The Harbinger of Ferocity

Waeldeshore 1.0 [CONCLUDED]

Barring the ongoing fanfiction speculation, where do we stand? We are awaiting @KazeXDZ to reply, if memory serves, correct?

Waeldeshore 1.0 [CONCLUDED]

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Just let it happen...

@The Fated Fallen

I do not think I would have a choice regardless in this scenario. Fanfiction does not tend to work that way.

Cara's Originally Titled OoC Hangout Thread ♥ (Still)

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They look cute and I found 2 while randomly looking around. xD

@NuttsnBolts

I suppose that is fair enough of an answer, albeit I still want a story.

Waeldeshore 1.0 [CONCLUDED]

I am wholly unsure as to what I have found myself into now here with The Red.

Waeldeshore 1.0 [CONCLUDED]

Also, I wrote this:

Thoughts on Ioannes

Thoughts on Ioannes

Hmm, basically, to get to the roots of Ioannes' psyche, one has to know/remember that the Giray System combines the brutality of enslavement and harsh military training, but justifies itself by saying that the slaves live better lives and have more power than freemen. A friend of mine objected to slaves having money and power, but that was because he believed that I was trying to export Ioannes out of a High Fantasy setting. In a High Fantasy setting, however, an oligarchy of nominal slaves, who rule over lower ranks of actual slaves whose job is to replace them once they die, is possible.

What I want with Ioannes

My disjointed thoughts:

- My main inspiration for Ioannes came from the fact that IRL, the Mamluks funded churches in the Caucasus, while Janissaries sent aid back to their home villages, while keeping many Christian customs (that last part isn't as important as the first).

- Ioannes sees his enslavement as justified, because it meant that once he was 18, he can reclaim his name, his diety (or choose a new one) and furthermore, send money and aid back to whatever relatives he has left, should they accept it (they did).

- Ioannes' main relative is an Aunt in the Kingdom of Hellas; she's a kind person who accepted Ioannes despite the fact that Giray is sort of an enemy (though not to the extent of the IRL Turkish-Greek hate).

- Ioannes, despite seeing his own enslavement as justified, wants to find another way, because he's realized from the stories of his fellow slaves that being taken away from one's parents is traumatic, and thus, if another way is found, then that would be a moot point.

- Because Giray Slaves are bound by a pain-inducing slave collar for the first two years of training, Ioannes would see stuff around his neck, even something as innocent as scarves or necklaces, as a trigger for trauma (assuming I'm using PTSD).

- The oligarchy wants the Mamlukes and Slave-Bureaucrats to see each other as a team, to be loyal to each other, because the slaves would one day replace the masters, and once that happens, they need to work together instead of being at odds. While 'weakness' isn't tolerated, slaves are expected to look after each other's needs outside of training or battle. When they are sick, other slaves are expected to take part in taking care of them; same for hunger and thirst and even other needs. To encourage this, the slavemasters do not directly help the slaves, except to give them instructions and the approrpiate supplies; they may watch the slaves to prevent them from escaping, but cannot interfere unless one is on the verge of death.

- Slave training is harsh, back-breaking (not literally) and demanding. One has to master multiple weapons, fight as both Infantry and Cavalry, and also be proficient a number of scholarly subjects (history, engineering, and medicine are 'recommendations'). Not merely that, but acts of kindness from the trainers are rare, and mostly kept hidden and subtle, to be revealed only once the training is over.

- Giray, despite being a slavocracy, does have redeeming, even laudable qualities that the slaves are frequently reminded of. Basically, Giray is a multifaith, multiethnic, and multicultural state that works, and it's because of the Mamluks and Slave-Bureaucrats. While the rest of the world is divided in petty, self-destructive divisions, Giray is diverse but united, and the Slave System is justified because it protects this diverse unity (that last part is exaggeration and propaganda).

- Any slave found to have kept the 'weak' emotions of kindness and empathy, or exhibit the capability to fake them, are assigned to Public Relations, Diplomatic Offices, or various missions requiring interaction with others. Ioannes is one of those slaves.

@Letter Bee

Ioannes out of anyone is the most likely to confuse The Red at this rate. You civilized sorts are exceedingly strange in your customs.

A Push for Original Content: Universes/Settings, Characters, and Tales.

I am partial to original content, or settings which are inspired by other works but stand-alone as their own concept. It is both more freeing in terms of creativity and lore, often only having a limited amount of information present, but also in that it is mysterious; not everything to be known of its material in fact, is. Depending upon the Game Master and the participants, the material might even be internally consistent, although this is far more rare - there tends to be one person who invents canon that does not mesh cleanly with the established, at least initially - it does happen in some unique cases.

I do not hate fandoms or established settings per say, but I do find they are greatly overrepresented by and large. You can only read so many entries on the same universe and concept and most, by virtue of being bound to their story, have overlapping themes with the content already established; characters taking the place of others, locations and events being the same, certain qualities being vastly overpowered or underpowered, et cetera.

The act alone of world building and developing your own story, or taking part of it, is a much more complex and difficult thing to do, as has been said before. Not only time consuming, but requiring a great investiture of creativity to do so. The easier route is to indeed either play within an established setting or cut desired elements from it and implement them elsewhere.

I am entirely in favor of Game Masters creating original content over all else.

Cara's Originally Titled OoC Hangout Thread ♥ (Still)

@NuttsnBolts, I do believe it would be a fair question to ask - what is your pikachu relationship beyond an avatar? I feel as though there is some good story or history to this.

Waeldeshore 1.0 [CONCLUDED]

@IcePezz, I believe there had been content there but Letter Bee removed their material for one reason or another. This is one of those minor mysteries of life.

Waeldeshore 1.0 [CONCLUDED]

True, and as I mentioned before, Ioannes' 'good' traits are the result of his being a little screwed up.

I'm curious, though, why is The Red returning to the group when he thinks their strategy against the Dragons is foolish?

@IcePezz, what knowledge of Dragons would the characters know? Bear in mind that Ioannes and Ionathan would be better-educated than most.

@Letter Bee

There is no perceived other way to fight these demons and the adventurers would otherwise be in the way. The Red is not new to fighting enemies of nature, agents of evil included, but he is unfamiliar with whatever is going on in Waeldeshore. Clearly the situation is different in this scenario compared to others.

Waeldeshore 1.0 [CONCLUDED]

Okay, with Siegfried (the Marked Man)'s player being absent, does that mean that Ioannes is the only Neutral Good character in the party?

Ah, there's still Belwicket's character, but she can also be absent.

@Letter Bee

Siegfried Roanoke and Regina Hills are both listed as Neutral Good characters, but as with anyone, an alignment can shift and or vary slightly from individual to individual such as the difference between the Lawful Neutral characters Durin and The Red. That said, how "good" a character is, is questionable as it is a question of morality.