Pathfinder

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Monday, September 19, 2011

Neutrality and Neutrality

There's something wrong in the ether. I think we should be bolder. It isn't the neutrality of the state, because even that can bring as much satisfaction, roleplaying wise. If we played that like Swiss for instance, or even better, as some financial paradise where all the poor persecuted corrupted of other states come to.

It might be many more things besides that:

- Chaotic evil state of Demons. As Evan predicted.
- Enslaving Lawful Evil state that bows to say Nidal or Cheliax or both. Destroy the legacy of Evan.
- Taken over by pure paladins and clerics of lawful good divinities. Fighting all that is evil inside and outside.
- Surreal Dreamland. Desna and all that. Devoted to threading the tissue of dreams and make the barrier between dreams and reality thinner. (I like this one) Might accomodate priests of Luck, artists in general, and secretive people like spies and so on. All surrounded by mysts and veils.
- The Whispering State. Tyranny of Undeads! (I love this one) Or why not just 'state of undeads'. We've got a start already with the undead that ride in the south of the Greenbelt.
- Magocracy!
- Witches Kingdom. Where people is superstitious and we play hags!

In short, we should be less neutral.

I'm not saying that it's boring if we go on like this, but a little more direction might be fun if we work that out together... (read: it's getting a fucking neutral flavorless boring state if we don't put some new ideas in it).

The downside is that with a project like the ones on the list, we might just end up arguing over how it is done and who's to do what, since we seem to all have pretty clear ideas of what we want and so on. So that'd require a little flexibility.

Or we might even leave it like this and split it among the players, like, a confederation. 'The ministry of Economy comes from Secretive County just met the Baron, which like everyone knows comes from Noble County (read, unstoppable party freaks taldorians)'.
Of course that would require a Federal Constitution, which is per se interesting.
Tell me what you think.
It might have Six Counties.

Actually, this is probably the best option, because it'll leave enough room for new characters concepts. Another option is to be more loose, like with a city that does this and another that does that. Like Tatzelfort can accomodate the three wizs I made and become a sort of City of Mages in the long run, and so on.

31 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Are we not providing a very high level of quality of life to our people? It is constantly improved through low taxation, equal opportunities, and ideal values like togetherness, ingenuity, independence, neutrality, music, art, and knowledge?

    I mean, it sounds good enough to Quorra. She was abandoned when she was born and raised as a street urchin. Never had hounours or titles, never had much money, always endured raw deals. Good fortune came with her musical unparalleled ability and her astonishing beauty.

    Now we have the chance of improving the life of our people, trying to avoid war, pestilence, famine, tyranny, and slavery... as long as they decide not to knock at our door. Should the contrary happen, we have to be redy to stand up to it.

    What do good or evel, chaos or lawfulness, mean to good adminstration? Those that opposed us? We crushed them. Those that helped us? We rewarded them. New lands? We are exploring and claiming them. Should war strike? We are gettig prepared to face it.

    Why do you feel the need of putting a label on it? Don't you like the Six Rivers as a label?

    Plus, do you want magic? Use your caster's tower, form magic-users, show your worthiness! Give us a division of trained war-wizards! Do you want to do more? Be our guest!

    The only appealing prospect you wrote about was the parallel with Switzerland, which I find appropriate, fitting, suitable, or even necessary!

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  3. "Are we not providing a very high level of quality of life to our people? It is constantly improved through low taxation, equal opportunities, and ideal values like togetherness, ingenuity, independence, neutrality, music, art, and knowledge?" Yeah, it's time to provide them with horror and tyranny for a change! Or with some proud paladin crusader state that will kill freedom of thought and all those demon cult that have been flourishing! And, 'appropriate'? 'Suitable'? I don't want 'appropriate'! I don't want 'suitable'! I want awesome! Take suitable and stick it up Quorra's bum!

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  4. I want Awesome! Stop that politically correct and gimme Awesome! This moment! This moment!

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  5. I suggest Clovis immediately seizes all the powers and become First Tyrant of the Six Rivers, Clovis the Terrible. All that oppose his rule shall be executed, including our characters if they do so. And also if they don't, depending on Clovis whims. Other suggestion: Brewmaster Orric starts making an Ale so powerful that it makes everyone in the kingdom addicted to it. Then we can have bacchanalia every other day, and he may become MC, new title instead of Baron. Bacchanalia every other day.

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  6. This is 100% Luca... Love it! (if you were not there, we should invent you).

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  7. I've got no problem with a solid direction for the kingdom. But, keep in mind the things that are going on currently:

    1) A relatively proud tradition of stroytelling and music - due to Quorra's interest in the both and the development of an academy whose main focus is the production of the above mentioned.

    2) A brand new nation with a radical racial demographic (that keeps becoming more radical!) Migration of other monstrous races is well underway. In part inspired by the melange of human/demihuman/and kobold citizens and in part due to the relative liberty of religion (a nation where the two main religions are diametrically opposed in alignments has lots of space to fill in between), all sorts of interesting characters and species are making their way to Six Rivers.

    So there is some culture already to build on...

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  8. But, if you want a magocracy, you've got the elements needed to install such a government. Nobody said you have to keep the council as is. You've already got an alchemist, a magus, and a conjurer in major government positions...

    There's plenty of NPCs out there that could potentially be persuaded to join up. The magic-users you know:

    Tiressia
    The Old Beldame
    Bokken
    Melianse (the Nixie)

    What's more, I'm sure Quorra could find some nefarious use for a magic class. Bam! Everybody's a wizard!

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  9. Maybe Leonidas needs to make contact with some kind of outsider - already the fabric between planes is thinning in the area... Bring in some kind of sentient fire elemental to be king!

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  10. Or go find the undead rumored to be in the Kamelands and invite (it) to become part of the council!

    Diversity = Strength!!!

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  11. I'm sure a quick census of the population will reveal more magic-users and other bizarrities amongst the region.

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  12. Evan was going to invite the Undead to the council, as you already knew he had prepared unholy water as gift etc.

    Yes, I like the idea of diversity is strength, it was Evan's idea too. I don't think we need a describer - like other nations on Golarion (think, well, any given entry in the Player's Guide: 'Druma, Merchant Religious Paradise' or 'Galt, Eternal Revolution' etc.)
    because the subtitle both makes it more defined and less open to change. But at the same time the title makes it less nondescript, but it should be more something we are more than something we claim to be.

    No I don't really want a Magocracy, it was just one of the ideas. And then I'd intend that to be run exclusively by Wizs, so it would be too strict on what char should be your next if you want to get into the counsel. It's non applicable.


    Let's say that what I was saying is that, for the moment, we're still too nondescript, and we need to increase the number of specific traits we have.

    For instance we could be the Country of the Arts, but then we should be kind of very focused on that, with two or three Academies etc.

    Or maybe have more than one thing we're known for.

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  13. There are many Buts in my last post

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  14. Too bad Evan didn't make it to the fated meeting with the undead...

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  15. How about the haven for all creatures. You'd certainly need some kind of policing tactic, (like big muscles, or lots and lots of super-loyal kobolds) to manage all the powerful monsters that will make their way to Six Rivers.

    What about "Haven" as a the name of the Kingdom?

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  16. Well he can still go there on an embassy. He might even do that before the characters go. So that the undead know we're coming and can prepare an ambush to kill us all, and take the reins of the state and rule by fear mwahahahaha ^^

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  17. I think that we should make clear what the Six Rivers' constitution says.

    As there are plenty of cults, races and alignments, we should come up with some basic articles stating what is forbidden and what is not.

    For example we should write something about freedom of religion and something else pretty convincing against racial hatred.

    I agree with Leonidas when it comes to clear strong leadership. Clovis I is the Baron and under his command we should start enforcing some measures that help keeping the Six Rivers on the right track. BEFORE some races, cults and indivisuals could start behaving in extreme ways, thus creating dangerous precedent to which others could refer and claim something.

    There is probably one condition: we should all agree on every article.

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  18. I think Evan's speech (http://makemeaking.blogspot.com/2011/09/when-courting-disaster-why-not-going.html) is a great first reference. Look at the "rules" section.

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  19. Yes that's on account of Evan's 20 Wisdom, but should we stick to that? Isn't it more adventurous to have some turmoil of our own?
    To have a place on Golarion, a country has to have an interesting (in that 'chinese curse' acception) story, rather than being a happy country.
    Racial hatred I really don't care about. We should think some other unique hardship, or quirk, that leads to struggle, and that possibly lead to destruction and legend. Maybe some unthinkable magic experiment gone wrong. Or maybe some super-success that distinguesh us.

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  20. (read: distinguishes. Makes us stand out). We're too well behaved to be creative.

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  21. Maybe 6 like the rivers has to be significant. Like, the country of the six jewels. In fact, everything could be interepreted like Art, thus making us famous for that. Art of music, art of brewery, art of magic and so on. I don't think there already is a country that specifically defines itself as patron of the arts.

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  22. Dueling also. But I don't know really.

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  23. Pitax. One of the Nations of the River Kingdoms, is ruled by a famous bard and is relatively famous for its art and music.

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  24. Yes I see. It's not a kingdom though. Well neither are we, but one day we'll be one, maybe.
    So maybe we should think of something else.

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  25. It is, in fact, a kingdom. And yes, for lack of more applicable government jargon, you are as well.

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  26. Could create some tension. That's for sure.

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  27. I'm just trying to say that we should be more audacious on concepts.

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  28. Like violent expansion into neighboring areas! With a monster-centered army! The Stolen Lands strikes back!!!

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  29. Three mages just come to newly founded kingdom of the Six Rivers have been spotted working on an unidentified object

    http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/e/ee/DeathStar2.jpg

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  30. Seriously, mages should do everything. Like become the new executioner. Death sentence becomes: explosion by fireball.

    Followed by the Undeath Sentence: to labor forever as a reanimated skeleton.

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