[OOC] Darkblade: Legends [[OOC]]

[Rethel34]

You've got a point, but of course there would be some changes made before our Chapter 3 recruitment to clear things up.

Except I'm not sure what your point was on the "item that allowed you to advance a class" because, unless I'm having the biggest brain fart of my life, I'm pretty sure I included the Master Seal and Master Crown in the items section. Or are you saying we don't need them from an RP standpoint? If the latter, then we can use a Path of Radiance-esque promotion system in which you basically autopromote when you become strong enough (in the game, your units were able to level past 20 toward promotion if they were able to promote).

And I'm not necessarily requiring you guys to keep track of how many uses your weapons have, as at this point in the game, it's impossible. It's there for the fact of saying that certain weapons last for only so long. Just kind of guestimate where the durability is. If you think that the durability is running low, then your character is going to be like: "Hey, this weapon isn't looking too good. I should probably toss it out." I won't make your weapons break in the middle of the fight unless you really think it needs to happen. Then it's okay.

As far as those stat increasing items go: You would basically hold the Dracoshield in battle and you'd be able to defend yourself easier (it cannot break like a weapon, either, essentially an infinite use item, and locks to the user's arm more firmly than a normal shield). Secret Book would give you insight into better fighting techniques. Talisman would place wards around the wearer to make magic attacks less painful. The Energy Drop would be like medieval steroids. Seraph Robe would make attacks less lethal to the wearer (not make them less painful, only less lethal). Goddess Icon is a blessed token that gives the carrier "good karma". Spirit Dust is a pouch of powder very similar to that found in the spell tomes, except it never disintegrates (like what may be found in some legendary S-Ranked spell tomes), and it empowers all magic. The Boots and Speedwing, I have no explanation for yet, but will soon.

[Veridis Quo]

I was referring to master-seal, I had just forgotten the name.

So if draco shield is an infinite use item, then it is basically a normal shield with no durability that you can't take off, which would limit my character if he already has a shield. On the other hand, if you can take it off, then it is just a normal shield, so then why not list every shield? Either way it doesn't work. And what if the character using it doesn't fit the style of having something attached to their arm?

The rest of your descriptions seem fine, but that alone is an incomplete package. What if I wanted a berry item that increased underwater breathing for an hour? Should we put that on the list? Should we not, just because it's not in the games? Should we put every item that will ever show up in the RP in a list? That would be a very long list, but if we're not going to do that, why bother writing that here in the first place? Why not let the writers come up with items on their own, assuming they don't god-mode, instead of limiting it to just these items?

And, once again, if we're not limited to just those items, what's the point of having that list?

What if I want a potion that permanently increases my characters defense? It's basically dracoshield. But oh wait, we already have that in the game.

[Rethel34]

All right, all right. I'll get rid of the stat increasing items.

[Veridis Quo]

I feel like I havent actually convinced you.

Then what about this, would you rather read/write:
*Warde equips a generic talisman from fire emblem and now he takes 2% less (or, since we're not worried about numbers, slightly less) magic damage.*

Or

*Our group goes on a quest to help an elder fire mage*
*He repays the favour by giving us each a special item*
*Warde receives a mystical amulet with a red gem on it*
*Wizard explains that it has the soul of a lesser drake trapped within it, and if you utter the right words, it can be activated once only to guard you from one fire attack completely, before turning to ash itself*
*Much later on Warde uses it to survive an insane attack that would have otherwise killed him, thus turning the tides of battle completely*

Isn't that so much better than "lol my character is slightly better at deflecting magic" ? The item is creative (obviously I had no time to think about this one, but you get the point), has backstory, and leaves an impression on the reader. And this was a "one use only" item. You could also have permanent items that are, once again, fun to read about but not over-powered. It's creative.

This is why the fire emblem items suck. If you read a lot of fantasy books, you'll realize that there are very few occurrences where a character gets an item that makes a very slight difference overall. It works in a video game, because you keep getting those items and you have to distribute them among your party intelligently (Tharja needs +4 magic defense so Im giving her 2 talismans before this battle!). But in writing, it's so much more exciting (at least for me, as a reader) if at least the magical items are creative.

You can still keep vulneraries, magic dust, and other things you could easily find at a store or wherever. Those are fine. But going back to the two options at the beginning of this post, which would you pick?

[Rethel34]

I get it, man. No need to keep driving it home. I promise.

Going off of that, though, it may be better to also use a FE9/10 approach to promotions. If you train in a certain kind of weapon or magic, or at riding a certain mount or at wearing certain types of armor, you "promote."

[Maxim]

*Trains for a month striaght*

Okay I'm master class now, time to kick the evil goddess's rear and head home! :P

Anyways, I think I might have some solid ideas for some new characters. However, I'll probably wait until next chapter at least to introduce one of them. The reason is because we're kinda going at a snails pace here. Actually if we were a snail we would've starved to death. I really think we need to set some kind of posting schedule up or something, once I week I don't think would be too much to ask. The point is, I'm getting rather annoyed at how slow this is going, I mean, it's been like a year since this has started and we've gotten from the prologue to...chapter 2. Really? I'd probably still stay because of loyalty and not wanting to scrap Dalton, but I'm almost considering finding another FE RP or making one myself because this is just taking too much time for us to actually get anywhere!

Oh, right. Characters. Right.

With that rant done, I suppose I may as well weigh in. I think Veri's idea is probably the best, honestly I wouldn't really keep any items besides the "potions", the keys, and maybe some Magic Dust and...that's pretty much it. Otherwise we should really work on some fun items like the example Veri gave. Another thing we ought to consider before heading too far ahead is...possibly some kind of stat system or something that can actually mark the progression of our characters a bit. For instance, I happen to be part of Legends of Renalta 2, which has a bit more detailed of a stat system. I'm not saying we should make anything nearly as detailed, but it'd still be a good idea to find some way to mark progression. Just my two cents on the matter.

Finally...well what are you standing here for, POST ALREADY!

[Rethel34]

but I'm almost considering finding another FE RP

Not that you'd be hard-pressed to do that. FERP's are popping up everywhere now, and it's been about a year-ish since the release of Awkening, and people have pretty much deciphered every detail of it, so suddenly there are people who've only ever played Awakening thinking they know everything about FE.

Sorry. Gotta stop that rant before it goes too far.

Um...anyhow, why not post yourself while you're ranting? I've got to go for a bit. Cover everything else then.

[Maxim]

Posted! I did do a few Geraden NPC's so I hope that isn't an issue, but otherwise enjoy!

[Rethel34]

*Applauds Max* Way to advance the plot! We're screwed! XD

Why does Venn say "skel-lee-ton" all the time? That is so strange, albeit a little humorous at times.

Now to put joking aside...for a bit. Continuing on before:
Stat system to keep track of progression...we'll take a vote. All in favor, say "yea." All opposed, be a horse.

And a post requirement of 1 or 2 a week seems logical, unless notification is posted ahead of time, of course. I'm just not assigning a freaking post order. That gets obnoxious, and sometimes there's an interaction or event IC that changes the priority of certain people posting.

And I'm always open to ideas for anything.

[Maxim]

Why does Venn say "skel-lee-ton" all the time? That is so strange, albeit a little humorous at times.

Just a little verbal tic to highlight how unhinged he really is. Pay no attention to it. :P

For reference, that's what he refers to Revenants as.

I'm sort of hoping to kick start the fight itself fairly soon, I'll probably do a collab eventually where we find out we've been spotted and have to leave.

[Rethel34]

No, we are not fightin' no 1000-man army. We're getting out of there soon enough anyway. I say we pull out just before they arrive, just to really anger them. Then we storm through the border, and they get even angrier. Oooh, I'm looking forward to when we do fight Venn.

[Veridis Quo]

Don't worry, I have a nice post planned (but not started yet, since university is keeping me pressured with work) and it is going to introduce yet another new character.

If we can stay in this fort for just a while longer, it would make adding that character to the story a lot easier.

But before that, Rethel and I should do a little collab on thursday or friday night, since Prince Evan seems to want to talk to Rael.

[Veridis Quo]

Also I liked that post. Not only was the writing great near the end, it also moved the plot forward.

Perhaps we should keep you waiting longer, since the agitation seems to help you make good posts like that that move the story. ;)

[Maxim]

Rethel34 said
No, we are not fightin' no 1000-man army. We're getting out of there soon enough anyway. I say we pull out just before they arrive, just to really anger them. Then we storm through the border, and they get even angrier. Oooh, I'm looking forward to when we do fight Venn.

That was pretty much the plan, of course I'm not going to have us fight that big of an army silly! I was also thinking about having Venn as the boss here unless you had something else already planned. (He'll escape before he dies if this is the case though)

[Rethel34]

Venn needs to be the last boss we fight before we reach Aurora. That is all.

EDIT: Just PM me, Veri, whenever you're ready to start the collab.

[Veridis Quo]

Here is the Ismayel CS, remade from scratch. I'm happier with this one than the last, actually.

Ismayel Remade

Name: Ismayel

Age: 19

Weapon Type: Mainly hammers

Appearance:



Ismayel’s body is the testament to what human strength can achieve. Every bit of his body is the embodiment of raw power, as if he has stepped out of a painting, or the statue of a titan. He is at least a foot taller than your average man, and, depending on how you looked at it, the amount of muscle on him was either something to be awed by, or something to shake you to your bones with fear. In many ways, he looked greater than man, like an angel or a deity. In many ways, he looked like an unchained monster.

His skin is the colour of sand, and his eyes are a gray-blue. He has dirty blonde hair, and a persistent stubble on his face that seems to grow back whenever he shaves.

One of the most impressive features of Ismayel is the detailed tattoo covering his entire back. It shows all of the Gods of the Vayka, which number in the hundreds. Each God is represented by an artistic rendering of the constellations they form in the night’s sky. Ismayel can name all of them.

To battle, he wears thick armor that makes him even harder to take down, and a large shield to boot. But this armor also slows him down greatly. He carries a large, metal, two handed hammer that he can often swing with a single hand, while wielding his shield with his other. His armor, shield, and hammer are all made of silver material, with some parts gold. This colour scheme, in a way, exemplifies how they envision angels to appear.

History:

Ismayel was a baby orphan taken in by followers of the Vaykan faith, who resided in the north-eastern desserts. This religion was a just, honest, gracious one, but it was also harsh when it came to discipline and justice. Although the Vaykans claim to seek what is the best for humanity, they are known to lash out violently against those they deem evil, and their wrath against even the slightest offenses is unforgiving.

The Vaykan’s value purity of the soul, clarity of the mind, and strength of the body.

Purity of the soul. Although their acts against the unjust are violent and severe, Vaykans are often the most generous against the poor, and go to no ends to protect the weak. The elder among them may be harsh to their apprentices, but they often laugh the loudest and warmest at feasts, and radiate a comforting presence to those around them. Each Vaykan knows love for all, and keeps an even special place in their hearts for those they call friends.

Clarity of mind. A Vaykan is required to read and memorize the 13 books of their religion, each book spanning a few thousand pages. Every Vaykan will carry at least one of these enormous tones with him at all times, often hanging from his hip by a silver or golden chain (even though a single volume can weigh as much as a heavy rock). A Vaykan is not allowed to read anything else, as reading even a single sentence from another book can be seen as great sin, unless in absolute necessity to save a life. Their books cover a large range of subjects, from philosophy and mathematics, to martial arts and medicine. On top of this memorization, they are often found spending an overwhelming majority of their waking hours praying and meditating.

Strength of the body. If one were to observe a Vaykan temple, they would be confused by the amount of rocks and boulders that seem to be surrounding it, ranging in size and weight. The Vaykans use these rocks to become stronger. Pushing them, rolling them, hurling them, and even picking some of them up… these are just but few of the exercises they perform to strengthen their bodies, and they start at a very early age. A teen Vaykan boy, or even a girl, can lift and hurl objects that would be too heavy for your average man. The Vaykan is trained in combat, and prefers thick armor, shields, and heavy weapons to all else.

Personality:

Ismayel is a warm person. He finds it easy to enjoy the small things in life, and is quick to laugh or smile. Like any one of his fellow Vaykans, he feels it his duty to ease the suffering of others, and to stand for the weak. But, although he has unshakable faith in his religion, he has grown to fear what he may become. He has seen his elders and masters, who were all great men and women he looked up to, but also showed a side to him that shrouds his judgement in fear to this day. Ismayel sees his teachers as personal heroes, but he is afraid of their wrath, and of hos unforgiving they are to even the pettiest of thieves. He wishes to follow his religion, but he does not want to grow into a monster, even if it is only against the unjust.

Perhaps this is why the pilgrimage was made. After finishing his first book of the Vayka, a young initiate must embark on a journey across the continent, and maybe even across the world if it takes him there. They are to bring the second book with them, and read and memorize it whole, just like any other one of the 13 texts. But more importantly, a Vaykan must stay on his pilgrimage until he knows that he has found the answers he seeks.

[Maxim]

Oh yeah, that reminds me, why is Phoenia where it is? We have basically no reason to ever travel in that direction until we come down to kick Geraden's butt. I mean, to me it would make more sense to put them in a section of islands between Aurora and Edea so that we at least travel in that direction at some point. To me it'd be like having the bird tribe countries (forget the exact names) right next to Daein in FE 9, it just wouldn't work.

Also I liked that post. Not only was the writing great near the end, it also moved the plot forward.

Perhaps we should keep you waiting longer, since the agitation seems to help you make good posts like that that move the story. ;)

Do you mean to imply the rest of the post wasn't great? >:(

EDIT: Why did I read Ismayel's Weapon type as "Manly Hammers"?

[Veridis Quo]

Maxim said Do you mean to imply the rest of the post wasn't great? >:(

N-no! Not at all!

[Rethel34]

Manly Hammers. It's the only way to go. XD

EDIT: Max, I'm sorry, I forgot to answer your question completely. Phoenia is where it is because it'll actually give us an advantage. You'll learn more about that later. 'Dem Birds are gonna be really sympathetic to our cause, but there's more to the story, and I can easily explain why it is the way it is, when it's come for that time. And the Bird Tribe Islands in FE9 really make little difference, because the first time you see the Kilvas Ravens, they aren't even in their own territory, but actually between Phoenicis (the territory of the Hawks) and Goldoa if I remember correctly, and you never actually visit the islands to recruit the aid of Tibarn. He finds you.

[Rethel34]

Ferp. It's what we play.

Derp. It's what I do sometimes a lot.