I have to get to work, but I can at least post this. I'll post more when I have a moment so Riven's relationships with the other characters can be explored more thoroughly.

@ Acrolith: We've talked about Riven and Taula's relationship pretty extensively via PM. Was there anything else you wanted to discuss? Oh, and if Taula wants to use a baby name to mess with Riven just call her a 'pup.' Galene used it in a derogatory fashion when Riven was growing up so it would definitely be a sore spot.

@ Hank: I know we have a basic idea for how Riven and Nykerius would react around each other. I'd be down for hammering out more details if you'd like.

@ Raptorman: We have a general notion of how Riven would interact with Lin'Lise. They might have bonded a bit over the chymistry thing, but the prejudices the Koralias have regarding non-human races still take precedent. While Riven can appreciate how kind Lin'Lise is to everyone, I cannot imagine them being close friends. Good acquaintances, maybe.

@ Everyone else: I'll think about how Riven would deal with Sir and Roderick while I'm at work. Now, I'm going to be late!

@Acrolith: I agree, they are quite similar with a lot in common. I can see them being good friends with a keen understanding of what makes the other tick. If it's OK with you, I can also see Roderick tagging along occasionally on some of her hunting expeditions in order to help out and search for rare ingredients and spell components. After all. he does have a lot of experience in the wilds and forests. Sort of a "If you fall behind, you get left behind" deal. Thoughts?

@Nemaisare: I think Roderick would get along fine with Sir, as mutual members of the King's pack. There'd be a bit of back-and-forth push and pull between them, and maybe even a little play fighting, but Roderick's a confident man who's sure of his abilities and position.

Nemaisare said Nykerius – 17 ( or ~20?)

Officially 17 years but he has been familiar with the royal family for longer than that. Others at court would not necessarily have known him, however, as he tutored one of the king's cousins (or was it nephews? I'll have to reread my own sheet) at the college, not at court.

Lexicon said @ Hank: I know we got down a basic idea for how Riven and Nykerius would react around each other. I'd be down for hammering out more details if you'd like.

Naturally. Reading your sheet, I noticed an amusing similarlity between Riven's lost father and Nykerius himself: both have startlingly green eyes. It seems to me that king Erasmus and Riven are fast friends, but since he is also technically her client, he may not have been the best father figure. Perhaps Nykerius and Riven could have a mentor-and-pupil kind of relationship, where Nykerius acts as a beacon of stability to Riven's hot temper and stubbornness? Almost, but note quite, like a surrogate father figure?

The same goes for all of you fellow acceptees (if that isn't a word, it is one now), by the way. Let's make friends! I'm especially interested in working out the relation between Roderick and Nykerius, as the two are polar opposite where magical prowess is concerned. Yet, interestingly, both of their most notable achievements in combat involved creating a storm and using its confusion to defeat their enemies. Nykerius did so in a calm, calculated manner, a singular example of skill and tactics, whereas Roderick was primal, enraged, utterly in tune with nature.

@ All, Humorously it seems that at the moment the member of the party most fond of Lin'Lise is the dog. lol I guess she didn't make the best impressions on some of them.

@Acrolith. I think you are quite likely right. They don't seem likely to get along very well. Though in some ways Taula does have elements that would elevate her in the scales. She is also of an inhuman race, has greater size, strength, ect than humans (At least that was my impression correct me if I am wrong.) and this is worth noting. However she would remind Lin'Lise of a lot of her father's less pleasant traits and would seem primitive and barbaric. Still as Lin'Lise has kept up her persona and shown her 'kindness' to all Taula would have been included in that.

@Hank, I had written into my bio that the teenage Lin'Lise had in her early years at the castle done a lot of secluded self study of magic and such. I had also written that she had some form of interaction in which in typical enthusiastic and interested teenager fashion she had tried to get the court wizard to teach her more of magic. How would you like to take that? Also what would he have thought and how would he have acted towards her in the early years since that would have in part determined how further interactions would have gone?

@Lexicon, Out of curiosity does the Protector role just apply to the king himself or does it apply to the whole royal family?

Raptorman said @Hank, I had written into my bio that the teenage Lin'Lise had in her early years at the castle done a lot of secluded self study of magic and such. I had also written that she had some form of interaction in which in typical enthusiastic and interested teenager fashion she had tried to get the court wizard to teach her more of magic. How would you like to take that? Also what would he have thought and how would he have acted towards her in the early years since that would have in part determined how further interactions would have gone?

Nykerius would have responded well to that, I think. He encourages an interest in arcane magic in the youth of today regardless of race, gender or creed. I'm sure if she asked politely and treated him with respect, Nykerius would have taken time out of his day to teach her as much as his duties and other interests allow.

EDIT: You know, having given it some thought, see Nykerius as a halfway point between Gandalf and Dumbledore in terms of personality.

@Hank: I swear the similarities weren't intentional, it didn't occur to me until just then. But it does highlight the whole equal-but-opposite factor doesn't it? Though to be honest Nykerius probably has an edge on Roderick when it comes to pure magical skill, whereas Roderick is more physically inclined.

I can see the two of them sitting down over a meal and talking shop; comparing their different schools of magic and spellcrafting. Their worldviews and personalities are completely different, but I think'd they'd have a good working relationship going, even if they do butt heads.

That sounds about right. Nykerius doesn't look down on sympathetic magic, he just doesn't have an affinity for the intuition it requires. Interesting!

By god, my head feels like it's being chewed on by a pack of wild animals. I've got a post for you, though, so let's get this ball rolling. I hope I don't come across as too pretentious for starting off with poetry, but I was in a pretetious mood when I made the first thread, and I thought you should at least know what the game's name is all about!

As you'll probably notice, I've mentioned some obvious escape routes for each character. You're welcome to use those, or think some up for yourselves. During your escape, throw in and/or overcome any enemies and obstacles you want in any way you see fit; you're all quite powerful and shouldn't have any problems with regular soldiers, so a bit of what might otherwise be considered godmoding is fine. In general, I'm gonna try to be pretty nonrestrictive in this game, as long as I have an interesting read and you don't go ending our journey prematurely. It'd be pretty bad to have a fantasy road trip without visiting at least a few exotic locales, right?

You're free to make it out of the city and meet up if you want, or to end your post anywhere during your flight, at which point I'll come in and throw in some further obstacles and advance the story as needed. If any of you end up stuck waiting for the others, feel free to do some character building and what not in the meantime, or to simply hold off on posting. I will also warn everyone right now - I'm not a stickler for having people post every X days, but if we end up stuck waiting for someone to post (and what counts as stuck can vary heavily), I may have to violate the sanctity of player control in order to move things forward. I'll try to keep it to a minimum, of course, but one of my main concerns is making sure the game flows. Worst case scenario, you can always take care of business retroactively.

And by all means, take your time replying, asking any questions you might have and so on. I have a feeling I didn't include everything I wanted to in that opener, but I can't recall at the moment, so point out anything you see.

After a long and grueling day at work, I have returned to wonderful stuff. Before I toddle off to the IC, however, I'm going to post what I have as far as character relationships go. I'll start off with the things Acrolith and I came up with via PM so everyone can take a gander.

Riven and Taula

-One thing I did want to mention, Acrolith, is the Koralias have a history of being prejudiced against non-humans and people from other kingdoms. They are extremely patriotic, though they have toned it down over the last few generations. Galene was more than willing to embrace the idea of treating other races as equals. This probably had something to do with her not actually being a part of the Koralia bloodline. When she met Taula, as you mentioned in our PM conversation, Galene was impressed by how down-to-earth and capable the drungr was. Apart from that communal bathing incident, the Second Lady Protector of Altranor and the Master of the Hunt got along quite well. During her many visits to Castle Altranor, Riven was told to put aside her familial prejudice and give Taula a chance to prove her abilities. The first sparring session Riven had with Taula is probably all it took. Overall, Taula has shown Riven it might be in her best interests to keep an open mind.



Riven and Nykerius

-Considering Riven's feelings about mages, a mix of trepidation and jealousy, I don't think she'd go to Nykerius for guidance unless she was trying to make a potion or figure out how to deal with a mystically gifted opponent. Or unless she had nobody else to turn to. I can't see her being his pupil because Nykerius wouldn't have as much to offer her as someone like Taula would. Obviously, the court wizard has plenty to offer but Riven's can be shortsighted at times and doesn't see it. What she sees is this well-dressed, intelligent, and incredibly polite mage and it makes her feel uncomfortable. Riven curses like an Altranorian sailor on a daily basis. Not in court, obviously, but you get the idea. On the other hand, she also respects people who are good at what they do to a certain extent. And Nykerius is definitely good at what he does. I think Riven does respect him and wouldn't mind sharing a drink or two with him at a tavern somewhere. Part of Riven is fascinated by magic and how it works because nobody in her family has ever had the gift. As far as the father figure thing goes...maybe. I could definitely see Nykerius' calm and controlled demeanor being potent enough to calm Riven down when she gets irritated. It's funny in a way because Riven becomes intensely focused during combat while Nykerius is like that almost all the time. Hell, an interesting scene to write could be Riven coming to Nykerius to talk about death. I can't imagine her discussing something like that with Taula. She'd be too afraid of what the Master of the Hunt might say to her. On the other hand, Nykerius could provide counsel and help while keeping whatever judgments he makes to himself. Hell, maybe she comes to him for advice once in a blue moon because he does remind her of the few dim memories she has of her father.

-Oh and Riven would never see King Erasmus as her client. He's her charge and probably the most important person in her life. Man, this RP is going to be rough on her...

Riven and Lin'Lise

-Firstly, think of Corvo Attano in 'Dishonored.' He is specifically tasked to guard his nation's leader, though he does enjoy spending time with her family as well. The Royal Protector is essentially the same thing. Riven's duty is to King Erasmus and nobody else yet she spends a great deal of time with his wife and children. This is one of the reasons she didn't try to talk to the late king about her feelings for him. The queen was a friend of hers, and a scandal like this would create one hell of a rift between them. Not to mention the scandal. For the most part, however, a cadre of royal bodyguards watches over the king's family as an added layer of protection. They also take over the Royal Protector's duties when Riven is a way. A perfect example is Riven's trip to Tyr to form an alliance with Warlord Virtanen. The royal bodyguards watched over the royal family while the king waited for one of his closest friends to convince the Tyrian people to join him against the island of Soven.

-Alright, we've established that Riven and Lin'Lise have exchanged chymistry ideas. Maybe they even help each other look for reagents occasionally. The Lady Protector is still trying to grasp the basics while Lin'Lise can create magical potions. Riven can reliably make concoctions out of mundane items like leaves, certain powders, and so on. I can definitely see Riven going to visit Lin'Lise, or more likely Nykerius, to try brewing more powerful concoctions, though I doubt these sessions end well. For either party. While Riven would never invite this non-human creature to her home in the Taladar Swamps, I think she'd at least be cordial to Lin'Lise. After all, the Court Healer is skilled, respected, and treats everyone with kindness. What's not to like? The only issue is Galene, Riven's mother, never vouched for Lin'Lise like she did for Taula. Riven is waiting for Lin'Lise to show that she's worth befriending. Again, Lin'Lise probably doesn't give a flying rat's ass about what some human woman thinks. Considering the direction this RP is probably going to go, however, I wouldn't be surprised if the two of them bonded somewhat.

-Out of curiosity, how does Lin'Lise feel about smoked cheese?

Riven and Sir

-Riven is a dog person! While Taula might not indulge Sir, Riven definitely takes care of him in that department. Belly rubs, scratching him behind the ears, and feeding him far more table scraps than she should are all part and parcel with how she interacts with him. I think Galene, Riven's mother, wasn't overly fond of Sir and probably viewed him as a pest. That could be part of the reason why Riven took to him. Besides, if Taula likes him then he can't be all bad. I can definitely see the two of them having their difficult moments, however. Riven likes her alone time and, while Sir would normally be a welcome addition, she could get testy if the anan follows her around too much. Especially if it's immediately after her name day celebration because smoked cheese breath is nasty. Anyways, I'd also expect Sir could keep up with Riven pretty well, though I'm not sure how stealthy he can be. I can picture Sir and Riven racing each other around the courtyard of the castle for fun and exercise. If you think of anything else, Nemaisare, let me know.

Riven and Roderick

-I have to tell you, Chromane, I think Riven and Roderick would get along quite well at times. I also think there are moments when Riven would like nothing more than to beat the crap out of him. The feeling is probably mutual. They are both impulsive and loyal to those they consider friends. They've both been on roaring rampages of revenge to avenge those they've lost. Roderick lost Calen and Riven lost her mother. I wouldn't be surprised if they've both gotten drunk together before at some point since they both have a bit of wild streak. I think Roderick would be one of the few mages Riven thinks of as a person first and a mage second. Unless he's being mysterious. Riven doesn't have time for that nonsense and would probably start yelling at him to get his head out of his ass.

-You mentioned Roderick acting as a forward scout in wild areas. While Riven is powerful and capable, I don't think she'd try to tangle with a mage by herself unless she had no other choice. Perhaps they fought together? One of the battles where Riven made her name was called Lord Decimus' Folly. Basically, a rogue Altranorian mage, Lord Claudio Decimus, his servants, and a sizable contingent of mercenaries tried to conquer a chunk of Altranor for themselves. Maybe Roderick helped Riven and the Altranorian Army in this conflict? Nothing like bonding over the broken remains of your enemies. While Riven would more than likely go to Nykerius for instruction in brewing potions, I think she'd go to Roderick to get drunk or just talk. If you have any thoughts let me know.

I know this was a lot, everyone, but I wanted to type this all out so I could have it in one place. Feel free to PM me or comment on it here since that is what the OOC thread is for. I'm going to read the IC really quick, though I probably won't post until later on this week.

@ Acrolith: Pfahahahaha, no, no they really don’t like to trip. And now Sir knows. lol I like those extra bits of fluff. They’re nice little details. I think Sir would see Taula as the sort of second in command, pack style. The big bad wolf that hands out the discipline but doesn’t really do much thinking. So, to him, working beside her and doing things right would be more important than following her orders, unless he thinks they make sense. And, as she’s obviously not afraid of him, and has probably disciplined him more in the manner of an animal than a human, he’d see no reason to pull his punches, so to speak, when dealing with her. Whether it be playful or his own style of pay attention, go do that protector thing, I’ll be right behind you. So, if she has engaged him in any sort of rough behaviour, I’d not be surprised if he’s given her scars. In a dangerous situation, he’d automatically expect her to go first, he’d follow readily enough, but to him, her job is to be head on about these things. His job is to alert her to the danger.

@ Chromane: I think Sir would see himself and Roderick being on the same level in the pack, with the occasional switch in who’s above the other on any given day. He’d be happy enough to defer to his experience or push his own thoughts forward, however roughly a dog can manage this, when he thinks Roderick is in the wrong. But during any calm moment, Sir probably always defers or ignores Roderick, as the situation might require, unless one of them feels like playing. :P Then it’s game on.

@ Hank: Ah, the teaching I wasn’t sure if that was a court position or just a teaching thing because he was a teacher at the time.

I think Sir sees Nykerius as something of a nanny: someone who can be authoritative and has the experience to make them an important member of the pack, but generally only of special importance when there’s pups. He’d be courteous towards him, but unless Nykerius went out of his way to impress Sir(or he did something impressive around Sir that he’d be able to connect with the man), he wouldn’t pay him much other mind unless everyone else was. And he’d probably want him to stay back of any fighting, or just decide he’s expendable. Although now that there’s no alpha, he might have to change his view, since Nykerius might well be the smartest of them all, having managed to get old. :P

@ Lexicon: Sir’s take on Riven’s position, I believe, falls somewhere in the she’s the one to impress range. He’d see her accomplishing what the king wants, and so, while he might disappoint Erasmus, if he fails whatever tests or standards she holds him to, she’s the one who can say ‘the dog goes’. He never worried about that with Erasmus, but he would with her, so he’d be on his best behaviour, as far as being a watch dog goes, around her. He wouldn’t necessarily up his responsibility with her around, he’d just make his attention to his proper duties more obvious. Which might make him seem more distracted, since he’d be alert to every sound they might need warning about.

@ Maxwell: Ooooh a post! Must go read it. But you sound like you should go sleep. *offers some tea and soup and a heating pad, and maybe some advil* That all sounds great and fun and absolutely fine by me. One advantage to having a doggish character is it’s relatively easy to assume control of it. :P I shall go read now. *bounces off*

EDIT: I like the poetry. And the post! This is going to be awesome!

Edited my last post to include relationship ideas for everyone.

@ Nemaisare: Awww, that's adorable. Riven definitely sees Sir as a dog, or anan, first and a guard second. She admires his capacity to fight and defend his pack, though I'm not sure she'd take him seriously.

EDIT: Holy crap on a stick! What a way to start an RP. Nicely done, Maxwell.

Haha! Oh that smoked cheese... At some point, while petting Sir, Riven was totally bombarded with the smell and taste of smoked cheese. And he learned never to bring that point up again, even when the cheese was sitting right there and he really, really wanted some. With her liking him so well, and spoiling him rotten(her and Lin'Lise are the reason Sir's overweight), they'd certainly get on. I imagine their interactions are stiff and formal, from a dog's point of view anyway, when first encountering each other every day until she pays him the sort of relaxing attention of happy pettings and table scraps and then he'd fawn a bit. But as soon as she moved towards something else, like talking to the king, or even just standing and turning away from him, he'd settle down right off the bat. She'd only need to tell him once, maybe twice if she botches it the first time, to stop before he'd learn when grabbing her attention, outside of giving her an alert, is acceptable.

I can definitely see them running together if she makes that a regular thing, though he wouldn't follow her around too often, unless it coincided with following Erasmus. And dogs aren't bad at being stealthy, inadvertently, but it's not necessarily a big part of their hunting strategy, so if he was getting excited or angry about something and waving his tail around, he might knock things off tables or thunk it against walls or trees. And, of course, nails on stone, while not as bad as on hardwood, can still make more noise than leather boots would. I'm sure he's been trained to be quiet(not being vocal and staying in one spot), but his stealth would be more a side effect of him deciding to go the long way around rather than sneaking past people.

EDIT: And it totally is a great starting post, isn't it? Most excellently wonderful!

Wowza! I take a nap and the OOC explodes! I'm off to read the IC, sift through all these responses and then clack out a response on the keyboard.

***********************UPDATE************************

First off, great intro post Maxwell. I'll be replying to that with gusto my friend. Gusto

Secondly, I'll iron out the specifics of Taula's race so that all you beautiful people in the RP don't have to do anymore guesswork. Drungr are less a different species like Lin'Lise's lorenvolk or vaelie and more a fantasy ethnicity. They're humans that are collectively tall, broad of beam, have swart, sloe-black complexions, sharp teeth and longish tongues. Found most readily in the archipelago's hottest and coldest extremes their 'inhuman' physical prowess and 'bestial' tempers are best considered either heuristics or stereotypes depending on opinion. All that being said feel more than free to treat her ICly as not being human--we've done worse in real life when meeting people that were red, black, short, tall or born with deformities. Like it says in the CS, many unflattering theories persist about Drungr.

@Chromane: Hit the nail on the head. It would pretty much be the same unspoken you-lag-you-drag 'invitation' she extends to Sir. Long as he keeps up and keeps from being a burden she wouldn't mind the company.

@Raptorman: Lin'Lise has a good head of height on Taula and weighs more than twice as much despite the Dungr looking like it should be the reverse; holding a figure more like Beowulf than Beyonce at around seven feet and creeping past two hundred and ninety pounds. All said feel as free as the others to think of her as either human or not, or even flip-flop on the opinion depending on if it's a positive or negative comparison.

@Nemaisare: Like the way you think, keep it up.

I think that's everyone.

@Hank- Great, Lin'Lise may well have some genuine fondness for Nykerius then, especially if he was friendly to her in those early years. She might have been a bit annoying in some ways, like asking too many questions or the fact that in the beginning she wasn't the most fluent in the language of the kingdom but I could see them actually being (I hesitate to the use the word friends because of how she tends to view humans but in this case) friends of a sort. Unless of course he found her too annoying to be worth his time. lol

@Lexicon- She's actually very fond of things like smoked cheese. The lorenvolk eat a great deal of dairy products of many kinds and she has both been cultured to enjoy cheeses and inherited the like. Why do you ask?

-I'll discuss the other elements a bit later when I have time, seeing as you said a bunch and I do have some things to respond too but class approaches soon and that will take more thinking.

@Maxwell- I sent you a pm to discuss a few ideas I had. I hope you don't mind.

@ Raptorman: Take your time, no worries. Taula gives Riven a wheel of smoked cheese every year for her name day. Riven, who has a sensitive nose and isn't too fond of stinky cheeses, usually pawns the gift off on the castle's dogs. Maybe Lin'Lise would want to get in on some name day cheese action? Especially since she obviously likes it lol. Might be a fun thing to reminisce about at some point during the RP. Riven and Lin'Lise smell cheese and they remember sharing a wheel or some such.

@Maxwell: Does that bit about not all posting right away from the interest check still stand?

No, my last post was the additional instructions I was referring to.

Edit: That is, you're all free to post now.

Will do so later today.

It occurred to me that I forgot to mention a few key traits of the Fanged Islands. Castle Altranor is not Castle Dunwyn, but more like Chateu de Gisors, if it were three times as large. All of the Fanged Isles put together has something like the surface area of France, so the eight kingdoms - which do not encompass the entire area of the islands - are small and frugal compared to the ones we have today.

There's most likely more, but I can't recall any specific ones right now.

Edit: Also, because I feel it might not have come across in the original description, any wizard can make a wand. If you have a knife, a forearm-length piece of a stiff material that can be carved with a knife, and some measuring equipment (or not, if you're enough of a genius), you can turn basically any spell you like into a wand. It's not actually a magic item, so you don't need any expensive ingredients or anything. They require manual activation by their creator (or at least someone who can cast the spells involved and has studied the wand for a while), so they can't just be handed out to anyone.

In game, this essentially means an arcanist can use their combat spells without standing in one spot, waving their arms and shouting for half a minute first.

Whelp, there we are, a Sir post down. If anything is out of keeping with anyone's ideas on anything... That was a tricksy sentence... Let me know! Edits are pretty easy to make.