Legacy of the Black Queen - Discussion Thread

First post of RP.

First post of Signup Thread.

Okay, this is the discussion thread for the Legacy of the Black Queen. Feel free to raise any issues you might have here. If it's regarding a matter which you'd like to discuss privately (for plot twists and other secrets), PM me.

Hope this works. *fingers crossed*

Did you know that Dame Edith Ras-Tiral is an anagram for "A Dramatised Hitler"?

And by posting here I at least spare Pyrite from having to double post if he needs to announce something.

That was completely unintentional.

EDIT: Screw it, let's assume that the Dame is in the room. Guess I gotta roll with it.

edited 13th May '14 1:04:44 AM by Pyrite

Hooray for retcons on the first page!

Aaaaaaa and then I come and post as though she's not there!

...Well, we're off to an excellent start.*flips nman the bird* (Actually, daltar, your post may still work with minor changes - the contents are generic enough. But if you'd like to change anything, you have until tomorrow.)

edited 13th May '14 11:17:42 AM by Pyrite

Made a light modification.

Ah, didn't realize I hadn't signed onto the discussion thread. Hi, folks!

Meanwhile, in another place, another lifetimes.

Uh, Pblades, somehow I don't think being patted on the shoulder by someone who just admitted to treason is going to make the girl who's afraid of being tortured for aiding traitors feel any better. The effort's appreciated, though.

Will append, then. Hopefully its now more clear that she's just (ineffectually) trying to help.

Forgot high treason tends to be frowned around in this here parts.

edited 14th May '14 4:15:52 PM by Pblades

Well, there's always the option of dealing with it in-character, but I leave the choice to you. (As for punching Dame Edith... well, it's stupid and definitely suicidal - not to mention a little hard to do from across the table - but you can try.)

edited 14th May '14 5:07:32 PM by Pyrite

Yo Pyrite, if no one else is gonna post, I think it might be prudent to see if anyone else who posted a signup wants to join.

Hmmm is the Black Spear common knowledge? Or scholarly knowledge? Don't want my little lawyer who is so proud of her education ask for what may be a famous piece of history.

Nman: Worth a thought, but it's hard to work them in while the briefing is ongoing. (Didn't expect this RP to die in the water that quickly.)

daltar: It's an item of legend. I'll provide info shortly.

edited 20th May '14 1:10:45 AM by Pyrite

Okay, here goes. (Assuming this is going to be of any benefit.)

The Black Queen: Common Knowledge

Approximately 400 years before the current game, Queen Zakarath the First led the popular uprising against Godsforge that is now recorded as the Great War, and formed what is now known as the Kingdom of Zakarath. She was renowned for her combat prowess and tactical acumen, often leading her troops into battle personally. She remained undefeated until her death in the Blasted Lands near the end of the Great War, under mysterious circumstances. The final battle in the Blasted Lands also resulted in the near-destruction of both armies, and an armistice was signed soon after. While she never took up a royal title in her lifetime, both her supporters and her enemies called her the "Black Queen", and her daughters retrospectively named her Zakarath the First and continued her lineage thereafter.

Folklore is divided about the Black Queen's origins. Some say that she was the bastard child or incarnation of a long-forgotten God of War, that she was impervious to weapons and magic alike, that she was the child of a prophecy that would lead to the foundation of the future Kingdom of Zakarath. Others claim that she damned her soul and the lives of countless people in order to ensure supremacy in battle, and that it was demons that eventually came to claim her and reduced the Blasted Lands to its current state. About the only thing that can be confirmed is that she wielded an unnamed spear into battle, later christened the Spear of the Black Queen.

The Spear of the Black Queen has its own share of rumours too - that it can channel lightning or pierce the heart of anyone it's even pointed at, that the gods gifted it to her, that she crafted it from the bones of her enemies and quenched it in the blood of her lovers (never mind that according to all accounts, it was made of steel). About the only thing that can be corroborated is this: She was never seen without it, she carried it along with the gems that would later become the Crown Jewels of Zakarath, and the spear (but not the jewels) disappeared along with her during her last battle.

Just a note for everyone - if there's some information that you need for your posts and which you think should be common knowledge, please post your questions here. If you think it might be character-specific, PM me. (It lets me know you're alive.)

edited 29th Jun '14 1:35:25 AM by Pyrite

Fishing all day long~

Everyone, please feel free to clock Riviera one in the jaw if you felt she's being too confrontational with the dame- she won't see it coming. Successes have a way of getting to someone's head, after all.

I'm sure Edith would've loved to take you up on that offer under different circumstances, but I've changed scenes for now - and this NPC is a little friendlier, or so I hope.

How is long distance communication done here? Is it primarily a horse courier, messenger pigeon, or are there magical dealie like the Sending spell?

The mundane methods (horse, pigeon, human) are reliable; I'd have a problem with Sending because of plot issues and the fact that there's no range limit for the spell. (Also, it's 5th-level Wizard / 4th-level Cleric, and that's when teleportation and ice storms and all that come in, so that's a little above the power level I had in mind.) I'm fine with Message as a cantrip, though.

To achieve long-distance communications, you need a magical network with appropriate foci: scrying globes like the one Azol just used are fairly reliable within the borders of the kingdom as long as the other party has a similar globe and you know the right spell. Communications between Zakarath and Godsforge are limited to official declarations and the severed heads of messengers.

Also, DEAR GOD I PICK THE WORST NAMES FOR MY NPCS. (You're doing this on purpose, aren't you, nman?)

Wanna try for best three out of five on the names thing?

Also, why is 'peasant' not listed as a form of communication? But yeah, I hear you on that. Pretty much any time I try to make a fantasy RP, long-distance talk is one of the first things I axe. It's the Seinfeld law for Fantasy plots, basically.

edited 23rd May '14 9:43:27 PM by nman

"Peasant" falls under "human". Zakarath isn't completely corrupt.

Well then, this party is going along swimmingly! We seem to have split into the Suicidally Irreverent, Scared Young Women and have the Doctor sitting awkwardly in the middle.

"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

I think we'll be fine as long as we can make it into the blasted poisonous hellscape.