Klynzahr

My point was that there's room for all types. Young, old, immature, criminally insane.... variety is the spice of RP life! :geek:

The stairs seemed longer than they used to be. Daniwyda Merlfalkwyn was acutely aware of the two kinds of adventurer roaming the land, just as she knew without doubt upon which side of the divide she stood. She had, by her own assumption, lost the hungry glint behind her eyes some twelve years before. These days she preferred simple equipment, setting her weathered eye upon practicality above all else. The plain coat of chain mail could have easily heralded a mercenary or guard from any city state, while the old grey bag slung over her shoulder was likewise unmarked and unadorned. Only the solid great ax, hanging low across her back, remained to speak for the older adventurer's Lominsian origins. In her youth, Daniwyda had been considered a fair, fine featured Sea Wolf, but years of hard exposure had left little untouched by their work. The sea green of her face was rough like leather, pitted with waxy burn scars, and scored by a early collection of wrinkles. They told a story of their own, tracing a somber expression on a face unaccustomed to displays of emotion. She was simply another worn adventurer, moving on from the quiet hum of the twelveswood. Yet rather than striking purposefully towards the ticket master, like her fellows had before her, Daniwyda crossed the landing at a leisurely pace. Skirting the ticket booth she approached the open railing, with an oddly stiff and hesitant gait for someone bedecked in combat armour. Gingerly resting her weight against the convenient rail, Daniwyda permitted herself a low sigh, before glancing down to the young miquo'te at her side. For a brief moment, the adventurer allowed her steel grey eyes to linger upon the stranger's stark white hair and pale face. To the Roegadyn's untrained eye she appeared to be just another of the many young Keepers, leaving their home in the shroud to seek fame and fortune. For a moment Dani was envious. She stood two steps, and a handful of gil away from a flight to Limsa Lominsia, well aware that she lacked the courage to proceed. With the temerity of youth far behind her, Dani found her eyes wandering to the steps that had brought her this far. "Don't know what ye be thinking." She answered in a soft La'Noscean lilt " But I be thinking those stairs grow longer each time one follows them down."

parties.

Well in that case, your back to finding a good answer for your big "How did he stay hidden/ what were the consequences?" questions. I'm probably not going to be much help with either, but I wish you luck!

So here's a quick thought. Have you considered just making your new Au Ra a skillful gladiator, who holds the same ideals that are common to the sultansworn? He could still be a fiercely dedicated protector of the weak, and he could still harbour feelings of inadequacy. Maybe surrounding the fact that he never got a chance to join the sultansworn? There is no reason that he needed to learn his swordsmanship in Ul'dah either. I'm sure there are many skilled blade masters in Doma and other lands, who could take on an Au Ra student and train him in the same skills used at the Gladiator's guild. Maybe he picked up his moral stance from that teacher in Doma but left his apprenticeship, feeling he was not worthy?

:thumbsup: It makes me happy inside to see people take this approach and I wish you luck!

Banned for failure to think of a valid reason.

in /characterlimit

The only thing that really confuses me, is when folks try to emote swimming in plate....

I wouldn't shy away from playing an older character if that's what strikes your fancy. The RP community (like the RP communities in most other games) is full of up and coming young 'uns it can be nice to have a couple of mature folks in there to spice things up. I actually play a 40 year old character, who will soon be trying to pick up a new class. She is being forced away from her previous career as a marauder, due to her age and an accumulation of nagging injuries. Depending on how mechanist strikes my fancy, she will either be taking up engineering or beginning an in depth study of arcanima. I'm sure that there could be many reasons for Eorla to change her focus or pick up a new class later in life, particularly since she wasn't born in Gridania and may not have been spotted early by the conjurors.

With a bleary one eyed frown, Klynzahr turns towards Sakura. "I canna understand why ye keep askin' me." She huffs in exasperation, "The two o'ye watched th'whole thing an' like as not saw a good sight more 'en I did!" Blood has trickled into the Roegadyn's mouth and she spits it angrily onto the floor between the three of them. Further comments are cut short by Clio's rather commanding voice cutting through the nearby haze. Something in the highlander's tone or words seems to finally calm the Roegadyn and the frantic note in her voice calms a little. Reaching out to either side, Klyn fumbles to locate the two hyur beside her, grabbing at Sakura's face and hair before finally settling a hand against the small of the woman's back. Solis is slightly luckier, as Klyn's fingers find the book first, then follow his arm up to his shoulder. "Do ye be a healer lad?" She asks Solis in a controlled tone, before turning her head towards the ruffled Sakura "Are ye?" She takes a short breath, chokes slightly and presses on. "Ifin th'answer be 'no' it's best we make fer th'fresh air quick as ye two can scuttle."

I really agree with Melkire's ideas here, keep it simple and assessable with no long term commitments implied. I do think that it will be very important to keep basic information about each mentor up to date. 1) Like others have mentioned only a brief character description is needed, but it should include their full in game name at least. 2) Availability is very important. As others have stated, offering to wide of an availability window is actually not very helpful. -For example, I am available every week night but generally spend some of them leveling my alt or crafting. If I were to list my availability as "Weeknights after 10pm PST" and some newcomer waited up for me three nights in a row, while I was somewhere else, it would only be discouraging.- Maybe instead of listing everyone's full schedule of availability, we could suggest that potential RP mentors set aside one or two 'time slots' per week for the purpose of outreach RP, and then make every possible effort to be at their chosen location IC at those times. 3) This brings me to point three. In order to function properly, mentors would need to be responsible about updating their posts and someone would need to occasionally give it a look over and prune out any retired mentors. I guess my biggest point is that if it is not functional and/or fails to produce reliable results, newbies will just give up on it.

Slowly Klynzahr forces her left eye open, straining to see the Hyuran man directly above her. Her bruised face twitches uncomfortably, as she snaps back, "T' th'hells if I bloody well know!" Groping around blindly, she manages to identify the solid table above her head and the smooth floor beneath. "I were jus' comin' in fer a drink" she bemoans the stranger "Next thing there be rebellions an' bombs, an.... an bleedin' Elezen mutineers!" Squinting back up at Solis, she adds urgently "Best ye be gettin' yerself down here too. Might be that was only th'first explosion." Beckoning the pair down towards her, Klyn peers past their legs into the murky depths of the smoke, barely able to make out a cluster of blurred figures in the center of the room. "...an what's become o'me bleedin' spectacles?"

I tend to believe that 'Mary Sue' lies in how you play a character more than how you plan them. I doubt that there will be much issue with your concept, as long as you are willing to allow him to loose, fail, and make mistakes on a regular bases. You seem to have given a fair bit of thought to his weaknesses already, which is certainly a step in the right direction. Now you just need to make sure that those weaknesses will actually cause grief to the character in practice. One thing that I would caution you on is the manipulation point. While it is fine to say your character will try to manipulate, this is a collaborative RP environment and his success will always depend on who he is trying to manipulate. It's a cool strategy to have, but other writers may see through it and you should be prepared for that. I also have one suggestion, on the subject of multiple classes. I have a character, who is quite book smart (much like yours seems to be) and has studied arcanima. However she is terrible at the physical spell casting. I RP her understanding and even being able to explain the concepts of ruin, physic, bio, aetherflow, and the carbuncle, but she has only ever succeeded in casting the first two and ruin is especially unreliable for her. You may want to consider a skill set like this, since your character seems to be primarily a mechanist, with magic as a side study. You could have him understand multiple schools theoretically and reference that knowlage,while inventing, but let him fail miserably if he actually tries to cast spells? That would also solve the problem of not wanting a Carby. Maybe he just can't handle summoning it? There's my two gil anyways.

Misunderstanding Soils' call, or perhaps just making for the nearest voice, Klynzahr begins to grope her way towards his table, leaving the helm and spectacles where they lie. Before she can quite make it there, the sounds of an explosion close at hand, followed by a cloud of thick smoke, and the thud of a very large, screaming, projectile landing in the center of the room, send her diving for cover in a panic. She winds up cowering below Solis and Sakura's table, with both hands raised to shield her head from imagined debris. At a closer inspection the sea wolf's armour bears very little resemblance to that of the unfortunate blade. The solid plate has been worked into ornate but inexpensive designs, suggesting the costumes often seen at cheaper matches on the blood sands. Her right eye is already beginning to swell from her recent literary assault, while blood drips steadily from her nose to the floor. Those nearest to her might notice that she is muttering something under her breath. If anyone chanced to listen closely they might make out "Oh twelve, oh twelve, oh twelve, oh twelve..." repeated continuously.

Klynzahr reads, when she's alone. Her eyes are so bad these days that she holds most books about six inches from her face, which makes her uncomfortable in public. However behind locked doors, she will settle down with a large magnifying glass plus her regular spectacles and devour everything she can get her hands on. Having been raised with the notion that books were a luxury, she is reverent of those that she does own and rereads them frequently. New books always hold a thrill for her and the subject matter is actually less important to her than the novelty. She's not fond of poetry though. Dani does many things alone, because she spends most of her time alone. Of course she makes no effort to hide the fishing, swimming, or copious drinking binges. Only when she is certain that she is completely alone, with no chance of observation, will she open her small trunk and look over the items inside; a ragged Storm Sergent's uniform, one smudged charcoal sketch of a roegadyn blacksmith at the forge and a tarnished ring. This doesn't always induce tears, but it can.

As the incoming elezen bares down upon her, Klynzahr plants herself stubbornly to block the open door. Completely misunderstanding Eva's threatening accusations, she launches into a long winded stream of thick Lominsian, "Now look'ere lass, abou' las'night. I been wantin to offer yer 'pollogies, fer m'lack o'caution see, should'a seen when t'be holdin' m'own tongue, I shoulda..." The accent only grows worse as Evangeline approaches, ending in an incomprehensible stream of apologetic babble. At the last moment the sea wolf steps towards the frantic elezen, reaching for her with a soothing gesture, and practically walks into the heavy tome. She reels back, with a low cry of surprise. Glasses fly off in one direction, the Short Treatise on the Subject of Wealth and Public Governance: Volume IV goes skittering in another, and the dusty half-helm bounces sadly out the doors of the quicksand, following on Eva's heels. Klyn staggers in the doorway for a moment, with both hands clutching her face. Through the clasped fingers, she mumbles thickly "Ugh.... dammit."

In a moment of impeccably poor timing, the far doors of the quicksand swing open to embrace the rebel's haphazard escape. The Thanalan sunlight blazes through for a tantilizing moment, only to be shadowed as a towering grey Roegadyn figure steps through the doorway. At first glance, she might appear to be painted with dust. Dust coated gladiator's armour, a dusty half helm tucked under one arm, streaks of dust smeared across her grey face, and layers of reddish desert dust obscuring the true colour of her hair combine to form the impression of someone that has spent a long day on the open road. Halting squarely in the open doorway, the sea wolf peers across the quicksand through a pair of surprisingly dust free spectacles. The shocked faces, overturned table, and elezen figure sprinting towards her seem to root the stranger to the spot, effectively blocking Eva's route. "Wha' in twelve's name...." She mumbles, squinting hard at the sprinting figure. Then Evangeline pauses to speak with Clio, and her voice sends a flash of recognition over the sea wolf's face. "Bloody balls," She blurts out, still firmly blocking the doorway "It's you again!"

along

I think that Klyn and Dani both share certain aspects of wind and water. Dani's dualistic nature is most closely aligned with wind, which can be either soft and nurturing or brutally destructive. It also represents her flexibility and restlessness; an idle Dani will always be an unhappy Dani. Although many of the same concepts apply to Klyn, water seems to represent her better as a whole. The element is a source of life and health, while also supporting freedom of movement. Although bouyant and bubbly in small doses, it contains surprising depths. When stirred to motion, it's strength is uncontested, but it's full power is only seen when driven to great heights.

,but

Being a relative newcomer to RP myself, I have experienced many of the same roadblocks that you seem to have encountered. Ultimately their solution will depend upon your own creativity but I can offer some suggestions that worked well for me. Firstly, I would not advise changing the character right now. You have built up a solid foundation, which you seem to be happy with. In addition if you change now, many of the same issues could follow you to your new character. Now to address your three 'trouble spots'. Traveling I actually love what you are doing in this area. I treat IC travel very similarly myself, restricting each of my characters to their home city except for exceptional circumstances. I find that making travel into a large ordeal adds character development, when it does become necessary. People who gloss over travel actually miss lots of interesting story opportunities. Suggestions Delni's reluctance to travel could actually create some interesting chances for development. The trick is finding a reason for her to be pushed outside of her comfort zone. Maybe there is a great business opportunity in another city state, but she will need to oversee it personally. She might need to hire a mercenary escort and be extremely uncomfortable with the idea. Other pressing reasons for travel include running away from something, visiting an ill relative, or pursuing education not offered in Gridania. You already have an excellent grasp of what makes Delni uncomfortable. The trick is finding a way to force these things on her and watching how she reacts to the stress of adventure. Interactions This is most likely the root cause of your difficulties and why you find yourself 'stuck'. From your description, you seem to have exhausted the current plots available to your character but don't know how to move into new territory. Although sometimes the only answer is a fresh character, the problem can almost always be solved by developing and adding new elements to your existing character. For a simple tradeswoman and secretary, who has barely left Gridania, your options for development and growth are nearly limitless! :thumbsup: *This doesn't mean that you made a mistake by imposing strict limits on her initially. Some of the best RP characters that I have ever seen, have developed from humble beginnings and they are far more realistic and emotionally rich because of it.* Suggestions Although I love the idea of an artisan character, I do recommend trying to develop at least one magic or combat class, simply because of the opportunities it provides. Don't fall into the common trap of just giving her a new ability overnight. Instead I would select a class with lore that you particularly enjoy and give Delni an IC reason to begin learning it. This process could take months and provide tons of opportunity for interaction and conversation, while she learns and looks for people to help her. My other suggestion requires a little more thought and effort but may be the most fruitful. You probably need to give Denli some kind of conflict. Points of conflict are rarely included in any character bio, because they work best when added to an already established character. They provide a catalyst for change and growth, which prevents stagnation and repetition. Similar to the first point you need to give Denli a reason to change her established habits and patterns of behavior. Then you can explore her reactions and possibly create permanent changes. The conflict is only limited by your imagination but here are some things that could work for a Gridanian artisan. -Denli has been contacted by a relative that she believed dead and must travel to another city state to meet them. - Having borrowed money to keep her leatherworking business afloat, Denli is now over her head in debt and must flee her creditors. - Wishing to expand her business, Denli travels to Ul'dah, where she seeks to form connections with the wealthy merchants there. - To avoid import taxes, Denli decides to hire a Limsian smuggler. Now she just needs to find one with out being caught. There are probably several pages worth of possibilities here. They could challenge her reluctance to travel, force her to meet new people, and possibly provide her with a reason to take up another class. Maybe the best option could do all three? Relationships I saved this one until last, because it is a very tricky subject. Depending on luck and the people behind the keys, relationships can be either the best or the worst thing to happen to a character. On the good side they can provide you with a wealth of development options you may not have otherwise considered. However they can also be awkward, cause drama, and run into problems if your partner leaves unexpectedly. I also understand your reluctance to explore a relationship, with a female character. I'm a girl, who RP's characters of both sexes, but I tend to be leery of RPing relationships as a male, and generally place IC barriers to prevent it. I've seen it done very well by other folks though, so try not to get too discouraged. Suggestions My only suggestion here would be don't start up an IC relationship, unless you are familiar with the person OOC and can trust them, both to maintain the IC/OOC divide and to keep the OOC communication very open. Also remember that RPing a relationship doesn't imply or require ERP. Fading to black is used all the time and actually preferred by many RPers. I know this is quite the wall of text, but you hit upon some deep questions. From what I can gather, you and I would probably enjoy RPing together. We just need a good reason to have your Gridanian artist encounter my Limsian mercenary or my Ul'dahn Gladiator.... It would probably make them all uncomfortable and be tons of fun for us. If you are interested feel free to send me a /tell on Klinzahr Irnahctwyn.

To help portray my Sea Wolves, I put a ton of research into sailing techniques and terminology. When writing dialog for Dani in particular, I will often keep several wiki pages open, with references to the points of sail, components of rigging, and their relation to the weather conditions. Dani references these concepts quite frequently in her conversation and I enjoy coming up with new 'sayings' for her on the fly. Another area, where I am a little bit over my head is physical combat. For this, I refer primarily to historical novels or sometimes youtube. I also have a great reference person in my fiance, who fenced for years with his local renaissance fair. He's given me a number of solid pointers. Some things that I am familiar with and have utilized are first aid, backpacking and open water swimming. I used to kayak competitively, which invariably leads to being unceremoniously dumped into every kind of lake and river you might imagine. I utilize this when portraying Klyn's love of the ocean and strong swimming abilities. I also keep a mental note of the items packed in my character's kits for long journeys. While I don't mention it in most emotes, I like to know what they would reasonably have on hand. For injuries, first aid, and most healing scenes I am able to rely on my knowledge of wilderness first aid. Although I'm no paramedic, I can generally emote a fairly realistic non-magical response to injuries. I do rely on google to find extra details or information on more complex injuries. .... So in other words, I've had to research all of the same RP points as Sounsyy, with the exception of FFXIV lore itself because I just look at her posts. :roll:

Klynzahr is level headed enough to let most losses roll off her back. She may congratulate the winner or simply acknowledge the loss and move on. Only when large sums of gil are on the line, does Klyn become uncomfortable over a loss. In such cases she will grow fidgety and can be sharp tongued. Of course it isn't the loss that bothers her as much as the dread of needing to pay it back. On the other hand Dani can be quite the surly looser. Loosing drinking contests, triple triad, or games of chance will generally trigger some grumbling, followed by reluctant congratulations. However she has not yet come to terms, with the fact that her age has diminished her combat skills. So loosing a sparring contest triggers several days of moping and frustration. For Iyrnahct.... I am really not sure on this one. He's so easy going that I doubt loosing would be any issue for him.

Hiya! I'm around on weekends and every few nights. Right now I am a little preoccupied, helping my fiance level his new RP character over on Coerl. Once we have the gil cash to transfer those characters over, I should be much easier to grab in game. For now, Klynzahr is only getting played about once a week, but I would still love to make some new connections. I shall poke the TeddyVerad and see what happens. :geek: