OOC The Illusion Of Knowledge

[Seanu Reaves]

I can dig it. Maybe a "well known" boogeyman style assassin. And this is the first clue discovered about him so our characters are brought together.

 

[Rextoret]

I feel it. Blank canvas. We should figure out what we want to focus on first before we start making characters, in terms of area, and then something to start the RP off, an initial goal or something.

Sounds like a good plan to me. Need some kind of focus at the least.

Hmmm. My first thought is some sort of Assassin either kills someone close to our characters, or tries to kill us, and we end up following some sort of clue that each of characters find, and are drawn to work together for whatever beef they got, and we try to hunt this assassin. It would provide us grounds to draw our character into a larger overarching plot if we so desire as well as provide a compelling reason for most character types to work together.

Main drawback is that it forces us to make a character history decision we might not want to make.

I'm thinking that on top of that, we could do something along the lines of political intrigue. Perhaps another fiefdom, organization, country, etc. sends an assassin after one or all of our characters for some reason. One character could be the target of this government and assassin, and the others fall into the categories of friend/bodyguard/ally/whatever. I don't want to force anyone into a role though, and this plot does seem to force us to make characters to fit it.

I can dig it. Maybe a "well known" boogeyman style assassin. And this is the first clue discovered about him so our characters are brought together.

Nothing wrong with a strong antagonist, but I do feel like that specific scenario - while not incredibly overdone - does seem a lot like a typical "hunted by an assassin and then the characters kill him" trope. I'm not adverse to the assassin idea, I just think we should have a bit more complexity in the story than just an assassin.

 

[The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass]

It shouldn't be too difficult to wrap almost any character in to a story like this. There are a few exceptions, of course, but depending on the motivations just there mere presence of the character and status as a witness during an assassination could make them a target.

And of course it's basic, that's just so we can build on it. I don't mind stereotypical as long as we can make it fun and compelling. But that's just one idea, I'm up for more

 

[Rextoret]

Yeah, I don't want to bash on the idea. It's good for a start - I can be an overachiever in regards to making a grandiose plot (lol). We can definitely work with this, if everyone is in agreement.

 

[Delusional]

Perhaps... we could even make it a little more vague and give us room to expand later. Perhaps having the assassin lead the way into a larger, overarching story with a guild involved or something. However way we take it, having an ultra-mysterious assassin figure leaves us with plenty of room to work the plot into something more unique and interesting once we get established first. It also provides a tough hunt, which will make the beginning part of the RP and early establishment exciting in a way that's more elevated from a typical "assassin hunt" plot.

 

[Delusional]

You know what we should call this RP?

The Illusion of Knowledge.

 

[Seanu Reaves]

Get than man a raise!

 

[Ponder]

There isn't much we can do about people needing to leave the RP. As far as I can tell, I'm the biggest offender in that regard within the group.

A challenger has appeared! Ponder uses DISAPPEAR! It's super effective!

But really, I think I got you beat there, Rex.

As for the assassin/political intrigue idea, that could be fun. However, I also think it's telling that our most successful RP by far was a simple jaunt from point A to B.

Just something to consider when thinking about how to kick things off.

 

[Delusional]

Anything is a good idea for this RP as long as it isn't overly convoluted like the usual suspect for an IoK RP plotline.

 

[Rextoret]

Lmao Del, sounds as good as anything I can come up with. I've been interested in William Faulkner's quotes lately, but I can't really convert many of them into succinct titles.

That's a good point Ponder, best to keep it nice and simple. At least to start off with.

 

[Delusional]

Just a way to pay homage to the series we have here and this pseudo sort of reunion RP. Also somewhat ironic, because the main goal is to actually finish this one, despite our horrible track record.

 

[The OP3RaT0R]

Well then, if we have a foundation to start from, shall we begin? I suppose anything you could give us on the world that the map depicts would be a good start, Rex.

 

[Delusional]

Hell yeah, I want to get started on a character.

 

[Rextoret]

Alright, I'm on my phone but I'll go ahead and give some info.

The province displayed is a single fief in a kingdom of many (as of now, undecided how many) other fiefs. Each fief has a capital city, and while all swear fealty to the crown - they have many independent rights. The king is old and dying and doesn't do much to patrol them, so there are often wars between fiefs and the different clans in control of them. Each fief is controlled by a lord, in the case of Argylle - Lord Sailcirc. His city, in the middle of the fief between two rivers, is Whithorn. (I'll update the map at some point with city and town names.)

The culture I'm aiming for is lightly Scottish-based, so far just in names. I'm taking very light inspiration from the Ulster Cycle (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulster_Cycle).

Most of the towns on the coast are fishing-based, while the ones more inland tend to either be for lumber or farming. The coastal cites on the mainland are ports, as sea travel is fairly important to the culture and economy. (I'm not talking about Vikings, not doing any Viking rip-offs)

The largest island is home to scholars, with it's city being a place where magic thrives in all forms. Most born on the island tend to somewhat gifted in the magical arts, but unless they are sent to the academy in the city to learn how to harness their power it usually becomes largely inaccessible in adulthood. Life on the island revolves around magic, with each town being dedicated to its use domestically in a different way. (Controlling fish and their breeding seasons, affecting the land to increase crop fertility, etc.) Those who are incapable of magic use are sometimes exiled to the mainland, as magic is integral as part of island life.

The northern part of the fief is covered in snow and ice, and also dotted with ruins of a bygone age. The city cradled in the mountains is a large keep from a dead civilization. Very few people live in the northern areas, excluding a few villages that survive however they can.

Anything else you guys want to know, I'll go ahead and provide. I've got a little bit of a hard time typing all this up since I'm on my phone but I'm happy to elaborate more however I can.


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[Seanu Reaves]

Oh man I love what I know of Cu Chulain. :3 Going to be fun

 

[Rextoret]

Just another quick note before I drive home, I had been thinking about what the dominant religion of the area would be. Zen Buddhism, specifically the Rinzai school - and to focus on one very specific type, that of Takuan Soho (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takuan_Sōhō) is what I had in mind. Of course, it isn't going to literally be Buddhism in the RP. What I had in mind was a combination of Soho's "clear mind" idea and a somewhat typical tree-hugger idea of being one with nature. Throw some stuff about being one with your weapon, add some warrior-monks and that's the religion I've been thinking about. So maybe some of the towns or cities in the fief could be dedicated to that religion. I still need to think about it, and I'll get back to you guys about it later.


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[The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass]

*isn't planning on making a religious character, but that sounds cool*

 

[Rextoret]

Yeah, I just wanted to give a little bit of background on the religion. Lol Not saying it'll be a huge part of the RP, it just came to mind so I wanted to mention it.

For those interested, you can read Soho's work The Unfettered Mind (https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/U...akuan-soho-translated-by-william-scott-wilson) and get a bit of an idea of what I'm thinking of. (Somewhat.)


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[The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass]

Hmmm. I think I should be able to create my character card on Monday

 

[Ponder]

Ok. So are we at the CC part? And that map is entirely a map of Argylle? Or the province in question?