Shienvien

Mahz's Dev Journal

I still find the rounding-up rather jarring, especially with longer periods of time, and would prefer a more conventional, strictly floored time-system.

The Prophecy

@Jack: Would you be posting in the road-to-Zerul branch, or are you waiting for Legion? (Basically, does either your characters intend to (try to) interact with Iridiel up in the tree?)

Mahz's Dev Journal

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Below the navigation buttons, though. They're nice to have on top.

Agreed.

Maybe have the titlebar editable by the GMs? That way naming isn't your problem?

Also yes - especially since something like "character sheet details" might not even be relevant to a large number of RPs...

The Prophecy

What I meant to say was that they remove the feathers and make sure they don't grow back; the action of removing them is not what causes them not to grow back.

Ah, I see. Sounds like it should be a very bloody process, in any case...

Mixing black magic with arcane was a discussion, yes... There were two different discussions, actually - one time in regards to a Reniam-version of my own magefolk and their iconic weapons (which basically concluded with runes of both kinds being fine on the same object as long as you never try to activate both at once), and the other time in regards to Jillian and her practices.

But one could say prepare (say the chant of, but not release the spell) a fireball spell with arcane, then use black magic to create, say oil or some form of flammable gas near/around a target location, then release the fireball.

You're still sustaining an unfinished arcane spell while you do your black magic ... which would probably work about as well as trying to drill a hole into a metal container of gunpowder. From what Jack said the last time it was talked about, I'm fairly confident it'd just blow up in your face, and potentially in a spectacular manner.
If you created the oil/gas first (given it's possible and doesn't violate the laws of magic ... maybe draw it from the surroundings or something) and then, after being completely done with one type of magic, tried to use the other in succession, it might work.
Jack has also mentioned that the fire, light and other phenomena created by magic aren't actually true versions of themselves, but rather still carry more semblance to the original magical energy, and tend to have unnatural properties which stem from our (or our characters', rather) flawed conceptions. I'm not certain how well mixing magical phenomena of two kinds (not applicable for "draw from surroundings", of course) would go, either, even if I suspect would be significantly less violent since the magic has already been mostly transformed into a semblance of the real thing...

Speaking of magic, there was also the part about mind-affecting spells which personally bothered me quite a bit: "If it's not specifically thought-control or the spell isn't sophisticated enough to separately null your knowledge of self and/or erase your memories of what you were feeling and sensing right before ... I'd expect any kind of generic-effect spell or abrupt illusion to be consciously very jarring and immediately identifiable, the latter especially when you're already aware that someone was casting a mind-affecting spell."

Incidentally, I'm also getting the feeling that our "translations" of arcane words are supposed to be very inaccurate, and their proper meanings do not really correspond to the English interpretations. (This has nothing to do with mind control.)

The Prophecy

@Jack: The Compendium archives actually have Jillian's part of the story up to date (minus Ashgan's post just now), so it might actually be easiest to read the posts uninterrupted over there: theprophecycompendium.tk/forumarchieve..
I'll probably put remainder of missing posts up up in the evening. (Secureshell, how I miss thee...)
Hmm, and the nameless-deigan bit is definitely new. (Also, why wouldn't deigan's feathers grow back when removed? Feathers on birds and such will grow back when ripped out just fine - in fact, if a bird's feathers get too damaged, it is occasionally advised to remove them prematurely just because it makes them properly grow back long before the bird would have naturally molted.)
Oh well, back to work for me...

The Prophecy

@Veridis Quo: How have you been you?

@yoshua171, @Rhaevnn Xeno, @Mercinus3: Who would be going next on the Zerul-side? I'd figure it's Ixion->I'on->Morgan?

But okay; my comments and thoughts on Yoshua's new character idea. (Skype might be easier for discussion, but I'd reckon that while I'm trying to answer questions and comment on things that were already posted here before Jack gets the time to look them over, it might be better if I do it also on here, so Jack would be able to see what I said and we'd not be doubling one another... For later discussions, sure.) My word does not count as much as Jack's does, obviously, but they're at least there as some manner of gauge.

My plan for her so far is that she will be a true deigan and perhaps a member of the Deo'iel, perhaps of the fifth or sixth circle I'm thinking.

As far as race goes, true deigan sounds good to me. If you are to make her a deo'iel, though... I'd say you have at least two things to consider:
1.) Why would she joining up with some random team of adventurers, rather than working with the deo'iel?The deo'iel are a structured organization of monster-hunters, rather than simply a profession or more general-purpose do-gooders. I wouldn't even exclude the possibility of some manner of repercussions for arbitrarily "defecting", especially if she joined the deo'iel in order to escape prosecution as a necromancer. She'd almost definitely have to get permission from the higher-ups of her order etc, etc. (Deo'iel also more commonly work in teams, rather than alone, from what I know.)
2.) Sixth circle especially is ... high up. The deo'iel only have seven circles, with the seventh circle being the leaders. The sixth circle is composed of select few very extraordinary and generally widely recognized individuals. I daren't say Jack would not allow it, but making such a high-ranking character of a four-digit-strong structured organization is certainly to be carefully considered.

I will of course likely have a similar problem as I did with I'on early on in that she may not have any player characters to interact with. We'll see, not sure where I'll start her off on her...current quest.

...It might be better not to branch the story further at the time being. *cough* I'd say either party in Zerul or Jillian's lot (although that one is already entirely composed of mages of somewhat questionable practices), since the roadside group probably doesn't need any more delays.

Pretty sure she has an intense interest in two things, those being:
1.) The Demiurge.
2.) The Land of Eternal Night.
3.) The Lands outside the limiters of Relevance of Reniam (this is a third thing because I figured I'd run it by Jack first. Wouldn't want to overstep my bounds).

That ... is three things? Was the last one meant to be its own thing?
I personally don't see anything wrong with her taking interest in any of those things. It's not like any of those things was wholly unknown - there are quite a few canonical mentions of the lands to the west at least, including that of Junica (?), which is a nation of mages of sorts west of the Yawning Gorge.

I have the intention of her likely having made a deal with The Weighter (I'll probably need some help with that @Shienvien, since Korakaan is your creation ^_^). Something related to intelligence and magic most likely since she's almost entirely a full on mage. I'll need to figure out exactly what sort of deal she'd make and, additionally, what she will be giving up for that gift. The second part I will probably need some assistance with. We'll see.

Sure, I'll be happy to help you. Will talk to you on Skype sometime tomorrow, most likely. (I'm fairly busy today and leaving house in about quarter of an hour.)

So necromancy is outlawed in Rodoria and Wegam Fermos, but the Deo'iel take in criminals and individuals of all sorts, yeah? So if a member of the Deo'iel practiced necromancy, in this case not meaning the resurrection of the dead for the purposes of creating an undead horde, but for the original purpose, what would happen? If anything. Would it be allowed? Would their fellow Deo'iel shun them or find themselves disgusted almost by default? Would the individual be implored to keep their use of necromancy a secret to the public, or perhaps they'd be removed from the order and turned over to the authorities. Just something I oughta know since she'll probably go the route of black magic, arcane magic, necromancy and likely some enchanting to round her out magically.

I ... actually daren't give a specific answer here, so let's just wait for Jack.

So to clarify my understanding of Runes I need to know if basically they work either by storing magical energy within them (when written on an object or surface) and/or channeling magical energy through them to cause an effect. This would mean you can either charge a rune with magical energy and set the rune/spell off later, or that you can only cause the effect of a given rune by channeling energy through it. If both are applicable that's great.

Both are applicable. You can restore magic in arcane/black glyphs and make them triggerable (example(s): Trap glyphs, all those markings Gerald had on the walls of his manor that he released to blow up his old home to remove traces of his activities), as well as put them onto something magically conductive and channel magical energy through them to change its properties (example: runeswords).

Additionally, I'd like to know if someone could write what amounted to an entire spell in runes on an object or surface, then channel energy or charge it with energy to institute that spell effect whenever they chose to set it off (or chose to fuel it with the necessary energy).

I am not sure whether you can charge glyphs without touching them, but yes, you can make entire complex spells out of them and have them trigger to something they've been made to trigger to.

Necromancy....

It allows heightened senses in regards to energies and also much more fine-tuned manipulation of said energies.

Yes.

I know from the description of necromancy that it can be used to empower a dead body and force it to act as an undead minion/soldier

Use your own magical energy to animate a dead body. Yes.

it can be utilized to possibly overpower ghosts and other such beings composed entirely of such energies,

Yes.

as well as to bring someone briefly back from the dead (revitalizing the magical energy of a dead body)

Not quite... Dead people are dead because the magical energy / soul has left, so there is nothing left to revitalize. (Or they'd still be revivable by any sufficiently powerful healing magic.) You will have to essentially summon the soul from whatever plane it has ended up on - which is to say, you can have ghosts at your command, to question or to order around depending on what your intentions are. You *can* bind the soul to its former dead body, which would make it an artificially created true undead. (It'll be animated and have its own mind, but still continue rotting and whatnot.) Generally, you might want to use animated corpses as soldiers over true undead, since the latter can try to wrestle control from you and so on and so forth. You can also bind souls to objects. Including your own. That's how you turn yourself into a lich...

Can it do anything else?

Ehh... Potentially anything requiring fine manipulation of magical energy? I can't think of much right here and now. Gerald has been controlling his instance of the withering quite well.

Mahz's Dev Journal

Redactor keeps flickering on my mobile, especially on scrolling and whenever I try to focus it (as the people above mentioned), and I'm no even sure what Froala is doing. It actually looks like it switches between rendering and not rendering? The screen area just turns pure white every now and then, and the editor may or may not reappear when you scroll up and down a bit.

Mahz's Dev Journal

It was humour, y'know a joke?

@Darkmatter

If you only knew what "issues" I've seen people raise as serious concerns...

(Besides, I've been working a bit too much these past couple of weeks and have been awake a bit too long now. My human compatibility module is failing.)

Mahz's Dev Journal

I don't think things like the color scheme resembling some other site's color scheme - regardless of what that other site stands for - is to be considered a matter of any noteworthiness.

The Prophecy

Hey Ashgan! Long time, no see indeed...
Suffice to say, I haven't forgotten about you, either, and should perhaps say hi on Skype a bit more often or something, but characteristically to me I always tend to have a backlog of n+1 things I should probably do at some point that at least feel like they have higher priority than being generally social, and other people have the tendency to take action and precede me by going forth and bothering me first, before I get to contacting all those people I've probably not spoken to for far too long. But if you'd just like me to poke you whenever it seems you've been quiet for a while, then sure, I can certainly do that. That won't take too much time or effort. :-P
- Don't ask me whether I qualify as an extrovert or an introvert ... I usually say that I reckon I'm somewhere exactly in the middle. On one hand I might have a greater than average number of people I seem to know, and can freely converse with almost anyone and find at least something that's interesting to talk about to me, too, on the other hand prolonged human contact can be more tiring than something that constitutes for actual work, with certain people much more so than others (granted, I often also postpone replying to messages simply because I figure I'm too tired to make sense and/or would probably neglect to mention about three quarters of the things I intended to talk about ... putting my thoughts down properly works much better when I'm actually awake), and often enough don't feel the need to be social just for the sake of it. I will want to talk to people because I already care about them, and I will talk to new people since they might have something interesting to say, but I don't really talk to people because I feel the need to talk as such? If that makes sense. In practice I'll probably go somewhere that requires me to actively interact with people on my own initiative two days a week and can effectively plain forget to speak to anyone for the other five if I didn't have others contact me first or a specific reason to contact someone (granted, specific reason can be anything, really, including a random thought that somehow pertains to some previous discussion with that person).
Motivation is an even stranger beast. I will effectively have a few weeks where I don't feel like doing all that much (usually after the end of some massive and time-exhaustive project), at other times I'll pick up something (occasionally even things I've not touched for years) and potentially keep up with it for months. If I'm properly motivated for something, I can basically be engaged enough for sleep to be something that absolutely needs to be optional, since the tiredness is actively stopping me from doing something I want to do, damnit. And that does not only apply to hobby-things like writing and pet projects, but also my actual work, which probably further proves that I'm some kind of odd lunatic. Nothing like getting back up and behind the computer again when you were about to since your tired brain is somehow convinced that you've figured out some brilliant solution to something you've been working on for the entire day...
But I'm derailing again, ain't I? It's been somewhat slow in here due to work, university, or other things getting in the way of living (but we haven't lost anyone, so probably nothing to be too concerned about), and we're pretty much still in the same places; feel free to jump back in where you left off.
((My holidays were the usual kind of deal - a number of sittings with family and the new years' spent with friends. For some reason it feels like at least half a year has passed since...))