PestyWarlock

Chief Farian Gylldene just so happens to be there as Ellenore enjoys her meat and wine, apparently. As he is offered the invitation, his eye of animatii creation glances over the royal parchment, its travel pausing as it addresses Ellenore as "his", "her", and "royal majesty", only one of which would be correct. "Ah, perhaps it was... simply an error of the hand, High Keeper." He would offer a nod to her as he joined in searching for his clan member, Sera Gylldene @ShinyB

Oh boy this is going to take me a while. First, thank you @ShinyBfor my being my favorite person, ever, and giving me lots of laughs and smiles. Now the Norlanders: @Calise11thank you for being the reason for joining LOTC, none of this would've happened without you. @simpleglitchbro thank you for welcoming me into this great community and giving my persona lots of great arcs, you're a large part of why I've stayed so long. @ichigomaster98thank you for being a great source of laughs and crazy ideas. Also you being NL was one of the larger contributors to my enjoyment starting out as a new player. @Elennanorethank you for providing your strange wisdom wherever you go, irply and oocly. @Aimy_lolthank you for being cool and relaxed and making very well-made personas, always fun getting to rp with you. @PanicZealotthank you for bringing energy wherever you go, never a dull moment. @Operator_Bugmanthank you for expressing your interests and making having so many ingenious ideas. @Saun_399thank you for being really funny and open, you're a very welcome addition to vc. @Nagisa02thank you for always being so positive and cool oocly, also love your art. @MangoManMini@bloomtiara@Sparkpowderthank you all for the wholesome sorvian rp, it really is enjoyable seeing you all. @Lunan_EXEthank you for adding your unique craziness into everything you do. @Seiyuuthank you for being cool and a great person to talk to. The bards: @tgrtthank you for building up one of the most enjoyable communities I've ever interacted with, all your hard work has not gone unnoticed, and a lot of people are having much more fun roleplay all because of you. @Bardmancerthank you for contributing so much to the lore and making both mine and many other people's roleplay so much more flavorful (pun intended). @UniBearsethank you for being a great bard buddy, and all your amazing art like god damn. @Hyperdronthank you for all the work you do for the bards, and all the great roleplay you bring. @AuJythank you for being an incredibly cool person, and all the fun situations you bring irply and oocly. @cornsodathank you for being a fun student to rp with, also the funny wisp interactions. @Gallentthank you for inspiring me to continue creating my own music after a genuine years long hiatus. @UnBaedthank you for also being a great bard buddy, and one of the reasons I felt welcome at the bard's college. @JTMedeathank you for being funny and working so hard. The non-Norlandic, non-bards: @BluePearl13thank you for being very cool and giving me some of the most dramatic and enjoyable roleplay. And thank you to everyone who makes LOTC enjoyable, which is most of the people I interact with, thankfully.

bard

After being shown this missive by a laughing Io, he gives a concerned glance across the page. "...have their coffers run dry?" He sighs before donning armor and removing the bounty posters which hung around Norland.

"...Oh thank the All-Father..." Farian lets out a sigh of relief after reading the contract actually went through after overhearing of a certain debacle.

What brought you to LOTC, funny bard?

Farian does not smile, but he gives a simple nod to this news. "...a good fight, and many good stories were made."

Farian Malto of Norland looks down upon the missive as he remains bedridden, recovering from his previous injuries. "Ah, a... less eloquent rhyme of my encounter..." Farian folds the missive, placing it at his bedside as he lets out a sigh.

The business grows.

[!] A wax seal bearing the mark of an ocean wave is placed at the top of this missive. Scribed by Farian Malto of Norland, on the 11th of Snow's Maiden, year 162 of The Second Age, to be distributed to the members of the Covenant, the Commerce City-State of Kaethul, and the Silver Empire of Haelun'or. "You ask me for neutrality yet bloody neutral ground..." VELETZ, THE BANDIT NATION It was on this Ashen day that I had made a trek to the Commerce City-State of Kaethul, enjoying the many shops and attractions which this city held for all to see, when a detachment of Veletzian cavalry laid havoc upon the gentle land of merchants. They sought to bloody the neutral lands, ravaging any they believed to be associated with the Covenant, despite Kaethul's pact of trade and non-aggression with Veletz's ally, the Iron Horde. As I was observing the architecture of Kaethul's Amphitheater, the cavalry saw it fit to strike me upon my chest while I bore no weapons in my hands, then demanded that I swear allegiance to Veletz in exchange for my life. If it had not been for my friend, High Steward and Lady of Kaethul Ar-Malna, paying their ransom of five-hundred minas, I would not be alive today to recount this event of Veletzian barbarity. This missive is to be distributed as a display of the lengths that Veletz shall go to cause terror across these lands of Solheim, attacking allies of allies for the meager chance at confronting a Covenant soldier. Let this recounting be a warning to all the atrocities Veletz is willing to commit. Signed, Farian Malto of Norland

Farian Malto-Gylldene, owner of the land on which Friend insulted his home country, lets out a sigh as he reads through the entirety of this apology, speaking in his usual monotonous tone. "...is it not this man's job to study cultures?"

A Bardmancer preparing a climactic conclusion! -- o O --- O o -- • ~ Delayed Casting ~ • When Timing Is Everything. Delayed Casting is a spell-storing method which allows a Bardmancer to hold their spell by adding additional emotes and denoting a "trigger" to release it later. The act of Delayed Casting is commonly used to properly time when a trick goes off, as with it the Bardmancer is able to determine the exact moment they wish a spell to be cast without having to connect to their mana mid-performance. Learning and Teaching Better Late Than Never… Delayed Casting is automatically learned once a Bardmancer reaches Tier 5, whether tutored or self-taught. Delayed Casting CAN also be learned at Tiers 2-4, but for that it is a tutored-only technique, much like many Housemagery Spells. Therefore, it cannot be learned early through self-teaching books. Only via a lesson by another Bardmancer who knows it. Any Bardmancer who has previously learned Delayed Casting may teach another Bardmancer the technique, regardless of Tier! Teaching is freeform and may be done however way one wants, but it is mandatory for teachers to hold at least 1 lesson, and establish at least 1 Task for that student to complete before they can be considered to have properly learned the technique. This can, and should, however, take longer to encourage both organic character growth and fun RP interactions! For some great examples on which Tasks a student could complete, checkout the “Development Tasks” section in the Bardmancy Guide, here! -- o O --- O o -- Storing the Spell It's Only a Matter of Time. Instead of casting a spell directly after its connection or channeling emote, a Bardmancer may opt to Delay its Casting instead. Delayed Casting requires 2 Emotes of preparation, a Connection emote and a Storing emote: • In their Connection emote, the Bardmancer Connects to their mana pool as normal. Their aura starts to take shape as per usual. • In their Storing emote, the Bardmancer proceeds to Store their desired spell, describing the stored spell and the trigger by which the spell will be released. After Storing their Spell, the Bardmancer may skip the Connection and Channeling Emotes of the stored spell to cast when the trigger is performed, and their outward aura will become faint yet constantly visible as the mana is stored within them. That Spell’s trigger must be defined in the initial Storing Emote, by either being described OOCly or in the Storing Emote itself. The trigger may be an action the Bardmancer performs (ex. a snap of a finger) or an event that the Bardmancer perceives (ex. an audience member clapping). Triggers cannot be set as an event happening outside of the caster’s perception. For instance, setting a trigger for ''when someone pulls out a quill'' doesn't cast the spell unless the Bardmancer sees that happening with their own eyes. A trigger can also be a set amount of time passing, up to ten emotes. Though for that, the Bardmancer must pay close attention to how far along they are on their count, or risk miscasting their spell. Example triggers: A Bardmancer may only store as many Delayed Spells as their respective tier, and different Delayed Spells may have the same trigger. Triggering a spell right after casting another, or stacking Delayed Casts is very much possible, and a Bardmancer may have multiple spells being set off in the same emote this way! If a Delayed spell is not cast within ten emotes after the Storing emote, either by its lack of triggering or the Bardmancer losing count, the spell Miscasts: It fades out harmlessly, and its caster instantly gains one stack of Frazzle for every Stored Spell that was Miscast. Delayed Casting adds an extra layer of difficulty to your average performance and is incredibly tiresome. Holding multiple spells or trying to trigger more than one at the same time takes a lot of practice and is extremely exhausting, even for a Master. Redlines ♫ Delayed Casting may only be performed out of Combat, and only works with Bardmancy Spells. ♫ Delayed Casting cannot store any Combat spells or be used for any combative purposes. No timed percussion grenades. ♫ The trigger must not be any physically combative action. Vicious mockery is fine. ♫ If CRP involving the caster begins during a Delayed Casting, the caster drops concentration on their Stored Spell(s), and will therefore miscast any Stored Spell(s) and gain the appropriate stacks of Frazzle. ♫ A Stored Spell MUST have its intended Trigger detailed in its initial Storing Emote. ♫ Unlike typical casting, the spell slot is taken during the Storing Emote of Delayed Casting. ♫ After a Spell is Stored, a Bardmancer must describe their aura being visible for as long as they hold on to that delayed cast. ♫ A spell may only be stored for up to ten emotes, otherwise the Bardmancer suffers one stack of Frazzle regardless of spell slots. ♫ Spells may be cast while another spell is currently stored, but not while attempting to store another spell. You cannot connect, channel, or cast a non-delayed spell and connect/store a spell in the same emote. ♫ Delayed Casting CAN be used to summon Emotion Wisps. ♫ You cannot Delayed Cast Mastery Spells, or a Bound Wisp’s Manipulate Art Casts, as they work separately from the normal Spell Slot system. ♫ Due to the intensive nature of storing mana, Storing multiple Spells can be heavily exhausting to the Bardmancer, experiencing a similar feeling as expending all their spell slots. ♫ While in a Bardmancer's Amphitheater, Delayed Casting cannot build up any Frazzle. The technique still uses up Spell Slots as normal, however, and the maximum amount of spells stored remains the same. ♫ Fun is, as always, strictly mandatory. --==-- Purpose ((OOC)) This addition is meant to solve two problems myself and other Bardmancers in the community have noticed: the awkwardness of starting a spell in the middle of a performance, and the ability to cast multiple spells at once. This addition is meant to add a new way for Bardmancers to control the flow and tempo of their performances, allowing more options for build-up or flair in their spellcasting. Whether it's providing musicians with options for timed casting during key moments or ending a dance with a grandiose display of spells, Delayed Casting simply opens up avenues of creativity in performances. Credits and Thanks Tgrt, for proofreading, brainstorming, ideas, and art. Leonie, for proofreading and giving the “Leonie Approved™” stamp. ShinyBluePikachu, for emotional support. Aliay, for finding exploits in previous drafts to give me ideas for over half of these redlines. Unibearse, for looking at it. Edits 1/13/2024 Added clarification to learning requirements for tutored/self-taught. Added examples of triggers.

This will be a Krugsmas miracle. +1

unibearesity