World of Warcraft - Interbellum (OOC Thread)

[MrAbdiel]

I think Isaera could have been like 20 during the 2nd war. As I had said in one of the IC posts regarding the sailor shanty, she was a child as the second war hit.

So I guess that puts her at around 40. For an elf, I guess 40 or so is still pretty young... but honestly I'm not really a fan of the whole, "you are a child for a full century".

There's probably different ways you could have elves treat another based on that, but I do believe she should be treated as an adult and her own person.

Ah, yes, I do recall that from your post! Thank you. :D And 40 is fine and dandy. As far as the rate elves age, I've always assumed (and will impose) that they age at basically the same rates as humans, and are considered adults at that point of maturity as well. The difference comes in where at 40, a human woman is considered middle aged, perhaps on the edge of the image of maternal wisdom and so forth. An elf at 40 is a 20 year old elf with 20 years of experience being 20, more or less. And their culture doesn't do much to incline an elf of 40 years to start thinking about her future and planning her retirement, etc. She might be looked down on as an insufferable youngster by a 300 year old elf, but that's a matter of perspective; and such a commentator would only consider Isaera a child in the way that 65 year olds consider 30 year old humans children - as a hyperbolic insult, rather than a demographic assessment.

[Feathersnow]

Details-

Mor'Lag are the orphaned daughters of a two-headed warlock who died heroically in the Second War. After his death, she was taken in my her mother's (one head) clan, and her grandmother (one-head) was a ship captain. She and her daughter both married well to marry a warlock and advance in rank, respectively.

Because of Mor'Lag's fathers' early death, she has no other full siblings and does not stand to inherit. Additionally her lack of magical talent shames her.

Complications-

1) Mor'Lag hates the Horde as the shameful losers who got her father killed

2)Mor'Lag is effectively orphans. Other Ogres feel they owe her nothing.

3) Mor'Lag is in awe of arcane and fel magic and covets them, though she has no aptitude for channeling them.

[hand ax ranger]

Oh, before I forget!

@hand ax ranger - Same questions! How old is Zachary? If he was experimented on during the late third war period to potentially be used against the horde, he'd want to be 25+ now, since that was about 5 years ago. Does he have any living family that he knows about or is in contact with, or has he cut himself off from his old life? Or a war orphan - possibly contributing to why he was selected for that profane transformation? Any particular human nation or kingdom you want him to be native to - Stormwind, Kul Tiras, Lordaeron, Dalaran, Gilneas, etc? Stormwind being the current heart of the alliance, Lordaeron being the gold standard for humans whose lives were obliterated by the scourge.

Spoiler: GM only for now plz

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He was 22 at the time of his transformation, though he looked more 25-26 back then now...... he still looks 25-26 because he doesn't age. As ageless as stone. Or a Hostess Twinkie XD

Due to the many things that have occurred since the transformation he has fallen out of contact with his family, just as much to protect them from those who would seek him out as it is to avoid the temptation to throw his hands up and call it quits for good.

As far as nations I have no idea, my understanding of the geology has long left me lol.

[Plaids]

Being Sandfury works fine with me. I just chose being from a high desert since I that's a biome I like. I think being from Tanaris would be a viable homeland for Jakk'ari
I think the 20-40 range is good and the Jakk'ari would be above the age median of the party.
I don't think trolls have darkvision. Either way I didn't choose powers to get it.

As for family I didn't consider it in the backstory. But given the age I think having a wife and some children would give some good opportunities for characterization.

As for general backstory I revised it on the fly between recruitment and the first session. I started out Jakk'ari trying to uncover a mystery with only one clue to start off with.
But after reading in a WOW wiki how the Twilight Hammer set up a foothold in the Tanaris I went for a diplomat seeking allies to fight against the cult. Specifically a diplomat who drew the short stick among the group of diplomats and has been assigned to seek allies outside Tanaris. But due to having no political leverage and being a troll outsider has had their efforts stall out in Theramore.

Complications:
Homesick: Anxious to return their homeland but motivated by the thought of returning their family.
Respectful: Courteous and friendly but quick to acquiesce to figures of divine or political authority.

[BananaPhone]

@Bananaphone - Any details about Marion's family besides that the Mordis were a minor noble house that you'd like to lock down before I start calling on that backstory? Family members still living, or dead, or executed for collaboration with the horde - or you can just trust me. :D

She hails from a Minor Noble family, the Mordis'. I'm making all this up as I go, but they were wealthy through mining, particularly ore and precious gems, and made a killing selling the materials across the Alliance. Whether or not they were involved in Perenolds attempt to betray the alliance and join the Horde is murky at best, but their family fell into the national infighting at the end of the Second War. By the time the third war rolled around, they still had their lands as one of the last vestiges of "civil" society in Alterac, even so far as being a Barony with Baron Valimar Mordis as their family patriach who ruled with an even and steady hand...and then he fell to the scourge.

Marion was the eldest child and had been sent to Dalaran, but was lured away into the study of Demonology. With her family and national history, the teachers at Dalaran had 0 patience for her, so she had to flee, and she did, to Theramore.

As things are shaping up now, she has no living adults, and she is the oldest of (any) surviving siblings. She considers herself the heir to the Mordis' barony title, but is currently landless and penniless. When she gets her own estate again, she'll self-claim the title back, and then get to the business of having some kids. She's deliberately going to try and find a male of no station to marry, so that he'll be more inclined to take up her last name/heritage than his own. That way, via her plan, her family name is saved and restored.

At the moment, she's looking to try and get a good sized piece of Dustwallow Marsh, where she'll use her engineering know-how to drain it all and set up a bountiful farm/plantation, estate, warlock tower and engineering school.

She comes from a place that looks like:

Spoiler

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[MrAbdiel]

Thank you all, that's very helpful!

[BananaPhone]

Hey Mr GM, just a thought that crossed my mind, but would Marion be able to be a free-willed necromancer instead of warlock? Same character/background, but instead of 'lured by Demonology', they were someone who fell during the Scourge, was at Scholomance, but through means got their free will back and so fled to Kalimdor? They still have the same plans as outlined above. (acquire a bit of the marsh, drain it, make a farm/plantation estate etc) If you want an alignment they'd be Lawful Neutral.

Or are Necros too taboo for even lawless Dustwallow to tolerate?

[MrAbdiel]

At this stage in the story, Warlocks are getting the reluctant greenlight from the Alliance and Horde, but necromancy is still the biggest, most awful taboo due to the recency of the scourge. If the events of this game mirror those of the MMO, eventually when the deathknights of the Ebon Blade defect from the scourge, the inroads for practical necromancy for better living will be paved in both factions. :( Hope that's not too much of a downer.

[BananaPhone]

Nah all good, it was a flight of fancy and wasn't expecting anything to come of it .

[hand ax ranger]

Spoiler: Stealth

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(1d20+6)[17]

Spoiler: Perception

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(1d20+8)[14]

[MrAbdiel]

Whew! It was a chonk of a post, but I got it done.

I'm doing a little dream stuff so everyone has things to react to and do while Jakk and Zach are scouting ahead. Feel free to read each other's dreams, I don't think there's anything secret in there! Obviously, your character doesn't know what anyone else dreamed about.

Apologies if you've already done a little wake-up-stuff in posts; we'll just do the atemporal mambo and cut back to where you were up to when I'm ready to snap the party back together. For now, it's dream/memory time! These are highly detailed dreams, but not lucid dreams (That is to say, you are immersed in them and not aware they are dreams, and they are playing out more or less as they did in your history - so consider it a flashback maybe.) You don't need to roll anything, since it's your past; just narrate how things play out within reason. Jakk and Zach will check out their off-road objective, and I don't expect that to take super long; then the party will reunite and the plot proper will advance.

[WindStruck]

Wow. That's... amazing.

And you seemed to beat my most glaring weakness.. the ability to come up with names!

I guess we, uh... reply to these things.. even though they are dreams.. Hm. Not that I haven't done dreams before though.

[MrAbdiel]

Wow. That's... amazing.

And you seemed to beat my most glaring weakness.. the ability to come up with names!

I guess we, uh... reply to these things.. even though they are dreams.. Hm. Not that I haven't done dreams before though.

Hey, coming up with names is my middle name!

As for how to respond to the dreams, do whatever you want, and I’ll keep pace - reflect on it from afar as a prisoner to the past, rage against it from within the memory, play it out how it was… it’s all good. We’re just filling out some backstory the longer, more fun way that lets me plan things, and write about heart eating and happy doomed elf lovers and desperate dying fiefdoms!

[Plaids]

Spoiler: Stealth roll

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(1d20+1)[21]Given the character AGL of 1

Spoiler: Perception roll

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(1d20+7)[11]Given character AWE of 3 and being skilled in perception by 4.

Now this is tantalizing mystery. Do we trust the hermit, or not going in as commandos either extracting the target coming back the next day with the whole party?

[MrAbdiel]

Now this is tantalizing mystery. Do we trust the hermit, or not going in as commandos either extracting the target coming back the next day with the whole party?

I am delighted to tantalize.

Also! Jakk And Zach whispering to each other reminded me to clarify languages. Here's the languages you speak and write by default, with the bolded one as your native tongue, obviously.

Jakk'ari: Troll, Kalimag, Common.
Mor'Lag: Ogre, Common, Orcish.
Isaera: Common, Thalassian.
Marion: Common, Demonic.
Zachary: Common, Orcish.

[MrAbdiel]

Will be posting some progress on dreams and side quest about 13 hours hence, using judicious assumptions to move things along if necessary!

[hand ax ranger]

I will, at some point, contribute. I swear. I am tired from a work day that went more exhaustion than expected.

Fulfilling, but tiring.

[BananaPhone]

Sorry about being a bit slow recently to post. One is coming.

[MrAbdiel]

No worries, guys. I’ll wait for your posts. :)

[BananaPhone]

I'm going to be stymied for the next few days of posting. Please continue on without me, I'll put my Dream response post up AND IC actions next time I post in the next few days.

[MrAbdiel]

No worries, BananaPhone. Thanks for letting us know - communication is key, and all that! :D

[MrAbdiel]

Had intended to make a little advance for Mor'Lag's dream, Isaera's dream and the scouting party, but I got carried away with the first one. Will do more tomorrow!

Feel free to react as little to, or as much to, these dreams as you prefer. They may be direct recollections of your memories, or disjointed composites. But they're there as an opportunity for you to flesh out some of your own backstory stuff by bouncing off my suggestions, or to greenlight what I've put out for you.

Thanks for hanging in there guys. More tomorrow.

[hand ax ranger]

Sorry for my appearance, it's been hard to pool the creative energy to do much on these forums.

I'll throw together something to kick this along.

[Feathersnow]

Want to say I am blown away by the dream sequences. I'm just not sure how to respond IC

[hand ax ranger]

Want to say I am blown away by the dream sequences. I'm just not sure how to respond IC

Well shucks...now I wanna see them..... grumble grumble

[MrAbdiel]

Glad you like it, Feathersnow. If it fits your vision of Mor’Lag’s past, then I’m happy. No need to respond to it if you aren’t sure how or don’t want to! Perhaps it’ll become relevant in a later adventure? ;)

And I think it’s okay to read each other’s dreams. Just, obviously, that’s player knowledge, rather than character knowledge!

[hand ax ranger]

Yey I get to appreciate art! :D

[MrAbdiel]

Woo! Replied finally, for Zac'n'Jac, and Isaera's dream. Forgive my delay!

[hand ax ranger]

Well that's good...even though I'm dying fo the flu over here lol

[MrAbdiel]

Sucks to fail that RL Fort roll. Get well soon!