Tales of Riv'nar: The Chosen ((OOC))

Tkwiget wrote:This isn't high fantasy though. Never was intended to be. I just like some details to exist. =P

Heroic fantasy then. Many of the same tropes but the magic is weaker and the world's fate is decided by steel, not by magic or moral virtue.

Not that the magic need necessarily be strong... LotR actually had almost no magic as such; sure, elven craft was physically impossible by real world standards at that technology base, but there were exactly five Wizards and they were angels disguised as 'wizards'. Although apparently the two other wizards, who don't appear in person in the LotR trilogy, went and tried to teach other people magic, and the Mouth of Sauron was supposedly taught magic by Sauron himself. Still, it's a far cry from 'wizard in every party'.

I didn't read the LotR books but I can certainly say the movies lacked something. Not saying they weren't good, just seemed like they lacked something. Probably can't tell what that is since I haven't read those books.

I guess Tales of Riv'nar is heroic fantasy. I simply viewed it as regular old fantasy.

Tkwiget wrote:I didn't read the LotR books but I can certainly say the movies lacked something. Not saying they weren't good, just seemed like they lacked something. Probably can't tell what that is since I haven't read those books.
.

*takes an arrow to the heart, and falls over dead*

Wrong, on so many levels...

What am I wrong about again? LotR movies being good but still appeared to lack some things?

Tkwiget wrote:What am I wrong about again? LotR movies being good but still appeared to lack some things?

-thinking the LOTR movies are lacking (for I am obsessively obsessed with them and need no reason or explanation but my insanity to back myself up)

AND

- Not reading LOTR books (for I am obsessively obsessed with Tolkien and need no reason or explanation but my insanity to back myself up)

that is all.

I'm lazy and only read stuff that really perks my interest. It's probably why I'm so picky with the RPs I join.

Well, this isn't the thread to get into some debate about lord of the rings anyways. Not that I really want to get into one.

---

I'll post tomorrow afternoon or evening. To tired to conjurer up something right now.

I'm lazy too. That's why I watch the movies instead of re-reading the books...

Hey Klikxx, like how I'm following through with the idea?

The only thing I have a problem with is using Jax's internal thoughts against him. I went to the bold lettering a while back to make it easier for people to distinguish between what had been said aloud and what the character had said to himself. The shield comment was a feeling not a statement.

As for Fredric by his side. Doesn't really make him feel any more secure. He might as well tie bells around his limbs and do handsprings towards the castle. He would stand the same chance of going unoticed as moving through the woods with an armored knight.

Getting into the castle should be far less of a risk than what has been proposed. We have the assets we are just sitting on our hands. Here are a few thoughts outside of Jax's knowledge.

1)Magus(See I got it right for once) can see through his familiar. He has already spied on Jax.We could not ask for a better scout. The question is has he shared such knowledge with the group?

2)If I remember correctly, though I am probably making things up as I go along in my senility, Amelia was once a captive inside Soryin's Castle. If she made it out successfully there should be ample opportunity to get back in.

3) Fredric has made a treaty with a group of goblins. A few options present themselves here. They are much less conspicuous scouting the lay of the land for troops. They kind of blend right in with Soryin's troops. The possibility also is available where the group poses as captives being take to the dark sorceror. Far more risky but it still gets the group past the bulk of the troops.

These are only a few of the thoughts that have popped into my head. Surley the others have thought things through. After all their asses are on the line as well.

Ugh.. I'll have to fix something in the post. I'll fix the part with the shield.

I'm assuming you meant Jax hasn't shared the information he is a good scout. A thief, like Jax, probably has a better way of going unnoticed than a knight during a scouting operation. You have to be quick, silent, and swift to be a successful thief. I'm not sure how successful Jax is though. You never actually illustrated that and getting caught by guardsmen doesn't illustrate that. All thieves, at some point, will be caught. It was with that idea after we discussed our little plot twist in PMs that came to mind. Also, wouldn't make much since for a bat to be flying over a meadow in the middle of the morning. Erik would get shot down immediately once he is discovered to be a "scout" of some kind. At least with Kalus and Aron that problem won't be so bad cause the arrows coming from the ground would give away their position instantly to those on the ground. Thus, making their ambush a failure.

You are forgetting something. Amelia was a captive of Soryin, however, she was stationed at Dronus' goblin camp as their personal alchemist. When Dronus was defeated at the river battle, it was at that point Amelia was freed when they went to the goblin camp for the night. You also forgot that not all the goblins know about the alliance with Riv'nar. Only those that were loyal and were at Dronus' camp know about the alliance. All other goblins are ignorant of it.

One of the goals I wanted to make with the goblins was to establish the fact they are very similar to humans in behavior and physiology. Some will welcome Soryin as their leader while others hate him to the bitter end. Dronus doesn't have loyalty of every single goblin but he does for a large amount of them. The goblins back at Shardpeak Island don't really know what's going on at Riv'nar and a lot of them hate Soryin for what he did to them anyways.

The whole fake being captives idea could work, but it defeats the purpose of fighting through the castle to Soryin. If anyone actually remembered all those weeks ago, I had Soryin cast a spell on the castle. I rather not have that go to waste. There is a cave guarded by goblins that runs underground towards the castle caller, so perhaps that is something Darke or Kalus could remember about the castle. It use to be an escape route for nobles and important figure heads during times of war.

EDIT: Simply took the part out referencing to the "shield" feeling Jax was getting. I didn't realize I did that until you pointed it out. Thanks for doing that! Keep doing that for me cause even after I proofread the damn thing I still missed it.

I didn't think I had Amelia's story right in my head.

No, Jax has not pointed out his scouting abilities. Once again I reiterate. There is a difference between a klepotomaniac and a thief. He got caught because he wasn't aware he was doing it. It is a compulsive act for Jax not a skilled trade.

I still think the goblin allies should be of more use. You went through all the trouble of intoducing the alliance only to let it fall into the background. The leaders may know who is on which sdide but the rank and file probably wouldn't be as observant. Walk backwards and pretend they are moving away from somthing to provide a diversion. So dolt is bound to ask them what's up.

Believe me it works. I have pulled the stunt numerous times in paintball to have the opposing team give me their numbers and where people are positioned. All because of posturing. If they think you are on their side information is easy to come by.

Goblins don't really play that big of a role in this story at this point. That was the point. They probably will after Fredric becomes king, however, that won't be for a really long time. At least this is what I had planned. I don't think goblins would willingly oppose someone that could blow them up with a couple hand gestures then laugh insanely at the aftermath. They are simply to scared to oppose Soryin because of what he can do. He has magic that enables him to watch events unfold in real time. It's how he knows Fredric and Co. are coming in the first place. He is like that boss you fight against in a RPG that takes 15 minutes to kill. He is suppose to be powerful on purpose but certainly not too powerful that everyone practically dies in the process. Of course, he isn't meant to be easy either and the easy killing method is about to be eradicated as an option. Klikxx, you know what I mean when I say that.

Right now there is an alliance between humans and goblins, but it isn't strong enough for goblins to take orders from a Riv'nar prince. To die for Fredric if needed. It's more like a ceasefire between the races until further discussions are conducted with King Delryn and the council that surrounds him.

Just ask yourself if you were a goblin that was there when the alliance was forged if you would fight and die for Riv'nar, a kingdom you have no reason to really care about. I doubt you would just go and fight for the hell of it. Even if I made the goblins in these stories out to be a semi-savage warrior race, still doesn't mean they would just die for the hell of it or fight just to fight.

I didn't read the LotR books but I can certainly say the movies lacked something.

Yeah, lacked something. That's why they won a clean sweep of the oscars. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, yup yup, lacked something, yeah.

( )

Would I fight for Riv'nar?
Given the situation probably. Riv'nar is going against the tyrant that enslaved me. I would be asked by the man (Fredric) who forged the treaty and gave us hope. What is there not to fight for? If Fredric dies who will know of the foundation of the alliance? The goblins accomplish nothing staying out of the fight.

Personally it is Jax that is struggling to join the fight. There is little for him to gain in all of this. He has already cheated death only days earlier. Why push his luck?

Not all goblins, like all humans, agree that Soryin enslaved them. Some of them actually are crazy and ignorant enough to follow him. Some are so blood thirsty that they follow him just to see more battles. Although, the majority of goblins do hate Soryin and most of them aren't in Riv'nar. This is of course not including the ones he has under control through magical means.

As for Jax finding a reason to join the fight.. I have one for him. If he doesn't help get rid of Soryin, the crazy warlock will grow even stronger. If he doesn't help, Riv'nar will be destroyed by Soryin and not just a couple Titans. Jax has no means to actually survive against Soryin after he fully bolsters his army. He's a warlock and that implies demon armies. Honestly, demon armies would be much more difficult to take down than 6 Titans. So if he doesn't help destroy Soryin that is what he will have to deal with. Picking the lesser of the two evils would be a much easier path to take.

There is other reasons why Fredric told Jax that he had found his skills measured. Depending on how things progress from this point, will determine whether or not Jax finds his place as one of Fredric's future scouting captains for his kingdom's military.

There is a very important thing to realize with people who spend their whole lives taking care of themselves under leaders they have no particular affinity for: there is no difference between one dictator and the next. A person like Jax wouldn't care if the current king was going to be replaced by a crazy warlock with demon armies. Well....he would, but that wouldn't be enough to change is outlook on life. Jax seems like the kind of character who has always looked after himself first, rather than relying on others for help and safety. So if there was going to be a war coming, that wouldn't necessarily change that outlook because that is what he's used to and comfortable with. I would assume that a character like Jax would never put his life on the line in the scenario we have here and would rather continue acting on his own and protecting himself even with the dangers that are coming.

The only thing I would imagine changing that is Jax forming a bond with someone, or everyone, in the party and realizing that there is actually more to take care of than himself. Sorry if I'm totally wrong here, Klikxx, but that is just how I see your character.

Silvone, You kind of hit the nail on the head when it come to Jax.

If he was offered the right deal he might well sell out the entire group to Soryin. Not that the crazy warlock would keep his word. Right now there is no loyalty.

What still has meconfused about all of this is if the goblin the group was under the control/leadership of Soryin before the party met them why they would be so reluctant to join the cause? Sure they may be a small faction operating in complete autonomy from the motherland or even others in Riv'nar but they would follow their own independent leader who trusted the prince enough to sign a temporary treaty. If the didn't believe in the prince and what he stood for why give up the fight? They could be influenced. Jax being self centered would be much more difficult to convince.

I agree that the goblins should put in their effort here in disposing of Soryin. But I guess it depends on whether or not the goblins in this world are self-centered enough to believe that it isn't their fight or responsibility to dispose of him, that it is Riv'nar's responsibility and only then will they deal in peace terms.

In logical terms, the goblins fighting alongside the prince of Riv'nar would be the bonding terms for any future relations. Standing aside will not help the goblins at all: it doesn't give them any weight in future negotiations, nor does it help them if the prince were to fail in killing the warlock. So, the goblins have more to gain by participating, even if a majority of their own group dies, because it adds more certainty to their success as well as gives them bargaining chips later on.

And again, Jax lacks all of these motivational factors as he has only himself to worry about, so he would naturally be even harder to convince than the goblins. So, in my own opinion, it would just seem weird to have Jax fighting along with us and the goblins being completely absent from the scene.

Well I didn't plan on bringing the goblins in the story in more detail. At least that was my plan. I guess that's changing now.

Dronus has about... 50 soldiers I believe. Yeah, something like that.

We left the "planning" totally open. You could easily say that Fredric agreed that the Goblins would circle around and help reinforce them from a different area near Soryin's castle. Or something like that.

Yeah, we could do that. I've got an idea of how I'll execute this. I don't like the idea of Dronus and his soldiers just appearing out of thin air at Soryin's castle.

You could have Fredric mention something about it now, and we'll pretend we all knew about it all along. Except Jax and whoever else wasn't in the command tent. Magus and Zephyr and Amelia might not know, for example.

I suppose that could work. We never did play that part out in detail, which is probably turning out to be a good move on our part now instead of a sloppy one.

I think I'll have the goblins meet up with everyone else when they stop and make a make-shift camp to rest and eat.

I knew all along it would pay off when we didn't go into detail about the planning tent.

After sitting for a day, these bottles would become explosives that would have a radius of 3 meters or so. She made enough for each to have two, but she could carry no more.

I'm just posting this here so I won't forget when I make my IC post. Will post after Silv, if I have time...So much crap going on right now in RL I can't even begin to describe!

It's okay. The majority of us are busy with other things as well. If the RP slows down a little bit, there is little we can do about it.

I guess I should post soon to help promote others to post. Expect one from me in late afternoon. Anyone else that finds the time to post in the RP would be great to see as well. I know everyone is busy with other stuff.

I will be posting. Mainy thoughts I have already presented in the OCC but I want to further Jax's views.

Yes, I have to admit I got distracted with a project of mine these past few days. So the discussion kind of ended shortly. Although I do think we came to some conclusions about some things. Mainly the goblins and their part.

Let's try to keep things moving. I've opened a discussion between everyone and that should help out greatly in keeping things progressing forward. Also, I know most of you are busy with stuff but let's make an effort to not just keep this role-play going but all the other ones we are involved with.

And welcome back Eternity! Finally got that awesome high speed internet again!