Round One, Bracket B: Matheson Twins vs. Tvier Valka Seula

[TwinDeath]

OK, OOC time. To start, who would like first post?

[Exspherius]

I'll take third or fourth in the order, if no one minds horribly much.

[Lord Saladin]

I can post first, unless anyone has particular desire to do so... Though, my post won't be up until tomorrow evening GMT time. If no one has posted by then, I will make one, otherwise, people can feel free to make the first post.

[TwinDeath]

I'll take first, then.

[Lord Saladin]

Oooh, TwinDeath, I like your opener... A lot. Good job, man (or woman ^^).

[TwinDeath]

Well, thank you, Sal. I do try. (Male here, by the way.) Means a lot, coming from someone with a battle record like yours on RPGateway.

[Lord Saladin]

You know of my battle record? How so?

[TwinDeath]

Heh, I've been a part of RPG for a year or so now, and was a part of the tourney there. Got knocked out by a powergaming @$$hole who should be flayed alive and be buried in embers, though. (bitter? me? Never...) During that, however, I researched my potential opponents.

Oh and I hope you don't mind me limiting the knowledge of opponent's appearance like that. I just thought having to hunt through the crowds would be fun! :D

[Masika Ixidar]

Heh, I've been a part of RPG for a year or so now, and was a part of the tourney there. Got knocked out by a powergaming @$$hole who should be flayed alive and be buried in embers, though.

The fact that happens puts RPGateway in a definite bad light.

[TwinDeath]

*shrugs* It's the internet, you expect idiots. That said, RPG is a very nice site, and most of the idiots there are simply kids who haven't done much play-by-post and need only a few nudges in the "write" direction. The only true asshole i've found was said opponent.

[Lord Saladin]

Ah, that makes sense. What name do you go by on Gateway?

And also, the limited knowledge of appearance is fine, probably better that way - as serfs anyway, they likely would be difficult to spot immediately as is.

[TwinDeath]

For Gateway: still TwinDeath. Always TwinDeath

[TwinDeath]

Oh, Sal and Sebastian: You may notice the OOC note in my post in round one. I would recommend one of you two post something like it. It ensures that any slip on either team members part will not be counted against you by the judges.

[Lord Saladin]

Hey guys, I would like to inform you that, unfortunately, Sebastian will be replaced by another player. The reason for this is a lack of contact with the dude... As per this thread. (http://althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=18200)

My new partner will be Miehn, using this profile (http://althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=17811) for the fight.

Obviously, it is an unfortunate turn of events, as I was looking forward to the progression and interaction between Savannah and Sebastian, however I am looking forward to roleplaying with a TOTALLY new person.

Miehn and I haven't really had the chance to converse beyond something like:

"Wanna be my new partner?"
"Sure, sounds good."
"Alright, cool."

So... I am going to be playing, just so you know, Savannah being ignorant, ICly, to the fact that Sebastian has 'dropped' and a new partner will be had.

I hope this doesn't mess things up in terms of your tactics etc, and if it does, I apologise for my friend's unreliability.

[TwinDeath]

Well, Exfee and I were hoping to have Savannah and Sebastian fighting each other by the end of the round, but oh well. Point Miehn over to this thread so we can have a proper welcome, and good luck to you both.

Miehn, I do have a question about the "Yer shittin me" ability. Given that the effects of Xaul (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=135983)'s weapons, Drshil and Haingre, are magical, how is the ability going to be used? I only ask because the effects are not in and of themselves a spell. Also, with regards to my partner, can the ability effect psionic powers?

Oh, and do you plan to use Savannah's telepathy, Sal? If so, and Xaul becomes targeted, then we need to discuss the implications of someone directly linking themselves to an insane and evil god. Right now, the only thing saving Epsilon is the fact that Xaul has not released his hold on Resheph.

[Isis Ixidar]

One mans loss is another mans opportunity. Good luck Meihn.

It'd be interesting if this last minute team actually ended up rocking.

[Lord Saladin]

Well, we had intended for them to be fighting a lot anyway. ^_^ It was a part of their dynamic.

In terms of the telepathy, it will likely not show up during this early stage of the tournament - at the moment ALL of her powers are latent. My original intention, which still stands, is to go through this tournament with as much realism as possible. Savannah's powers will only manifest if it's obvious that the opposition is going to be ridiculously more powerful than her.

Even when they do manifest, however, it will mainly be out of her conscious control - including the telepathy - Mind reading will likely not take place, as it was intended to be part of the 'Twin Relationship' thing; though if there is, that element of it is only going to be used between Savannah and Miehn - Though we have yet to discuss ANYTHING about our fighting plans at the moment.

And the 'Mind Control' aspect isn't so much about creating a conscious 'link' between each person and controlling them, it is more making suggestions... It will be weak to start, that is for sure, if even used in this round... But the effectiveness of these 'suggestions' is entirely up to the player at hand.

Of course, though, if you are wanting to play this battle more collaboratively than is the 'norm' in text-based combat, seeing as we're being judged on writing more than IC combat skill, I'd be happy to go with some effects taking place.


Hope that clears things up for you, and I sent Miehn a PM linking him to both this thread and the actual fight thread, so I imagine he'll come take a look and what not once he gets back online.

[Lord Saladin]

Isis Ixidar, I agree entirely with you... It was indeed a shame Sebastian essentially dropped himself out, but Miehn's character looks well cool (in my opinion) and I am sure we will be able to work well together.

And it'll add a nice dynamic to the team - that they're strangers, and Savannah was expecting Sebastian to be there.

[Exspherius]

Lord Saladin! Excellent to meet you, and my apologies for being late to this party. (I forgot to put on alerts. How shameful...)

At any rate, I am looking forward to our actual combat. Though I'm a bit surprised that Sebastian bailed on you with no explanation, it's good that you were able to find another partner. All that's left is for him to post, ne?

Well, since I can't question him about his ability to counteract Epsilon's psionics, I can only wish you good and he good luck!

[Exspherius]

On the subject of strangers allying, Epsilon and Xaul really aren't that much different themselves. I'm interested to see how they make an alliance on the spot, especially considering Savannah's (and Tveir's) expectations.

[TwinDeath]

Ok, thanks for the explanation, Sal. Here's the reason I asked:



As I am to be fighting a character with the potential for telepathy, I would like to clear something. Resheph is a dark, black, malevolent god, and any contact with him would almost certainly scar the mind and soul of the one making the contact. would it be regarded as powergaming to have Resheph attack a character who has made contact with Xaul's mind, and therefore with Resheph? I realize that I did not mention this ability, but I believe it to be a logical progression given what has already been mentioned.

Thank you.

As logical as it is, I think it's not a good idea to do so since it wasn't in his profile. However, if you play it more like a story thing and not an attack (take for example, take the effect on the mind a telepath delving into that of a demented psychopath). Another idea would be to contact your opponent and ask about it, then include in an OOC note that it was approved.

Hope this helps!

If you want to have this be a little more collaborative, say so. I'm certainly open to the idea.

[Miehm]

Well, Exfee and I were hoping to have Savannah and Sebastian fighting each other by the end of the round, but oh well. Point Miehn over to this thread so we can have a proper welcome, and good luck to you both.

Miehn, I do have a question about the "Yer shittin me" ability. Given that the effects of Xaul (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=135983)'s weapons, Drshil and Haingre, are magical, how is the ability going to be used? I only ask because the effects are not in and of themselves a spell. Also, with regards to my partner, can the ability effect psionic powers?

Oh, and do you plan to use Savannah's telepathy, Sal? If so, and Xaul becomes targeted, then we need to discuss the implications of someone directly linking themselves to an insane and evil god. Right now, the only thing saving Epsilon is the fact that Xaul has not released his hold on Resheph.

Unless the effect directly targets me, and I have the opportunity to say "Yer shiitin me.", unless your swords have a death ray, magical pollen grenades, or similar, I can't do anything against it. If your swords have an ability like the one on my spike, he has no way to defend against it.


Put it this way. Despite having been trapped on Althanas for the last 2-3 years, Miehm is still skeptical of magic. "Yer shittin me." is an expression of disbelief powerful enough to modify probability. So, a spell or attack that doesn't give him an opportunity to disbelieve in it will hit. He can also never learn the exact operation of this ability, because that would negate the entire point, if you know that by not believing in magic, you can nullify magic, you must first accept(and therefore believe in) magic. Catch 22. It only functions once on a spell because after he sees it blow something up, or what have ye, he has no choice but to accept the reality.

Sorry about the delay in being on. My job has odd hours, but I'm free every friday and all weekends(kinda, depending how lenient my wife is), so I should have a post up in the battle thread today.

Also, it's Miehm. :p

[Taskmienster]

Sorry for posting in here, but I wanted to add it as a side note that the thread that you linked as a reason for picking a new partner should be posted in by the remaining partner in the group. You should explain the reason for the change, what team it is, and who is taking the place of the second member so that we, as the judges, know why a new person is joining instead of having to dig and search through OOC notes and such to find it.

That's all! Lol. Good luck and hopefully everything works out!

[Lord Saladin]

Sorry Taskmienster... My bad. I'll get to it now.

[TwinDeath]

Whups, sorry for screwing up the name, Miehm. Here's one last question, and it's all your fault. Your little mp3 projector has gotten my music geek ready and rarin' to go, so I would like permission to add to Resheph a knowledge of music from our reality. (not too much of a stretch, as he is a god.) Y'see, I want to allow my inner metalhead to run free with a few references. I only ask so that a judge will not ding me later for using an unapproved ability.

Oh, and welcome to the battle! When your world comes crashing down, I want to be there!

[Taskmienster]

Not a problem man, just wanted to have it out in the open since I remember now after talking to Miehm on AIM... but probably would forget till it was brought up. haha.

As for the music thing, you should be fine. As long as you have IC justification it shouldn't be a worry.

[Lord Saladin]

So, are we keeping to a posting order? If not, I may well throw a post up tonight.

Though, of course, a posting order does help to keep things neat.

[TwinDeath]

for actual fighting i think that a posting order would be beneficial, but right now, not so much. I'm gonna post tonight, too, and since everything is happening all at once, don't think we need an order for now. (Yes, I am a member of the Association of Redundancy Group.)

Thoughts on the order?

[Lord Saladin]

Well, thus far, considering your post this evening, we've kept to the same order as we started out in... So, I think we should continue doing so.

And though we aren't yet into the fighting, perhaps for consistency's sake, we should maintain it from the start?

Edit: And another nice post. I'm impressed by my opponents for the first time in quite a while. ^_^

[TwinDeath]

Well, that sounds good. Let it be known that unless someone needs to get something said, the posting order shall be as follows: TwinDeath, Exspherius, Lord Saladin, Miehm.

Thanks for the complement, also. Meant to say, your post is also impressive. I most certaintly am looking forward to seeing Savannah and Miehm finding out that they're partners now...

Having looked at some other battles, I have to say that almost everyone here in the ToC is an outstanding writer.

[Miehm]

Whups, sorry for screwing up the name, Miehm. Here's one last question, and it's all your fault. Your little mp3 projector has gotten my music geek ready and rarin' to go, so I would like permission to add to Resheph a knowledge of music from our reality. (not too much of a stretch, as he is a god.) Y'see, I want to allow my inner metalhead to run free with a few references. I only ask so that a judge will not ding me later for using an unapproved ability.

Oh, and welcome to the battle! When your world comes crashing down, I want to be there!

I've got no issue with him knowing my music. If you get some of the more esoteric choices I make, I'll be really impressed.

[Exspherius]

Thank you for the compliment, Lord Saladin. TwinD's right, it seems like you have to be fairly skilled to even participate in this event. I don't have that much RP experience, but it's great to practice with talented opponents.

At any rate, I think you've got a really neat idea going on here, seeing as Savannah and Miehm both think it's three-on-one...I too anticipate their reaction. It should be entertaining, especially once Xaul throws himself into the mix.

[Miehm]

Actually, at the moment I just think it's two on one. I've very pointedly not noticed that I just backed myself up to a building that has an enemy ambush on it. :p

Quick question so I can give a bit more detail. Do you guys think we're in a more european stone and mortar building style market, or a more arabic adobe style market? I kinda want consensus on this one so we're not writing two different locations by accident.

[Lord Saladin]

Though I didn't particularly think of the setting in a particular 'style,' now I look at what I envisioned, I guess it would be Arabic - Yellowish walls etc...

Yet, at the same time, I imagined the people to be more European middle ages in appearance.

Strange, I know. But... What do you guys think?

[TwinDeath]

Actually, I was thinking the same thing. (Yes, I am stalking you, Sal).

[Miehm]

Arabic it is. Danke.

[TwinDeath]

argh. I will post before Saturday. Apologies for the delay, but I started spring semester this week, and the projects have been flying.

On the plus side, no awful professors.

[Miehm]

argh. I will post before Saturday. Apologies for the delay, but I started spring semester this week, and the projects have been flying.

On the plus side, no awful professors.

Awful professors are why man created shotguns. Plus Saladin has to go before you. Wait, never mind... Already went...

[Exspherius]

This is odd. I have the thread set to alert me, but I only hear about one in five messages. Can anyone explain that?

[TwinDeath]

Ok, Miehm. Three songs referenced. Can you name them?

And Sal, if my description of Savannah is off, or I took control of her in any way, tell me and I will edit.

[Lord Saladin]

Alright, my post is up... Apologies for the delay.

At last now, as they say, the real fun begins. ^_^

[TwinDeath]

Miehm, does your post mean you now have six rounds loaded? Oh, and Sal: DAMN FINE POST!

[Lord Saladin]

Haha, thanks man. Truth be told, I wrote at a ridiculous time of the morning, after having not gone to sleep all day... I felt a little displeased with it, in all honesty.

But, I feel a little better about it now. ^_^ Thanks dude.

Hit me up on IM or something, all details on my profile.

[Exspherius]

Well, Meihm, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your post seems to have forgotten a couple of things. When Xaul leapt off the roof, he threw a net at you. I don't know if you didn't see it or forgot about it, but you might want to take it into consideration. And also, Epsilon's psycoevocated objects are not invisible. They are solid-light objects that are made of blue-silver energy and would be quite easily seen


Silver-blue energy flared out from the Esper, condensing into a three-inch-thick plane of force the size of a tower shield that placed itself directly between him and the gunman just as the rifle opened up.

So unless Meihm is used to seeing soldiers materialize solid-energy objects at will to stop bullets, you might want to do a bit of revision. I just thought you should know.

[TwinDeath]

Miehm, I will not post until Sunday morning EST, thereby giving you time to edit your own post. If you do not wish to edit, please reply so that we can keep this moving.

[Miehm]

Well, Meihm, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your post seems to have forgotten a couple of things. When Xaul leapt off the roof, he threw a net at you. I don't know if you didn't see it or forgot about it, but you might want to take it into consideration. And also, Epsilon's psycoevocated objects are not invisible. They are solid-light objects that are made of blue-silver energy and would be quite easily seen



So unless Meihm is used to seeing soldiers materialize solid-energy objects at will to stop bullets, you might want to do a bit of revision. I just thought you should know.

I missed the net. That I will edit into my post.

To explain why Miehm didn't notice, I take you back to Yer Shittin Me. Basically, he assumes the blue light is just a show, and that there actually was a vest stopping his bullets. He still wants to explain Althanas through logical modern American thought patterns.

TwinDeath: Have AIM? I'm on as MiniMiehm

[TwinDeath]

Well, I have an AOL email, but AIM doesn't work for me. I'm working on it. Until then, I have GMail: Draco329

If you want to check, my AIM is also Draco329.

[Exspherius]

To explain why Miehm didn't notice, I take you back to Yer Shittin Me. Basically, he assumes the blue light is just a show, and that there actually was a vest stopping his bullets. He still wants to explain Althanas through logical modern American thought patterns.

Ah, ok. That makes sense. Though it will be interesting to see how he reacts when I start making swords.

[TwinDeath]

Now that Xaul and Epsilon have brought their weapons to bear, I figured I should put links to the profiles up for reference purposes.
Xaul (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=135983)
Epsilon (http://althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=17872)
Enjoy.

[TwinDeath]

It's official. Posting ends @11:59:59 EST tonight. It was a pleasure RPing with you, Sal and Miehm.

Good luck to us all.