far to have seen everything.

I thought the deers were somewhat new to the political landscape? So they were already part of equestria the moment Twilight laid eyes on them? That would have been the point: Conquer the unknown land before Equestria decides to annex it. As for where they went, some of it stayed back to 'Occupy', meaning flying above the wild while occasionally fighting with deers, while the rest would have just 'Gone south', but with little navigation expertise, have actually just got lost after 1 year, gone around for 1 to 2 year and spent the remaining time trying to figure out how to go back for the rest of these 4 years. The point is that they found almost nothing worth of interest and Steelbeck was ruined when he came back.

Basically, I think you know I'm not a dick so use this as a plot device. For all his background says he might have run into ONE ruin. He's an expert, because no one else ever did, but I think there may be more, much more in there. If you say as a GM: Steelbeck, you know what's going on here, then fine I will tell of it, if not, Steelbeck will just be an arrogant dick acting like he knows all that's going on but actually doesn't.

The final judgement however, is yours.

[Imperfectionist]

:( The problem is, I'd rather not have that as a plot device. Besides, Equestria is never going to annex the Elkwood. It doesn't make any sense. They're opening diplomatic relations, not conquering or establishing colonies. The whole impetus for his exploration is a misconception...

This is what I'll do. Alright, the misconception was that the ponies were invading the Elkwood (you do know that Equestria is on an entirely different continent, right?), and so he tried to invade it first. Here's my alternative:

Basically, instead of exploration, Magnus would have decided to secure his place as Sovereign by subjugating the defiant deer on the ground below. He gathered up his best fighters, and began a brutal campaign against the most powerful deer clans. Unfortunately, in true griffon style he underestimated his foes, and after years of hard fighting, his griffons were handily defeated. Magnus himself was afflicted by a disease the deer shamans released among his soldiers, and only barely made it out of the Elkwood alive, with (as you said) a handful of soldiers, compared to the hundreds that left to fight. Disgraced by his loss to the deer, crippled by the Swamp Rot, and defeated in a duel by his own son, Magnus was exiled to Equestria.

It's basically the same outcome, just different circumstances. He would join the Explorers in an attempt to regain his honor, or some such. So, he can still be an arrogant, asshole exiled griffon prince, just not one with knowledge of the unexplored regions of the Western Continent (the continent w/Equestria on it. The Elkwood is across the sea, on the Eastern Continent).

If that doesn't work for you, or if the foreknowledge was what you wanted out of the character, then I'm sorry, but I can't accept him.

[Wernher]

Well, I'd like to state that even if he said 'The ponies are going to invade', that is probably not true, just a reason to justify going south and proclaim himself as a 'Defender of Griffin interests'

Anyways, going to work now and I'll ponder on this.

[Imperfectionist]

I think I understand where you're going with that, but again, the area south of the Griffon Kingdoms is half a world away from the setting of this game, on an entirely different continent. The whole line of reasoning makes no sense.

EDIT: Come up with anything you like, but foreknowledge is off-limits. That's all I'm saying here.

[Double]

Name:
Rising Dawn, the Brave, Cunning, and Handsome (actually it's just Rising Dawn, the later bits are simply his ego running wild)

Race/Subrace:
Pony, Unicorn

Sex:
Male

Appearance:

(Apart from his flowing cape and dashing hat, he carries not one, not two, but three rapiers on his person in plain view)

Age:
30

Background:
Some say he is an exiled prince from a faraway land, seeking justice to avenge his good name. Others believe he descends from a long line of legendary heroes and seeks to carry out that legacy. Others still will say he was once a lowly pauper, fighting only to survive and gradually fought his way into status. And that is only the tip of the iceberg of his various supposed origins, each one seemingly more ridiculous and impossible than the last. In fact there are so many stories of his exploits (many told by the stallion himself) that to distinguish fact from blatant lie is becoming increasingly difficult.

The honest truth isn't nearly as exciting as the many false stories Dawn tells of his origin. Truth be told, he simply came from a wealthy family out of Baltimare. Bored with the rich lifestyle, Dawn ran away and never looked back. Since then he's looked for adventure and glory in any place he could find it, sometimes resorting to telling false stories in order to bolster his status and reputation. That wasn't to say that all his stories were false. In fact, the majority of them are true, but simply exaggerated to be more exciting and daring. One story Dawn swears is true is the one about the feather in his hat, supposedly it came off of a Griffon Bandit leader he defeated in a duel. The feather is indeed of Griffon origin, but whether it was truly won in a duel cannot be proven, but at the same time it has yet to be disproven either.

But if there is one thing that Dawn is truly honest about, it is the unusual number of swords he carries. He has, more than once, demonstrated an intriguing talent for wielding all three with his unicorn magic, able to control them as if he had extra invisible hands holding on to them. He claims to be capable of wielding more still, one of his most famous stories being one in which he wielded seven swords at once in order to fight off a band of pirates. While Unicorns are known to be able to manipulate an indefinite number of objects with their magic, doing so requires an increasing amount of concentration that must also be divided in order to properly control each individual item. So while there is indeed truth to Dawn's boast, it's also just as likely to be another of his tall tales.

To reiterate a previous point, Rising Dawn's boredom and dissatisfaction with the rich lifestyle is what led to his sudden departure from Baltimare when he was younger. The rest of his family held a high status, his uncle even being no less than the Governor himself. They were once an ambitious lot, Dawn's family. Once upon a time they were no more than mere commoners among those who first settled the area and established the port those generations ago. But they were driven, each one determined to make something of themselves and of the family name until one day they became the Governing family, effectively the rulers of their little hold on the land and answering only to the ruling body from Canterlot itself. But they expanded no further. It was as if the family had grown all too satisfied with it's role and had become too content to dream of anything more. Rising Dawn was utterly perplexed at this, seeing the world as a massive oyster that need only be claimed by one with enough drive and desire to have it and became increasingly disappointed if not outright disgusted at his family's utter lack of the ambition it once had. Well he soon decided that enough was enough, and one night he packed a few essentials and was gone by morning. No letters or information was left about where he had gone or when he would return, if at all. To put it simply, he disowned himself from the family and looked to start anew, to find his own fame and glory from scratch, and vowing to never let himself become satisfied until death took him from the world.

Needless to say, it was slow going. Equestria wasn't built in a day, and neither would his new legacy. But something happened that gave him what was perhaps his greatest opportunity yet. It seemed Princess Twilight was interested in exploring the unknown lands surrounding the borders of Equestria, and now she was looking to recruit anypony interested in what was sure to go down in history as the grandest venture since the very kingdom itself was born. Well, there was no way Dawn was going to let something that huge pass him by. It would be a grand and glorious venture indeed, and he aimed to have his piece of the pie and, if he could help it, more. Just you wait. He thought to himself as he journeyed to Ponyville. When I'm done, I'll be as legendary as Starswirl the Bearded and beloved as the Princesses themselves. Mark my words.

[Rune_Alchemist]

Oh hey, Baltimare. Floret and Aster are from there.

[Imperfectionist]

Seems like the type that would be drawn to an adventure like this. Just don't expect everyone's characters to fawn over him as a "hero". They can if they like, of course, but don't be disappointed when they don't.

Anyway, I don't see any problems, per se, but about the swords... Well, I would like to have it on a sliding scale, with at least a bit of realism. When he's using all three rapiers (or two, or one) against a single target, sure, he can be really good at it, but as soon as he has to divide his attention among not just the swords but the movements of multiple opponents as well, that effectiveness will have to lower. For example, if he's fighting off three opponents, using all three swords, pretty much reactive, defensive moves only, until he can incapacitate one of the three. You see what I mean? The happy medium (without losing effectiveness) would generally be two swords against one or two opponents, or three swords against one (if necessary). Any more than two opponents, and effectiveness begins to (realistically) drop.

:) Obviously, abstract this out as much as you need, I just want to avoid him taking on small armies by himself (ahem, seven swords, ahem). Unless its an incredibly dramatic moment, and he has some kind of blistering, once-in-a-lifetime rage (you know, his true love is fed to the tigers or something), let's keep to the above paragraph.

If you can accept that, then I can accept him.

[Double]

Well that was general idea from the start. The Seven Sword story is basically just a load of BS. Oh he's tangled with pirates once or twice, but not on that scale. You'll find he likes to exaggerate the crap out everything he does for the sake of an epic story. In that regard he's a lot like a bard, barely scraping his way out of trouble only to retell it later as if it were the most awesome thing ever.

As for his self-proclaimed fame? Yeah I'm not expecting him to be fawned over... except maybe by the kids since most of those stories are probably just used as campfire or bedtime stories for the kids. And that's being generous.

[Imperfectionist]

:) Very well. Welcome to the team. I'm still working on the intro post, everyone, so bear with me.

[Rune_Alchemist]

Take your time, I'm sure it will be a wonderful intro~

[Double]

Expanded on Dawn's backstory. By that I mean I actually gave him more motivation and a proper goal in life.

[Wernher]

Imperfectionist said
I think I understand where you're going with that, but again, the area south of the Griffon Kingdoms is half a world away from the setting of this game, on an entirely different continent. The whole line of reasoning makes no sense.EDIT: Come up with anything you like, but foreknowledge is off-limits. That's all I'm saying here.

Well, more reasons why the expedition would have been doomed to fail then uh?

Anyways, what I had in mind was a character who was in general 'Used to go out in the unknown', so I guess I'll change things up, here are my ideas.

1: Same griffon asshole, but exploring other places like Camelu or the changeling wasteland or maybe unnamed areas of the world, so can say he was brought not as dumb muscle, but as someone with an expertise regarding old and unknown things.

2: Unicorn expert on foreign/unknown magic. Somewhat young and seeks out these mysteries because since there are no experts in unknown magic (Obviously, since they are unknown), he wants to make his fame there rather than staying in canterlot where there are tons of other mages to compete with.

3: Night bat-pony guard, Luna lover but in the same fashion as 2, doesn't want to wait to climb the ranks and so joins as a reconnaissance & night scouting expert.

Which would you prefer, if any?

[Imperfectionist]

Double said
Expanded on Dawn's backstory. By that I mean I actually gave him more motivation and a proper goal in life.

-nods- Good stuff, I like it.

As for your three, Wernher, I'm definitely liking number two. :) There is a lack of mages on the team, and having both a sharp young unicorn and a wise deer shaman will make us very well rounded (and, to be perfectly honest, I'm not a fan of asshole characters).

EDIT: If you decide to roll with #2, I'll PM you some of my ideas for magic they'll come across that she/he might have already studied, or at least heard of. We'll discuss.

[Rune_Alchemist]

Aster and hid charachter, if he goes with two, should get along well then since she's also interested In magic.

[Imperfectionist]

I had the same thought. Hopefully that isn't her least favorite of the choices.

(I'm sorry, Wernher, I seem to be remembering that you're a girl, but I could be wrong)

[Wernher]

Imperfectionist said (and, to be perfectly honest, I'm not a fan of asshole characters)

I'm a huge fan of asshole characters. Considering I'm the typical apologizing Canadian IRL I find the change most pleasant.

Name:
Flickering Light "Flicker" or "Burninator"

Race/Subrace:
Unicorn

Sex: Male

Appearance:

Dark red mane with cream beige coat and yellow eyes, little more is to say about his appearance, his 'Reminder not to make mistake', namely gross disfigurement, taking most of the field of view and being the main thing anyone would describe him physically with.

Age:
24

Background:
Although his cutie mark and main talent was found within pyromancy, namely burning stuff, Flicker found that it isn't because you have a special talent that it means it's useful to society and you can get a job using it. After his studies at the canterlot academy he had thus the choice to work there to further magical studies along with a thousand others like him with talents relating to a generally non useful in everyday to day purpose or to find an alternative. He didn't like the idea of doing 'Those jobs' manual ones or those requiring magic to power something, essentially being only a cog in a machine that if they could replace with another machine they'd do so without hesitation.

The alternative he found was while staying in the magical research field to go in the sectors with much, much less competition, the understanding of foreign magic. From Camelu desert to changeling infested wastelands, he made many treaties about the other species use of magic today used as reference documents in the matter, his most Famous being 'Buffalos and Nature, understanding shamanic magic', 'Hypothesis on Changelings, the magics of friendship and that of love' and 'Sand and Sun, exotic party tricks with lots of lights'. These documents have made him a popular and respected figure within the academic field.

Being one of the rare person that can have casual encounters with Princess Twilight when he's in Canterlot, she managed to easily put his plan for a second and even bolder changeling expedition on hold and convince him to join the Explorers as the group's Foreign Magic expert.

[Rune_Alchemist]

...so he studies Changelings then? He's absolutely going to love Aster then xD

Just to be clear though, she is not going to be an experient. No bug dissecting will be taking place on Floret's watch, so don't even think about it xD