---Downtime---

[Anastasia]

I just like doing ---es before and after topics.

Anyway, you guys have made it back after a hellish jaunt in the desert to top off your recent, hectic adventures. After many trials, there's a long rest to finally look forward to. I'm thinking about 3 or 4 months, to mid spring and when the new Crimson Guard class is organized. This will give time for various world events to settle as well as giving the PCs long overdue vacation time. This will be a chance to do minor things and time consuming OOC affairs, like research or rest. What are your plans in this time? What is your character going to be doing in their free times? What priorities will they have, if they have any at all? Some to most of these will be handled OOC, though RP reliant things will still be done so for the next week or so of real time. Next Friday's session will cover the direct dissection and setting up of things over the downtime as far as your superiors will affect it.

Secondly, I'm going to use the library topic to summarize information you find. Without a doubt, you'll find the world is changing. Kingdoms and borders have shifted, wars have been won and lost, great players faced off and many died at the hands of the Crimson Guard. Magic continues to flourish about like an unstoppable torrent let loose after too long restrained. Priests call from the busy streets of great cities to dusty, quiet village squares, to even the reaches of the wilderness.  While I'll post relevant bits(And some that may not be, a GM can't get too predictable), I wholeheartedly encourage you guys to use the library yourselves. It's useful and I know some of you reference it a lot, but it's not my job to put every possible fragment of information there. If you want to keep something or think it might be important, USE IT. Ahem.

Once the downtime resolves, the initiative is going to be largely up to you guys. You've won the day - the Malmuthians are beat, Irenes was stopped, the devils are smashed and the direct assault is foiled. Right now, the world is your oyster. This isn't to say I'm going to be completely inactive, but you guys have cleared all the story arcs I've built up from the start of the game. The Crimson Guard is one of the most powerful forces in the known world and Balmuria is becoming a superb power base. What you do with that is up to you.

Aside: While some solo things are fine and good, please don't forget the other PCs exist. You guys have that tendency to sometimes go too far down that route. I'm not saying you have to be joined at the hip, but let's not turn this into me running three concurrent games and not one unified one.

The coming focuses of the tail will depend a lot on what you look into. While machinations still fly and you have enemies, much of what happens pends on what leads and angles you guys take.

[Ebiris]

Immediately upon returning to Balmuria, Alicia will hire Elle to cast two sending spells, one to Kagan Blackcloak, and one to Ezri Estu. Both will say the following: Message from Alicia Reynes, Mystra's servant in Balmuria. Devil named 'M' seeks your death. Beware Dogai, they hide in shadow and can teleport short distances.

It's 25 words, I counted. Let me know what Elle charges and I'll deduct it from my gold.

If anyone has any ideas of how to defuse the personalised soul eating artifact, Alicia is down for doing what's needed there, but otherwise has no immediate adventuring plans. She'll buy stuff which we can sort out in chat.

Once Spring rolls around, her preference is to clear the next level of the nearby ruins with the 2nd Resort, and deal with whatever problems are sure to pop up over the coming months.

[Anastasia]

Immediately upon returning to Balmuria, Alicia will hire Elle to cast two sending spells, one to Kagan Blackcloak, and one to Ezri Estu. Both will say the following: Message from Alicia Reynes, Mystra's servant in Balmuria. Devil named 'M' seeks your death. Beware Dogai, they hide in shadow and can teleport short distances.

It's 25 words, I counted. Let me know what Elle charges and I'll deduct it from my gold.

Okay. We'll cover that in RP over the week. It'll be brief.

If anyone has any ideas of how to defuse the personalised soul eating artifact, Alicia is down for doing what's needed there, but otherwise has no immediate adventuring plans. She'll buy stuff which we can sort out in chat.

Okay. That'll come up, since I've been wanting to introduce some stuff along those lines. I know Deme's interested in well about the diamond in it, since he needs that soon for Kensai.

Once Spring rolls around, her preference is to clear the next level of the nearby ruins with the 2nd Resort, and deal with whatever problems are sure to pop up over the coming months.

Right-o.

[Taishyr]

Deme's interests as of right now: trade/buy some diamond. Ease of use and practicality says he may as well grab it from the Orb, and no, Alicia, he doesn't have the creepout factor you do about it. It's the magic, not the materials, that act as the soulcatchers; the material's just... there. >_>

Other notes:

If we're doing anything directly in the desert or I'm presumed to be there during the week, check and see if there's a Temple of Helm, also follow any requests from Seira that are made/delivered via note. Deme's really not that interested in hunting the devils down so long as the town isn't in chaos right now.

Plans for downtime:

Visit the temple Uatu's under, work with them some. Work with the upcoming Crimson Guard members some more (my paladins-in-training). Talk and "talk" with Pollyanna. Possibly talk with Alicia or Seira, this can and will likely happen when we all have time on here. >_> Talk with Engan, work with the temple, do more as I think of it.

Aside: While some solo things are fine and good, please don't forget the other PCs exist. You guys have that tendency to sometimes go too far down that route. I'm not saying you have to be joined at the hip, but let's not turn this into me running three concurrent games and not one unified one.

For me, this is more a matter of "when in hell are we together online except when I pull the all-nighter?" >_> I've no problems with doing scenes with them, it's just a matter of, well, when.

[Corwin]

There's an elf with a dragon quest. I want to befriend that dragon after the timeskip.

Also, I'd be interested in actually teleporting over to these people after the Sending to check up on them. If devils want to kill them, I want to befriend them. Or meet them, at least.

I want to build a temple to Waukeen in Arad to start a chain! I also want to visit our own capital and see what's there.

[Taishyr]

Demedais would also like to see Our High Capital of Shadow And We Know Nothing, thinking on it.

[Corwin]

That was mentioned with you and/or Alicia in mind, yes.  :)

So was the dragon-befriending quest, or anything else I mentioned, but the capital especially because we wanted to go there last time and couldn't due to plot.

[Ebiris]

Alicia would be down for going with Seira to meet people who're on the devil's hitlist. I'd wanted to go to Kelara to dig up Beth's treasure, anyway (solely to give to charity, since I can't profit from her criminal activities), but considering it's probably a 2-teleport trip it'd be too expensive to go via scrolls.

The dragon quest sounds fun, and a trip to Selunaluna or whatever the capital's called wouldn't be objectionable.

[Anastasia]

Deme's interests as of right now: trade/buy some diamond. Ease of use and practicality says he may as well grab it from the Orb, and no, Alicia, he doesn't have the creepout factor you do about it. It's the magic, not the materials, that act as the soulcatchers; the material's just... there. >_>

Okay. That's between you and Alicia now, however that sorts out. If Alicia objects IC you guys can come to whatever agreement.

If we're doing anything directly in the desert or I'm presumed to be there during the week, check and see if there's a Temple of Helm, also follow any requests from Seira that are made/delivered via note. Deme's really not that interested in hunting the devils down so long as the town isn't in chaos right now.

No, there isn't. Seira and I chatted it over and she'll get back to that in due time. (Whenever after timeskip there.)

Plans for downtime:

Visit the temple Uatu's under, work with them some. Work with the upcoming Crimson Guard members some more (my paladins-in-training). Talk and "talk" with Pollyanna. Possibly 'talk' with Alicia or Seira, this can and will likely happen when we all have time on here. >_> Talk with Engan, work with the temple, do more as I think of it.

Cool. We'll sort that out.

[Anastasia]

*Reads the rest of the posts*

Good, good. Get your ducks in order and all that. We'll be spending a week with downtime stuff, so there's plenty of time for you guys to think up things you want to look into like that.

[Taishyr]

Oh, and actually doing the Kensai oath scene at some point.

[Ebiris]

Alicia and her trio of NPCs intend to visit Kelara after item upgrades have been done in order to look into the rebellion. This'll occur about two months into the downtime period to allow time for Anty's spear to be upgraded and Marie's longbow to be created.

Seira has already expressed an interest in coming along as well, and the invitation is extended to Demedais, too.

[Taishyr]

Demedais... you have Antenora, Marie Antionette or whatever her last name is, Seira and Alicia going... Donald and/or Jessica, too? In that case, pass. Enough people to ensure no one gets in too much trouble, I hope, and Deme will stay behind to give Oberuth some more time off, probably. Or try.

[Anastasia]

In that case, we'll do it sometime during the week. With no Deme, you and Seira can set into that whenever.

---

Do you guys have anything you'd like to work on Friday/Saturday, or just keep knocking off odds and ends and buildups?

[Corwin]

I want Donald to stay, but my new friend to come along if she's interested. If not, I'll pick an NPC or two and let you know in time.

Group session? Duh. Let's go visit the capital, minimal team, and just explore, make friends and see how things are there?