General chatter

[Nephrite]

So Myann isn't going to suddenly barf out a mushroom baby? Good to know.

[Anastasia]

So Myann isn't going to suddenly barf out a mushroom baby? Good to know.

Not gonna happen, no.

[Corwin]

Thanks for that.

Kids inherit mantles?

[Anastasia]

Thanks for that.

Kids inherit mantles?

They'll be born as fey and be assigned mantles in time. This came up when Myann was struggling with her own.

The parent's mantles influence the odds of getting related mantles, but it's not 100%.

[Nephrite]

Was Prince Broadpyne the highest-ranking fey in our territory, barring the Ex-King?

What was his mantle, anyway? Just "trees" and royalty?

[Anastasia]

Was Prince Broadpyne the highest-ranking fey in our territory, barring the Ex-King?

What was his mantle, anyway? Just "trees" and royalty?

King Applepine and Queen Lasriva outrank him, but aren't inclined to interfere with you for a variety of personal reasons.

Trees, Flesh and Royalty. Flesh...well, you saw the faces.

[Nephrite]

We were probably too boring and inconsequential initially and now they're just like "well damn, let's not bother them."

Maybe they'll come visit on Myann and Feather's anniversary and bring apple pies.

[Anastasia]

We were probably too boring and inconsequential initially and now they're just like "well damn, let's not bother them."

Maybe they'll come visit on Myann and Feather's anniversary and bring apple pies.

Perhaps they will. That's actually quite possible. Scary, no?

[Nephrite]

I have another question that is kind of weird -- but kind of not. If the mantle system were to assign a mantle to the group, would it have actually chosen the same ones?

For example, if we assume Myann had never been cursed, but somehow the Mantle system picked her up, would her "fate" have been mushrooms, or is that impossible to know? Well, I realize it's impossible because it never happened, but you know what I mean, I hope.

[Anastasia]

I have another question that is kind of weird -- but kind of not. If the mantle system were to assign a mantle to the group, would it have actually chosen the same ones?

For example, if we assume Myann had never been cursed, but somehow the Mantle system picked her up, would her "fate" have been mushrooms, or is that impossible to know? Well, I realize it's impossible because it never happened, but you know what I mean, I hope.

The system takes a few things into account.

1. Natural compatibility. Some people are just better suited for some mantles than others. This also covers the children of Sidhe, as they tend to have some of the traits that made their parents fitting for their own mantles.

2. Circumstances. While a minor role, circumstances can impact what mantle is given. Certain mantles - mostly royalty and extremely rare/powerful ones - are regulated by the system so they aren't given out often. Likewise, a creature with a circumstantial affinity when the system chooses a mantle might influence that choice.

3. Dumb luck. The system (barring direct guidance, such as the PCs controlling which mantle is chosen) has a small but noticeable margin of error. Sometimes this means a fey gets a different mantle.

In Myann's case, she's naturally suited to mushrooms. Her body's conditions are more favorable than average to fungi. She wouldn't always get a mushroom mantle, but she'd favor it statistically.

Of course, you all can bypass that by going to the system and choosing what mantle a creature gets on connection.

[Anastasia]

Also, since this touches on it, likely mantles for each PC.

Feather: Wolf.

Gildas: Bear and a mantle related to life. Life itself or something similar, it would depend.

John: Ant.

Due to the abnormal energy the party's been saturated with, they'd have an elevated chance of getting a mushroom mantle. Except the system generally won't hand that one out with Myann right there, as it's a rarer mantle. Mushroom's a hell of a broad category, somewhat akin to mammal, metal or other encompassing categories. Compare and contrast with more focused mantles like wolf or bear.

You could force that with the system if you wanted. You'd advance rapidly and develop a second mantle within a few months, as you're already well saturated with mushroom energies.

[Anastasia]

Also, regarding Tangles. She normally wouldn't be slated for any mantle, as she was an anomaly. She got gold because of the coin thing Myann's royalty mantle does. It was the only effect there that wasn't a rare mantle, as both royalty and mushrooms weren't going to be given to her.

In the event Tangles somehow got a mantle without that influencing things, she'd probably get a common, generic one.

[Nephrite]

Would the party know which mantles were actually "stronger" now, since they've seen the core of the system? I would assume something like Dragon, Sun or Distance probably rank much higher than Bird or something?

[Nephrite]

I also thought of something else I would like to do, go see the Sidhe Scholar.

[Anastasia]

Would the party know which mantles were actually "stronger" now, since they've seen the core of the system? I would assume something like Dragon, Sun or Distance probably rank much higher than Bird or something?

Strength is essentially two fold.

1. Scope. The more the mantle oversees, the more powerful it is considered. Myann's mantle oversees an entire biological kingdom, so it would be equal to a mantle that oversees all plants or all animals. (As an aside, animals wouldn't cover intelligent creatures in Vastwoods. While I'm largely using modern scientific definitions for ease of use, the abundance of different sentient creatures requires a different touch.)

2. Relative importance/power. You're right about the second part. This is all relative and case by case, but some mantles represent things that are simply stronger.