Posts made by Cobalt

I did some work this morning on the courts, but ran a little out of steam and didn't want to force it, because I want each of the courts to seem interesting.

Overview & History
Cloria is ruled by the Council of Courts, the numbers of which have fluctuated over time. Typically, the Council holds no more than five seats. However, there is a distant and dark time spoken of in Cloria's history where there were a full ten seats and ten separate courts. Historians write that this time was one of chaos and anarchy, where disputes on jurisdiction and land happened often. They say that the far too numerous numbers of Courts is what caused the [[The Great War of Courts]].

Since the end of that war there have been no more than five Great Courts. Another dark time spoken of in the history of Cloria is the time when there were only two great courts. When rebellion and turmoil boiled up because many members of the Seeded felt that they were not represented. Violent revolts ended up with the founding of at least one of the current great Courts.

The Council of Courts rule the Kingdom together, and anything that would affect the entirety of the Kingdom they all have equal say in. Thus having an odd number of Courts is typically seem as stabilizing for the Kingdom for that means there will be no ties. However, each of the Courts has their own demesne within the Kingdom where they rule in absolute-- save for those few laws that are universal.

In the Demesne of Blaze, the southwestern most territory, it is considered illegal to enter a shop while having no intent to make a purchase. A small fine is usually leveled if anyone can be bothered to prosecute. In the Demesne of the Glacier, the most northern territory, one may window shop and browse all they please, but on the other hand shopkeepers are not allowed to turn anyone out of their shop simply because of their appearance-- discrimination against the poor is illegal. While theft is illegal within the entirety of the Kingdom-- though in the different domains the punishment for theft may be very different.

Court of the Blaze (Fire/Air)
Ruler: Sera Agatta Embers, Queen of the Blaze
Second: Elijah Whitten-Embers, Consort of the Blaze
Domain: Demesne of the Blaze, southwestern territory of Cloria.
Climate: Humid, hot, tropical.
Trade Goods: Citrus (orange, lemon, lime), grain (corn, wheat), livestock (cow, chickens, horses).

The Court of the Blaze is one of the oldest currently serving Courts, having been established some four hundred years ago. The Williams family has been the ruling family for three quarters of that time, when [[Sera Agatta Embers]] and [[Amos Emberborn-Frost]]'s great, great, great, etc grandmother challenged the then King of the Blaze in the sacred Rite of Cultivation. It is said that Queen Agatta Embers burnt the old King, whose name has been lost to time, to nothing but ash a bit of bone. No one challenged the Williams nor her daughter. Over the years people have gotten bold, but all have failed.

Elijah Whitten-Embers is from a family as old as the Williams, and some would say he is just as strong as the Queen. So there was worry (and excitement) when he challenged Sera to the Rite of Cultivation. Only they fell into Symbiosis during their fight and created a fire storm that burnt down the Coliseum, and leading to the interruption of the fight and Sera taking [[Elijah Whitten-Embers]] as her husband and Consort.

Court of the Glacier (Water/Earth)
Ruler: Amos Emberborn-Frost, King of the Glacier.
Second: ???
Domain: Demesne of the Glacier, further north territory of Cloria.
Climate: Cold, dark, snow most of the year.
Trade Goods: Potatoes, livestock (Elk, sheep), timber, and ore.

The Court of the Glacier is the youngest of the five Courts, having been established only within the last hundred years. And in that time no royal family has had a chance to be established. Only one ruling King has managed to die of old age and pass the throne onto his daughter. Only to have her challenged and disgraced by [[Amos Emberborn-Frost]] ten years ago. After his sister inherited the throne from their father, he made his move upon the Court of the Glacier, winning the Rite of Cultivation and banishing Queen Emilie Frost from the kingdom.

Amos has faced at least three challenges in the past year, and has defeated them all. But the last one was very close, and it is believed he almost lost. So there are many within the court who think they can defeat him... and many who are resentful that an Emberborn is ruling the Court of the Glacier. He isn't Earthborn or Waterborn and it's an insult... Even if he is Ice-Seeded and one of the strongest Ice-Seeded they've ever seen.

Court of the Mountain (Earth/Air)
Ruler: Sascha Hillside, Monarch of the Mountain<br>
Second: ???<br>
Domain: The Mountain Runs, middle territory of Cloria.<br>
Climate: Cold, mountainy.
Trade Goods: Ore, stone, timber, live stock (sheep, goat, and chicken).

The Court of the Mountain is said to be the oldest Court within the Council of Courts. It has also been the most sable of courts, even more so than the Blaze. For the Stone family have been ruling its court since it's inception shortly after the end of [[The Great War of Courts]], and it is said that it persisted during [[The Lean Era of Unrest]] where there was only one other Court. The Stone family is an old, old dynasty. The throne has been past from family to family for as long as anyone can remember at this point. Only once or twice has it not gone to a direct child, but even then it has gone to a cousin or an uncle with children. The Hillside Throne has been in the Stone family for a long time.

Save Sascha Hillside has no children, and a distinct lack of relatives who aren't elderly.

Court of Basalt (Earth/Fire)
Ruler: Mielle Sands, Empress of Basalt
Second: ???
Domain: Isles of Basalt, a large chain stretching from the west to south coasts.
Climate: Temperate to tropical.
Trade Goods: Fish, volcanic glass, glass, sand, and tropical fruits (pineapple, papaya, mango, etc).

Cobalt will think of something interesting about the Court of Basalt here. Surely.

Court of Storms (Air/Water)
Ruler: Tristan Storm, Sovereign of Storms
Second: ????
Domain: Forest of Storms, south eastern territory of Cloria.
Climate: Temperate, wet.
Trade Goods: Lumber, livestock (cows, sheep, ox, pigs), fish (cold water), and vegetables.

Something interesting about the history of the Court of Storms here.

@saosmash said in Arx: @clues:

@shincashay I love the idea of theories in theory but it reminds me too much of homework when I try to actually do it and then I go lie down and nap instead. >.>

Yeah, I don't touch +theories. I'm sure this means I'm missing out on some information and important plotfoo... But if someone can't tell me what they think in a scene, but expect me to read a gigantic +theory ...

It's not going to happen. And writing one? No way.

I think I've read all of one theory, and it was stuff that I already mostly knew OOC but with some history I didn't know.

It's honestly just going to be:

Birth control is available to all, works on both genders. It's 100% effective until the two players involved don't want it to be. OOC consent must be had by both parties for pregnancy to start.

@cupcake No, we've decided not to allow the manipulation of living things.

Holy monkeys. An admin told you what's what, why are you still arguing? Is Fallcoast that important to you as a game?

@roz said in Let's talk about TS.:

@magee101 said in Let's talk about TS.:

@cobaltasaurus thats why I bring them both forward and figure out who what. I never said ban, banning is not the only punishment (there are plenty of IC things that would not take kindly to that sort of Hubris wink wink). You also cannot just on the first tume do anything.

YOU SURE CAN if the offense is clear enough and creepy enough.

Gonna go with @Roz here... If someone starts trying to use magic powers to rape someone on Sacred Seed, I'mma let @Coin bounce them out the door so fast their head spins.

@arkandel It also comes across to me like punishing the victim. @Carex's story made it seem like the chick had no idea it was going to happen and certainly didn't consent to it. So pulling them both in and demanding what the hell is going on, and then telling them they'll be banned for it ... is punishing the victim? I would have just dealt with the guy.

@griatch Yeah, that's what we ended up doing doing a screen. The problem was that one of the times that I had to restart the game, for some reason loading up pyenv reinstalled it, rather than activating it. So... I had two of them, and one didn't work.

I, um, have a dumb question but so far I can't find it in the documents. How do I get information about an object-- for example location?

@chet This is not an invitation. However.

You might have more luck if you gave a preference of what kind of theme/game you'd like to work on, and what your strengths are.

Are you a coder? What codebase (Mux, Penn, Rhost, Evennia, Ares)? Do you want to work on (o|n)WoD(xe)? Do you want to work on original horror/fantasy/sci-fi? Do you want to work on Star Wars? Star Trek? BSG? D&D?

@kay I'mma nickname you - Kay, The Positivest Bunny.

@ominous said in Development Thread: Sacred Seed:

@sunny Notice the "what they view to be" that I intentionally put in my statement just for this very reason.

What has been laid out does not appear to be "realistic" to someone for reasons they articulated very well. This breaks their suspension of disbelief, which I imagine most people don't find fun. It's great that it doesn't bother you. It bothers them and they explained why. I was pointing out that you were badwrongfunning someone for having different standards than you.

I just want to be clear here, I'm not saying that @Pyrephox or @Carex are wrong for their suggestions, or that it's wrongfun for wanting that level of verisimilitude. It just isn't the type of fun that I want to enforce and run as the game designer. I hope that there's enough of interest in the setting for them to overlook the breaking of their suspension of disbelief and play when we're ready, but I'll understand if they chose not to play and won't hold it against them.

As a kind of attached tangent: This isn't going to be one of those projects that I set up over night. @Coin and I are writing a completely different world which comes with a bunch of different questions (are there other nations, what do our people know about the other nations, can people play those other nation-characters?, etc), a completely difficult culture (how did they culture evolve, why are they like x or y, what history do they have, etc), and I'm learning a whole new code language (aaaaauggh! How do I find where something 'is' via the code?! I just wanna build a +where! Q.Q).

There's going to be a lot of tinkering and fine tuning of theme before we're ready for even alpha, and then in alpha I imagine some theme will be shored up and fine tuned as people engage with the world we're creating.

@carex said in Development Thread: Sacred Seed:

Also, just so you are aware, you are building a total rape factory. Your society is going to devolve to the point that women are property and only useful for making babies unless they have magic then they are only useful for making noble babies.

Can you please explain where this conclusion comes from? That is not the theme that either @coin or I are intending. We have two court rulers who are female and powerful within their own rights, two that are male, and one that is non-binary. Sacred Seed, much like Arx, won't have enforced traditional gender roles or stereotypes, no rule of male only primogeniture or inheritance, etc.

We have, granted, not currently discussed the themes of illegitimate children, birth control, or same sex marriages. But I imagine much like arx there will probably be an IC theme of birth control being readily available. And same sex marriages -will- be a thing, we just haven't discussed how they work and affect inheritance.

While I appreciate the input, this particular thought-thread doesn't really align with my particular design and/or goals. I'm not too worried about leaving exiled nobles alive-- @Coin and I have even discussed two different types of "attainder" one being willing and the other being unwilling. We'll write into theme what happens: re-succession issues with Seedless nobles who try to reclaim the throne, or their Seeded descendants (that was actually one of the things I remarked on about it being a thing that happens, and I like the idea of it happening and don't want to write it out as a possibility).

@arkandel Joking aside, I completely agree here. If I was on a game where staff let that happen, I'd be out the door in a heartbeat.

Thanks, @Carex you're duringturning this thread into #WhyI'mDoneWithWoD.

ETA: I'm tired.

@carex To be honest, I think it's a really like ... real issue? Think about it: If you were in a relationship with someone RL and all they wanted was to have sex and never leave the house, or all they wanted was to have sex with you but kept all of their friends, their job, etc separate would you be with that person?

I don't think there's anything with wrong ICly playing out a conversation of "all you want is my dick, this isn't a satisfying relationship for me" and then you can keep it all in-character if you don't want to talk to them OOC.

On the flipside you can just say: Hey, I'd like to do something other than TS.

@coin said in Development Thread: Sacred Seed:

Avatar, Exalted (Dragon-Blooded), Codex Alera, Legend of the 5 Rings, etc., they all have elemental stuff, we're probably pulling from all of it consciously and unconsciously.

I only know Avatar... I'm more likely unconsciously pulling from:

• Avatar: The Last Airbender / The Legend of Korra.
• The Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep.
• The Elemental Blessings series by Sharon Shinn. (Seriously, I'mma go reread Troubled Waters rn.)

Various Updates:

• Leaders have been renamed so that their last names reflect their court, and the courts are now composite elements.

  • Sera Agatta Embers (Court of the Blaze - Air + Fire)
  • Amos Embers-Frost (Court of the Glacier - Water + Earth)
  • Sascha Hillside (Court of the Mountain - Air + Earth)
  • Mielle Sands (Court of Basalt - Earth + Fire)
  • Tristan Storm (Court of Storms - Air + Water)

• Thematic definition of elements working together or against each other:

  • Symbiosis: Symbiosis is the phenomenon of two elements working in tandem. This takes a degree of intimacy between the two Seeded, as they must learn each other's magic and energy. It tends to take some training. Two people with elements that naturally work together and begin a training regiment, until they can work their magic in concert with each other. It can happen naturally but usually when two people are emotionally close: Siblings, good friends, or lovers. It can happen naturally when people fall into sync with each other while working magic. Although accidents do happen and occasionally people can fall into Symbiosis when they are fighting... Such as when Elijah Withen challenged Sera Embers for the Throne of Embers, and during their fight their elements fell into concert and they created a firestorm that burnt down the Firelight Arena.
  • Nullification: Nullification is the phenomenon of elements nullifying each other. This can be mutual or one sided. This typically happens when Seeded are fighting. A Stone-Seeded going against a Fire-Seeded might find the sand they have an affinity for suddenly turning to glass and having a harder time to work it. Or a Water-Seeded might douse the flames of a Fire-Seeded, or if the Fire-Seeded is stronger might find their rain turned to scalding mist that they must cool back down before they can use it again. While this typically comes up during hostile combat situations, accident do happen... Magical Friendly Fire Is A Bitch. A Fire-Seeded and a Water-Seeded might not be the best of partners because they might accidentally Nullify each other.

@Ifrit helped me figure out the issue, and got me set up with a screen up (derpderp) so I don't have to try and stay permaconnected to the droplet.