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Myth: A New Age CYOA

Fangshi

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Nevill said:
Why would they not tell him?

Because most people do not convey every single detail of what they do to their bosses perhaps?

Really it is all speculation on D&T's part.

Nevill said:
Fangshi, any potential problems with the plan that I should be aware of?

None that you should be aware of, no.
 

Nevill

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Because most people do not convey every single detail of what they do to their bosses perhaps?
True, but there are also a few facts that we learned about them. They do not touch civilians, aiming for the armed groups instead.

I assume that this behavior is due to either them being the 'good guys', or an explicit order, or an implicit understanding that this is not at all what their master wants from them. Either of these should work in our favor.

None that you should be aware of, no.
Well, I just wanted to check if there are parts that need additional attention based on what Derryth knows.

For example, the Silver Lady might not agree to the part of the will regarding the protection of the Kingdom from the Spider Cult (as it may involve her sister), or that there might be some problems with Morpheus upholding what is required of him, or any other things. Most of these have workarounds that do not change the core of the idea. Basically, just how deep I need to go into minor details and contingencies (there are always a million 'ifs'), or can I trust Derryth to catch them and adjust the plan on the fly.

Not a lot of freeform plans worked exactly as intended. :)

Anyway, is it too early to make plans for what happens if we will get out of this? I have a few ideas of what to do with our mice, but I am not sure if now is the right time.
 
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Fangshi

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Nevill said:
The Silver Lady might not agree to the part of the will regarding the protection of the Kingdom from the Spider Cult (as it may involve her sister), or that there might be some problems with Morpheus upholding what is required of him, or any other things.

Well, I suspect, he would simply not tell her if he thought it would be a problem. :troll:

Morpheus, like all husbands, knows it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission and there is a reason they both have spies. They may be a loving couple but they are still greater demons at the end of the day... :lol:

Nevill said:
Basically, just how deep I need to go into minor details and contingencies (there are always a million 'ifs'), or can I trust Derryth to catch them and adjust the plan on the fly.

Derry's smart, she will try to adjust/minimize the damage if things fail like anyone would. Of course, if you rely on me to come up with her actions than you are limited to what I can think up on my own, so there is that.
 

Fangshi

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Oh, missed this one:

Nevill said:
Anyway, is it too early to make plans for what happens if we will get out of this? I have a few ideas of what to do with our mice, but I am not sure if now is the right time.

Well the update won't be out before Sunday, my time, so feel free to discuss whatever you want, planning ahead would not necessarily be a bad thing if you think you have this situation under control right?
 

Nevill

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Cropper is insistant that they are not demons, but can we ask Cropper who they are, exactly? Where do they come from, how were they created/born, and where did they get their hounds?

Why are they calling us cousins, implying that we are their family? What are our familial ties, exactly?

Who are the pale man and the beast from his rhyme? It sounds like they are different people.

The pale man sounds like TWM, and the mage mentioned 'the beast' before in an interlude, though our characters can't know that.
 
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Fangshi

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Nevill said:
Cropper is insistent that they are not demons, but can we ask Cropper who they are, exactly? Where do they come from, how were they created/born, and where did they get their hounds?

He cracks a grin and scratches behind his left ear, his leg thumping on the ground as he does so, "Why, Cousin Derry, I am mighty pleased that you wish to know more about me but there just isn't that much to tell. I am what I am and that is all that I am," he grins, "Same goes for my brothers too, call us Cousins for in a way we are, call use neighbours, for that too we are, but if you want to get formal, much too formal I might add, then call us the Tuath Dé and you would not be too far off I should think."

"As for the rest," he shifts his club to his other hand, "Where did we come from? Why, we came from the clouds, from the North and from the West. How were we born? The same way as the wild hills, the untamed forests, the raging rivers, and the hounds? The came from my Lord, you see he does like to hunt so it was only natural that he got himself a few hounds and a few stout fellows like myself to help with that."

Nevill said:
Why are they calling us cousins, implying that we are their family? What are our familial ties?

He tilts his head and smiles, "Less a tie of blood dear Cousin than a tie of elegance. The Mazzarin was quick, the Mazzarin was bold, the Mazzarin made us swear an oath and though we are sometimes forgetting it the Mazzarin makes us remember all too quick," he raises his club over his own head and pretends to threaten himself with it, cowering before it before breaking into an easy, airy laugh, "All too quick, dear Cousin, all too quick."

Nevill said:
Who are the pale man and the beast from his rhyme? It sounds like they are different people.

He grins and pulls himself up to his full height, swaggering back in forth with the self assured gait of a mage. He turns to face you and then winks and for just a moment his face seems to change into an exact copy of the Thin White Mage's own countenance, "The pale man? The broken man, I should say, he found so very much and lost so much more," Cropper laughs and begins to hum, singing quietly, "We passed upon the stair, We spoke of was and when, Although I wasn't there, He said I was his friend, Which came as some surprise. I spoke into his eyes, "I thought you died alone A long long time ago,"" he laughs again, "Clever mage, stupid mage, arrogant mage, I pity him Cousin, I truly do."

He shrugs, "The beast? The beast is one of the Dark One's generals, he leads his armies down in the south, right round that city of dwarves down there. Strange one he is, big, bigger than me, bigger than you, bigger than most. Brother Beater thinks he is a monster, I think he is a machine, maybe he is both, maybe he is a machine of flesh, of muscle, of bones, yeah, a Bone Machine..." Cropper just trails off after that, staring into the sky.
 

Nevill

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I think Cropper call us cousins becouse Great M say we are his pets. If they are not demons, it may be it.
That is my take on it too, that we have a common 'father figure', and the same (?) collars, but I am kind of suspicious.
 

Nevill

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"Where did we come from? Why, we came from the clouds, from the North and from the West."
Do they know of the druids from the Twelve Duns? Are they connected to them somehow, by any chance?

Who is the Lord they serve? What can they tell us about him and his hunts? Is he, too, sworn into service by Mazzarin? Do they know what the terms of this service are?

What does he think will happen once their Lord arrives?

What would Cropper and his brothers do if the pale man and the beast fall and their service to Mazzarin is complete? Do they know that we defeated the pale man a few days ago, alongside with everyone he could muster?

Actually, were there only two targets? Doesn't the Watcher have more of them? What about the female necromancer who can not be killed? Were there any instructions about her?
 
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Fangshi

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Nevill said:
Do they know of the druids from the Twelve Duns? Are they connected to them somehow, by any chance?

You don't know about the druids so you can not ask about them, sorry. :smug:

Nevill said:
Who is the Lord they serve? What can they tell us about him and his hunts? Is he, too, sworn into service by Mazzarin? Do they know what the terms of this service are?

"We serve Finnbheara, the Great King, lover of horses and of beautiful women," Cropper smirks, "Different sorts of love of course."

He shrugs, "The hunts are, ah, hunt-ish," he looks a little confused to be honest, "The hounds sniff out our prey and they call to us on the wind. Then we come a running and help drive the prey to ground. Once we sound the horns our Lord knows how to find us and with the coming night he rides out to earn glory and demonstrate his skill and power..."

Nevill said:
What does he think will happen once their Lord arrive?

He says the only prediction he is confident enough to make is that none of this will be his problem when his Lord arrives, other than that, who knows? He says he is but a simply sort with simple desires and simple thoughts. The ways of kings and cunning men are beyond him.

You are not certain you believe him.

Nevill said:
What would Cropper and his brothers do if the pale man and the beast fall and their service to Mazzarin is complete?

He scratches his head, "Go home probably," he gives you a fiendish grin, "Unless you have a more interesting offer for us Cousin," the hounds laugh in the distance.

Nevill said:
Do they know that we defeated the pale man a few days ago, alongside with everyone he could muster?

I am feeling generous tonight. :lol:

You do realize that even if he does not know now, if you ask that question he will know, right?

Nevill said:
Actually, were there only two targets? Doesn't the Wather have more of them? What about the female necromancer who can not be killed? Were there any instructions about her?

Just the two from what he knows though he does remind you that he may not know everything for obvious reasons. He also admits that he forgets things sometimes, hence the rhyme he memorized.

He knows nothing about a female necromancer.
 

Nevill

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You don't know about the druids so you can not ask about them, sorry. :smug:
We don't?

I mean, sure, we don't know about Christine and the situation in the North, but we don't even know they exist?
Nevill said:
We must master the spell school of Metal. It must happen! :salute:

Actually if you do want to master METAL then your best bets are either the swordmasters of the Fir'Bolg (who have never accepted an outsider amongst them) or the Druid Brewmasters of the North Sea. Both know a number of rather interesting spells that could be considered musical in nature... just putting that out there... :lol:
I kind of thought that we picked this information in a library or something. Nevermind then.

You do realize that even if he does not know now, if you ask that question he will know, right?
Now I am confused as to why letting him know we disposed of one of the Watcher's generals is a bad idea. :?:|

Just wanted to gauge his reaction to the news, but that would probably require a vote from what I am hearing.

So, can anyone make sense out of this? All I got from Cropper that I can understand is that the hounds are not Mazzarin's pets.

Edit:
He shrugs, "The hunts are, ah, hunt-ish," he looks a little confused to be honest, "The hounds sniff out our prey and they call to us on the wind. Then we come a running and help drive the prey to ground. Once we sound the horns our Lord knows how to find us and with the coming night he rides out to earn glory and demonstrate his skill and power..."
So, who is usually the prey?
 
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Fangshi

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Nevill said:
We don't?

I mean, sure, we don't know about Christine and the situation in the North, but we don't even know they exist?

No, Derryth knows very little about the Northmen in general. I think it was back at the end of chapter 1 when someone asked what she knew and that was the answer. She has never been to there lands from what I can remember (I don't have to notes in front of me and I am not going to go looking in the middle of the night).

Nevill said:
So, who is usually the prey?

"Those of evil intent," he answers with a laugh.
 

Nevill

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Meta to the rescue.
King Finvarra, also called Finvara, Finn Bheara, Finbeara or Fionnbharr, is the High King of the Daoine Sidhe in Irish folklore. In some legends, he is also the King of the Dead. Finvarra is a benevolent figure who ensures good harvests, strong horses, and great riches to those who will assist him. He frequently kidnaps human women.
Run away! Run away!! :lol:

King of the Dead, though? That does not sound good. Or maybe they oppose the Watcher for the very reason he disturbs the dead?

I am adding the kidnapping clause to the Deterrence doctrine, though. Anything that interferes with us trying to save the kingdom in a major way, really.

After the magical race the Milesians defeated the Tuatha Dé Danann, the Tuatha decided to leave. There was a group led by Finvarra who elected to remain in Ireland. They were the Daoine Sidhe. Finvarra negotiated a truce where they were allowed to remain in Ireland as long as they remained underground. There they lived among the trees underground and built great cities. A magical spirit race, who affected the affairs of men above ground, they eventually became known as the fairy folk. They were respected and feared, and no new structure was built without first asking the fairy folk for permission, or for their assistance and guidance. This gradually fell out of practice with the Christianization of Ireland.
I kind of get these guys are the fairy folk, what's with their talk about the hills and swearing by rivers, but what does the fairy folk even do in Myth? :?

Let's take a wild guess, shall we? What do they know of Ermine (that we know is located in the north-west) and Fir'Bolg? Are they connected to them? And I use 'connected' in the broadest sense possible - by virtue of being friends, relatives or enemies.

Ask Lyssa if she heard anything about them from Mazzarin. There might be a reason why he turned to them for military aid. He may have met them before, and thus may have told about them to his apprentice.

She knew enough to take an oath from Morpheus. Maybe she knows how to deal with them, too.
 
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Nevill

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So I've been reading nothing but the Irish (well, Celtic) myths for the last few hours. It is all quite fascinating.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/ali/
"The fairies, as we know, are greatly attracted by the beauty of mortal women, and Finvarra the king employs his numerous sprites to find out and carry off when possible the prettiest girls and brides in the country. These are spirited away by enchantment to his fairy palace at Knockma in Tuam, where they remain under a fairy spell, forgetting all about time earthly life and soothed to passive enjoyment, as in a sweet dream, by the soft low melody of the fairy music, which has the power to lull the hearer into a trance of ecstasy.

There was once a great lord in that part of the country who had a beautiful wife called Ethna, the lovehest bride in all the land. And her husband was so proud of her that day after day he had festivals in her honour; and from morning till night his castle was filled with lords and ladies, and nothing but music and dancing and feasting and hunting and pleasure was thought of.

One evening while the feast was merriest, and Ethna floated through the dance in her robe of silver gossamer clasped with jewels, more bright and beautiful than the stars in heaven, she suddenly let go the hand of her partner and sank to the floor in a faint.

They carried her to her room, where she lay long quite insensible; but towards the morning she woke up and declared that she had passed the night in a beautiful palace, and was so happy that she longed to sleep again and go there in her dreams. And they watched by her all day, but when the shades of evening fell dark on the castle, low music was heard at her window, and Ethna again fell into a deep trance from which nothing could rouse her.

Then her old nurse was set to watch her; but the woman grew weary in the silence and fell asleep, and never awoke till the sun had risen. And when she looked towards the bed, she saw to her horror that the young bride had disappeared. The whole household was roused up at once, and search made everywhere, but no trace of her could be found in all the castle, nor in the gardens, nor in the park. Her husband sent messengers in every, direction, but to no purpose--no one had seen her; no sigh of her could be found, living or dead.

Then the young lord mounted his swiftest steed and galloped right off to Knockma, to question Finvarra, the fairy king, if he could give any tidings qf the bride, or direct him where to search for her; for he and Finvarra were friends, and many a good keg of Spanish wine had been left outside the window of the castle at night for the fairies to carry away, by order of the young lord. But he little dreamed now that Finvarra himself was the traitor; so he galloped on like mad till he reached Knockma, the hill of the fairies.

And as he stopped to rest his horse by the fairy rath, he heard voices in the air above him, and one said--"Right glad is Finvarra now, for he has the beautiful bride in his palace at last; and never more will she see her husbands face."

"Yet," answered another, "if he dig down through the hill to the centre of the earth, he would find his bride; but the work is hard and the way is difficult, and Finvarra has more power than any mortal man."

"That is yet to be seen," exclaimed the young lord. "Neither fairy, nor devil, nor Finvarra himself shall stand between me and my fair young wife;" and on the instant he sent word by his servants to gather together all the workmen and labourers of the country round with their spades and pickaxes, to dig through the hill till they came to the fairy palace.

And the workmen came, a great crowd of them, and they dug through the hill all that day till a great deep trench was made down to the very centre. Then at sunset they left off for the night; but next morning when they assembled again to continue their work, behold, all time clay was put back again into the trench, and the hill looked as if never a spade had touched it--for so Finvarra had ordered; and he was powerful over earth and air and sea.

But the young lord had a brave heart, and he made the men go on with the work; and the trench was dug again, wide and deep into the centre of the hill. And this went on for three days, but always with the same result, for the clay was put back again each night and the hill looked the same as before, and they were no nearer to the fairy palace.

Then the young lord was ready to die for, rage and grief, but suddenly he heard a voice near him like a whisper in the air, and the words it said were these--"Sprinkle the earth you have dug up with salt, and your work will be safe."

On this new life came into his heart, and he sent word through all the country to gather salt from the people; and the clay was sprinkled with it that night, when the men had left off their work at the hill.

Next morning they all rose up early in great anxiety to see what had happened, and there to their great joy was the trench all safe, just as they had left it, and all the earth round it was untouched.

Then the young lord knew he had power over Finvarra, and he bade the men work on with a good heart, for they would soon reach the fairy palace now in the centre of the hill. So by the next day a great glen was cut right through deep down to the middle of the earth, and they could hear the fairy music if they put their ear close to the ground, and voices were heard round them in the air.

"See now," said one, "Finvarra is sad, for if one of those mortal men strike a blow on the fairy palace with their spades, it will crumble to dust, and fade away like the mist."

"Then let Finvarra give up the bride," said another, "and we shall be safe."

On which the voice of" Finvarra himself was heard, clear like the note of a silver bugle through the hill.

"Stop your work," he said. "Oh, men of earth, lay down your spades, and at sunset the bride shall be given back to her husband. I, Finvarra, have spoken."

Then the young lord bade them stop the work, and lay down their spades till the sun went down. And at sunset he mounted his great chestnut steed and rode to the head of the glen, and watched and waited; and just as the red light flushed all the sky, he saw his wife coming along the path in her robe of silver gossamer, more beautiful than ever; and he sprang from the saddle and lifted her up before him, and rode away like the storm wind back to the castle. And there they laid Ethna on her bed; hut she closed her eyes and spake no word. So day after day passed, and still she never spake or smiled, but seemed like one in a trance.

And great sorrow fell upon every one, for they feared she had eaten of the fairy food, and that the enchantment would never be broken. So her husband was very miserable. But one evening as he was riding home late, he heard voices in the air, and one of them said--"It is now a year and a day since the young lord brought home his beautiful wife from Finvarra; but what good is she to him? She is speechless and like one dead; for her spirit is with the fairies though her form is there beside him."

Then another voice answered--

"And so she will remain unless the spell is broken, he must unloose the girdle from her waist that is fastened with an enchanted pin, and burn the girdle with fire, and throw the ashes before the door, and bury the enchanted pin in the earth; then will her spirit come back from Fairy-land, and she will once more speak and have true life."

Hearing this the young lord at once set spurs to his horse, and on reaching the castle hastened to the room where Ethna lay on her couch silent and beautiful like a waxen figure. Then, being determined to test the truth of the spirit voices, he untied the girdle, and after much difficulty extracted the enchanted pin from the folds. But still Ethna spoke no word; then he took the girdle and burned it with fire, and strewed the ashes before the door, and he buried the enchanted pin in a deep hole in the earth, under a fairy thorn, that no hand might disturb the spot. After which he returned to his young wife, who smiled as she looked at him, and held forth her hand. Great was his joy to see the soul coming back to the beautiful form, and he raised her up and kissed her; and speech and memory came back to her at that moment, amid all her former life, just as if it had never been broken or interrupted; but the year that her spirit had passed in Fairyland seemed to her but as a dream of the night, from which she had just awoke.

After this Finvarra made no further efforts to carry her off; but the deep cut in the hill remains to this day, and is called "The Fairy's Glen." So no one can doubt the truth of the story as here narrated."
So, this Finvarra fellow and his band of merry fairies take fancy to mortal women, bewitch them with their spells or music, and carry them off to the fairy land. Accounts differ as to what happens to them afterwards. Some say that they awaken next morning in their beds, with no recollection of what happened, and are given a power to seduce any man as they see fit. Others say that the fairies keep them for seven years, until they get old and ugly, as time flows differently in their realm, and then are returned to the world of mortals, but are given fairy powers in recompense.

Either way, I do not think we can afford a detour, even for the most magnificent sight this part of the Dreaming. If anything, they should get in line after Morpheus. So I figure a little safety net wouldn't hurt us.

Any suggestions?

Fangshi, can they teach us Tru Celtic Metal? :lol:
 
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Fangshi

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Nevill said:
Let's take a wild guess, shall we? What do they know of Ermine (that we know is located in the north-west) and Fir'Bolg? Are they connected to them? And I use 'connected' in the broadest sense possible - by virtue of being friends, relatives or enemies.

Cropper nods, "Aye, we know the bag men. Drove them back to their forests millenia ago. I dare say we beat them so badly they have hardly set foot outside their homeland since!" he looks quite proud of himself as he says this.

Nevill said:
Ask Lyssa if she heard anything about them from Mazzarin. There might be a reason why he turned to them for military aid. He may have met them before, and thus may have told about them to his apprentice.

She ponders your question and finally answers, "I think I remember him mentioning something about a fairy in passing. When he was a younger man he came across a púca, some sort of fairy, and he-"

Cropper cuts her off with a cough, "No need to be telling stories like that Cousin Lys, no need at all!" he seems quite embarrassed, "The Mazzarin won us to his service, no need to go into details or any of that."

You ask him if maybe he would like to tell the story since he does not wish her to.

He stumbles and stutters then sighs, "Well, you see. Sometimes, not all the time mind you, not even most of the time, but some of the time, we like to have a bit of fun. Well, and when we are having fun we often like to take on the shape of horses, black horses, and sometimes we give some folks a bit of a scare you see," he raises his hands, open palmed, "But nothing permanent, not least too permanent. Well, me and my brothers there we were having a bit of fun, harmless fun to be sure, just a bit of fun and we come across this fellow in daffodil robes with a staff of solid gold. And we say to ourselves, we say, 'This fellow looks awfully full of himself," so we decide to play a trick on him..." Cropper sighs, "Trick didn't work. He hops up right onto the back of Brother Bounder and before we even know what is happening he has plucked out the hair of his tail. Right there on the spot he weaves a harness and bridle for dear brother and he begins to ride him, ride him! A free son of the hills! He rides him like any other horse so we try to flee but he chases us right. He chases us over hill and through dale and he rides us all down, then he plucks our tails and makes harnesses and bridles for us too. He said he was going to use us to pull his carriage..." the hunter drops his gaze, "He was going to play a mighty fine trick on us you see but we begged and he relented, the Mazzarin made us swear an oath and though we are sometimes forgetting it he always has a way of making us remember when he needs to. He made us take him to the King, a I tell you did we get a beating for that! Don't know what he said to the King, don't know what the King said back, but the two of them, they came to a right proper arrangement eventually."

Nevill said:
Fangshi, can they teach us Tru Celtic Metal?

I am sure they could teach you many things if you would cooperate fully. :lol:

No METAL though, that is demon magic and Morpheus is your man, er, demon lord for that.
 

Nevill

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I am sure they could teach you many things if you would cooperate fully. :lol:
Nope. Not going to happen. :P

Though having fairies in the Kingdom takes the story up a few notches. That's so freaking cool, man!

Can we make an alliance with them? Pretty please? We are, like, the closest thing the universe has to fairies - pretty, dickish, spiteful, freedom-loving and a bit trollish, but quite honorable and a great ally to have if you treat us decently. Also very annoying to have as an enemy. This would be a match made in HEVANZ!

Can we make a lore check to see if we remember anything about fairies? Those years spent in the archives should leave at least something in our thick head.
 
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Fangshi

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Nevill said:
Can we make a lore check to see if we remember anything about fairies? Those years spent in the archives should leave at least something in our thick head.

Sure.

Rolling...

.
..
...

Hah! You botched this one! :smug:

About all you can remember from your time in the archives is this:

Some of the cities in the Province have old folk tales that talk about supernatural beings, much like men only different in small ways (animal parts, amber eyes and so on).

Supposedly these beings inhabited the lands west of the Cloudspine in the early ages of the world but they were driven out by a race of heroes, mortal men, who then seized the land for their own.

From what you can remember these 'people of the mounds' fled to parts unknown but lived on in the stories of the West, used to scare children and keep them inside at night.

That is it I am afraid.

Nevill said:
Can we make an alliance with them? Pretty please? We are, like, the closest thing the universe has to fairies - pretty, dickish, spiteful, freedom-loving and a bit trollish, but quite honorable and a great ally to have if you treat us decently. Also very annoying to have as an enemy. This would be a match made in HEVANZ!

Well, I can think of one way you could win them over but I doubt the 'Dex is interested in that. :lol:

I don't know to be honest, the dice and your actions both have far greater say in the matter than I do.
 
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Fangshi

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The Old Man is no closer to you than Cropper and Cropper has hare's ears. Not sure how you are going to pull that off to be honest. :lol:
 

Nevill

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What's up with the sudden apathy? Baltika9, archaen, Azira. Where are you, guys?

Fangshi said:
He scratches his head, "Go home probably," he gives you a fiendish grin, "Unless you have a more interesting offer for us Cousin," the hounds laugh in the distance.
Ask him to define 'interesting'. What interests and motivates him? We have had a pretty interesting couple of months, ourselves, but his opinion may differ.

Ask him how they feel about dwarves in general and about the Spider Cult in particular.

How come the dwarves never knew the fairy folk were there, in the Kingdom, right under their noses?

Also, not to fall into a 'What's an RPG?' pitfall, but...
Fangshi said:
Nevill said:
Actually, what is considered a demon in the setting? What meaning does that word even have? A creation of a Dark God? A powerful being? Something else?
It is used as a general 'catch all' term for a certain type of extra-planar creature which is difficult to express otherwise. They have to be intimidating, powerful, forceful, masterful and vaguely humaniod. They are both incredibly attractive and immensely repulsive at the same moment though the attraction usually wins out. Essentially anyone in the setting will know a demon when they see it but they will struggle to define what exactly it is. The little elves and goblins that infest the Dreaming might be considered 'demons' in the broadest sense of the word but for the most part no one would consistently refer to them as such. Morpheus though is clearly a 'demon'.

Some scholars believe that it is the demons themselves that invented the word and they influence just who mortals would consider a proper demon, why they would do such things though remains a mystery.
Fangshi, you said anyone in the setting will know a demon when they see one, yet the Seekers (and a lot of the dwarves) mistook a fairy for a demon. And Cropper considers that to be an insult.

But... what exactly is the difference? :?

The word 'demon' have certain connotations to it, as in 'no good will come out of associating with this guys', and it is generally foolish to trust one. But we've seen quite a few different types of demons so far, and I have difficulties differentiating between them and any other sufficiently powerful magical creatures.

Though the fairies seem to be natives to this plane, not extraplanar. But does to really matter where you came from? Wyrd was extraplanar, too.
 
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Azira

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Codex 2012
Well, the freeform choice has yet to really bite us in the arse. This might be the one time, not sure.
I'll make this conditional.

Bi>E>D
 

Jester

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"he begins to ride him, ride him! A free son of the hills! He rides him like any other horse so we try to flee but he chases us right. He chases us over hill and through dale and he rides us all down, then he plucks our tails and makes harnesses and bridles for us too. He said he was going to use us to pull his carriage..." the hunter drops his gaze, "He was going to play a mighty fine trick on us"

Uncertain if i should be :oops: or :lol:. Sound like old M got sexpert trait with some quite kinky stuff. Now seriously this nicely written thing made my day. :salute:
 

Fangshi

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Nevill said:
Ask him to define 'interesting'.

He stands up straight, doing his best to mimic the behavior of a young child, "Interesting. Adjective. Arousing curiosity or interest; holding or catching the attention," he winks at you and laughs, "That what you wanted Cousin?"

Nevill said:
What interests and motivates him?

"A good bit of fun of course," he tilts his head, confused, "Don't always know what it will look like until I see it though."

Nevill said:
Ask him how they feel about dwarves in general and about the Spider Cult in particular.

On dwarves:

He shrugs, "Better than some, worse than others. They are mighty fun to play with though. Why, I remember this one dwarf, old fellow, had a thing for human girls, mauls too if you can believe that. Brother Bounder and I, we turn ourselves into the fairest maidens he ever did see so he takes us to bed right. Once we got him alone we turn ourselves into myrkridia," Cropper begins to laugh hysterically, "I swear, you have never seen a dwarf run that fast in your life! Sprints right out of the room, naked as the day he was born, down the hall and through half his manor, screaming bloody murder the whole way. Of course when he returns with his guards we are long gone, even managed to nip some of his gold plate, gave it to a farmer, seemed like the poor fellow needed it more."

On the Spider Cult:

He seems a bit confused, "I don't see the point of it Cousin. You mortals are born free but you are so quick to give that freedom up. I just don't get it. Seems so pointless to me and sad," he smirks, "Of course I suppose there are worse creatures out there to serve," he twitches his nose, "The Dark, and all that. But I just don't see the appeal."

Nevill said:
How come the dwarves never knew the fairy folk were there, in the Kingdom, right under their noses?

"Well that is largely a case of the dwarves being stupid and us being clever, too clever by at least a half dear Cousin," Cropper nods several times, "They have no legends of us, no cunning folk to teach them how to catch or beat us and so we do what we want and as long as we are careful the King don't much mind. Lots of land in the desert, lots of land in the hills, and they can't even search half of it. Not that hard really."

Nevill said:
But... what exactly is the difference?

Well Cropper tells you that his people belong to this world, they are old, they are powerful but they are natural. Demons do not belong to this world, they are unnatural, that is the difference.

Nevill said:
Fangshi, you said anyone in the setting will know a demon when they see one, yet the Seekers (and a lot of the dwarves) mistook a fairy for a demon.

By which I meant that they will call anything unexplained, magical and malicious, a demon. Once the label is attached it sticks and ninety nine times out of one hundred it is also a perfect fit. It is not entirely unreasonable for most mortals to consider fairies as demons and it would not even be a completely unjustified comparison. From the fairy's perspective though it would be a mistake and one they are not likely to passively accept.

Nevill said:
Though the fairies seem to be natives to this plane, not extraplanar. But does to really matter where you came from? Wyrd was extraplanar, too.

They say they are, yes.

It matters to them I should think.

That is correct, Wyrd was extraplanar.

Jester said:
Uncertain if i should be :oops: or :lol:. Sound like old M got sexpert trait with some quite kinky stuff. Now seriously this nicely written thing made my day. :salute:

Well, that is a mental image I did not really need floating around my head but I am glad you liked it. :salute:
 

Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Nevill said:
What interests and motivates him?
"A good bit of fun of course," he tilts his head, confused, "Don't always know what it will look like until I see it though."
You know what? Cropper is a bro. Lives much like we do - loves fun, plays with beings far above his weight, and is not afraid of anybody. Probably drinks everything that burns, too.

Lyssa seems to think we are a lot of fun. Maybe we have something to offer him.

Ask him if he thinks his Lord can let him join our group for a while, if he likes the prospect. It does not prevent him acting on Mazzarin's orders if we are doing the same job, so there shouldn't be any legally binding obstacles, save for the will of his King.

Fangshi said:
"Why, I remember this one dwarf, old fellow, had a thing for human girls, mauls too if you can believe that. Brother Bounder and I, we turn ourselves into the fairest maidens he ever did see so he takes us to bed right. Once we got him alone we turn ourselves into myrkridia."
I wonder if that's how Seinsheim came up with the idea to hire mages as his champions. :lol:

Massive brofist for Cropper for that one. Put those creeps in their proper place!

Fangshi said:
Well Cropper tells you that his people belong to this world, they are old, they are powerful but they are natural. Demons do not belong to this world, they are unnatural, that is the difference.
[...]
It is not entirely unreasonable for most mortals to consider fairies as demons and it would not even be a completely unjustified comparison. From the fairy's perspective though it would be a mistake and one they are not likely to passively accept.
What is his views on demons, then? Are they antagonistic to each other, or do fairies just dislike being mistaken for someone they are not?

Or is it because demons have foul intentions more often than not?
 

Fangshi

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Nevill said:
Ask him if he thinks his Lord can let him join our group for a while, if he likes the prospect. It does not prevent him acting on Mazzarin's orders if we are doing the same job, so there shouldn't be any legally binding obstacles, save for the will of his King.

"Well, Cousin!" he slaps his knee, "I'll be damned if that don't sound like an adventure! Ah-" he calms himself, "But it is not my choice to make I am afraid. My King would have to give me the word to go, it is not in my power to just up and leave, least not for long and not without a good beating on my return."

Nevill said:
What is his views on demons, then? Are they antagonistic to each other, or do fairies just dislike being mistaken for someone they are not?

"It is not an easy thing to bear Cousin, being called something your not," he snorts, "I done plenty that can be rightfully laid at my door, I have robbed barons, I have kidnapped princesses, not that they minded much, mind you, and I have sorely used the odd self-important general. All that I can be rightly accused of and won't take the slightest offense to but to be called a demon and have all that they do laid at my feet, no Cousin, I don't much like that at all."

Nevill said:
Or is it because demons have foul intentions more often than not?

"That is a part of it, yes," he nods sagely, "But if I am being fair, me and mine often have fairly foul intentions as well, least from the view of our victims. Most of my problem with them though is due to a difference of philosophy!" he nods several times, "Some beings want to control, they want to shackle up everything and everyone. They aren't content to enjoy their own freedom before they got to first enslave everyone else," he stops his foot, "Can not say that sits right with me at all."
 

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