Journey Into the North Discussion Thread (Old 4T thread)

I disagree.

Instead of splitting the groups down the middle, I think it would be better if they were slightly skewed: if we have a team that's going to be running a lot and having to hide in shadows to avoid being seen, Seraph is no the man to do it.

I think the teams should be distributed like this: (from Seraph's point of view)

Goose Chase: Valin, Tan'Quin, Alden, Sirloaz

--Valin: elf, naturally quick and at home in the forest. Only person Seraph truly trusts to lead at he moment.
--Sirloaz: this should be obvious. No one knows the wilderness better than a ranger...
--Tan'Quin: ...except a druid.
--Alden: Aerial scout, and a quick distraction or getaway if needed.

Smaller team = less likelihood of discovery


Mountain Men (and woman): Cyrus, Ursa, Henry, Finn, Adrian, Seraph.

--Cyrus: Dwarf. At home underground, can fit more comfortably in smaller caverns. Powerful warrior.
--Ursa: powerful warrior, doesn't fit in with the Goose Chase
--Henry: Scout. Good with a bow, wants to be with Cyrus.
--Finn: Mountain guide--no one's better qualified. Wants to be with Cyrus and Finn.
--Adrian: Wounded, needs extra protection.
--Seraph: Big guy, not particularly fast--AGILE, but not fast. He's no sprinter. Powerful fighter.

--Larger group is a more powerful force, which makes sense since they will be doing the fighting in the caves.


Whatever works.

Agreed. That sounds about right.

Much better!

And the goose chase group goes through the forest?

That's right. The goose chase goes through the forest, away from the mountains. The main thrust is through the forest into the mountains. The goose chase is the first attack. Maybe thirty minutes later the main body attacks.

Sounds all cool to me.

I'd like to make the first post in Sedgeley for Finn's group, if that's all right--just to set the tone and all. I've also written up a brief summary of the Sedgeley I had in mind for the members of the smaller party.

Sedgeley – a small village in the Blackwode mountains, with a core population of no more than one hundred forty. Two inns, a pub, a forge, a mercantile, and a temple, as well as one military outpost that usually only houses about ten soldiers, most of whom have been sent there because they aren’t fit for duty anywhere else, either due to physical or character defects. At the mouth of the Ramsden pass, which is shorter than most of the others in the vicinity but also more treacherous; this pass heads west then veers north-northeast around the summit of Harun, one of the highest mountains in the range.

The village itself has one main road, along which lie all of the above establishments except the outpost, which sits outside the main walls (which are wooden). The owners of the inns are Master Gairbith and Master Kelleher; Gairbith’s has four rooms and Kelleher’s three. Chances are a few rooms would already be filled.

Snoink, as Alden's already been to Sedgeley, there may be somewhere comfortable for him to stay, but he and Ursa are both welcome to board at Finn's family's farm (as long as their few cows and horses are all accounted for in the end ).

Any complaints/suggestions/questions?

Your description of Sedgeley will end up in my summary. Very nicely written and described.

Snoink and I had a discussion, here's what we're thinking.

First, the combat plan as outlined now is completely impractical. To draw out all the goblins, you would need to create the appearance of a large force. Not to under value Valin and company, but after a while, they'll realize that they're only chasing a few people.

If Valin had 20 men with him, they might attract a larger force, but four people won't justify 100 goblins. It's flattery for them to attract 50. That as much as I can justify.

I've included the presence of a priest, he's a divine mage. Where arcane magic has been utterly screwed over, divine magic is made of stronger stuff, so it's pretty much intact.

This introduces the priesthood as the main opposition.

On the outside, goblins are pretty darn vulnerable. Inside caves and mountains, they are in their element. Dwarves would be as well, but Cyrus is one dwarf, and there are about 40 foes inside, all of them in concealed positions, waiting to ambush the group.

In the close quarters of the mountain, the group wouldn't stand a chance. They'd either get seperated and taken out one by one, or they'd be pinned down in a narrow corridor and killed.

So, the situation Seraph's group is walking into is a bad one. This isn't bad for the story though.

If the group were to win every single battle, this storybook would quickly die from a lack of external conflict. By having the group lose, it would increase the external conflict. Will they survive? What happens next? Will Valin's group rescue them? How?

All sorts of nifty conflict!

So, here's what can happen. The group can take Ursa's approach (back stab) or they can be captured.

Personally, I like the idea of them being captured. It would crush the perception that the group is invincible. It is also the more likely option, since Seraph doesn't seem like the kind of guy to back stab people.

Having an inferior force defeat a superior and entrenched force is unrealistic and the possibilities for story and character growth resulting from a defeat of the group are very great.

I mean, Seraph hasn't been wrong ever, this would be the first time that something bad happened to him for doing the right thing. Adrian would feel angry at his helplessness, as would Cyrus, and Finn.

Henry might be able to escape, but there is precious little he can do but return back to the cage.

Bread and water until they tell the Priest who they are, why they're here, and what they seek. Of which the group will tell them nothing.

The outside group can have conflict as well. Do they stick to the plan of meeting at Sedgeley, or do they go back to rescue their friends? How do they rescue their friends?

Who knows? They might find someone that can help them.

All I know is that if they don't lose now, they'll lose later, when the stakes are even higher.

The only problem I see is, the outside group isn't going to just try and lead them off course--my plan is to lead a bunch of small raids to draw enough away, and that would lead to/be more realistic numbers on each side to eliminate.

I'm actually rather tired of having Seraph be played as a fool. He's not dumb, and he's not so arrogant hat he is blind.

He's a tactician as well as a warrior. He knows what he's doing.

W/E. Maybe he had some bad meat.

Due to a conflict in the group, I've decided that my next post in the story will be my last one. I'll wrap up Seraph's character so you don't have any spare baggage laying around.

Dono, I really want Seraph to stay around. I didn't mean to protray Seraph in a bad light; however, he can't be right all the time, can he? And the way you've used his dialogue in previos encounters suggest he has a hell of a lot of confidence in himself, and considering Henry pretty much hates anybody who is a leader and believes in themselves, I let Henry intepret Seraph as arrogant.

This is not to see Seraph is an arrogant fool. It is just want Henry thinks he is. Henry judges people pretty quickly, and since Seraph has taken it upon himself to lead the group, Henry doesn't like him instantly.

I really want you to stay. You're a great RPer. If you have a problem with one of my posts concerning your character, just tell me and I'll edit it straight away. if you think I'm protraying your character badly, just say. That goes for anyone.

Pleasae stay Dono, we need ya.

Concerning Grif's idea: I don't think we should invent a storyline before we get to it -- yes, it would make sense if we captured, etc. but we shouldn't plan too far ahead. Give some credit to the people who are RPing: good RPs develop as they go along. On the spot stuff is usually the best.

However, saying that, let's say the Goblins have an ambush planned. Henry and Finn are currently going to scout out the encampment. This might trigger the ambush prematurely. Let's say Henry and Finn fight bravely, but are captured. When the two don't return, the rest of the group have to save them somehow. That adds some conflicts without making it impossible to escape.

EDIT: Posted about the ambush. Considering Grif's introduction of the Priest, I'm assuming his orders were to try and capture the group of adventurers for his own malicious reasons. The rest of the group will now have to wait a while before realising Henry and Finn aren't coming back. Without the ambush of the Goblins removed, they'll have an easier time attacking the camp, and Seraph will have to think of a darn good plan to save the pair.

First of all: *clings to Dono* Don't go! Seraph's a great character; Finn's becoming quite dependent on his presence, whether she consciously accepts that idea or not.

Secondly, I agree with Jack:

This might trigger the ambush prematurely. Let's say Henry and Finn fight bravely, but are captured. When the two don't return, the rest of the group have to save them somehow. That adds some conflicts without making it impossible to escape.

I think it's a great idea!