Flight of Fancy (OOC/Interest Thread--OPEN!)

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

OK, I'm about to go into class for another few hours, but I do have answers. I didn't want to jump into this right at the beginning, since I've scared people off with my exposition before, but when I get a bit of time to rattle it all together, I'll post this up. Probably this evening or tomorrow morning.

[Tezkat]

Heh. I'd say that heavy exposition is only scary if it comes before you hook people into your plot. Once people are already sold on the story, more information is usually better. It gives people tools to use in the RP and helps ensure that everyone's on the same page and not making erroneous assumptions about the game world. But it's nothing urgent at this point--take all the time you need.

[VAE]

I look forward to the photo becoming "Johan Cross, notorious incubus" instead

[justacritic]

The clan has watched the documentary, it's recommended watching material

[Tapewolf]

I wasn't planning to move Jakob again until the photo is taken.  It occurs to me that Justacritic might be waiting for an okay from the GM as to whether the shot succeeded

[VAE]

The clan has watched the documentary, it's recommended watching material

The nature documentary?

As an asides, Saph's character commentary in one of the games I run (a were bat flying around the pub in primal form and being a smartass) somehow reminds me of the whole situation on-ship

Karis:Distinguished British accent)And, here, we see a rare specimen of the Warlock species, scientific name totalus jerkass, in what passes for a natural habitat. Depending on the local IQ and Ethanol levels, we may see an example of mating behaviour. But probably not.

EDIT: Finally done with my post. Writing in between lectures is harder than i'd have thought.

[Aisha deCabre]

I wasn't planning to move Jakob again until the photo is taken.  It occurs to me that Justacritic might be waiting for an okay from the GM as to whether the shot succeeded

XD

In the event that you're not kidding, TBQH, we won't be using dice rolls for -everything-...if much of anything at all, unless we know for certain that the players can't think outside the box themselves in a reasonable fashion.  Just like the Lounge RP and several others, we encourage that, at least for the tiny things like this.  If he wants to take a picture, that's his character decision, and it succeeds if he decides it does.

EDIT: Also, guys, Aisha's not wearing her cloak at all, as I said before. XD  Sorry my post saying so isn't skim-reading material.

[VAE]

Bugger. Editing.

Is the fact that Kaf's post which did mention her having the cloak with Rynkura's crest on it made me do it an excuse?

[Aisha deCabre]

Bugger. Editing.

Is the fact that Kaf's post which did mention her having the cloak with Rynkura's crest on it made me do it an excuse?

Heh, it can be...but generally, it's best to try not to rely on other characters' assumptions on how something happened, or the setting at hand, and instead go back to the DM posts that were written.  Otherwise it can become something like a game of forum Telephone when we along the line have to read an event coming from it and go, "When the heck did that happen?"  

As for the ensign, Kaf could have also seen it on her collar, or the bracers, actually.  Rynkura likes to leave her mark on anything she enchants herself. x3

[Tapewolf]

In the event that you're not kidding, TBQH, we won't be using dice rolls for -everything-...if much of anything at all, unless we know for certain that the players can't think outside the box themselves in a reasonable fashion.  Just like the Lounge RP and several others, we encourage that, at least for the tiny things like this.  If he wants to take a picture, that's his character decision, and it succeeds if he decides it does.

Right.  That's useful to know, even if I wasn't quite serious.  (Though I really can't think of a followup post - just take the picture, already!)

[AmberCross]

I wasn't planning to move Jakob again until the photo is taken.  It occurs to me that Justacritic might be waiting for an okay from the GM as to whether the shot succeeded

Actually, having read it... I'm fairly certain he wants Jakob to smile at the last moment. He prompted you for a smile and since he can't MAKE you smile, he left off just before taking the picture to give you just enough time to make one (or really any other face) just before the flash goes off. Which is kind of silly, but there you go. You can probably escape the wall he's painted you into by just declaring how you look when the flash goes off and then continuing the conversation normally.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Major countries on continent of Aesillar
A map might be included later, assuming I don't screw up drawing one too badly.
Helfren

Helfren is the single largest country in Aesillar, encompassing about 675,000 square kilometers and having a population of about 50 million. Population is 85% being/Griffon A, 8% demon 3% Griffon B, 6% other creatures, mostly Angels and 'Cubi. 'Cubi living openly as such are fairly rare, but Creatures maintain enough power/respect that a lot of 'Cubi simply claim to be Angels or Demons. It occupies roughly the center of the continent, in a kind of warped brick shape that runs from southwest to northeast. Helfren once controlled most of the Aesillarian continent, but has been slowly receding for the past 400 years or so.

Politically, Helfren is an absolute monarchy, currently ruled by High King Etrush XXVII, from the capital of Behrlesh. Administration in rural areas is nominally feudal, with grants of land being given to noble families, whom are almost exclusively Angels and Demons. Urban areas are generally more egalitarian, with professional civil services that run most necessities of public life, collecting taxes, enforcing laws, overseeing waste removal, etc. Civil services tend to be dominated by beings, since most Creatures view such work as beneath them or don't have the patience and attention span to truly excel in a bureaucratic structure.
While still a great power, Helfren has definitely seen better days. The tax and governmental structure are still geared towards the reality of centuries ago, when agriculture was the dominant economic activity; and direct land taxes were the primary source of income. Central responses to crises tend to be slow and uninformed, and the outlying regions have long murmured for independence, and revolt has broken out in the past 50 years more than once. While none of these states stay independent, they've drained the resources of the monarchy, and more and more, local nobles and urban councils are running the show the further away you get from the capital; and other nations are eagerly eyeing up an opportunity to be able to take on the sluggish behemoth safely.

Jagaeth
Jageth is a confederation on an archipelago that extends in a wide band to the north of the mainland. Counting the waters that surround the area, it encompasses roughly 800,000 square kilometers, although only about half of that is actual land, and quite a bit of *that* is too small to support more than a few dozen farmers. Total population is about 27 million, with about a 90% Being 10% Creature of all kinds split. Jageth has something of a reputation for militancy and low level violence against other nations, and while creatures are not officially discriminated against, there is quite a bit of low level hostility to most Creatures and enormous social pressure to "blend in" It is the most "Modern" of the major powers, placing a strong emphasis on social organization and technological innovation.

It is the only major power that has never been occupied by Helfren, who consistently had a "stay out of the islands" policy. For centuries, the various polities were at one another's throats, but about 350 years ago, the island of Jag (pronounced Jahg, long a) slowly began expanding, but at the same time managing to politically incorporate the islands that it conquered, mostly by forming an identity based on being supremacy.

Jagaeth was the nation that supplied the engineers and technical skill that built the Flame of Freedom.



Phrantlin

Phranltin is in the northwesternmost region of Aesillar, separated from the mainland of Helfren by a narrow but high strip of mountains that make travel between the two enormously difficult in days of yore. Even now, most trade between the two nations is done by sea, given the expense and difficulty of navigating the peaks.

The total area is about 200,000 square kilometers, although much of their claimed lands are sparsely inhabited. The population is about 20 million, with a similar split as Halfars,ren (85% being/Griffon A, 8% demon 3% Griffon B, 6% other creatures, mostly Angels and 'Cubi.)

It too was once dominated by Helfren, although it was never fully incorporated, rather being a subject kingdom that was continually breaking away and necessitating reconquest.  Holding strong plutocratic values, the 500 wealthiest citizens (as determined by censuses taken once a decade) are offered a seat on the assembly, who perform legislative functions and appoint a Chancellor to directly execute the laws of the nation and carry out most foreign policy.

Creature/being tensions are pretty low in Phrantlin, given that the real enemy was always Helfren. While the two nations have not directly fought each other in close to 150 years, they've had numerous proxy wars, and tensions remain very high, although there is considerable trade between the two which provides a stabilizing effect.

The Flame of Freedom is owned and operated by a Phrantlan house, and routinely makes trips to Helfren. Some say it's a gesture of peace, and goodwill, of visiting the neighbors. Darker rumors say that it is merely a presage to an invasion by a means that can cross the high peaks with minimal effort.........

Gorihjar
Gorihjar is the only province of Helfren to be released from incorporation into full independence. A small (for a great power) but thickly populated nation, it covers some 75,000 square kilometers but has a population of roughly 15 million. While no official demographics have been taken, Gorihjar has a much higher Creature population than other nations, with rough guesses of full blooded creatures reaching about a fifth of the population, and well over half can trace ancestry to a Creature within the past 3 generations.

Gorihjar is ruled by a Casawallan, the winner of a magical tournament held every 10 years. In practice though, the Casawallan is usually more interested in his or her magical experiments than in actually running the country, and what started off as the police force for their capital, Xahrest, has since grown into a civil service that performs most functions of a regular government. It has a reputation for honesty, but also a kind of cluelessness and slow-moving bureaucracy.

Magical skill is highly prized and education for magic is highly subsidized for citizens; one of the great national industries is training magic use to foreigners, who are generally forced to pay full premium. That being said, most people in the country do not have magic skill worth mentioning, and there are plenty of perfectly ordinary industries, commerce, and plain people making the country actually run.

Qaggat

The most reclusive of the five major powers, Qaggat is what used to be the easternmost province of Helfren, and in fact still retains its provincial name from before.  It's about 90,000 square kilometers of territory, mostly lightly wooded with patches of cleared farmlands. No official population estimates exist, but the surrounding lands guess her population at 15-20 million.

Even Qaggat's own population isn't quite certain how its administrators are picked, or even who their ruler is, beyond "The Chair" who issues out demands to selected servants, who in turn issue them out to the people; these must be complied with. A few can be ignored safely, but repeated ignoring of directives causes people to simply....... disappear.

Qaggat has little in the way of outside interaction with other nations, but when major wars arrive, eerily silent warriors tend to march to one side or the other.



There are other, smaller nations, about 30 or so, but I don't have the time/energy to put details in for all of them at the moment.

[Tapewolf]

Actually, having read it... I'm fairly certain he wants Jakob to smile at the last moment. He prompted you for a smile and since he can't MAKE you smile, he left off just before taking the picture to give you just enough time to make one (or really any other face) just before the flash goes off. Which is kind of silly, but there you go. You can probably escape the wall he's painted you into by just declaring how you look when the flash goes off and then continuing the conversation normally.

That's probably right.  So I was going to make a last minute post, but he seems to have got in first anyway.  Probably for the best, really

[Tapewolf]

Oh, and I'm assuming that he did use a flash, given 1940s-era film stock.  If not, let me know and I'll change it.

[Inumo]

So everyone knows, my school drumline is starting to kick into high gear, in addition to having to deal with an art project that I couldn't comfortably do at school. As a result, a lot of my free time is going to be filled, so my posts will be infrequent. I'll try and keep up as best I can, but I apologize in advance if I miss some detail or another that's important.

[justacritic]

If it is possible may we have a rough map of the ship's environment? It's kinda of hard to plan out locations and timing without a general idea of how everything is organized.

[Tapewolf]

If it is possible may we have a rough map of the ship's environment? It's kinda of hard to plan out locations and timing without a general idea of how everything is organized.

That would be good.  The whole spat between Jakob and Aleyna is a result of it, and arguably shouldn't have happened at all...

[Aisha deCabre]

If it is possible may we have a rough map of the ship's environment? It's kinda of hard to plan out locations and timing without a general idea of how everything is organized.

That would be good.  The whole spat between Jakob and Aleyna is a result of it, and arguably shouldn't have happened at all...

Heh, the environment's to blame?  I thought it was my loud-mouth NPC.

*snrk* Regardless. x3  None of us can draw maps, really.  But until we can get something drawn up, Corg says that he'll soon put together a description of the ship's layout that we all came up with, during the conception of this RP.  Really, it's simpler than you all think; but sadly I lost my own notes. ;>.>

[Tapewolf]

Heh, the environment's to blame?  I thought it was my loud-mouth NPC.

Partly.  What narks me is the idea that Jakob would have even considered doing this within Aleyna's earshot when he's supposed to be a trained diplomat - that kind of breaks the suspension of disbelief for me.

The way I see it, I imagined Bas' table being 30ft away in a room with a noise floor similar to the Zoo at Anthrocon, and Bas seems to have imagined them being right next to the very bartender Jakob spoke to, and that is why I mentioned it here.  I suppose part of the fault is mine for not explicitly stating that he did so discreetly...

*snrk* Regardless. x3  None of us can draw maps, really.  But until we can get something drawn up, Corg says that he'll soon put together a description of the ship's layout that we all came up with, during the conception of this RP.  Really, it's simpler than you all think; but sadly I lost my own notes. ;>.>

I'd be interested to see it anyway...

[justacritic]

If only to prevent someone's character making a flying kick... out the window

[Aisha deCabre]

Heh, the environment's to blame?  I thought it was my loud-mouth NPC.

Partly.  What narks me is the idea that Jakob would have even considered doing this within Aleyna's earshot when he's supposed to be a trained diplomat - that kind of breaks the suspension of disbelief for me.

The way I see it, I imagined Bas' table being 30ft away in a room with a noise floor similar to the Zoo at Anthrocon, and Bas seems to have imagined them being right next to the very bartender Jakob spoke to, and that is why I mentioned it here.  I suppose part of the fault is mine for not explicitly stating that he did so discreetly...

Funny, I thought you guys were both sitting at the bar. Him and Aleyna did, and then you guys came up and ordered something.

Still, I suppose the -size- of the bar could be explained too, not just the size of the room.  *shrug*  We'll figure it out.

[Tapewolf]

Funny, I thought you guys were both sitting at the bar. Him and Aleyna did, and then you guys came up and ordered something.

Yeah, well I didn't, and that has kind of... well, I guess it's shaken my confidence rather.  I'll get over it.

[Lisky]

Actually, i saw it more like they were casually observing the bar and sipping drinks like 20 or so feet away. They note Jakob talking to the bartender while watching them in reply.  A few moments later, bartender shouts his threats over at them Which, combined with the looks they'd gotten and what little they could pick out from the usual garble immediately pinged the diplomat as the source of their sudden annoyance.  

[Aisha deCabre]

Actually, i saw it more like they were casually observing the bar and sipping drinks like 20 or so feet away. They note Jakob talking to the bartender while watching them in reply.  A few moments later, bartender shouts his threats over at them Which, combined with the looks they'd gotten and what little they could pick out from the usual garble immediately pinged the diplomat as the source of their sudden annoyance.  

It was really rather easy to make the mistake, Bas.  Reading back over the post where you guys arrived, here, you said absolutely nothing specific about a table.  You guys were headed to the bar.  You waved down the -bartender-, from twenty feet away?

Really, everyone, it's the general lounge room where everything is.  If you say you're headed to the bar, I'm going to -assume- the -actual bar-. x3  If you're at a table, there are waiters/waitresses to wave down for drinks.

Heh; see, that's why we both encourage detail to avoid confusion and discourage skim-reading.  That part, I admit to doing alot, which is my mistake.  In this case, though, there's no certainty.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

My apologies to not having the diagram of the cabin up yet. Schoolwork and me being terrible at drawing things have resulted in delays.


However, there are 4 decks, A,B,C,D; with A being the highest and descending. Each deck is roughly 400 feet long, so accommodations are fairly snug.  Deck D is given over to engineering and crew functions, in general, passengers are not allowed past the ladder. Decks A, B, and C, are connected by spiral staircases, and Deck A also has slightly more than a quarter of its space given over to the crew functions, mostly towards the bow end of the gondola. There's a small bar (smallest of 3) in the aft end, a small meditation room, a tiny fur-styling salon, and a few other details I don't have in front of me at the moment (writing this in haste)

Deck B contains all of the passenger bunks, towards the stern, which are generally pretty small,  more designed for sleeping and storage, and to encourage mingling amongst the passengers. To save on space, there are no individual showers or toilets within rooms (just a small washtable and mirror for very basic hygiene) with those being placed in a dormitory style across from the bunks. The single biggest grumble among the previous flights was arranging for time to take a shower. The bow of deck B contains the casino, the stage and the main bar/lounge. This was where the captain gave his speech, and most of the passengers who heard him started out.

Deck C contains its own restrooms (but no showers), a gymnasium, the kitchen and dining room (with another small bar attached), and a second lounge, which is quasi-designated as the reading/writing lounge, a quieter and more reflective place than the more raucous one in the above deck. A reasonable chunk of the deck is also given over to supply storage. (mostly food for near the kitchen)


Deck D is marked as off limits to the passengers and no literature describing what's there is available. However, since the crew don't sleep in the same cabins as the passengers, it's pretty safe to assume that at least some of that space goes to their quarters and facilities.

[Tapewolf]

In view of the magic damper, would Jakob be able to morph his clothing?  Also, to what extent does it interfere with his shapeshifting abilities?  My understanding is that this kind of innate shapeshifting isn't usually affected by magic suppression (otherwise a Were transforming into human would not be able to change back) - but on the other hand, they may also have deliberately set up something that does.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Natural 'Cubi shape-shifting will work, but Jakob would notice it's a tad slower and requires more concentration to achieve. (But only very slightly, it's like the effect if he was trying to shapeshift while a loud buzzing in his ear is distracting him, not that he can actually hear the damper work) If he's trying to full magic morph? He wouldn't be able to do it, unless he found a spot where the Damper wasn't working.

[Tapewolf]

Natural 'Cubi shape-shifting will work, but Jakob would notice it's a tad slower and requires more concentration to achieve. (But only very slightly, it's like the effect if he was trying to shapeshift while a loud buzzing in his ear is distracting him, not that he can actually hear the damper work)

That's pretty much what I figured, yes.

If he's trying to full magic morph? He wouldn't be able to do it, unless he found a spot where the Damper wasn't working.

What he's looking at doing is shrinking his pants into trunks.  'Cubi are supposed to able to do this sort of thing to clothing which is close to their body (e.g. Aary and her dress, or making temporary holes in garments for the wings etc), but I don't know whether that's an innate ability or a nonverbal spell of some kind.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

What he's looking at doing is shrinking his pants into trunks.  'Cubi are supposed to able to do this sort of thing to clothing which is close to their body (e.g. Aary and her dress, or making temporary holes in garments for the wings etc), but I don't know whether that's an innate ability or a nonverbal spell of some kind.

Hmm. I don't think it was a quick spell, digging through the comic at page 385, since her eyes aren't glowing (usually associated with magic) and she mentions that it's using her backwings, which would imply a shapeshifting. But Abel is carrying his clothes when he flies over to Jyrras's place, which implies that he can't just shift them off when he was morphed into a Griffon, or shift th em into a more comfortable shape.

So I had assumed when you synthesize the two that Aary wasn't wearing "real" clothes, and was just shapeshifting her body fur to create the illusion of clothes. (Though I admit, it does smack somewhat of backwards continuity) I'll consult the other DMs for an official decision, but my own personal conception is that shapeshifting only works for pseudo-clothes, and not real ones.

[Tapewolf]

So I had assumed when you synthesize the two that Aary wasn't wearing "real" clothes, and was just shapeshifting her body fur to create the illusion of clothes.

Yeah, I wondered that too, but in page 587, Abel removes it, so it's not part of her.  It looks like it's the same dress as in 522, though it's possible she just swapped it out or something.

EDIT: Getting back to the RP, if you want to rule that it won't work, that's fine.