Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

BlueSlime said:

(Or she'll become some sort of breeding slave for a monster. Theeeeeen she might be late.~)

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That might knot end well. Make sure to be timely Malena!

Edit: Bad Vita questioning Vlad Drakov. How can u do that!!11 Look at that smile! That the kinda smile that says 'I'm some generic lawbreaker!' ?

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

Would be interesting to see at what point Sylvia penetrates the Lawful Stupid barrier with respect to Drakov and starts acting Lawful Good.

Right now she's seeming more Lawful Neutral, regardless of whether she's right about the witches or not.

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

BlueSlime said:

Would be interesting to see at what point Sylvia penetrates the Lawful Stupid barrier with respect to Drakov and starts acting Lawful Good.

Right now she's seeming more Lawful Neutral, regardless of whether she's right about the witches or not.

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As I clarify in the character sheet I see her as leaning LN, but mainly because I want to explore the idea of a Genuinly good, orderly person raised in a LE regime and trying her best to believe in/Reconcile herself with it. A part of why she lashed out at Vita was actually because the same happened upon two sore spots and cracks in the logic, exspecially with the 'so what if your lord breaks one of his rules' bit.. I'd imagine compared to a proper Falkovnian elite she's kind and measured.

She definitly wont penetrate the barrier without outside help or extreme circumstances though.

Oh well, I'm sure theres plenty of good people in Barovia to help her out there.

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

I tend to view Falknovia as people who still know the difference between right and wrong, but are living in fear of speaking out.

It's basically a fascist state run by Vlad the Impaler. The elites are the all-in Fascists who are comfortable going along and currying favor, or simply believing in the might makes right philosophy. Either way, they're LE.

I see Sylvia's brainwashing as an exception to the typical state of affairs for the rank and file soldiers.

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

I'd agree, but it'd make sense that if you brainwash enough people some are genuinly gonna get into it(And Sylvia was never high enough in rank to see the rotten regime from a leaders eyes). Just look at some modern day military propaganda, not saying one can compare the two, but some folks -do- believe in all of it. I know a personal tale there, basically, whilest my Great-Grandfather withdrew from a prestigious early member position in Hitlers party as protest when polen got attacked, his own son, my grandfather, growing up at the height of the regime explained that in his generation, few thought about questioning it and he couldn't understand his father until he was much older.

I believe that on a subconscious level Sylvie is completely aware that some.. things are not as they should be but that just causes her to double down, see Rovanas 'confidence'. It'd need some gentle but firm hand to.. guide her away from that. *nudges innocently*

So yeah, simply put, if she was raised on the prime material plane, she'd propably be a genuine LG paladin, calmly investigating the windmill, trying to redeem Bella and Ofallia, rather than challenge evil more brutally, but.. Genuine 100% paladins are a bit dull unless you add X to the flavour, or play the heck out of them and I could never play them as good as some can, plus, whilest not super into breeding, the whole idea of her willingly accepting a position of inferior breeder under the men has an erotic appeal to me and I think interesting storyline potential depending on whom she encounters.

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

Vlad staking people with every meal would require a significant amount of double think to ignore or rationalize as a good act. Just following orders for nationalism's sake is a LN route.

LG would be actively trying to work towards change for the benefit of society.

The fetish thing I can arrange without needing to have her loyalty being to Vlad.

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

BlueSlime said:

Vlad staking people with every meal would require a significant amount of double think to ignore or rationalize as a good act. Just following orders for nationalism's sake is a LN route.

LG would be actively trying to work towards change for the benefit of society.

The fetish thing I can arrange without needing to have her loyalty being to Vlad.

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Falkovnia has a ministry of propaganda, and I much presume they present it as the just execution of criminals, if they comment it at all. I believe that Sylvias relative lack of ruthlessness (and gender) actively kept her back from the front seat of things as well.

Ofc she isn't ment to be loyal to Vlad forever. He's an asshole.

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

No worries. I don't mind the character. I'm only concerned if others are. Still uncertain if Blarg was concerned with the events or Sylvia.

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

BlueSlime said:

No worries. I don't mind the character. I'm only concerned if others are. Still uncertain if Blarg was concerned with the events or Sylvia.

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I can adapt, or even change her out if she proves to be an issue, but to be fair, I don't have many characters that'd get along with the abrasive Esvele. Your call.

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

Like I said, I'm not bothered by it at this point. And I'd prefer finding common ground to just pulling a character.

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

Between bad first impressions of not telling Sylvie her name until forced, Sylvie then first being ignored and ordered about and, even if not intentionally run over, at least willingly abandoned to the wolfes without Vitas quick aid by Esvele when leading the wagon, then called a murderer and whatnot it'll be up to Esvele to make a SERIOUS effort to placate Sylvie now then. Like apologize, humble herself AND prove she is willing to make sacrifices for the good of others (Not necessary Sylvie). I agree that Sylvie often comes over LN if prodded, but by that token, Esvele seems rather LE at times.

Completely different question, after reading the story of lord Soth indepth I find there is a Darklord version, and a version that, is no less evil, but found redemption in the end, reliving the experiences that caused them to become a deathknight and defying being a puppet of evil. Not really going to heaven, but finding a semblance of peace.

So out of curiosity, do you consider a Darklord of Ravenloft beyond redemption(not saying it should be easy, it should be even harder than killing them, if perhaps also more satisfying.. for starters, it'd require learning the villains backstory proper, which is hard enough.
While the suffering Strahd caused is all pervasive, it occured to me that Rovana actually knows very little of Dagon, beyond the dick-move with Molly and Evas.. seering.^^)

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

From a neutral observer point of view, both women have reason to not like each other. But as a player, asking for that level of turn around is clearly not going to happen without incentive from Sylvia. I think as players you could try to concede what you are willing to do with Sylvia to be more amenable, rather than making demands.

About redemption, anything is possible. It would be incredibly difficult... the story of Soth involves many failed opportunities to reform his ways, and even in the end, his act of good was arguably incidental. Altruism didn't drive him to foil evil.

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

Hold on now. *pokes* Why specify Sylvia?

Frankly, I feel as if I've already made concessions by replacing the chaotic Rovana with an LG..ish character, who truly tried her best to get to know Esvele, until she got put down and ordered to hush up by the same. At the first time I can understand disagreements coming from Rovanas 'Screw religion!' attitude. The second time around I literally made a soldier happy to follow commands(non evil sounding ones at least), even if disrespected, to cause no trouble, see below.
I am convinced that its Esveles turn to start giving. And the best I can offer is making that very clear IC. Anything else would be a dishonest reaction towards how Esvele treated her. Sylvia approached her open and with respect and since then has been shut down, insulted and faced both the intent to and later the actual action of abandoning her on the street, to fend for herself, for the sole reason that Sylvia annoyed the priestess and stepped in to protect whom the Falkovnian at the time thought innocent woodcutters. I'm willing to try to make things run smooth, but also not quite sure how you want me to be amenable past -this- kind of first impression.:

She nodded to Esvele, ready to board the wagon at the front.

"You travel without a military leader? Nonsense, apparently you are the leader. What is that odd contraption covering up most of your features if I may be so bold as to ask? Are you another kind of mage?" She tipped her chin

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GargantuaBlarg said:

Esvele silently bemoaned the fact that the two newcomers were in separate parts of their little stage coach, and thus were too far apart for her to throw off and escape in a quick enough manner to actually get away with it.

Taking a few moments to herself as the others nattered - excepting for her duties on steering their cart, of course - Esvele's eyes danced as she went through her meticulously memorized vocabulary, until she had constructed a sentence she thought would allow the newcomer to quiet down and focus. "By the authority granted to me by seniority of duty on this expedition, and superior familiarity with the local area, I order you to stop questioning the command structure."

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Sylvia seemed confused and narrowed her eyes at Esvele, her hand twitchin for a brief moment of discontent, before she exhaled, obediantly answering. "Yes, miss." She said, silencing herself.

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Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

Sylvia is not the greatest first, second or third impression giver either. Esvele may be abrupt but I don't view her as LE in her actions.

You say you've created a LG-ish follower. I'm not sure that you have, considering she calls into question almost everything that happens differently in Barovia as it compares to Falknovia, and has consistently called into question Esvele's leadership.

D&D groups either operate by committee agreement (both IC and OOC) or fall into a natural leadership. Because we couldn't do either with Rovana and Esvele, we parted ways. This IC group is slanted towards Esvele and Vita's stories. If you make a character that fits in with that direction, that would be great, and we can then incorporate and add details about your werekin heritage, etc.. But I don't think it's fair to come back into the group with a character that challenges their natural direction as part of something ingrained in your character.

Your character may be "a follower" but she's a follower of Drakov and a philosophy that is getting the group in trouble, she's not a follower with regards to the group. She's not Agreeable. PCs and their players need to be agreeable or there's going to not be a group.


So I, as a DM, suggested looking for solutions rather than making ultimatums, and you just doubled down in character and made an ultimatum. What is your goal? What do you predict is going to happen? Because all I see from that last post is that we're headed for another group split, and I'm only going to do one group split, and the DM camera is going to follow Vita and Esvele for this thread.

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

Working on IC post for Through the Mists. My brain is giving me a headache everytime I try to work through a post on Mists of the North.

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

Anyway I can help with the Mists of the North thread?

Happy to talk it out OOC if there's something that you want to try.

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

BlueSlime said:

Anyway I can help with the Mists of the North thread?

Happy to talk it out OOC if there's something that you want to try.

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Hmmm. Maybe. I'll bother you more about it in this thread if I don't get a post up by Wednesday.

Also, post up for IC thread. Vita doesn't know how to respond to Sylvia's rant and so doesn't say anything . Aka she got shocked into quietness and is only speaking up after Sylvia starts moving to exit the stable.

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

Or send me a PM. That works too.

Gonna respond to Vita real quick. The fiend inside her has something important to say.

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

BlueSlime said:

Or send me a PM. That works too.

Gonna respond to Vita real quick. The fiend inside her has something important to say.

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Aye replied to Through the mists. Working on MIsts of the North post. Slowly getting there. ETA, as long as I don't get super interrupted, 1 hour or so.

EDIT: Post up. Just needed time without being interrupted by life to get post together.

Re: Through the Mists: Out of Character Discussion

Nice post.

Probably will be a few days until I can respond, but I think Malena will be going right into the adventure. Will do some rolling and then set the scene with a time skip.

Group will be Malena, Gretta, Sigrunn and Crassus.