Story development challenge (7/1 - 8)

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Story development challenge (7/1 - 8)

Postby Anomaly on July 1st, 2022, 4:25 pm

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Story Development Challenge


Greetings! While perusing several resources to help my own writing, I got inspired for the theme of this challenge, which I hope will give everyone an opportunity to really think about their pcs and what they intend for their future. This challenge will be different from my previous one because in order to register for this challenge, you will have to answer the six questions below before you start writing for the challenge. These questions are simple enough, and geared towards challenging your character to come up with an imaginative solution to the problem they face. The questions are as follows:

1. Who is it about?
2. What do they want?
3. Why can't they get it?
4. What do they do about it?
5. Why doesn't it work?
6. How does it end?

These are of course rather open ended questions meant to give you an opportunity to be as creative as you possibly. To give you an example of what one of these will look like all filled out, I offer the following:

1. Who is it about? Bob

2. What do they want? Bob wants to learn magic.

3. Why can’t they get it? Bob lives in Sunberth.

4. What do they do about it? Bob works at sneaking around and eavesdropping, hoping to catch a glimpse of something or a whisper that will lead him on the right path. In the process of sneaking around the city, he gets to know the layout rather well, learns which spots are better for getting information, and even picks up a bit of persuasion after having had to talk himself out of trouble several times after being caught spying.

5. Why doesn’t it work? It doesn’t work because Bob hasn’t realized how secretive a mage has to be in a city like Sunberth, and he is simply one man with a network of one. He also isn’t very good at processing intelligence yet, or staging things in such a way that might draw a mage out so he is hopelessly lost if he continues on with his same plan with no deviations.

6. How does it end? Through his spying, Bob learns of two distinct opportunities to change his path to one that might yield more results. One is to inquire about joining the Night Eyes in order gain access to their network. The other is chasing the rumor of a strange door that supposedly leads to another place called the Outpost. Through his intelligence gathering he has managed to pin down that this door can be found at the Overlook, and a few people have come back from that place with goods from all over the world. Bob hedges his bets that this will be the best way to encounter someone who knows magic and so seeks the Outpost out. Eventually while he is there he grows more comfortable about asking people about magic because of what he has generally observed in that place, and so finally he is pointed in the right direction which takes him back to question 3 all over again as he tries to convince a mage to actually teach him again.


* * * * *



An so, just like that I would like everyone to answer these questions about your own planned threads. It doesn’t have to be particularly detailed, but I should be able to get the gist of what you have in mind and be able to see clearly in your thread(s) about how you are going about touching on each of these points. Your idea could be as short or long as you like, and doesn’t have to be the long, drawn out saga that I have outlined above. Remember, the important thing is to have fun, and to challenge yourself to think in this context when constructing an outline for your character. Of course things change, as always happens when a plan meets action, and so don’t be afraid to make that change as needed. Our characters are all deeply personal to us, and so only you will know what feels right for their story.

Rewards for this challenge will be based off of a tier system, going in 2,500 word increments. There are also two additional bonus difficulties for those who want to do more than just what the base challenge entails. These bonus difficulties will have a separate reward associated with them that will be the same for everyone that completes the added challenge.

The first of these bonus challenges requires to you to dive into a bit of where your character is personally at for the plot you have outlined above. You need to fill in the following, and add it to your post in order to qualify for this part of the challenge.

Weaknesses:

Psychological needs:

Moral Needs:

Desires:

Values:



Here is an example of our friend Bob again:


Weaknesses - Insecure about becoming intimate with someone
- Aggressive
- Proud
- lack of compassion

Needs -
Psychological - Needs companionship
- Needs friends to help reassure him that he’s not becoming like his father.
Moral - Needs to learn compassion in order to get close with someone
- Needs to rein in his pride to get along with others.

Desires - Someone to share his life with

Values - Strength, intelligence, drive



Additionally, for those who really like to put their pcs through the wringer, I have a final bonus challenge to incorporate one of the following themes into what you have planned. Of course this is not necessary to succeed in the challenge itself, and is just a way to make this challenge more challenging. You can pick from the following themes, or you can come up with a theme that better suits your character. The only thing is you must include it in your sign up post to qualify. Without further adu, here are a handful of ideas to get you going on the themes front. Do remember that these themes should have a significant impact on the storyline, and your character arch.


1. Revenge
2. Tragedy
3. Hubris
4. Corruption
5. Survival
6. Circle of Life
7. Coming of age
8. Faith vs Doubt
9. Fate vs Free Will
10. Good Vs evil
11. Family
12. Identity
13. Justice
14. Loneliness
15. Man vs Nature
16. Man vs self
17. Man vs society
18. Pursuit of love
19. Sacraficial love
20. Redemtion

With all of that said, happy writing folks! I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up, and reading all of the threads that come out of this. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope many of you participate. This challenge will start today and end July 8th at 12 PM Eastern


Last edited by Anomaly on July 1st, 2022, 11:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Story development challenge (7/1 - 8)

Postby Farren on July 1st, 2022, 8:08 pm

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Farren here, reporting for the challenge :) I’m going to take on all three parts, and I look forward to having a lot of fun with it. The theme I am going for is Survival as she does everything in her power to get out of the trouble that has found her.


1. Who is it about? Farren
2. What do they want? She want to no longer be indebted to the Night Eyes.
3. Why can't they get it? Because she is unskilled and naive when it comes to dealing with hardened criminals.
4. What do they do about it? Farren tries to settle her debt by doing them a favor. To do this she has to learn how to set up a meeting which in turn leads her down a rabbit hole of figuring out where their territory is and then who she should approach about this meeting, but she has to be careful about who she asks because if she accidentally does it in a rival gangs territory it won’t end well for her.
5. Why doesn't it work? Because the Night Eyes are more secretive then most, she has an impossible time of figuring out how to get a meeting and because she is unskilled in investigation along with a number of other skills, she ends up coming away empty handed.
6. How does it end? Just when she’s resigned herself to this debt hanging over her head the Night Eyes kidnaps her for meddling, and takes her to a remote location to extract what she may or may not know. Farren is stuck with using everything she knows to survive the situation and if she manages to convince them that she really isn’t a threat, only then will she finally get her meeting.

Weaknesses: - Naive
- Unskilled/unknowledgeable
- Lonely
- Reserved
- Manipulative
- Insecure

Psychological needs: - Although she doesn’t know it, Farren is always sub consciously looking for a protector which is the reasons that she developed the skills that she did so that she could make these short lived protectors out of the people she comes across. However these relationships remain short lived and fractious at best because they always realize that she was just telling them what they wanted to hear and using them like a tool.

Moral Needs: - Farren needs someone to be her compass because she lacks to the confidence to hold to such an idea that she comes up with on her own. As such she is usually vacillating with the morality of those around her, saying whatever she thinks she needs to say in the moment, and doing what the situation requires. Deep down however she despises herself for this and wants something a bit more stable and of her own decision.

Desires: - Farren wants to be much more confident and capable than she is right now. She wants to be free of the influence of others and be her own person basically. She doesn’t like that she has been forced to do the things that she has done, but doesn’t really see a way around that right now.

Values: Confidence, integrity, surviving, comfort, and companionship



Thread tracker:

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Story development challenge (7/1 - 8)

Postby Cleon on July 2nd, 2022, 1:07 pm

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Checking in Cleon for this challenge.


1. Who is it about? Cleon and Askalynn
2. What do they want? Cleon wishes to know what’s in his magical journal
3. Why can't they get it? Because this journal is immensely stubborn and was animated by a paranoid mage that imprinted his personality onto the construct which in turn made the book more than a little bit prideful, and secretive in equal measure.
4. What do they do about it? When outright asking and bargaining doesn’t work, Cleon tries to get a little more creative and provoke the book into revealing its secrets, and then enlisting the help of others who might have a more deft hand at persuasion.
5. Why doesn't it work? Cleon underestimates the books fortitude and ability to keep secrets and enlisting a friend doesn’t exactly work out how he hoped it would because the book regards him as its rightful owner and wont listen to the requests of others.
6. How does it end? Although he fails at the task of getting the morphing book to reveal its secrets, he learns so much more than he bargained for in his pursuit to glean information from the book thanks to the assistance of Askalynn as they contrive to make a new plan together.

Weaknesses:
- Unskilled/unknowledgeable
- Struggles with guilt/past trauma
- Lacks self confidence


Psychological needs: - Cleon is at his core seeking validation from everyone he comes across, and craves their approval even though he doesn’t think he deserves it. Deep down he needs someone he can confide in and trust with his secrets.

Moral Needs: - Cleon needs someone just as morally ambiguous as himself if not more so in order to not feel like a sore thumb, and actually come to terms with his own flaws.

Desires: - Cleon wants a friend he can trust who won’t judge him for his secrets, and will accept him as he is completely faults and all. He desires this from someone he doesn’t hold on a pedestal because this is really the only way he can break the cycle.

Values: Family, love, emotional intuition, curiosity, and bravery

Theme: Identity

Thread Tracker: A gentle suggestion: 3,054

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Story development challenge (7/1 - 8)

Postby Askalynn on July 2nd, 2022, 5:37 pm

1. Who is it about?
It is about Askalynn Bowsahr and Cleon.

2. What do they want?
Askalynn Bowsahr wants to learn more about herself, her immediate surroundings. Moving from Riverfall to Syka is not a step — it is a whole leap for her. Cleon, on the other hand, wishes to know more about his magical book.

3. Why can't they get it?
Simply — it's no small feat. There's a lot of new information to take in, and learning about herself isn't exactly easy, either. She's very young and without much in terms of actual guidance, it is only natural for her to be struggling with this. As for Cleon — the book is sentient and very stubborn, and it won't give in.

4. What do they do about it?
Whatever she can! Seriously. She is young and full of energy, so she is bound to be trying things that are new, and also things that are old. By no means will this be easy, and a lot of obstacles are going to be in her path, but she plans on building up from this point on in her life. Cleon is trying to convince the book to open up (pun intended!)

5. Why doesn't it work?
Due to a lack of experience and firm guidance. It is much akin to traipsing around in the dark, completely blind. As for the book — it is simply a bit too much to handle.

6. How does it end?
With a newfound friendship and a broadened horizon about people and life in Syka. And, of course, a piqued curiosity in regards to the book.

Weaknesses:
  • Inexperienced!
    Askalynn has very little going for herself in terms of areas like Syka. It is, in essence, mostly-alien to her and it's going to take a bit more than a few sleepless nights to get to the pithy parts of the place.
  • Mischievous!
    Askalynn comes off as mischievous at times. That is because she is. She enjoys a little bit of mischief, which ties well into her fascination with Hypnotism.

Psychological needs:
  • The need for control and direction.
Although Askalynn isn't particularly a pushy individual, she needs a bit of oomph to her existence and she wants to know where she's going exactly, so she can steer the course back on track.


Moral needs:
  • Compassion.
Growing up in a society where her kind is heavily discriminated against and sought after for slavery, sympathy and compassion are never amiss.

Desires:
  • Tranquility.
    A sense of safety and belonging is one of her top priorities.
  • Social contact.
    Tying heavily into tranquility, it is an excellent stepping stone towards a sense of safety and belonging.

Values: Freedom, Connection.

Bonus: Identity

Words: 2991 (1005 + 948 + 1038)

Thread Tracker: A gentle suggestion
Last edited by Askalynn on July 8th, 2022, 4:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Story development challenge (7/1 - 8)

Postby Tazrae on July 3rd, 2022, 12:58 am

Challenge Accepted


I'm not sure I can do this due to my irl workload, but I'm going to give it a try. This fits into something I've been trying to do for/with my PC for a while now and is something on my to-do list in my plotnotes.

Challenge Part I


1. Who is it about?

Tazrae

2. What do they want?

Tazrae has never been good at weapons. She hasn't raised been as a warrior or mage, but since she's been picking up magic quickly enough even as an adult, she thinks she can perhaps do the same with a weapon. Having the love of magic and weapons combined in Vorilscense, Taz thinks she can make both happen and help her become the warrior she wants to be so she isn't dependent upon the swords of others to stay safe.

3. Why can't they get it?

Tazrae needs an Awakening to experience Vorilescence. She needs a Voril Weapon to do so. Without such a thing, she can study Voril Magic all she wants but she can't progress or use it without the weapon to awaken her.

4. What do they do about it?

Tazrae was gifted a very high quality Machete named Sweet Refrain. Rather than take possession of the weapon, she sent it to Tegan, a friend of hers who is a Voril Mage. She hopes Tegan will awaken the blade for her and transform it into a Voril Weapon by using it - such things are possible - and give it back to her when its ready. The second of Summer, via Mathias, Sweet Refrain was given back to her 'ready to go'.

5. Why doesn't it work?

Tazrae isn't very skilled in Machete. In order to be the kind of fighter the now-intelligent weapon would require, she has to improve her skill enough to make the weapon want to be hers and Awaken her. Mathias has assured her she has the bloodlines for it, namely from her father's side. She just doesn't have the faith - yet - that she can do it. Plus, she's been training in secret because everyone around her is better than she is at a weapon and she's utterly ashamed at her lack of skill. That's slowly changing, but will it be enough for Sweet Refrain to accept her? Only time (and thread work) will tell.

6. How does it end?

She trains... and trains... and trains hoping the blade will acknowledge her ability and their potential when united as warrior and weapon. She has to get herself to a place where she is comfortable enough with a machete in her hand to go through the ritual that will allow her to be the mage/warrior she wants to be.

Challenge Part II


Weaknesses:

While Taz is headstrong, opinionated, and stubborn. Once she makes up her mind about something, it's very difficult for her to change her opinion. She has a very hard time, often, seeing the other side of a situation or another's point of view in regards to something she feels passionately about.

Tazrae has a lack of self-worth and suffers from horrible jealousy. She's always striving to be perfect and falling far short of that. Tazrae makes it an art form of setting the proverbial bar high for herself. Then she internally beats herself up about failing to reach it. She doesn't see herself the way others see her because she keeps hearing voices in her head from her past telling her negative things. She is literally afraid all the time, not of the wilderness and the world, but of letting herself and other people down.

There's no way in her world that she will ever live up to the person she has decided she needs to be in order to be happy. And we all know how crazy that sounds. She expects her world to come crashing down at any minute, and in some ways looks for it to happen and sabotages her own life by spotting moments of weakness or lapses in judgment as sort of "I told you so" self-loathing. Then once those are identified, she lights into herself in a terrible fashion, not buoying herself up but tearing what little progress in self-love she's made back down to self-hate.


Psychological needs:

Tazrae needs to feel safe. She had an incident happen late last year that shook her world. When she was a prisoner and tortured, things got deeply ingrained in her mind that safety is an illusion. A weapon at her side that she can expert or masterfully handle will go a long way to her piece of mind.

She is incredibly lonely. However, last season has taught her to survive alone and to be content in that loneliness. She's turned to the wilds, the old ones, and to very old very dangerous creatures for companionship because she knows they've survived and persisted a long time and to her that is a comfort.

Moral Needs:

Tazrae, simply put, wants to be that person that people can turn to in order to feel the safety Taz herself craves. She's slowly becoming what she needs because others aren't providing that role in her life for whatever reason.

Desires:

I think that's been made clear by now that Taz craves safety. And the only way she feels she can be safe is to be surrounded by powerful people that can protect and defend Syka, herself, and whatever else is the underdog of the story. She wants to be one of those people because she's certain at the end of the day she's the only person that she can count on 100%.

Values:

Dependability, Reliability, and Stability. Those are things Taz counts as values right now.

Challenge Part II


12. Identity

Tazrae wants to be something she is not currently. She wants to change who she is in a positive way that makes her worthy of the Guardianship of Syka.

Threads Done During Challenge:



Total: 8,470
Last edited by Tazrae on July 8th, 2022, 5:00 am, edited 2 times in total.
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"A mark of an open mind is being more committed to your curiosity than your conviction.
The goal of learning is not to shield old views against new facts, but to revise old views with new facts.
Ideas are possibilities to explore, not certainties to defend."


Garden Beach Syka The Protea Inn

"Listen to the wind, it talks. Listen to the silence, it speaks. Listen to your heart, it knows."
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Story development challenge (7/1 - 8)

Postby Rhydian Lamoze on July 3rd, 2022, 2:25 am

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Challenge Part I


1. Who is it about? Rhydian Lamoze
2. What do they want? To escape the ever-encompassing loneliness that haunts him.
3. Why can't they get it? He is new to Syka and isn't sure how to go about making friends.
4. What do they do about it? They would attempt to spend some time getting to know the denizens of the settlement but had chosen to dedicate most of their time to getting to know the children at the Children's Pavilion.
5. Why doesn't it work? Rhydian hasn't realized that his mental development has surpassed a certain stage when it comes to these orphaned children. He is lumping his life experiences together with their own and this might come off wrong.
6. How does it end? The Eypharian goes out of his way to try and spend time with Michaela and the orphans so that he could further understand them as a whole and not just as their experiences. They are people and not a book.


Challenge Part II


Weaknesses: Social Ineptitude
  • Unsure of what the right thing to say or not say is when around others.
  • May come across as brash or blunt given that he doesn't like the lie to people.
  • Speaks to everyone the same and doesn't realize that not everyone can understand what it is that he is saying at times.

Psychological needs: Needs Companionship
  • Has spent the majority of his life with a single person that isn't around anymore.
  • Hasn't ever had to make friends outside of very brief connections that were required for survival.
  • Is overtaken by an immense sense of loneliness now that his mother figure is gone.

Moral Needs: Needs to experience more in life so that he can develop a sense of empathy

Desires: To build a family of his own in whatever way he can

Values: Adaptability, Emotional Intelligence, Family, Passion


Challenge Part III


14. Loneliness

Threads Done During Challenge:


Total: 8,286

Items Claimed: Herbmaster's Mason Jars, Camouflage Cloak, Traveler's Supply Kit, Twin Torques, Dreamglze Gems

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Last edited by Rhydian Lamoze on July 11th, 2022, 4:57 pm, edited 7 times in total.
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Story development challenge (7/1 - 8)

Postby Moritz Craven on July 6th, 2022, 11:39 pm

1. Who is it about? Moritz

2. What do they want? To gain his mothers respect, and find a place within the world.

3. Why can't they get it? His mother is cold and distant (literally and figuratively), and is obsessed with his becoming a spiritist. From Moritz perspective he is a disappointment and not a proper spiritist. He's also unsure what he wants. A home in Lhavit? To make a new place within Syka? To make his mother happy? Or to find his own way...

4. What do they do about it? So far Moritz has focused on his own interests, martial skills and coming to Syka, and not really spent much time focused on spiritism.

5. Why doesn't it work? Moritz is left feeling like he is failing his family and mother due to his lack of skills in ghosts and things, while also not really being that good at the new things he is trying.

6. How does it end? Trying to find some semblance of balance Moritz decides to focus a bit on his roots and his family, and work to improve his skills in spiritism.

B1-
Weaknesses:
-Stubborn- He can over-commit to tasks, refuse to give up, and butt heads at times.
-Homebody- Doesn't really like to go out of his comfort zone, try new places, or explore, he tends to tread the same path each day unless he has a need to go outside of it.
-Self focused- He has a tendency to focus on himself and only things that interest him. Names, faces, they don't really stick in his head well which makes this even worse, and unless someone makes a strong impression he's liable to forget their name the next time he sees them. Though its unclear if this is a memory issue/trouble with faces or a lack of caring.

Psychological needs: Needs approval, a sense of accomplishment, signs of getting better. He wants to be the best at something, to be a skilled person of value.

Moral Needs: Empathy- though he tries to work on it he just does not understand much of what other people are thinking most of the time, their needs, wants, and things, and finds much of what people do or think odd or mysterious.

Desires: He wants approval, comradeship, someone he considers a friend and that he can trust. That or a trusted teacher who can help guide him and show him things, perhaps due to the lacking father figure in his life.

Values: Kindness, forthrightness, honesty, fairness, hard work, strength.

B2- 11. Family

Threads:
1- Of Blood and Mist- 539+561+536+480+750=2,866
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Story development challenge (7/1 - 8)

Postby Naadiya on July 7th, 2022, 7:47 pm

Challenge Entry


I will try for Naadiya, last minute.

1. Who is it about?
Naadiya & Dawn Swiftwater

2. What do they want?
Naadiya wants to be financially stable enough to eventually off into business on her own.

3. Why can't they get it?
She doesn't have the skill level to get a raise and there are not enough customers in Syka for a competing cloth merchant.

4. What do they do about it?
Finds an alternate source of income, sneaks around the Swiftwater's financial records looking information or red flags, something to get a hand up.

5. Why doesn't it work?
The Swiftwater's are not involved in any shady dealings and have no "secret sauce"

6. How does it end?
Naadiya finds some information, but nothing too interesting or that she can act on. She signs up for the Ranger Reserves to increase her seasonal income slightly, though because of her skill levels not by much.

Weaknesses: Insecurities tied to her finances. A bit of a greedy nature. More curious that is good for her.

Psychological needs: Feeling like she has the upper hand in an interaction, even small ones. Has the need to feel free. This can show up as free of responsibility, worrying about money or wanting to be free of a superior in the workplace.

Moral Needs: Staying just within the bounds of what she considers 'right', but feeling no remorse for occasionally touching the line.

Desires: To raise her social status.

Values: Financial stability, security and luxury. Serenity and peace of mind. Being able to rely on herself for the things she wants. Ambition.


Additionally, for those who really like to put their pcs through the wringer, I have a final bonus challenge to incorporate one of the following themes into what you have planned. Of course this is not necessary to succeed in the challenge itself, and is just a way to make this challenge more challenging. You can pick from the following themes, or you can come up with a theme that better suits your character. The only thing is you must include it in your sign up post to qualify. Without further adu, here are a handful of ideas to get you going on the themes front. Do remember that these themes should have a significant impact on the storyline, and your character arch.

Looking to maybe use one or more of these:

3. Hubris
4. Corruption

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Story development challenge (7/1 - 8)

Postby Anomaly on July 8th, 2022, 4:00 pm

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Alright! That is it for the challenge folks, I hope you all had a great time. If you haven't totaled your word counts already, please do so. I will be posting the prizes as soon as they are ready. Thank you everyone who participated! <3
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Story development challenge (7/1 - 8)

Postby Anomaly on July 8th, 2022, 7:15 pm

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Thank you for all for participating!

First of all, fantastic job all who got involved with the challenge. I hope you a lot of fun with it, and most of all I hope it gave you all the opportunity to learn something about your character. To start, there will be two shared rewards at the end for everyone who completed all three of my requests which was all of you. As for the general word count rewards, you will each get a number of picks based on how many words you wrote with 2,500 qualifying as 1 pick.

3 - Tazrae
3 - Rhydian
1 - Naadiya (I have excluded the threads with interventions on them)
1 - Moritz
1- Askalynn
1- Cleon

The reward choices are as follows. Please note that whatever you pick you must find in thread during the current season or you will lose access to them all together:


- Philter of memory - This small vial holds a pale blue liquid that has enough in it for one use. There was a time when such philters were a common utility item among spies for the Suvan and Alheans alike, as this philter has the power to make someone completely forget something they might otherwise say under duress. All one has to do to use this philter is hold the memory they wish to forget in their mind, and then drink the contents of the vial. Note that this change is rather permanent, and it will require special circumstances in order to get that memory back. Back when this philter was more commonly used, there was an ‘antidote’ of sorts that one could take to get their memory back but the formula for this philter has long since been lost.

- Philter of love - This small vial holds a bright red liquid that has enough in it for one use. Crafted by an exceptionally talented philterer, this liquid once drunk imparts the abilities of a single marked Ranuri user that last roughly twenty four bells. Not much is known about the person who created this philter beyond the rumor that they were a matchmaker of sorts before the Valetarrian. Due to the potentially destructive nature of this philter, not many have survived to the present day making each one an extremely rare find.

- Silas’s journals of the mundane - Before he wrote the magical journals that he posthumously became famous for, Silas Wordsmith made his mark by writing on a wide variety of topics which made him popular with tradesmen and socialites alike. Surprisingly, these journals were accurate and detailed about the topics they covered which eventually lead to quite a few of them entering circulation at the time. Silas Wordsmith’s secret? He hired people to do most of the writing for him. Of course he did the grunt work for the first few books he put out, working out interviews and the like but he found that took too much time from his magical studies and born with a proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, he did what came naturally and let others do the dirty work while he took all the credit. He promised exposure, but in the end no one remembers any of the original authors of these tombs but there are quite a few of them floating about.

Unlike his magical journals, these books are much more personable, a minor magical gimmick he used to sell to the wealthy who wanted to indulge their curiosity of what the lower classes were up to with their tradeskills. These books have a limited mental capacity. They are able to greet, remember the names of the people they interact with, and make small talk but little more than that. They are also observant of common commands like shut up, which they will obey until asked to speak again. These journals only cover one skill, and they do so in a detailed, and organized manner that is very straight to the point. They do not cover any magical skills, and do not contain any pre-val lore. Some might find the reading in these journals rather dry unless of course they are interested in learning about the skill, of which they will likely find it very interesting. Please also note that when it comes to some of the more physical skills, like running or boxing, these journals were written like an interview while tradeskills like pottery or tanning lend themselves to being laid out more plainly.

- Alvaros’ Bird house: This small wooden birdhouse is a special construction meant for use by small kelvics of the avian variety. It is entirely made of wood, and features a small circular hole in the front that is large enough for a jungle crow to fit through. However once inside, the individual will find themselves in a much larger room (400 square feet) that has been furnished with a hearth, a small bed, a wooden chest, and a small table with two chairs. In front of the hearth is also a plush rug that covers much of the floor within. Adjoined to this is a much smaller side room that houses the bathroom facilities which include a small wash basin and wooden tub.

- Herbmaster’s Mason Jars - These special one of a kind glass jars which were specifically made by a wandering herbalist to grow small plants within them. No matter what kind of soil you put in these jars, it will always change to a dark colored mix that will continue to keep any plant they put in it alive so long as they continue to water it once per day. Plants grown within these jars generally require little upkeep, just plenty of sun and water to reach their full potential which they tend to reach a little quicker than their wild or garden grown counterparts.

- Camouflage cloak : This cloak is covered in foliage that matches a single environment that the user chooses (I.E. Jungle would be made of moss, vines and leaves). When worn in the environment it emulates, it grants a +5 to stealth rolls. Additionally it keeps the user warm and dry thanks to the magical treatment that has been given.

- Silent grapple - Appears as a simple grappling hook with twenty feet of black rope attached to it, the special properties of this grapple is that it doesn’t make a noise when used, and can stick onto almost any surface so long as the user says the appropriate command word “Catch”. This will work on any physical surface, even vertical unless that surface is magically shielded. To reel it back in, one must stay the command word “Release” in order for the grapple to get unstuck from whatever surface it has been fastened to.

- Traveler’s supply kit: A relatively ordinary looking wooden box with handles the end. It is around 1 1/2 feet wide and 2 feet long, and is made to house two compartments which the handles on either end open. On the left handle there is Syna’s symbol and on the right Leth’s. During the day, only the left side of the box is able to be open, and inside one can find basic medical supplies like bandages, ointments and small surgical tools that replenish once per day after a full night cycle. The left side of the box which only opens at night contains a wooden tankard, a small flask, and a wooden pipe. While holding the flask, and speaking either “Beer”, “Wine”, or “Whiskey” one will find the flask full of whichever they decided upon, and to miraculously contain more than such a small flask should contain but only if it is poured into the provided container. The pipe also comes each night pre-filled with Syliran Tobacco which replenishes every night after a full day cycle.



Now onto the shared rewards, which must be similarly found during the current season if you want to keep them. Because you have all completed the bonuses, you all get access to these joint rewards. Enjoy! :)


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*1st bonus objective: Twin torques - These metal torques always come in pairs, and are meant to be worn by close friends and/or lovers. When worn by a pair of individuals that share a close relationship with one another it enables the pair to know the direction the other one is from them, and roughly how far because the torque will get warmer the closer one gets, but only while they are concentrating on the other person. If one of the pair feels like they are in danger, it will alert their counter part, and give a brief idea of their direction without the partner having to concentrate on the other person however they will have to do so after if they wish to continue tracking them. These torques when worn for the first time will change aesthetically to fit the wearer’s taste, but only for the first time, after which the change is permanent.


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* 2nd bonus objective: Dreamglaze Gems - These beautiful bits of blown glass appear to capture bits of an otherworldly scene within them, and tend to glow at night if one has spent a good bit of time out in the sun. When worn on a necklace or bracelet they grant the user and increased clarity to meditation +5, and if worn at night while the wearer is sleeping, vivid dreams that the wearer will be able to remember for a few chimes after waking up in the morning. However there is an additionally property that can be unlocked for those with the time and patience to. Doing so however will take more than a little bit of experimentation as it will require looking into the gems depths while meditating until one can almost see the pattern moving, and then that night it must be worn while sleeping. What happens after that is that they will have a dream the likes of which they have never had before in which they will interact with those who have also unlocked the gem’s ability, and whom are also currently sleeping. This will function just like they had met them in person regardless of distance but the setting is always the same. A small study with a fireplace, and bookshelves lining every wall. If one had a fancy to, one could try to find a book to read off of this wall but only one, because if they try to take another they will awake from the dream instantly. (How this is going to work is if you want to find a book in this study, you must contact a storyteller first to determine its availability, and then roll for it in chat. For instance a mundane book of poetry would be a much lower roll than something exceptionally more rare like Kelvics of Kalea so contact your local storyteller to figure out what needs to be rolled.) One can achieve this effect once every thirty days, and can activate it by meditating on the gem again.
Last edited by Anomaly on July 9th, 2022, 8:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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