Questions!

[Caden Law]

As the title says. I've got some questions and they may or may not be long term in nature, depending on whether or not I ever get off my lazy butt and put together the basic outline for a Really Freaking Big Quest Thing. Or something like that. Anyway...
What is the current state of Althanas' major pantheon? Are the Thaynes all still powerful? What about the Ethereal Sway, or are they just the Thaynes by another name?
And for that matter, has anyone ever directly written a Thayne into one of their roleplays? Is such a thing even possible, let alone allowed without some sort of staff supervision? Are their personality archetypes strictly enforced, or do they occasionally get a little eccentric due to the whole We're here forever and we're all powerful and we probably get bored easy. Sup little human. thing?
Skyships. What sort exist on Althanas? Are we restricted to blimps, or do glorified spelljammers ply the airways? What about sky piracy, for that matter?
I've been playing too much Zelda lately and want to monkeywrench a Clawshot-like grappling device into a character design, probably for an NPC. Likewise, I want to give this potential character an intricately designed longbow that uses chains, bike-like gears and heavy-duty springs to produce siege weapon-like stopping power. If I put enough effort into the details and balancing of it, would these things be acceptable for an NPC in a quest, or would I have to make a Player Character and then level them up?
Relating to both of the above: Could the Clawshot idea be applied en masse to the entire crew of a skyship? Because it'd be bloody well useful for piracy and boarding actions.
Incidentally: Skylands. Are there any floating islands or continents in the skies over Althanas? Heck, what about orbital communities sustained via magic? Or even moondwellers for that matter.
And what about mechs? Specifically mechs of a steampunk/fantasy nature.
Liches. In the sense of powerful undead wizards, are they even possible here without stomping on the toes of established canon or level restrictions? I ask this chiefly because I'm interested in doing a complete overhaul of an NPC idea I posted over in the FC forum.
Incidentally: What is the practical roof of NPC power without getting advance permission from a staffer to make use of the character?
What is the practical limit on items you can acquire over the course of personal quests? If possible, I'd like answers relating to quests run by you (the Player) and by others.
Is there any properly established Wizardly Lore to build off of? Mostly in terms of historic characters and organizations that or may not still be intact. Likewise, is there a full-blown industry based around adventurers, like what you see in settings such as Greyhawk?

[Reiko]

I'm skipping 1 and 2 because I don't know much about either and ignore the Thayne as it kinda doesn't fit with my character.

3: Skyships are actually pretty rare, Alerar is the only nation with them and they only have a handful but don't let that stop you from having a story with airships. I kinda picture them as something like the airships in Escaflowne.

4: of coarse you can have cool devices in an NPCs hand. an NPC can have a laser rifle and a nuclear missile launcher if you want. Approvals are for PCs or NPCs that are heavily connected to the PC.

5: yup^^

6: there's no reason why there can't be floating islands and the like.

7: yup you can have those too but if you want your PC to have them you'll need to earn it and get approval.

8: Liches do exist and the Raiaera FQ has a Lich as the main Villain

9: You're villain can be very powerful, godly even. you'll only need permission if the Villain messes with the Canon or someone elses stories. You'll Need Alerar's writer's permission if you want him to blow a crater in a major city of Alerar but if the city is your creation you're fine.

10: You can ask for anything but remember the judges and RoG staff can always say no. Just keep it reasonable and remember that firearms are really hard to get unless you have a high level or a great score.

11: not sure.

[Atzar]

It sounds like you have somewhat of an idea already in place. Go with it. As long as you have a bit of an explanation for everything, we're an openminded bunch here. Unless your character specifically is overpowered, we're not going to dock you for being creative and writing what you want to write.

[Seth_Rahl]

11. As far as I know of there aren't any real Wizardly organizations or lore that haven't been made by other PC's. You would be best looking into one of the more magic orientated reigons to better specify on this, but I haven't heard of any. Wizards are pretty much on their own in Althanas, unless they team up with other wizards.

And to support Reiko's view on NPC's, I would just like to let you know that I myself am making an NPC, a permanent one, and that freedom with NPC's is almost unlimited. Almost.

[Caden Law]

Thanks so far, y'all. I'd still like some answers on the Thaynes though.

re: Atzar: It may sound that way, but don't let me fool you. For the most part this is perpetual backburner stuff that likely won't be realized for months...if it's realized at all. >_>;

That said, I'm including player-character wizards in Question #11. I'm also curious about the Ai'bron monks. Just how many renegade offshoots are currently known to exist, and what sort of magic does the Order use as a whole (splinters included)? What's the average appearance and demeanor of an Ai'bron, and what's their usual character level?

[Zook Murnig]

So far as I've seen, there's a definite tendency to use element-based magic for mages on Althanas. Atzar Kellon, Luc Kraus, and my own Caduceus Grimaldi, among others.

I know that there is an established Bladesingers' Guild in Raiaera, and the Moontae of Concordia use a form of magic having to do with pheromones that they exude from certain glands all over their bodies.

And I'm going to beat Sighter to the mentioning of the Eternal Tap. Madison'll probably pop in anyway to further elaborate upon it.

[Sighter Tnailog]

Caden, I think a lot of us have problems with answering your questions because we've tried to design Althanas specifically so that it DOESN'T answer all of these questions.

Take the Ai'Bron, for instance. There is no character level for the monks. There are novices who are low level, austere leaders who are high level, and how you organize that is up to you. Leopold Stevens had a Pontiff of the Ai'Bron who was basically like a crazy dwarf, but I've seen other people call the leader of the Ai'Bron something like Gra'lakkar. I created the idea of the Scholar Monks of Ai'Bron and the Artist Monks of Ai'Bron, but those were for the hell of it and aren't official except insofar as others have liked the idea and want to do it.

The only NPC limits that are in place relate to the FQ, for the purpose of keeping everything in line, but there are no NPC limits outside of the FQ provided your NPCs aren't being used to attack other players without their consent. NPCs also can't be used in battles unless specifically approved in a character update. You also don't need to post NPC profiles anywhere except the FQ, and even then it's more for reference than by necessity.

As to airships, they are pretty rare because only Alerar has the technical know-how to make them. They run on a combination of steam and magic, because there are no gasoline engines native to Althanas, and are fairly expensive. Alerar probably only has about 5 big airships, and they are all operated by the military, along with maybe 20-30 smaller craft. There are probably smaller craft owned by commerce or private interests, as well.

Really, you can't mess up canon on Althanas. The worst that can happen is we don't adopt your canon as official, although we're bound to say, "cool thread!" I've judged threads before that have high-speed car chases through Radasanth. And while I've often been like...uh, guys, this is weird...I haven't punished them for it.

Just try to keep your writing within the framework of fantasy, and you should be good.

Oh, and as to the Thayne -- some players think of the Thayne as actual gods, some sort of higher powers. Others think that, if they existed, they were probably some sort of angelic race like the pre-Tap Mya. And still others think of the Thayne in almost phenomenological terms: a religion invented by the people of Althanas, one which lacks scientific rationality and is based on superstition and chicanery.

But I will say this: the Sway and the Thayne are two different things, just as the Raiaeran pantheon is different from them both. Unless two quantities on Althanas are given express equivalency in official canon, consider them to be different.

[Bleater]

As best as I can answer:

1) Dunno.

2) To my knowledge, no one's every directly or indirectly had them act in stories. There may be character influences among those that RP religion tied to them (just as characters can RP for any of the religious practices of Althanas) but I think it can't hurt to run the idea by a mod, since the deities themselves would be NPCs and thus need some official input (the same way you would need it if you were directly RPing one of the nation leaders.)

3) Airships are indeed out there, but rare (there are purportedly only 3 or 4 if I remember right) and they are all in Alerar: that notion has an exclusive bid on the technology. That doesn't mean you can't interact with them, just remember the rare nature of them (I myself am working a lot with them into my character storyline) For the design, It's largely up to you what kind you want it to be: I largely treat them similar to the airships in the later Final Fantasy series as just a big boat with prop engines, but there's no reason a zeppelin style one wouldn't exist. It all depends on which works for you.

4) I think the first thing would be to probably establish the NPC tied to your character. Then work on a quest for it (although keep in mind, NPCs are treated a lot like PC's; while I don't think the clawshot is a big deal, if you want a handheld weapon with the strength of a ballista like that bow sounds like you're describing, it may take multiple quests of you parts, assembling, upgrading, etc. to actually get approved. But realistically, anything is always possible here, as long as you put in the time and effort for it.)

5) It could. But then again, you have to think that in Althanas canon, airships are an Alerar-exclusive technology, and controlled by the government. Not to say that it wouldn't be possible to eventually get a private airship and crew, but the process of getting the ship itself (most likely through a process of stealing one or the plans and getting one constructed, which would pretty much bring an entire nation after you :p) would be harder that trying to quest to outfit the crew members with wrist mounted, laser guided magic energy missles. So yes, in theory, you could outfit an entire crew with clawshots, just be wary that it'll most likely be a very long process to actually get an airship and a crew before you actually get to arm them. Don't let that discourage you though, as again, anything is possible with effort and explaination.

6) Theoretically, you can make up your own, if you so wish. As a matter of fact, I do think I remember a floating island mentioned at some point, perhaps over Nihon? (I can't remember.) So yes, it's possible.

7) I don't see why not. Golems (or "mechs") are s staple of fantasy work, I even included such in my Gisela army. Again, if you want a steampunk type instead of the high fantasy "living suit of armor", then you sound like you'd have an interest in RPing in Alerar, where steam technology is one of their leading advancements. You don't have to, but between this and airships, it's sounding like you'd really enjoy interacting with stuff there and may want to peek a bit into the history and backstory of it.

8) I also don't think this will be a big problem. If it's an enemy, just be sure to treat it according to it's power: historically Liches are extremely powerful, so take that into account if you are going to go up against one. As for a PC/player controlled NPC, it's going to be a hard sell with approval, but again, anything is possible with time or effort. Though also realize, undead are very rare in Althanas, and due to the history of their rise before, you'll want to take into account that most Althanians who encounter them are going to probably go ape-shit if you want to keep with realism.

9) Reiko covered this well. If you want to be in a feud with a Thayne Deity themself, it's fine. Just be sure you can explain and keep with realism.

10) There's not really a "limit", just be sure to be realistic and explain it. You're not likely to get a whole room of treasure for one quest, likewise it may be important to take into account how much your character actually has on their person. Being able to carry around 6 swords, 3 axes, and a megaton blaster rifle all at once- even if you earn them all) is going to be hard unless you have some way/place to store them.

11) I'm not much sure on wizardy organizations, but as far as magical lore, there's some tied into the Thayne lore, some tied into the War of the Tap, and a little bit in Etheral Sway if I remember right. There's a lot of vagueries to work with and expand from, so go wild (or create your own!)

EDIT: VERY ninja'd by official word. And a lot of my answers weren't meant to sound as limiting (there are no limits), but I also wanted to give you an idea of things to keep in mind if you want to pull it off and have the small details that boost scores up. ;)

[Skie and Avery]

So far as I've seen, there's a definite tendency to use element-based magic for mages on Althanas. Atzar Kellon, Luc Kraus, and my own Caduceus Grimaldi, among others.

I know that there is an established Bladesingers' Guild in Raiaera, and the Moontae of Concordia use a form of magic having to do with pheromones that they exude from certain glands all over their bodies.

And I'm going to beat Sighter to the mentioning of the Eternal Tap. Madison'll probably pop in anyway to further elaborate upon it.

Moontae magic has nothing to do with the pheremones. That's a physical trait of their race. Their magic is completely unrelated to those glands, as seen in Skie dan Sabriel, whose glands have been burned away but her power to use illusion magic is still there. It's weaker than Avery's because she doesn't give a crap about it.

As to the questions, go freaking wild. That's the great thing about Althanas, it is pretty open. I think the only thing that would be frowned on is horrible counterfacts about people or places in your threads. For example, saying that a canon well-established and venerable coastal city in a rain forest continent is a budding town with a desert climate or saying that Zem'Xund is just a figment of Findelfin's imagination and everything is peaches and cream in Raiaera and Salvar right now might get some points docked in judging.

[Seth_Rahl]

Actually, I have a noobish question of my own. I've been on Althanas for awhile now, but either out of lazyness, ignorance or just plain apathy, I have not bothered to see what the Thayne exactly are. By your explanations above, the Thayne are sort of like Gods. But they sound also to be a whole nother race. Can someone clarify this for me?

Edit: Ninja'd, pirated, and ass raped all at the same time. I feel the last vestiges of my sanity slipping.

[Caden Law]

...I feel compelled to say that I didn't need those mental images, Seth. (no) Thanks for sharing! D:

[Sighter Tnailog]

Or spelling Xem'zûnd as Zem'xund! That is UNACCEPTABLE.

I would also add that the Thayne can be used however anyone wants. No need to ask mods.

[Max Dirks]

Here's my attempt to fill in some holes.


What is the current state of Althanas' major pantheon? Are the Thaynes all still powerful? What about the Ethereal Sway, or are they just the Thaynes by another name?This (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=294) should give you all the information you could ever possibly want about the Thayne.
And for that matter, has anyone ever directly written a Thayne into one of their roleplays? Is such a thing even possible, let alone allowed without some sort of staff supervision? Are their personality archetypes strictly enforced, or do they occasionally get a little eccentric due to the whole We're here forever and we're all powerful and we probably get bored easy. Sup little human. thing?Of course you can write into it. The most noted players are Ithermoss (the creator of Thayne lore), Ranger (a Thayne priest) and Lorenor (has used it on occasion). Sorahn is also a notable follower, who has a clan, Gol'Bron, completely dedicated to it. Here (http://geocities.com/infacreep/golbron.html) is their website. Here (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=5779) is their recruitment thread.
Skyships. What sort exist on Althanas? Are we restricted to blimps, or do glorified spelljammers ply the airways? What about sky piracy, for that matter?Steam-powered, and from Alerar mostly. You can also find them in the "Other Region" of Lornius. You can also steal plans to a Skyship from Bleater, who won the most recent Gisela Open.
Incidentally: Skylands. Are there any floating islands or continents in the skies over Althanas? Heck, what about orbital communities sustained via magic? Or even moondwellers for that matter.The capital of Lornius, Athylia, is a floating city. It's ground access is through a clearing within the Lotho Mountains.
Incidentally: What is the practical roof of NPC power without getting advance permission from a staffer to make use of the character? I wouldn't sweat it unless you are utilizing the NPC to give you an advantage over an opponent (in a battle, of course). Typically, if an NPC becomes an important part of a storyline, players have registered them as a character. There are lists throughout the regions of general NPCs that can be played with the rules governing their use.
What is the practical limit on items you can acquire over the course of personal quests? If possible, I'd like answers relating to quests run by you (the Player) and by others.The only limit is your score. If the moderator feels that your RP did not justify the reward of the item, they won't give it.
Is there any properly established Wizardly Lore to build off of? Mostly in terms of historic characters and organizations that or may not still be intact. Likewise, is there a full-blown industry based around adventurers, like what you see in settings such as Greyhawk? This question has been answered pretty well, but I'd like to add one thing. There used to be a huge clan of magic users on Althanas. I can't, however, for the life of me remember what the clan was called or who was in it. Maybe another old man can fill in my holes.

Hope all that helped.

[Bleater]

Steam-powered, and from Alerar mostly. You can also find them in the "Other Region" of Lornius. You can also steal plans to a Skyship from Bleater, who won the most recent Gisela Open.

Hey! :eek:

Well, in fairness, you forgot to mentioned that it's an armored airship. :p

[Caden Law]

re: Thayne Lore Codex: Yes, I've been reading through it, but it seems a little dated so I wanted to be sure nothing had changed.

As to the skyships...I don't quite get that o_o Do you have to win something like the Gisela open or go through the whole malarchy of pissing off a pre-industrialized nation full of warmongers to get one? I was thinking of hauling one up along the lines of arcane flying machine with origins ranging from the classic we scraped it outta some dead king's tomb, lar! to a Wizard did it! ish! except not really and kind of sideways! With a quest leading into it, or even just an explanation of the background story from a bunch of NPCs?

Keeping in mind that, at this point, it's all a bunch of far-off hypotheticals and I'm mostly asking out of honest curiosity.

[Slayer of the Rot]

If you need an Airship, I can help you steal one from the Alerarians.

[Mathias]

It's not mentioned there, anymore, but there used to be airships in Scara Brae, too. But only the really super rich had them. Or, I could be imagining the whole damn thing. Doesn't change the fact that I'm going to steal one, someday. SOMEDAY!

And to answer the actual question itself; You could request it as a spoil for a really good quest you've written, or for winning a tournament. Or, alternatively, you could buy one, but I expect it would cost a fuckton of gold.

[Cyrus the virus]

If you need an Airship, I can help you steal one from the Alerarians.

Me too.


Incidentally: What is the practical roof of NPC power without getting advance permission from a staffer to make use of the character?

Though people have supposedly answered this, it's even looser than implied. I've had Suravani's Oasis transported to another dimension by an NPC, Ettermire attacked by demons who did some damage, etc. There's really no limit. Don't worry about that sort of thing too much.

[AdventWings]

^^^

What he said. And I judged it. ;)

Well, make the story compelling and you won't have to worry about a thing!

And about the Airship: You can even make one on your own or have it already made by an NPC. Having the PC own it, however, will take a bit of convincing... as a spoil. ;)

[Caden Law]

Also: Can anyone tell me about Kebiras? D:

[AdventWings]

The Kebiras Region?

As far as I know, it's a rather unused region open for embellishment. There are numerous references to it as the Other Regions so you can basically go wild with it as long as it keeps within the timeline of Althanas. Heck, it can be as technological as you want, but you'd better have a good reason why the knowledge hasn't spread to the Known Worlds as of yet.

Feel free to make it as you like. Just try not to break Althanas with it in the process. :p

[Caden Law]

*Puts down continent rupturing superdrill.* ...what the hell gave you that idea? :P

[Aeraul Smythe]

*Pops in on a different name.*

To avoid cluttering the whole damn forum with topics from me :D

Is it allowable to have a seperate name used exclusively for NPCs in any quests you GM? Mostly for the sake of not having to bundle up sixteen billion actions and people into one post that you want centered on your own character.

[AdventWings]

If the NPC is important enough that you want to play it as a main character, yes. If it's a one-night stand, don't bother. :p

And, really, think of this as not just role-playing and work in some Literary Magic into your writing. How, I cannot say. That is basically up to you to discover. ;)

[Aeraul Smythe]

If the NPC is important enough that you want to play it as a main character, yes. If it's a one-night stand, don't bother. :p
Not for a single character. Just a name used for handling the general actions of multiple NPCs in a quest setting. Something like Sh33p NPCs, be extra-generic about it.


And, really, think of this as not just role-playing and work in some Literary Magic into your writing. How, I cannot say. That is basically up to you to discover. ;)
Well damn. And here I came to Althanas to get away from serious writing :p