The Legion Immortalis (The Bulwark of Heaven)- OOC Thread

[Faidth]

@John: I did, but I will defer to you if you have something else in mind.

My plan (if you didn't come up with anything else) was this: Should you show the book to Dethys, he immediately becomes suspicious of it. Soon after, he asks to see the book and you watch him pass an enchantment over it. He reveals to you that the book is really a phylactery for his old apprentice, Cardack. Cardack was always one to avoid conflicts, and did not desire to side with the Ageless or the Forsaken, so he basically went off on his own. Unfortunately, the Forsaken caught up with him and he was killed. In a very unusual circumstance, in his final FINAL moments he was able to bind his soul to the book.

[Faidth]

Okay. There are a few things I should mention. Faran has already told me that he has no desire to join The Bulwark of Heaven, as he does not feel that it fits with his character. Please bear in mind, that this arc is called The Bulwark of Heaven for a reason. When you visit with Fury, she is going to offer to take you on as a junior member of The Bulwark of Heaven.

Should you decline, you will still be allowed to participate in this story, however, because you are willingly limiting your interactions with the Bulwark, you will miss out on a considerable portion of the story, and the benefits that the Bulwark provides. Here is basically what it amounts to.

Joining the Bulwark
Pro
- Benefits provided by The Naming Ceremony (Archon's Blessing)
- Special training by powerful NPCs
- Increased interaction with Ageless NPCs
- Given very important missions.
- Access to Ageless secrets.
- Interact with allies (Chosen of Alviss, Valkyries, Groups of Humans, etc.)

Con (at least for some characters)
- You will occasionally be summoned back to Avalon (though not frequently)
- If you have a problem with authority, The Bulwark is not for you. You will get your missions from Elder Ageless. Thus, if your character is against cooperating with such characters, you will not fit in with The Bulwark's cooperative, "for the greater good" mentality.


Do Not Join the Bulwark
Pro
- More freedom and mobility. You will not get missions from the Bulwark, thus I will have to come up with something else for you.
- Pursue more subplots?
- Though you will not work for the Bulwark, they will appoint you an emissary to aid you in your quests.

Con
- The Bulwark does not trust you as much. Thus, when you receive your directions, they will be for more mundane tasks. Though they will still be related to the primary story, they will not be nearly as groundbreaking in plot developments as the Bulwark storyline (though these tasks will be considerably 'safer.')
- No benefits from The Naming Ceremony.
- You will still have access to training from the NPCs, but may not receive some of the Paragon Level training from Fury, Dethys, or the Archon.
- No access to Bulwark or Council Meetings (important plot points.)


Final Note

Please pursue the course of action that you feel best fits your character. However, be advised that your decision may cause this particular story to be significantly shorter. To put this into perspective, if you were recruited by a branch of armed services, and you declined their offer, they would not give you their top-secret weapons. Thus would be the same for The Bulwark. If you decline their offer, they will not provide you with all the benefits that they can.  I would definitely run another Legion Immortalis BB for you, but it would not be related to The Bulwark of Heaven and would have to focus on Independent Ageless Factions. Though there are only a few of these, they do exist. In addition, should you feel it appropriate for your character to join the Bulwark and leave their services at a later date, this would be acceptable.

[john greymore]

Oh cool, continue with the plan! It fits perfectly with what was posted. Except well, it might make it seem as if Cardack's cocky, although I could explain it away as it being mixed with Fenwick's darker side of his personality.

Will post later, school.

[Faidth]

Will do!   I kind of pictured Cardack as being a bit full of himself anyway, so the cocky personality fits perfectly. Let me know if there is anything particular you would like me to include for that part of the story.

[Faidth]

Go ahead and post your responses to my last post, then we will continue with the individual sessions. Fury will basically speak with you alone in her office and further discuss the Bulwark with you. After she has done so, you will have the chance to respond, then I will move on to the next person. While you are waiting in the hall with Dethys, you may discuss with him whatever you wish, as this will be happening simultaneously.

In addition, I did some MAJOR updates on the NPC thread in Battle Related Topics. Information for the following possible love interests have also been added: Captain Adia Blood, Gladia Archer, Adaline Muse, and Callidora Serenity.

[john greymore]

Was at a party yesterday so I couldn't post. Oh well, I'll talk to Dethys next time.

[Faidth]

Np. I'll post to further the plot again tomorrow. After that post, you'll have the opportunity to pursue your interests within Avalon. If you're stumped as what to do in the two weeks or so of "downtime" Fury is giving you, you might want to consider these.

1.) Visit/Discourse with various NPCs to reveal additional information on the plot, setting, their backgrounds, etc.
2.) Talk to Dethys about your lodging arrangements. What do you want it to look like? Where in Avalon would you like for it to be?
3.) Establish Ally/Romance relationships to increase benefits in skills, attributes, spells, or other abilities.
4.) Do some research in the library to follow up on personal interests (perfect for intelligence or wisdom stats)
5.) Spar with various NPCs or watch as a certain falcon engages in a flight of fleetness with an arch-nemesis!
6.) Visit the armory of The Bulwark of Heaven
7.) Investigate the other branches involved with the Bulwark.

Of course you don't necessarily need to pursue any of the things listed above, but if you are pressed on what your character might be doing during this time of "acclimation," these might be a good place to start.

[Faidth]

Okay, give me the FIRST thing that you would like to do. You'll get to do at least three things on your own, but tell me which one you want to get done first. First reply, first served.

[Kitharsis]

Sembas would have much rather preferred a bath, but Faile simply cannot stand to allow a direct challenge linger. 

I won't be posting again until tomorrow and probably late.  So no rush.

[john greymore]

Mm, in case my post isn't clear, what Fenwick wants to do is....

1. Talk to Dethys
2. Visit the library (Maybe see the engagement of falcons.)
3. Visit Cleo

That's essentially it. If there's time I'll get him to do research on the other branches. As a merchant, he would take comfort in knowing the route that the team would take.

Speaking of which, is Faran joining us? Although I was looking forward to the split and seeing how both campaigns would meet up.

[Faidth]

Sounds good! It seems that Faran will be working with the Bulwark, but will not actively be a MEMBER of the Bulwark. At some point after the introduction quests complete, I am going to likely have him be able to follow a few of his own pursuits.

[Faidth]

@Faran: I believe Faran is a little confused on what the purpose of the Bulwark actually is. It seems that he assumes the Ageless just hang out in Avalon until they go to the front lines to battle the Forsaken. This is not the case at all. The majority of the Bulwark actually work in small teams within the human realm. They protect towns from the influence of the Adversary, and the threats of the Forsaken. They also work with various human organizations to further these measures.

If it is your intention for Faran to misunderstand this, then that is perfectly okay, but I just wanted to make sure you were aware of that out of character.

[Faran Beshral]

Eh, well Faran certainly doesn't know that yet. There's no way he could. It hasn't been mentioned, not to him leastways.

[john greymore]

Love your posts Faran, always makes me chuckle

Regarding Fenwick's spell cast, the spell had not seen much use at all (Character creation sheet, spell 2), So it's very very short.

By the way Faidth, how are the characters going to get better? I mean, new spell grants yes, but I hadn't thought of improving those spells that he has. I assumed it was going to be through journey. Any other ways though?

[Faidth]

Yes, there are other ways to improve spells or get new ones through things other than journeying. Interactions with certain NPCs (romance or ally standings,) finding more about them in Ageless lore (basically, you tell me which spell you would like to upgrade, I'll tell you if its possible to do so through the Ageless library.) For example, when Fenwick is in the library, you might indicate in your post that he uses his Intelligence- Knowledge skill to uncover some mystical enhancement for X spell.

[john greymore]

Oh, righto, so it's essentially the same as getting a new spell then

And I rejoice!!! Hey Kogthar!!!!

[Faidth]

@John: So, your book is really a dead apprentice mage who apparently had a romantic relationship with Hestia Hearth. You are having quite a day, Fenwick Hux!

[john greymore]

It's cool how neither of them realised it was enchanted and can't be burned. Hah, since I can't sleep, I'll be posting again soon

Edit: posted!

[Faidth]

@John: Because of your research in the library, you will receive an additional spell to ensure the protection of your book. I will let you write up the specs for it but basically it: 1) Protects the book from projectile weapons (but not melee weapons), 2) Grants the book spell immunities, 3) Makes the book completely invisible to everyone (unless you specifically choose to show it to them.) Please be sure to add this to your character thread in character creation. Once this spell is cast, it is permanent, so you don't have to worry about re-casting it.

[Faran Beshral]

@John: Thanks for the love!