Terracotta: Our Lost Kingdom General Board

[Aldersmaine]

Surely there will be more questions asked.

[Quaddy]

Does this mean we have to type everything about the plot again? *falls over*

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

We don't HAVE to put it all down again lol. It's definitely an option though because I run another one of these proboards forums and it's been up for a good 6 years now I believe so yeah. It's a pretty secure location.

[Aldersmaine]

Only if the same questions are asked by others I think.

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

That sounds about right. Sooooooo how is this shaping up?

I'm seeing Aeon become sort of an adversary at a certain point until he comes around (if he does). His love for Elysia is in fact an obsession so he'd have to fall in love with someone else probably in order to break that hold and yes it would be fitting for him to end up with someone so I have to probably come up with another character since we already have all our writers onboard I believe.

[Quaddy]

I think Wenston still has to join, but I dunno what she has planned. So, yes, you would probably have to create your own character in order to have him fall in love with someone.

As far as being an adversary, it would be best if all that was kept inside the character's head. Rei is certainly not going to announce to anyone that the real reason she's on this trip is to save Shade and destroy the Terracotta spell. Toire might know, by virtue of being her...acolyte, I suppose is the right term, but no one else would. As far as anyone else knew, she'd just be there as a guard. She would know that SOMEONE was working for the Dream Goddess, but not who, and so Aeon would know that someone is working for Shade, but not necessarily who.

It'll only become apparent that Shade is the good guy--I plan on really working him up in everyone's imagination to be evil and scary--a little later. Probably about the same time Aeon realizes he's fighting for a calculating bitch.

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

Yeah it'll definitely be in his head and he's going to be self serving but I plan on him basically 'doublethinking' himself into believing he's doing everything right and not for himself and his own ambitions. Every time he begins to doubt Elysia will visit him in half dreams which is a state I've come up with that he enters when he's exerted himself a lot and is exhausted. Since he can't sleep he basically becomes extremely tired and sleepy to the point of lethargy for a bit and in this state he can hallucinate or be contacted by Elysia.

[Quaddy]

Sounds cool to moi.

[Aldersmaine]

It all sounds good to me!

I warn you Zeph That Toire will probably kiss Aeon at some point during he enemy phase. lol I imagine being kised by a rather manly looking man would shock him out of that super powerful magic dream state lol.

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

LOL yeah it probably would! I hadn't even thought about that as a weakness!

That would make total sense that he could be shocked 'awake' from his dream state! Nice one

[Aldersmaine]

Thank you!

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

No problem

[Quaddy]

That would be a really funny scene, actually. And would fit into Rei's plan for Toire, who'd definitely see it as confirmation that he would be a great Head Priest of Shade.

[Aldersmaine]

;D

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

Lol yeah I can see it being a pretty amusing scene coming off of a serious one.

[Matt]

I think I missed out on a lot of talk didn't I. Anywhere I can catch up on all this because right now, reading this, it's like I've been given an info-booklet only it's just the back page that's in tact.

[Aldersmaine]

Lol... Well ask questions and it'd be easier to inform you. Pretty much though you have free reign of things in regards to your character and how you want them to interact.

[Quaddy]

We really must stop doing this on W.com and not here...

[Aldersmaine]

Oh do have fun trying to read this transcript lol


Oh, Rei. Getting to be Shade's mother and lover at the same time. So very Wiccan of me.

Let's see...I believe that KC's character--the good guy--is the one that gets the whole group together to go on what is essentially a glorified treasure hunt. He also gets to turn what is a dirty, unjust city into a much better place to live. But we really haven't planned much outside of that. I was trying to figure something out for Mynt's character--I was thinking her character could be the one who falls into the Terracotta world for the first time. Kenaz would likely sense that there are people bound into a spell, but he wouldn't necessarily be able to cross over. Someone needs to fall in and see things for how they really are. Aeon will see it in dreams, but he'll see it how the Emperor and Elysia want him to see it--as a paradise where no one grows old, no one gets sick, and everyone dies. But eventually, everyone comes to see it for what it really is: a trap, in which souls are held in stasis for all eternity. The Emperor did it to save them all from a plague--one that
even he, a very powerful mage, could not stop, and which was in the process of killing everyone--but now they're trapped.

I think perhaps a convergence is best. Shade sends Rei after Toire, steering Kenaz towards the group, as well. So they meet, they free Toire (perhaps they meet while freeing the slaves), they go their separate ways until they meet again when the Treasure map thing happens? Or do they become friends and stay together? Rei won't let anyone know that she is Shade's acolyte (Lover-to-Be), but I imagine that Kenaz' abilities would clue him in a bit. Toire won't know exactly what's up except that she is tied to Shade somehow (until later), Aeon will be led to believe that she is a mercenary working for the money and that Toire is her assistant. I think it could be cool if Kenaz and Rei have a moment where Kenaz reveals he actually knows what Rei is and even offers to release her, but Rei says no. Part of her wants to, but as the campfire goes on, the longing begins to overtake the distrust and she ends up Shade's Bride in truth. Kenaz could actually narrate that transformation...no
ting that the chains begin to disappear the more Rei falls for Shade.

I don't know what else we had planned?
-Quaddy



Quaddy, we should work together more often. Oh wait.... More seriously - I think that idea
is kind of awesome. And not just because it gives me more context to play with. And I like
that Mythos ha ha. Makes me feel all important and stuff.

What's the rest of the context? Is there a plan with more characters than
Aeon/Toire/Rei?

And does this mean your character is seeking mine out, Q, or do we want the accidental
meet being a sort of less than accident? Are our characters meeting yours B or are you
slipping away?

Matt

On 9/18/12 at 4:40pm, Beast Blue wrote:

And thus begins a new Mythos. The Shade of Death God, The Bride-Mother of Shadows,
The
Grand Dragon of Shades.

On 9/18/12 at 1:20pm, Quaddy wrote:

I like the idea of the big slave trade. Releasing everyone could prove a great
way
to show
Kenaz' tragedy (freeing things at the expense of his Will, which he wants
to
keep, but
not at the expense of leaving things chained), and Rei would see it as a way
to free
Toire
without anyone realizing they were after him. If the slavers knew that someone
had
come
specifically for one Rook slave, they would double down on finding him pronto.
But
if
everyone escaped, Toire could slip away amongst the others.

It seems to me that Kenaz might have a role in releasing the spirits, too. Or
even
Shade
himself. Shade has to be reborn through Rei, right? Maybe he thought releasing
the
spirits
from the Terracotta would be enough, but it isn't? Maybe in order for
Shade to
die/be
reborn after the fight with Elysia, the very belief that people have in him
and the
way
his Cult is twisting his power is preventing him from being reborn. I was
trying to
figure
out why it is that they go around killing young kids all the time (during the
ritual
death--Shade shows himself for the ones he wants, only he really doesn't,
the
Cult
decides who they want...except for Rei, obviously). Maybe it acts as a sort
of
binding
thing...like Shade can't die because of it. Only Kenaz can free him,
knowing it
would
release the Wild for good, so Shade promises to let him die in return for his
help.

Or something. Rei's going to need a friend in the Death Realm besides
Shade...she and
Kenaz can play checkers.
-Quaddy


Probably not but i have an awkward schedule due to being somewhat on
call
24/7.

Dyne would likely have a large slave market for sure. Hell perhaps
Toire's
more
aggressive nature all of a sudden is related to Kenaz being near. After
all
Toire's
nature of the Blue word in his blood (one of the top reasons the Rook
are
solitary
to
their own race) tends to cause him to reflect magics regardless of
their
forms.
Having
Kenaz near him would most certainly cause his more wild urges to
surface
easier, if
not
out of control at one point or another. Ooh possible plot twist yay!


On 9/18/12 at 11:57am, Matt - HOME SWEET HOME wrote:


From what I can see we have a couple ways of going about this.
Either
Rei
approaches
Kenaz
when she discovers his presence in Dyne, seeking him out,
persuading him
to
help
because
she knows that his very nature cannot deny freedom. Or we imagine
there's
some
kind of
big underground slave market that Toire's ended up in (or
something)
and
both
Rei and
Kenaz know about this, their paths coinciding by accident but
essentially
forcing
themselves to work together in order to NOT get in each others
way.

The difference between the two I suppose is that Kenaz would want
to
free
everyone
he
could - he'll be calling upon his Will which draws upon Song
and
takes him
close
to
Wildness. It's a tricky business sometimes. On the other hand,
from
what
you've
said I imagine that Rei is just after Toire? Do correct my
assumptions
etc.

Also beastie... you were up very very late/early or are you in a
different
timezone
to the
rest of them?

Matt



On 9/18/12 at 5:32am, Beast Blue wrote:

Oh Quaddy, ever there eloquent. Thank you so much for being
able
to
summarize
that
so
superbly! What do you both need from Toire to make this
work?
He's
very
mailable
right now in my head.

On 9/18/12 at 3:57am, Matt - HOME SWEET HOME wrote:


Yeah I pretty much have no background for this one.
It's
like
those
olde
campfires of
yore when you don't correspond and just go with it
right
now
for me.
Same
with
Anti
Hero only I've been fixed on the board to get that
one
in my
head.

Right so Death vs Dreams. That's an interesting
one. I
was
going to
say
that
being an
immoral dragon/fae hybrid, Kenaz would actually quite
like
to
die.
He's
somewhat
stuck
between Reason and Wildness - I wonder if that can
parallel
with
Death
and
Dream.
There's a line repeats for himself, that when
nothing of
him
still
exists,
he
hopes
someone remembers him - because he knows that at this
rate,
he'll
become
the
dragon
and he'll be lost to the wild. I assumed I'd
end up
'killing
him
off'
eventually as he uses too much magick and becomes the
beast.
So
yes,
he'd
match
up
with your character and Toire to say a grand fuck you
to
the
slavers,
he'd
also
be
willing to help them if it meant he thought he might
be able
to
die
instead
of
becoming
Wild.

Of course, I'm flexible if none of that works.

If it does then maybe we could work on your next steps
and
my
next
steps
together
Quaddy
my dear?

Matt


On 9/18/12 at 12:53am, Quaddy wrote:

Allo y'all. Yes, the plan for this addition
is for
Rei
to
come
across the
slavers,
pushed there by Shade. I dunno how much you know
about
the
overall
plot,
Matt,
so I
don't know how much we have to explain. And
how
we're
going to
work
your
character
into it. Basically, the story is a huge clash
between
the
God of
Death
(Shade)
and
the
Goddess of Dreams (Elysia). The Terracotta is a
spell
that's
keeping
everyone
affected
by it trapped in a pocket realm, which is
essentially
a long
term
dream
state.
This
means
that the Dream Goddess is strengthening herself
at
Shade's
expense,
since
those
souls
are being prevented from dying. The Emperor
took
advantage
of one
of
Shade's
rebirths
(the God of Death must die in order to
experience his
own
realm
and
reaffirm
death's
hold over the world) to weave the spell (perhaps
at
Elysia's
prompting),
the
Goddess
is taking advantage of the power shift to
strengthen
herself, and
the
Cult of
Shade
is
taking advantage of Shade's imbalance to
streng
then their political hold. So basically Shade
wants
to
break the
spell
in
order to
return
balance to the world, bring himself back into
balance,
and
purge
his
Cult
(which
has
gotten unruly and downright evil of late). So it
comes
down
to
Shade v
Elysia,
with
Rei
being Shade's mortal chess piece and Aeon
being
Elysia's.
Toire
is
Shade's
plan to lead the Cult. The Justicar (the good
guy who
loves
law...is
that
KC's
character?) is meant to bring balance back to
the city
on a
human
level
(and
is he
the one
who finds the map in the first place?).
We're sort
of
working
out
how to
get
everyone
else involved...

I'm on a Malazan kick. Seriously.

Also, Rei could work with your character (Matt)
to
free
Toire and
they
could
meet
that
way. Depending on how you wanted your character
to be
involved.
Given
his
penchant
for
freeing things, I think he'd want to end
the
Terracotta
spell
and
free
those
souls to
die, which is what they want (as we learn when
we get
there).
-Quaddy

Hmm, Well Rei might meet up with him this
round
but
if
Quaddy
isn't
able
to make
that
work I'd be more then happy to be
saved by
you,
lol.
Honestly
I'm
winging
this as
my original plans feel far too slow. Any
ideas
you
have,
feel free
to
state
them.
I'm
sending this reply to Quaddy too so we
can
pincer
attack
this
motha!
^_^

~Beastie

On 9/17/12 at 8:21pm, Matt - HOME SWEET HOME
wrote:



My character would want to free
your
character.
But
he
won't
if
you've
got
ideas
for this thing. What's your plan
for
the
next few
rounds?

Matt

[Matt]

But then you ask one question that's very simple and then it just spirals out and out.

[Aldersmaine]

That fact that it does is a good sign though. Enthusiasm = good.

[Aldersmaine]

Dragoon362: Can I just double check. The Terracotta is a spell? And then the city it was cast upon was Denundhael. And we're going to get roped into finding the city which will lead to the revelation of the Terracotta? Or something? Why would we end up roped into Embry's quest though. Is there going to be a trigger that means we end up going to same way or whim?"

---

Embry is... An Enigma currently. I think we're going to have to wait and see what moves he makes this round before making any conclusions. Yes Terracotta is a spell, originally used as a means to stop his country/city from dying before he could find a cure, he ended up coming down ill as well and found that under the spell the people lived in a dream version of Denundhael. A dream version he as the spellcrafter could shape.

[Mynt]

This is difficult to read. Someone sum it up pretty for me please. ;D

[Quaddy]

Oi, that *is* difficult to read. Yeah, there is no time to 'splain, so I sum up.

1) The Terracotta is a spell cast by the Emperor upon the Imperial city of Denundhael. He did so because there was a plague threatening to take over that he could not stop, even with his powerful magick, so he cast the Terracotta spell. This spell creates a pocket realm in which no one dies, grows old, becomes sick, etc. Essentially, then, it is a permanent dream and it is, as our characters will learn, a prison for these souls.

2) In order to create this spell, the Emperor relied upon the Goddess of Dreams (Elysia) and the fact that Shade (the God of Death) had just gone through his death/rebirth sequence (he is the only God to have that happen, in order to reaffirm the need for Death in the world), which left him somewhat weak. The spell strengthens Elysia at Shade's expense.

3) This has also caused the Cult of Shade (his priests and priestesses, etc) in Dyne to become corrupt, using their power and the continued unbalance of their God to take over the city and turn it into a den of death and injustice. It is not a nice place to live.

4) Embry, the justicar, will find a treasure map that leads to Denundhael, and our characters will insinuate themselves into the adventure group. Once we get to Denundhael, we eventually come to realize that the Terracotta is a trap for all these souls and that they must be released. Elysia (and, for a time, Aeon...and perhaps a few other characters, if they choose) will try to stop it, but Shade will stand against her (using Rei, Toire, and bargaining with Kenaz to help).

5) The Terracotta will end, releasing those souls and, ultimately strengthening Shade, after some help from Kenaz to free him entirely to be reborn and reaffirm his strength. He will defeat Elysia, trap her (or something), and then overthrow his own Cult (again, with the help of humans), which returns the city of Dyne to peace (in as much as humans ever are peaceful).

Now, someone will have to "discover" that the Terracotta is a pocket realm in which souls are being held captive. Aeon will see it, but he'll see what Elysia wants him to see. I was actually thinking that your character, Mynt, would be perfect to fall into the realm as cats are naturals at getting into places. He would discover the pocket realm, meet the spirits within, and alert everyone.

Did I forget something?

[Aldersmaine]

I'm literally jealous of your summarizing abilities.