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In-Character Forums => The Dragon Storm Campaign => Topic started by: Rowana on January 07, 2012, 07:13:58 pm

Title: Question and Answer sessions for Dragon Storm Campaign
Post by: Rowana on January 07, 2012, 07:13:58 pm
Questions and Answers from the plot catch ups from Session 1:[LIST=1]

A: He was last seen in Stormcry Hollows     by the group that went after the Broken One. There is no     intelligence to suggest he is anywhere else.

     A: These forces seem to have gone back     to doing whatever it is they were doing before.... Or something.     They are definitely not being seen on the boarders of Nesar.

     A: Everyone has gone home, there are     no occupying forces. Regular stations manned as they would have     otherwise been throughout the country (so far as everyone knows).

     A: The presence of Rael's forces are     less troops and more support personnel, given the drastic damages     done there. There are appropriate military guard for Rael's     continued people presence within the country.

     A:  Indeed. That is going to be a     long, long road for them.

     A: Fisterion protected his interests,     but he didn't really do much to protect anyone else's. Since his     offer of aid was rejected, he really kept to his own business.

     A:  Queen Alise Langovale (the     desposed ruler of Kuhl) is alive and well and presently a guest of     Queen Mouring's  in Trelania.

     A: That  is the word that came from     those that survived the expedition. There is a big caved in section     of ground where the Hollows used to be.

A: Hilm is in the process of     repair and recovery.

A: In general, there     are strategic withdrawals happening throughout the allied forces.

A: Support is lent where support is needed, but     generally a  withdrawal and no apparent intentions for permanent     stationing.

A:     Yes.

A: The Cult (further than that is not known).     The curing though, managed through the Aeridites and Elohanna's name     is typically spoken in the same breath. (As an aside, the serial     murderer is still at large).

A:     There was an active effort by certain allied forces to cure/dispose     of afflicted dragons. Not many were floating free of Kuhl's forces.     What success they are having is not common knowledge.

A: Siphe's forces are     reportedly only what forces he had with him at the time, further     details are not commonly known though there are a few PCs with extra     details.

A: While it is known he arrived with     some of these in his forces, the current status is unknown.

A: In the chaos that     immediately followed the Broken One's destruction, druidic forces     within Kuhl were able to examine it and determine it is, at least     near the surface, free of any dangerous taint or corruption. They     could get this word out through druidic channels.

A: With regards to Hlintites, there does not     seem to be an overt affect, though  every little thing that goes     badly for a person who was once affected-but-survived is blamed on     the fact that Those Cultists messed with Their Town.

A: Nesar is -largely- business as usual, to the general     observer.

A: There are the     sightings/attacks related to the on-hold quest thing of Rowana's and     there's those attacks more recent that were brought up (Dezza's     postings in the Rumors section) earlier and which are not really     related to the Dragon Storm plot. However, it stands to reason that     with the apparent removal of the threat of being tainted by the     Cult, dragons don't particularly have a reason to hide away at the     moment. Other than those two cases I mentioned, there really aren't     any more dragon sightings, dragon attacks or whatever. Maybe someone     sees one in the sky now and then. Maybe not. Maybe it's a drake or a     large bird or...too much to drink.

Regarding Prologue of     the Dragon Storm campaign (World Leader Special series that is     -currently- on hold)


A:     Post-war famines are not a direct result of the war on the large     scale. That is a result of other happenings some months down the     line. There are PCs who have information about that IG, but that is     somewhat on hold. However,  Hilm (kingdom wide) and Sedara (in     certain localities) are facing food insecurities.

Information     and nods in general:

A: The faction system basically means     we're dividing up the world into factions based on each GM's     interest and whatnot. Some of them are plot, some are not. They're     independent though, so we (the plot team) will be reacting to them     just as you, they will react to us and to your actions, etc. That's     not to say that every corner of the world will be divided up and     assigned at the get-go, but the idea is to have "someone"     taking ownership of locales or individuals or whatever. Further     information about this will be coming (soon but no exact date offered).

A: The next phase of things are     definitely going to use the faction system and that is part of why     we're doing the Q&A for folks. Setup leading into that aspect.

It's worth stating that what's happening within the     borders of Kuhl is currently an unknown.  As yet, no one has     infiltrated Kuhl since the end of the war... or at least... not done     so, lived and returned to tell his/her tale to every town crier on     the planet.
The borders are locked down tight. This was true     before the end of the war, but now it's even moreso. Nothing seems     to come in or out. The latter is accepted as a truth. The former is     assumed from the latter, though it's equally likely that what goes     in may simply not come out. This of course occurred once the Cult     forces retreated fully. ***IMPORTANT*** Do not enter the physical     area of Kuhl without the accompaniment of a GM. If you have done so     following the end of the war, treat it as an OOC experience and do     not speak of it as an actual IC Happening.
Title: Question and Answer sessions for Dragon Storm Campaign Session #
Post by: Rowana on January 09, 2012, 04:11:57 pm
Updated description of Kuhl:
 

 Bordes are locked down tight. This was true before the finale (most major engagements of the war) but now it's even moreso. Nothing seems to come in or out. This includes trade, news as much as it includes people.  As far as anyone can tell, comers in and out of Kuhl has stopped completely. Except for a few stragglers, their forces have all returned within the boarders of the kingdom. To reiterate from the earlier post: Do not enter the physical area of Kuhl without the accompaniment of a GM. If you are uncertain what that encompass please ask. If you have done so following the end of the war, treat it as an OOC experience and do not speak of it as an actual IC Happening.
[LIST=1]

A: Due to Kuhl being locked up, yes.
Q: Is it     possible to still go in there?
A: RPly, no. The borders are     closed down tight. Kuhl should not be entered without GM     supervision. Nith and Miritrix are not in Kuhl.

A: You can pass through and around. RPly, you need to     recognize that it's occupied by the Siphe Garra, so it's a military     "base" basically.  Soon that destruction will be repaired     (mechanically), to reflect Siphe cleaning the place up.

A:  Cult troops     have fully retreated to Kuhl's borders. Any stragglers there would     be swiftly dealt with by whoever came upon them in Hilm. Hilm is     also in "clean-up" mode...getting structures and fields     and things back in order after the battles there.  That refers to     the castle and the protectorate as a whole. There is a tremendous     amount of damage in that kingdom/territory so there is a LOT of work     being done. Soldiers doing farm work (though many were farmers I'm     sure), construction, etc.
Q: So rebuilding process basically     after a massive war/fighting?
A: Yes, in a continual state of     high alert, of course. There are still some forces from places other     than Hilm in the various places where battles took place, but they     are more assistive at this point, and their numbers are greatly     reduced from what they were.

A: Correct.  While there may be a few     stragglers here and there...maybe an outpost or two...the Cult has     no real footholds or conquered territory despite their early     successes.

A:     They suffered losses like everyone else, especially with a     significant chunk of the Drach Garra defecting with Jaedon Siphe.     However, they still have formidable numbers as far as anyone can     see.  The borders are heavily patrolled and should be considered     'solid'...meaning GM involvement is needed to enter Kuhl.

A: No. There is nothing on that that you know of with any     certainty.

A: Yes... and no. They are not as surrounded as they     are on Kuhl's side.  Hilm has the usual border crossings and patrols     and scouts and things. Recall that Hilm was guarding the boarders of     all kingdoms at one point. It is definitely scaled back from that     and only the usual posts are manned at this time, as Dorg says.     There is a lot of rebuilding to do even at those locations so...     There's not some massive DMZ though on Hilm's side. They're     watching, of course, and trying to keep an eye on things from     strategic vantage points.

A:     Yes, because one does not amass an army overnight, nor does an army     move quickly.

A: In general?     No.  If you want to find out more, that's CDQ territory.  I used     this example in the prior session... Think about when the Iron     Curtain was in eastern Europe.  Granted, there were ways in and     out...border crossings and checkpoints and all, but really, if they     wanted...they could have closed those too. And the Cult -has- closed     those crossings.

A: There's no trade     in or out at the moment, so make whatever conclusions you can from     that.

A: Not sure what you mean about     not playing with people in this league...but as far as eyes on Kuhl     goes, probably.  I can think of several factions who would want to     keep eyes on Kuhl for various reasons.

A: Since the events of the finale,     there haven't been any attacks by corrupted dragons or Myr'Drach or     anything. Really no one knows what's going on inside Kuhl, but from     what can be seen from outside the borders, the borders are locked...     though there doesn't seem to be any sort of massing of forces within     view of the borders either, so take that however you will.

A: It's within the realm of     possibility, but there's currently no evidence to support or refute     that possibility.

A: While there was definitely some activity on the     Isle, there was no observed or rumored attacks there. The activity     seemed to be volcanic in nature and very dramatic but that is all.

A: Safe 'as usual' yeah. Thus     far. That area is still  highly trafficked by pirates and such.     There have been dragon attacks out there as well but very few     survivors to describe the events. There've been no  -reported-     dragon attacks in that area since the swatting of the Cult in Hilm     etc. Dragon attacks were happening out at sea west of Belinara (and     not associated with the WL quest attacks or the attacks indicated by     Dezza that happened later).
It's a little confusing because there     is dragon activity associated with Row's WL quest series and there     have been dragon attacks associated with something else that Dezza     is running, but they aren't related to Kuhl bid for expansion of     power. None of the attacks after the war's end were by     corrupted/controlled dragons. Clearly, run with whatever you hear     via rumors posted in relation, and if you are unsure ask the GM     posting them.

A: There has been a period of regrouping, but the Council     has not been disbanded nor uninvited from Trelania's power seat.     Many of the nations have been seeing to their own and dealing with     the tremendous losses of late. There are still efforts going on     around the world but mostly fortification and replenishment type     things.

A: No decisions on that front have been announced or     apparently discussed (based on any rumors floating out of     Blackford). Again, all efforts have been going toward  replenishment     of kingdoms, burying of the dead, coping with the aftershocks of     losing so many people, seeing that their own kingdoms do not rebel     etc.

A: Nothing of that nature has been     decided.

A:  That would (unless Dezza had something separate going     on) be appropriate reflection of the WL Quest series that is     currently on hold. I can double check with Dezza but I'm pretty sure     that's related to my series. DMs will reflect the current events of     other DM material when possible.
There are three open factions     on Molten Island. While Fisterion is linked to Pyrtechon's temple,     Fisterion is actually regarded as a separate faction from the temple     and Pyrtechon himself. Just an fyi.

A: There is pretty much no     information coming out of Kuhl at this time.

A: There will be a posting of the timeline on the     Timeline of Layonara on LORE, most likely. Because many pieces are     in play, 'reasons' for what has happened at each point may not     necessarily be revealed. We have a working timeline of events in the     works already and at some point will be updating LORE with that     information.

A: To put things quickly in perspective, the     entire population of the planet is measured in hundreds of     thousands, rather than the billions we generally tend to think of in     our own RL settings. If you look here     http://forums.layonara.com/dragon-storm-campaign/282546-logistics-armies-against-kuhl.html     you can see the numbers of generally known committed forces by     various factions. I believe there are even more committed forces     than that and it  may need some updating but generally it is     correct.
Now when you lose that  many troops (because there were     heavy looses  on both sides) it greatly affects other things that     are imperative like harvest and other labor issues. Generally     speaking I'm pretty sure you folks understand the basics of that,     maybe only need a little nudging to think about it in that light.
So     you have a lot of kingdoms who have lost tremendous amounts of labor     and may be experiencing food insecurities, textile shortages, all     sorts of things like this. -Most- places are not in panic     proportions at this time. That doesn't mean there isn't civil unrest     due to unhappiness with the war that the general populace doesn't     necessarily understand.  There are more panicked proportions of need     in certain areas, but those are directly tied to Post-Campaign     events, in particular Rowana's WL Quest series that is currently on     hold.

A: In part that's what this is. How the     various factions react to the state of the world in the aftermath     will become apparent shortly. If there are unknowns you wish to     pursue at some point in relation to any of this, then that would be     CDQ territory. What we're discussing here is "common knowledge"     stuff.  Anything we're not disclosing may be fodder for an     investigation through CDQ or other effort.
Because of how quickly     in-game time passes, there's going to need to be a little suspension     of "reality" in that respect.  For example, it didn't take     7 years for the Cult's navy to sail to Mistone. The war didn't     really take 60-ish years, etc, and when we get things going again it     will be a matter of months, not years, since the end of hostilities.     We'll make sure to orient everyone on this so there's (hopefully) no     confusion on that point.
Also, we would suggest you pursue the     Rumors section of the forums dating as far back as July of '11. I     know that may be the most effective way for you to get a significant     understanding of what's happened on that front.

A: That goes back to what I just     mentioned about time and all that.  Really, it'll have been just a     few months (or should be) once things get started again....which     should be soon.

A: Most are taking something of a "wait     and see" attitude there...or perhaps apathy so long as Molvaren     doesn't go attacking them. Molvaren's rule is somewhat un-debatable     at the moment, speaking in terms of use of force and the respect of     the people.  Sometimes those things take generations to officially     recognize or refute. There are other kingdoms/realms who still see     Queen Langovale as the rightful ruler of Kuhl and wish to see her     back on the throne, but no one is (yet) posturing for a military     solution to that end.

A: As far as anyone knows, yes.

A: Rael hasn't made any public     statements as of yet.

A: At this time, that     will depend on player initiatives. That may change over time, of     course. We are continuing with the sandbox style of initiation here.     That goes back to the factions announcement we made, and all of that     stuff will be impacted by player efforts (good or bad). It depends     in no small part how the various factions develop and react to     various things.

A: No. You can try and     raise your own army and such. Common sense would dictate you at     least get Langovale's blessing though.

A: Unlike the humans and dwarves of the     lands, the elves did not make a huge racially focused effort in the     war. There were elves (and generally all races) involved but as a     focused effort the elves did not play a central part in the push     back against the Cult's expansion attempts.

A: Ahh... Not     openly if they have. (And for clarity, 'army' is a reference to     numbers, not necessarily a tactical military unit.)

A: That depends     on your perspective. The losses were truly great on all sides. Some     would say the "allies" won, because the Cult didn't take     any more territory, suffered the loss of the Broken One and     retreated within their borders. Others might say the Cult "won"     but chose to fortify itself within Kuhl's borders rather than make a     larger press and potentially suffer more losses.

A: There is a statue of what she is believed to look     like within the meeting hall at Bydell Castle. Very little is known     about her history, that is true. She is known to be highly  regarded     by Molvaren, and holds a significant amount of power within his     forces. She's deadly and the rumors are rampant. Everything from her     being an actual ghost (killing without having any regards for walls     or other obsticals/barriers) to her being a man, to her being some     sort of dragon blessed assassign are rampent whever she's actually     known about. One thing everyone can agree on is "Cyn Chen"     is deadly and not to be trifled with.

A: The answer to that     is:  Yes.
Q: So yes to which part?
A: Yes to both. It depends     on your perspective. They did assist the allies, but does that make     them friends or allies?
To most people, dealing with the Blacks     is akin to making a deal with the devil. Even darkly aligned forces     are hesitant to make such deals because, pretty much, the Blacks     always get what they want or at least act like they have etc. What     -is- known about the Black Wizards is that they have a very long     history and much mystery surrounding them. Their motivations are     unknown to any but those in their ranks. The Blacks, as an     organization, are as legendary and mysterious as Milara, Selian,     etc. They are also synonymous with Corath and death/torture/misery     in general. Whether that's true or not is another matter, of course.     They certainly seem to do little to dispel any negative rumors about     them...or any rumors at all really.

A: Mysterious as ever, no word beyond the usual wild     rumors that no one can vouch for. (that may or may not be true in     reality).

A:     The most commonly stated reason was the risk of infection. That     plague was contagious to them and literally a fate worse than death.     It would have turned them into what the rest of the infected dragons     were like and utterly at the control of the Cult. Picture Fisterion     at the command of Molvaren for a moment...

A: No, it means that the the source of the     plague is destroyed. The tainted dragons are still tainted.     Myr'Drach are still as they were..as far as anyone has seen.

A: That's the theory.  But if Molvaren had any     stockpiles of the plague, they just became far more valuable then     they were.

A: It's -possible-. No     evidence you have indicate that it should be a likelihood but it     cannot be ruled out (yet).

A: Yes and no. Meaning, you concluded that yes, it was     happening, but you did not ever retrieve the full data on said     ritual. At some point there was a possibility of getting that     information but it was cast aside by a handful of players that found     it.

A: You folks know, without a doubt, that the     source of the taint is gone with your efforts. Does that mean there     wasn't a stock pile somewhere you did not know about? It is possible     that they have a limited amount somewhere. If it exists, it is     extremely valuable and  probably not to be used lightly. I say If.     You have no idea and there's  no rumors of any kind on the subject.     Many people assume this is not a realistic possibility, for better     or worse.

A: The taint is believed to be communicable     from dragon to dragon. So yes, there is a continued assumed danger.

A:  Right. That is confirmed.

A: To my knowledge, no one has asked them.

A: Voltrex had     a period of extremely heightened customs for any entering or leaving     the island continent.  When the volcanic activity in the northern     part happened, they shut the borders down again. Voltrex should be     closed at the moment, though there's a possibility that is not     mechanically enforced for some unknown reason.[/LIST] Related mostly to the OnHold WL Series:[LIST=1]

A: That is related to the OnHold WL     Quest series and what affects that will occur are not yet known, but     will be upon resumption.[/LIST]
Title: Re: Question and Answer sessions for Dragon Storm Campaign
Post by: mixafix on January 17, 2012, 04:27:32 am
The faction system basically means we're dividing up the world into factions based on each GM's interest and whatnot. Some of them are plot, some are not.
 
 Picking up on this answer to a question above it seems this may affect the playing out of RP as regards background and development. Say where a GM taking a part of the world was in a different time zone or whatever.
 
 I was wondering will these faction based events be the old fashioned open type of game (likely set in the time zone of the GM presiding an area/theme of interest)
 
 or will the way forward for factions be related to the CDQ approach which seems to be the way forward now for other aspects.
 
 I can see how this might influence how people create a PC and their background - trying to ensure it will have a useful fit with availability of GM for development.
Title: Re: Question and Answer sessions for Dragon Storm Campaign
Post by: Rowana on January 17, 2012, 03:49:35 pm
An announcement regarding how this works is forthcoming in a separate posting.

~row

Quote from: mixafix
The faction system basically means we're dividing up the world into factions based on each GM's interest and whatnot. Some of them are plot, some are not.
 
 Picking up on this answer to a question above it seems this may affect the playing out of RP as regards background and development. Say where a GM taking a part of the world was in a different time zone or whatever.
 
 I was wondering will these faction based events be the old fashioned open type of game (likely set in the time zone of the GM presiding an area/theme of interest)
 
 or will the way forward for factions be related to the CDQ approach which seems to be the way forward now for other aspects.
 
 I can see how this might influence how people create a PC and their background - trying to ensure it will have a useful fit with availability of GM for development.