Reckonings: The Overlook

[Nathan of the FoS]

Hurrah! Crunchy epic goodness! Quick, now, everyone knock on wood!

[Fuzzball]

Happy dance done...wood knocked on!

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Update: my PC is worse off than ever. We've had two deaths in my wife's family, among other things, and I'm still stuck using remote computers to do my work.

On the plus side, with her and the girls in Utah for the next week and a half, I'll be able to spend more time on remote computers.

In the mean time, I'm still waiting for responses from Ash, Tessius, and Balin. You've all had plenty of time, so make it within the next few days or I'll move things along without you.

I'm dying to see this plot get going again!

[Fuzzball]

Hi...

We've kind of been moving for the last month and haven't had regular internet access. I apologize. Since no one other than Nathan was posting I didn't think it was a terribly big deal...sorry...

Sorry to hear about your wife's relatives and your computer.

From Balin's side, I'm itching to go. BTW, I did have a question about the sudden ship appearing. Is it the same ghost one I played with earlier, or is this some new ship to deal with?


We'll get right on that post for you.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

***
"C'mon, breathe! Aw, of all the--"

"Where are those paddles!?"

"...charging...char-ging..."

"The paddles already!"

"We're good! Clear!"

"...I'm not seeing--wait! What was that?"

Did you think we were done for good? I must admit, I had some concerns myself, but after several months of rough real-life, Reckonings is ready for a comeback! Thanks to everyone for their patience and well-wishes regarding the many distractions that came our way. Now it's time to take a deep breath, take stock of who's still with us, and remind ourselves of where we've left off.

First stage of regrouping is to find out who's still with us. If you don't get an email similar to this post within the next day or so, please send an email to cleyshon@hotmail.com regarding your current gaming status.

Beyond whether you're still with us, I'd like to know a few things about your gaming experience so far, so please complete the following survey. For you old timers, yes, this does resemble the one I sent out last year; if an answer has not changed, please repeat the old answer but feel free to include other information.

=========================
What's your biggest frustration with the game?
What's your greatest source of pleasure with the game?
What's the most epic thing your PC has done in-game?
What's one thing you'd like your PC to do before the game ends?
How have encounters challenged your PC emotionally?
How have encounters challenged your PC's abilities?
What characters or story elements do you want to know more about?
What characters or story elements are you not interested in?

And finally....
What do you think is going on? (Interpret any way you like, but please be specific!)
=========================

Finally, many of you may have noticed this switch to the Frat board had an unexpected drawback: I can't send IM's with multiple recipients anymore, and duplicates would fill the outboxes too fast anyway. Little of what's taking place has been private, but I still need to send carbon copies to my assistant DM's, so it appears private correspondence will now take place via email.

If you don't get an email identical to this message within the next day, please send me an IM with your current email address.

Back into the cruel sea we go!

[DeepShadow of FoS]

On behalf of Ciera, for your amusement and insight:
What's your biggest frustration with the game?
Ciera doesn't have a player!

What's your greatest source of pleasure with the game?
Playing epic offers me a lot of freedom; she can take risks and have things turn out in her favor.

What's the most epic thing your PC has done in-game?
Turned herself over to the bad guys as a prisoner, then reversed the situation in a matter of seconds when she got tired of it.

What's one thing you'd like your PC to do before the game ends?
Kill a DL. Even a little one, I'm not picky. I don't suppose we'll find Aggarath in a sea chest somewhere?

How have encounters challenged your PC emotionally?
Geez, the whole thing with Kiraslee dominating folks managed to hit most of her buttons, but since then there's just been this wierd thing with Anders, and the argument with Kinketsu, and the emotional baggage of her transformation. None of these is really an encounter, though, but rather stuff chosen for her by the player or the DM. I'd like to see her get stirred up again, but as she's sort of an NPC right now that's probably not in the cards.

How have encounters challenged your PC's abilities?
Well, the neverending train of Bad Stuff is starting to tax even Ciera's epic spellcasting, but with Kinketsu guarding her I don't see how anyone could stop her from sleeping. She may blow all her spells in a single day for the first time in years, but even that's not going to be much of a challenge if she gets them all back tomorrow.

What characters or story elements do you want to know more about?
Well, with Y'Gina going the way of all the earth, I'd like to look up her daughter. I want Ciera to get a reading, and I'm curious as to what Baila's deal is with Belred.

What characters or story elements are you not interested in?
With apologies to Cortez...I'd like to find out how Arcadius got cursed, but I'd kinda prefer he not reappear. I'd prefer not to share the limelight with another epic arcane caster. Oh, and

And finally....
What do you think is going on? (Interpret any way you like, but please be specific!)

I think that Draga was just one of many DL's we've got to deal with. Based on other clues, I'm thinking Gwydion's at the top, and it's something to do with him getting released from the Obsidian Gate, or Ravenloft altogether. Going further out on a limb, I think he's hoping to get out the same way Vecna did, by ascending to godhood.

[Nathan of the FoS]

What's your biggest frustration with the game?

That people keep disappearing! I know that the Real Life RL trumps the Ravenloft RL every time, and that's the way it should be; but I miss Ciera's original player and Captain Cortez, and I hope they come back (the Cap'n, anyway; I fear "Ciera's" gone for good.

What's your greatest source of pleasure with the game?

The high quality of game play and the incredible amusement of slinging krazy epic-level power in Raveloft.

What's the most epic thing your PC has done in-game?

1) Accidentally inspire the overthrow of Ivana Boritsi
2) Discover that he might be Vecna
3) Rip through a ship stuffed with ghouls like a hot knife through butter (that story's not over, but the Raveners will never be the same again, and that's for darn sure.)

What's one thing you'd like your PC to do before the game ends?

1) Figure out who the heck he really is and what happened to him in the Shadow Rift
2) Throw down for keeps with an epic-level baddie
3) Show off some of the stranger Inquisitor class abilities

But heck, I'd settle for

4) Meet Cortez Vandrokar.

How have encounters challenged your PC emotionally?

One word: Vecna?!?. The truth behind Peregrine's lost time and lost memories may be deeper and uglier than he (and I) ever imagined

How have encounters challenged your PC's abilities?

In what sense? Peregrine hasn't been physically threatened at all (unless Borrowed Time has some truly hideous backlash waiting for him). Trying to deal with the Raveners without just killing them all was rather trying, and the escape of the Keeper was annoying (so was Ram Haroon's intransigence). I'd say nothing has gone particularly well for Peregrine, all things considered, but nothing has gone really badly, either.

What characters or story elements do you want to know more about?

Well, besides my own character...I'd like to know more about Draga, Cadwallader, the Nightstalkers, Anders, Cortez, Ciera...lots of people, really. All my fellow PCs and former PCs, most of all, followed by the main players in Saragoss.


What characters or story elements are you not interested in?

The royal family of Impiltur doesn't much do it for me, mostly because I came in from the Ravenloft side and so they have zero interest for my PC.

And finally....
What do you think is going on? (Interpret any way you like, but please be specific!)

Ciera's "surmises" are so interesting that they changed what I was going to write...I was going to speculate that Peregrine is, in fact, Vecna. Peregrine has, literally, two souls within his breasts, or perhaps one soul split into two parts so definitively as to have them be irreconciable. His "madness" isn't healable because it isn't madness per se at all; there are two people in his head. (See: Davion the Mad, Easan the Mad--which would make him, I suppose, Peregrine the Mad.) Peregrine killed Davion the Mad while in the Nightmare Lands (and if it turns out Davion the Mad is NOT dead, but piggybacked into Peregrine's brain and is actually the other personality, I will be very upset, as Davion is a lame wimpy darklord. To be hijacked by Vecna is glorious and thrilling! To be hijacked by Davion the Mad is ignominious.)

ANYway. Vecna wants out of the Demiplane. He tried to escape through a dreamsphere (Davion's) but didn't make it, so he convinced Peregrine to go into the Shadow Rift. Vecna's idea: to enter the Obsidian Gate, cut down Gwydion, and walk out into the multiverse as the Gate closes behind him.

Well, but it didn't work. Peregrine appealed to Ezra, not Vecna, for assistance in the crucial moment, and Ezra snatched him out of the Shadow Rift and left him on the steps of the Great Cathedral. Ezra and Vecna are now dueling for control of Peregrine's body. Something or someone in Saragoss has the key to resolving this dilemma...enter the epic PCs! Vecna wants to use them to break out of the Demiplane, while Ezra wants...I don't know what. To break the Dark Powers' embargo on interplanar travel, perhaps?

EDIT: Wait a second--if that were true (Ezra's and Vecna's goals) then they would want the same thing, effectively. So that part of it must be more complicated (if I'm anywhere near correct on anything).

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Well, since I don't have a PC, I'll answer on behalf of Ratling...

=========================
What's your biggest frustration with the game?

Well, my level doesn't seem balanced with the rest of the party... but otherwise, I agree with Peregrine. Real life stinks. Especially when it causes huge gaps in the game, or missing major characters. So far we've lost the first Tessius, Anders, Ciera, the first Balin... Is Cortez MIA too? I sure hope not. He's the last of the original crew left.

What's your greatest source of pleasure with the game?

The deep characterizations that PbP allows for. Even for the littlest NPC.

What's the most epic thing your PC has done in-game?

Made some darn-fine oatbars. yum!

What's one thing you'd like your PC to do before the game ends?

fall prey to some of Ravenloft's dangers, provoking horror and madness checks all around...

How have encounters challenged your PC emotionally?

That orc-face Kit is really gonna get it one of these days.

How have encounters challenged your PC's abilities?

Filling Jory's shoes will be tough.

What characters or story elements do you want to know more about?

I'm dying to know why Ciera took her child form, and what destiny awaits her in Saragoss because of it. And I can't wait to see some more of the royals and other locals.

What characters or story elements are you not interested in?

I'm so engrossed in Saragoss that I can't help but feel that all the stuff going on back in the Core is kinda tangential. Blaustein falling apart is cool, I'm digging that, but I'm not really into the whole Boritsis and Nostalia stuff right now, and I'm still looking forward to Balin and Tessius getting to Saragoss eventually. Blaustein has the feel of a very cool side-trek, but still a sidetrek.

And finally....
What do you think is going on? (Interpret any way you like, but please be specific!)

I think it's all Kit's fault!

[Fuzzball]

Did you think we were done for good?

No...never entered my mind. I was sure that if you wanted to stop running the game, you'd let us all know.

First stage of regrouping is to find out who's still with us.

"I'm here! I'm here!"
<<bounces and waves>>

What's your biggest frustration with the game?

Everyone being gone was frustrating, but good things are worth waiting for.

Not being familiar with the setting when the players around me are pros is a bit intimidating. I have the urge to ask questions all the time, but I feel dumb being the only one who doesn't get it. At the same time, I'd hate to ruin the newness of everything by picking up a bunch of books and learning about RL that way.

What's your greatest source of pleasure with the game?

Interacting with the other players is my favorite part. I'm kind of sad that I didn't get to play at the very begining when everyone was together. That's why I asked to take over Invictus.

What's the most epic thing your PC has done in-game?

Tessius didn't die and neither did the girl. A rogue trying to take on spectres is pretty stupid. I think it's impressive that I haven't killed this character yet.

What's one thing you'd like your PC to do before the game ends?

I'd really like to have him kill Draga...but I don't see that happening. It would be nice if Tessius actually accomplished his goal. It would be sort of...I don't know...anti-climactic if they never saved the royal family. Of course, right now, I'd settle for getting the group back together.

How have encounters challenged your PC emotionally?

Challenged?........hmmmm.........I don't know.........none really........though he is still slightly mad.........it won't be pretty when that ends.........

Invictus on the other hand is having the chance to grow. He's been ripped away from his only friend and placed in the service of someone who hates...okay, really doesn't like him, and of whom he isn't comfortable with himself. Trying to balance loyalties in this situation is a strain on him.

How have encounters challenged your PC's abilities?

Did I mention Spectres? I think Tessius is the only one who was actually in mortal danger so far during this campaign.

What characters or story elements do you want to know more about?

All of them. Since I still don't really know anything about RL I find it all interresting. In specific I guess I'd have to go with Jacob, his father (it's been so long I can't remember his name), and their organization. I'm also curious about the vampire (who's name I have also forgotten). I'd still like to know what the creepy invisible, juice-sucking thing is.

What characters or story elements are you not interested in?

I think I already answered this question.

And finally....
What do you think is going on? (Interpret any way you like, but please be specific!)

The island is sinking. People are in a panic. The other group hasn't caught up in time yet, but everyone's getting sick on Cortez's ships and he's trying to sell them. Cortez was waiting for Ciera to get back. Anders was frustrated with the books he had acquired. Peregrine was waiting to replenish spells. We're about to start playing again.

Other than that, I'm still just about as confused as I was when I joined. What is going on?



I'm glad to see you're back DS. I hope the Captain comes back too. I don't think anyone else could do his character justice, but life does happen.

Anyway, see you all out there.

[Gurthoron]

IT LIVES!!! Or something like that. Nice to see you back DS.

What's your biggest frustration with the game?

While people leaving is always a bother, it is something you pretty much have to accept with online play. My biggest frustration is probably from playing Balin; Playing someone that good is a bit of a struggle for me. But that is my own problem that I am trying to rectify. Other than that, I'm having no real issues.

What's your greatest source of pleasure with the game?

A while back Ilene (Tessius) and I were comparing our characters and what they could do. While Tessius was far and away better at many skills, we discovered he was incapable of killing Balin. Even if Tessius coup de grace'd Balin in his sleep. Balin I think exemplifies the sheer invulnerability of our characters compared to the majority of the population, and his displays could lead to him being considered a near-god by the locals. Anyway, to directly answer your question I am loving the reactions Balin is getting from what are thus far casual acts.

What's the most epic thing your PC has done in-game?

Balin flew out to meet the ghost captain. He gets surrounded by solid fog and attacked. He falls out of the cloud, takes no damage from any of his attackers, then goes and cuts through the main mast of the ship with casual power. Thats the only real epic thing he has done, at least under my control.

What's one thing you'd like your PC to do before the game ends?

Well, finding the royal family and protecting his comrades are two high points for Balin. As for me, I'd like him and Stradh to have a get together. Frankly I think Stradh is the only melee guy around capable of challenging Balin, and I'd like to see such a test.

How have encounters challenged your PC emotionally?

Sadly I can't think of any. While the children asking me to go save their father was a little heart-wrenching, I think Balin has probably dealt with the same or similar situation before. While it would be depressing, it wouldn't really challenge him. That is one post I am not happy with, as I think I come off as a little callous and dismissive. I just don't know how to make him caring but more concerned with the strange ship and how to explain the situation nicely to the kids in just a few sentences.

How have encounters challenged your PC's abilities?

While the ghost ship encounter used several of my abilities, it was definitely not a challenge. I could eliminated all of the ghosts with very little effort, and only didn't due to Ciera's warning. If we run into that ship with these refugees around, it will be heading for the ocean bottom.

That said, I know ghosts can be dispersed by violence but don't vanish until some event happens, usually focused on how they died. I think trying to lay these ghosts to rest permanently would be something Balin would like to do, and could be an interesting challenge. For whatever reason, Balin strikes me as the type to pity and wish to put to rest most undead. Exceptions would include Liches and Vampires, as they are more likely to want to have become undead, and thus are more evil in his eyes. But he has no real malice towards these ghosts as he sees them as victims as they cannot be at peace.

What characters or story elements do you want to know more about?

Like Ilene (Fuzzball) I have very little knowledge of Ravenloft. Stradh I know only from an entry concerning him in Dragon magazine, and I have no idea who the ghost pirates are. So just about everything I'm interested in.

What characters or story elements are you not interested in?

There are a few exceptions to the above rule. I also don't care much about Arcadius. I think there are a couple more exceptions but as no more come to mind I leave it at that.

What do you think is going on? (Interpret any way you like, but please be specific!)

Frankly I haven't got a clue outside of the sidetrip Tessius and Balin are taking. I haven't been paying as much attention to the rest of the story and so have less of a comprehension as to the events. As for the island, I think Tessius released the spectres by killing that DL, although I'm unsure about the Jacob chap. The whole Morninglord thing has me quite a bit confused, because I thought Lathander was referred to sometimes as such. That will be an interesting conversation. As for what Balin thinks, he figures this plane is just completely messed up. He appears in a dinky little town, is joined later by a naked Tessius, and then they head off to an island which soon sinks due to natural causes. (Randomly rolled, Balin figured that islands just occasionally did that here.) Right now he is just trying to due the best he can while getting the idea this whole plane has some serious issues.


BTW, I've been having email trouble recently so it may be better if you sent emails to Ilene. It'll get back to me fairly quick.

[MatthiasStormcrow]

I'm not dead! I'm just working one and half jobs, getting ready to move in a month, and dealing with various other Real Life (TM) things. What precious amounts of time I can spend puttering around on the internet, have slowly been taken over by things other than this game, so this is just going to have to fight back for its fair share of a limited amount of time.

Biggest frustration: The pacing - not just this Big Stoppage we're just getting through, but it's always been the case with PbP that sometimes not much happens for days (weeks?) and other times, when everyone's around, we'll rip through huge chunks of story in a couple hours. Trouble is that you never know when which will be what. (Did that make any sense?)

Greatest Source of Pleasure: I love seeing what DS has cooked up for us. You get the sense of a big mystery and you've only got a couple of the pieces, and I'm dying to know how the rest of it all looks.

Most Epic Thing Done: Well, diving into the water (with no spells or anything) to fight a Kraken, and then winning - that still has to be up there somewhere. Though, I seem to remember a couple of 50+ results on Diplomacy checks, which, although the effects haven't been quite as obviously visually impressive, were certainly pretty cool.

The One Thing I'd Like to Do Before the Game Ends: Hmm. Tough one.

1.) Meet Peregrine
2.) Get to kill a Darklord. ("Can I kill him, please, please please? Aww, Ciera, you never let me have any fun!" ) Though, I'd settle for killing some crazy powerful monster or undead. ("Oh, Ashkar....")
3.) Completely alter the fabric society/daily life forever afterwards in Saragoss. (Ambitious? Me? Nah.)

That's not in any particular order.

Emotional Challenge: Oh yes. Not smashing in Arbrund's face for (in Cortez's mind) failing to protect Sambril better took great self-restraint; both the confrontation with Y'Gina and his conversion of Angus have been pretty emotionally charged. Getting cursed and being forced to give up his ships takes the cake thus far, though.

How Encounters Have Challenged My PCs Abilities: He hasn't been in much physical danger this campaign, his biggest challenges have been either trying to keep other people alive, or trying to break through all the hazing and social factors that influence all the Saragoss natives he meets. And honestly, his primo-number-one-biggest challenge has probably just been the fact that he can't teleport, fly or be in multiple places at once.

What I Want To Know More About: Well, I *really* wish the original Ciera was around to finish her introduction-flashback-story, because that was really interesting; I'd settle for getting to know more about Ciera generally, though. I'm also curious about Tessius, and of course I'm sure *everyone* wants to know if Peregrine's really Vecna, or the bastard love-child of Ezra and Vecna raised in secret by Gwydion, or what.

Oh, and I'd love to somehow find out, for certain, what the real deal was with the doppleganger.

Not Interested In: I kind of agree that the Core stuff seems like kind of a tangent. A cool one, but not really important - I guess it would interest me more if it seemed like the PCs were ever going to wind up there. Though, Nostalia Romaine is headed our way, which is cool. But a lot of it just seems like, "Oh, look what you happened to do in passing by accident; but you'll never actually have any effect on these things again." Much like if we were to start getting cut scenes about The Adventures of Zenzi Oddbar, the Abber Nomad with a 27th-level Shadowdancer's gear.

What Do You Think is Going On?: Well, Tessius and Balin are leaving a massive swath of Darklord-destruction behind them on their way to rejoin the rest of the gang, who are having some difficulty adjusting to everday Saragossan life, and not being terribly successful as far as blending in with the locals goes. Fortunately they have Ciera around, who knows enough to prevent them from leaving a DL-destruction trail behind them, too, or they probably would be, too. And everybody really, really needs a good night's sleep. Except for Peregrine, I guess, who isn't big on that whole sleep thing. And uh....I probably need to go re-read some of the old threads.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

In case anyone is confused, the truly "adult" content in Invictus's encounter with the Nightwalkers hasn't showed up yet. That post was only half of the spying mission, which I sent to Ilene for approval before writing the other half.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

While I'm waiting for folks to respond to this latest, I might as well respond to a few of the surveys and stir some discussion.

3) Rip through a ship stuffed with ghouls like a hot knife through butter (that story's not over, but the Raveners will never be the same again, and that's for darn sure.)

Quite right. For the sake of gloating, I'll let you know that they originally numbered over a hundred, once you include all the prisoners and undead. Your sunburst trick cut them down to less than twenty, and killed the first mate (a jolly roger) before he was even mentioned. That was the point where I noted one drawback to using undead: if they get killed off early, you can't bring them back as undead.

What's one thing you'd like your PC to do before the game ends?

1) Figure out who the heck he really is and what happened to him in the Shadow Rift
2) Throw down for keeps with an epic-level baddie
3) Show off some of the stranger Inquisitor class abilities

But heck, I'd settle for

4) Meet Cortez Vandrokar.

All of these are in the works!

How have encounters challenged your PC emotionally?

One word: Vecna?!?. The truth behind Peregrine's lost time and lost memories may be deeper and uglier than he (and I) ever imagined

What characters or story elements are you not interested in?

The royal family of Impiltur doesn't much do it for me, mostly because I came in from the Ravenloft side and so they have zero interest for my PC.

I'll try to tie this to you. I'd like everyone to have a stake in that plotline.

Ciera's "surmises" are so interesting that they changed what I was going to write...I was going to speculate that Peregrine is, in fact, Vecna. Peregrine has, literally, two souls within his breasts, or perhaps one soul split into two parts so definitively as to have them be irreconciable. His "madness" isn't healable because it isn't madness per se at all; there are two people in his head. (See: Davion the Mad, Easan the Mad--which would make him, I suppose, Peregrine the Mad.)

That would indeed explain my "almost without precedent" comment from the Peregrine thread. I'll refrain from saying more than that, though.

Peregrine killed Davion the Mad while in the Nightmare Lands (and if it turns out Davion the Mad is NOT dead, but piggybacked into Peregrine's brain and is actually the other personality, I will be very upset, as Davion is a lame wimpy darklord. To be hijacked by Vecna is glorious and thrilling! To be hijacked by Davion the Mad is ignominious.)

I promise, Davion is dead as dreams...wait...no I mean he's gone for good! Promise!

ANYway. Vecna wants out of the Demiplane. He tried to escape through a dreamsphere (Davion's) but didn't make it, so he convinced Peregrine to go into the Shadow Rift. Vecna's idea: to enter the Obsidian Gate, cut down Gwydion, and walk out into the multiverse as the Gate closes behind him.

Except Vecna managed to escape in another way. See "Die Vecna Die!" No, Peregrine's backstory crosses paths with Vecna before the Chained God got unchained, but it's doubtful they will ever meet again.

You have two elements quite correct. A forthcoming cut scene should shed a bit of light (er...darkness?) on the situation.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Ron's post was hilarious, but I have very little to comment on except this:

I'm so engrossed in Saragoss that I can't help but feel that all the stuff going on back in the Core is kinda tangential. Blaustein falling apart is cool, I'm digging that, but I'm not really into the whole Boritsis and Nostalia stuff right now, and I'm still looking forward to Balin and Tessius getting to Saragoss eventually. Blaustein has the feel of a very cool side-trek, but still a sidetrek.

Balin should remedy this problem shortly, assuming he doesn't die.

If he dies, I'm sure Tessius can fill in in a pinch.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Everyone being gone was frustrating, but good things are worth waiting for.

Not being familiar with the setting when the players around me are pros is a bit intimidating. I have the urge to ask questions all the time, but I feel dumb being the only one who doesn't get it. At the same time, I'd hate to ruin the newness of everything by picking up a bunch of books and learning about RL that way.

That's a tough decision. I'm not sure which would give you more enjoyment. If you decide you want a little more info, wikipedia's got a pretty good RL section.

What's your greatest source of pleasure with the game?

Interacting with the other players is my favorite part. I'm kind of sad that I didn't get to play at the very begining when everyone was together. That's why I asked to take over Invictus.

And done a wonderful job! I'm very pleased with your retroactive overhaul of Tessius, and I hope to tie it in with other elements very soon.