Much funny. 2 points.

As mentioned in the email, no game this week; I have to research a 13th century poem for a final paper. I enjoy the work, but I'd much rather have swashbuckling adventure in wintery Hillsfar.

Harpers, Harpers, everywhere. Harpers, Harpers, they really care.
Harpers, Harpers, stay in motion. Harpers, Harpers, healing potions.
Harpers, Harpers, pins of green. Harpers, Harpers, enter the scene.
Harpers, Harpers, formed by a bard. Harpers, Harpers, .... What? A Bard?!?! You got to be fucking kidding me, right?!?! A Bard?! Jesus Christ, we're screwed!!

Gregory's Musings

In an earlier post, Johnathan said:

"And then: What of Gregory? Does he feel a pull to move beyond his comfort zone, or is it a natural evolution for him to remain in the Central Heartlands of Faerun, patrolling the darkness that lurks therein? ........ There is room for everyone, and for every player in the saga, Glory Awaits. But what Glory will that be? The Local Hero? The Regional Hero? The Hero of the Land? The Hero of a World? Or the Hero of the Multiverse?"

To respond to this in a way, I would say that Gregory is really having to make a sort of leap of faith to swallow all of this extraplanar stuff. He gets it and doesn't get it at the same time. He can understand the world as being a large and changing place, but seeing Father Castillion in the Ethereal plane...well, freaked him out. To Gregory, it was basically like talking to a ghost, and that is just creepy. He understands gods, but for there to be something bigger than gods that can take a whole planet and put it in the middle of a nothingness place, it's just a bit much. Even though he is actually experiencing it, he is still kind of thinking in the back of his mind, "Yeah....right....whatever you say man."

And what glory will he find? Local Hero? Multiverse? He would most likely never expect to rise above something between Hero of the Land and Hero of the World. Frankly, because he doesn't really see/understand the whole multiverse thing, and even being "Hero of the World" is kind of pretentious in his eyes.

Meeting Castillion, and the Events that Followed

I'd post this on the RTG Blog, but I can't post there. Could someone either post or e-mail me the resolution to the Catillian situation? As the original hook of our adventure, I'm kind of curious. Thanks.

# posted by IDIC : 10/23/2003 12:53:31 PM


Castillion was rescued during the collapse by unnamed friends, and is now alive and well in the Ethereal. The party talked with him in the office of Din Dal Kut, who resides on a splinter plane. It seems that when Thulos took Terranel, the "local group" of the multiverse was torn away with it, and all exist as a miniature multiverse in the in-between-place.

A side result of this occurence is that, according to Castillion, the dead have nowhere to go, and have been gathering at an unknown city for millenia. Castillion is now dedicated to renewing contact with the gods, if possible. He has recommened that the party join forces with the Harpers, a secret society formed by the last Elven bard at the very end of the Great Retreat.

Upon seeing Calleum and the banner of Heironeous in a magical viewing painting/frame on Din Dal Kut's office wall, Burne leapt to join his mentor, and was last seen in a battle in Rashemen, one of the lands that borders the Far East. The act broke the portal, and the party was unable to follow.

Also, Castillon is Ian's father.

Having reached the end of the original journey, Ian and Gregory are beginning to question if they should continue, or return to Tilverton to tell of Castillion's demise -- which was Castillion's request, as the truth would be too difficult to understand.

Players have the option of sending their character off to do something long-term, and create and play a new character. The world stage has expanded wide enough to accomodate such. Once the false murder rap is resolved, the party may see the Breaking of the original Fellowship -- but the beginning of a much larger, world-spanning epic.

# posted by Harmony : 10/23/2003 02:00:31 PM

The answer to the first question lies with Master Po; the answer to the second is Sister Jayna, the priestess who took over after Castillion departed.

it seems odd to think of brother ian as having a father. he seems like the type that just sprouted out of the ground. and if fc really is his father, then why didn't he claim him earlier? who is his mother?

Various Powers Active in the Moonsea, Thus Far

- Hillsfar, ruled by Lord Malthiir, believed by the party to be a former gang/crime lord, who came to power by unknown means.

- The Red Plumes, an army of mercenaries recently added to a pre-existing smaller force; news its victory over the most recent orc attack (of which there have been three so far in the region) is spreading, attracting more enlistees.

- The local Thieves' Guild, a member of which helped acquire the antidote for Ian and Rhanellus

- The Hand, a mysterious order of deadly monks and assassins

- K'Sh'Aal, a powerful unidentified figure who apparently pulls many strings; according to Luc, the name is reminiscent of those used by dragons
- The Zhentarim, an order of sorcerers who actively seek power; rumor suggests that they are on the verge of an internal struggle

- The Harpers, a centuries-old secret society that seeks a way to restore Faerun

- Jalal, the Elven-designated watcher/keeper of Cormanthor

- Garovia, a recently-awakened corrupted Druid, whereabouts unknown

- Orcs, thousands of which live north of the Moonsea; the attack on Hillsfar is the third such action in the past year

- The Citadel of the Raven, a tower complex where resides Lividia, who has been linked to Rhanellus, the sacking of Shadowdale, keech (an addictive plant), the recent orc invasion, possible agents within the Red Plumes, and the foreign goblin machinists

- Lizard Folk, of which nothing is known except they attacked the party during the interrogation of a keech-addicted Red Plume guard


Plus various individual contacts the party has met or heard of.

It's okay, rock lobster. All is well. If email is iffy, we can always use this handy blog. I will make an effort to deliver announcements both here and by email.

perhaps we can have it that if an email is sent out that a confirmation email can be sent back. i don't know why it didn't go through or why no one received it. the only way ben knew what he did is because i spoke to him on thursday.
i'm going to stop using the netscape account though - if everyone could change my email to madduxmir@yahoo.com, i would appreciate it.
sorry again

Mir -- Ben said something about 50/50. Regardless, we missed you; hope your day was a good one. Father Castillion has been found, and the end of the battle of Hillsfar was remembered, in which everyone earned an average of 2,000 xp, and a few leveled. Also, Scott got some much needed rest.

how long is the Road?

I don't know how long RTG will last. I don't see a reason to end it, as I am presently committed to gaming as a regular activity in my life. Players may come and go, but I will be writing and running some sort of game as long as people want to participate in such.

# posted by Harmony : 10/15/2003 03:31:00 PM


so does that mean rtg will last until 2005?

# posted by hotcocoa : 10/15/2003 02:56:13 PM


At my current pace, I will graduate in either Dec '05 or May '06. Sure takes a long time to earn 48 credits.

# posted by Harmony : 10/15/2003 11:46:41 AM

and as far as characters go, i like luc - i want to see where her story goes - i've committed over 2 years to seeing how she would develop and i want to see the ending. i feel like i owe it to her.

and i don't even believe that duellacathata is actually dead. i can't believe that powerful of a magic user wouldn't have a backup plan in case her body was destroyed.

Duellacathata

To be fair, Duellacathata didn't directly frame the party; that was (supposedly) the desire of K'Sh'Aal (or, rather, his/her/its representative). Duellacathata just wanted Falchez dead and buried in his family's magically sealed tomb. Or so she claimed. Ashes, of course, tell no tales.

post-castillian plans

i'm going to stick with Ian, for now. but having the choice is quite cool.

welcome, scott! glad you were able to get in this time. let me know if you have any further trouble.

any chance we could just teleport to the dragon's graveyard, and then teleport back? 'cause *damn* it's a long way back south, in the opposite direction of everything else we want to see, even by way of the cave network previously mentioned...

after we find out about castillian, i say we:

- clear our names, expose the conspiracy, report the lizard men sighting
- determine burne's fate
- go destroy the keech fields and, maybe, lividia
- find a big enough city where we can all train and otherwise increase our skills

not necessarily in that order, but close enough.

was the Hand mentioned as possibly being involved in our current predicament, in regards to the murder we've been accused of?

can't *believe* that Zhenterem bitch killed that banker and framed us for the murder, just so she could raise him from the dead to steal from his own deceased grandmother. way to go, rhanellus! burn baby burn...

The Road Widens

Once the party discovers what happened to Castillion (a mystery that technically matters directly to only two present characters -- Gregory and Ian), the group will be at an interesting crux: What Next?

The party is now international in membership, and global (and beyond) in awareness of The World. The mysteries and challenges that have been placed on the table are definitely different from how the story began.

This may be frustrating to some, and I understand the desire for simplicity (Let's Just Get The Ring to Mount Doom), but it was always my intention to create a broad, organic world within which various characters could pursue adventure and glory. I had done the Single Through-Line campaign before; I was interested in trying something with fewer (if any) boundaries.

The catch, though, is that the game began with certain set archetypes, if you will -- various Local Yokels and a couple of Wild Cards who set out to figure something out -- and those archetypes may, very reasonably, strain a bit at the edges as they move beyond the comfort zone of what they originally intended and expected to do.

Which is kind of my point -- what do the players feel about their characters' comfort zones? Of the current party, Fennie and Connor are the most likely to pursue adventure for its own sake. Rhanellus has a personal journey to take that seems, at the moment, to be connected to the Big Picture in some unknown way. Adan has a spiritual calling to Right What Has Been Changed, and it is natural for him to roam the world on that quest. Luc, like Rhanellus, has a personal journey that seems linked somehow to the events of the world -- specifically, the often-mentioned return of the Demon Kings.

But then, there are other issues: Connor would probably like to find the other two thirds of the Codex one day; Fennie would like to put this map to the Dragon's Graveyard to use before she dies; Luc would like to know who made her a "key," and can it be undone; and Rhanellus wants to go wherever clues lead him to his own self-knowledge. Each of these goals is, unlike the World In Crisis situation, not only individual and unique, but geographically diverse -- to the point: Candlekeep, the Citadel of the Raven, the mountains on the other side of the Dalelands, Cormyr, Zhentil Keep, and the distant land of Thay. Talk about an Indiana Jones red line map crawl.

And then: What of Gregory? Does he feel a pull to move beyond his comfort zone, or is it a natural evolution for him to remain in the Central Heartlands of Faerun, patrolling the darkness that lurks therein? Likewise, what of Ian? Should he return to the monastery and report what he has learned, or is he a free agent?

I'm not declaring anything here -- just sharing some observations from this side of the screen. What we have now is the result of something I have personally always wanted to do, but never tried -- a game world that spans centuries, nations, and even continents and oceans. There is room for everyone, and for every player in the saga, Glory Awaits. But what Glory will that be? The Local Hero? The Regional Hero? The Hero of the Land? The Hero of a World? Or the Hero of the Multiverse?

Certainly questions worth thinking about. As I mentioned in the previous post, all characters are welcome to follow their path to Glory from the point where they started. Likewise, players are free to create new heroes should their characters evolve onto a path unique to themselves. Unless a character dies, everyone who has been in the world will still be an active and prominent participant in the world, even if they are not represented in a game session. Boris Borovich and Burne Trinson are out there even now, making choices that matter. The same could be said of any character that chose to veer off on his or her own.

Personally, I like all the characters. I enjoy their choices and their actions, both their desires and the things they don't really give a flying fig about.

All are welcome to do as they please, as they follow their own Road to Glory.

Referring to Johnathan's post, I think that the party clearly does not have the same goals. This is fine, mind you, but needs pointing out none the less.

Personally, I just don't feel that Gregory has evolved enough within himself to be able to broaden the lens/scope for him. He is still very much following his own set of goals. Some of which are shared by other party members, such as finding Castillion, but like the majority of the party, he seems to have his own agenda.

[ Mon Oct 06, 05:44:17 PM | hot chocolate ]

oh burne, how i miss thee and thine control over ye big mouthed monk.


[ Mon Oct 06, 04:19:35 PM | Harmony Baggins ]

...and so it was that Burne lived out his years, with wife and kids, in the land of Chesterfieldius.

In case you're curious: after pursuing various leads regarding both their recent memory loss and the murder they are suspected of committing, the party has made a curious and partially unexplained bargain with several Illithids, who promise to restore their memories -- an act which may resolve several questions, one of which being the location and activities of the missing Burne.


[ Mon Oct 06, 03:22:03 PM | John Robinson ]

RTG Notebook
My famous/infamous notebook is currently enroute to Mr. Haley via a courier who will exchange for some SG-1 DVDs when he next attends a non-cancelled Hand of Shiva session. Good journey.

changing focus

To paraphrase JMS of B5 fame, one might consider this the story of a platoon in WWII. Whatever happens to the platoon, the story of WWII goes on, often dwarfing the individual soldier. Perhaps the best one can hope for is to be present at Midway, or help raise the flag on Iwo Jima, or be the bombadier on the Enola Gay.

Regardless, there are two valid choices: either to focus only on one's own mission and interests, or to expand that focus to include the scope and detail of the war in part or in its entirety.

What the player finds entertaining, rewarding, and manageable is often defined by what he or she chooses to be specifically relevant to the character.

Of course, in a party of seven characters, there are seven separate lists of what is relevant. If one is to remain with a party and not go off on one's own -- which would be perfectly acceptable, except that it would result in leaving the game -- there is an argument to be made for being aware of what the other six individuals deem relevant to them. Otherwise, one is watching choices without clear motivation, and the result can be a frustrating chaos. Thus, the list of what one needs to know to function within the story grows a little bit longer. And so on.

By the way, as a general note: If any player starts to feel that his or her character *would*, at some point, decide that it's more logical to leave the party and pursue his or her own agenda, it is perfectly acceptable for the player to create another character that will join the party and take the previous character's place. There's no rule that says you must stay with one character throughout. Once provided with the player's basic guidelines/requests, I would NPC the character Somewhere Out In The World until such a time that the player wanted that character to return. Alternately, the path of the absent character might later intersect with the party again, and for a time the player could play both until one left again (hopefully this would only be a session or two.)

Anway -- just a random thing to toss out there.

Even though it began as a simple mystery of What Happened to Father Castillion, the camera has pulled back far enough now that almost all the world is in play. Thus my interest in launching some side games that occur elsewhere in the world's history.

This post, like many stories, seems to have grown with the telling. I'll stop now.

dude, i have no idea where that notebook is now but i get your point. i can keep most of it in my head, it's just such an epic and i have such a hard time pronouncing the names!

[ Mon Oct 06, 12:11:48 PM | hot chocolate ]

and the cast still remaining from the first season are:
Scott Moran (Gregory)
Miriam Maddux (Luc)
Ben Haley (Brother Ian)
Jimi Harrell (Rhanellus)

the scoobys

and of course, the god of us all, Johnathan Shipley.


[ Mon Oct 06, 11:28:50 AM | Harmony Baggins ]

Early 2001. A little over two years, I think.


[ Mon Oct 06, 10:00:10 AM | hot chocolate ]

how many years have we've been playing now?


[ Mon Oct 06, 09:11:03 AM | Harmony Baggins ]

Thanks, chocolate. Though a game isn't any good without players to make it so.


[ Sun Oct 05, 07:46:58 PM | hot chocolate ]
great game johnathan!

Perhaps you can make notes to yourself during the game, as John did. I supplied notebooks and folders to everyone at the beginning of the campaign for that purpose.

very interesting but hard to keep in head all at once.

Items Of (Dis?)Interest

Small Picture

- murder rap
- lack of identification papers / peace-bonded weapons
- K'Sh'Aal
- lost 11 days
- where's Burne
- good/bad Red Plumes
- Plume patrol emitting magic aura during battle
- Red Plumes defeat orc army twice their size; word spreading beyond Hillsfar
- Plume soldier addicted to keech; possible source = Lividia?; link with Boragard and the Bullyboys?
- K'Sh'Aal = "K"?
- Esseneth, Luc, and a book you can't put down
- Lizard Men under the city
- memory flashes of possible forgotten places/events
- curious tracks in rooms = possible lead in abandoned area of Civic District
- Ethelred, during battle, notes that Rhanellus has two souls...?
- Connor's contacts in Hillsfar = info?
- How did the party acquire the antidote?
- Who wounded Rhanellus and Ian?


Big Picture

- Zhentarim; Zhentil Keep; possible civil war?
- Cormyr vs. Sembia: Spring = War?
- Dragon's Graveyard: worth going to right now?
- Thulos
- Yoggoth
- Harpers
- Strife between Drow Houses in the Underdark
- Arabel (default capital of Cormyr), Lady Myrmeen, the Order of the Shining Dawn, Tilverton threat?
- Castillion's fate: still relevant?
- Threat from the East?
- Demons/Demon Kings rising or returning?
- Giants gathering north of the Citadel of the Raven?
- Zhentarim interests: black powder, dead giants, crystal swords, time control, demonic sites
- Fate of the Obliat
- The Shadow of Semerius / Dragons
- Fairies and Dragons = the first beings on Teranel?
- Curious historical discoveries
- Connor's Codex is one volume of three
- Mystra's Tear, magic's wane
- Where did the Elves go, and will they return?
- The Hand and Master Po
- What is Calleum doing in the Great Dale?
- What army will Gregory lead; did the girl in Shadowdale truly have a gift?
- Rhanellus attaked his son...?
- Luc is a gift and a key = Shaddath?
- What was going on at Adbar / Hellgate Keep?
- Can Teranel be restored to whence it was taken?

Just some things to ponder.

New RPG Blogs

greetings, RPG'ers. these two new blogs for "glory" and "shiva" have been designed for discussion about the respective games. this will provide a place for us to discuss our characters, the current plot threads, and perhaps even come up with some answers to the puzzles that have been presented to us. it may also serve as a way for the respective Game Masters to get a feel of where the group is heading.

my original and grander plans for "ahvanet" may be on hold indefinitely; rather than wait until the whole thing comes together, i decided to go ahead with the blogging portion.

please keep the random tomfoolery to a minimum, so that we can maintain focus; we've got "circle of irony" for that!

god hates his day job

Testing...1.....2....3......tap,tap,tap. Hey! is this thing on? Hello....

yo, yo, yo homeslices!