Hope Forged in Flame

Hope is a Dawn Caste Solar who was born and raised up north in Bearington country. She was likely still a child when Sherwood left on his initial journey with Ashe to see the world and send money back to his mother.

Hope is an exemplary member of her caste and has five dots in all combat abilities with the exception of war. She’s a brilliant soldier who can wield any weapon, but lacks a defined martial arts style as well as the leadership capabilities of a skilled general. She has no skill in dodge, preferring to block any attacks made upon her or to simply stand there and take it. She lacks mobility likely from a series of leg injuries, but isn’t to be taken lightly. The name ‘one woman wall’ has been tossed around in her regard up north.

Hope can read and write but her penmanship is lacking. She’s also trained in field medicine because when you take as much abuse as she does, you should know how to patch yourself up. Despite a lack of knowledge about the world in general, she’s picked up a lot of information regarding the usage of enchanted devices such as artifacts. In a sense, she might not be able to tell you the history of Lookshy, but she can tell you how Hestus’ newest invention works (and proceed to work it rather well).

She is a broad and stocky woman with large, well defined muscles. She is on the taller side (from drinking all of that milk, so her mother says) but is fairly proportional. Her form is mostly lean and she seems to have trouble accumulating fat, so most of her weight is muscle. She has an above average appearance (appearance 3) muddied to some by the many scars that grace the whole of her body. Her skin is tan and her hair is short and choppy; the color of wet sand with the occasional glimpse of honey. Her eyes are green.

She’s not the smartest outside of combat, but she makes due and does her best to quietly observe in the hopes that she can perhaps learn something more about her surroundings. She enjoys learning so long as she thinks it’s practical, but it has not been her focus growing up. She is a terrible liar.

Hope’s biggest advantage is her strength of will; she is essentially unshakable in her beliefs. This combined with her impressive valor occasionally leads her into dangerous situations that many would see fit to walk away from. As a surprise to many, her conviction towards her goals is higher than her compassion towards others. If a choice between saving her charge and saving a village full of people presented itself and Hope found she had tried her hardest to do everything she could for both sides she would choose to protect her charge rather than further risk things if the situation headed south.

Despite her strength and combat prowess, Hope has made an oath to the Nightfury that swear she will not start a fight. She is capable of finishing any fight that has threatened herself or someone she has taken on as her charge, but she is not allowed to make the first strike. Hope takes this a step further and does her best not to insight violence in the first place (such as through taunting or insulting the other party) for fear that she will lose the powers the Nightfury has granted upon her for taking said oaths.

Hope has an incredible talent for sensing ambushes. She has something of a sixth sense for the arrival of danger and it is surprisingly difficult to catch the slow, lumbering woman off guard. Furthermore, once a battle has been started, many are caught by surprise at the speed at which Hope can react to combat situations. She might not be able to chase someone down but that broken sword she carries seems to have a will of its own within her hands.

Despite her combat prowess and tattered appearance, Hope has a great love of rather ‘girly’ things. She enjoys the color pink, soft things, frills, and beautiful dresses. She never learned how to braid her hair and has kept it short after a particular incident with long hair gave her a few new scars as a child. This makes her rather sad, as she feels she cannot do as many pretty things with her short hair. Her favorite foods are berries, cheese, and chocolate.

Finally, there is a troublesome aspect to Hope’s appearance: her caste mark is always visible so long as she does not cover it. This can make travelling Creation and staying in towns rather difficult. Fortunately, she can banish her ostentatious Golden armor, which helps the journey somewhat (though is combated slightly by the fact that her current charge cannot really hide his orchalchum limbs).

Let’s Talk About Exalted. No Really, Let’s Talk.

summoner-starlight:

Alright everyone, buckle up and try your hardest to pay attention here.
No apologies for length, these things need to be said and I will not hide any of it under a read more. So let’s get started.

Dungeons and Dragons, or DnD/D&D as it is often referred, appears to be the face of the tabletop RPG scene and a large part of Geek culture. Lately this game has been getting all sorts of praise for advancement in representation which, I will admit, is a wonderful thing. The problem comes down to the simple fact that other games have been doing this for much longer, so DnD may as well simply be handed a participation ribbon.

Unfortunately, these other games are like the unpopular kids at school. They seem to be the type that everyone overlooks regardless of their accomplishments because they simply are not popular enough. I aim to change that.

BEHOLD EXALTED!

The above picture is taken from the cover of the Exalted core rulebook. Said rules cover Solar Exalts, the base protagonists for the game. The group pictured above are the example characters. Two of these characters are women, two are black, at least one is asian, and one of the two women is dressed rather practically.

I will be honest, the Exalted art has a lot of unnecessary and gratuitous boobs. It’s not perfect.

Let’s look at some more art yeah?

Oh man. Women in practical armor staring each other down. The woman on the Right I believe is Tepet Ejava, a very important military figure in the setting. She leads a legion of soldiers who respect and love her. Like many characters in the setting, Ejava is likely bi or pansexual but is rumored to have a preference for women.

See this awesome lady commanding giant terrifying creatures to do her bidding? That’s Mnemon. She’s exceptionally important. She’s in line for the Scarlet Throne which would essentially mean she would rule all of Creation. (That is horribly simplified but I’m not here to read you the book)

LOOK AT THIS AWESOME CHICK! She’s so buff and fearless and sensibly dressed!

Okay last but most important picture. These are the Celestial Incarna; the biggest and best of the Gods in the setting. Exactly one of them is a male, the man in the back, the Unconquered Sun. The guy in silver is Luna, who is gender fluid and specifically grants the ability to change ones sex to xer Exalts. The five in front are the Maidens, controllers of Fate, each with command over an aspect of it (Journeys, Serenity, Battles, Secrets, and Endings). The last is Gaia who is actually a being greater than a God and who actually has no concept of sex or gender as she is a being created before such things were established.

Most of the characters in Exalted are Bi or Pansexual. Homosexual relationships are rather common as well as they don’t produce children (and the primary society values only having children with one’s spouse).

There is a couple who get married in canon who are best friends. The husband is gay and the wife is a lesbian and they just spend their time being bros and sleeping with other people. At one point she gets kidnapped and he goes to rescue her by playing a crazy game of chess against a demon known as the Game Master because she’s his best friend and that really matters to him.

Women and Men hold the same positions very often as Creation does not tend to distinguish between the two. On top of that I’m fairly certain no one would think twice about trans or non-binary individuals as long as they can do their jobs.

Pregnant women have their armor modified so they can fight on the battlefield while with child.

There are demons that will make babies with the flesh of any two people in exchange for a small bit of extra flesh.

The two most prominent leaders of Creation have both been women.

I don’t understand why it feels like no one is playing this game!

Let’s Talk About Exalted. No Really, Let’s Talk.

Alright everyone, buckle up and try your hardest to pay attention here.
No apologies for length, these things need to be said and I will not hide any of it under a read more. So let’s get started.

Dungeons and Dragons, or DnD/D&D as it is often referred, appears to be the face of the tabletop RPG scene and a large part of Geek culture. Lately this game has been getting all sorts of praise for advancement in representation which, I will admit, is a wonderful thing. The problem comes down to the simple fact that other games have been doing this for much longer, so DnD may as well simply be handed a participation ribbon.

Unfortunately, these other games are like the unpopular kids at school. They seem to be the type that everyone overlooks regardless of their accomplishments because they simply are not popular enough. I aim to change that.

BEHOLD EXALTED!

The above picture is taken from the cover of the Exalted core rulebook. Said rules cover Solar Exalts, the base protagonists for the game. The group pictured above are the example characters. Two of these characters are women, two are black, at least one is asian, and one of the two women is dressed rather practically.

I will be honest, the Exalted art has a lot of unnecessary and gratuitous boobs. It’s not perfect.

Let’s look at some more art yeah?

Oh man. Women in practical armor staring each other down. The woman on the Right I believe is Tepet Ejava, a very important military figure in the setting. She leads a legion of soldiers who respect and love her. Like many characters in the setting, Ejava is likely bi or pansexual but is rumored to have a preference for women.

See this awesome lady commanding giant terrifying creatures to do her bidding? That’s Mnemon. She’s exceptionally important. She’s in line for the Scarlet Throne which would essentially mean she would rule all of Creation. (That is horribly simplified but I’m not here to read you the book)

LOOK AT THIS AWESOME CHICK! She’s so buff and fearless and sensibly dressed!

Okay last but most important picture. These are the Celestial Incarna; the biggest and best of the Gods in the setting. Exactly one of them is a male, the man in the back, the Unconquered Sun. The guy in silver is Luna, who is gender fluid and specifically grants the ability to change ones sex to xer Exalts. The five in front are the Maidens, controllers of Fate, each with command over an aspect of it (Journeys, Serenity, Battles, Secrets, and Endings). The last is Gaia who is actually a being greater than a God and who actually has no concept of sex or gender as she is a being created before such things were established.

Most of the characters in Exalted are Bi or Pansexual. Homosexual relationships are rather common as well as they don’t produce children (and the primary society values only having children with one’s spouse).

There is a couple who get married in canon who are best friends. The husband is gay and the wife is a lesbian and they just spend their time being bros and sleeping with other people. At one point she gets kidnapped and he goes to rescue her by playing a crazy game of chess against a demon known as the Game Master because she’s his best friend and that really matters to him.

Women and Men hold the same positions very often as Creation does not tend to distinguish between the two. On top of that I’m fairly certain no one would think twice about trans or non-binary individuals as long as they can do their jobs.

Pregnant women have their armor modified so they can fight on the battlefield while with child.

There are demons that will make babies with the flesh of any two people in exchange for a small bit of extra flesh.

The two most prominent leaders of Creation have both been women.

I don’t understand why it feels like no one is playing this game!

Fun Fact?

When Marian’s brother was sent to the Heptagram to become a sorcerer she promised she would write to him often so that he didn’t feel like he had been abandoned. This had an additional benefit of giving her a chance to work on her penmanship.

She has treated him as something of a personal diary, keeping him filled in on her life. While she wouldn’t necessarily write every day, she would make an effort to write every other day; and if she couldn’t write anything about herself she would write about events and rumors in the news to keep him informed.

Unfortunately, after leaving the Blessed Isle she could no longer send letters out in the fear that she would give away her position (and perhaps some important secrets) to and dragonbloods looking for her. While she stopped sending them, Marian never stopped writing them.

For over five years she has written letters to her brother detailing her life and wondering about his own. She keeps them in a locked trunk in her home (along with other things she is hiding from the eyes of others).

Recently, the party has been on a journey South of Diamond City (the hub city we’re living in) and Marian thought better than to bring the massive trunk along with her. Despite this, she still has been writing letters.

The journey between Diamond City and Harborhead (the destination) took 34 days on foot with an additional several days (I didn’t count, I’m sorry) spent doing various quests and getting lost along the way. Assuming that a piece of parchment is the same weight as a piece of printer paper (approx 4.5 grams), that each letter consists of only a single page and that Marian wrote one letter for each of the 34 days of travel time only (as well as the letter written at the end of my last interaction with somewhere-in-the-dungeon) the overall weight of the current letters she is carrying with her is about 159 grams.

For those of you having trouble turning that number into a real world weight, that is a high end weight for a smartphone.

Of course, I haven’t bothered to try and figure out how much space these letters actually occupy and/or how she is carrying them with her; simply how much they weigh.

But it’s neat right?

EDIT: Ran some more calculations. Assuming Marian wrote a letter every single night for five years she has about 4.25 pounds of letters in the chest which is about a pound heavier than the average weight of a textbook.

Marian has a large textbook of letters in a secret stuff chest.

Thinking Aloud – Sherwood P. Forrest

Sometimes I think about how important Sherwood was to the party, because sometimes when you’re playing a character you don’t understand how they really affect the people around them.

Sherwood was there to greet everyone who is currently in the party with the exception of Danzig and Jin. Sherwood was a dumb, young, happy go lucky guy who reveled in his adventures, no matter the outcome (until people started dying). He trusted people almost implicitly and always sough to prove that people deserved a second chance (but just a second. You screw him over after that you’re done).

He enjoyed listening to Knott’s stories, and while they didn’t always get along they were quick to make up.

He was Ven’s best friend and helped him to really get over the loss of his family and move one to make up for the past.

He befriended every past life of Danzig and was always grateful, especially since all of Danzig’s past lives seemed to be there to save Sherwood when he needed it. He made a vow on his Exaltation that he would always repay Danzig’s newest incarnation.

He knew Eris before Matra got her exaltation, and he hated her. Eris wanted little to do with Sherwood, she claimed he was not part of the circle and that he didn’t really belong. Sherwood still tried to protect her and mourned her once she died. When Matra showed up he treated her with kindness and respect.

His foolhardy bravery often got him in trouble, but it gave everyone a cause to rally behind. Sherwood had excellent moral standing and always tried to push everyone in the right direction. Furthermore, he always put everyone before himself and when the going got tough he would have stood alone 100x over to save his friends.

Even though he slept around (trying to use sex as a way to find ‘the one’) he was always courteous to the women he slept with. He made sure they were comfortable and had breakfast ready for them in the morning.

He raised two kids as best as he could on his own and pushed them to try and be the best people they could be.

All Sherwood wanted was to be remembered as a hero. He wanted his life lessons of friendship and good deeds and greatness to be heard by everyone across Creation in the hopes that he would inspire others to stand up for what they believed in.

Sherwood lost practically everything and fought so that his friends and so many others wouldn’t have to go through the same pain and misery that he did.

Sherwood was just great.

And he sadly left some very big shoes for Marian to fill.

pretty-trolls:

It would most definitely make me feel alot better, Ms Kinder. Can’t have such a dear like you getting hurt at all now can we?

> Hold onto her arm, and let her lead, keeping very close to her side. Wow, you were about a head taller then her, and alot more built, but that wasn’t all that intimidating. Though, you knew that if some one bothered you two, that they would regret it…

Heh, I’ve been told I’m sort of lucky, seeing as I am in possessive of a Bunny-Lusus, so maybe my luck rubbed off onto you? Though, I think -I’m- the lucky one, in retrospect, running into such a Kind sounding and lovely woman like yourself.

> Flirt it up there Romeo, flirt it up like hella. You should totally stop that though, young man.

Oh I was out for a stroll earlier…some rather strange things occured. I was also texting my pale crush and my “Gilfrond” as she calls herself. My tyranian princess friend is a delight, even if she does speak like she’s from the ghetto.

> Chuckle and shake your head a bit.

> Wow, just, wow. He’s so smooth. You haven’t felt so flattered in sweeps!

> It was odd, normally the term kind was so negative. It made you feel weak and ridiculous; and yet the way he says it~

> The term ‘Gilfrond’ seems to demand your focus

Oh!Ohoh! Oh!

> Use your words

You know Seasia? She’s a friend of mine, she really likes that term.

> You smile but there’s a sense of dread. This is embarrassing; what if she finds out? She’s going to tease you! What if this guy talks to her about you? What if he says positive things?

WowSheMustHaveALotOfFronds…IMeanFriends!
She’sAVeryPopularTrollItSeems
Well,IMeanSheShouldBe,Right?
RoyaltyAndAll?
MyItMakesAlterniaSeemLikeSuchASmallPlace…….

> You’re nervous. You’ve started rambling. Oh dear…

Exalted characters as “now you see me ” magicians. Go!

somewhere-in-the-dungeon:

summoner-starlight:

somewhere-in-the-dungeon:

summoner-starlight:

Oh this is different.

Well what did now you see me have?

The Street Magician/Hardcore Con
Hypnotist
Professional Illusionist
Daredevil Up close magician
And the long con

Marian makes a decent Illusionist. She has the showmanship and the distraction ability. She also has the attitude and sense of misdirection.
Matra is the con. She pulls off a lot of stuff that no one seems to notice.
Knott is the Hypnotist if only because he keeps using that social charm where he can command people to follow him. He also carries some similar personality traits to the guy in the show.
Last we have the daredevil close up. This is harder. Marian kind of intersects here but for the sake of variety I would have to say Danzig. If anyone is going to pull a death-defying stunt it’s him.
The long con is the one you never expect. The one who has had things in the works forever….my money is on Jin

No if we’re looking the other way? With the movie cast as Exalts?

Well you would have four Night Caste’s and potentially an Eclipse. Their skill-sets vary if only slightly. Likewise you could have five Sidreals of secrets.

Contention: Authority Radiating Stance has worked exactly once, and got overridden before I got them to actually do anything. I suspect it’s not actually a charm per say, just Knott striking a particularly heroic pose and looking disappointed. Since it’s not Obvious, nobody even knows what he’s disappointed about.

So…do you not want to be the Hypnotist?
I mean it’s not like it’s my fault

Not saying it’s your fault. Just saying… Knott doesn’t really have a place here.

I mean, Fal doesn’t hate Wocky he’s just completely opposed to every one of her goals. Which can kinda look like hate, and I’m not sure how to distinguish the two. Hate in quotes seems perfectly appropriate. Me and you on the other hand…

Okay well being honest Marian doesn’t hate Marsilia either

Okay, we all hate Tentera because he’s a terrible person and dear lord don’t we all want to see him dead and gone and feel a huge burden lifted from us. Nobody wants him alive; all he has done is ruin our lives and make us feel awful. He’s actually a monstrosity.

On the other hand, while Fal is the opposition of Wocky’s goals and ambitions their whole dynamic plays off as a sort of game.

A good word for this is Rivalmance. It’s like romance but it’s based on being at odds with the other person. There’s a sense of opposition and one side certainly seeks to out do the other one or to stand as the winner in a competition of some form but in the end its about the dynamics of the two of them together. Risk is involved depending on the nature of the relationship but it’s likely neither side is really out to kill the other one.

Another good indication that there is a Rivalmance at hand as opposed to, say, actual enemies is the reaction to an involvement of a third party. If Marsilia and Marian get in a fight and someone intervenes on behalf of either side both are going to take an issue with this because this is part of their relationship. The exception here is if the intervening party is getting involved on behalf of both parties out of fear that they will end up hurting each other in a serious way(In Homestuck terms this is an Auspistice)*.

The relationship basically boils down to two people who find that the only thing they can agree on is that they are at odds and who grow from and enjoy the obstacles that the other person presents. Wocky might not agree with Fal and seeks occasionally to throw a little bit of chaos into his order, but she would never stand for someone hurting him (even in the name of her own beliefs). Marian might want to pay Marsilia back for the verbal and physical insults she was paid, but she would just as likely protect an injured Marsilia from the party.

Of course, there’s a fine line here. It can be hard to tell if a Rivalmancy has turned/has always been abusive (because like any relationship they certainly can). The best I can say is that if Tentera tried to use this as an excuse we would have a lot to argue against him.

Furthermore, it’s also incredibly possible for two people to flip back and forth between romantic and rivalmantic; it depends on the nature of the relationship. Marian and Discord’s relationship occasionally does this when Marian is overcome by Sherwood feels (and doesn’t outright lose control and try to murder Discord).

*Of course a Auspistice that’s unwanted could also instigate a negative response from both sides. Relationships are consensual and should never be forced.

To wrap this all up I will state the following:
Marian hates Marsilia.
Marian hates Tentera platonically. She doesn’t care about him at all.
Fal and Wocky have a flip flop relationship that always ends in the care and defense of the other.

You and I? We’re friends. I’m just a snotty brat and you’re a sarcastic loser. That’s got nothing to do with our relationship it’s just how we are as people.

Cityverse as animals. Unusually smart talking animals are allowed, predator/prey relationships could be futzed with but points may be lost.

Okay then we’ll start easy.

Marley is a White Winged Vampire Bat and Chris is a snake
Harmony is a tropical fish; likely one of those ones that eat parasites so other fish leave them alone mostly
Phineas is a lemon shark
Crash is an angler fish

Now things get tricky
Because if the animals are smart enough to talk what else can they do? What are they capable of? I’m going to go with a Lion King scenario here: it’s clear that predator prey relationships exist but that doesn’t stop a balance from forming or prevent odd relationships.

Marian is a Lioness. She’s proud and fierce and on top of the food chain. She still has to worry about Hyenas (who will fight a lion for their food), wily scavenger animals, and larger groups of prey but those risks are minimal if she’s careful.

Sherwood is a rabbit. He’s quick, breeds like crazy, and is fare more dangerous than many would give him credit for (ever watched rabbits kill snakes? It’s kind of terrifying).

Ashe, however, is a fox. This is one of those odd relationships and I feel in this AU Sherwood has to be careful around his closest friend. The benefits of having a predator for a friend has its benefits, however, and keeps Sherwood much safer than other rabbits.

Tabor is a cat. The only reason he doesn’t kill Sherwood is because he doesn’t feel like it; he’s a lazy kitty. He also likely couldn’t catch Sherwood.

Blake is a platypus. It’s a joke.

Hope Forged In Flame might be a Turtle. She’s not very fast and she’s got great defensive capabilities. I’m also pretty sure Turtles and Lemon Sharks aren’t natural enemies so that’s a plus.

Wocky’s a Peahen, I think. She’s beautiful, walks around without a care in the world, and can create a terrifying and large appearance to ward off enemies (or attract mates).

Fears is a mole

Fal is a Rhino. He’s large and imposing and quite honestly both has little to fear from predators (It’s not common for Lions and the like to try and take down a Rhino) and isn’t a terrible threat to other animals (they’re herbivores). However, an angry Rhino is very dangerous and many smaller animals should be careful of them for fear of being crushed.

Knott is some sort of dog. He’s very loyal to those he serves and seems to function better in groups.

Dulcie is a bearded dragon. They’re desert dwelling lizards who are often described as having similar personalities to dogs (including begging for treats). This makes Knott a predator to her but I don’t think they interact much.

Piperit is likely a Chimp. I think he knows he’s incredibly smart and just rolls his eyes at everyone.

That’s all I’ve got. Basically everything runs pretty smoothly. Sherwood is in the most danger (isn’t he always?) and Marian sits comfortably at the top of the food chain.