Alas for Valaris (Plot Tracker)

[Pig Boy]

As per this ticket, this is the plot tracker to track all developments, thread submissions, NPC submissions, Immortal appearance requests, and special review requests.

Players are asked to fill out the forms for anything they need to involve in their plots.


Artifact Code:

Code: Select all

== General Information ==


Name of Creation: What's it called?


Creation Type: What is it?

== History: ==
What is the history of the artifact.


== Physical Description: ==
What the artifact looks like


== Abilities: ==
What the artifact does.


== Other Information: ==
Anything else that needs to be known.

[[Category: Artifact/Relic]]

NPC Code:

Code: Select all

{{#pagetitle: Name of NPC}}

'''Name:'''  

'''DoB:'''  

'''Race and Gender:'''  

'''Skills:''' 
* Master [[:Category: Skill | Skill]]


'''Profession:''' 

'''Personality:''' 

'''Other Information:''' Does he/she own a special artifact?  Do they have a secret?  Anything a storyteller should know about them?

'''Moderation Information:'''

'''Location:''' 

'''Background:''' 

Special Review Requests

Code: Select all

[style=max-width: 700px; border-radius: 10px;background-color: #222222; padding:30px; margin-top:30px; margin-bottom:30px; margin: auto; box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px 0px #585858; font-size: 1.25em; line-height: 1.25em; color: #cfcfcf;text-align:justify;][center][b][font size=150]Rewards Requested[/font][/b][/center]
[b]Thread Name:[/b] (Name with link included)
[b]City/Area:[/b] (Where is this taken place in?)
[b]Notes/Warnings:[/b] (Any Notes or warnings? Violence?)
[b]Skills Used:[/b] ex. Combat: Blades. Currently Competent (26 XP, 50 knowledge). 

[b]Requested Rewards:[/b] 
Knowledge: (A list of knowledge)
Loot: (If applicable)
Injuries/Overstepping: (If applicable)
Renown: (how much and for what?)
Wealth Points: (how many and for what?)  
- If you are claiming Wealth Points, please link to your Wealth Thread for this season, as Wealth Points can not be awarded before this is completed: 
Collaboration: (Yes/No)
Magic Experience?: (Yes/No) 
[hr][/style]

[Llyr Llywelyn]

VALARIS
THE FIRST EXPEDITION
SAUN, ARC 720

Board Location: Northern Wastes

Current Involved/Interested PCs:

• Llyr Llywelyn (lead)
• Doran Thetys
• Saza Moshe

Purpose:

• Recover lost expedition records/journals/findings.
• Set up a possible way for quicker travel between a central location in the Valaris ruins to Viden.
• Update survey map and reports of dangers.

Estimated Timeline:
Pre-15 Saun, 720 - Preludes/Prologues/etc. Llyr gets involved with the expedition.

15 Saun, 720 - The Viden Contingent meets via the Eclipse Portals in Rharne. Travels down the river to Volta. (Open Thread)

21 Saun, 720 - Arrival in Volta, one day spent to resupply before crossing the Orm'del Sea. (PM to Join Thread - anyone who was in the previous Open Thread)

25 Saun, 720 - Arrival in Foster's Landing, pick up a small group of Etzori Academics that will come along (check with Malt about Jorsi?) (Open Thread). Day spent in Foster's to rest and resupply.

27 Saun, 720 - Headed up the coastline to Valaris from Etzos.

35 Saun, 720: The Point of No Return - Arrival to Valaris.

35-37 Saun, 720 - Docking the ship(s), safely landing, journey to the ruins themselves. Old abandoned port from last expedition team that is in disrepair.

38 Saun, 720 - Arrival to the entrance of the ruins. Find the path to the underground.

MAIN NPCs (as of Aug. 28, 2020)

THE HEAD OF THE VIDEN CONTINGENT

{{#pagetitle: Feno Zeilos}}

'''Name:''' Feno Zeilos

'''DoB:''' 12 Ymiden, 642

'''Race and Gender:''' Eidisi, Male.

'''Skills:'''
* Master [[:Category: Teaching | Teaching]]
* Master [[:Category: Leadership | Leadership]]
* Master [[:Category: Logistics | Logistics]]
* Master [[:Category: Discipline | Discipline]]
* Expert [[:Category: Research | Research]]
* Expert [[:Category: Physics | Physics]]
* Expert [[:Category: Linguistics | Linguistics]]
* Expert [[:Category: Investigation | Investigation]]
* Expert [[:Category: Endurance | Endurance]]
* Competent [[:Category: Mathematics | Mathematics]]
* Competent [[:Category: Writing | Writing]]
* Competent [[:Category: Navigation | Navigation]]
* Competent [[:Category: Seafaring | Seafaring]]
* Competent [[:Category: Rhetoric | Rhetoric]]
* Competent [[:Category: Field Craft | Field Craft]]
* Competent [[:Category: Detection | Detection]]
* Novice [[:Category: Mount | Mount: Equine]]
* Novice [[:Category: Cryptography | Cryptography]]
* Novice [[:Category: Cartography | Cartography]]
* Novice [[:Category: Appraisal | Appraisal]]

'''Profession:''' Professor who lectures in the Institute of Sciences primarily (for physics) at the Viden Academy, sometimes the Institute of Humanities also.

'''Personality:''' Feno isn't an ambitious man. He does enjoy adventure and the discovery of knowledge, though. He tends to be trusting, and focuses his efforts on making sure the logistics of an environment are taken into consideration for travel. Feno's strengths are in his ability to adapt to situations, and also put together and lead teams. Valaris will be his eighth expedition done under the Viden Academy's resources. He can most often be found talking with other team members about various immediate considerations to do with the literal travel and journey into the ruins.

'''Other Information:''' His previous one was as the sole survivor of the previous Valaris expedition attempt. He doesn't talk about the previous expedition, though, preferring to avoid the topic when asked. His daughter and son are both part of the expedition team this time around. He has a pair of Portal Boots and an echo scroll that writes directly to Yvithia. He is fluent in Ancient Language.

'''Moderation Information:'''

'''Location:''' Viden

'''Background:''' Feno was born and raised in Viden to a family of academics. He has a small family, and his wife is a socialite who takes care of their home. He first got involved in expeditions because they paid more than regular lecture work. Circumstances of danger forced him to learn how to become a leader and the importance of preparation when it came to treacherous journeys.

Feno was assigned to the expedition due to his previous survival of the other one, and thus the only person with familiarity of the area. He is not exactly thrilled about it, but his son and daughter convinced him to try again as they wanted to be part of it this time. So, Feno agreed so that he could at least keep an eye on his children rather than have them go on the expedition without his presence.


Total Viden Contingent: 20 Members.

THE HEAD OF THE RHARNE CONTINGENT

{{#pagetitle: Constance Dupuis}}

'''Name:''' Constance Dupuis

'''DoB:''' 24 Cylus, 673

'''Race and Gender:''' Human, Female.

'''Skills:'''
* Master [[:Category: Leadership | Leadership]]
* Master [[:Category: Logistics | Logistics]]
* Master [[:Category: Persuasion | Persuasion]]
* Master [[:Category: Cartography | Cartography]]
* Expert [[:Category: Research | Research]]
* Expert [[:Category: Teaching | Teaching]]
* Expert [[:Category: Discipline | Discipline]]
* Expert [[:Category: Navigation | Navigation]]
* Expert [[:Category: Field Craft | Field Craft]]
* Expert [[:Category: Detection | Detection]]
* Competent [[:Category: Investigation | Investigation]]
* Competent [[:Category: Writing | Writing]]
* Competent [[:Category: Seafaring | Seafaring]]
* Competent [[:Category: Rhetoric | Rhetoric]]
* Competent [[:Category: Seduction | Seduction]]
* Competent [[:Category: Mount | Mount: Flying]]
* Competent [[:Category: Caregiving | Caregiving]]
* Novice [[:Category: Appraisal | Appraisal]]
* Novice [[:Category: Animal Training | Animal Training]]
* Novice [[:Category: Medicine | Medicine]]

'''Profession:''' Researcher and mercenary, who occasionally lectures at the Rharne Academy but is tangentially attached to the institution. She makes her money through drafting maps of various hard-to-reach places.

'''Personality:''' Constance is a jovial, friendly researcher who is extremely optimistic. She likes her work of cartography, and of leading teams to map new places that have been uncharted. She is not greedy, but altruistic and tends to think about others before herself. Her enthusiasm can be infectious which is what makes her a good leader.

'''Other Information:''' Constance has a Sigh mount, and a pair of echo scrolls that relay to her contacts back in Rharne at the Academy. She also has a True North gem. She is conversational in Ancient Language (see background).

'''Moderation Information:'''

'''Location:''' Rharne

'''Background:''' Constance was originally born in Volanta, but moved to Rharne at a young age. She adores learning about Immortals and anything to do with them, but her true interests also lay in the shape of geography and the land itself. One of her favorite pasttimes is learning about mythos to do with how the land was possibly shaped by the Immortals/similar incidents.

She spent some of her time at the Viden Academy as a young girl, to learn from the Eidisi specifically with things like Ancient language, but she eventually returned to Rharne because Viden was far too cold. Constance has been offered a great sum of money to lead the Rharne contingent for the expedition, and she hopes to use that to further even more expeditions in the future - but mostly, she is interested in the prospect that the ruins of Valaris have secrets that relate to the Immortals in it.


Total Rharne Contingent: 15 members.

THE HEAD OF THE ETZOS CONTINGENT

{{#pagetitle: Bernt Walker}}

'''Name:''' Bernt Walker

'''DoB:''' 92 Vhalar, 684

'''Race and Gender:''' Human, Male

'''Skills:'''
* Master [[:Category: Persuasion | Persuasion]]
* Master [[:Category: Deception | Deception]]
* Master [[:Category: Combat | Combat (1H Blades)]]
* Master [[:Category: Detection | Detection]]
* Expert [[:Category: Seduction | Seduction]]
* Expert [[:Category: Tactics | Tactics]]
* Expert [[:Category: Discipline | Discipline]]
* Expert [[:Category: Etiquette | Etiquette]]
* Expert [[:Category: Linguistics | Linguistics]]
* Expert [[:Category: Acrobatics | Acrobatics]]
* Expert [[:Category: Combat | Combat (Unarmed: Ki'Enaq)]]
* Expert [[:Category: Appraisal | Appraisal]]
* Competent [[:Category: Intelligence | Intelligence]]
* Competent [[:Category: Rhetoric | Rhetoric]]
* Competent [[:Category: Leadership | Leadership]]
* Competent [[:Category: Mount | Mount: Flying]]
* Competent [[:Category: Medicine | Medicine]]
* Competent [[:Category: Endurance | Endurance]]
* Novice [[:Category: Trap Making | Trap Making]]
* Novice [[:Category: Writing | Writing]]

'''Profession:''' Technically a professor at the Etzori Academy... but he also used to be part of the city guard, and has some questionable ties to the Black Guard in Etzos. He makes far more money than one would expect of a teacher of linguistics at a fairly modest school.

'''Personality:''' Bernt is a pleasant man to know. He is charming, and can usually make anyone smile or get interested in almost any topic of conversation. He's so pleasant that most people can't even imagine thinking of him as anything but a good person. He defends those who don't speak up for themselves, and he seems to navigate social affairs with ease. Yet, underneath that, Bernt is also arrogant and greedy.

'''Other Information:''' Bernt has a Sigh mount, and a pair of echo scrolls that relay to Marshall Pahrn and another contact in Etzos. He also has Portal Boots, and knows Broken Ancient Language as well as Conversational Draketh.

'''Moderation Information:'''

'''Location:''' Etzos

'''Background:''' Bernt was raised by a single father in Foster's Landing. They moved to Etzos when he was a young man and Bernt decided to attend academic studies to try and learn more about the world. He felt envious of all the diplomats and elites that he saw in the Inner Perimeter circles of Etzos, and wanted to learn how to be part of that.

While he could have focused on actually applying his education to learning about subjects, instead Bernt spent most of his time learning how to fool people into thinking he knew far more than he actually did. This got him very far! Arguably, much farther than honest education might have for the Etzori. For the Etzori tend to focus more on power and resources than any inherent appreciation for knowledge. Bernt keeps to this cultural leaning, and when he heard of the Valaris Expedition, he jumped on the chance to lead the very small Etzori team - and to find out what exactly is to be mined and taken from the ruins to the north of their city.

He has chosen each of his team very specifically to make up for the things he doesn't know (such as a navigator, a medic (surgery/medicine), an animal handler (for mounts), an appraiser (for any resources found), and a survivalist (for field craft)). This is Bernt's very first expedition, that goes outside of the Etzori territory.


Total Etzos Contingent: 5 members.

[Pig Boy]

Hey, Llyr.


These NPCs look great. There's only one little nit pick I have to make on them. They have point bank items. It's fine if a PC is giving them point bank items (whether oocly or icly) but NPCs aren't allowed to simply materialize such things in their inventory. City npcs are included in this... So somebody (probably a PC) has to be paying for the items. So could you confirm and link if possible where these point bank items are being purchased?

[Llyr Llywelyn]

Hi PB,

Thanks for looking them over!

On the Point Bank items, the city academies are funding the expedition and so these are items strictly for the NPCs to use in the case of absolute disaster (as the academies likely have an interest in making sure the leads survive).

Llyr (and any PCs involved) won't be making direct use of any Point Bank items that the NPCs possess. If he does make direct use of an item, or the NPC gives the item over, then it will be paid for with point bank like any PC inventory possession. Otherwise, it isn't accessible to the PCs - it's only for the respective NPCs to use for story purposes.

If that works?

[Pig Boy]

Oh excellent, that works. Yes if they actually make use of the point bank item (the PCs) one of them will need to pay with point bank. Great. I'll ask the local moderators about these npcs in the meantime. Barring any objections, I'll post them up to the Wiki.

[Maltruism]

Okay, first off, I want to totally endorse this project.

BUT...There are some details that have already been established, approved and set into past threads that need to be considered and probably worked into the upcoming situations and discoveries. It might be best to read the last comment before proceeding.

I will give links, some of which come off as only suggestions, not yet approved; some much more clarified, largely approved, but also not yet confirmed through actual threads; then the thread from a spin-off of the old 716 global event around the tomb of Tried in Oscillus, which tie it all together.

There is (or rather, WAS) a powerful mortal born son of Treid, named Calam, who is responsible for creating the defense systems of the northern sea. I say powerful in that he was born of an Immortal father and a MORTALBORN mother, so he was an especially divine-empowered figure, for one not actually an Immortal. He accidentally destroyed himself, leaving the powers he'd formed out-of-control.

There is a,so the back story that Valaris was originally peopled by a bloodline that was the source of those that came to found Andaris. They sent an expedition back to Valaris to rediscover their old ties, but instead found chaos. They inadvertently solved it by leaving one of their own behind, who had somehow aligned himself with the power. He was honored as a martyr and hero for staying behind, but eventually started to go mad himself. His name is Mason Ettrick.

I bring this up because the one actual existing thread, which involved most everyone on the site at the time...lol...led to a spin-off where Faith and Padriag descend into a chasm, after the massive battle, that turns out to be the very slowly regenerating form of Treid. In the process, they come into mental contact with both Ettrick, and shortly after, with Yvithia herself. This link picks up at that point in "Gods Only Know", where they actually speak with Ettrick, who is far away in Valaris, thinking they are a relief team come to spell him from his looooooooong duty.

The "Crystal" he talks about, was originally intended to be whatever artifact he is "connected" to, that has allowed him to maintain control over the powers that Calam unwittingly unleashed. But it could also be the actual Ice fracture that is the resting place of Calam, in the form of a huge iceberg. I don't have any real preference over which is the truth. If it matters, I would leave that up to you as a potential thing to discover.

Faith and Pad then come into contact with Yvithia, through a connection with some of the shards formed by Tried's re-shattering. The "traitor" she refers to is Doran, who had just stabbed Xiur in the back, but then went on to kill a powerful naer assassin in a different spin-off thread which really has little else to do with any of this. But if he is along on this expedition, it could bring some peripheral trouble from Yvithia, if you wanted.

I felt it necessary to bring your attention to the convos between Faith/Pad and Ettrick and Yvithia to show that this was all approved and is now more or less canon, though Ettrick's madness could allow for some tweaks. This was all from the eventual acceptance of proposed lore and connections I presented in the following other links:

The Calam/Valaris/Andaris Story

Valaris - Andaris Connection with particular focus on this post. and forget about the undersea dungeon, that refers to Mastes' Maze and is completely unconnected.

Then there is also a convo I had way back with Kingdom that I copied from skype, which may be the oldest entry of them all:

The Andaris/Valdaris Connection:

[8:07:23 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: I'll go ahead and give you my basic thought. there is...or rather, was...a mortalborn child of Treid, that learned of his capabilities, but not the cost of using them. When the massive avalanche Valaris, he went there thinking he could resurrect more of the dead to create more Ellune in honor of Treid. He was not able to do this, but DID create a defense system, using his power to animate the ice, in hopes of stopping the looting of what he now considered a sacrosanct graveyard...
[8:08:59 PM] Dan: oh love that
[8:09:30 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: He did not know what would happen to him, using all this power so suddenly, because Treid was waylaid by Audrae before he could be told. All this magic unleashing shattered him, creating a now uncontrolled fracture that empowered this defense system...
[8:11:24 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: So it is out of control for a long time. What I had in mind was that, being in the same northern waters, some Andarisian nobles subsidize a mission to Valaris. Maybe there;s tales told be sailors that give them a lead to Valaris. They succeed only in getting one of their number somehow 'aligned" with the force of this thing. He has to be left behind to keep it moderately under control...
[8:12:24 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: A noble sacrifice they all think...even the one left back...but his mind starts to twist after a while, and the nobles in Andaris have noticed how these magic things are getting crazy hostile and aggressive again...
[8:12:50 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: they don't know if he'd died and the whole system is random again, or if he's gone crazy.
[8:13:02 PM] Dan: could work for sure
[8:13:13 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: They want to check it out, but they fear having to explain how they know about it at all.
[8:13:31 PM] Dan: xD
[8:14:23 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: in the meantime of course, there are increasing incidents of depredations by these mysterious magical manifestations
[8:14:40 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: oooooh big alliterative there...lol
[8:15:36 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: the only real trouble is the time frame...Treid is said to have only walked the world for 80 some years before Audrae did him in...but the avalanche that destroyed valaris was in like 540 or some such.
[8:15:58 PM] Dan: well rynmere is about that old
[8:16:08 PM] Dan: I mean ill have to double check my own lore but...
[8:16:13 PM] *** Dan races off to see ***
[8:16:32 PM] Dan: 178: Rynmere is discovered by a group of men and women numbering some 150 strong.
[8:16:48 PM] Dan: that's arc 178
[8:17:28 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: I'm thinking of proposing that this mortalborn's power was some sort of hibernation. I was going to propose that as a thing that Ellune have as a means of traveling in hotter areas...they can seal off the heat while in this state, as long as some friendly ally does the transporting of their body.
[8:18:15 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: I'm glad to get some take on this. It's all so up in the air right now.
[8:18:33 PM] Dan: thats a really good suggestion, freezing their own hearts somehow for travel
[8:19:14 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: I don't really see the age of Rynmere is being that important...its more the vast stretch of time between Tried's 'death" and the avalanche in Valaris
[8:19:41 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: if this mortalborn is Tried's son, he'd HAVE to have been born before the 80-whatever mark when Tried was smitten down by Audrae.
[8:20:07 PM] Dan: yeah and may have lived a while before be discovered his powers
[8:20:17 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: So he'd have been around for like 450 years before going to Valaris intending to help.
[8:20:52 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: well sure, I realize there's been talk that mortalborn can live a long time of they don't use their powers, that CAN explain it to a large degree.
[8:21:36 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: Maybe the very fact of him realizing he's lived freakishly long could account for his discovery of being mortalborn in the first place.
[8:21:42 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: BUT...
[8:22:02 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: he still has to discover his power, and this could be part of what goes wrong in Valaris
[8:22:16 PM] *** Dan nods ***
[8:22:50 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: I was thinkin he goes there, ASSUMING he can do resurrections like his father, but his attempts to do it are what generate the beginnings of the defense power that goes off track.
[8:23:21 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: all his power is spent trying to balance what he's created and then he shatters and sends it totally into a spin
[8:23:38 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: another example of good intentions gone horribly wrong
[8:24:00 PM] Dan: xD
[8:24:53 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: So...in the long run...to end the magic powers gone awry in the northern sea, someone has to find the spot in Valaris, overcome the old Noble left there from before, and replace him.
[8:25:10 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: and who is going to be willing to do that?
[8:25:43 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: giving up your life to sit in one room for a possible eternity...it's no wonder the last one went crazy.
[8:26:39 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: anyway, that's what ive got kicking around in my head for it...lol
[8:27:15 PM] Jeffrey Elliott: And basically, only the few nobles in Andaris have a CHANCE of figuring it out.

Anyway, they are all pertinent to the eventual agreement on what is presented in the "Gods Only Know" thread with Faith/Pad.
And the actual hazards created can be found in the "Frigid Main" section of The Orm'Del Sea / Sailor's Corridor, the largest of these "Ice Fractures" now being the resting place of Calam.

So there you are, seems a daunting mass of lore at first appearance, but it's really not. You really only need to coordinate with the hazards presented in the Frigid Main, and the convos in "Gods only Know". Everything else is just what was kicked around for a year or two beforehand.

[Pig Boy]

Thanks for that huge pile of lore Malt

I'm sure I'll use a lot of it for any parts of this that are moderated/modnoted.

That said, are you okay with the NPC Llyr wrote up being from Etzos?

[Tempest]

Hello Llyr! It is exciting to see pcs going on such a big adventure. I love the way this pc is written up! If he makes it back I would love to have him in the academy write up as well. He is approved as far as I am concerned.

[Pig Boy]

And given that I'm bound to help in Rharne, I suppose I can give the okay on Constance. So that's all three npcs that are good to go. I'll add them to the wiki when I make the wiki rounds next, but for now they're approved!

[Maltruism]

I admit, I am not sure what exact skill levels any of these NPCs have.
But given that the general categorizations of "Master", "Expert", etc....makes it mostly clear, I have no objection to any of it, or them.

One thing, though - and it's only intended as plot element, not a sticking point - are any members of the Etzos contingent currently stooges of Sintra?
I fully intend to have my city shake loose of her abominable influence, but it has not happened yet. I can see her deciding this to be an opportunity to check out a potential treasure trove that the frequent presence of Xuir would have prevented her from previously capitalizing on.

If this expedition extends beyond the season of Saun, which seems pretty likely, it is entirely possible that any members of the Etzos contingent might have insidious aims on behalf of the Spider Queen. In which case, at the moment Sintra is driven out of Etzos, they might suddenly have some sort of seizure and come back to themselves.

Or, then again, Sintra may focus even more of her influence on them, since she no longer has the control of Etzos to worry about.

I can not give you a date as yet. If this appeals to you, we can work it out as we go.

But do not hesitate to say no to this. I do not want to hijack your idea.