Random DM nagging.

[Ebiris]

I think we got these ones...

Ysgardian Warriors
Graceful Blow
Refugee Warriors
Tortles

[Corwin]

So what's up with Balyss, since you provided the opening?  :)

I think Eb's right. Not sure if the thing with the giants where I got a feast and recruited more of them was part of an event or not.

[Anastasia]

Yes, what is up with those fucking pixies?

What precisely do you mean? Elaborate.

[Corwin]

And now that I think about it, we could take the key out of the Aurora without impeding it in any way?

What about our somewhat backburner plans of making a golem body for Elena? Would it have worked? Was it possible to make one that lets her leave Aurora for a while?

[Ebiris]

I mean how come we never got their morale up when they'd been with us for ages.. and actually I think they were at 100% briefly at some point too and still never triggered an event.

[Anastasia]

So what's up with Balyss, since you provided the opening?  :)

It's a secret!

There's an answer but it's largely a tease. If you really want to know...

Spoiler: ShowHide

I wanted Balyss to be taken but without any baggage. She's an interesting character, but one of her premises about her appearance was to focus on being the official voice of Selune on Aurora. It's meant to keep her out of those matters and more focused on her official duty. She ran herself down working that angle as it is.

[Anastasia]

And now that I think about it, we could take the key out of the Aurora without impeding it in any way?

Under the right circumstances. It would have taken investigating how Aurora was made in detail and working on Aurora at a deeper level. Dweomerheart had some hooks there, but it never happened.

What about our somewhat backburner plans of making a golem body for Elena? Would it have worked? Was it possible to make one that lets her leave Aurora for a while?

Could've worked. The design for extended travel was hidden within Elena, but it wasn't activated.

[Anastasia]

I think we got these ones...

Ysgardian Warriors
Graceful Blow
Refugee Warriors
Tortles

Let's see...

Pixies - weren't temperamental on purpose, they just grew slowly and had a few setbacks. Afina netted a few of the rewards, such as status as a Baroness. I hadn't decided on a big reward, but I figured having Afina and Crystal as generals was enough to trigger it. It didn't have a chance to happen before game end.
Air elementals - A blade of wind. Think Invisible Air or whatever from Fate/Stay night. Deals force damage.
Dire wolves: General HD/power increase. No real way to do much else. Would make them a bit more useful.
Celestial forces from CoS: Granting the half-celestial template to one good aligned creature. Crystal would have been a nominee for this, though it would be your choice.
Elemental forces from the cauldron: Special armor made of Cauldron Iron and other mateirals, granting energy resistance 30 and a high AC.
Catfolk: +2 dex item, permanent increase.
Fire oozes: HD increase. They're mindless oozes.
Vul'lath's gith: Research that can bestow a special template on one creature. It's the Alabaster Perfection template from Balmuria 1.
Sylican forces: Opens up a bonus dungeon in Sylica. Has some nice equipment and a few bonus events to see, capping in a bonus boss fight against a familiar face.
Priest's healers: A benediction that gives one creature damage reduction 15/evil.
Knights of the Wise Convent: None. They already gave you the PrC.
Shinear's elementals: +20 movement speed bonus to one person.

More later, getting nabbed.

[Anastasia]

Continued.

Confederation of Liberators+Triune forces: Three +1 stat boosters.
Refugees: Level up with training chosen.
Fey forces from the faerie realms: A mysterious amulet of great fey power.
Celestia's forces: Souped up holy avenger with epic weapon properties+chance to possibly talk to Bahamut.
Lillend: Special quest. I hadn't worked out the details here yet.

[Anastasia]

What if Jaela accepted Annalise's offer to become a vampire?

Let me answer the mechanical aspect of this before the RPing aspects, as the former influences the latter. As an ancient vampire bitten by the First Vampire, any vampires Annalies sires are stronger than your typical bloodsucker. I was using a modified version of the Dicefreaks vampire template. You can see the exact details of what I prepared for Jaela in the spoiler box below.

Spoiler: ShowHide

http://dicefreaks.superforums.org/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=13

You use the template here barring any alterations noted below. You are an age category 1 vampire. Your alignment becomes chaotic evil. Your personality is not changed, but your natural outlook and moral inclinations are. If not already achieved by doing so, you should be considered to have fallen from paladinhood and your clerical classes.

Attack: You gain a slam as a natural attack and do not have the option of a claw/claw routine. On a full attack you may make two slam attacks if you are fighting unarmed.

Alternate Form: Changing your form is a swift action. This functions largely as the druid's shapeshift ability, preventing you from using spells while shifted. Your vampire abilities are not impeded except as noted in the ability.

Damage Reduction: Your damage reduction loses the cold iron and evil properties, gaining the silver and good properties instead. It is otherwise unchanged.

Damned: You do not have a vulnerability to running water and may cross it at will. However, you are vulnerable to wolfsbane as well as another type of plant.

Fast Healing: You do not have a coffin nor do you assume gaseous form when reduced to zero hit points. Instead, you are disabled and helpless when reduced to zero or fewer hit points. Your fast healing functions as normal during this time. Once your HP rises to 1 or higher, you are immediately able to act as normal. The section on wooden stakes is accurate, and decapitation or disintegration will destroy you for the final time.

Gaseous Form: Despite not becoming mist on reaching zero hit points, you may still take this form at will.

Turn Resistance: Instead of this, you gain resistance to positive energy 5.

Ko note: I forget if sunlight immunity is there or was meant to be in there. I think it was. It's also possible I modified this between noting it and possibly spoiling parts. I can't remember if I did, it's been too long.

As a result of her change Jaela would be in a precarious situation. Exactly what happens is difficult to say. Does Aurora stand by Annalise and Jaela? Is there a revolt? Does it cause a falling out amid allies? It depends on when it happens. If it happened before obtaining Aurora, the game would take shape around it and the real chance Annalise's taint would spread further. If after, it would depend on your allies and situation. Things could get quite ugly. At the least, any Triune forces would not be willing to work with a fallen paladin and cleric, nor would any of the Court of Stars. Hanna in particular would outright try and kill Annalise, not resting until she's triumphant over Jaela and Annalise or defeated/slain.

There's lots of possibilities there. Early infection could have lead to a radically different game.

What if Annalise was saved?

This really begs another question: Could Annalise be saved? Let's assume that it's possible and that it happens somehow or another. Even if she repents, Annalise has no use for the gods or forces of light. I'm going to assume there's no religious or deity based reformation, but instead it happens through power Aurora musters. That's two assumptions and I may make more, so bear with me. A mortal Annalise would make it her immediate priority to become immortal by some other means. She would seek a way that would maintain a physical body capable of sensation and one not dependent on outside factors. Becoming some manner of outsider distinctly does not appeal to her. Reformed or not, I doubt she'd believe the Gods would do anything but condemn her on death. If need be she'd invest her soul in a golem until she can find a reliable method of fleshy immortality. In the shorter term, she'd support Aurora, stay with Jaela and try and expand her position.

What if Afina did not become half fire elemental?

This depends on how. If she chose not to dive into Magmasoul, she'd almost certainly die and return to Yggdrasil. There would be no body left nor any gear, burned away within Fire. At best her body could be reformed with a wish or miracle then she could have a shot at resurrection. If her mishap there never happened? She soon after goes with Ilsenine to the fey realms and has many adventures there. The focus of that arc would have been on fey culture, diplomacy and Queen Ilsenine. This was essentially Ilsenine's arc. The results are difficult to predict and could be all over the place. Afina and Ilsenine could have even ended up as a couple, though that's an extreme outlier. There would have been many chances to define their interactions further and perhaps get to truly know each other.

It's possible they would have met the Glasae Queen there, though probably before the Father reared his foul head.

So what if Afina and Ilsenine got together?

Besides emotional issues - and it would be one hell of a strange and possibly fucked up relationship considering the power imbalance - it wouldn't be a huge factor. Politically it's a bit of a scandal to the higher born fey, but Queen Ilsenine would be quick to defend her savior. She may well give Afina noble status in a moment of quiet pique, but more likely she'd correctly read that this would appear to be nothing more than giving ill-earned status to her current lover. Not that this sort of thing doesn't happen amid the fey, but if you're not subtle about it, it's fair game for snide mockery.

What if Prince Lixer was at Castle Crumbling?

Probably disaster. While Prince Lixer is loathe to personally handle his enemies - that's what his near infinite supply of devils an undead are for - he would be willing to dirty his claws against someone who dares invade his personal domain. As an Archduke of Hell and the son of Asmodeus, Lixer has divine rank zero as well as plethora of other powers. He would be a tremendously difficult battle, harder than even Taelfagn or a fully prepared charging Abigor. He would be reasonably matched by all of Aurora's power if it was intelligently used against him, but it would be one hell of a battle.

Lixer would retreat if reduced to about 60% of his maximum HP. The odds of killing him are infinitesimally small. No, Lixer would retreat, be mocked at his dark father's court and vow cold revenge against Aurora. This would likely provoke some sort of super-attack, most likely a brigade of Nessian Pit Fiends, advanced undead, personal clerics and minions and possibly elements of the Ashmaida or Duke Martinet's mocking support. The exact composition would vary depending on when he did it, how he did it and how Asmodeus took Lixer's failure. While Asmodeus has no love for his child, he cannot personally allow his son's prestige to be marred, for that reflects poorly on his own prestige. It's also possible that Glasya would throw in her own attack to attempt to outdo her brother, or that various Archdukes or Dukes would attempt the same for prestige.

As it is, the devastation of Castle Crumbling was a huge blow to Lixer's prestige. He was able to limit the damage and this in turns limits his immediate wrath. Oh, he'll still plot revenge, but it won't have quite the same overwhelming force right away. There's not enough of a impetuous to gather that sort of force as above, nor the need to promise that many favors to other diabolical nobles.

Note that as Castle Crumbling was on the Negative Energy Plane that even slaying him would have been only an extra humiliation. Attempting to capture his soul was probably beyond your practical ability. Honestly, fighting Lixer would ultimately have been futile. You'd need to somehow battle him in Hell to truly put him down. On the other hand, slaying Lixer temporarily would be a gigantic prestige benefit for Aurora. You'd get an up swelling of support from several sources and the Lifasa conflict would draw a greater investment from all sides.

If Baleruk was the one to defeat Lixer, he would have gained a special bonus for defeating another quasi-deity. He would spontaneously go up an age category, gaining several hit dice and extra necromantic sorcerer spells.

What if Aurora stayed to battle the reinforcements from Hell at Castle Crumbling?

Probably the disaster above. Lixer and Martinet had taken the field, as news of the attack had reached the court of Asmodeus, where Lixer was currently paying homage to his father. Slaying Martinet would have gained you quiet approval from most every other noble devil, as they hate him to the last. If you'd captured his soul - much more realistic than taking Lixer's - it could have been a massive bargaining chip. You could all but buy another Archduke or Lord of the Nine's support in ending the Lifasa invasion in exchange for it, as long as you took the proper precautions for secrecy. If Asmodeus finds out then any deal would be null and void, so you would have to have been careful. Hell, someone like Mephisto would be willing to hand over several legendary holy tomes of magic he's captured in the bargain, just for the cold pleasure of destroying Martinet to the last shred of his soul.

[Merc]

I think we got these ones...

Ysgardian Warriors
Graceful Blow
Refugee Warriors
Tortles

Let's see...

Pixies - weren't temperamental on purpose, they just grew slowly and had a few setbacks. Afina netted a few of the rewards, such as status as a Baroness. I hadn't decided on a big reward, but I figured having Afina and Crystal as generals was enough to trigger it. It didn't have a chance to happen before game end.
Air elementals - A blade of wind. Think Invisible Air or whatever from Fate/Stay night. Deals force damage.
Dire wolves: General HD/power increase. No real way to do much else. Would make them a bit more useful.
Celestial forces from CoS: Granting the half-celestial template to one good aligned creature. Crystal would have been a nominee for this, though it would be your choice.
Elemental forces from the cauldron: Special armor made of Cauldron Iron and other mateirals, granting energy resistance 30 and a high AC.
Catfolk: +2 dex item, permanent increase.
Fire oozes: HD increase. They're mindless oozes.
Vul'lath's gith: Research that can bestow a special template on one creature. It's the Alabaster Perfection template from Balmuria 1.
Sylican forces: Opens up a bonus dungeon in Sylica. Has some nice equipment and a few bonus events to see, capping in a bonus boss fight against a familiar face.
Priest's healers: A benediction that gives one creature damage reduction 15/evil.
Knights of the Wise Convent: None. They already gave you the PrC.
Shinear's elementals: +20 movement speed bonus to one person.

More later, getting nabbed.

What triggered 'em btw? Catfolk got to 100%, so was curious what the trigger would be. Apasa's death/capture?

[Anastasia]

Got it in one.

[Corwin]

In the unlikely event that I would've become evil, I would've retired Jaela with the request that she doesn't become some recurring enemy. Given that she would've retained her personality, I can see her working to free Lifasa/hunt down devils in some way without needing the Aurora. Mechanically, she'd just retrain as a sorc if possible.

[Ebiris]

By the end of the game how had opinions shifted?

Were the High Ones shelving plans to murder us all and steal our fortress? Was Mechanus shifting towards neutrality? Had we much success in winning over Celestia or where they just keeping their enemies close?

Also you mentioned Alicia/Sylica, what about Seira/The Cauldron?

[Anastasia]

Also you mentioned Alicia/Sylica, what about Seira/The Cauldron?

Don't quote me 100% on this, but at the time you hadn't caught in the Cauldron's attention. That's why they weren't there. I can do a big opinions post for everyone if y'all like, sure.

In the unlikely event that I would've become evil, I would've retired Jaela with the request that she doesn't become some recurring enemy. Given that she would've retained her personality, I can see her working to free Lifasa/hunt down devils in some way without needing the Aurora. Mechanically, she'd just retrain as a sorc if possible.

That sounds about right - I think you said the same at the time.