OOC / Downtime thread

Please feel free to ask any questions you have here. We will also use this for downtime activities (if you have/want any).

This is just info to tie you all into to how you got to where you currently are in the setting. Just an FYI. If you see anything that needs changing let me know!

@DMKiado - Since Wenric was saved by the 'Golden Man' his natural talents haven't gone unnoticed. In this setting there are a couple well known Arcane academies, one of which is in the city of Hightower (Rhunemar). It is common knowledge that those who have the ability to harnest arcane energies are either 'certified' (by completion of an Arcane Academy) or they are considered 'wildlings'. Wildlings are kept at somewhat of a distance, most people feel uncomfortable around them since they do not have the 'proper' training. Other than a slight disposition towards 'wildlings' there is no ill-effects towards them. The shire that Wenric calls home is situated on the boarder of the Feral Lands and the forest near Port Xavier. Since your family was forced to leave the shire you have called Denmore home. You have had a very limited interaction with House Greymane, and after the few times you have you are glad that is the case. The family of Greymane seems not right to you. You do know that House Greymane owns some of the best horses and breeding routines. House Greymane has obtained their status of nobility through operating and maintaining these herds and breeding 'programs'. The people here are welcoming to you and have treated you well enough, but you don't feel at home here.

@Jabes - Luc has spent much of his life in the affluent lands of House Berethyl. The Half-Elven noble family takes good care of the people and land which they were charged with protecting and improving. The city of Aldret has shown you many different walks of life that people sometimes take. You are very comfortable being around the members of society that come from 'high class'. The market streets of Aldret attract a lot of traveling merchants and artisans. On rare occasions Lord Falrenthis Berethyl has been seen walking the market, looking for oddities or certain items of quality that catch his attention. You have never personally spoken to Lord Berethyl, but from what you have seen he does not treat his people wrong, that being said he seems to rarely interact with his people so long as coinage flows through his lands.

@Whipstache Thurbrek Amberale and the Amberale family have been friends with House Umbaran for as long as you can remember. Lord Dandre Umbaran asked both your parents to move with him from their ancestral home. House Umbaran is the first noble house that is dwarven, and Lord Umbaran takes great pride in that. His towns are known for their dwarf-centric ways. A lot of metal/gem-smithing and brewing is done in his towns which sometimes make enough money to support the town on their own. While new communities are popping up all over the lands trusted to Dandre Umbaran, you worked in one of the four main cities. Being close friends with House Umbaran you were given the choice pickings of taverns and set up shop in the capital of Ralston. Now with the tavern (you get to name it) in your cousin's hands you haven been left free to do whatever you wish.

@Friar_Tuk - Hungry Hao is quite familiar with the independent nation-city of Port Xavier from your time with Cap. Flint and his vessel 'Ravens Flight'. You know the city is bustling with trade between the many nations and some key merchant guilds. You know the streets there rather well. The city feels like home to you, except for one street in the merchants district. You know well to avoid that one. You have fulfilled your contract (However long you want it to be) with Captain Flint and you are up for renewal. Captain Flint see's that something is not 'right' in your eyes and decides to drop you off at the next port of calling. Knowing that you had reached the point in a sailors life where he had to question his calling to the sea and to test its limits. In the port town of Cey your crewmates and captain give you one last night of celebration before parting ways.

@Moofsalot - Xadania has been offering her services to the Kingdom of Thorunille. You have been serving as a medic for the Thorunille army, who has been having a rather rough time expelling a new tribe of orc that has taken up residence in the nearby mountain range. The men of arms have grown to appreciate you greatly, some of which have come to know you on a personal level. Your time in Stirling and the capital Titus has been some of your roughest moments as you watched person after person return in dire condition. You have seen the families torn apart by the death of a loved one, and as always you were the first there to comfort. Your impact on the community as a medic/healer has without a doubt changed them. With several new healers (thanks to your influence on the children) the communities reliance on you has dwindled. Your brief time in both cities has prepared them for whatever may come in the future.

I will post again tomorrow night sometime. I have a big exam tomorrow and I am wiped tonight, besides this will give whipstache time to post too!

... I may or may not have gotten a little carried away with my intro. Didn't realize it was so long until I posted! Sorry!

I loved it! :-)

Jabes knows of my "over-enthusiastic" roleplaying from another game we're in together. :P

Bring it on whipstache! The more "over-enthusiastic" the better!

I will try and get a post up sometime tonight possibly around 8PM EST. Just got home from class and our crazy 'midterm' exam, at this point we have to have a 75% or we are dropped from the class....So even though I know I'm safe grade wise I did a ton of studying to try and help others too. Sorry for being a slacker today. PLUS I am kinda stuck with what to do for the rest of the group as 'parting gifts' lol

All good man. I never expect to make more than one post a day (at best) on any of these PbP games.

Is Luc using the royal "we" or is he just assuming that I'm also there to adventure? I don't think Thurbrek has mentioned that he's here re: the Hedrick letter, but I also don't know if it's too much of a stretch to assume.

Just trying to get a gauge, as it would shape my response.

Luc is using the inclusive "we". He doesn't know what Thurbrek's business is (and hasn't gotten around to asking) but he's sharing the note with someone he perceives as a fellow "artiste" and is inviting Thurbrek to a grand adventure! :-)

Moof, she wasn't implying that you have to gather an 'army' just gather all those nearby with the letters. Sorry if there was confusion.

That was just what she thought the woman meant. Out of context, she has no idea who else will show up in response to the letter so she figures "I guess we need a whole lot more than just myself"

Hey guys I'll get a city map up either tonight or tomorrow. School had me wiped yesterday and our son is going through the terrible 2s early... So long story short lol sometime in the next few days I promise!

Quick question to everyone: Do we want to split the party? My current impulse is to say that Hao seeks out the other "starter quest" (the unpaid tab) and tries to get that going. I think that one is more up Hao's alley. He knows how to work in a team, but he also sees these situations as pretty trivial and wants to get them over with.

If everyone would rather we all stayed together (including the GM, who has the biggest say in this IMO), I can run with that. I just wanted to get a bit of table talk going. Any thoughts?

Finding lost children is more up Xadania's alley, although I did consider splitting the party to question both parents at the same time. But then i thought that perhaps she doesn't trust Hao enough to do that...

Right, part of what I'm thinking.

Hao is kind of rolling his eyes at all of this, even the lost kid (For some OOC knowledge; he was a slave as a child and burned down his master's estate, with his master inside, at the age of about 11. That is why he comes off as callous about the missing child quest, "A soft city kid went missing in the woods, boo-hoo."). He may be thinking, "An unpaid tab? I may get a chance to have a nice brawl (playing to background: "To me, a bar fight is a nice way to get to know a new city.") and get in good with the local tavern."

I just wanted to make sure the rest of y'all, as players, are ok with splitting the party and Hao going off. He likely would have walked away from the group without even saying anything. While Xadania is the "leader" by default right now, there is no hierarchy in place that Hao would feel the need to respect (and he would respect an actual organizational hierarchy; rank is very important at sea, even among pirates).

Sorry for no map update yet. My field clinicals went a little longer than expected today. I will DEFINITELY have it up TOMORROW the 7th. 100% promise lol.

Sorry for the silence...been incredibly busy...will post later today.

I am alive as well. Been sick. I will post as soon as I can.