[Introduction] Session Zero

[girlplay]

Great conversation! Those are some wonderful ideas.

It seems to me that there's an opportunity to get the group together, if Quick Ben doesn't mind a "compel" from the GM. (It's a Fate term.) We'll start the game on New Years morning, which is also the first day of spring. Various religious services, especially those for the gods Elama and Luonto, are being held throughout the city. This is a day of rebirth and renewal, of looking and planning for the new year, and new beginnings. New Years Eve was dedicated more to remembrance of the previous year and lots of drinking.

Preacher Thomas has invited the 4 other PCs to attend a service he's holding in his little community church, starting at mid-morning (10 am, by the sundial). (It seems appropriate, given his efforts in community and cultural outreach.)

You'll have a little time after waking up to pursue your own agenda before the services start. I'll post a new thread and an intro for each character soon. (Probably tomorrow.)

A few questions first:

1) Quick Ben: Have you chosen Thom's feat yet?
2) Donald: Where does Dolan live at present? Or is he just living at a boarding house temporarily?
3) Mythrandil: Where does Orilo live?
4) Sinister: Does Shadow own the land that he's ranching? Or is he the tenant of a nobleman who actually owns the land?
5) Oztk: What kind of horse did Sam purchase?

[Sinister]

I'd say he would probably prefer to own his own land at least, GP. Would you like the dangling plot thread of him trying to purchase his own land, or should we play like he got it because he had his ill gotten gains on hand and used them to buy a new life for himself and Treasure?

[DonaldJWafer]

I think a boarding house is the perfect place for Dolan to be shacked up at the beginning of our adventure.

If I may muse about a possible prologue for Dolan in this adventure (as well as introducing a new contact for him);

A fellow man, Wensel, at the boarding house has spent most of his life a pick-pocket and petty criminal. Dolan sees him and considers him someone in need of help so he gives him some money to buy new clothes and helps him look for work around town. Dolan is proud of this relationship and feels that he is making a positive difference in his life until he catches Wensel stealing a purse off of a drunk. Dolan is crushed by this and furious at Wensel, in a rage he beats Wensel and then spends the next few days drinking heavily. He wakes up on New Year's morning in an alley across town full of self-pity and remorse. He is unaware what day it is until he sees a religious service. Remembering his invitation from Thom he rushes to the church, but is late and has missed the beginning of the service.

[Mythrandil]

Orilo originally lived in a small room furnished by the king as part of his official duties as an assistant ambassador. This was how he met the second son of the king (I call him Marcus, but that is subject to change if you have this more mapped out). While he technically maintains this apartment and stays there sometimes, he usually spends his nights at the manor of Nero, a textiles manufacturer. Orilo and Nero were put in contact by Nero's apprentice and protege (moved on a few years ago to the big cities out of the desert); Nero is not part of the small nobility of Argillon Falls, and benefits from the social standing of hosting even an assistant ambassador like Orilo. Nero's residence is probably in the Craftsman's Ward, with a prominent, large mill attached to his part-manor, part-factorium. Thoughts? I'm very open to tweaking any/all of this.

[oztk]

The getting together set-up sounds great. Sam will be hungover by the sounds of it and won't have much time in the morning. Think her mother Enid will be more keen on the service than Sam is.

For the sheet: Sam has a riding horse -- I'd written which type in the notes at the bottom but forgotten to do so in the inventory list; I've fixed it now.

Think it's more a leftover from her time on the ranch than something she actively needs now, but she can't bear to part with it at this point. Better think of a name...

[Quick Ben]

I went with Magic Initiate with the Warlock spellbook. I tried to go with flavor appropriate spells.

[girlplay]

Originally Posted by Sinister

I'd say he would probably prefer to own his own land at least, GP. Would you like the dangling plot thread of him trying to purchase his own land, or should we play like he got it because he had his ill gotten gains on hand and used them to buy a new life for himself and Treasure?

The threat of Shadow's past coming back to haunt him seems like the way to go, because it's more personal to the character.

ALL - well, only those who aren't sorcerers: What path are you thinking of taking when your character reaches 3rd level? I ask so that we can plan ahead. Now that I think about it, I don't believe that I stated a house rule when it comes to character options for the rogue, so I apologize to Oztk and hope this doesn't interfere with what you had in mind. I don't allow the swashbuckler. Not only is it anachronistic but it's clearly overpowered. Like... waaaaayyy over powered. The game designers actually did a pretty poor job of balancing the classes and various class paths, IMHO. The swashbuckler is the worst example of the unbalancedness. (It's a word; I've decided. :P ) I guess the lesson there is to take an option for roleplaying flavor instead of power-gaming the choices. But I majorly digressed here.

[Mythrandil]

I'm planning on playing up Orilo's ancestral roots and going College of Swords!

[oztk]

Swashbuckler: That's fine -- I was going back and forth on what subclass I was going to take anyway. Could I plan on going Inquisitive, instead? Would want to juggle stats around just a little bit and get a proficiency in insight (probably ditch persuasion? Would need to think).

Otherwise, another idea I had was arcane trickster, flavoured as some kind of old Dwarven stuff she'd gotten from her dad? But I think I like inquisitive better...

[Mythrandil]

[girlplay]