Burnsider

Sir Zugha rocked back and forth, clutching his Saint Nicolas doll. "Will be okay. Will be okay. Will be okay." But, alas, he would not be okay.

My humblest apologies. Missed it entirely!

Sir Zugha scratched his head and breathed a sigh of relief. "Best I not mentioned. Ooon bishop may still not be happy 'bout my beliefs."

The Wavemen “Amidst the ocean’s rhythmic dance we sail, where stars above and wave below prevail. We Mali’ame, wavemen strong and true, bound by mani, our voyage we pursue.” Art by Matt Lara The currents of Sequana led the Wavemen’s canoe to a new island, which they named Taroa. It was an as yet untamed land, and not suitable for the Wavemen. Their leader, Nagatori, warned the canoe away from landing until he had tamed its Mani. He took a smaller canoe to the island and set it upon the shore. There, he called upon the Mani of the island to come to him. Two appeared. The first, Vao, was the Mani of the Winds upon Taroa. The other, Po, was the Mani of the Tide that moved to and from Taroa’s shores. They told Nagatori that he was not welcome upon the island and to return whence he came. Yet, as always, Nagatori was cunning, and he bargained with the Mani. “Tell me what I must do,” he said, “in order to prove that I am worthy to rest my head upon this land.” “There is nothing you have or can do that would help you, Wave-Tamer,” the Mani replied. “If you do not depart from these shores, we shall withhold from you the cool breeze and your skin will bake. If you do not depart from these shores, we shall pull back the tide and the fish will be prevented from coming to the shallows.” Nagatori raised his hands in a gesture of friendship. “Surely, beings of such manum as yourselves can do all that you promise. But you do not know the power I wield and that I am more powerful than you. Do what I say, let my people land on these shores and live upon and from the land, and I will do no harm to you.” “You have no power over us,” the Mani laughed. “Then let me prove my manum to you,” he pleaded. “Set upon me a challenge. Ask me a question that no man could answer.” The Mani scoffed. “Very well. No man has ever been allowed on these shores and so, no man has ever known our names. If you can tell us our names, we will let you and your people stay.” And with that, Po turned into a fish and swam away, and Vao turned into a monkey and scampered away. Nagatori began to work and fashioned rod, line, and hook. He placed the rod into the sand on the beach, the hook in the water, and then hid in the trees. Po came to investigate the hook, but Vao scampered onto the beach, yelling “Watch out, Po! The man is trying to catch you!” So, Po swam away, but Nagatori learned the name. In the same way, he fashioned a snare and placed a banana as bait, then hid amongst the rocks. As Vao roamed close to investigate, Po shouted out from the sand bar, “Vao, watch out! The man is trying to catch you!” So, Vao scampered away, but Nagatori learned the name. The next day, Nagatori found the Mani resting on the beach and he called them out with their names. They turned in wonder. “But how did you know?” Nagatori laughed. “I told you that I had much manum, but you did not believe me. Indeed I have far more manum than you, for I know your names and you cannot tell me mine.” And indeed, Po and Vao knew it not. Nagatori smiled and told them, “Since I have proven my manum, not only will you allow us to live here, but you will also give us the cool breeze daily, Vao, and bring much fish in on the tide, Po.” The two Mani agreed and the deal was struck, and so Nagatori settled with his family upon the shores of Taroa. “Voyaging through Aotearoa” from The National Library of New Zealand Background The Ngaruera seed is new to Aevos, but originated from a long established culture of seafarers, divers, and fishermen in isles far from shore. The Ngaruera ride the waves on their narn’mataliarme, which are large, twin-hulled ocean-faring canoes. These canoes are captained by established linannilers, or wayfinders, adept at navigating by the current and the stars. As wavemen of the ocean, the Ngaruera devote themselves to the the three cetacean Mani: Sequana, Stalashaan, and Hamatsa. Together, the seed embodies the following pillars: Seek Always Adventure Act with Courage Live with Passion Respect the Calm Embrace your Destiny Manum The Ngaruera are deep believers that each being and each place is endowed with a certain amount of manum. The definition of manum is difficult to place into a single word, but it can mean at times power, strength, authority, influence, status, and dignity. A being can gain manum from his ancestors, his deeds, his inherent power and strength, his position in society, and any number of different ways. Just as it is possible to gain manum, so too is it possible to lose it. A being or place’s manum is sacred to them, and to purposefully or negligently take manum away from someone or someplace else is reason enough for violence. For this reason, a Waveman will always take his shoes off at another’s dwelling, so as not to taint a place’s manum with the foul places he may have tread. A Waveman will also wash his hands as he leaves a place, so that any manum he may have accidentally gathered from that place will be left there. Dagrannyern, the ‘War Dance’ Before physical combat or during moments of great emotional purpose or turmoil, the Wavemen participated in the Dagrannyern, or the ‘War Dance.’ This ceremonial performance used the whole of the body, hands, arms, legs, feet, eyes, and tongue to express the manum of the performer and the importance of the event. Often accompanied by chants or dramatic cries and grunts, the entire body would seemed to shimmer and vibrate as the dance continued. This vibration was meant both to mimic the quivering appearance in the air on extremely hot days on the ocean, and also to show the performer’s mastery over his muscles. Welcoming Ceremony As Wavemen from different islands came upon one another’s shores, an elaborate ritual in three parts began to take shape. This ritual, now more ceremonial than practical, was meant to convey the intentions of the parties upon meeting. The people on the arriving canoe would begin with the Song of Arrival, a melodious telling of who they were and why they were traveling. Often elaborate and highly personal in the most important of situations, a simple song has been adopted for more common use: We are voyagers Summoned by the Mani Of this mighty ocean to come We take up the good challenge We understand the ways of the sea We look to the stars and other signs To find our way, to find new lands To make our home In response, from those who welcomed the newcomers, came at least one Dagrannyern, but often several, performed by powerful people from the new island. This would symbolize the power of the place and the people that would be wielded against the newcomer should they steal any of the manum there while they were guests. If both parties found the other agreeable, the would come together, lean their heads close to each other, and breathe heavily, performing the Exchange of Breath in friendship and welcome. Weapons and Clothing For lifetimes, the Wavemen lived on small islands and on their narn’mataliarme, unable to conceive of the great and mighty works in the cities of other Mali. Their weapons and clothing were marked by this rustic existence and, even today, with the wealth of Aevos open to them, they still embrace this part of their rustic roots. Wavemen clothing is made from woven grass, reeds, and flax. A special article of clothing was a cape of woven feathers. This cape was worn only by those of importance or those with much manum, and usually only for ceremonies of special significance. Their weapons are made of jade, a form of greenstone found on the islands, along with wood and whalebone. Their most iconic weapon is the Aelanah’wy, a close-quarters staff with a flat, wide surface on one end for blunt strikes and a sharpened stabbing end on the other. Art by Matt Lara Trial of Sequana Sequana is the Mani of the ocean in its entirety. By his currents are the wavemen carried on their great journeys. This is true both on the sea and in life. In this trial, an aspirant to the Ngaruera Seed must let the current of life carry him for a year and a day, traveling the world to discover and learn more about the world and himself. In the wilds, he will learn to seek out adventure, but also to recognize the pull that destiny has upon him. Trial of Stalashaan Stalashaan is the Mani of the ocean’s chaos and turbulence. By his power do the waves rise high and the maelstroms draw down deep. A Waveman must master this chaos, both without and within. An aspirant to the Ngaruera Seed must show his passion to his companion, gathering together a war party to take part in a whale hunt, where he will learn to steel his courage and stare the beast down as he casts his harpoons into the great animal. Trial of Hamatsa Hamatsa is the Mani of the ocean’s calm and tranquility. By her power does the ocean lay at rest, offering supreme peace, but also the deadly duldrums. A Waveman must understand this peace and tranquility and respect that it is both a blessing and a curse. An aspirant to the Ngaruera Seed must sail to a place where no land is in sight. There, they must seek out and witness the Witchfire alight upon the mast during a storm at sea. The true test lies in maintaining calmness and tranquility amidst the tempestuous weather. As the winds howl, and the waves rise, the aspirant must harness their inner serenity to navigate through the storm without losing focus or being overwhelmed by fear. They must read the signs of the sea, interpret the patterns of the weather, and trust their instincts to find the elusive and ethereal Witchfire.

Sir Zugha the Tower strapped on his old armor. It was a slow process, of course, now that he had only one arm to do it with. Strap through the buckle. Pin it there with your stump. Tighten. Secure. Next strap. As he did so, he talked to himself. "T'ain't good in Haense. Dishonored House. Tryin' to save face. May try revenge." The orc tied the Cardinal-King's cross to his belt. He'd started wearing it since he began his own journey back to honor. Then, he unwrapped Frostfire, his blade, from the clothes it had been wrapped in and hefted it over his shoulder. "Should travel to Haense. Protect the priests there." He opened the door to the hovel he lived in and made his way into the morning light.

An Offer of Protection to the Priests of Aevos [!]The ancient symbol of Cordoba is attached to this letter Greatins Men of the Church, In munths past, I went to Ooon to meet with one of your priests. In a blood raje, I beet him senzliss and wud have killed him if others did not stop me. This is a disonorabul thing, to let the kurs of my peepl take me over. For honor to be up held, restitushun must be made. I went to your other priests, and they told me that you have a similir thing, called penence. They called me to protekt your priests until such time as my honor is regained. But most of you are in Ooon, and I can not go there as they kickd me out for beeting you up. The only way I have to reech you is by riting. Forgive my bad words, as I learned to rite your tongue by reeding your Scroll of Auspice and know only those words proper. If you want to call on me, I can be foond in Petra. Sir Zugha the Tower

Nah. I do it about a third of the time.

I actually have done a couple. I'll look them up in a bit and tell you what I did.

This is the real solution. No rule can ever be made that would work for this. But, if you end up dying from quality RP that makes a damned good story, you should PK. That goes for all players, honestly. And, all players doing that (in a perfect world), we should expect NLs to do so as well.

In that case, I'm voting no on those. I think rules on items should be specific like "does 5 hearts of damage with a range of 7 squares" but it shouldn't actually do the 5 hearts of damage. That's what /d is for. Too easy to abuse otherwise.

I would need a definition of mechanical effects here. Do you @Aesopianmean it to be: (A) an item that has a defined effect in roleplay? -or- (B) an item that has an effect in minecraft? Because my answers vary depending on what you mean.

The Darkwood Foundry ----[]---- Founded in the Year 55 BA, the Darkwood Foundry has been made with two goals in mind. I To supply the Nation, its allies, and citizens with ironworks. II To further the development of ironworking and increase the yields of both mines and workshops. With these two goals in mind, its founders, Kristofer Darkwood and Hemlock Gotwa, opened the very first forge and began setting the foundations of the Darkwood Foundry. Origin of the Darkwood Foundry ----[]---- The origin of ironworking in the Darkwood lineage can be seen very early on, with a small, but influential company called Darkwood Industries. This company, led by Velhrun Darkwood, cooperated with the Leadership of the House of Helvets to make one of the, if not the first, Iron Hammer during the small dark age that occurred at the start of descendants arrival on Almaris. Soon after this achievement, a notable sum of mina was made from selling these regained tools, and it was this economic foundation that funded most of the Darkwood expenses during the time of Velhrun’s Leadership. Further on, after the Brothers War, Velhrun’s younger brother Drako attempted to restart the tradition of iron working with the Darkwood Smithing Industries; and a wide array of materials were offered in order to make specific goods. This company sadly waned with time, and after Drako’s Death, it was replaced by other rising metalwork companies. Only within the recent years, under the initiative of Kristofer Darkwood was the tradition of iron working brought back into relevance in the Darkwood lineage. After long discussions and debates the Darkwood Foundry was founded, with Kristofer Darkwood as the owner and Hemlock Gotwa as the Head Smith. While it was a long time until it would be ready to begin its production in earnest, it was the start of the Darkwood Foundry. The Workforce of the Foundry ----[]---- The foundry is led by its owner, but the day to day duties and management of smiths and apprentices falls upon the Head Smith. Most workers start with the position of an apprentice under a smith or the Head Smith, during this time they develop skills and knowledge both of the craft and the systems that support it. After the Head Smith has deemed an apprentice skilled enough they are promoted to the position smith, where they can have their own apprentices, receive a larger share of the profit from their work and have the chance to advance to Head Smith. The Head Smith, who leads the day to day work of the Darkwood Foundry is selected and fired by the owner of the Darkwood Foundry - Head of House Darkwood.

Doesn't look like any rule changes. Just enforcing the ones I wrote when I was a mod. And yes, people got plenty mad when I enforced them and will again now that Gaius will. And, trust me, you can guess exactly who they are.

I am not, nor ever have been part of administration. Xarkly, you have been able to be part of this elite group of NLs. Culture change comes from within. Push for it, instead of making one-liners about it being impossible.

If this happens, I say call them out and shame them for all to see. Let them defend their anti-RP stance.

I'm sorry. I confused you guys and the group that Gustav led. I was talking about Gustav. My original post was hidden apparently because I called someone toxic? Is that all it takes now? [EDIT: it is no longer hidden. But the below expands on my first post.] But I think there was important information in there, so I'm going to repost part of it. Insurgency is fine, as long as it's kept only IC and there is frequent "after-care" reach out to other players after antagonizing them. Honestly, this should just be done normally in all player conflict situations. I think this really should become the gold standard for LOTC. When you have a great beneficial RP with someone, you tend to reach out to them afterwards, maybe friend them, definitely add them on discord, etc. This should be the same when you have a great antagonistic RP with someone. Let me be clear. The best stories (some may say the only stories worth mentioning) come out of conflict. While this can be internal conflict, it is most often external. And we are here to tell stories. If a persona is a great antagonist to your character, it only makes sense to become friends with the player behind that antagonist so that you can schedule more conflict and tell a greater story. People often ask "why do human RP always center around war?" And the reason is because they are seeking conflict, whereas other places find conflict in other ways (magical differences, spook interactions, ST storylines, etc). Now humans have a significant problem in that there is often OOC animosity involved in these conflicts. When an ST does a storyline with you, you thank the ST afterwards. "Thanks for putting on this event for us, man. We really appreciate it." We should (no, we must) do the same thing when player conflict happens.

Insurgency is fine, as long as it's kept only IC and there is frequent "after-care" reach out to other players after antagonizing them. Honestly, this should just be done normally in all player conflict situations. That said, whoever was leading that Mercantori group was exceptionally toxic and shouldn't be held up as a standard for it, even if the RP amongst the others was fun. EDIT: I mistook the Mercantori group for Gustav's rebels. I have never had contact with the Mercantori group and assume they're cool. I meant to say that I found Gustav to be toxic.

Sounds like good RP.

A nation should be allowed to build on, over, or under any part of their land, including roads. If a roadblock is made, either find a way through it or go around. Walls surrounding an entire nation would fall under unrealistic landscars and would be removed. Therefore, anyone can just go around it. Those who think you can't are like the bad guys in Blazing Saddles, disrupted by a toll booth in the middle of the desert. Allowing building on, over, and under roads fosters interaction, fosters communication, fosters compromise, fosters exploration, and fosters a sense of sovereignty within your own lands.

I use the correct tense.

Kris Darkwood scratched his head, smoke from his cigarillo floating above his head as normal. "What in tarnation is considered an ecclesiastical decree these days?"