OOC: Brightest of the Fallen Stars

And so the ubiquitous OOC thread...

Those of you who know me can ignore this spiel. Well, the rest of you can ignore it too but I reserve the right to be mightily annoyed. :P Some of this is just repeated from other posts with some amendments.

The game is set in Airspur, capital of Akanul in 1479. Characters will be first level and native to Akanul; this way we don't have to worry about learning about other countries in any detail and can focus on this one together. Your families can of course have travelled here from elsewhere. All characters will have spent at least a year in Airspur; it can be tied in with your training for your chosen vocations.

All classes are permitted, including the latest additions and sneak previews in DDI. Genasi form 80% of the population, with half-orcs as the largest minority. This is just a guideline; you are more than welcome to choose any player race from the D&D books and DDI material.

Restrictions:

• No evil characters permitted. No obnoxious ones either; this can work around a table but not in a PbP game.

• Dragonborn are not recommended due to local animosity towards them but if you can persuade me, I'll consider it.

• There are no temples in Airspur. There are many cults (real or no) and temples trying to gain converts and some have had some (small) success. Feel free to make a divine-based character but be aware that many in the area will probably be unfamiliar with any deity. You are more than welcome to have a small devout community in your neighbourhood of course. Or not. Whatever rocks your boat. :P

I only decided to do this last night so as usual I'm making it up as I go along. Please feel free to post questions here and any ideas. The only free link I've found available so far on Akanul so far is this one. I'll be putting up posts to give you an idea of the background and geography of the region as well as waiting to see if the WotC site will be posting both the map and picture of Akanul.

There was an art contest and the chosen theme was Airspur: here is a link to a lot of great images. The first image detailed with many following pages is the illustrator for the DDI article this month.

EDIT: This second link gives ideas to the artists involved on Airspur. Here is also a description of the capital provided from that site:

None who have seen it can think of Airspur without envisioning its heights. Its sun-baked streets wind switchback paths down the bright cliffs, steep stairs cut nearly vertical ascents between buildings, suspension bridges arc between earthmotes high overhead, titanic pillars of stone rise from the sea to the level of the land above, and gleaming elemental spires hang with crystalline clarity all throughout.

Those fortunate enough to have visited also remember Airspur as a city of colors and lights. The yellow cliffs tower above an astonishingly blue part of the Sea of Fallen Stars. Cobalt and golden roofs set off pale sandstone structures with gaily painted doors and shutters. Genasi of different hues tattooed with glowing lines promenade in vivid fashions and glittering jewelry. Monolithic crystals, the elemental spires that drift in the air, refract the sun's light during the hot and lazy days and shed colored glows over vibrant nights of wine and dance.

I found a very early 2e download that includes Chessenta and Airspur here. It will give you an idea of the locals in the region if you're thinking of a Toril-descended character rather than an Abeiran.

So for the sake of party balance I'm wondering what people are thinking about PC wise at the moment?

Right now I'm leaning towards a Half-Orc monk.

I haven't decided yet. I was considering a tiefling warlock, but I'm still trying to decide whether to join. :)

Toying with the idea of human female wizard. I may even name her Getrude. :P (No, I'm joking)

Now on another note:
- Will the game be light hearted or serious?
- How open are the wizards in the world after the spellplague?
- How fantasy oriented you want the game to be? I.e if my wizard wants a cool drink can I fetch it to her table magically and have it magically cooled or that would attract a torch-bearing mob of fire genasi crying for blood?
I ask because what attracts me to wizard is the cantrips. :) Make life a lot easier.

I think Gertrude would be a VERY unusual name in Faerun. :P

To answer your questions:

- The mood depends on the circumstances. It's not a joke campaign a la Pratchett's Discworld novels, but there's certainly room for humor. Ask VAN and she can give you examples from our Ravenloft game. :)

- In Airspur and the rest of Akanul, wizards are welcome. They use teleportation devices among other means to travel within the city. Bear in mind that Chessenta, the next-door neighbour, forces arcane spellcasters to have their hands tattooed to reveal their shame; the crime for not doing so is death. Be careful about any plans to go east!

- As mentioned above, Airspur is very magic-friendly so liberal use of cantrips is permitted and encouraged in the game. Feel free to play around with stuff in your posts. Clean your clothes or dry yourself by a wave of your hand; light a cigar with the tip of your finger; have your goblet travel off the slow waiter's tray to your impatient hand - as long as you've paid for it, of course. ;)

- As an aside to those whose characters may be more physically-oriented, parkouring is apparently very popular as a way of travelling around the earth motes, spires, cliffs, etc. Feel free to amaze us in your posts with Matrix-style feats!

In the last two cases, I want you all to be able to enjoy characters who have chosen a way of life different from most people; please feel free to share their enthusiasm and pride in their new abilities. I'll just ask that you be aware that if you do anything that might break a law, you are not guaranteed immunity from the DM. :P

Cas, in case you are wondering, neither tieflings or warlocks are a problem in Airspur either. :D

Fine then, Brian the Tiefling Warlock it is then.

Exactly what I was planing to do. :)

Cool! Any other questions or ideas, please don't be shy. :D

Only PHB races, right? And we use stuff from Charcter builder too, right.

If it's in the Character Builder, you can use it - that has more races and classes than the PHBs, including those from the FR books and others.

We have one more player on the way but I'll let him introduce himself. :) I've got an ad over at the FR boards in WotC to see if I can snag one more. If not, there's one more place I'll try but four's still excellent! :D

I'll be posting a background history (hopefully today) on Akanul to give you all a little more indepth knowledge of the region. Those of you have DDI are free to check out the Airspur article but don't be surprised if I mess around with a few facts. :P

Oh, everyone gets the Akanul regional benefit as a freebie. If you're using the Character Builder, just make a note of its benefits and keep it in mind for those few occasions when you might need it. It gives you resist 2 cold, resist 2 fire and resist 2 fire; if you have existing resistance, this is stacked.

I keep forgetting I got 3 months of DDI subscription.. Got it just to download the Character builder, heh.

Then definitely check out the article and update the Character Builder! If you're still able to access old magasines on your subscription, download Dragon 367 in order to get the Ecology of the Genasi article; it will give you a good background on the natives.