Oh, excuse me then. I thought you were talking about putting Skye and Lucien together somehow. When it comes to a new character... of sixty-two... Wow. Let me guess, it's a kill-off character? You would have to tell me a bit more about him. If I have to be honest, I don't know what kind of plan Brand has for me XD I have no idea how I'm going to be maneuvering to Valaria, although I could think of a way, if given enough time, but I've been left with the impression that Brand has a plan. I think I'm meant to meet Emil and Edessa?

Headphones said
I have to say I specifically remember Brand mentioning that Ferrians were close to Nordics in both appearance and culture. Seeing as it has been mentioned that Ferros and Valeal differ, I can not see them being the same. I personally can't picture Valeal being Scandinavian, considering they live in lush fruitful plains with a warm climate. I would rather put them on the same level as the Franks.

There is literally no cultural implication - I merely employed a naming structure.

Rayn Night said
But what would a 62 year old be doing outside of the Tower? (Since I can imagine the only way to become a Guardian IS from the tower) I'm pretty sure you have a backstory for the lot of it, but I am curious.

I figure he'd be the best for the job of escorting one of the Archmage's children on a quest as well as helping him be less of a trickster, however pointless that part is.

Headphones said
Oh, excuse me then. I thought you were talking about putting Skye and Lucien together somehow. When it comes to a new character... of sixty-two... Wow. Let me guess, it's a kill-off character? You would have to tell me a bit more about him. If I have to be honest, I don't know what kind of plan Brand has for me XD I have no idea how I'm going to be maneuvering to Valaria, although I could think of a way, if given enough time, but I've been left with the impression that Brand has a plan. I think I'm meant to meet Emil and Edessa?

No. Not a kill-off character. Just an old one with battle experience. He's a Guardian.

Ink Blood said
I figure he'd be the best for the job of escorting one of the Archmage's children on a quest as well as helping him be less of a trickster, however pointless that part is.No.

I have no doubt he would be the best qualified to do it xD That is not really what I meant. Guardians are (to my belief) exclusive to the Tower. Skye is from Ferros, which is now disconnected from the Tower since they made the new one in Valeal. That's more the story I want to know :P

Sorry, Ink, but I can't see that happening. I am unaware of what kind of experience you have with people, but the ones I have seen that are around the age of sixty and above and even some a bit below ofttimes complain about some sort of aching. Their bodies just aren't young enough. Even my former P.E. teacher, who is in perfect shape by the way, is having difficulty with his kneecap.
And, if you were to think about it, being at the age of sixty two would be considered a true elder, if we were to presume that people in general don't live as long as we do.
I believe you should think more on how the character would fit and develop in the story. Maybe you should make him ten years younger? What kind of relationships and position are you planning to give him?

EDIT:

Rayn Night said
I have no doubt he would be the best qualified to do it xD That is not really what I meant. Guardians are (to my belief) exclusive to the Tower. Skye is from Ferros, which is now disconnected from the Tower since they made the new one in Valeal. That's more the story I want to know :P

This is a very good point. I presume that some mages and guardians would have retreated with the Archmage on their own accord. It is quite logical to give them the free will to chose where their loyalty lies. The majority would have probably stayed with the Tower, since they give an oath to not bend their knee to any country after completing their training, but the patriots and those who still harbor some feelings would surely have taken the Archmage's side.
I'm quite curious about what kind of position Ferros' Archmage currently holds at the Tower, figuratively speaking. Is he labeled as something similar to a traitor? A feral mage? Surely, he's scorned in some way, yet he is probably held with high regards at the same time.

Rayn Night said
I have no doubt he would be the best qualified to do it xD That is not really what I meant. Guardians are (to my belief) exclusive to the Tower. Skye is from Ferros, which is now disconnected from the Tower since they made the new one in Valeal. That's more the story I want to know :P

Ah. I forgot that bit. Perhaps he can be exclusively loyal to the Archmage of Ferros because that's where he is from.

Headphones said
Sorry, Ink, but I can't see that happening. I am unaware of what kind of experience you have with people, but the ones I have seen that are around the age of sixty and above and even some a bit below ofttimes complain about some sort of aching. Their bodies just aren't young enough. Even my former P.E. teacher, who is in perfect shape by the way, is having difficulty with his kneecap.And, if you were to think about it, being at the age of sixty two would be considered a true elder, if we were to presume that people in general don't live as long as we do. I believe you should think more on how the character would fit and develop in the story. Maybe you should make him ten years younger? What kind of relationships and position are you planning to give him?

Yeah, maybe I aged him too much. I was just aiming for an older grizzled veteran type. Fifty-two should be old enough for that. I am not too knowledgeable when it comes to how age affects individuals. I just figured if he was an elite trained by the Tower and was almost constantly fighting to defend Mages, he would be in good enough shape to hold off the effects of age slightly.

Gelgarin said
I got bored and (with permission) made this...resolution isn't everything I was hoping for, there are probably some errors (though I tried to be as accurate to the opening post as possible) it's a bit lacking a detail and the rivers are really fucking stupid... but it's the best I could do with the time I had. Hopefully it should make understanding the local geography a little bit easier for people.

I can turn this into a "real' map if requested, btw.

Example of what I can do:

Link

Looks awesome; go nuts.

Why do I get the impression you are going "Yes, I don't want to do the map! Do it! Do it now! SALVATION!", haha. Anyway when I'm on my desktop I'll see what I can do.

Heh.
I think my work speaks for itself vis a vis how much of a passion cartography is for me.

Gelgarin said
Heh.I think my work speaks for itself vis a vis how much of a passion cartography is for me.

You and me both, I've been playing with mapmaking for sometime now (started in MSpaint about ten years ago and now am competent with flash, photoshop, etc) and I think i have a similar drive for cartography. Though I haven't touched my Cartographer's Guild account in years which makes me right now sad that I haven't kept up with the site.

Ahh, I was kinda playing for sarcasm.
I've been map making for about 7 days - basically just because I wanted us all on the same page when it came to Valarian geography.

Gelgarin said
Ahh, I was kinda playing for sarcasm. I've been map making for about 7 days - basically just because I wanted us all on the same page when it came to Valarian geography.

Well that joke went over my head.

I'll see what I can do at any rate, I'm going to re-read and PM Brand and see how he wants it in vision.

Free Faller said
Finally got a post up, though it seems a bit short to me and I'll probably add some more to it when I feel less like my job is repeatedly bashing my face into a brick wall. Stupid real world responsibilities getting in the way of fun. :P

Post looks fine mate. I'm a fan of this three way dynamic we seem to have.

Hey, I have a couple of questions if you don’t mind:
1. You said Guardians are immune to magic, but unable to use it. When you say immune, are you exerting a presence that prevents the casting of magic, or if someone shoots a fireball at you it just disappears?
2. Would you be willing to accept a new Blackwater? He’d be about 25 years old, and before the treachery he was something like 92nd in line to the throne. He wouldn’t be eligible to reclaim the throne as there are still a few Blackwaters that are closer in line.
3. Does magic have any downsides physically? IE, could I have a character who was 6’6”, 280lbs and built like brock lesnar be able to use blessing magics on himself?
4. How common are demonic possessions?
5. I feel like I’ve read somewhere that you said you would limit magics to 2 types, you mean I could have healing and blessings, not restos and destros right?

Nerendier said
Hey, I have a couple of questions if you don’t mind:1. You said Guardians are immune to magic, but unable to use it. When you say immune, are you exerting a presence that prevents the casting of magic, or if someone shoots a fireball at you it just disappears?2. Would you be willing to accept a new Blackwater? He’d be about 25 years old, and before the treachery he was something like 92nd in line to the throne. He wouldn’t be eligible to reclaim the throne as there are still a few Blackwaters that are closer in line.3. Does magic have any downsides physically? IE, could I have a character who was 6’6”, 280lbs and built like brock lesnar be able to use blessing magics on himself?4. How common are demonic possessions?5. I feel like I’ve read somewhere that you said you would limit magics to 2 types, you mean I could have healing and blessings, not restos and destros right?

1. Guardians don't emit an antimagic barrier or anything. As Brand described it they can take that fireball straight to the face and be fine.
3. The Archmage of Ferros is described as a pretty big fellow in Brand's first post.
5. Yes, two types of magic, not two branches.

Nerendier said
Hey, I have a couple of questions if you don’t mind:1. You said Guardians are immune to magic, but unable to use it. When you say immune, are you exerting a presence that prevents the casting of magic, or if someone shoots a fireball at you it just disappears?2. Would you be willing to accept a new Blackwater? He’d be about 25 years old, and before the treachery he was something like 92nd in line to the throne. He wouldn’t be eligible to reclaim the throne as there are still a few Blackwaters that are closer in line.3. Does magic have any downsides physically? IE, could I have a character who was 6’6”, 280lbs and built like brock lesnar be able to use blessing magics on himself?4. How common are demonic possessions?5. I feel like I’ve read somewhere that you said you would limit magics to 2 types, you mean I could have healing and blessings, not restos and destros right?

In regards to 1, 3, and 5;
Guardians work like the latter. If you'd like to see a more specific discussion, we had one a few pages back.

Mages don't have limitations strictly, however I would imagine studying magic would be rather time consuming and thus would interfere with body building.

That is correct. Destros and restos are branches of magic, types are the subcategory.

2. Would you be willing to accept a new Blackwater? He’d be about 25 years old, and before the treachery he was something like 92nd in line to the throne. He wouldn’t be eligible to reclaim the throne as there are still a few Blackwaters that are closer in line.

That would make you one year older than Edessa/Ilayna! I recommend reading her CS if you are making a Blackwater of that age area.

*Pops head in* Hey, Gowi. Check your PMs.

Thanks for answering my questions guys.

Gowi said
That would make you one year older than Edessa/Ilayna! I recommend reading her CS if you are making a Blackwater of that age area.

Of course. However, just because he's older doesn't make him a more suitable candidate for the throne, perhaps my character is on the furthest branch of the family tree. It's possible that you, or any of the other Blackwaters, wouldn't even know that he was part of the Blackwater lineage he's so far removed