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pumpkinhollow ([personal profile] pumpkinhollow) wrote in [community profile] ph_ooc2024-01-04 09:10 pm

Plotting - January AU Event!

AU Event Plotting

Hello there, Pumpkin Patch!

Those of you who have taken a look at our January calendar may already be aware of this, but coming up at the end of this month we will be having a temporary AU event in which player characters find themselves in a strange shared dream. For the span of one night's sleep, characters will exist in an AU wherein they are from the world of Pumpkin Hollow. This dream will also take place in the year 16:45, which is about 8 years in the past. Whether they dream lucidly or spend the entire time fully immersed in the dream, they will be able to take their memories of the dream back to their normal lives.

What all of this means is that your characters, purposefully or not, have a limited amount of time to experience the world of Pumpkin Hollow before the barrier and collect information. Speak to residents that didn't survive to the present day, learn more about the events that led up to the barrier's creation, and experience the greater universe in which Pumpkin Hollow is set, but use your time wisely because there will be restraints!

Because this event is a little bit complicated, I wanted to give folks the opportunity to decide on their new backstory and ask any questions they might need answered. As such, I've put up a plotting post well in advance! Below I've written up some helpful info for AU character building and some toplevels for questions. You can also use this post to plot out what you're going to do, though I recommend keeping it loose this far in advance. Let's get into it!

Event Rules The Basics. Characters will start out their shared dream fully believing they are natives to the world of Pumpkin Hollow, complete with memories of their unique life there. With some effort, which I leave to players' discretion, they can realize what is going on and spend the rest of the dream aware of their original life. However, the AU can also be played straight. Nearly anything about your character can be changed--- age, species, social status, finances, relationships, health conditions, history, professional life, and more! The only thing that needs to remain the same is their core identity. You'll want to explore the character building and lore sections for more information on this. You are free to explore to your heart's content, but be aware that there is an IC time restraint.

Time Management. Unlike most dreams, there is no real stretching and shrinking of time. And while time tends to be soup in most RP scenarios, that is less the case here. This means you need to make the most of your time. All this amounts to the fact that you will have eight IC hours to interact with the AU (you can backtag as long as you want OOCly, though, I'm not the boss of you). I won't be super strict about how accurately this amount of time is played out, but the amount of activities you squeeze into this time frame should be reasonably appropriate.

NPCs. There are lots of new ones available! But because of the time constraints and in the interest of not killing me, there will be some restrictions. Each character will have the opportunity to speak with only one of the following NPCs, played by me (Rose):
  • Dahlia Leeds, troubled teenage debutante
  • Henry Leeds, local monster hunter
  • Harriet Leeds-Brenning, newly-elected mayor
  • Linette Brenning, alchemist
  • Jonah Leeds, daring adventurer
  • Japhet Leeds, town councilman and patriarch
  • Neil West, dream therapist
  • Merrick Gladwyn, Reverend of the Sacred Mothers
  • Hellen Poe, artist and secretary
  • Yorick Aberdeen, intrepid reporter
  • Elsie Helvig, feral child
Characters such as Degas Clayton and Elias Coldwood West, who are played by other mods, will not be a part of this rule. Goddesses, demons, and the Pine Devil will not be accessible during this event.

World State. The AU will take place in September of 16:45, two years before the barrier goes up and about 8 years before the present day. After the death of prior mayor Christopher Larkin, Harriet Leeds-Brenning was elected over her competitor, Janine Kilbride. This makes her the youngest mayor elected in Pumpkin Hollow. This victory is somewhat hollow in the wake of the death of her elder brother Jasper, whose funeral is on the day in which the dream takes place. Meanwhile, Merrick Gladwyn has been reverend of the temple for as long as anyone can remember, and Neil and Elias West are operating a successful business in town. The island is still very much cursed, but people are made hopeful by the efforts of Henry Leeds and his renowned hunting party. More information will be available in the lore section.

Is it possible to leave Marrow Isle without the barrier? Yes, of course. But is this the best use of your time? (Although, if you've persuaded Jonah Leeds to take you sailing, perhaps it is.)

What happens if I die in the dream? You wake prematurely, with a start in the middle of the night. You cannot resume the dream. This is a good option for characters who you would like to not be present--- people did a lot of dying in 16:45.

Can I still get bonus AC for AU threads? Yep! Same as usual.

Can I handwave CR for this AU? It would honestly be weirder if you didn't. These people have been your neighbors for a good chunk of your life, and it's a small town. All handwaved CR should be agreed upon between players, including for NPCs, but please feel free to be as generous as you like with handwaved CR.

Is there a maximum amount of threads I can do? No, but you should be aware of how much time you have. I'm not going to police this but it should be kept within reason.

Will I be able to remember the events of the dream in my waking life? Yes, absolutely. You can recall as much or as little as makes sense, regardless of whether you are lucid and aware you are dreaming or playing the AU straight and have no memory of your original life.

How difficult is it to remember my original life? Again, player's choice. You can go the whole dream without remembering, be reminded by another player character, or have just about anything jog your memory. It's more fun if you don't recall right away, though.

What happens when the dream ends? Around 4pm in dream-time, you awaken to morning in January of 16:54, just as you left it. This can be as abrupt or drawn out as you like.

With the basics out of the way, let's move on to building your character!
Character Building This section will be a basic guide on how to build the AU version of your character!

Where did you come from? Pumpkin Hollow has been established for about 32 years by this point. You can absolutely have been born and raised right here on the island. You can also come from any of the other places on the map featured in the lore section. Most folks will be from other places in the Emerald Isles, though, as it is unlikely most people from more distant places will have immigrated to Marrow Isle.

Species? Marrow Isle is part of a world that has fantasy races! You can be a human, an elf (sun, moon, high, wood, dark, or snow), a dwarf (ice mountain, green mountain, hill, valley, or bedrock), an orc, a fae, a tiefling, a halfling, a gnome, or any manner of beastfolk (harpy, arachnus, lizardfolk, birdfolk, catfolk, animus, dragonborn, ect). Don't see something you're interested in? Run it by me!

Age? You can absolutely change the age of your character for the purpose of AU stuff. It does not have to match the amount of time the setting has reversed--- you can even age them up! You may also age your character below the age of 18 with the understanding that under no circumstances are they to engage in NSFW activities or behavior. As such, you can incorporate appropriate milestones that make sense for their new age such as marriages, children, education, ect.

Social/economic status? This can be whatever you want. You can be dirt poor or filthy rich. It's only for a few hours, after all, so have fun! Just make sure your line of work and history are befitting of your station.

Backstory? Whatever you like, as long as it's lore compliant! A wizard straight from the University of Magi, a wandering pegasus rider, a sailor with a delivery from another land, a butcher born right on Marrow Isle, one of the island's first immigrants--- this is your story to tell! Make it parallel to your original story or completely different.

Name? All characters must have a first and last name, meaning folks without a surname will need to get one. Other than that, your name should stay largely the same. Particularly modern names might need to be slightly altered or a nickname for something. (Sorry Jeff.)

Robots? Automatons are still a thing, though only magical automatons have as much personality as a sci-fi robot. You can definitely take this route, or change species. Up to you!

Magic? You can absolutely be a mage and/or alchemist! See the lore section about magic for more info!
Expanded Lore Location, Location, Location. Marrow Isle is part of the Emerald Isles, which is a nation that is off the coast of but technically belonging to the continent of Leviathan. A chunk of it can be seen here:
Girl in a jacket

Not pictured is the subterranean nation of Hepogaia, which runs underneath much of Leviathan, including under the sea. It is the home of many beastfolk like arachnea, as well as dark elves and bedrock dwarves. The most major Hepogaian city beneath the Emerald Isles is Fardune, whose main entrance can be found near the Emeran capital of Victoria's Crossing.

The Emerald Isles. Originally this archipelago consisted of three nations, but an era of feudalism resulted in the nations being "unified" under the banner of one which remains in primary control today. The ruling region is that of Braxtony, with the other two being Glassighe and Anwyll. The main island is called the Grand Fairisle and it is surrounded with a plethora of smaller islands. Some places of interest in the Emerald Isles are:
  • Victoria's Crossing, the capital. A bustling, diverse city full of life and culture, though somewhat more industrial in the current day. Its architecture features a lot of height with skywalks, elevated gardens, waterfalls, and large glass windows.
  • Mournstead, a heavily industrial Braxton factory town with smoggy skies, dark architecture, and dingy streets. It is ironically located very close to one of the most beautiful forests on the Grand Fairisle, known as the Sylvan Grave.
  • Foxbridge, a modest and rustic Glassig village known for its artisanry. It's a common stop on the way to Victoria's Crossing.
  • The Cossack Mountains, a major mountain range that cuts through the northern portion of the Grand Fairisle. While there are some small human-centric towns on and around the mountains, the primary inhabitants are moon and snow elves, ice and green mountain dwarves, valley dwarves, and Hepogaians who make their homes near the entrances to the underground which are often found among the mountains. /li>
  • The Iselwood, a large Anwyllic forest in the south.
  • Gwybodus, an Anwyllic city best known for harboring the University of Magi. It is full of ornate and extremely colorful architecture.
  • Providence, the City of Brass. A beloved hometown of many mages and engineers, this city runs almost entirely on arcane clockwork constructs. It belongs to the Braxton territory and is near the coast, just across from Marrow Isle.
  • Lochshire, a well-appointed Glassig town with beautiful lake views and sprawling fruit orchards amid the stunning mansions. It is best known for being home to illustrious mogul and inventor Daphne Applegate.
  • Drakeport, a Braxton city so integrated with its river that many of its businesses and residences are floating on it. The nightlife here is vibrant.
  • Amethyst, the Gateway City, an enormous amethyst geode sticking up out of the base of the Cossack Mountains in Glassighe. The city is split between two dwarven stenholms (what dwarves call their towns), one belonging to Green Mountain Dwarves and the other belonging to Bedrock Dwarves. As such, the city is half above and half below ground.
  • Drakkoven, a major orcish city carved into a cliffside in Anwyll, above the plains of Lethmarga. Homes and businesses are caves cut between the bones of a giant, exposed, fossilized dragon skeleton on the cliffside. There is some interesting folklore about the area.
  • Cahoots, a Glassig brewing town on the coast. Famously a fun place to party and a common pilgrimage of beer and liquor fans from all over.
  • We can also come up with more in plotting! Hit me with your ideas!


Magic. Both an art and a science, magic is the understanding of the powerful energy existing within all things and the ability to manipulate it. Neil explains it in this thread. No genetic component decides who can or cannot use magic, though it is considered very cerebral and challenging to learn. Magical academies for youngsters and universities for adults exist throughout the world, but they are expensive.

Species. There are many species available for your character, both fantastical and mundane! This section will be long, so bear with me.

Humans. This is the most abundant species in this particular world, and also the most diverse. They will live just about anywhere and have a wide array of unique cultures, languages, ancestral homes, and styles of dress. They are remarkably hardy and well-rounded, but they age quicker than most. They are also willing to try eating nearly anything once.

Elves. Pointy-eared folk with a history deeply rooted in the arcane. The types of elves are so thoroughly divided that they each have highly specialized physical characteristics. For the sake of brevity, each will have a quick overview, but feel free to ask questions.
  • Sun Elves: coastal or arid living spaces preferred, resistant to heat, vulnerable to cold. Warm skin tones and hair colors. Pink, red, gold, brown, or ocean-blue eyes most commonly. Typically originate from the coast of the Dawn Sea or in the Waking Desert of Khorsheedan or Ngaba. Cannot live underground as sun exposure is required to live.
  • Moon Elves: live in any climate but prefer elevation, resistant to thin air, vulnerable to humidity. Cool skin tones. Hair starts as black or dark blue then gradually turns silver from moonlight exposure, giving the appearance of premature greying. Black, blue, or silver eyes are common. Live at high altitudes in communal fortresses known as Skyholds.
  • Dark Elves: originate from Hepogaia and have bodies highly specialized to subterranean living. Excellent dark vision, extremely sensitive to bright light. Complexions come in various shades of greyish-violet, eyes are dark jewel tones with black sclera. Protective eye gear must be worn in daylight. Special dietary restrictions.
  • Wood Elves: forest dwellers who live in treehouses or nomadic settlements. Excellent survivalists, cannot become lost in woodland places. Complexions, eye colors, hair colors all tend to be in earth tones. Frequently displaced by industrialism. Often hostile toward non-elves.
  • Snow Elves: strongly prefer colder climates, particularly the Cossack Mountains, extremely resistant to cold, vulnerable to heat. Always have starkly pale hair and eyes. Driven from low tundra by Braxton settlements and remain extremely hostile towards them. It is not uncommon for snow elf clans to kill Braxton soldiers on sight. Very neighborly with Moon Elves, though.
  • High Elves: class traitors, old money. Originally derived from coastal Sun Elves who became successful merchants and assimilated with well-to-do human society. Look fairly similar to Sun Elves still but have lost much of their inherent strengths and drawbacks due to indoorsy lifestyle. Still get uncomfortable when cold, though.
Dwarves. Short-statured folk (not to be confused for humans with dwarfism) who have a reputation for warfaring due to their participation in the War of Ages. Widely renowned for their unique cultural practices surrounding the keeping of their hair, especially their beards. (And yes, dwarven women absolutely have beards.) Dwarves live in a variety of locations, inhabiting fortress-towns called stenholms. Each stenholm belongs to a particular clan with a unique lifestyle, described briefly below:
  • Ice Mountain Clan: lives in the highest frosted peaks. Especially hardy with impeccable survival skills. Talented hunters and blacksmiths. Isolationists that do not care to be bothered.
  • Green Mountain Clan: live in the lower mountain regions, sometimes inside mountains. Known for brewing and foraging. Have a reputation for being a little bit smug.
  • Hill Clan: pastoral folk who are often tenders of livestock and farmers. Well known for their food. Did not participate in the War of Ages and are quite proud of that fact, much to the dismay of their brethren. Very welcoming of outsiders.
  • Valley Clan: artisans, traders, and artistic sorts. Have been known to be somewhat self-centered. Have a strange manner of speaking that consists of a unique accent and incomprehensible slang.
  • Bedrock Clan: Hepogaian dwarves who live either fully or partially underground. Miners and stoneworkers. Not unfriendly, but tend to keep to themselves.
Halflings. So named because they are half the height of the average human, halflings originate from Glassighe and are believed to have come from fae ancestry. While all-halfling villages aren't unheard of, many halflings do just fine amid humans, though they tend to prefer more rustic homes. Despite their size, they are known to eat double what the average human might on a daily basis and there are many foodies among their ranks. They are also known for their folk music.

Gnomes. Smaller than dwarves or halflings and even more fae-adjacent in origin, gnomes are a rare but generally cheerful species believed to have good luck and for whom magic is second nature. They tend to live in small villages exclusively for gnomes which are overwhelmingly full of whimsy. Gnomes have a habit of "collecting names," which is to say they will nickname their friends and add that nickname to their full name for the rest of their life. More middle names is said to be the sign of a life filled with friends and experiences. If a gnome gives you a nickname, it should be considered a token of profound friendship.

Orcs. Green- and grey-skinned people who were once the opponents of the dwarves in the War of Ages. Propaganda about them gave them a reputation for being violent, bloodthirsty, warmongering dullards, but this reputation has since been disproven and relations with orcs are on the mend. Many still live in ancestral villages on the plains of Lethmarga, but some live in blended towns and cities as well. They are best known for their artisan bonecraft, and many orcish scrimshaw artists are among the finest in the world.

Beastfolk.Humanoid or otherwise sapient beast-people. This includes such individuals as arachnea (subterannean spider-people), centaurs, harpies, lizardfolk, dragonborn, and more.

Tieflings. Tieflings are a strange sort. Despite being technically a species all their own, they are actually a particular kind of mixed-species. When humans fraternize with infernal entities, there is a chance that such a union may yield a tiefling offspring, who then could pass their species on to other children they have with a human partner or other humanoid. The chance for tiefling descendants will remain in the bloodline until it ends and is recessive, even skipping numerous generations only to appear in a family that has only produced human children for the past 200 years. Demonic ancestry, however, does not necessarily imply demonic behavior. There are plenty of perfectly pleasant tieflings just as there are plenty of evil humans.

Faefolk. An umbrella term for members of the fae such as fairies, changelings, pixies, banshees, dullahan, satyrs, nymphs, dryads, merfolk, and more. Typically belong to either the Seelie (benevolent) or Unseelie (malevolent) court.

Other Species. Don't see a fantasy species you're interested in? You're not limited to these! Hash it out with me in the comments.

Miscellaneous Lore. Some other things worth noting is that the current king of the Emerald Isles is Ferdinand Emerick Marchbanks, IV, and the queen is Elaine Millicent Davenger Marchbanks. The king is a polarizing subject, as the Emerald Isles is going through an industrial era which is highly profitable for many people but destructive to the landscape. Another interesting bit of lore is that the goddesses are believed in worldwide but thought to have different appearances and folklore depending upon the culture you ask.
This world is quite expansive as I have been developing it for a TTRPG, so there's more, but this is already long enough for a single event so I'll speak more on other things if they become relevant! This event is due to launch on Thursday, January 25th and should prove to be a good time. I hope you have fun plotting your AU!

CODED BY TESSISAMESS
pumpkinhollowites: (Default)

[personal profile] pumpkinhollowites 2024-01-24 06:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Lore fairy time!!!

Was Erik born in Pumpkin Hollow? If not, where? Does he remember his birth parents? What is his relationship with his adoptive parents like? Are they humans?
theydrewfirstblood: (Default)

Re: John Rambo, Still A Commando, Sort Of

[personal profile] theydrewfirstblood 2024-01-24 07:05 pm (UTC)(link)
LORE FAIRYYYYYYYYYY XD

John basically was living AS a Wood Elf. He went to the Islewood because some of his mother's family came from there. Some accepted him readily due to his heritage, but many were more reluctant and gave him a rough time. He learned a lot about his mother's people in that time, and embraced it as his own.

The hostility of most of the elves, however, is how John got hurt. A local confrontation John was tangentially involved in turned violent, resulting in the injury of some humans and the death of one elf. The hostile majority held him accountable for the death of one of their own, accusing him of being in league with the humans and casting him out. When he tried to find sanctuary with the humans of the area, however, he got a similar reaction. The brutal treatment he received drove him back to Marrow Isle, where he took up living as a wild hermit just to be somewhere familiar and left alone--a case of 'it's shit, but familiar and comforting shit.'
cacophonish: MISC, B&W (Default)

[personal profile] cacophonish 2024-01-24 08:13 pm (UTC)(link)
So I'm thinking he already had a general anti-capitalist attitude and a passion for environmentalism because his parents were likely hippie druid types, who would've been radicalized towards the Hands of Dusk through one of two ways:

1. If he'd been part of peaceful actions and protests that had been disrupted by violent, outsized tactics from law enforcement or goons hired by industrialists, OR

2. He fell in with a charismatic fella who was already a Hand of Dusk and followed him down the ecoterrorist rabbit hole. If there's a sense of solidarity, community, and belonging fostered within the Hands of Dusk, he'd be especially susceptible to it.

Actually, come to think of it, I could see both playing a role, with Jeff feeling helpless and growing more disillusioned with The System, feeling failed by peaceful activism, and that putting him in a position where he clings to somebody with a stronger personality and follows along after them.

TLDR basically Jeff does have principles and convictions, but he's also a fairly weak person emotionally, needy and desperate for Purpose, and I think that would play into his decision to become a Hand of Dusk even more than his (admittedly genuine!) beliefs.

TO THE SECOND QUESTION... I will get back to you on that once I hash something out.
cacophonish: MISC, B&W (Default)

[personal profile] cacophonish 2024-01-24 08:48 pm (UTC)(link)
okay i'm back

HIS MISSION:

Since Taran's on the run from the Hands of Dusk, for having collaborated with Constance Stroud and the Knights of Braxtony, it probably makes the most sense that Jeff's here for him. Whether it's to kill him, kidnap him, mess up his house and prank call him-- BASICALLY: whatever jives for the Hands of Dusk, and what aligns with Dyz's vision and methodology.

my alternate idea is he's gotta steal a bunch of stuff from the alchemist that they need for the upcoming Mournstead sabotage (for, like, explodey reasons??), in which case I should PROBABLY have him hit up Linette for his NPC interaction!
Edited 2024-01-24 20:55 (UTC)
deaths_head: (Default)

[personal profile] deaths_head 2024-01-24 10:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Me love Lore Fairy. XD

Josiah does, in fact, have a deeply personal relationship with Mortanne. Honestly, he probably had to fight not to join the clergy because he's so deeply devoted to Mortanne as a death goddess.

Does he consider himself a man of the cloth? No. Does he behave as one? He really does--Josiah fought to work as an undertaker because he sees death care as a sacred duty, a ministry of its own. By caring for the dead, not just burying the bodies, he's doing the work of the goddess.

To that end, Josiah is a death mage. It really is more or less the powers he was born with in his canon: mediumship (being able to see and communicate with the dead), foreseeing death (he has visions of deathly spectors that give him the name of those meant to die, within a seven day period), and he can do simple spells by harnessing the power of death. Examples:

- talismans use bone and blood
- spells invoke the spirits of the dead, with offerings of gratitude made at their graves when the spell is completed
- casting is often done at sunrise or sunset (the death/end of a night or a day) and the final phase of the waning moon
- potions and tonics use poisons that are rendered inert when his magic consumes that deadly potential--but he's cautious and often includes counteragents for the protection of those partaking, like coal dust or natural antidotes
pumpkinhollowites: (Default)

[personal profile] pumpkinhollowites 2024-01-25 12:23 am (UTC)(link)
2. Saarshankor, the City on Stilts! At the foot of the Tsamskhag Mountains, Saarshakor uses its varied elevation and brilliant feats of physics to create a multi-layered suspended city. Persaz, on the other hand, is on flat, arid grasslands and is the heart of the nation. It is the home of the Pegasus Arena, where incredible aerial equestrian performances take place several times a year, and as such some of the finest pegasus ranches are on the outskirts of this surprisingly spacious city. There's also the bustling, bright, and somewhat crowded coastal city of Uzark if neither of those suit your fancy.

3. Her weapon can absolutely be her arcane focus! All she'd need is some kind of rune stamped into it and she's good. Or she could have an additional one if you prefer.
pumpkinhollowites: (Default)

[personal profile] pumpkinhollowites 2024-01-25 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
Yorick's fine! It's all about what you think is the most fun and interesting use of your time. I'd be happy to sling Yorick at César.
pumpkinhollowites: (Default)

Re: Mary Dahl

[personal profile] pumpkinhollowites 2024-01-25 12:52 am (UTC)(link)
It sounds like you've got some really solid ideas for Mary! I just thought I might tell you a bit about Koshtur for flavor!

Being wedged between the Waking Desert, the low Singing Mountains, and the coast, Koshtur is a fascinating and beautiful place to live. It doesn't look like much to the untrained eye, with its organically-shaped architecture made mostly of the same clay as the ground. However, it is filled with colorful mozaic artwork, dotted sparsely with enormous palm trees, and its blazing heat is managed perfectly by the ocean breeze and the large waterfall to the south. It's the perfect choice for Meryem, being extremely beloved by the Sun Elves who make up most of its population.
pumpkinhollowites: (Default)

[personal profile] pumpkinhollowites 2024-01-25 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
Probably Dyz has Geoff stationed on Pumpkin Hollow for espionage on Taran, to see if his collaboration with Stroud runs any deeper or if there's any reason to be concerned about goings-on in Pumpkin Hollow. He wouldn't ask Geoff to make a move unless it was worth the risk! But the second idea could also be why Gerard is here--- to check in with Geoff, and to pick up said alchemical supplies.

Of course if you'd rather have Gerry be the spy and Jeff be the grab-and-go, that would also be fine!
pumpkinhollowites: (Default)

[personal profile] pumpkinhollowites 2024-01-25 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
This sounds like a combination of Eldritch and Radiant schools of magic, described here:

Eldritch - Magic of the blood, the spirit, and of death, often derived from more gruesome sources within the mind, body, or the cosmos. Necromancy falls under this school and it is quite controversial with regards to ethics.

Radiant - Sacred magic derived from light, the sun, and the soul. Designed for banishing, warding, protecting, and healing. Supposedly more powerful if performed by the pure of heart.


A seemingly counterproductive combination, but Josiah makes it work!
theydrewfirstblood: (Default)

[personal profile] theydrewfirstblood 2024-01-25 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
Wrong journal, but it actually kinda does. Mom’s family in Lochshire was wealthy and powerful—they disowned her for marrying below her station in their estimation, and there were always rumors they dabbled in questionable stuff. Messing with the wrong dark elves, possible dealings with the infernal, or just plain backlash from the wrong sort of Baneful magic workings. Nothing is certain, but if you had to break it down? Definitely picked up Radiant magic from the Cole side of things and Eldritch from mom Katherine Riordan’s upbringing. >.> XD
cacophonish: MISC, B&W (Default)

[personal profile] cacophonish 2024-01-25 02:37 am (UTC)(link)
Perfect! Jeff can spy, and Gerry can raid the alchemist, and as far as anybody else is concerned, they're just two upstanding young men, nothing to see here--

With that in mind, which NPC would be the best for him to try to feel out re: potential goings on that the Hands of Dusk might want to get involved with? Yorick, for the hot scoops, Japhet, as someone of influence and a member of the council, or Harriet, as the mayor?
lordoftheozarks: by gronckle @ij (Default)

[personal profile] lordoftheozarks 2024-01-25 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
Ooh, fun.

- My heart wants to say he was born somewhere else and brought here while he was too young to remember the other place.

- He doesn't remember his birth parents at all, but he does know he's adopted.

- His adoptive parents are also human, and he has a loving and happy relationship with both of them. He aspires to take over working in the bakery after his father. He's very proud of his family.

He gets to have a nice childhood this time so it will hurt worse when he wakes up without it. :]
not_a_corvid: (Default)

[personal profile] not_a_corvid 2024-01-25 03:48 am (UTC)(link)
Yes! She'd absolutely be interested in that, and I'd definitely be down for them to discuss it while in the AU
not_a_corvid: (Default)

[personal profile] not_a_corvid 2024-01-25 05:33 am (UTC)(link)
Definitely Australian Magpie (whatever actual words for that make sense)
She's friendly Enough
Probably from Moavi, I think I remember it being said that that was an Aotearoa and/or Australia analogue?
And I think she's been most places in Moavi, and a fair chunk of places within the Emerald Isles, with maybe a brief stop off on the larger continent for Flavour
pineapplesalmon: (Default)

[personal profile] pineapplesalmon 2024-01-25 06:26 am (UTC)(link)

Yeah, I think Yorick will work well for him! I am still easing into plot.

tisnotthehouse: (Default)

[personal profile] tisnotthehouse 2024-01-25 11:27 am (UTC)(link)
That's adorable XD Flawless eleven year old behavior.

A small, non-sapient construct (about the size and shape of a Nutcracker) might have showed up at Rex's house the previous Givingstide! No clues as to where it came from, though. Somebody must have thought he was a good boy that year!
sistermagnetic: (Default)

[personal profile] sistermagnetic 2024-01-25 01:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Such cool places to be on the run from! Uzark is the closest to what I'm thinking on though so I think I'll stamp that one for her canon! She probably has been through the others on her attempts to flee though so she has stories to tell! As far as her weapon is concerned the rune will blend right in with the rest of the art on it so letting that be her focus is perfect.
tisnotthehouse: (Default)

[personal profile] tisnotthehouse 2024-01-25 03:30 pm (UTC)(link)
I would be fine with Neil having heard of Taran in Providence (I think he and Anodyne were probably somewhat famous, before they disappeared completely off the map for several years.) (Naturally this was the period when Taran was working for the Justice Corps under the aegis of Simon Prowler, but he's trying really hard to make sure nobody knows that.)

In the "present" in Pumpkin Hollow, Dawn is taking lessons in Astral magic from Elias, who Taran greatly approves of. So he and Neil may have CR related to that. Honestly as long as Neil doesn't get too openly curious about where Taran was or what he was doing during the years between Providence and PH, they should get along fine.

As for Anodyne, he's about the size of a Barbie doll. Even though he and Taran don't seem to get along, Taran is fiercely proud of him and will openly brag about how he improved on Conrad Hemsworth's ideas in creating such an intelligent and independent construct. It's worth noting that although Anodyne only visits the Thule household for regularly scheduled maintenance, Dawn visits him frequently at the Winterbottom Clinic and they seem very affectionate with each other. He's also friendly with Taran's wife Amy, and Amy's new wife Ryja. His glow is rose pink.

A little more info on the Providence backstory: Anodyne was originally conceived as a sort of "mobile first aid station" for a university or possibly a large and wealthy factory, but as Taran researched all the various ways one could get hurt in that environment the project expanded further and further, until he decided to create a fully sapient construct who could actively research and learn new medical techniques on its own and make treatment decisions on the fly. (Perhaps it was this tendency of his to improve upon and expand ideas in innovative ways that caught Simon Prowler's eye...)
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[personal profile] pineapplesalmon 2024-01-25 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
He's absolutely perfect!!

And Rex surprisingly takes good care of it. But he'd be over the moon. Probably comes up with a child's name for it. But ahhhhhh he'll love it.
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[personal profile] graphomaniac 2024-01-25 08:58 pm (UTC)(link)
  1. I think they grew up in a Skyhold but went to the blended university in the Anwyll region
  2. I think they didn't have the best time in the year after university and didn't want to go back home for whatever reason (strained relationship with family as in their canon?) and so they decided to travel a little
  3. Yes, but not moreso than the obvious counterpart for them in OU.
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[personal profile] graphomaniac 2024-01-25 09:02 pm (UTC)(link)

Yeah, totally!

I wonder if Lev would end up knowing the local Sign, since they obviously don't know ESL and i think the Sign language they do know is of a unique lineage (since it arose in a population with high rates of congenital hearing issues before someone started setting up schools aimed at educating d/Deaf children, rather than as in the given world) ... but yeah, I think afterwards Lev and Chris could likely communicate in Sign to some extent, and if need be we'll handwave the details as to what sign language they're actually speaking.

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Updated Character Notes!!!

[personal profile] apocryphalarchivist 2024-01-26 12:05 am (UTC)(link)
From some out-loud conversations with the lore fairy due to Marriage Privileges, here's what I've got worked out! (Posting it here to link to folks >:3c)

Jonathan Sims is a moon elf, and originates from a Skyhold! He attended a magical university with a specialty in astral magic, and was a fairly prolific graduate of said school. Much to the dismay of his peers, his only interest in his magical talents are divination, as well as extremely practical magic, such as getting to avoid refilling inkwells and fetching books off shelves.

Having left to find his own path right after his graduation, no longer under the prying and very concerned eyes of his family, he sought to strike his fortune as a historian in Victoria's Crossing. There was no luck there for him, except for entering a lovely marriage of convenience with a dear friend.

Luck would strike when he caught rumor of a town that was founded off the coast of the greater Emerald Isles. With an estate shared between the two, Annabel's incredible sewing talents, and great aspirations to be one of the earliest prolific anthropologists to document the happenings on Marrow Isle. (This wasn't even mentioning the benefits of getting away from overbearing parents.)

He now spends much of his time in his library, but makes frequent hikes to the Greymare Library to do his research, as well as catch locals and take a newspaper to see the latest happenings. After all, someone's got to put these strange occurrences in writing, don't they?

-

Pomni, now Penelope Desrosiers is a fairly recent addition to the Pumpkin Hollow community, only having been there for about a year. She's half-changeling, half-halfling, equal parts anxiety and impostor syndrome. She's 4'9", fairly lightweight, and posesses inaccurate transformation ability - she can almost manage most shapes, but there's always some tell that they're not correct, such as size, shape, color, pattern, or other defining feature.

She stowed away on a ship to Marrow Isle after abruptly leaving her home of Etoistelle in Florentino, determined to make something of herself and stop being a disappointment to her family. She speaks Emeran fairly well, only struggling with hyper-specific words that don't have a direct translation, and still fluently speaks Southern Florentinian. Currently, she's taking a crack at being a woodworking assistant to Ryja in her workshop!

-

Arthur Morgan is still a Pumpkin Hollow native, and a reformed rabblerouser. He was part of the notorious Van der Linde Gang, a group that was mostly comprised of teenagers as the "muscle", committing petty crime in the name of their leader. When the notorious Dutch Van der Linde made a pact with Eligos to triumph over some criminal rivals, the result was bloodshed - neither group made it out intact, with most Van der Linde members who survived scattering to the winds.

Arthur chose to stay after earning the favor of a few upstanding community members, and turned his behavior for the better. He's still got some of the reputation for being trouble--- as well as some of the surly attitude that comes with it--- but is generally considered on the up-and-up. He's willing to get his hands dirty for friends, though, as long as these things should stay quiet. Old habits die hard, after all.


Mostly for fun: here's what was up with the Van der Linde Gang's members, how they translated to the AU, and their fates/current status! Their ages are listed as what they would've been at the time, just to keep things from getting confusing. The dividing event and subsequent deaths happened 10 years prior to the AU's current date.
Dutch, 49 - human; dead, after a deal with Eligos went sideways
Charles, 17 - wood elf; returned to ancestral home in Ngaba woodlands
Javier, 16 - sun elf; took off to sea, travelling Leviathan
Lenny, 15 - human; went to Glassighe, settled down
Bill, 21 - half-orc; dead
Micah, 29 - tiefling; assisted Eligos in corrupting the group, dead
Pearson, 30 - orc; still in Pumpkin Hollow, working at Empty Pockets
Abigail, 15 - human; moved to Anwyll with John
John, 14 - half-elf (wood); moved to Anwyll with Abigail
Arthur, 16 - human; still in Pumpkin Hollow
Sadie, 18 - half-elf (sun); lives in town, rancher
Karen, 15 - halfling; died of monster attacks later on
Tilly, 19 - Moon Elf; moved to Braxtony with spouse
Susan, 41 - human; died during conflict
Mary-Beth, 16 - tiefling; left for Anwyll to become a novellist
Swanson, 38 - human; left for Victoria's Crossing, joined the Church of Merwyn (the Virtue of Second Chances), doing better
Sean, 19 - tiefling; died in conflict
Kieran, 20 - human; Sadie's ranch hand
Hosea, 50 - green mountain dwarf; retired to Florentino
Uncle, 55 - human; lives with John and Abigail
Strauss, 38 - high elf; cast out of group, died of monster attack
Trelawney, 29 - high elf; no one knows where he went
Molly, 48 - hill dwarf; died in conflict (infighting)
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[personal profile] pumpkinhollowites 2024-01-26 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
Honestly any of the three, feel free to scope out their starters and decide who interests you the most!

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