Dervish

Dervish's Guide to GMing

@RedVII I appreciate it! I hope one day someone can come back and say it helped them a lot in running a game or gave them confidence in GMing. Everyone's got a lot of potential, they just sometimes need to be shown where to grab onto first. I hope it helps, Red!

The Elder Scrolls: Vengeance of the Deep

A Gift

Greenie and Dervs

19th Midyear 4E208, near noon, Alik’r camp...

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Things were starting to fall into place. After a morning meeting with various tribal leaders who wished to speak to the one who led Shakti’s group of friends who had done the Alik’r a great service. She calmly and rationally explained her goals and plans for ending the invasion, and while the leaders decided to confer with each other about what the Alik’r would do in response to that information, they did at least agree to help outfit the expedition to reach the border and provide supplies and protection for the group to make it to Skyrim. From there, it was anyone’s guess if they would pledge warriors to the cause.

It was, at least, a far more pleasant exchange than what had occurred as a part of the insurgency; Daro’Vasora vowed to herself that she would never let herself or the others become a part of anyone else’s cause, theirs would be their own and anyone they fell in with would be allies, not commanders or benefactors. What was at stake was too damn important to leave in the hands of strangers with unknowable agendas.

After packing most of her supplies, the Khajiit decided there was one more thing she wanted to do before being stuck with a caravan for weeks with little privacy or room to think. Daro’Vasora went to the market and found the woman who had given her her poncho and purchased a long green and gold scarf, insisting she wanted to support someone with such generosity. With the gift obtained, she set out to find Megana. There was a lot left unsaid, and she needed to correct that.

A few moment later she stood outside of Megana’s tent, stopping herself from knocking on the fabric when she realized how silly that would have been. Instead, she called softly. “Meg? Are you in there?” she asked.

There was a momentary quiet that followed before shuffling could be heard, and soon enough the tent flap was pushed to the side to reveal the Nord woman, peering out. One look at her was enough to tell she had clearly not had enough sleep the previous night, dark circles under her eyes, hair still rather messy and uncombed, though there seemed to have been some attempt to slick it back with water. “Sora!” There was a note of pleasant surprise in her voice as she held the flap to the side with one hand and ushered the Khajiit woman inside with the other. There was a small mess within, including clothes and empty bottles strewn about.

“Uh… sorry ‘bout the mess,” she intoned, sounding slightly embarrassed. “I’m still packin’ up, didn’ get back in last night ‘til late.”

Saying that, she hastily pushed aside most of the clothes and other items and picked up her bedroll, dusting it off before setting it back down. “Uhm, sit down! Please!” She fussed about some more with stuffing things in her pack before pausing, feeling the effects of the previous night summoning another headache. Deciding that perhaps a little break was in order for herself as well, she sat down on the ground, eyes on Sora.

“So… how’re you?” After all… that?

The Khajiit entered as gracefully as she could muster, carefully navigating the clutter in the tent before finding her way to Meg’s bed and gently setting herself down. “The day one has to apologize for having a messy tent on the day they are preparing for a journey is the day I stop treasure hunting.” Daro’Vasora said tactfully with a smile, carefully not letting her eyes linger on the empty bottles for long, as to avoid giving Megana the impression that she was being judged for coping with her troubles in a far too common way.

“I’m… as well as I can be, I suppose. That trial wasn’t something I ever wanted to go through, but I think it went about as well as could be hoped for.” she said with a resigned sigh, her mind wandering over everything that had happened yesterday. It had felt like it didn’t want to end and the mood was so foul Latro and herself hadn’t even attempted to engage in anything resembling lusty behaviour. They’d quietly gone to sleep holding each other close before sleep eventually took them.

Eventually.

“If you don’t mind my saying so, you seem like you’ve been having a rough go of things. How are you holding up?” she asked, suddenly remember what she was holding. “Oh! And I picked this up for you. I thought it was your colour, and you might like something nice when we go back to your homelands.” she said, offering the scarf to Megana. “It’s a small way of saying thanks, for everything you’ve done for me that I haven’t had the chance to say yet.”

Surprised by the gesture but more than a little touched, Meg left whatever gathering she had been attempting and gave her full attention to Daro'Vasora, walking over to where the Khajiit woman sat and settling down beside her. She took the scarf very gently, as if it was made of glass and she was worried the slightest bit of force may ruin it. A smile came to her lips thereafter and she held it in a more familiar fashion. "Yer right, I love the colours, green's m'favourite… always been since y’don’ see too much of it in Skyrim, ‘specially durin’ winter." She paused in her words as she quickly wrapped the scarf around her shoulders, wanting to show her appreciation as soon as she could.

"Y'don' have t'thank me for anythin'," she replied, and without warning she reached out to give Sora a heartfelt hug. "You'd've done the same, no? Friends gotta have each others’ backs." There was a small sniffle and she pulled away, looking sheepish as she wiped a lone tear. "Looks like these bloody things don' know how t'stop bein' wet."

“I’d like to think I would, Meg, but until you’re put into that kind of situation, it’s hard to say.” Daro’Vasora admitted quietly, but she felt like she would have. As she leaned into the hug, returning it, her thoughts turned to Roux, how she had tried to save him, and Raelynn, in turn. She acted instead of hesitated; it wasn’t a question that she needed to try something.

“But maybe I would have done what you did, I hope I would. There’s been a lot on my mind lately, the acts of others, my own. Even with this whole thing with Gregor, it didn’t feel right considering casting him away after all we’ve been through… I couldn’t stop thinking how it must have hurt Raelynn. They both threw themselves at our mercy because they trusted us, because they are our friends and want to show that means something when it matters.” she sighed, pulling away slightly but pulling Meg’s hand into her own.

“All of it has got me thinking that you risked your life to save me when you thought no one else would. You didn’t even question it; I’m someone you barely know, and I sure as shit didn’t deserve the kind of love you all show me but I’m trying so hard to earn it. I couldn’t even say thank you when we met again, I was just so caught up in everything… Meg, I am sorry.” The Khajiit said, her words coming out in a torrent before she caught herself with a deep breath and closed eyes. “I don’t know how to repay this. I don’t know how to earn this.”

"No, no, no, y'don' havta say sorry!" Meg seemed slightly panicked, and she tightened her grip on the hand that was held by Sora's. She sighed softly before smiling at the Khajiit woman. "You've been through so much for us. Y'didn' have to, y'chose to. Rhea was gone, but y'kept us together, even when things were hard... shit was really hard..." Her lips curved downward, looking at their hands as she shook her head. "The decisions y'had t'make, when we left Gilane... last night even." Once more she shook her head. "None of that is easy... someone's always gonna be angry... I dunno if I'd be able to..." She paused, thinking of her own decisions and how blindsided she had been. "I woulda been shit at doin' half the stuff you've had to."

She looked up at Sora, meeting her green eyes. "We're the ones who should be the one's thankin' ya. Ain' like we've made it an easy job..." She sighed softly, attempting to smile once again. "'Stead y'come here an' ask me how I'm doin', an' sayin' thanks t'me." Her smile brightened a little. "Yer s'posed t'be all haughty an' order folks aroun', Sora! Y'need lessons I think!"

Daro’Vasora smiled at that and offered a chuckle. “Oh, live life like me and just be a selfish asshole for most of your life and being the bad guy in someone else’s story comes real second nature. I’m used to making people angry; the hard part is figuring out how to make it right again later. That’s where I’m at. But if you have lessons for how to be a haughty hardass, I’m all ears.” she said with a playful elbow to the ribs.

She said in comfortable quiet for a few moments before asking. “So, how have you been handling everything lately? I’ve been so caught up in my own thoughts and problems I never thought to check in on you. You seem… distraught, I’d venture to say? I’m here if you need someone who’s impartial and not in the middle of it all, whatever it is.”

Meg couldn't help but laugh at Sora's response to her silly remark, and her cheery look remained until the latter's question. Unable to help herself, she fiddled with the hem of her shirt, pulling at some stray threads that had probably been pulled out by getting caught in something or other.

"Guess I am," she finally admitted, looking away from the thread and back up to Sora once more. "I can't help thinkin' 'bout m'family back home... an' what might've happened there. Any time I do, all I can see are the streets of Imperial City an' all the people jus'-" She stopped, knowing full well Sora would know what she meant. "On top of that..." Her eyes shifted as she looked away to the side. "I... well..." She let out a huge sigh. "After the meetin', Jaraleet came t'talk t'me, 'bout what happened, 'bout his own past. It wasn't really a... happy chat. But he also saing he loved me. I should've been happy, but I... was sad. Angry. I couldn't say it back. I know I must've hurt him."

The Khajiit blinked slowly. “Huh. He said he loved you? I didn’t think Jaraleet was capable of complex emotions…” she muttered, shaking her head. “I know you guys have been getting closer, but didn’t realize it was to that stage for him. Question is, do you feel the same way, putting aside all of the complexities going through you right now? Why are you sad and angry, towards him, or something else?” she asked.

Meg couldn't help but sigh yet again, feeling childish yet unable to keep herself from talking now that there was someone who might be able to... something. She wasn't exactly sure what she wanted truth be told.

"I like him," she finally replied, looking embarrassed but continuing nonetheless. "More than a friend... but..." She looked down at her hands, unsure how to continue, whether it was fine to mention who he really was. "He never tol' me 'bout his past 'til last night... Righ' now, I feel like I don' know anythin', that everythin' I knew was jus'... not true." She chewed on her lip for a moment before wincing, having bitten a little too hard. "He knew Gregor was a necromancer, but he never said anythin', he said he didn' want Gregor t'hurt us, t'hurt me. But tha' kinda secret... I dunno, Sora. I'm jus' really confused right now."

“It’s like finding out the person you knew was a stranger all along.” Daro’Vasora nodded in understanding. “It’s hard to say if you can really love someone if you don’t know much about them in the end… it’s just infatuation otherwise.” she said gently, filing Jaraleet’s knowledge of Gregor’s condition away but deciding not to bite into it now. Meg needed support.

“It’s like this… can you even name anything about him that most people would know? What are his hobbies, his aspirations, his goals? What’s his favorite colour, food, just anything at all?” Daro’Vasora pressed with a frown. “You cannot love someone unless you know their heart, the essence of who they are. For all we know, Jaraleet isn’t actually his name and he’s allergic to mammoth fur or whatever people in Skyrim like to line their blankets with. You might not like the truth when it comes to light, whatever it is. Are you willing to risk all of that?” she asked.

“I…” Meg paused, unsure of herself and her thoughts. Once again she was playing with the stray threads on the hem of her shirt, pondering over what the Khajiit woman was telling her. She knew Sora was trying to help and looking out for her, and she knew what was being told to her was true. What did she really know about Jaraleet before last night? There was so much they had done together due to the dwemer forcing them into a group, and as such she felt affection for him, especially since he had approached her when she was the most lost and loneliest since the invasion. But what he had told her that day hadn't been the truth, even if his intentions were kind and sincere.

Was caring for a person enough? Would that help solve all differences and ultimately help prevail over all obstacles? She had spent more than a year with J'raij and had known him better than herself, yet hadn't been able to confess to him. Why had this been different? Because she was lonely and death seemed only an accident away? Meg didn't know, and the lack of this knowledge made her want to curl up and hide somewhere no one could find her. But… she couldn't. She couldn't ignore this and hope it would never resurface.

“What do I do then?” she finally asked, her voice low and filled with uncertainty.

“You need to figure out what exactly it is you need, what's important to you.” Daro'Vasora replied with confidence. “It's clear to me you need honesty and trust in a partner, and that secrets and deceit hurt you… which is healthy, truth be told. I think you need to figure out of you like who the real Jaraleet is, if you feel you can trust anything he tells you, and ask yourself if that's someone who can make you happy when life goes back to normal.”

Daro'Vasora hesitated, looking at the scarf about Meg's neck and wondering about her own fears about Pale-feather and Latro's mortified talk with her the night before, about him being afraid he was going to hurt her. “The thing is Meg, we were all brought together because of a war and we didn't have anywhere else to go. Most of us wouldn't have even looked at some of the others in this group in our regular lives- me included.” The Khajiit admitted, no hesitation or remorse in her tone.

“But you have to ask yourself what bonds were formed out of genuine warmth or a response to the stresses and high emotions. Take away the common cause and what remains, what was even genuine and real? I know most of us are going to drift separate ways back to our old lives, but the question is who is going to remain close because their bonds went beyond a shared hardship? I am so used to people abandoning me and me then that I cannot tell what's real for me or not for the most part, but I feel more sure about Latro than I have about basically anyone in my life since I started adventuring on my own. I feel like Judena and I will remain close as family for the rest of our lives because of the bonds we shared beforehand, and I have no clue about everyone else.” She admitted, looking to meet Meg's eyes. “I just know I'm still trying to rationalize that people cared enough for me that they risked their lives to save me. Doesn't make much sense, but I am humbled.”

She squeezed Meg's hand and leaned her head against her shoulder. “You need to ask yourself if Jaraleet is someone you can imagine yourself settling down with, starting a family, living in a home. A life past war and adventuring. Can you see that future, or do you feel that these feelings and attraction is based entirely on a shared hardship and feeling like life could end tomorrow, so might as well find pleasure and comfort where you can?” She asked.

"Tha's the scary part," Meg mumbled, letting out a breath. There were so many hard hitting questions she knew she needed to answer. She could take advice from others, but ultimately finding out what she wanted- needed- was her own journey she would have to take up on her own. She was alone in this matter; it was a scary thought, and once more the urge to curl up and hide crept up on her.

"And that's when you should be bravest then."

"I'mma havta figure all that out," she let out after a good moment of silent contemplation. "I dunno the answers to any of that..." She looked to Daro'Vasora, feeling pitiful, ashamed. "I told Sevari last night that I wasn' a child... but maybe I really am. Hearin' what yer sayin', understandin' it, it's all easy. Actually doin' somethin' an' not just... feelin' sorry for myself is the hard part." A scoffing laugh left her. "Fightin' off a frost troll seems easier than havin’ t’deal with this sorta shit.” Once again she was chewing on the inside of her lip, thinking to the two separate conversations she’d had the previous night, one completely sober, the other anything but. “Maybe it’s my own fault, y’know. Preservin’ my innocence? More like feedin’ my stupidity.” She paused realizing Sora wouldn’t know what she was talking about. “Somethin’ Gregor said t’me at that party… he’s said if Jaraleet hadn’t told me anythin’ ‘bout his past, t’was ‘cause he was preservin’ my innocence.”

“Respectfully, that’s not his choice to make.” Daro’Vasora replied, perhaps a bit more tersely than she had meant. She sighed, pulling away somewhat. “What I mean to say is it’s not his choice of what innocence is to you, or what he needs to ‘protect’ you from. If he’s not willing to let you in because of that, it’s not because he sees you as a partner, it’s because he sees you as a dependant that needs to be shielded from the big-bad shit he’s done.” the Khajiit said, rolling her jaw.

“You’ve travelled, been in danger. You’ve killed people, for fuck’s sake. You aren’t a child; you have just as much stake in this fight as anyone else. If he wants you to be someone special to him, then he needs to see you as someone he can trust with the burdens he carries, and that you’re strong enough to carry them. It goes both ways; give and take. It’s what I told Latro when he told me he was worried about his own demons coming back to hurt me; he could never hurt me, and if this part of him does, it was my choice to be there for him because he shouldn’t have to face them alone. Jaraleet shouldn’t have hid all of that shit from you, and certainly not with some toothpick-thin reasoning.” Daro’Vasora said.

Nodding rather slowly, Meg couldn’t stop herself from sighing once more. It was hard not to feel as if she was responsible for this situation, though she had to agree with what Daro’Vasora was telling her; as much as the words were hard hitting, she knew they were true. Did she want to live her life always wondering if there were things she didn’t know about her partner, whoever he may be? No, that was an obvious, as Sora had pointed out earlier. If she had been fine with it, then she wouldn’t have been feeling so shitty and conflicted right now.

“Thanks,” she finally murmured, looking to the Khajiit woman. “I mean, for sayin’ all tha’. I dunno wha’ I’mma do… bu’ I needed t’hear tha’ an’ I dunno if anyone else would’ve tol’ me all tha’ y’have. Maybe it ain’ so bad t’be alone for a while more… ain’ like I don’ have friends, righ’?” Even if nothing was to pan out for her, it didn’t mean that she had to lose a friendship, right?

“Well, you aren't alone with me, provided you don't expect there to be kissing.” Daro'Vasora smiled, playfully patting Meg's arm. “You don't need intimacy to give yourself worth in people's eyes. You're someone with a big heart and a lot of courage, it inspires me when I sometimes lose my way.” She admitted.

“So, enough of that. Are you happy to be heading back to Skyrim? Who's waiting for you back there? I never asked about your family before.” Daro'Vasora said.

“T’be honest, I'm kinda worried,” the Nord admitted, her smile from Sora's previous comment lingering for a moment before wavering. “I have my Pa, my step ma an’ my li'l brother, Sylven. I'm sure they're alright…” Her voice trailed to a small pause before she continued onward. “The whole time we were in Gilane, I jus’ couldn’ wait t'head back t'Skyrim, an’ that want was even more in the bloody hot desert… knowin’ the Dwemer are there, guess I'm just scared that wha’ happened in Imperial City happened there too. I dunno if Pa's alright… Sylven's jus’ a kid...” She shrugged. “Guess I shouldn’ worry 'bout that's jus’ yet though. We gotta get t'Skyrim first.”

Daro'Vasora nodded, her features resigned. “I'm not going to pretend like everything is going to be okay. But thing is, this whole mess is on us and if we can't protect the ones we love, we sure as shit are going to avenge them. You just can't worry about what you're going to find when we haven't even reached there yet.

“My sister was coming to visit me, a couple weeks after the expedition. I pray to S'rendarr she wasn't on the road when the invasion hit, that she was still in Leyawiin when the news reached her. There hasn't been a day I haven't thought about her, and I'm worried if I think of her and Roux and Zegol at the same time, she shared their fate.” She shook her head, barking a rueful laugh. “What a stupid, irrational thought, right?”

Meg shook her head. “Maybe, but I can get ya. So much has happened, ain’ a surprise t'just end up paranoid an’ think anythin’ can cause somethin’ or other.” There was a small frown on her face as she thought of the various misfortunes that had fallen upon the group since they had first met on the expedition. And with that, she ended up smiling. “I guess we jus’ gotta remember the good stuff too.” She nudged Sora gently. “Like you findin’ yerself a lover, eh?” She allowed herself a cheeky grin before continuing. “An’ so much more… guess sometimes it's hard t'remember, but maybe that's just means we gotta try hard to.”

“Daro'Vasora, finder of relics and men with exceptionally peculiar standards. Lucky me.” She smiled somewhat bashfully. “We're going to look back at all of this as some grand adventure, I'm sure. But Meg? I've been thinking about this whole thing for weeks now and I don't know if it helps, but I have a suspicion the Dwemer massed for a massive attack on Cyrodiil because they knew it was the capital. Nobody heard any rumours or had any idea what was going on, right? It was a big shock. But that's what doesn't add up; if they came from the North, if they invaded Skyrim first, there would have been refugees, messengers, the Legion, all of that. Why wasn't there any?” She asked, looking to Meg to see if she could come to the same conclusion.

"Huh..." Unable to help herself, Meg brought a finger to her mouth, chewing at the tip as she thought over Sora's question. "That's... That's bloody strange. Nords wouldn've just let a buncha mer walk all over 'em... there shoulda been a whole lotta noise... Gods knows Ulfric knew how t'make people regret bein' in Skyrim..." She blinked, thoroughly confused. "D'you think they were subdued somehow? Or maybe they joined forces with the dwemer." Both seemed unlikely to her, truth be told.

The Khajiit smiled. “Well, if I had a fancy airship armada that can fly over mountains and make trips in hours that would take a marching army weeks, why wouldn’t I bypass a bunch of rustic stone cities with no strategic value and instead go to rip out the throat of my enemy? If I know that the Imperial City was the center of everything, the crown jewel of Tamriel, somewhere I could stage and protect my fleet that can reach all corners of the continent from the most easily defended city of all, why not surprise my enemy and take it when they aren’t expecting it? It would be a lot easier to topple such a prize if you take initiative than to slowly work your way slowly hold by hold.

“With the Dwemer, we can’t think like a traditional army; they don’t have to worry about chokepoints or passes or leaving cities unchallenged. They can go wherever they want and nobody can do a damn thing to stop them from doing it. So with that in mind, I think there’s a good chance that most of Skyrim’s avoided the worst of this invasion and at worst, they probably had time to react to what they saw and plan ahead. Your people are Nords; give you a day, and you can turn your dining room into a barracks. Give your people a week, and your dinner table just turned into a battering ram. Give it a month and your entire house is now a siege tower. Never before has there been a people more enthusiastic for a good war.” the Khajiit grinned at Meg.

Meg's finger dropped from her mouth as easily as it had found its way in, landing in her lap as she gaped at Sora. "Huh!" She blinked a few times before shaking her head in bewilderment. "I didn' even... I didn' even think of that. Of course... that makes a whole lotta sense! They could've just flown over like dragons an' headed to wherever they wanted... and in the meantime, givin' Skyrim the chance t'prepare, jus' in case."

She breathed out, feeling a sudden spark in her light up once more, one she had thought had been diminished for good the night before. "Pa, Marne, Sylven... could be they're doin' alright then." She looked to Sora and spontaneously clasped the Khajiit woman's hands, hope seeming to light up her eyes despite the dark marks around them. "Thanks, Sora. For everythin'. The scarf, yer words, an' all the rest." Her grip tightened. “Yer a true leader, an y’can count on me t’follow ya ‘til the end.”

Daro’Vasora smiled slightly, squeezing Megana’s hands back. “And here I was coming to thank you for saving me and all of that, but I suppose we both have things to be thankful for. I promise that whatever this end is, I’m going to do everything I can to get us home safe. You better introduce me to your family if we find them, alright? You’ve got a pretty new scarf to show them.”

Meg let out a chuckle at that. "Pa's gonna be wonderin' what's gotten t'my head, wearin' pretty things; he's used t'seein' me dressed up like a boy since I was just a li'l kid. Still..." She lowered her head a little so that her nose was pressed against the scarf, hiding her lips though the smile could still be seen in her eyes. "I love this an' I'mma treasure it. An' I'm sure Pa'll be happy t'meet ya. Sylven will for sure." She hoped anyway, she had plenty of stories to entertain her family with about the motley group she had spent time with.

“Take it from me; you can still be rough and tumble without losing feminine charm.” Daro’Vasora said, patting Meg’s thigh as she stood up. “I never thought you looked like a boy, just practical.” She reassured her friend with a warm smile. Her gaze turned to the tent’s opening. “I’ve taken up enough of your time, we have a long journey ahead of us. But if you need to talk to someone who isn’t an emotionally stunted murder-lizard, I’ve always got time and two very large ears.” the Khajiit said, rolling her shoulders back and cracking her neck. She began to leave the tent before turning back one last time. “The green, it suits you. I look forward to seeing you somewhere that feels like home.” she said, and soon, she was gone back into the tent city.

Meg watched Daro’Vasora leave before returning to her previous task of putting away her clothes. Looking to the bottles, she blinked before deciding to hand them off to the Imperial Redguard pirate, who seemed to have a thing for storing water in them.

The scarf remained loosely wrapped around her, a reminder of good things, past, present, and future.

Dervish's Guide to GMing

@GreenieIt is my genuine pleasure, and you best let me know how it goes when you try again!

Dervish's Guide to GMing

@Gcold no u ;D

Shiva's old art thread

Comission I just finished for a wonderful person! I enjoyed this project.

@Shiva

Thank you! It turned out amazing and exactly what I wanted. :) It also helps you're the nicest and most approachable person ever who gives a lot of really amazing updates and constantly makes sure that the picture is exactly what you want. You're the best, Shiva!

Dervish's Guide to GMing

GMing is one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, aspects of roleplaying. As anyone who’s ever attempted it can tell you, it does not take much for the entire roleplay to come undone and for many GMs, new and old; it can be frustrating to see something you have poured your heart into erode before your eyes.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to give yourself the best shot at success and a long and healthy roleplay. I’m here to share what I know and try and give you guys who might be having a hard time some of my experience and observations doing this GMing thing for a not insignificant chunk of my life and hopefully offer some tools and ideas for you prospective GMs out there to have the best shot at success and help the roleplays in this community flourish.

Some quick background, my name is Dervish; I’ve been on RPG and doing this GMing thing since 2012 more or less constantly, and currently I’m running The Elder Scrolls: Vengeance of the Deep, a roleplay currently over half a million words, 19 active characters across 12 players that’s been going for nearly 2 years and should be reaching the end of its narrative sometime late this year if all goes according to plan. Other than VotD, I’ve run a bunch of different roleplays over the years, some lasting only a few months, to some that crested over the 2 year mark. Each one has taught me a lot of valuable lessons and given me hard earned experience that I want to share with you so you hopefully don’t have to go 7 years before you figure out what works for you.

Let’s get to it!

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Preparing Your Roleplay

The key word for this entire chapter is preparation; if you don’t do the work ahead of time, you’re going to be screwing yourself so hard they’re going to ban masturbation in the Western hemisphere. I’m a bit of a maniac and I’ve sometimes taken two months to get the groundwork done before I started a roleplay, but that’s excessive in a lot of cases. What you need to do are prepare a few key areas;

1. Build your world and gather resources.
2. Develop a story.
3. Decide on Game Mechanics and Standards.
4. Write and format your OOC.
5. Post your interest check.

Seems pretty straight forward, right? It is, but there’s a lot of moving parts that you need to have squared away before you even think about throwing your game out into the world; a half-cocked game is going to fail, every time. I am of the opinion that a big reason roleplays fail is because the GM launched a game with only the bare minimum of thought into the entire thing and when the players have to start waiting around for the GM to try and catch up with things like character sheets, rules and standards, or even the opening post, you’re risking players jumping ship before the ball even gets rolling.

Players tend to have various levels of patience, and while this guide is mostly with an Advanced or High-Casual roleplay in mind, there’s definitely lessons for everyone. Unfortunately for a lot of Casual and Free players, there isn’t going to be a lot of wiggle room for waiting. If you’re more or less keeping players waiting for several days without setting and sticking to deadlines, they’re going to bail to one of the dozens of other roleplays that might catch their eye. It’s your job to stick out from the crowd and show competence and dedication. It’s really not complicated as long as you prepare. So let’s get into that handy list up there;

Building your World

1. Build your world and gather resources.

So you have a great idea and you want to play a roleplay with it. Fantastic! That’s why we do this hobby; to take something creative and share it with other like-minded hobbyists and create a game and story about it. Whether it’s an original idea or fandom, the basics are more or less the same; you need to create a setting for your story and put the pieces together to make it work, which will involve things like researching your setting to be able to run it from a place of authority and things like gathering co-GMs to help you manage your game.

Fandoms have an easier time getting started because of the simple reason that everyone who is interested ideally has a good idea of the setting and world, as well as what’s in the realm of possibility. With an original story, you need to consider your genre and really cut the herd off at the pass; ask yourself what you would ask as a prospective player and answer those questions. What are the races you can play? What’s the technology level? Where does it take place? Everything like that needs to be addressed for you to effectively build this world and ensure you don’t run into problems like players showing up to your low fantasy setting and ask to be dragons or an anime protagonist. You’re probably not going to get everything covered or think of everything, and that’s fine! One thing I found can be kind of useful is creating an FAQ section on your OOC and any time someone asks a question, post it and the answer there for other players and edit the OOC accordingly.

Another big thing is try not to information dump; I find it helps to write more than you need to and trim back, and if there’s stuff like world information (say a faction or race you want to elaborate on more) that isn’t necessarily important for every player to know right off the hop, toss it into a codex or information section buried in hiders. Players tend to be grateful for having an abundance of information if they don’t feel they have to memorize all of it but might need to know something for making their character. As a rule of thumb, try to make stuff reader friendly where possible.

So those coGMs I mentioned; you can run a game by yourself, but that’s in much the same way that it’s theoretically possible to operate a tank by yourself. You’re just going to have to work way harder and be responsible for doing absolutely everything. Ideally, a coGM is someone you have natural chemistry with and you already spitball ideas back and forth and they have a good work ethic and ability to keep pushing forward. They’re going to be the ones helping create NPCs, writing posts, going over character sheet submissions, and managing players. It doesn’t have to be a one-person show; there’s going to be times where you really don’t have it in you to write and your coGMs are going to be the ones who keep your games rolling when you’re not at your best. Just don’t take anyone who asks, or friends who are really flakey and unreliable. Remember; the goal is to have your RPs last a long while and be healthy. Depending on people who by nature are unreliable is going to destroy something you spent hours upon hours of your life working on. I learned early on that there needs to be a GM you and a personal you; don’t let personal feelings ruin your judgment. If someone isn’t sticking to your standards or rules, do not give them special treatment. You will start to sabotage your own game.

So your pieces are starting to come together. Here’s about where you consider actually coming up with your plot and characters, so let’s move on!

Develop a Story

2. Develop a Story.

So now you’ve built your sandbox, what are you going to be doing with it? This all really depends on what you’re looking for in your world. An RP set entirely in one area, like a school or a town, obviously needs to have a narrower focus and more development on the areas the RP revolves around than something that’s say world hopping or a big epic quest. I have this motto I tell pretty much everyone; the GM builds the foundation and frames the house, the players put up the brick and drywall and together you build a house. With that in mind, let’s go over some basics of how to develop a story for a roleplay that I find keeps you on track and gives you the best shot at having a game progress.

Unless you’re playing a pure sandbox where everyone’s making up their own stories, coming and going, etc, you’re going to want to basically think of the major plot points the group will need to cover. A trap I’ve fallen into a lot, and I think is more common than not, is that GMs want to give players freedom to drive the plot and to let their choices dictate where the story goes. In my experience, that is the exception rather than the rule; a lot of players aren’t sure of how much agency they should express, others just want to be players along for the ride, and generally people won’t take as much initiative as you might hope. It’s not that players are lazy or uninterested; they just aren’t as familiar or comfortable with your world as you are and people have a lot of different skills and motivations. More disappointingly, if you do find players who want to take reigns and drive the plot forward, many can be difficult personalities who might be driving the RP in directions you didn’t want or think was appropriate.

To give a quick but non-specific example of this, there was one RP I saw that stuck out to me because early on the RP ran into a problem player who, in my opinion, had a character that wasn’t setting appropriate who decided to try and make his character and others go the exact opposite direction of the plot because “it made more sense for the character”. This caused the RP to kind of tear itself apart in the infancy and the GM struggled to get it back on track after the problem player left. You as a GM always need to maintain control of the plot or you might not like where other people will decide for you where it should go.

So what this all boils down to, by default, treat the plot as linear. You should know the major story events before you even start the roleplay so it always gives you goals to work towards as a GM so you aren’t ever stuck not knowing where to go next. As a rule of thumb, the Keep it Simple, Stupid rules should apply. Never make your story beats too complicated or drawn out; absolutely everything you do will take longer than you expect. This covert ops mission you did in 20 minutes in a video game will take over a month in a roleplay. Instead of needing Cindy to go around and collect the 3 keys to unlock the temple door so Bob can fight the three guardians to get the alignment crystals to unlock the vault of the Ultimate Weapon of Manliness while Joe plays backgammon with the demon lord to win the freedom of Princess Chumbucket, try to condense it down to something like the group needs to beat the demon lord to free Princess Chumbucket so she can unlock the temple door to the Ultimate Weapon of Manliness. Ultimately the goal is what matters, so streamline the process of getting to that goal.

For both story and character stories, I have a really simple but effective process I follow; A happens because of B, resulting in C. This can be chained together to make a story pretty effortlessly while following a logical train of thought so nothing’s come out of nowhere. To give a quick example of this,

Bob’s village was attacked by King Headcheese, so Bob decides he’s going to become a warrior. Bob finds a mentor who was a retired hero, and Bob begins to learn the ropes for his journey. Bob sets out to find companions because he can’t do this alone, so he heads to the next town over. Bob liberates the town from the Feta Footsoldiers, so he is joined by Cindy Cinders. The two carry across the lands setting things right, so King Headcheese sends Generic Antagonist Boss 1 to confront them. Bob and Cindy Cinders barely escape with their lives, so they decide they need a magical artifact that can counteract the evil…

You get the idea. That was just some rambling idea off the top of my head, but you can see how it starts to put things together. At the bare minimum, flesh out all of the missions or quests or assignments for the first part of the story before launching a game because you are going to have to do a lot of handholding until players are settled and you start to form a solid group. Start the game off in something that forces characters together (like breaking out of a prison, or you were all hired to do the same job) and then start to open up player agency as the story progresses.

Don’t be afraid to ask players if they have ideas for what they want to do with their characters or how to involve them with plot points, because a good philosophy to have is that it’s not just the GM’s story; it’s everyone’s. The more a player feels like their character feels involved and important, the more loyal they’re going to be to the roleplay. One thing that’s worked pretty well for my roleplay is to have players fill out a wishlist survey for what they want for a particular story arc and then plug that information into a timeline spreadsheet and when the story hits a certain place on the sheet, start involving those players and helping make their stories come to life.

It’s important to always keep the major moments in mind for a game and work towards those. It’s all the stuff between and the details you can be flexible with, but if your story ultimately ends with the death of King Headcheese, you need to figure out the major moments that let that happen. Do what you can to avoid “winging it”. One of the most important parts of GMing is organization and consistency, so if you give the impression you’re just making it up as you go and it’s kind of directionless, you’re likely to lose a few players or have your game stagnate. Just don’t get bogged down in one place for too long.

Game Mechanics and Standards

3. Decide on Game Mechanics and Standards.

If you don’t tell Billy Bling he can’t have a solid gold suit of armour, he’s going to do exactly that.

So this subsection is probably one of those areas I think GMs really slack on. One thing I notice about a lot of GMs is that they’ll take literally anyone who shows up, quality of the character sheet or bad posting habits be damned and then it becomes that surprised Pikachu meme when the player who joins a dozen RPs a month and drops them just as fast does the same to them. Don’t just be happy somebody showed up; what you want is players who are dedicated and of a consistent standard. Know what you want and stick to it.
Figure out your writing standards. High-casual, a little looser? How often do you want people to actually post? Do you want people who are exceptional at spelling or grammar, or are you a bit more relaxed? Figure out what you want and enforce it.

If you do a high-cas roleplay and suddenly you have someone doing one liners, give them a warning, and if they keep it up, politely ask them to leave. It’s your roleplay; when someone joins, they agree to the standards and rules you set out. Do not let people argue with you or tell you that you’re wrong. If they aren’t happy with it, they can find another RP or make their own. That’s the beautiful part of this site; there’s a lot of options. Your goal is to make a game that lasts and you’re happy with. Do not let Bilbo Bumfuck show up to your RP writing like they decided to huff paint in the third grade and that the Fellowship of the Ring needed more Space Marines with plasma cannons instead of sissy-ass swords, and then you end up holding the game up because Bilbo Bumfuck decided not to post for 3 weeks and then keeps making excuses of why he’s not posting.

Why are you tolerating Bilbo at this point? Eject him back to his paint fume den to rethink his life. You need to focus on the players who actually are trying their best and are the most devoted. They’re the ones going to form your core group of players.

Likewise, you’re going to have to settle some ground rules for the in game mechanics. If you’re doing a fantasy RP, set equipment and spell standards. If you give people the option to take the Staff of Neverending Hellfire, someone is always going to go that route because it takes a lot of work to get people to lose the video game mentality; you’re not in this to win, you’re in this to tell a story. Nobody wants to write with someone who always has to be the strongest , the smartest, the most badass etc. Do you think that guy who made the hilarious bard assassin who has sleep apnea and a crippling fear of the dark and two rusty daggers he inherited from his deadbeat grandfather is going to stick around when Bilbo Bumfuck declares himself invincible with Thrice Enchanted Armour of the Gods and the Staff of Neverending Hellfire? You best believe that if you let power players have their way, anyone who tries to do something flawed and unique that makes your RP stand out as something unique and memorable is going to get frustrated or drowned out by someone who tries to turn your game into their video game power fantasy.

If you see someone apply with something that isn’t something that you as a GM want to see, then tell them. I think it’s absolutely asinine that GMs don’t review character sheet submissions. A lot of those RPs I see just have a simple message saying “accepted” with absolutely no feedback. If it helps, think of vetting players and their characters at bare minimum of having a ‘no shirt, no shoes, no service’ sign. I’ll go more into this in a later section, but you kind of have to touch upon it when talking about standards.

Basically, it’s up to you as a GM to have a vision and to respect yourself and your prospective players enough to have some rules and standards and stick to them. If you don’t, you’re going to have people take control out of your court and a lot of arguments and the game may never recover. And again, set deadlines for posting and stick to them; do not wait for everyone if they aren’t posting. If you have 3-4 players constantly posting and keeping involved and 3 who aren’t, don’t sacrifice the enjoyment of those who are active for those who couldn’t care less. If someone can’t post or is going to be late, they need to tell you. Be patient and understanding for those players, but if someone’s being lazy, you don’t owe them anything. Your RP’s survival matters more than someone who’s probably going to drop in a month anyways.

Writing your OOC

4. Write and format your OOC.

As you probably noticed, this entire guide has a peculiar formatting to it. It’s colourful, it uses hiders and pictures, it has defined sections and line breaks…

Oh Dervs you sly dog, you’ve been formatting this guide like an OOC post! Roll credits.

But seriously, I’ve talked to a few people and they aren’t entirely convinced visual presentation matters when it comes to the OOC. To that I say, click on the “view raw” tab at the top right of this post and try to read the entirety of it that way verses having breaks and hiders to try to organize it and make it more digestible. As of this point, I’m just shy of 3,500 words of this guide and can you imagine what kind of nightmare it would be reading it as a giant block of mono-coloured text? You’d lose your place, it would blur together, and ultimately just look unpleasant and like I’m the RPG equivalent of a rambling hobo in a subway who’s trying to convince you that the turnstiles steal your soul and the only way to prevent that is to pay him 5 dollars to baptize you in a rain puddle. Point is, if something’s easy on the eyes, it’s easier to follow and people are more engaged.

Your OOC should be similar.

The sad reality of this forum is it’s so busy that there’s literally dozens of RPs vying for players, and if your game looks like you spent ten minutes on the toilet hammering it out on an iPhone, it’s going to show and people are going to think “well, if this is literally the product of an ill-advised trip to Taco Bell, what’s that say about how this person is going to run the actual RP?” and they’ll move on. It’s like a job posting, in a way; you’re trying to convince people that you’re willing to put in the effort and time to make their time and effort worthwhile. I don’t know about you, but I’ve joined a lot of RPs only to find them die within a month or two and after spending several nights working on a character, it’s infuriating and depressing. You best believe first impressions matter for where I’m going to take my chances, and someone who clearly took the time and effort to make an attractive OOC that has a great hook, an interesting story, and provides all the information I want is going to get me to hop on board than something that’s riddled with typos, an utter lack of basic formatting, and a lot of indecisive language like the GM isn’t even sure what they want.;

“So uh, this is my lord headcheese strikes back rp idea. I need like 4-20 players who are adventures weho need to fight him and save the world. We can talk about races and equipment I guess, my character is nigel thornscock and he is an atheist paladin who hates god but also uses divine power. Idk.”

I guarantee you’ve seen something that looks uncannily like that. I bet you that that RP never got off the ground or died because it’s clear the GM didn’t put any effort into it past the initial idea. And that’s the thing… you cannot run an RP if you’re going into it unprepared and half-assed. You’re trying to convince people you are worth taking a chance on. If you look like you just rolled out of bed, wrote down your Nyquil-addled dream as an interest check and did absolutely nothing else, you’re not going to get anywhere.

So, yeah. Take time to make the OOC. Presentation matters; take a few nights on it, at least. Sleep on ideas and see how you feel about them when the initial hype goes down. Find some thematic imagery to spice up sections, colour headers, use bbcode formatting. The benefit of doing all of this is that it not only makes it easier and less daunting to read, but it also gives your prospective player an easy reference if they lost their place or want to check on say the standards or looking up some world information. As I mentioned before, look at your OOC like you’re a player looking at your game; what would you want to see, what questions would you want answered? Try to cover all of that stuff. Make appendixes or codexes for world information, create a sort of in game plot summary or character dialog to make a cook to draw attention.

Posting your Interest Check

5. Post your interest check.

As a personal rule, I always have the OOC done before I do an interest check… if I even do an interest check. You don’t want to post an interest check and then disappear for 2 weeks because you didn’t finish the OOC. Remember that time you saw an amazing movie or game trailer and then the movie or game disappears without a word for 5 years? It’s kind of like that, only nobody’s going to be interested in a half-formed nebulous RP idea when there’s like a dozen other games that popped up this week. Do your OOC, get it all polished up, and then take sections of that and use that for your interest check.

Use that hype and momentum of 20 people showing up and being like “OH I’M INTERESTED I CLICKED OFF PORN FOR THIS” and then watch as like 5 of those people actually show up in the OOC. That’s okay; declaring interest is cheap. Actually making a character sheet requires effort and those who do are the ones you want. Don’t bother hunting down people who declare interest and don’t show up; you got more stuff to worry about. You basically have to act like you know what you’re doing and that you’re ready for anything. Have confidence in your ideas and your convictions to run the roleplay and you’ll do well. Don’t go chasing after people because you’re disappointed more people didn’t show up. You can always pick up more people if your RP is running; as long as you have even a small number of people who are keen, you’re golden. If it helps, think of it like an RPG where you have to pick up your party as the story progresses.

This is also a fairly good place to mention this, but set yourself a player cap if you’re new to this; my comfort level is about 6 people when I start an RP, but I tend to get a lot more interest and applications, and I end up taking about 9-10 people instead because I anticipate drop outs in the first couple months. Imagine my surprise and slight horror when that didn’t happen last time. All I can say is thank god for coGMs. If you don’t get enough people to fill out your roster, don’t fret! You can always pick up more people later, but please for the sake of your roleplay, don’t just abolish your standards and character guidelines to take anybody who shows up to fill out your ranks. Remember Bilbo Bumfuck? That’s how you get Bilbo Bumfucks. You want Gandalf the Gangsta.

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Recruitment

So you’ve made your OOC and now your interest check is up and you’ve probably spent all night smashing that refresh icon on your browser to see if anyone’s showed up.

They’re here. IT’S SHOW TIME.

So, you’re going to want a character sheet skeleton. You’re going to want to cover the basics, such as;

Name
Age
Race
Appearance
Equipment
Skills
Personality
History

You know what’s important to you, but try to make sure it’s stuff that’s relevant and worth referencing. I personally don’t care what garbage 90s pop song you think is their theme song, and I think putting a sexuality section is basically going to encourage shipping before the game even starts instead of letting relationships develop organically and thus derails a lot of the plot and creates a lot of unnecessary friction between players, but that’s just me. Point is, you should have this whole thing ready to go for when people show up at the interest check.

As players start putting in their applications, and this is important, do background checks on the players. Just do a quick check at their posting history; do they seem like they’re agreeable and friendly, do they stick with a roleplay for long term? Great! You want them. Are they someone who joins and drops roleplays like Taylor Swift drops exes? Do they argue with other players? Avoid them; you don’t need to put up with that and it wears everyone else down. It doesn’t matter if they wrote the next cultural icon for a character, if the player has a garbage personality that you know is going to cause problems, don’t take the chance. I cannot stress that enough. You want dedication and a good attitude; literally everything else can be worked on if a player is agreeable and understanding.

To make life easier for yourself, as submissions come in, don’t just sit around picking your nose. Actually read them over and write notes on all of the characters. Compliment strengths and things you like, and critique the parts that don’t work for you in a polite manner. The goal is to shape the characters into ones that are going to work for your RP and the best way to ensure your game survives the first three critical months is to make sure that you have enlisted players who have excellent personalities, actually post regularly, and their characters fit the standards and setting you’ve established. You do want to give feedback for every player and character that comes in, both to show that you’re actually reading and interested, and also to demonstrate what you’re looking for in your game. For that reason your characters should already be finished and posted in the character tab so people can reference what you are looking for. And since you should be doing critiques after the deadline, you don’t want to save it all until then to read everything and write feedback for every single one of them. It’s exhausting and time consuming.

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Running & Managing

Always manage your Bilbo Bumfucks with extreme prejudice

And here’s the hard truth about GMing; it is a lot of time and effort and hard work. You need to be willing to do all of that, you have to lead by example and show that you believe in your roleplay and you want to go the distance and that you are not going to let your players down. You’d be amazed what that kind of mentality can lead to; I never expected to find a roleplay group as close as the one I have now and while we’re not posting every day, someone is always writing something and its very collab heavy. People are invested in the story, in each other, and they have an interest in characters and plots outside of their own. We have days where we just give positive feedback for one player and their character and we take time to talk about the posts that go up; it’s very involved and really encouraging for everyone.

And as a GM, I highly encourage you to try to do this. When posts come up, talk about what happened, things you liked about it and the character. People are putting a lot of work and effort into their posts and characters and it’s always encouraging to see a game that does that. I realized the importance of this when the one and only @Stormflyx took time, completely unprompted and totally unexpected, to heap praise on other players and their characters when she was only a player herself in an RP I was in.

It was a transformative moment for me and it really helped dictate to me the kind of GM I wanted to be going forward; that environment of support and encouragement has built friendships that transcend my roleplays and has made the entire story that’s been going on for almost two years now as engaging today as it was the first. We’ve all grown and developed the story together and keep pushing ourselves to be better because we’re inspired by others. I’ve had so few people drop out of VotD because of this environment, I know I’m hyping up my own RP for this, but it’s the truth; I honestly think this is one of the key ingredients for having a fantastic and long-term roleplay. It just took someone with a big heart and a strong initiative to show me that.

I think as a community, it’s something that we should strive to make a standard because it’s deeply rewarding and it builds bonds and involvement that cannot be matched; it shows players that their hard work is being recognized and that people genuinely enjoy their characters and their stories. If you take nothing else out of this entire guide, please take this section to heart; it’s what’s going to make RPG stand out from every other roleplay forum.

Ahem. Back to looking down my nose at the unwashed mashes because I’m tooootally not hiding my own insecurities as a writer.

You just always want to be a step ahead of players at all times; do not make them wait for you for long. You need to set and stick to deadlines. If you notice posting momentum is slowing down beyond what you’re comfortable with, make an announcement that a week from today is going to be the move along to get posts up and stick to it. You don’t want to threaten to kick people for missing these deadlines; the goal isn’t to threaten or discourage people for not keeping up, it’s just a gentle reminder the game has to keep going and the show must go on. The only time you’re really going to want to kick people for being absent is if it’s been several weeks with no activity and they’re really falling behind. Find out what’s going on, ask if there’s anything you can do to help, and if you can’t figure it out, it might be time for you guys to part ways. There’s nothing wrong with that; it happens! I actually had a player drop out earlier on in the roleplay come back because they got their life back in order and it was all through mutual respect and understanding.

Generally, after you survive the first three months and get the core group of players established, the ones who are heavily invested and posting regularly, GMing becomes a lot easier. You aren’t having to deal with player conflicts very often, people are ideally self-starting their own posts and character story arcs, and talking to each other socially. At that point, most of GMing is just doing those pesky move along posts. You’re going to have to figure out the ebb and flow of your players; you have to be able to mix up the game a bit and feel the room when things start to get stagnant.

So let’s say you’re noticing a significant dip in the posting rate; you had people post on average 2-3 times a week most of the time, but suddenly you’re down to a couple posts every two weeks. It’s time for you to step in and move things along. If you’re in a fight sequence, wrap it up. People can’t just write action scenes non-stop, it eventually gets exhausting and it blurs together. If you’re in a quiet town moment where characters can explore and do personal development and more social bits, then start moving the story along. Bring them to their next mission or location, introduce the next story beat. You’re going to want to iron out your pacing, and this is where the deadlines come in handy. If you notice these dips, give people a week to wrap up what they’re working on and start writing the next move along post and then carry on. If players are posting frequently and having a lot of fun, let them have some time to do it. I love doing collabs, and sometimes it’s fun doing a big group collab in those moments.

While I’m thinking about it, a great way to get players into character and to fill time while you are working on the opening post or the next big move along is to have a big group collab, like around a camp fire or something similar that’s low-key social. It takes care of that time consuming meet and greet thing that can take forever to get through in roleplays while saving the official start of the roleplay for a more focused and forward-facing direction. It’s important when you start a roleplay to keep the momentum going and not get bogged down with virtually identical conversations of a character introducing themselves to three others; start the game off strong and then let the characters get to know each other over time, force them to work together and interact.

An easy way for me to kind of get around that is when I start roleplays, the characters have already known each other for a short length of time because of a mutual cause or job. Just get the characters in once place and give them a push so they can’t stand around and chat for long. If that involves mall ninjas beating the shit out of Cindy Cinders for wearing Crocs & Socks in a slice of life roleplay, so be it. You don’t want stagnation right away; the characters have an entire roleplay to get moments to learn about each other. Don’t blow it all off the opening posts.

In the event you have a difficult player or an argument, step in and try to resolve it. Talk to the person in private and figure out where they’re coming from and see if you can resolve it. We all have bad days, sometimes it comes through in a bad way in the RPs. We’re all human (except for me, but shhh)and we’re gonna stumble from time to time. That’s okay! The key is to be calm and mature about it, don’t get pulled into petty drama and gossip. If you have a problem with a player, talk to your coGMs and discuss what you should do about it. This is where Discord comes in really handy; you can talk to your players and GMs in real time and actually build a pretty close community if you use it properly. Not every game needs a discord and if your players aren’t really established first, it’s not going to be of any benefit.

But anyways, most of the time, a polite warning will suffice, or a light punishment for more serious things if the player isn’t being reasonable. Ultimately, you might have to let some people go, and while it might feel bad, just remember that kind of toxicity spreads to other people. If you show you have a zero tolerance policy for certain behaviours, it’s going to keep your game clean and welcoming. Ultimately, you want a supportive and friendly environment that people want to spend time in. Don’t tolerate someone for being an asshole; I recently heard about a game’s discord where a not insignificant number of players left to start their own separate discord because problematic players weren’t being dealt with despite complaints.

Just drill this into your heads now; you cannot make everyone happy, and if someone’s being an asshole, do you really want to put up with that in your game? People won’t stick around if they don’t enjoy their community, so if you keep fostering that kind of negativity, don’t be surprised if only negativity remains.

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Hopefully this 6,600 word essay of how I personally have found success GMing is going to be something that’s useful to you and help foster a healthier and happier roleplaying community where games last an eternity, people feel engaged, and we don’t have to keep wondering if the games we’re joining are going to last or not. I want to thank you for taking the time to read this, hopefully finding enjoyment at my awful sense of humour, and you learned a few things. The main thing is to prepare yourself, organize everything, and plan ahead before you even start and know exactly what you want from your players before getting into it and then keeping the game’s momentum going and weeding out poor behavior before it spreads and you should find yourself surprised that several months have passed and it seems like your players aren’t going anywhere. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, want to know why the sky is blue, anything at all, my inbox is usually empty and sad because I’m more of a recluse than Obi-wan Kenobi and just as likely to disappear into a bathrobe at the first sign of conflict.

As always, stay excellent, and I wish you all the treasures in the world in your roleplaying futures.

Now go out there and make some stories that you’ll remember for a lifetime, you nerd.

Wow. What A Line?!

[code]From: Vengeance of the Deep
Post Written: https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4864356
Written By: @Hank
Written Words: He could see himself in the mirror on the other side of the tent. It was an unsettling sight. He did not feel like he was looking at his own body at all, but just a vessel that happened to occupy the space around his eyes. Somehow, Gregor was convinced that he was somewhere else, and not inside his own head. That this was all just… a window into a world he no could no longer call home.

This line really just hit home the horrifying consequences that had been built up for the character for the entire roleplay, and it was such vivid imagery that put me right into Gregor's shoes and appreciate exactly what this character is feeling and experiencing, and it's haunting and hopeless. I love it.

Wow. What A Line?!

@BleedingLover Kind of surprised! Without all of the context with the characters, sometimes something might not translate to those who aren't familiar with what's going on and the relationship two characters have. Zaveed had described both of them being damaged goods in an endearing way, but explained that to Sirine shortly afterwards. For a couple of a really blooded former pirates, they can be kind of wholesome. ;D

Wow. What A Line?!

@HaleyTheRandom That is very kind of you to say! Sometimes my brain comes up with something that people might take to heart, and that's the kind of stuff that makes this a really rewarding hobby. :)

The Elder Scrolls: Vengeance of the Deep

A Raw Truth

A Dervish and Stormy special


18th Midyear 4E208, mid-morning, Alik’r camp...

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It wasn’t like Gregor to not tell her where he was going and immediately her mind began to think of the worst case scenario. She couldn’t even remember falling asleep, it had just happened. She’d been so exhausted that the moment her head had touched the pillow she’d fallen into the grip of slumber. Now she had woken up to find he was not there, she was instantly hit with panic - an intense paranoia crept over her as she scrambled over the bedroll to find a note or anything that he may have left for her as a clue to his whereabouts.

“You can’t just wander off now…” she muttered through gritted teeth as she combed her hair quickly and wound it into a tight knot on the top of her head, the shorter strands framing her face in their soft curls. She was making herself as presentable as possible before making her way out of the tent to search for him.

Where is he?

She walked with purpose, but slowly - observing the camp with keen eyes, letting her senses guide her too. There was no screaming to be heard, so clearly he hadn’t been found or caught. Everything was slow as the people of the camp began to wake from their own sleep.

Gregor, where did you go?

She watched as several Alik’r gathered around to chat, women were folding linens, roasting foods over campfires, talking amongst themselves, carrying their children in their arms… They were graceful in the way that they started their day, performing their many tasks - making it look as easy as breathing.

Is he alright?

After a lap of the camp, and no luck in finding Gregor, she decided to make her way back - hoping that he would be found in their tent now....

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When Raelynn returned, Daro’Vasora was standing outside of the tent, arms tightly around her waist. Her eyes were sunken, haunted, she looked up at Raelynn with an unblinking gaze, registering it was her and not a mirage. She had no idea how long she had waited, but it was long enough to have a thousand terrible thoughts cross her mind. Shadows prompted fear, anyone in a dark robe could be coming to harvest her next. After a few moments, her mind finally focusing on the woman in front of her, Daro’Vasora simply said, “Raelynn. I know.”

Raelynn knew at once what she meant.

Who had done it? Who had told her?

Where is Gregor?

Her worry intensified as she mentally flicked through the list of who would have told Daro'Vasora. Sevari had been as mad as anything, but it couldn't have been him. Fjolte hadn't even spoken to Raelynn about it yet, it couldn't have been him. Jaraleet had perhaps known for some time, it wouldn't have been him. That left Zaveed, Sirine, and Sirine's brother. Of course, “that bitch.”

Now, Sora was standing in front of her tent. God's had she looked inside? Where is Gregor? Had he already been taken somewhere? She suddenly felt an ice cold grip around her heart, suffocating her from the inside. Her hands began to shake but she pulled herself upright. “So what now, then?” she asked, as delicately as she could.

“I need to know… why didn’t you tell me, any of us?” Daro’Vasora asked. Her tone was not one of accusation, but rather uncertainty and pain. “Raelynn, we promised each other we would help one another with the demons our lovers are facing but this, I… I don’t know what the right course is. I wanted to talk to you, to hear you say it, to help me decide what comes next.” She looked around before returning her stare towards the Breton. “Would you prefer to talk somewhere more private? I haven’t talked to anyone else.”

“Here is fine… Let us just sit,” and so Raelynn approached slowly, and sat down at the doorway of the tent, her legs outstretched in front of her. It was a quiet spot to have placed her tent and she was all the more grateful for it now. But what to tell Sora, exactly? Inside she felt angry - livid even, that the secret was out. Part of it was relief. There was a moderate flush of humiliation as she thought about what this implied about her and her own image - but she had long gone past that point now.

“I don’t suppose I really know how to explain this,” she admitted, feeling an anger sitting in her stomach. “I’ve never been in love, Daro’Vasora,” she said as she placed her hands on her knees and gazed out across the distance. “Nor has anyone ever loved me. Lusted for me? Yes… Really loved me? No.” She sighed, noticing her fingers begin to tremble. She hated this, every bit of it. She hadn’t even come to terms with what had become of Gregor and now she was having to do this. It wasn’t the time, was it? “I’ve lived my whole life with a closed heart and I always thought I was happy that way - actually, I was happy like that. I didn’t need anyone by my side to complete me or to love me or shower me with affection and then I met… Gregor.”

Daro’Vasora sat cross-legged to the side of Raelynn, close, but not invasive. She studied how Raelynn reacted, the turmoil gripping inside of her. This wasn’t a furious rebuke, a defiance. This was a woman who was afraid of losing someone she loved. “Love us makes do stupid things.” Daro’Vasora replied. “Makes us overlook the things we never would have permitted or accepted. Raelynn…” she said, wringing her hands in front of her nervously, not wishing to have this conversation with her friend, but knowing it could only get worse. “Do you understand what he’s done?” she asked quietly.

“That may be so, but I willingly did it too, you know. I didn’t know about it at first. I just thought he was a man with a secret and I couldn’t resist myself and I wanted to find out what that was. It was, well it was fun. I thought after everything I’d seen I deserved some fun.” She thought back to Anvil, of sitting under Dibella’s altar with innocent eyes looking up at him, she almost smiled at the memory. “He was strong, powerful, intense. I liked his darkness. It made me feel safe,” she continued, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as it fell loose from her bun. “I understand what he’s done, I know what it all means. But I know why he does what he does, or did it… I just…” The Gregor she had seduced and led away from his prayers in Anvil was entirely different to the one she had sewn up earlier that morning.

“I almost told you… In the spring…” she said, her voice quieter and cracking. Her face so devoid of life and painted only with exhaustion. “I just couldn’t find the words.”

“Where is he now?” Daro'Vasora asked. She could feel the pain radiating from Raelynn, and despite herself, she reached out, placing her hand on Raelynn's thigh. “I wish you had told me, finding out the way I did… I'm afraid for you. Has he hurt you? All of those souls, Raelynn… why?” she managed, her own voice straining to keep composed. She looked around, her eyes darting nervously for others, for him.

For some reason her skin felt raw to the touch and she wanted to flinch away from the Khajiit, but she hadn’t the energy. Sora had so many questions. Raelynn continued to look out into the distance, but her sight began to blur and it felt as though everything began to spin. Her hands hit the ground, fingers splayed against the sand as she gripped at it - only to feel it slip through her fingers anyway. She felt like she was choking. She hated this, she’d had the opportunity to tell Sora in her own way pulled from under her and now, confronted, she couldn’t find the words. “Gregor is gone…” she said quietly, a melancholic tone sat beneath her voice that suggested she was talking about something far more than just his present location.

“No, he hasn’t hurt me - he wouldn’t hurt me. He fought for me, almost died for me. He wouldn’t hurt any of you. I know this, he cares about all of us.” She took Sora’s hand into hers, into a lightly clenched fist and she brought it to her own chest - placing it where her heart was beating. “I’m not lying to you - and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I really wanted to, I almost did… I’m sorry it wasn’t me who told you… I’m sorry it wasn’t me.”

Those words.

Those damn words.

Daro’Vasora bowed her head, her eyes clenched shut. Everything about this was awful, and she couldn’t see another way forward. “If you asked him to stop, would he have?” the Khajiit asked quietly, her heart pounding like it threatened to burst. “I don’t think so. This all started in Gilane, where things started going so, so wrong. I think he took that administrator’s soul, and in response we were hunted down by Zaveed and Sevari. All of that happened because of Gregor’s secret, his hunger. What do you suppose happens now? Suppose everyone stands up to him, tells him he has to stop? Do you think we’re still safe then?” there was an undercurrent of anger to Daro’Vasora’s voice as she strained to keep her composure.

“Raelynn. This is serious. The others will need to know, they have the right to know, as did I.” Daro’Vasora said, pulling her hand free and wrapping her arms about her waist once more. “I won’t be the one to make the decision of what to do with him, since the last time I made a decision without consulting anyone you all hated me for it. I don’t want to make the choice that will cost me my fucking soul.”

“And I paid for Nblec. Twice.” She said, holding her hand up, the scar as clear as day in the sunlight. “They would have come for us anyway, whether Nblec died or not.” She began, her posture straight, her words diplomatic. “We all in that room elected to torture the administrator. All of us but Calen. We got roped into the dispute with the Poncy Man and Rourken.” Raelynn’s own voice was strong too, a difference of opinion that she stated with conviction. “We were told to kidnap a Dwemer person of interest… It was dangerous from the start. He put us in the centre of that volatile storm, Daro’Vasora, it was never going to end well - you must know that.” She brought her knees up to her chest and turned to meet Sora’s eyes. “I know that it’s serious…”

She took a long breath, thinking over her words carefully but not calculatingly. “Gregor was a man alone on his path for a long time, carrying a burden no man should ever have to feel the weight of. He got lost and strayed too far… But he’s a good man, and I know you don’t believe it. Gods, I wouldn’t either -” She sighed again closing her eyes tightly. “He’s done terrible things but he’s not a monster, my words - my voice will not tell his story in the way that only he can. There are some things that only he can answer. But I promise you, he has stopped… He has stopped. If the others wish him to leave then I understand, but Daro’Vasora, if it comes to that, you need to know that I will be with him.”

Daro’Vasora looked away from the scar, she certainly didn’t need the reminder of what Gilane took from Raelynn. “I know what was taken from you. Did I not help you reconnect with your magical font?” she said quietly. “I’m not here to argue over hypotheticals. All I know is as soon as that man died, you got tortured and that ate away at me. Then someone I cared deeply about was killed and I was brought to a place I thought I’d never escape from.” she said, feeling deeply torn about everything. How last night had been the first night in so long she remembered what freedom and peace felt like to have it all come crashing down cruelly. Had this place not extracted enough of a toll already?

She shook her head, returning her gaze to Raelynn. “You put me back in that room again, where I’m forced to make a choice I never can. Either way, one way I lose you, and I cannot do that. I can never do that. I care about you, in some ways more than just an unlikely friend that I can’t explain. This hurts me, and I spent all morning wondering if I was going to find you as a lifeless husk one day because you said something he didn’t agree with. For one of the very few times in my life, I don’t know what to do. It’s a decision I do not wish to make.” the Khajiit said, reaching her hand out towards Raelynn. “What would you have me do?”

“At least you were given a choice that day… I wasn’t.” Her head drooped and her eyes watered ever so slightly. She hadn’t meant the words to sound malicious. She pulled herself back together, “I can bloody well see that you've been worrying…” Raelynn remarked in a voice laced with her usual terse tone as her eyes fell upon Sora's hand. She hadn't noticed until now but the Khajiit's hands were bloody. She recognised what the injury was. Sora had done this to herself. “Sora…” she sighed and scooched around to sit opposite her, taking the hand and reaching for the other. It was she suspected, exactly the same intense puncturing to the palm.

“I'm so tired,” she began as both of her hands lit up with gold. “I am tired of thinking and worrying about Gregor, about this secret, about my father, about shadows and crowds and people... About what he and I have done together because of this damned war.” Her voice was as flat as it could be, but the magicka that formed in her hands was warmth and light. As she held Sora's hands in her own, trails of it began to wind around from Raelynn's knuckles and over the Khajiit's wrists like delicate vines. “This is my decision just as much as it is yours. I know that I will have to choose him or everyone. I'm no fool… I already fought my father tooth and claw over this, I don't fancy fighting you or anyone else…”

The Khajiit watched in no small wonder as the wisps of magic began to encircle her wrists like serpents, all too appropriately considering her birthsign. She felt the stinging in her hands she barely noticed given the rest of the stress fading, and it helped remind her of Raelynn’s greatest gift; her compassion.

Tears welled up in Daro’Vasora’s eyes and a slight upturn of a smile crossed her lips. “It was never a burden you had to hold on your own, Ko’Raelynn. I never wanted you to feel like you were trapped with no one to turn to, we could have figured something out, to stop him before he went too far. After everything we went through in Gilane… you reached me in ways I forgot I even needed, and I feel like I’ve failed you for not seeing this, for not finding a cure for him faster. I don’t want to fight, I just want to make sure that my friend survives and can one day go home proud of everything she is.”

“I was selfish, I wanted him to myself. And maybe that's why I said nothing. Because if I did it would stop, wouldn't it? When everything else was being destroyed around me, he made me happy…” Raelynn closed her eyes, knowing she shouldn't do it, but she concentrated further on the flow of energy emitting from her, and the magic continued its journey up Sora's arms. “You didn't fail me, I promise you didn't…” She opened her eyes again, looking Sora in hers, they were bloodshot but with a smile she could still make them sparkle. “Please stop worrying about me,” she said convincingly as Gregor’s crude words and behaviour of the night before flashed through her mind. She felt pain in her chest, as if her flesh was bruised from the Soul Gem.

“Gregor needs me, needs people… More than ever. I don't want us to leave. But I understand if you can't be around him.” She blinked back tears of her own as the image of his gaunt, ashen face intruded her thoughts. “I don't believe he can hurt anyone anymore.” Of course, she did not know that for certain but it was all she had.

Daro’Vasora wanted to reach out and embrace Raelynn, but her hands were effectively bound until Raelynn finished her work, the punctures closing and fading before her eyes. Taking note of the redness in Raelynn’s eyes, she said, “I won’t stop worrying until I know you’re safe. I’ve lost too many people I care about, and I won’t lose you, too.” she said with a somber gaze. “What happened last night? You behave as if you know something is terribly wrong, and you’re not fighting me on this. What do you mean he cannot hurt anyone anymore? Please, talk to me. I want to be here for you, no matter what form that might take.” she promised.

Raelynn thought about it, she lingered over the question for a while as her hands continued to work against Daro’Vasora - the energy about reaching her shoulders and neck now. “Hmmm…” She began to rub her thumbs in slow circles over her healing palms, slowly, slowly…

“There’s not a great deal that I don’t understand about the body. Over the years I’ve studied it, taught myself new techniques and alternative ways of healing. I’m an alchemist too. I don’t know how much you know of me or my past studies because these are not things that I discuss...” She sighed with a shake of her head, “I'm a secretive woman, clearly…”

“Something has happened to him. He has no memory of what and even-” she really was going to share the details of their intense evening with Sora, she almost did, but she reigned it back in. “Daro’Vasora, do you trust me still?”

The Khajiit, despite herself and the turmoil within her, smiled. “Is this not what we promised each other in the spring? Were our situations reversed, I can't say I'd have done anything different.” She said, thinking of Latro's struggles with Pale-feather, how it had terrified her in the palace and how she accepted it was going to be difficult going forward. “I trust you, Raelynn. Even if others in this position wouldn't, we have been through a lifetime of hardship together. Look where we came from; we hated each other. Now I can't imagine life without you.”

Raelynn held out another silence, knowing that to stay in control she had to relinquish some, she knew that. But she also knew that she and Gregor were not the same now. She could not help him alone, and the feeling of sheer inadequacy burned her almost to a spiteful point of rage but she leveled herself out. “Then trust me once more.” As she said it, she let go of Sora’s hands and brought hers to her own chest, her lip trembling.

“Please allow me to tell him that you know, please give me the rest of the day with him… If you can do this, I will bring him at nightfall to the cave.” She hoped Sora knew which one, it seemed that Fjolte’s hanging rock had become a place of importance. “You asked me what you should do,” she spoke with clarity, and yet there was a fear in her voice, “there are others that you trust. I think you should bring them to gather. Whoever you need… I know you find him loathsome, but please bring Fjolte. He’s… my oldest friend here and it would be a comfort to me. Despite his arrogance, he can be sage and-” She bowed her head and brought her hands to her face, quietly sobbing into them all of a sudden. “I’m sorry.”

Daro’Vasora reached out, gently pulling Raelynn’s forehead against her own. “I trust you. I know it is something you’ve struggled with, and the truth is not one easily accepted. You feared losing him, losing us.” The Khajiit said softly, running her fingers through the long blonde hair. “I will do what you ask, and do not be sorry; what matters is what we do next, together. You choose to trust in me, and I will do the same in turn. I will gather those I feel are reasonable, and we will speak to him tonight. Keep him safe, and none will know of this until those we choose to share this with are told in his own words tonight. Thank you, Raelynn, for believing in me. We may not be able to set this right, but we will at least try to make it work. After everything, everyone deserves a chance, as terrifying as their actions may be.”

The sudden touch felt intrusive and strange - an overload of sensations on sensitive skin. Like running a finger the wrong way over a blade of grass. She stiffened and held in a breath, but nodded against Sora. “Yes…” Was all she could say for a short while as she let her few tears fall. “I have to help him, I promised him that, maybe I just can’t do it alone… Not this time, I’m not well enough myself to help anyone…” She pulled back from Sora slowly, wiping a finger under her eye. She huffed out a breath, “what is this war doing to us? I’m coming undone at the seams...”

“I will bring him at nightfall… Light a fire so I know you’re there. Thank you Sora, I will not forget this.”

“It's what friends are for, right? Pulling each other back together again?” Daro'Vasora said with a reassuring smile that didn't quite mesh comfortably with the fatigue and worry in the Khajiit’s eyes. She stood up, regarding her now healed hands and Raelynn's remarkable talent. “I know you won't, and I know you would do the same for me. The sun will shine on us all again, we just have to keep searching for our dawn. Don't lose hope, we will find the answer.” She reached down, stopping herself from touching Raelynn's shoulder. “Together.”

“If I had any wine I’d drink to that,” she said - an uncertain smile on her lips. Change was fast approaching to turn everything upside down. It made sense to happen now, now that everything had already changed - might as well happen all at once. Raelynn could not see any good from this, but it was necessary. There was a feeling inside of her that had noted her own unhealthy habits of late. Perhaps before she could help anyone else, it was time to heal herself. “And you’re right, I would do the same for you… I.... owe you for this.” She glanced away from Sora when she said it, “it’s not like me to owe anybody - I must say it feels strange for people to actually want to help me when really they shouldn’t.”

Daro’Vasora crossed her arms, scuffing her bare foot into the sand, feeling the grains raise up between her toes like mountains rising between plates. “You know, I’ve spent a lot of my life feeling like people weren’t giving me a chance to prove myself, that I could be trusted, that I was worthy of affection. Maybe this is a mistake, but I don’t feel like it is. I just know if I were in your situation, I’d want someone who cared about me not to give up on me and to give me a chance. Don’t think of this as owing me anything, or even a real favour. I’d like to think after everything, we’ve all earned some benefit of the doubt. Besides,” a shy smile crossed the Khajiit’s lips as she glanced back up at Raelynn. “I promised I wouldn’t give up on you.”

“I know… I guess we’re just not that different after all. I don’t want it to be a mistake. I hope I haven’t made a mistake…” she confessed, pulling her knees up to her chest. “I’m glad that we’re friends.”

She sighed, tightening her arms about her. Her toes dug in deeper. “Raelynn.” She said quietly. “I’m terrified of all of this.” Daro’Vasora admitted, her gaze breaking as she looked to the camp, anywhere but where she needed to.

“Is it wrong that in all of these revelations, I’m just terrified that I’ve lost him completely? Or that I’m about to? That I’m too broken now… That I’m not strong enough for all of this, not smart enough… That I don’t know enough. I don’t know how to be enough anymore and words don’t help because I feel so much like...” Raelynn struggled over her words, her fingers clenching at the loose linen of her trousers. “I feel so unlike myself and so unprepared for this war. I used to be strong and unshakeable, I used to get by alone. Now look at me, God’s look at us. Look at how we’ve changed.”

“None of us have remained unchanged by this war.” Daro’Vasora agreed, closing her eyes for a few moments. “But it doesn’t mean we’re not stronger. Raelynn,” the Khajiit turned once more to look upon her friend with kind emerald eyes. “You’re such a brilliant and courageous person, I look up to you. I always have.” she admitted with a shy smile, rubbing the back of her neck bashfully. “Broken doesn’t mean we can’t be fixed, and asking for help when you need it is a sign of strength and courage, not weakness. It wasn’t that long ago I was going it alone, plundering tombs and not acknowledging that if something happened to me, no one would have been able to help me, let alone know where I was. I learned from all of you that having people who give a shit about you and stay by your side when the world is in cinders matters. We can take on anything, Raelynn… together.”

“I must admit, it’s hard for me to imagine you working alone like that, I’ve only ever known you to be with this group. I was only picked up by chance. Had it not been for the attack in Anvil… You know, I had actually bought my passage back to High Rock?” She laughed too, releasing her grip on the cloth as she relaxed with the turning tide of the conversation. “I even think the proof of payment is on a slip of parchment lodged somewhere in my journal…” She smiled up at Sora, “don’t forget to remember that you’re really quite brilliant and courageous yourself. It takes a certain… ingenuity, to do what you do.”

The Khajiit covered her mouth to conceal a put upon smile, feeling somewhat embarrassed yet complimented all the same. “Kind of you to say, but unless you mean sneaking around and stealing stuff from ancient burial sites before other people of ill-repute do, I'm hardly anyone special. I just try to consider my opinions and I hope I make the right choice. I’m well-learned and I’ve survived on my own, but I am so bad with people.” she said with a rueful chuckle.

Raelynn noticed quite clearly that Sora was not used to such attention and compliments, and she grinned almost devilishly at her embarrassment as a result, she couldn’t quite resist poking some more… “But you are special, I think we all probably are in our own way - but… You are leading this group of, dare I say it, misfits. None of us are that equipped to fight in a war but you lead us and make the decisions that push us forward and keep us going. Your damn long-winded speeches motivate us,” she remarked with a joking roll of her eyes, “you’re doing the best with the cards you were dealt. You didn’t ask for them, you didn’t ask for us. We’re all being… well, a pain in your arse if you don’t mind my saying… but you’re doing well.” Even though the Breton had only been trying to bring about a bashful redness to Sora’s face, she felt the words resonating, there was a sincerity to them that she wasn’t used to expressing so openly. It felt nice to do so.

“You’re younger than I, younger than many of us here and your tenacity and spirit drives us. We each have our own agenda, yes… But we all want to survive this, don’t we? You found love in Latro - you grow each day. You will continue to make missteps and incorrect decisions, what I’m trying to say is that you should not dwell on your decisions, nor on what you perceive as mistakes… We take what we’ve got, and we do our best with it.”

Daro’Vasora listened, holding her cheeks, her tail flicking behind her in the sand. “Raelynn, I… I don’t know what to say. That was… my goodness.” she said rapidly, her mind screeching for something, anything, witty or insightful to say. She came up short, feeling flames burning up her cheeks and the back of her neck. “I needed to hear that. When you say it, I might even believe it.” she admitted, smiling shyly.

“I know this isn’t the best of circumstances we’re in, but after everything we’ve been through, us all being here… I know we’re doing the right thing. Maybe a few more long-speeches and we’ll be across the mountains and in sight of our goal. I might not have asked for anyone, or any of this, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I can’t imagine anyone else taking this journey and I will do my damnest to make sure we all go home in the end. That’s my promise, and my dream; we’re all going to do the impossible together.” she said with a dreamy sigh, walking over to Raelynn and kneeling before her, taking the Breton’s hands in her own. “Thank you, for everything you are to me. For believing in me. It’s more than I’ve deserved, but I promise I will earn it.”

“And I will earn it too, I’ll keep trying. I’ll keep trying to find more reasons to… Be, and to… live.” Raelynn held Sora’s hands just as tightly, looking her dead in the eyes with resolve. “We’re going to make it through this, you and I, and everyone.”

“We can do it together.”