@Ceta de Cloyes How do you mean for our characters to learn the Ancient Language and magic? We don't have a mentor like Eragon did, unless you have something planned.

I could say that Alph knows a little from his travels, and picks some more up from deciphering the letters, but that might be kind of a stretch.

Do you have an idea already?

I ask because I mean for Alph to be pretty heavily magic based, probably a very creative spellcaster if I can manage.

What if Alph's father had done the same and they find a book or something he wrote with translations? It wouldn't be complete so they would still have to do some work but it would give them a good place to start understanding it.

@Awesomoman64@Gisk

Knowing how to read the Ancient Language means absolutely nothing, the written is only for the convenience of civilization, not for magic. Pronunciation is big for making it all work, so they need an actual teacher if they want to start practicing spellcraft. Likewise picking up small bits here and there that could have been misheard, and who's definitions may not be readily clear, is not very helpful either.

We will have a teacher though, a very moody and reluctant one, but a teacher nonetheless!

Well, it's not as inaccessible as it might seem because the elves use it. all one has to do is get there. IU'd assume having a dragon with them would grant them visa :D

@Forsythe True! The Elves are also probably the safest place to go, for protection and training and stuffs. :D It won't be that easy though, the ones who're going to be evening things out are going to make an appearance not long from now. Their presence will make reaching any safe place difficult.

Well I wanted to wait a bit, give Gren and/or Demund a chance to say something again, and give @ViolentViolet a bit more time, but since nothings happening I'll start a post in an hour or two and get us across the bridge at least.

I'll also confess I spent hours trying to find a picture for Galen, but so far no luck. I thought to make one, with a good character creator maybe, but I can't buy Black Desert with a prepaid card and the character creator isn't standalone or free anymore. Eh, I'll try something later.

@Ceta de Cloyes I'll just let you move things along or wait or whatever, Gren doesn't really have much to say.

@Ceta de Cloyes
Agreed. I doubt there's much Demund could add and I'm not one to post only a few sentences. (Plus I'm working on his dragon right now.)

Since they're 'hunting' there probably wont be much to say. :/

@Awesomoman64 Accepted! Dragons galore! A good match for Demund I think.

A few things to do tomorrow, might be a while before I post.

Thoughts on the leather clad woman stomping around Mashal? She's going to be important! Muahaha! Not the teacher though, she's part of the group that's going to be evening the score now that newbie riders are getting a population boost.

Teacher won't be joining the group immediately, he (or she, haven't decided yet) will be turning up before they reach the elves though (if they ever do... muahahahah)

You guys should probably be considering a character arc, some histories in need of exploring. Then we can pair you off in the future and set you on the path to do that arc, character development and story progression and stuff. Everyone should have at least one thing special about them, fate has gained a place in Mashal's foundations...

We've got at least two half-bloods (or we will once VV is done) who'll be exploring what that means for them, the culture of their other halves, etc. One smith who wants to do great smithing things, which may or may not be special. One orphan with matricidal tendencies... not that special, but a potential arc for him is replacing or enchanting his eye to work like a normal one? Hey, it's magic right? Why not? And we've got a dubbed 'Artist' with his own parental issues... Well, I dunno about him. You guys come up with something that makes your characters special, and something they'll be motivated to do once the excitement settles a bit.

There's a kingdom that's been deposed, anyone smelling royal blood? Or just noble blood, rebellious nobility have no place in the empire if they won't kneel! Alternatively there's the way of Eragon and Murtagh, many a dragon rider has been slain that might have had children. These are the kind of special things I'm talking about, some personal history they'll be interested in investigating or acting on. Reclaiming a father's rider sword, parleying with the elf queen over who will sit on the human throne, getting in contact with loyalist family...

Of course, if you don't want your character to be special you don't have to. I will be allowing a time in the plot for those kind of things to happen though, so everyone can take advantage of it. Eragon went after the Raz'zoc, certainly helping the war effort but it was hardly that fact that was motivating him to hunt them down. Your characters will have the chance to do the same and pursue their own motivations in the early stages of the RP. Once things start heating up though and the war truly kicks off, there won't be much time for it between being pushed this way and that.

Or that's the plan now anyway. I have a basic framework for how the plot will go, but if someone steps up and says 'oh hell no we aren't fighting this stupid war' and everyone flies away to Alalëa (or whatever tf) then I'm flexible (lol Gallywag will hunt your asses down anyway so gl mate). Or, you know, they join the Empire or something. Or go into hiding- which will definitely be an option, with fleshed out if unorthodox story available (it'll even be served up on a silver platter and everything, an invitation to hide forever will be sent!) I don't see that happening though, Ashwing at least, will be all for the war, and if Ashwing is then her rider will be and if her rider is the others are unlikely to abandon him to it.

Oh hey look, I went on some tangents... Sorry? :P

Thoughts on the leather clad woman stomping around Mashal?

woman with bright red hair

She's a Shade, calling it now.

@Forsythe Heh, she could be, but red hair is quite natural as well... :P

Well... there's red and then there's red... I always fancied Shades to be the latter kind.

Sorry if Galen's thoughts offend your chars!

And I agree that Damascus is a reasonable size for a dragon at a one or two years old. Bulky, but not insanely so. Big, but not unnaturally so. @Forsythe@Awesomoman64 That said, hatchling stage and awkward not-yet-flying stage as well as flying-but-not-with-rider stage are all still to happen. All will grow in time. Even the tiny angry one. :)

Tiny Anger!

So I think it goes without saying that Alph is going to be a spellsinger. He's probably going to be an enchanter. Demund can make their swords, and Alph can put some cool magic in them. It'd be a good partnership, and we could go directions there with the two of them trying to learn the secrets of Rider swords, from both a physical and a magical angle.

We've been talking and since Ashwing actually only has agility going for her in a fight, I might have her go for a weapon rather than armor. The logic is that armor would bog her down too much and the added defense wouldn't be worth it. The rule of cool is that she could haul a large zweihänder or a tail scythe around =D

Thoughts?

Shove some extra blades on the end of her tail?

Have some enchanted metal tips on her horns?

@Forsythe It might be canon that Dragons use their tails for communication, if so then it stands to reason that they have very good control over that appendage and could easily attach some kind of wicked double-bladed scythe or something. Claws are fairly sharp already, but maybe attaching some metal ones for extra tearing? Trying to think of the kinds of things a dragon could use as a weapon considering they kind of are one themselves.

@Gisk Sounds good to me! I look forward to seeing a bit of innovation, enchanting and metalworking are huge expansive fields compared to what's present in Alagaësia. Rider swords aren't the only powerful weapon or fancy tool to be made.