Gowi

Gowi's Character Log: Outdated Archives

Roleplay
A Crown of Bones

Name
Ilayna Blackwater / Edessa Thorne

Gender
Female

House Name
Blackwater

Age
Twenty-four

Appearance
5’6” and hair reminiscent of the midnight skies with sapphires for eyes, Edessa Thorne has the look of a child of Gorgon, but a common look nonetheless. Bearing fur or cloth cloak depending on the weather or environment she is generally well-prepared.

Homeland
Gorgon

Race
Human

Bio
If not for Thomas Briar, the woman known currently as Edessa Thorne would have likely lived an entirely different life.

Twenty-four years prior to the present, she was born a daughter of the royal dynasty known as House Blackwater through the union of Lord Blackwater and Lady Briar. As the Princess of the Kingdom of Gorgon she was baptized as a part of the royal family with great expectations designed for the young royal. Of course, she was far behind in the line of succession with three elder brothers who were well-read and well-trained in the way of duty. As she was baptized there was one man who would be bound to her protection for his life, a knight and experienced ranger known as Edwic Devain; assigned as her guardian and protector, Ser Edwic would go beyond the expectations of duty to ensure safety and worked with the then spymaster of Gorgon to designate royal safehouses, escape routes, and similar contingencies for the safety of not only Ilayna but any royal at home in court.

When Lord Arthur Blackwater left his kingdom for the war against Malfear he left his spymaster and brother-in-law (Thomas Briar) as leading regent of Gorgon, giving the man the beginning that would excite his taste for power and control. Not long after when Ilayna reached her eighth anniversary of her name-day, the worst of possible events occurred at home in Gorgon—the betrayal of House Blackwater, and the murder of her bloodline by someone that was trusted to their protection: Thomas Briar. The spymaster and regent had often plotted in secret to steal what he believed he deserved, the first murder he would commit would earn him the title of kinslayer as his sister and mother of the Blackwater heirs would lay dead in the streets of the capital. Ser Edwic cursed himself for not seeing the treachery beforehand and organized several other knights sworn to other heirs to retreat and to stay away from the designated safehouses for Briar created them and knew about them. Ser Edwic himself took to the north as he dragged the eight year old daughter of Gorgon through the forests and swamps until he could get as far as possible.

The safety and survival of the Blackwater line was now abruptly in the hands of men sworn to protect its heirs. Ser Edwic’s loyalty unfaltering, he ensured that no harm would come to Ilayna while he still breathed air of this world; the Blackwater line would not end in a flood of darkness and treachery. Traveling to the Valarian countryside, Ser Edwic and Ilayna Blackwater disappeared and Mauldin and Edessa Thorne emerged. Hoping to avoid any eyes and ears that could report back to Thomas Briar, the two Gorgonite individuals began to cut out a life from village to village in the township of which they settled to protect themselves from the fear of assassins and spies.

Her name changed her dynasty taken, and life distressed; the girl known as Ilayna Blackwater was now Edessa Thorne, and now sprung up amongst commonfolk in an assortment of backwater villages and hamlets. Coin became sparse, food rationed, and despite the two Gorgonite’s resilience it never did stop the dwelling and nightmarish dreams that taunted them. The nightmares throughout the years would be a constant torture for the former Princess of Gorgon as she remembered the hushed panic, her mother’s blood drenched on her uncle’s knife, Ser Edwic’s hand preventing her from screaming in horror, the exhausting dread of Thomas Briar’s Blackwater hunters, the sound of the dogs, and the feeling of being stripped from her brothers whilst the feeling of never being able to speak to her parents again—it was insufferable. Her guardian attempted to calm her nerves throughout the coming years, but it would do nothing for the true psychological damage that she was dealt.

Despite the deep sense of psychological turmoil in the young girl’s mind, Ser Edwic instilled a sense of resilience and rigid strength in her. Originally coming from the commonfolk himself before he was knighted when he was much younger, Ser Edwic knew what it took to survive in their newfound environment. Fashioning himself as an adventurer, tracker, bandit hunter, and general problem solver—the people in this rural Valaria found much use in the man they would come to know as Mauldin Thorne. His skills as a ranger of Gorgon came into much use as he put coin and food on the table whilst also training his believed ‘daughter’ in the same skills he had honed decades prior. Dexterity, Gorgonite-style hand-to-hand, swordplay, archery, tracking, survivalism, and collective “common wisdom” would be things that Edessa would learn and surprisingly she had a knack for a few of these skills, perhaps taking after her elder brothers who had idolized the rangers of Gorgon. From eight years after her nameday to seventeen years after it she would become a capable ranger indeed as Mauldin’s training was nothing but extensive. But inspired to not be so weak as she was when her mother died in front of her eyes, and to prove to her guardian that his training was not for naught.

Two years after the “completion” of her training and some field experience in surrounding villages as well as trading posts it came to be her guardian’s end of days as he was stricken ill—an illness that would take the ranger-knight’s life at sixty years past his nameday; a remarkable age for someone who had been living in bad conditions and throughout a traumatic and taxing life. As she buried him in a grave that read only as: “Maurin Thorne – beloved father and protector.” So it was here at nineteen years past her nameday that Ilayna “Edessa Thorne” Blackwater began to live life from one outpost, caravan, and village at a time as she tried to put her past behind her and live for what she was taught by both Ser Edwic and her royal family that now laid in the dirt and was with the gods.

Injustice and chaos thrived in the lands and whilst she saw herself as ‘moral’ she knew that coin would have to come first if she intended to continue eating—though where heroics occurred oftentimes people were thankful for their endeavors. The Valealian frontier was chaotic and upset as rebellion, mage-hunting, and banditry began to run rampant thus creating an unstable world to travel in for the young woman though it was also as easily to be looked upon as for a hireling/problem solver-type of individual that it surely would be profitable for their career. For her, there was a struggle as her moral fibers of virtue and good nature began to shout out in her head; for if she could stop tragedy to consume other lives she would save others from the misery she felt every night when the nightmares called out to her like a frightful spirit. “Nobody deserves to be overthrown by tragedy nor misery.” – she kept telling herself such thoughts to make sure she didn’t devolve into a narcissitic hiresword that cared only for coin and their survival; hireswords that she had heard that ignored bandit attacks because there was no coin in helping a hamlet from getting raided and pilfered or even those hireswords that would join the bandits on such raids. By the Coin and not by the soul was such a terrible way to live life.

For five years she traveled across Valeal; helping who she could while getting by on her personality and actions. For some villages, hamlets, and outposts the name “Edessa Thorne” has some significance despite her small actions, but those who suffer remember their friends. While seen as not entirely selfless, she has helped where others would turn them away with a glance that reeks of the phrase: “That’s a shame.” – She wants to help people and survive doing it, but sometimes she thinks her small actions have gotten rescinded as soon as she leaves these settlements. She hasn’t really found her purpose in life as this Valealian “ranger”. But given the political and socio problems growing in the world… something will absorb her eventually.

Footnotes
65 years ago: Edwic Devain is born of a common house of Gorgon.

33 years ago: Edwic Devain is knighted.

24 years ago: Ilayna Blackwater is born of the noble ruling house of Gorgon.

18 years ago: The Kingdom of Gorgon joins the war against Malfear.

16 years ago: Thomas Briar, the then spymaster and regent of the Kingdom of Gorgon begins a coup d’etat against the Blackwater dynasty.

16 years ago: Ser Edwic escapes Gorgon in order to safeguard Ilayna Blackwater.

16 years ago: Lord Blackwater withdraws from the war to return home to combat Thomas Briar’s treachery.

16 years ago: Ser Edwic creates the identities of Mauldin Thorne and Edessa Thorne, goes into hiding.

15 years ago: The coup in Gorgon ends with the death of Arthur Blackwater, defeated in battle at King's/Traitors pass. Thomas Briar claims the Gorgon throne.

5 years ago: Edwic Devain/Mauldin Thorne dies.

Crusader Kings II: The King in Dublin

Richard_III said
So i've just bought this game and I have no idea what im doing

Usually how it starts for everybody, but at least you picked the easiest of the current Paradox titles. God forbid if you wanted to play Hearts of Iron III or Victoria II as your first Paradox game, haha. There's a lot of fundamental tutorials on youtube, let's plays, etc. that can help you get an idea for it. I learned through trial & error myself, but that doesn't work for everybody.

A Crown of Bones

Eastern Standard Time.

I haven't gotten into anything from anime fall season 2014, but I did watch summer 2014's most intriguing anime, Zankyou no Terror. At first, I thought it would be a hit, but once the anime ended and I had a bigger view of the picture, it appears that it had a wonderful starts, a downfall in the middle and a crash at the end, all because of how "very Japanese" the writers were.

I would love to talk in depth about my thoughts on anime of this year (and it's subsequent seasons) as well as 2013, but I really should be going to bed! I was convinced by my household to stay up watching movies and such so I am rather beat. I will post this as a discussion point if you want to use it as a springboard when I log back on! I keep my log fairly up-to-date for my third favorite hobby. (Writing is number uno, and Music is the first runner up for conversations sake)

Link

Also, I recall you guys mentioning a skype group once but I might be too tired and thinking of a completely different RP...

Gothic Lands: Gaia. [Dark-Medieval Fantasy]

You have my attention, but will be waiting for an OOC before I make any commitments.

A Crown of Bones

Well, a lot of dynasties like I said in the middle ages would look to keep the inheritance of the throne in the family by marrying within their dynasty. I believe marriages to cousins were the most common of this, since having sibling marriages were still a little uncouth (depending on the culture).

But yeah whatever you figure out, I’ll look over; will especially like to have bonds for Edessa to have to make her emotionally compromised, develop flashbacks, and a myriad of other ideas.

Posted in your GM thread btw.

A Crown of Bones

My guess: daughter of an experienced and wealthy merchant? I mean you could go the "mom was a mage" route, but I don't know how keen you are on that option or not.

A Crown of Bones

Headphones said
It was merely a general statement. Ferros also has the Lowlands, which are used for farming, and no doubt Valeal has mountains as well. Hope you didn't get offended =3

Lol not a problem, hehe. When I start doing the map, I'll probably need a lot of the geographical and political information since there's not a lot to go off of.

TaliPaendrag said
I imagine that any land where agriculture would be viable won't be very large, as the people have had to turn to fishing as the primary method of keeping the cities fed.

Weird tidbit: I do find myself a little uh... offset in the current rough draft of the map (Gorgon is way too tiny for my comfort). Is it really that small?

Brand has yet to write a complete description of the continent, thus we can not be 100% sure on how it looks like. Gowi sketched out a map loosely, but it has yet to be approved by the GM.

This isn't a map of our world, but a map of MY medieval fantasy setting: Tromania, I was using it as an example of what mapmaking I could do. ;)

A Crown of Bones

Gorgon is a damp warm swampland.

It also has been mentioned to have apparent plentiful forests outside of the swamps and marsh.

I also assume it also has some plains or rolling hills further along since we need agriculture for a stable nation to stand on.

Crusader Kings II: The King in Dublin

On a related note, an interaction between Gowi and Vortex's houses came to pass when Asbjorn Ulfrsen, brother to King Svend II Estrid of Denmark, was captured in battle by Welsh forces and imprisoned in the dungeons beneath King Blydden of Gwynedd's castle. The war ended before the year's end, with the Scandinavian Bloc pulling out of England and leaving the island altogether. Asbjorn Ulfrsen was returned to Denmark soon after, which is well and good because another war swiftly reared its ugly head. The Scandinavian Bloc is facing its most dangerous opponent yet in the form of anarcho-heathen warlord Erik the Heathen, a Swedish rebel who has rallied the northern half of the country against its reigning king. The Scandinavian Bloc has rushed to end the civil war and suppress Erik the Heathen's rebellion, but only time will tell what becomes of Erik and his rogue kingdom.

All hail for a celtic Britannia! Of course the warlord named Erik concerns not the Welsh, as they deserve whatever comes upon them in the future. I suppose this is where I monologue about uniting Wales and planning to go into a union with whichever Irish lord unites Ireland. =)

Concerns as a potential GM - could use some advice.

Unfortunately, all these issues seem to add up to sporadic activity for me, and as a GM, it’s tough to have players stay with me. I usually feel pretty disappointed if I lose players as, most of the time, the major plot point hasn’t been hit in the story. Even when I’m just in the RP as a player, my characters usually have this big reveal that makes them something more than what they appear, and I rarely, if ever get to that point.
In the rare event that it continues, the story moves along what can only be described as a glacial pace.

It’s hard to combat inactivity, if people lose interest or they have a ‘real life’ obligation then that is really hard to combat. Of course, I feel disappointed when people drop but for me in the past it’s been my activity or lack of immediacy that has made players drop my roleplay and go searching for something else.

One of the things that I have been considering would be to basically design a roleplay that I would want to play in, and basically search for a GM that would want to take the reigns completely, and just be a player in the RP. Basically design the world and see if anyone wants to take it over for me. I wonder how that would pan out.

Your biggest challenge to do this would be to find a co-GM before you even have an interest check up and not hand over your world but build a setting that both of you are excited about. I’ve done this a few times and it can come up pretty interestingly but the big thing is have somebody familiar, who is interested, and helped build the setting you want to play in.