Exalted: Shards of Hope - General Discussion

[Dave ST]

Just like it says. Yammer on people, yammer on.

[jameson (ST)]

OK Folks a few details about my character - Callum Uallas

Night Caste

Excells at - Stealth, survival, archery, holistic medicine

Has a nice personality but is fugly, he was scarred in a fire

Well rounded mentally, superior physical stats (though not godly)

Tends to be quiet under the best of circumstances, though not antisocial. You all know that he has lost everything he ever loved, his family, his freinds, his entire village. He's not really bitter but he does grieve still.

Callum is a relentless tracker and once on the trail of an adversary he will not stop until he finds the person/persons. He has a soft spot for children (especially little girls) and rural villages in general as they remind him of his own loss. He prefers to take point with his familiar both to make certain that the path is clear for his fellows but also for the opportunity for privacy.

Still finalizing his weapon preferences and the details on his familiar.

Callum is originally from the east near Chanta. He speaks Forest Tongue and Low Speak.

[SalmonMax]

Hah! I like that. I shall imitate.

My character shall be: Mei-Ying the Magic Eater

She was the student of a great Realm scholar, and is skilled in lore, occult, languages old and new, as well as melee and throwing skills.

Her personality is cool and measured, her passions kept under firm control. She's very 'goal oriented,' and is willing to sacrifice...be it herself or others...to reach her goals.

Mei-Ying's 'weakness' is magic. She feels compelled to acquire any scrip, any fragment or tidbit of spell, document, or other source of knowledge that might teach her more. Artifacts, she'll want to at least study and catalog. She's most especially interested by information and objects relating to the First Age. It was this voracious consumption of all things magical that earned her title.

She tends to keep a low profile, posing as a lowly itinerant scholar of the Realm most of the time. Such are common throughout, taking census, analyzing crop outputs, and otherwise coming up with numbers for the great bureaucracy back at the Isle. A shirt of light orichalchum chainmail is under her robes and gown at all times though, and an enchanted sling is folded in her sleeve or belt. Mei-Ying believes in discretion, but is not foolish enough to travel unarmed or unarmored. Her methods are carefully chosen for the situation...using guile and manipulation whenever possible, but she doesn't flinch from main force as a tool when necessary.

She has a pet owl as well, that often perches on trees nearby, or on her shoulder. It is remarkably intelligent, and she often seems to know what it has seen. The bird is her companion, spy, and messenger.

Mei-Ying's short term goals involve furthering of her studies. In the long term, she wishes to make the knowledge she gains available to all...believing that knowledge that is hoarded is wasted. She dreams one day of a great center of learning...history, magic and more; all the collected secrets of Creation gathered there to be fed to the ears of children hungry to learn.

Of course, some...adjustments would have to be made to the Realm before such a venture could become possible.

[SalmonMax]

Er...question. Which GM-name should we send a character sheet to?

[Dave ST]

Me. Also The Maidens if you like, no matter where it goes we're going to see it. Doc Bradford sent his to us both.

[jameson (ST)]

OK as a woodsman Callum uses bows and axes, he carries a standard longbow and and a plain-lookign by exceptional Axe, he also has and Orichalcum short powerbow which he can banish/retreive when the situation warrents or if he is not in town.

He wears the leathers and furs of a woodsman. Both to identify himself when he enters towns and to hide the orichalcum breastplate beneath. He's not very tall perhaps half a hand shorter than average but is compact with ropey muscles that speak of his endurance and hardiness. He wears a headwrap whenever possible but if asked will remove it. This helps to conceal the horrible scars on his face and neck (which continue down his back and part of his left side). He has dark skin and green eyes. His brown hair is gathered in a topknot as is traditional of his people.

Whereever he goes a large she-wolf follows him. Eilien has been his constant companion since she was a pup and Callum found her mewling by her dead mother's side. Callum will bring her with him into small towns but anything larger and he will have her stay outside of the town.

His circle knows that Eilein is named after his daughter and that his scarring is a result of the fire that killed his family.

[Dave ST]

I'll create a Topic for Character info as soon as I get home tonight. I'm not quite sure how I want to structure it yet.

So far everyone one but Wargear (the Dawn Caste) has sent me information...

[Wargear]

Apologies for my lag, all. My computer died this week (Windows refuses to load), so I'm working off of my one of my girlfriends' for the moment (with a resulting drop in available time). Hoping to get that sorted out this weekend, but we'll have to see. Dave, I'll get you that info as fast as I can manage it. I do have a concept and basic bio written out (by hand, still have to type it) and most of my stats (I need to do a little modifying, and check some things by Dave).

[Dave ST]

The game will begin (when it begins) in the Republic of Chaya. The Circle will have been laying low there for about 6 months or so, familiarizing themselves with each other and trying to keep a low profile after a rather botched attempt at keeping a low profile in the city of Marita (north bank of The Yellow River) where The Wyld Hunt, while searching for two Solars ended up with five of them.

So, the Dawn, Night and Twilight have known one another for about eight months. The Eclipse and the Zenith are rather new and have only been in the circle for about six months.

Any quastions?

Oh, need a map?

Maps of Creation

[Dave ST]

So far I have enough on most characters to begin the game. I just need Lou Anne's info and we're all set. I'll accept backgrounds a bit late for the sake of getting this going.

[jameson (ST)]

Dave do you prefer if we create "named" accounts? I can easily swing a new one with acustom avatar and name if you prefer.

Also has anythign eventful happened in the past 6 mos or have we been mostly successful laying low?

I was thinking maybe a multi author thread about how Callum, Mei-Ying, and (insert Wargear's character) met could be fun, are you two up for it?

[SalmonMax]

Surely! It'd be good to develop what their relationship was like pre-game.

Psst - By the way...your character knows 4 language groups, but only has one dot in Linguistics. As someone who bought 4 dots in Linguistics to know 4 extra language groups, I don't think that's how it works.

You might also want at least one dot in Integrity...it can be helpful, and it seems in-concept for him to be at least somewhat resistant to magical control.

[jameson (ST)]

Hmm well I'm working from the 1st ed book with Rev/Dave's help so I dunno where the extra languages come from, I only initially specified Forest-tongue and Low Speak.

As for Integrity ... hmm maybe I'll move the point from Lore there. It's not important that he can read/write and that was my only reason for taking it.

I've reviewed your character and I think that it's going to be fairly open how we met. Callum has been working on the outer limits of the realm because he's kinda doing the Kung Fu thing wandering in the wilderness and helping stop bandits, raider, and such ...

Depending on when your exaltation was we may have met shortly after you left your master...

[SalmonMax]

You get one language for free, even with no Linguistics. Each dot of Linguistics then represents one more language spoken (and if you have 1 dot or more of Lore, literacy in as well). So if you just want two languages, 1 dot in lore is fine.

For Integrity, you could shift the Lore dot...you might also shift some Medicine. Mei's also skilled in medicinal arts, though without his specialty, admittedly. Her knowledge is more academic understanding of anatomy and so on...so they're more complementary than anything there...

The way I envisioned it, she appeared, after Exaltation, in the mid-river area, was trained in Sorcery, and made her way East in search of sanctuary and additional sources of knowledge. The old empires in the trees often sit astride ancient sites and cities, and so she'd naturally be drawn to such places. They could easily have met anywhere in that area. It's even possible they met before or during her tutelage in sorcery. If so, it's likely you've gotten more than one ride on the Stormwind.

[jameson (ST)]

Moved the lore dot, Callum is a woodsman, tracker, hunter, etc so literacy is not very usefull and probably a bit out of character. Now it's a non issue.

Since Callum is originally from the east it definately reasonable that we could have met at any time during the point in your character's life. He wandered some until he found the manse that his Solar essense drew him to. After that he would have returned to the east as he is most at home there.

[SalmonMax]

Hmm! Where is the manse located, roughly?

If it is or was near a site of the First Age, they might have met in that area. She drawn by the lure of ancient lore...he by his incarnate memories of a place of power...

[Lou Anne Burgess]

Stellar's and my character are related (sister and brother respectively). We're both members of the Ledaal Dynastic family. Not saying anything about her Exaltation out of deference except that it was quiet. Mine was not quiet or clean and I'm being hunted - probably the reason that the Wild Hunt was looking for us a few months ago.

Since Stellar's character Exalted first, I believe the thinking was she had met up with you collectively and then brought me in once word broke about my incident so unless Wargear is a really new Solar, I'm the newest member (and most recently exalted) of the circle.

[jameson (ST)]

it is located along the Meander River hidden behind some falls. Beyond that I didn't specify. He would have been wandering for some time as that is ~2000 miles from his home. He probably would have boated down the Rock River some here's my estimated timeline

6 months ago - incident in Marita

8 Months ago - {Wargear}, Callum and Mei-Ying begin to travel together

11 months ago - Callum and Eilein begin to wander

16 months ago - Callum locates the Manse of his 1st age self, recovers armor, bow, saves Eilein from starvation after her mother is killed

18 months ago - Callum's village destroyed, Exaltation, wandering begins

[Wargear]

{sound of character being inserted}

There's some fairly detailed backstory as to how she got there (which I haven't completely finished with writing) but the upshot is that Rysha (my Dawn Caste) was a slave fighting in the gladiatorial arenas when she Exalted. In the process of said Exaltation, she killed her owner and escaped with a large chunk of his mobile property. If you two think it's appropriated, you're welcome to have Mei-Ying and Callum (already traveling together for a little bit at this point?) be present when this happens, and take Rysha under their metaphorical wing (not to mention possibly saving her newly Exalted ass from any Dragonblooded in the audience). I haven't settled on exactly where this occurred, except that it was in the East or the Scavenger Lands, so your suggestions are quite welcome.

Sound like a plan?

Bio is (mostly) up, btw.

[Dave ST]

Quote:

Dave do you prefer if we create "named" accounts? I can easily swing a new one with acustom avatar and name if you prefer.

Named accounts would be great. They aren't required mind you, but it may better immerse you in the storyline as a player.

Quote:

Also has anythign eventful happened in the past 6 mos or have we been mostly successful laying low?

Successful. For the past few months the circle is assumed to have been laying low in a small fishing and farming hamlet on the east bank of the Sandy River called Hekran's Ferry working for what they eat.

Quote:

I was thinking maybe a multi author thread about how Callum, Mei-Ying, and (insert Wargear's character) met could be fun, are you two up for it?

That sounds like a great idea, I'd love to read something like that.

Quote:

Psst - By the way...your character knows 4 language groups, but only has one dot in Linguistics. As someone who bought 4 dots in Linguistics to know 4 extra language groups, I don't think that's how it works.

That was my error, I used Lily's sheet as a template and forgot to erase her languages. Heh.

My bad.

Oh, Wargear, you have Morning's Edge listed on your character sheet twice. Also, you have 'Hammer' but I think you meant Sledge...

[SalmonMax]

Okay...okay...I think I may have something. Consider this modified timeline.

6 months ago - incident in Marita, where another new Exalt brings the Hunt down on our heads, forcing us to flee yet again.

8 Months ago - Callum and Mei-Ying encounter Rysha as she Exalts in an arena in an Eastern city we're passing through at the time. We assist her in making her escape and flee to Marita, where we try to keep a low profile, knowing the Hunt will not be far behind.

11 months ago - Callum and Eilein begin to wander. Mei-Ying decides to go with them, despite having only learned two spells thus far.

12 months ago - Mei-Ying and Callum encounter each other, either when she comes to the manse to check out the Essence she felt there, or when he was investigating the old First Age temple she was holing up in while Sao-Si trained her in magical arts.

16 months ago - Callum locates the Manse of his 1st age self, recovers armor, bow, saves Eilein from starvation after her mother is killed

17 months ago - Mei-Ying exalts, on schedule, as some of her precious volumes are being burned by a zealot. Sao-Si arranges for her escape from the Blessed Isle, using a device that transports its cargo to an ancient First Age temple in the East, not far from the Haltan Empire. He then journeys there himself more conventionally, and begins her Initiation as a sorceror.

18 months ago - Callum's village destroyed, Exaltation, wandering begins

[Travis Kincaid]

OK here we are ... the avatar isn't perfect but I don't have a good paint program to make his scars look right ....

Mei-Ying I'm going to start a story for our meeting. I'll leave it initally open with Callum in the forest pursuing a highwayman.

Rysha, I think it might be best if you start a story and Mei-Ying and I can jump in as we'd be looking to lay low until Rysha exalts and we jump in to help her.

Hope that's cool with everybody...

Edit: Callum will stumble on the ruin Mei-Ying is training in.

Edit x2: This assumes I can determine a cool title ...

[SalmonMax]

Hmm...I just caught sight of some of those flaws/merits Wargear has, and they made me wonder.

Specifically about the Wanted flaw. It sounds like it might be appropriate for all of us, given the situation. In fact, and not to sound munchy or anything, Unconquered Sun forbid , but if one of us has Wanted, is there any reason for any of us -not- to have it? We're all traveling together after all.

But I don't have the actual mechanics as to how it works, so I can't tell. Similarly, what is "known Anathema?" Would that apply to Mei Ying, given her background? Not having the actual list, it's hard for me to pick out what would be appropriate and what not.

[SalmonMax]

Originally Posted By: Callum Uallas

OK here we are ... the avatar isn't perfect but I don't have a good paint program to make his scars look right ....

Mei-Ying I'm going to start a story for our meeting. I'll leave it initally open with Callum in the forest pursuing a highwayman.

Rysha, I think it might be best if you start a story and Mei-Ying and I can jump in as we'd be looking to lay low until Rysha exalts and we jump in to help her.

Hope that's cool with everybody...


Edit: Callum will stumble on the ruin Mei-Ying is training in.
Edit x2: This assumes I can determine a cool title ...

Hah! Sounds good!

How about... "Serendipity." The positive conflux of apparently coincidental events.

[Travis Kincaid]

I suppose it would depend on the particulars of the Marita incident. Up until then Callum has had no encounters with the Hunt and so would neither be wanted nor known. That said if Dave wants us to be wanted and known I wouldn'd mind a couple more BPs

Edit: That's a nice title ... here we go

[Lou Anne Burgess]

Wanted - You're wanted by the authorities. (examples from the PG)

1 might be run away slave

3 murder or other serious crime

5 conspiring with the Death Lords

Known Anathema

1 Regional Notoriety

2 Wild Hunt knows you & what you've done

3 Considered a threat - Execution Squad already sent (My level)

4 Considered as a Great Demon

5 Considered one of the Greatest Threats to the world - on par with the Bull of the North or the Death Lords

I don't think you have to take Known Anathem at this point, things will be exciting enough with 2 of us in the party with it. But that's up to you.

[SalmonMax]

Hmm...as I reflect on my background, I realize that no one saw Mei-Ying exalt that survived to report it. All the authorities know is that the archive annex was the site of a grisly triple murder, and that the two who worked there are missing and probably wanted as suspects or witnesses to the crime.

Sao-Si did a pretty good job making sure there was no evidence of Exaltation left behind. Hee.

Still, that might justify Wanted. If they're pinning the murder partially on her... Hmmm!

[Travis Kincaid]

Agreed, but I'll let Dave decide if I should take it or not. I'd just as soon not be wanted but it may be unavoidable ...

edit: Serendipity added, your move Mei

[SalmonMax]

Well, it doesn't have to be all of us. I'm trying to stick to my own background for now...

No one official knows Mei is Anathema, but I doubt Sao had time to clean up three dead bodies before they made good their escapes... That kind of thing attracts SOME attention, even in the heart of the Realm.

[Travis Kincaid]

Agreed, but you help wanted folks and quickly become wanted yourself, at least IRL. That's why I'll let the ST decide if it would be the case for Callum. I don't have any reason to take it unless he's now wanted for helping the others.

BTW I don't have internet at home right now (so sad) so after ~5 EST I'll be offline till morning so I may not be able to follow up on the fiction until the morning.

[Dave ST]

If you fell it's appropriate for your characters to have the 'Wanted' Flaw I see no reason why not.

It's your ass.

[Dave ST]

1st Post is up, Chapter 1 has begun!

[SalmonMax]

Hee. I'm just not sure how having the Flaw "wanted" differs from the ordinary state of any Exalted in a world dominated by the Dragonblooded.

Aww...Elspeth. She's cute. Too bad she's almost definitely doomed.

[Erin 'Stellar' Donovan]

Well, my character has Wanted. The Wyld Hunt does not know she is a Solar, so she is wanted for aiding a Known Anathema (her borther). Their family has been trying to take care of things has quietly as possible to minimize any loss of face and blowback from this unfortunate event.

[Dave ST]

Originally Posted By: Lily

Aww...Elspeth. She's cute. Too bad she's almost definitely doomed.

Is it that obvious?

[Wargear]

Actually, I mean a perfect hammer, with the +2 added to damage. (I can do the rest of the math out for you if you like). And... the second Morning's Edge is now replaced by the perfect short sword that was supposed to be there in the first place.

Also: Yes. Doomed. DOOOOOOMED, even. With massive points in Dark Fate, probably.

[Rysha]

As an aside, rather than bombard poor Elsbeth with yet another query before she can respond to the first three, I'm going to have Rysha hold off until after her answer. So don't wait on my account. If anyone's curious, however, she's up the tree. Literally, actually, balancing on one of the branches.

[Travis Kincaid]

aww go ahead a post it anyways, it'll be fun and add something for us to work with

[Travis Kincaid]

Well if we don't become wanted by association Callum will stay on the good side of the law.

[Travis Kincaid]

ElsBeth with is a "B"