A Roleplay Guide to Sapience

ArekaAreka Drifting in a sea of wenches' bosoms
edited May 2013 in Idea Box
Have an idea for a new character's history, or trying to find out if an aesthetic exists in the game? This is the place for you! Discuss and ask questions about the landscape and cultures, find that information you need, and so on. 

Common Questions and Scenarios


Can my character be from an unknown, unexplorable village?
Within reason. We learn more and find new areas about Sapience even now, so there are still unexplored pockets and possibilities. NPCs and production of goods need to come from somewhere, so there is room for additions. It just needs to be reasonable. It is more likely that there are unmapped goat-herding villages or farms, or living quarters past hunting areas, than there are likely to be major palaces and monarchies that no one has heard about. 

Can my character be from Albedos?
At this point in time, no. Albedos is not allowing immigrants, and keeps a close watch on people from Sapience coming through the Portal, so it is not possible to 'sneak' in. 

Can my character be of mixed race?
As you can only be one race mechanically, the general answer is 'no' - you should conform primarily to the race you selected. However, there is some blurring genetics so that some traits can be shifted - no humans with furred Rajamala ears, but you can have have half-pointed ears for Tsol'aan lineage, or stronger facial features or a larger nose for human-dwarf breeds, etc. The larger mixes come with the Ascended (endgame) races of Tekal/Azudim/Yeleni/Idreth.

What bodily functions do undead/vampires retain? Do they breathe in order to speak? Can they blush? Why do they need to eat (if lower than level 80)?
Due to mechanics (since Undead take asphyxiation and bleeding damage), circulation and respiration still function to some degree. Breathing, while not necessary to survive, is needed to speak, shout, or mimic the actions of the living. Similar to circulation - it is needed for bodily functions in the mimicking of living actions - blushing, to maintain muscles for movement, etc. The degree that this is taken is up to the individual, though there are still some definite rules - other functions and systems do not work. Undead cannot reproduce. As for eating - they are expending energy to work their skill sets, hunt, fight, and so on, so must intake things to replenish it. This is further built upon curatives being consumed. 

Do undead bodies react in the same way to stimuli as mortal bodies (ranging in anything from being touched, heat/warmth, high altitudes, taking a blow to the head, imbibing alcohol/poisons, etcetera). Why? Why not?
There are a lot of variations for how this is handled. There is interesting roleplay both in having Undead still susceptible to the things as the living (which is easier), while having them removed and out of touch from those things also provides some unique avenues. It is up to the player, though a general caution - undeath doesn't give an excuse to godmode being utterly impervious to surroundings or elements. Not feeling the blow to the head or a touch to the skin as much does not mean there is not still some impact. 

What does it feel like being bitten and fed on by a vampire? How does it feel for a vampire to feed on another person?
"The IG messages imply that it's supposed to feel euphoric and sexy for both parties. I imagine the actual throat-chomping would still sting, though."

Questions about the different races: Do any of them lay eggs (atavians, horkvali, grook, and xoran, specifically)?
There are egg references for Horkval and Grecht (what - please retcon, bats don't create eggs), but there has not been evidence beyond this. Most RP live birth, though some vary the gestation period depending upon the mother's race, or that of the planned race of the child. Most of the creation myths have the races drawing from some proto-human, which suggests related ancestors and things in common. 

How does becoming Tekal/Azudim/Yeleni/Idreth change you? Do you retain features from your original race? How far can you stray from the norm when ascending your mortal race?
Tekal tends to be something of a purgatory - painful, hollow, grey fleshed and disproportionate to original forms, and so on. Azudim/Yeleni/Idreth is much more colourful, so to speak, as it's completing the form (even for Idreth). It is commonly accepted that endgame affords a chance to be whatever you want, by golly you earned it with that grind. Sprout horns, tails, wings, an impressive shnoz, scales, what-have-you. Part of this explanation is that Ascendence is something of a projection or manifestation of your character's mind/nature, bound in flesh and bone. It can shift as your character shifts, though note that this generally should not be an overnight 'tada I'm the opposite' change. 

Do undead/vampires experience the same emotions as living? Why don't they dream?
According to Omei, no. She has said that life essence is what allows mortal beings to experience emotion; I specifically remember Her once making an analogy between vampires/undead and a severed limb: a person who has lost an arm may so strongly remember what sensation in it felt like that they still perceive sensation, but of course, it isn't the real thing. They don't dream because dreams are Omei's gift, and She sees vampires/undead as an abomination of life. Note that this is also Divine Politics.

image
AlexinaMoireanTzaAryanneNiaAloli
«1

Comments

  • ArekaAreka Drifting in a sea of wenches' bosoms
    edited May 2013

    The Major Players
    Spinesreach
    Geography: A citadel and farm land.
    Culture: Aaah motherland! Russian/slavik, complete with accents and harsh winters.

    Enorian
    Geography: Something akin to India in terms of architecture and climate - hot, coastal, white domes and draping clothes.
    Culture: Cult-like. (I jest, or do I?)

    Bloodloch
    Geography: Undeground, someone help me out here. 
    Culture: A mixture between Hot Topic S&M, Anne Rice, and Courtesan Era Houses with balls and gowns and things.

    Duiran
    Geography:  Surrounding a very large tree. 
    Culture: Between life-embracing and the means justify the ends, with heavy Celtic influences and..tree things. 

    Secondary Players
    El'Jazira
    Geography: Desert
    Culture: Middle eastern/arabian nights, nomadic and something Lin should really tell me more of.

    Indyuk Settlement
    Geography: In the western tundra, I need go to look at it.
    Culture: Inuit, somewhat tribal hunter culture. 

    Djeir
    Geography: Still on fire-cleanup? A city built within a large cavern, complete with towers and spires that reach up towards the surface. 
    Culture: Something between French/Italian courtesan and corrupted politics.

    Saluria
    Geography: Amazonian, thick jungle and rainforest on either side, bordered by the great temples of Ati an Sonn.
    Culture: Aztec/Mayan, heavy Rajamala population. 

    Attica
    Geography: Something of an English village.
    Culture: Something of an English village. 

    Please help fill these in!
    image
    Aryanne
  • ArekaAreka Drifting in a sea of wenches' bosoms
    edited May 2013
    Races
    Atavian
    Town: Aerie, a village hidden in the Vashnar mountains.
    Culture: Great importance placed on freedom and flight. Caw.
    Language: Airy - what languages might it sound similar to?

    Dwarf
    Towns: Tainhelm in the Sirrocian Mountains.
    Khauskin mines in the Dakhota hills, though this paired with attacks from vampires that the Dwarves freed in their haste for more precious materials.
    Culture: Best natural smiths and drinkers to be found.

    Grecht
    Town: Unknown, though they appeared int he Sirrocians.
    Culture:

    Grook
    Town: A village on the island of Ulangi.
    Cohabitating the swampy village of Torston.
    Culture:

    Human
    Town: Sinnetok or Nuunva for inuit tribal cultures int he Tundras.
    Attica for a calm, English village type upbringing.
    Culture: Humans are the most common denizen of Sapience and can be found almost everywhere. 
    Horkval
    Town: A hive on the island of Ulangi.
    Cohabiting the swampy village of Torston.
    Culture: Hive-minded to a degree, great sense of duty and community and disdain for fleshy races.

    Imp
    Town: New Sehal, a newbie-only area and village. Pixies have been enslaved.
    Culture: Inquisitive and mischevious, Imps trend combinations of being troublesome, unruly, chatty, being pranksters, or rebels that push the norm, or creationists in terms of applying their quick minds and natural affinity for chaos into making things.

    Kelki
    Town: Kelsys, though it was destroyed in 277.
    Shastaan, now Mournhold, east of the Raphaelan highway.
    Culture: Bloop.

    Mhun
    Town: Moghedu, deep within caves and mines under ground on the western edge of the Mojhave. 
    Culture: Mhun trend features akin to Mexican, South American or Polynesian cultures.

    Rajamala
    Town: Saluria, jungle village deep in the Itzatl.
    Farsai, some priests still found there (would not raise children there).
    Culture: Mayan, tribal, communal base. 

    Troll
    Town: Hashan, now in ruins, and sworn to Spinesreach
    Three Rock Outpost, near the Dry Plains - cohabited with humans and serving as bandits, thugs, and thieves. 
    Craneskull in Mannaseh swamp, highly misogynous and aggressive. Highly religious, following an unnamed entity of war, strife and hatred. 
    Stormcaller, in the Tundra.
    Language: Coarse and rough, favouring harsh or gutteral sounds and lesser syllables.
    Culture: This varies, but Trolls trend valuing strength (in will and muscle), are heavy drinkers and prize themselves on their own weapon and war-craft (second to the Dwarves in both of these things). They trend being religious or spiritual, though this can range from following gods to following belief systems or entities or virtues. 

    Tsol'aa
    Town: Aalen, though it was abandoned during the outburst of the Aalen Bloom.
    Culture:

    Xoran
    Town: Xaanhal, underground and by the Shamtota hills.
    Culture: 
    image
    Aryanne
  • ArekaAreka Drifting in a sea of wenches' bosoms
    Reserved
    image
  • ArekaAreka Drifting in a sea of wenches' bosoms
    Reserved
    image
  • AngweAngwe I'm the dog that ate yr birthday cake Bedford, VA
    Duiran has a lot of gaelic influences tied into its lore and some of its aesthetics. I personally imagine the 'Duiran accent' to sound a lot like a northern Irish accent, but that's just me.

    The physical location of Duiran is very large. It's a giant valley, mostly forested. Four large, canyonlike mountains box it in. These mountains are all partially hollowed out (hence the term 'Hollow' i.e. 'East Hollow, South Hollow, ect'). The Great Oak kinda sits on top of all of this. I haven't quite figured out what exactly that looks like, but it's implied that the Oak's giant roots hold it up and it kinda sits on the surrounding mountains? That part is really confusing. In the center of the valley, there's a forested island surrounded by a lake. The lake is called Onimah(sp). This has something to do with Lleis. The island hosts the Heartwood, which is somehow connected to every forest in Sapience. Someone else should explain this, as I've been unable to find out much information about all that. In the center of the Heartwood, the 'core' of the Great Oak can be found. The Core is a semi-physical manifestation of Dendara (the plane of primal/animal souls) or something. IDK. Forestal stuff is really vague.
    image
  • MoireanMoirean Chairmander Portland
    Well, at one point, the Heartwood tree was literally connected to every forest - ie, there were exits from there to every forest in the game. That got removed because it made for lulzy wars and the connection is now a "spiritual" link. Irruel, Rosalind and Relandroc are your go-to people for any old forestal lore - people may joke about Relandroc's inclinations, but he is really knowledgeable about Duiran/forestal history.
    Haven
  • edited May 2013
    Angwe said:
    Duiran has a lot of gaelic influences tied into its lore and some of its aesthetics. I personally imagine the 'Duiran accent' to sound a lot like a northern Irish accent, but that's just me.

    That made my day in regards to the accent.

    Bloodloch
    Geography: Underground, with Volcanic caverns running through various layers of the Mountain from subterranean with lava, gases, and poisonous air into the upper regions with huge open amphitheatres and stone passages.

     

    Carnifex failing since 2011. Fixes coming Soon ™
  • The Onimah is a tree in the Liruma that Lleis grew for Her order at one point.

    also, @Moirean, I have some idea of super-early Duiran history too!

  • AlexinaAlexina the Haunted Soul
    Okay. This is some things I've been wondering about:

    Undeath and vampirism (referring solely to player characters):
    • What bodily functions do undead/vampires retain? Do they breathe in order to speak? Can they blush? Why do they need to eat (if lower than level 80)?
    • Do undead/vampires experience the same emotions as living? Why don't they dream?
    • Do undead bodies react in the same way to stimuli as mortal bodies (ranging in anything from being touched, heat/warmth, high altitudes, taking a blow to the head, imbibing alcohol/poisons, etcetera). Why? Why not?
    • What does it feel like being bitten and fed on by a vampire?
    • How does it feel for a vampire to feed on another person?
    • What is the significance of one's Blood rank in a purely roleplaying aspect?


    Questions about the different races:

    • Do any of them lay eggs (atavians, horkvali, grook, and xoran, specifically)?
    • Tsol'aa are supposed to be Aetolia's version of elves, right? Are there any significant differences?
    • The helpfile states that Atavian view humans with some measure of disdain. Why? And why not the other races? How does this show in game?
    • How does becoming Tekal/Azudim/Yeleni/Idreth change you? Do you retain features from your original race? How far can you stray from the norm when ascending your mortal race?
    image
    Aryanne
  • edited May 2013

    Race geography

    Atavian:
    The home town of the Atavians is Aerie, a village hidden inside a mountain in the Vashnars.

    Dwarf:
    Dwarves has two major settlements. The village of Tainhelm in the Sirrocian mountains and the Khauskin mines in the Dakhota hills.

    Grecht:
    Though they don't technically have a village yet, the first Grecht appeared on top of a mountain in the Sirrocian mountains. One could assume that a settlement is hidden away somewhere around there.

    Grook:
    Grooks have their own village on the island of Ulangi, but can also be found in the swampy village of Torstone, close to the Shamtota hills and the Pash valley.

    Human:
    Humans basically come from all over the place and there are lots of options. If you want the more tribal kind, Sinnetok or Nuunva in the Tundras. Do you want a calm upbringing fishing by the lake, Attica. The options here are endless.

    Horkval:
    Just like the Grook, the Horkval has a hive on Ulangi but can also be found in Torston.

    Imp:
    Imps come from the village of New Sehal, a newbie-only area. If it wasn't for the enslaved pixies, it's quite a pleasant place.

    Kelki:
    The poor Kelki lost their underwater home Kelsys, but instead chased away the infestation of the thrim from the old fishing town of Shastaan, renaming it Mournhold. It is located to the east of the Raphaelan highway.

    Mhun:
    The mhun has their home in the deep caves and mines of Moghedu. It's big, they don't need any other place.

    Rajamala:
    The jungle village of Saluria is the home of the Rajamalas. Even though some priests are still found in the ruins of Farsai, it's not a place to raise a child.

    Troll:
    Trolls has quite a few home towns by now. There are still trolls in the ruins of Hashan, the first troll home in the Northern Ithmias. Then there is the Craneskull settlement in the Mannaseh swamp, clammy and damp. Finally, there is the new settlement northeastish of the Western tundra, and I just can't remember the name right now.

    Tsol'aa:
    From what I know, the Tsol'aa are homeless now. They used to come from the forest village in Aalen, but after the outburst of the Aalen bloom, the village has been deserted.

    Xoran:
    The village of Xoral in the Mhojave desert is the first home of the Xorani. The second one is Xaanhal, an underground settlement in the northern parts of the Shamtota hills.

    I am sure I have missed some things, so fill in what you can.

     

    AryanneTeani
  • EleanorEleanor FOR SCIENCE
    Stormcaller is the Trollish settlement in the tundra.

    As far as RL analogues go-
    Attica, Jaru and Arbothia tend to be kind of England/Old Country-ish.
    Djeir tends to be a combo of French and Italian.
    El'Jazira is all arabian nights, but some of the food and whatnot there is a bit Mediterranean as well.
    Saluria has a lot of aztec influence going on.

    My two bob on mixed races: Seeing as mechanically you can only be one race, I tend to play it that a child is always entirely one race, but has the chance of being either the race of the mother or the father. Call it Aetolian genetics- dominance/recessiveness is a package deal, all or nothing. That also can be applied to a child who's neither of the parents' races- it might be that one of them was carrying recessive (and entirely unexpressed) genes for another race and the kid picked up on those instead.

    Some responses to Alexuu- (Disclaimer: It's just my opinion, man. Also omitted the ones I don't have a clue about.)
    [spoiler]
    What bodily functions do undead/vampires retain? Do they breathe in order to speak? Can they blush? Why do they need to eat (if lower than level 80)?
    The way mechanics work in aet, you pretty much have to assume that respiration and circulation work a lot like the living- or else there'd be no bleeding or asphyxiation on that side of combat. On the realistic-science side of things, they'd need to breathe to speak, because that's part of making sound. Blushing is probably down to the individual on how heavily they want to RP being undead- the really corpsey people probably won't, but the folk who choose to RP it as 'alive with a different method of staying so' would likely want to rp blushing and whatnot. The only thing that there's real hard and fast rules on is that systems other than circulatory and respiratory are nonfunctional (especially reproductive).

    The eating thing can actually be explained by the take on Necromancy that the cabal uses- basically, essence is energy, and you get your essence from your food. So even though they're not the same as the living, the undead still need to take in stuff containing essence to fuel their movement and healing and stuff. So that's why they still need to eat!

    Do undead/vampires experience the same emotions as living? Why don't they dream?
    I believe there's actual IG lore about this- something about Omei disliking undeath and not giving dreams to the undead because of that.

    Do undead bodies react in the same way to stimuli as mortal bodies (ranging in anything from being touched, heat/warmth, high altitudes, taking a blow to the head, imbibing alcohol/poisons, etcetera). Why? Why not?
    Again, probably down to the individual roleplayer. It's easier (and often more interesting) to roleplay an undead character being susceptible to the same things as the living- on the other hand, if you want to get into the living-corpse bracket of RP there's probably some fun writing in underscoring that stuff doesn't work quite right anymore.

    What does it feel like being bitten and fed on by a vampire? How does it feel for a vampire to feed on another person?
    The IG messages imply that it's supposed to feel euphoric and sexy for both parties. I imagine the actual throat-chomping would still sting, though.

    Questions about the different races:
    Do any of them lay eggs (atavians, horkvali, grook, and xoran, specifically)?

    I believe there's mention of eggs in the Horkval hive, but aside from that there's no evidence of eggs being a thing. Assuming that most races give birth to live young makes the idea of interspecies children more plausible. Also, most of the creation myths talk about the races being formed from the undescribed but presumably human-ish proto-aetolians, so that's a little bit of support for them all having some bits in common.

    Tsol'aa are supposed to be Aetolia's version of elves, right? Are there any significant differences?

    Not really, as far as I know! They're kind of generic and sadly under-represented in the lore. I know I always try and give them a more alien look than the standard tolkien elf when I'm drawing them, but that's the extent of it.

    The helpfile states that Atavian view humans with some measure of disdain. Why? And why not the other races? How does this show in game?
    It doesn't show, because nobody's ever really gone into it. That's just one of those little bits of lore that's technically there but nobody really knows or cares about. It'd probably need some admin work to actually become a thing, and there probably isn't anyone upstairs who remembers why it was written that way in the first place. That's the problem with a lot of the lore in Aet, really, because there's a high turnover upstairs and a lot of stuff doesn't have notes as to why-and-how attached. Someone from upstairs might have some insight on this question, though.

    How does becoming Tekal/Azudim/Yeleni/Idreth change you? Do you retain features from your original race? How far can you stray from the norm when ascending your mortal race?
    It's pretty commonly accepted that endgame is your chance to be whatever the heck you want to be, because you earnt it with all that bashing. A lot of people keep their old features because they're important to who their character is. Some people choose to completely shake it up, though (Pilar comes to mind- grecht girl to deer-satyr, ok).

    It's common to have the Tekal stage be a kind of... purgatory, though. One last test before ascension, as it were. There's no hard and fast rules on Azudim/Yeleni/Idreth appearances, but it is in the lore that Tekal are grey-skinned and washed out, and tend to be stretched and huge.
    [/spoiler]

    AlexinaAngweKonnornEmellePerilunaAryanneTeani
  • Do Grecht have fur or skin?

    Sounds trivial but it's bugging me. I first wrote my desc with 'skin', basing it on the website picture of a Grecht. However, everyone and their mother who played a Grecht seemed to run around with 'fur'. So I changed it to 'fur'. And today I'm still unsure about it.... :(
  • As far as NPCs go, they all have skin.
    Tza
  • Well, I think this falls in line with this. I didn't read the tutorial when coming into the game, so. What puts me in my guild and my city at the age of 18? What brought me to that point.
  • EmelleEmelle Dreamshaper Tecpatl's Cradle
    edited May 2013
    Alexina said:
    • Do undead/vampires experience the same emotions as living? Why don't they dream?
    According to Omei, the answer to the question of emotions is a big fat "no." She has said that life essence is what allows mortal beings to experience emotion; I specifically remember Her once making an analogy between vampires/undead and a severed limb: a person who has lost an arm may so strongly remember what sensation in it felt like that they still perceive sensation, but of course, it isn't the real thing. They don't dream because dreams are Omei's gift, and She sees vampires/undead as an abomination of life.

    Alexina said:
    • How does becoming Tekal/Azudim/Yeleni/Idreth change you? Do you retain features from your original race? How far can you stray from the norm when ascending your mortal race?
    In addition to what Eleanor said, I've heard a lot of people claim that your final form is your "true" form -- some sort of representation of your subconscious, the closest physical manifestation of your pure nature. So there's a certain level of symbolism involved, at least for a lot of us.
  • Regarding atavian disdain for humans: Could this be related to the fact that atavians are, in essence, the result of humans interbreeding with the atav, who were more bird-like?

    Aoiveae
  • TzaTza
    edited May 2013
    Tok said:
    As far as NPCs go, they all have skin.
    Awesome, thanks!

    I'll go with skin then, the furries can shoo.
    Aryanne
  • SaritaSarita Empress of Bahir'an The Pillars of the Earth
    The question about bloodrank from @Alexina:

    It's usually a pretty personal thing for each person, often guided by the house they're in. D'baen are sticklers about tradition, and since that's one of the first, it makes sense that they require it. Others literally view it as a status symbol - the higher, the better. Then you have people who don't like it, sometimes specifically for one or both of those reasons. They might see it as holding the society back because they're clinging to old ideas, or making people with higher bloodranks seem better than those with lower ones, even if the latter are just as good or even better in other ways. There are still others who go one way or the other specifically because their sire asked them to without having any strong feelings themselves, or chooses one or the other based on whatever other people around them do because they don't have any strong feelings about it.
  • MoireanMoirean Chairmander Portland

    Emelle
    said:
    Alexina said:
    • Do undead/vampires experience the same emotions as living? Why don't they dream?
    According to Omei, the answer to the question of emotions is a big fat "no." She has said that life essence is what allows mortal beings to experience emotion; I specifically remember Her once making an analogy between vampires/undead and a severed limb: a person who has lost an arm may so strongly remember what sensation in it felt like that they still perceive sensation, but of course, it isn't the real thing. They don't dream because dreams are Omei's gift, and She sees vampires/undead as an abomination of life.
    I wouldn't take that entirely as canon, and more as almost a bit of divine politics as vampires/undead/anyone CAN dream regardless of Omei. There is a bloodborn ritual for it.
  • EmelleEmelle Dreamshaper Tecpatl's Cradle
    @Moirean: That's true, and She's addressed that as well, pointing out the artificial nature of it.
  • @Moirean: Funny story about that, actually. About, oh...three years ago maybe? A couple of Bloodborn approached Omei about that ritual, knowing that it was a trespass into her realm that she probably didn't like and offered a deal to her. If I recall it was 'we'll destroy knowledge of this ritual if you give us something in return'. What was discussed was a ritual that would protect them from the sun more effectively and with less drawback than bloodshade. She agreed at the time and the dream ritual was destroyed.

    Before Omei held her end of the bargain up, though, she disappeared. Then when she showed up several real-life months later and was approached again she tried to play it off like the deal never happened.

    From what I understand, it was due to the new player not knowing about the deal in the first place.

    Emelle
  • TeaniTeani Shadow Mistress Sweden

    Munsia
    said:
    Well, I think this falls in line with this. I didn't read the tutorial when coming into the game, so. What puts me in my guild and my city at the age of 18? What brought me to that point.
    I believe the common thing is that guilds don't accept anyone under the age of 18, and similarly for cities, someone can't be treated as a true citizen until they are a certain age and allowed to have a say in politics and such.

    Some people rp having been close to the guild/living in the city as children, giving them a better understanding of how it works, making it part of their history. Others join up as a means to stay safe from the Slavers (after leaving the introduction), and learn how to fend for themselves. It all depends on how you want to play your character and implement their history.



  • ArekaAreka Drifting in a sea of wenches' bosoms
    Updated top posts, though Q and A got cut off, blasted limit!

    As to 'why am I in this guild' - a lot of us simply ignore the RP set up in t he introduction, because everyone being an escaped slave is a bit tiring and old (especially when you've RP kids coming through that have no business being caught in the first place).

    So, why you ended up in the guilds and cities are entirely up to you in the end, and what RP and background you have in mind for your character.
    image
    EmelleLin
  • EleanorEleanor FOR SCIENCE
    edited May 2013
    I know when I was a kidlet I didn't know enough of the lore, so the story was "Those guys cracked me on the head, I don't remember much but I thought here was a good idea, HEY HOW ABOUT THAT WEATHER". Later, once I had a handle on things and what I wanted my character to be, I had things start coming back to her. Usuaklly when I ask novices about backstory and they don't seem to have any, I hand them an out by saying something about 'gracious those slavers knock a person hard on the head don't they, those guys are a menace' and change the subject.

    Also RE your post about races, Areka- Xoral is where the Xorali live, and Scidve has the Drakt- they're subsets, supposed to be more like cousins of the Xorani. They're actually called Xorani in Xanhaal though.

  • ArekaAreka Drifting in a sea of wenches' bosoms
    QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:

    Why do NPCs know your name, even if you've never interacted with them?

    Are Honours IC? How/why do we know this information?

    Why are most people forever young and beautiful? Was the proto-human race Fabio? 

    How/why do we learn and forget skills? How can you justify no longer knowing how to use a sword when you switch classes? 
    image
  • EmelleEmelle Dreamshaper Tecpatl's Cradle
    Areka said:
    Are Honours IC? How/why do we know this information?

    I vaguely remember seeing someone (Elea?) address this on forums at some point before -- afaik, the convention is that honors are IC within reason. For example, I personally never assume I know someone's name (unless their reputation precedes them), but if someone was part of a major event and has an honors line to go along with it, you could ostensibly spark some RP with them by saying, "HEYYY I heard you're a total badass," &c.
  • Areka said:
    QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:

    Why do NPCs know your name, even if you've never interacted with them?

    Are Honours IC? How/why do we know this information?

    Why are most people forever young and beautiful? Was the proto-human race Fabio? 

    How/why do we learn and forget skills? How can you justify no longer knowing how to use a sword when you switch classes? 
    How do NPCs know your name? The same way everyone does, in my opinion. We all have the innate ability to know who someone else is. How do I arrive at this conclusion? Telepathy, for starters. Tells exist as a means of base-level telepathy that everyone (mobs included) has access to. We know how to make sure a specific thought reaches a specific person, thus we can at least identify individuals by their distinct minds. It is not a far reach to assume that if we can select a target, we can glean certain information about them - honours ties into this somewhat too, but more about that in a moment. Additionally, farsee/other seeking abilities likewise hone in on an individual. Traps, enemy statuses, telepathy, anything that requires enemy/ally require a more intimate knowledge of someone than could be gained simply by existing in a world and hearing word-of-mouth. Pair that with quickwho, who, deathsight, and the vision ability that lets you recognize shouts? We have some way to 'know' who someone is. We recognize some characteristic of them, and it grants us some basic information as well. When you run into someone you've never met before, maybe your reputation precedes you. But you also already have some basic information because of your ability to send tells/messages - the presence you've sensed, associated with the name they use (which, names in Aetolia are very powerful anyway, will discuss this last!), gives you the information needed to identify someone you just met for the first time, and explain how NPCs know your name, too. They sense you!

    Honours IC - I tend to feel like they're more in line with this basic telepathy/mind-reading thing everyone seems to be able to do. This is in line with some basic things, such as the artifact power hide_might (you are literally concealing your relative strength from telepathic screening via an artifact), and a few other basic intrinsic values that are a part of 'you' are visible as well. Titles are maybe iffy, but could again be explained under the guise of names having power (again, more on this last). The fame: column is, however, stuff I would believe to be more IC knowledge - you'd hear rumors, maybe, that this guy you know (identified by, again, his individual name/telepathic presence) killed a dragon somewhere. Don't say 'I honorsed him' though, argh. That drives me nuts. :(

    Adventurers are typically the 'best of the best'. No npcs run around saving the world regularly. No npcs get to save the girl/world without an adventurer there. We bash npcs for lulz/strength, because we are the movers and shakers. Think of legend, think of lore. How many ugly main characters are there? This aside, it does make sense that an adventurer, as the best of the best, would look pretty snazzy. Call it superior genetics, call it an attribute that marks adventurers as superior - there are tons of ugly npcs. Not nearly as many adventurers. I think it's just a matter of adventurers being, generally, better than npcs. Additionally, as adventurers, we don't need to eat or sleep after level 80, unless someone drains us. We don't really metabolize. In a world where no one really dies of old age (that would be hilarious though) it doesn't make sense to have a really old man unless there's a reason for it (sub level 80, super old, etc.) - not even certain NPCs age after a certain point - either timeline-wise Aetolians age SUPER SLOW, or something about their lifestyle/metabolism keeps them locked at some optimal/favorable age. Interesting to think about.

    As far as skills go, I viewed lessons as another part of whatever it is that makes adventurers so darn snazzy. They're...meta-points, almost. Some form of power, gained by growing stronger, that can be exchanged and used to grow more powerful in terms of abilities. When you change class, you are literally re-focusing the power your body built up. A Carnifex who class changes to Teradrim isn't 'forgetting' how to use deathlore, etc. - he's just re-focusing his power, channeling it into a different form. Which means he can't use the halberd-style stuff any more, his body/mind isn't attuned to it. Think of it almost like a slot - you fill it with focusing on Carnifex fighting-style, you can't also tap into that Teradrim skillset, which instead lies dormant. It also explains the cooldown - you can't keep re-focusing your power, too tiring. And the combat thing, after a fight you're still too worked up/tangled up in the fighting skills you just used to swap around. This is pretty much just spitballing here though!

    Finally, names! The most important part of Aetolia. Perhaps among NPCs, there are repeated names. But among adventurers, there are never names that repeat perfectly. Unless Toz ceases to exist, there can never be another Toz. Your name is not simply a sound to identify you, but a literal part of your soul/being. If I try to send telepathic communication to Kite, it won't reach Kiyotan. Kite isn't his name - no matter what you /go by/, your actual name is what is linked with you for all of eternity. Adventurers have the power to change their name before they grow in power, a bit, but once they reach a certain point that name is bound to them, and serves to identify what makes them 'them'. Your name, in my opinion, is what makes the telepathy work. It's what makes honors work. It serves as a variable, almost - names a table, a container. Everyone is like a box, with a label on it - you can see what's in the box, and you can identify the box by its name. Without that label, you can't interact with it - 'Enemy blue box' isn't going to work, there could be billions of those. But 'Enemy Kiyotan' will - there's only one (thank God).



    Arbre-Today at 7:27 PM

    You're a vindictive lil unicorn
    ---------------------------

    Lartus-Today at 7:16 PM

    oh wait, toz is famous

    Karhast-Today at 7:01 PM

    You're a singularity of fucking awfulness Toz
    ---------------------------
    Didi's voice resonates across the land, "Yay tox."
    ---------------------------

    Ictinus11/01/2021

    Block Toz
    ---------------------------

    limToday at 10:38 PM


    you disgust me
    ---------------------------
    (Web): Bryn says, "Toz is why we can't have nice things."

    AldricPerilunaMoireanBakhtuh
  • SaritaSarita Empress of Bahir'an The Pillars of the Earth
    For skills, I've typically treated it as a concentration kind of thing for class skills. You don't "forget" them when you switch, you're just making a conscious decision to focus on those other skills, and you can't focus on all of them because you need to have this connection that the earthen plane/the blood/your kai energry/whatever class explanation, and it's hard to focus on two of those at once. Obviously, we can shift focus to the other skills, but I almost consider it like different classes at school. You can play basketball and take a math exam on the same day, but if you try doing both at the same time, chances are you'll do badly at both. Likewise, if you start the test and then remember you have sport practice, you might be in trouble because you need to warm up and things before you can start playing the game (to explain the time needed between class changes.)

    As far as forgetting general skills, that's a bit more tricky. I'd be inclined to say that you haven't really forgotten them entirely since you can study them again if you want to use them. You would just need a refresher to use them properly or be able to teach them to other people.
    EmelleAoiveae
  • edited May 2013
    Are Honours IC? How/why do we know this information?
    Basically what @Emelle said. I don't know anything about a person upon meeting them until they or someone else says their name. At that point, I figure that their honours information is more or less available to me and that my character can go forth and access the public records about people. If they're already very well-known for whatever reason - either globally or in Ciarelle's little world - however, then I'll assume my character can gather who they are.

    Why are most people forever young and beautiful? Was the proto-human race Fabio?
    To me, it seems like ascension etc. can play a huge role in this. Our characters aren't entirely normal people. When they reach level 80, they can control their bodies enough that they no longer need to sleep or eat and they can transform into something else completely at level 100. It seems like it would be simple enough for them to have some control over their physical aging.
  • ArbreArbre Arbrelina Jolie Braavos
    Areka said:
    Are Honours IC? How/why do we know this information?
    I've always referred to HONORS as your public record in game.
    AtrapoemaPerilunaKonnornLianca
Sign In or Register to comment.