Legend of Renalta 2: Reborn

[Brovo]

Hmm...you know.

Right now I'm writing up a new Rhinefield character, where I was planning on having him join the Queen's Blades after the Papal battle; this would be due to disagreeing with Davian's politics. If you want, we can make a collab introducing my character, and if Davian actually is responsible for a war crime he'd know and be willing to help the case.

Haven't written him up fully yet but just wanting to ask, will probably finish writing him tonight or tomorrow.

Either way, a Templar against Davian could only further this goal well. I'd be thrilled to have you if Brovo greenlights the venture.

 

[Brovo]

Also, double post, shame on me, et cetera, but to clarify the Davian case for all involved.

Davian's order could be considered a war crime if, and only if, it can be proven that his orders directly resulted in the unnecessary slaughter of innocent people. "Unnecessary" is the key word there, because it could easily be argued that crushing the spirit of the Papal army was necessary to prevent an immediate, follow-up insurrection. On the other hand, it can also be argued that the only reason the order came, is because Davian wanted revenge for the death of Taigyn, and he wanted it paid in the blood of people who never even met Taigyn once in their lives. This will be entirely dependent on Rheinfeld's government, however, the current reigning government (The Papacy) has just been deposed, meaning there is no stable government that has the authority to declare whether or not Davian is a war criminal. Other countries could be convinced into considering him a war criminal, and their words on the matter could influence what the new government of Rheinfeld will choose to do. After all, international pressure is a real deal in real world politics, so I guarantee you that it's a real deal in the world of Renalta's politics as well. If you truly wish to disbar Davian from rulership, and have him tried as a war criminal, you will want to achieve the following.

1. Convince Alida: You'll have to convince Alida that not only is it the right thing to do, but that it should be done. Right now, she might consider burying war criminal charges if it means a more advantageous political position for her faction, or at the very least, a stable government from which to prepare for the Nine Hells invasion. Without this, your odds of success are quite low, so consider this your "primary" objective.
2. Find A Suitable Replacement: Davian is likely to hire a new second in command before the diplomatic union meets in the capital of Renalta. There will be a data entry on him or her to match, replacing Taigyn's entry. This person will be the most likely, suitable replacement. You'll need to convince them why it would be in their best interest to turn on Davian. Securing this would be helpful, but it isn't entirely necessary if the Rheinfeld Republic gets the majority of the political power and Alida decides to pursue war crime charges.
3. International Pressure: Convince other world leaders to put vocal pressure on Rheinfeld to punish Davian for his crimes. This will be difficult, since no nation will want to be the first to stand up and do this: Even Kouri would hesitate to do so, as denouncing another country's potential leadership post-victory as "war criminals" is an extremely politically damaging event for the accuser if they stand alone. You'll likely want to convince at least 2-3 nations to do this together, as any nation doing it alone may change their mind and not speak up when the time comes to do so. In short, think of a Native American proverb: One arrow alone can easily be broken, five arrows bound together are far stronger than alone.
4. Convince Davian: It may still be possible to convince him that he's not suitable for leadership. While it's doubtful that you could get him to agree to being a war criminal (for obvious reasons of wishing to protect his family's estate and honour), guilt is a powerful emotion, and you may be able to get him to agree to put someone else in power instead of himself. If he was truly evil, he would have spared nobody: He went out of his way to order his soldiers to target papal affiliates, not civilians, and certainly not women and children. So in his mind, he's probably still a gallant and honourable knight. Try to manipulate that.

Beyond this, I have no more advice. For how your characters might know this IC-wise, you can simply assume that they took the advice from Queen Kouri of Renalta--she's more than willing to provide political advice to her Queen's Blades, and has several years of political experience on her belt to share with them.

 

[Chrononaut]

I have to confess...

I read that name as "Doomfist the Unplayable."

 

[Brovo]

I changed some things around.

Approved, again.

@Limeypanda Ding! Approved.

We're out of double up slots. Officially.

@Chrononaut You can't have a second character, so you'll need to choose between the two on offer.

Doomslash: Each swing of his sword counts as multiple slashes with a lower chance to hit.

I don't understand this. Clarify?

One foot at a time: Missed attacks can end with a backstep, avoiding blows of opportunity
One foot at a time (Rank 2): Backsteps have a further chance to end with a return lunge.

Be aware that certain opponents may ignore this and press forward, especially if they're aggressive. Think Orcs, or Doom Guards.

Otherwise, I like both of these characters, and can pretty much approve either with minor alterations.

Listen up everyone!​

I plan on getting the intermission post done over the next couple of days. At the very latest, it will pop up over the weekend! Keep your eyes open.

 

[Slade]

Franco Polska

• Biographical Section Stats. Traits & Equipment blood pact

  • 
    
    
    Name: Franco Polska
    
    Age: 25
    
    Race: Human
    
    Sex: Male
    
    Appearance:
    
    Rank: recruit
    
    Homeland: Free Holds
    
    Biography: Franco, along with a Fraternal twin sister, Agna, was born to a vagrant mother and an unknown father and spent his childhood begging and sifting through trash for anything that he could either eat or sell. Growing up in this environment naturally made him stingy and resourceful and his miserly attitudes clashed with his Mother's charitable nature and would give more than half of their coin earned through begging to fellow derelicts, with Franco bitterly complaining that these very same people would have never lifted a finger to help them in return. By the time he was a teenager he loathed his mother and her sense of almost saintly morality and refused to give her even the slightest of scraps he had pillaged himself. When a plague broke out in the city the poor were hit the hardest and Franco's mother was afflicted and died quickly after her outbreak. Soon after Agna had come down with the same sickness and Franco had begun to provide basic care for his sister. However, Franco was distraught and the stress of constant poverty and caring for his ill sister caused a mental breakdown and he abandoned his sister to her fate and left the city. He was only 16 years old.
    
    Roaming from city to city in the Free-Holds he quickly became involved in the shady underworld due to the allure of easy money and found himself under the wing of a mysterious entity known only as "The Face-Changer" due to his ability to morph his body into anything he wished. Franco became an apprentice of sorts to the Face-Changer and was slowly being taught the very same magic-but taking a different approach; instead of forging faces, Franco learned to forge lines of credit, government paper work, and anything in between using magic.
    
    Even though Franco had only been employed under the Face-Changer for two years and his "training" hadn't been completed (The Face-Changer hinted that he would eventually teach Franco how to change forms) at the age of 18 he felt bored and restless and so fled the Free-Holds to Tuleria where he masqueraded as the only child of impoverished nobles by forging a fake genealogy and a deed to land titles that didn't even exist! But due to his boyish charm nobody cared to look deeper into the deception and took his word at face value and soon found himself enrolled at one of Tuleria's finest fencing schools. The next fours years he became rather skilled with the Rapier and quickly picked up proper manners and characteristics conducted by nobility. He funded his extravagant lifestyle by cashing in fraudulent credit in banks all throughout Tuleria's cities, cycling through different ones to avoid capture.
    
    By the time he reached his 22 birthday his fraud was eventually revealed and he was forced to flee Tuleria and barely escaped the country, killing a few guardsmen in desperate struggles before finally crossing the border and making the long journey to Renalta. Where he hoped he could easily exploit the newly created kingdom with all its holes still left un-patched. He still manage to cash out lines of credit and with fake paperwork impersonated himself as various lower end government officials for personal gain, but he never achieved the same success he did in Tuleria. Frustrated and desperate, Franco decided to impersonate himself as a member of the Queen's blades. However he had over-estimated his abilities and was not capable of making a true copy of the royal seal and was imprisoned immediately. However, upon looking at the forged document his captors were impressed with the level of skill used and upon determining through a series of interrogations that he was no spy. He was "persuaded" to join the Queen's blades with the promise that he would use his "special talents" to benefit the Kingdom and any further attempts to steal money within Renalta's borders would be met with severe punishment. Franco grudgingly agreed.
    
    Motivation: Greed. An unquenchable greed that stems from Franco's traumatizing childhood and the resulting urge to constantly make money no matter what.
    
  • 
    Heavy Stat: 5
    
    • Perseverance: 0.
    • Defender: 0.
    • Heavy Hitter: 0.
    • Combat Senses: 0.
    • Repositioning: 50.
    
    Light Stat: 29.
    
    • Reflexes: 60.
    • Cloak of Innocence: 40.
    • Rapid Blows: 50.
    • Sharp: 60.
    • Dancer: 80.
    
    Magic Stat: 6
    
    • Raw Talent: 0.
    • Mastery: 60.
    • Wells of Power: 0.
    • Pattern Weaving: 0.
    • Fortitude: 0.
    
    
    • Custom Traits:
    • Magical Forgery [3 points]: It only takes Franco seeing someone's signature or seal once before he can copy it flawlessly using an obscure form of transformative magic. This ranges from financial documents that allow him to borrow lines of credit in other peoples names (potentially resulting in an endless supply of money), to fake land deeds that he sells to anyone gullible enough, and bureaucratic government documents that he uses to either slip through the system or to pose as a government official to exploit for profit (such as a tax collector). He can pretty much mimic any legal document to near perfection. When it comes to magical seals he is still capable of producing a realistic copy though his failure to create a copy of the Renaltan royal seal proves that he has his limitations.
    
    
    • Snake oil smile [4 points]: Franco is a smooth, calm and reassuring talker. He can pray on a man's insecurities yet will promise that he is the answer to all of their problems and puts people into a false sense of security where he can begin to exploit and manipulate them to get what he wants. His charm and colorful facial expressions can allow him to dominate any conversation and this is particularly useful in the very proper world of the Nobility, where Franco's four years of fraudulent identity in Tuleria taught him every manner needed to sway these powerful people over to his side.
    
    
    • Mad Dancer [3 points]: What is often emphasized in fencing is not so much the sword, but the footwork. Duels are won by those who have the quickest and smartest steps and Franco has picked up on it and made it one if his most dangerous skills. His footwork is erratic, confusing and unpredictable; being able to literally "dance" around an opponent while making it hard to even land a strike on Franco.
    
    Story Traits:
    
    Equipment List: Civilian clothes: White shirt with a light brown vest followed by black pants and cavalier boots
    
    Thrusting Rapier
    
    Dagger
    
    six small throwing daggers hidden under his vest
    
  • 
    Romance: Sure, lets go for it
    
    Does the Kouri Plushie Exist?: There was a Sisera plushie too, but it was recalled for health violations.
    
    Signature: Slade
    

 

[Snakey]

Bartholomew Umber, finally done.

 

[Brovo]

New NPC added to replace Taigyn. You can view him in the main post, or below here.

Name: Emil Landsteiner.

Role: Second in command of the Templar Order.

Age: 28.

Sex: Male.

Appearance

• Height: 6'2"
• Weight: 220 LBS.
• Hair colour: Blonde.
• Hair style: Kept tied back in a pony tail.
• Eye colour: Green.
• Skin colour: White.
• Normal Dress: Found in the standard dress of the Templar Order--that is, heavy plate mail. His family's crest, a simple, lit wax candle, is adorned upon the chest piece, and upon his shield.

Facts

• A brutal hand to hand combatant who relies on his strength and shield to fight defensively. He is known for drawing fights out to long lengths of time, so as to fatigue an opponent, then take advantage of a weakness. Prior to his recent promotion to second in command, he also had experience commanding entire groups of Templar.
• A well educated if somewhat boring fellow with no particularly exemplary traits that stand out being exceptional competency at everything he does. Perhaps the only remarkable thing about this man is he has been happily in wedlock for four years, but has failed to produce offspring as of yet. Ideologically, he is probably the perfect example of a standard noble Rheinfelder. At least, by the views of the Templar Order which he serves.
• This man is second in line for heir of his family's fortune and fame, only playing second fiddle to his older sister, who is the head of the household. Both of his parents are dead.
• He dreams of one day visiting the stars, somehow, as he believes the Gods are somewhere out among the stars... Just waiting to be found again.
• He is a man easily fascinated by other cultures, though distrustful of foreigners. A strange combination to be sure.
• During the slaughter of the Papal Forces, Emil Landsteiner was busy bringing wounded Templar and Rheinfeld Republic soldiers to the back lines, where they could receive medical attention. He did not participate in the slaughter, though he has kept his mouth shut on how he feels about it.

I'm working on the intermission opening stuff. Expect to see it soon.

 

[Maxim]

Sebastian is done!

...freaking finally. Hope it's all right.

 

[Brovo]

Intermission period has started! New characters can now start posting so long as they're approved. Collaborative posts will be the main method of progression, either with myself or with other players as the case may be. Your objectives are largely your own in this section, though there are a list of noted political points below you can start with if you're struggling to figure out what to do. Atop this, realize that the intermission period lasts around 2-4 weeks IC-time. This means that you can have several collaborative posts occur during any time frame—day, evening, night, week day, weekend, or otherwise, and there won't be any plot holes created as a result.

The intermission period will likely be between 2-3 months long in real life time. PM collabs are possible, same with Google Docs, though IM's will be the fastest way to complete them. (Skype: brovo196 Steam: Add this dipshit. For that dipshit is I, the GM. ) PiratePad or TitanPad are also possible, but often have connection problems. At any point from the convening of the Diplomatic Union onward, your characters can be present to witness any number of the events, or even all of them.

Recruits: You're new to the Queen's Blades, congratulations! This means that your in-mission resources are going to be limited, and you'll need to largely depend on your own wits, and each other. While there isn't technically a hierarchical order, it would likely be in your best interests to listen to whatever the Veterans have to say during missions. Outside of that, these are likely to be your primary objectives.

1. Create Political Relationships: World leaders and legendary characters across the ages are all here, and all willing to speak to you, in one sort of fashion or another. Talk to them! Find out what you can do for them, or simply introduce yourself and try to get on their good sides. You likely won't have time to talk to all of them, so pick the ones you feel are best aligned with your interests.
2. Curry Favours: See if you can't find some way to gain extra equipment, training, artifacts, soldiers, or otherwise from the various powers that be. Be aware that most will likely require something in return.
3. Develop Relationships & work with other PC's and/or Companions: It never hurts to combine political pressure via friendships! Work together to whittle down the skepticism or distrust that politicians may express towards you.

Regulars: Hi Mars, welcome back to the Queen's Blades! Most of your advice is akin to that of the Recruits, you need to form new political inroads and the like. A good place to start, though, may be with people who would remember you.

Veterans: You're all not new to this whole "political favours" business, and thus, shouldn't need any advice from me about what to do.

Dean is free for play for @Orion for the duration of the Diplomatic Union, and can act freely. Xixis and Kregg are free for @Kadaeux to play as for the duration of the Diplomatic Union, though I still need to write mission text for them. Once that's done, I can explain what it is to Kadaeux, so he can understand and relay that to players who collaborate with his characters. He's also free to have his characters interact with other leaders for matters of diplomacy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

Political favours​

These are only some of many potential interactions you can do, for the sake of politics or otherwise. Remember that friendships with powerful figures make it easier for you to acquire aid from those figures, or to convince those figures to confess things to you, or do something for you. Such powerful figures also include Renaltans—Queen Kouri, Queen Alexandria, and General Hanus, more specifically.

• Valetorias' Mercy: Valetorias demanded, on behalf of The Choir, that his Underdark proposal require the slaughter of any and all Drow in their way—innocent or not. You may yet be able to convince "it" to stand down, if you know how to barter properly.
• Vacancies in the Free Holds: One would imagine that Tina is not likely very picky about who her friends are right now, and would remember to reward anyone who aided her quite generously. Though, such generosity might need to be negotiated...
• Deal with the Devil: Only proverbial, in this case, as Sarah Darkhammer is no demon. Though, it is possible to acquire nearly any information one wishes from her, they always have to pay a price...
• Davian's War Crimes: Regardless of whether or not one considers him a war criminal, it may still yet be possible to damage his reputation, or even push him away from leadership altogether... (Started by Orion & Maxim.)
• The Aid of Angels: Though unofficial, Angel's Blood is no longer being distributed to the Queen's Blades. Archangel Myria has not said why, and such a valuable item has repeatedly saved the lives of Queen's Blades already. It may pay to investigate this.
• Helénē's Future: After successfully negotiating peace with the mountain orcs and proving her weight in gold, many Liverian noble families have been petitioning to marry into her line. It's very likely that within the next month or so, she will have to choose someone to marry, regardless of how she feels.
• Renaissance of Power: Tuleria has undergone many significant changes, pulling out several inventive devices that could almost be mistaken for Mechanist designs. Further investigation, and "deal-making", might earn one a few nifty toys for the future.
• Imperial Unity: With the Imperium at its height of power, it can likely send aid to the other nations. Florence, however, might need to be convinced as to what gain there would be in weakening Imperial defenses for foreigners…
• Corruption Afoot: Archangel Myria and Valetorias have both quietly confirmed that there is demonic corruption afoot. They are unable to pinpoint who, or what, is affected, as something seems to be masking the corruption. It might not hurt to ask others, better versed in magic, to try and pierce such a veil.
• Aid for the Dwarves: Of all the factions in the war so far, aside from Tuleria, the Dwarves have probably been hit the hardest. Even if their mission is taken, it likely won't mend all the wounds between them and the Diplomatic Union. It might not hurt to inquire as to what small deeds could be done to alleviate their plight.

Also, yes, more character reviews and the like soon. Story traits soon as well.

 

[Alphakoka]

Bah, light's out.

 

[Rain of the Night]

Man, making a character seems so much harder now xD.

 

[Firemind]

Since we are officially in the intermission period, this is the part where I say 'I'm open to collabs with either of my characters!'

So...yeah; you have the choice between an Ex-Slaver and a Pretty-Princess-Pirate-Werewolf-lady.

 

[Seba]

Ditto! I know I'm new, but I'm eager to get involved.

 

[Jorick]

I am also up for loads of collabs. Kasim is the more likely choice, but Kria needs friends too.

 

[Alphakoka]

Same here.

 

[Snakey]

I'll chuck Cennick into the potential-collab-pool and Bart once he's accepted.

 

[Orion]

Dean and Aslo are free to chat up as well.

 

[Holmishire]

I have now updated my CS. Some of the uniques have yet to be named, but I hardly expect that such trivialities will affect approval decisions, so.

Notably, I've abandoned most of her speed-boost traits because having a high score in Repositioning should have the same effective result, I suspect—please correct me if that is not so. I've also updated her bio, making it more straightforward and slightly modified to account for earlier mistakes. For example, somehow I have consistently missed the reference to her magical ability, which hasn't been a thing since the first iteration of LoR2—of which she was never even a member.

Neither Eüchia nor my back-ups have been modified: the former for she is an NPC, though I might add a brief bio later; and the latter two because I do not plan on using them for some time.

 

[Brovo]

Everyone, let me know if I missed a character in the approval process. I'm sure one or two are slipping my mind.

Doomfist is approved. @Chrononaut

Franco is approved. @Slade

Franco reminds me of this. I like it.

Bartholomew Umber is approved. @Snakey

Sebastian Gentrase is approved. @Maxim

@Holmishire Aeyr is now a veteran.

@Darog Toorg is now a regular. (I could bump him up to veteran so you have mission vote privileges, but ICly it'd make more sense that Toorg would be a regular. He doesn't really possess much in the way of mental faculties.)

Also...

@Orion @Kestrel Aslo & Esyllt each respectively still need to be updated to the new system. Unless it missed it somewhere.

 

[Kestrel]

I should probably mention RP'ing has dropped down the list quite a few notches lately. Work, despite being great, drains all my creative energy. So, that's my excuse.