OOC: EwtF

[Rotipher of the FoS]

I'm still here, although I'm probably crazy to tackle this on top of the NS and VRF:D projects. Oh, and IRL work, mustn't forget the trivial stuff like that....

It might be better if we fast-forward from the Kingsley/Countess/Crow conversation, as Moral's and alhoon's PCs seem to be chatting a bit later in the evening than that. Unless you'd rather have their previous posts lead directly into Shadowcloak's interjection, for some reason, Nathan? (Like to scare ol' Crow out of his skin? )

[Nathan of the FoS]

Yeah, let's assume this happens during the conversation with the Countess and Crow, just to get things moving again. Eventually. (I'm busy with all the same stuff Roti is, so it may not go very fast.)

[Pamela]

@ Nathan and Roti: Gert's on her way back to the Countess and Crow. I didn't want to throw myself into your conversation, so just notice her when it seems appropriate.

Unless she gets waylaid of course.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Unless she gets waylaid of course.

Looks like you spoke too soon, Pam. But hey: it's high time we got some private Kingsley/Buchvold banter going!

Really nice job with Shadowcloak, BTW.

[Pamela]

Hey, it's all the joy of role-playing; as long I can read and write, I'm happy. I'm looking forward to this conversation- and a peeping tom, to boot!

And Shadowcloak was amazing, Nathan- although I wouldn't want to be alone in a room with him. Or even in a crowded room, for that matter.

[Moral Machivelli]

"So, after Master Shadowcloak gave you such infomation, you, a professor of religous studies,from a realm where Our Lady has a scant following came out to stand by a statue of ezra. Which Sect has Master Shadowcloak asked you to "Convert" to?"

Foul! Out of character knowledge!

I think this really does string together waaaayyy too many inferences for Buchvold to think of this at this point. I'm not at all sure it would be obvious to Buchvold that the statue is an ikon of Ezra, and considering that all Kingsley did was come outside and stand near it, and that she didn't acknowledge his first sally, he has no reason at all to connect her remark about the conversation with Shadowcloak to her coming out to look at the statue.

Sorry, MM. You'll have to work it out more gradually.

Ok, changed it, but Buchvold almost knows enough to guess. Kingsly has come out late at night, in the poring rain, after talking to Shadowcloak. He knows that she appears to have stood by a largly unremarkable statue for no apparent reason. He knows the professors chosen feild. If he finds out what the statue is, he can probably guess the rest. He might need to think about it, but he should be able to guess.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Ok, changed it, but Buchvold almost knows enough to guess.

I don't even know if that's true; she said that she's just spoken to Tarnos Shadowcloak, but the idea of the Shadowcloak asking someone to join the Ezrans is just plain bizarre, and is not something that would immediately occur to Buchvold. He doesn't know nearly enough about the Shadowcloak to understand why he would want to, or why he cares at all about Kingsley, and what Buchvold does know would point to something else. He doesn't have nearly enough information here yet.

Here's what Buchvold sees: Kingsley comes outside in the rain and looks for a moment at a statue. Why is she out there? Is she, like Buchvold himself, out there to see someone who missed his appointment? What's the significance of the statue? Even if Buchvold does learn it's a statue of Ezra, he has no reason to think of any religious reason for this action; after all, it is Gertrude's field of study.

Gertrude then mentions having just spoken to the Shadowcloak. This is fascinating, because why on earth would the Shadowcloak be interested in her? Could he care about her subject of research for some reason, or is it something else?

I'm sorry I'm cutting you short, MM; I'm doing it because a) it shouldn't be easy for the PCs to figure out the bizarre and elaborate machinations of the Fathers of the Fraternity, and b) it's not fair to Llana to have an action her character is considering taking as a sort of "secret mission" immediately become common knowledge to the rest of the Fraternity.

It might have been better to have the conversation by PM, but what's done is done; I like being able to show private interviews because it's more entertaining for everyone, but it does make it harder to keep the "PC knowledge vs player knowledge" barrier.

Any thoughts on that, BTW? Do y'all prefer secret business conducted secretly, or on split-screen (so to speak)?

[Nathan of the FoS]

And Shadowcloak was amazing, Nathan- although I wouldn't want to be alone in a room with him. Or even in a crowded room, for that matter.

Thanks, Roti and Llana. I'm glad it was a successful turn onstage; he might be the character I most want to do justice to, and it's definitely a challenge.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

I like split-screen. Half the fun is seeing what everybody else is up to, IMO, even if we can't use that knowledge in-character. Plus, it gives us more options for letting our PCs' plotlines "fortuitously" converge, when we-the-gamers actually agree that such intersections might be interesting.

Considering just how much duplicity is afoot in this game, having one player/PC knowledge boo-boo crop up, in all this time, is a pretty remarkable track-record, if you ask me! So let's not overreact, okay? Moral fixed it, so if Pam's okay with that, let's keep on as-is.

[Moral Machivelli]

Ok, changed it, but Buchvold almost knows enough to guess.

I don't even know if that's true; she said that she's just spoken to Tarnos Shadowcloak,

Read it cloasly

"The Shadowcloak honoured me with the news that I will be able to do my presentation soon, and who my examiners might be"

That's as good as stating that she's won Shadowcloak's backing.

but the idea of the Shadowcloak asking someone to join the Ezrans is just plain bizarre, and is not something that would immediately occur to Buchvold.
He doesn't know nearly enough about the Shadowcloak to understand why he would want to, or why he cares at all about Kingsley, and what Buchvold does know would point to something else. He doesn't have nearly enough information here yet.

True. However, Kingsly did let slip that the shadowcloak is now backing her. Immedietly afterwards she visits this statue(See below. Barring Kingsly telling him anything (Not likely ) Buchvold will be left at that for now, but he will folow this up. (Nathen, check your PM box.)

Here's what Buchvold sees: Kingsley comes outside in the rain and looks for a moment at a statue. Why is she out there? Is she, like Buchvold himself, out there to see someone who missed his appointment? What's the significance of the statue? Even if Buchvold does learn it's a statue of Ezra, he has no reason to think of any religious reason for this action; after all, it is Gertrude's field of study.

Gertrude then mentions having just spoken to the Shadowcloak. This is fascinating, because why on earth would the Shadowcloak be interested in her? Could he care about her subject of research for some reason, or is it something else?

You missed two major points. 1 kingsly has come immedietly from her talk with shadowcloak, and 2, unlike Buchvold and Serd, she is in plain veiw.It's resonably claer that since most members of the FoS are somewhat paranoid. (Buchvold and Serd for example, ) She's not meating anyone in secret, and thus, since no one poped up, she is meeting noone.. Whirlst what she is doing is going to be hard to determine, it is still suspicious.

I'm sorry I'm cutting you short, MM; I'm doing it because a) it shouldn't be easy for the PCs to figure out the bizarre and elaborate machinations of the Fathers of the Fraternity, and b) it's not fair to Llana to have an action her character is considering taking as a sort of "secret mission" immediately become common knowledge to the rest of the Fraternity.

No worries ,I'v never before played a game of internal affairs amoungst a load of power mad philosepher/mages but I think you're being pretty tolerent. but I can't help cursing you Nathen. Because of this, the plot just got even more complex.

It might have been better to have the conversation by PM, but what's done is done; I like being able to show private interviews because it's more entertaining for everyone, but it does make it harder to keep the "PC knowledge vs player knowledge" barrier.

Any thoughts on that, BTW? Do y'all prefer secret business conducted secretly, or on split-screen (so to speak)?

I prefer it this way. It gets confusing, as you have to try and keep track of what your chaacter knows, what he suspects, and what is really going on, but this is much more fun.

[Pamela]

Hey ho everyone!

I think the split-screen is good as long as it doesn't end up with omniscience. I say continue as it is for now. If it becomes a problem, then we move secret meetings into PM's and post them later, after the fact (a la the Frat meetings testing our actual identities). I don't like missing posts, but I also don't like arguments about what characters can guess or not.

[Pamela]

Sorry, I missed your last post, Moral when I did mine. But I do disagree with you.

Gertrude was seen by a whole room of people being approached by the Shadowcloak. She's given a plausible reason for it- she's been granted a chance at promotion. Why, of course, is open to anyone (still including Gert, who doesn't think he's done it completely from the goodness of his heart and his promotion of feminism). It is too much to assume that he's figured all this out. She isn't proclaiming to the heavens, "Hallelujah, Ezra, I've just been saved!"

As for being in plain view- it's pouring rain, it's dark, and there are no streetlights, as well as a yard full of tents. Wonder why she's there, but guessing she's in cahoots with the Shadowcloak over it seems too much to me. For all he knows, she may have left a note, or god knows what. Serd after all, isn't the only person capable of invisibility.

[Moral Machivelli]

Ok both points I admit(If only to end all this OOc argument, and get back to IC argument) but in the FoS, Granted a chance at promotion, as far as Gurt is concerned is the equivelent of Recieving backing (Their is still too much opposition.) Even if it wasn't, when Gurt does get her promotion, buchvold will assume that that was what she ment.Buchvold will press a little more, but then drop. However, he'll still keep an eye on the professor, as acting mysteriously immeditly afterwards, no matter what she was doing, is worthy of investigation

Arrgh. Sorry to be the root of all this argument (Esspecially as I haden't intended Buchvold to get mixed up in this in the first place)

[Nathan of the FoS]

Arrgh. Sorry to be the root of all this argument (Esspecially as I haden't intended Buchvold to get mixed up in this in the first place)

'Sokay. Group hug! Group hug, everyone!

We'll continue as before; just do your best to separate IC from OOC, and if you want something really, truly secret for some reason, do it by PM.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Since it's now becoming a factor (okay, it probably was already, but I hadn't yet thought it all out yet), here's what the average member of the Fraternity knows about the internal politics of the Fraternity. This will take several posts, but here's a start:

The most visible leaders are de Casteelle and von Lovenhorst; Malcolm Scott doesn't get out much, the Shadowcloak isn't around very often, and Mikkelson is too recently promoted to have the same level of respect the other Fathers get.

It is widely understood that de Casteelle and the Shadowcloak hate each other, and the division between the two of them is reflected to some degree within the Fraternity. The root of this split can be described by saying that de Casteelle thinks of the Fraternity as institutional and hierarchal, with a specific body of rules governing it, whereas the Shadowcloak considers it a collection of personalities with common interests and goals. De Casteelle is vehemently against admittance of women, bards, and non-humans, and not too keen on allowing sorcerers; the Shadowcloak is more inclined to accept anyone with talent and an interest in the arcane.