Soaring Sails

Your local friendly web designer/artist friend here with an update on the State of the Sails:

- We were on hiatus from approx. end of August to February, so we haven’t had much new content, BUT

- I’ve been working on some assets and overhauling pages, so GET READY for all-new ways to navigate (pun absolutely intended) the site!

- Chapters are still on hiatus while the blog gets overhauled, but we’re back to doing sessions for now, so we’re getting more content for you!

- Your friendly neighborhood novelist (Megan) and I will be tag-teaming session recordings-into-chapters from now on, so hopefully that’ll help get the ball rolling again!!!

- The ask box is still open in the meantime, so if you have any questions about the world, the characters, or us, drop us some mail!

That’s all for now, but stay tuned!

Megan:

We are 100% ALWAYS taking questions, tbh! 

Part of me really wants to say RAFO, but as your neighborhood novelizationist who feels really guilty about the fact that she skipped writing for over a month and hasn’t posted any new chapters in forever, I will gladly divulge that YES! There is more Caenlat to come!

I’m going to throw this over to the GM, in case she wants to add anything about Caenlat?

Alyx: 

GM confirms, yes. Definitely more Caenlat! She’s become a favorite of mine too. She’s actually quite the plot motivator in Act 2!

Heh, if you’re asking where he hails from, Japhs is originally Pemallan, from Damerra. 

As for why he is the way he is, let’s just say Japhs is an individual that still has some growing to do. His family was worried about the way he acted and thought some good hard work on a sky ship might whip him into shape.

Ah, Anon, as any proper Coalitioner will tell you, their islands are held aloft by technology, not that dirty magic that they use on the Surface! 

As the party finds out in Act 2 as they head to Rondell, it’s actually more difficult to use magic on a Coalition island than it is on the ground. The Source is harder to access. It’s slightly more difficult on a sky ship, but noticeably harder on an island.

(In Fate Core terms, accessing the Source is a Will roll that requires 0 to pass on the Surface, +1 on a ship, and +2 on the Coalition.)

Okay so the initial worldbuilding for Sosa was taking a lot of concepts from things that I enjoy and just sort of mushing them all together into a big ball until it was somewhat original again. Like the Coalition has some Bioshock Infinite to it, the Source shares some similarities to the One Power and the Fracture was a lot like the Breaking of the World in Wheel of Time. I tried to take high-level concepts and then work the details until they felt like something new, but also, this is an RP, not a novel or anything, so I didn’t fret too badly.

Something that happened with the Ivine Empire too, in that I’ve always been fascinated by Alethi gender roles from Stormlight Archive but... kind of wanted to do it backwards. I wanted to find a way to take some of our world’s conceptions about gender expression but make them interpret those things as making different genders suited to very different things.

So, for instance Ivinians believe that women are better than men at working together, social skills, and communication. That’s somewhat similar to our world’s view of women, but the Ivinians have taken these assumptions and have decided that this means women make much better soldiers than men. “Men are hotheaded and impulsive,” they’ll tell you, “you want obedience, cooperation, and discipline from soldiers and those are feminine things, not someone who’s going to run off and do what they think is best, or let their tempers get in the way of the mission.” So most of the guards and soldiers in Ivine are women. War is seen as feminine.

Women are considered better at organization and understanding other people, which means that management and strategic positions are often female-dominated. Even in the “masculine” south, a good chunk of the Emperor’s governing staff would be ladies.

On the other hand, Ivinians also believe some of that “men naturally have more stamina and endurance than women” and while those things are good in a soldier, Ivinians believe it would be a waste not to use them on magic instead. The magic users in Mevined, known as Arcants, are almost all men, because magic is seen as something that strains the body greatly and that men are more suited to handling this. 

It should be noted, while the player characters don’t tend to find magic very stressful, most of them only have one or two foci. Most Arcants have upwards of seven attuned at all times. Scholarship and deep study are also seen as  masculine persuits because “men are better at compartmentalizing, which allows them to focus more singularly than a woman could.”

Now, they’re not as strict about gender stuff as the Alethi. There are male soldiers and female arcants, and while it isn’t scandalous, it is rarer and they tend to have a difficult time, as people give them grief for picking a “bad” profession for them.  

There are people who vary from Ivine’s prescribed gender binary, as is expected. This tends to get mixed reactions from people. There’s some who are okay with accepting transgender individuals... so long as they ascribe perfectly to the gender they profess to be. These individuals tend to be watched more closely than others, hoping to ensure that they really are “what they say they are.” 

Genderfluid identities are somewhat more common in Ivine than other places. Though genderfluidity can create somewhat of an “outcast” feeling, as one doesn’t wholly ascribe to either of the two Ivinian binaries, there are some professions which are seen as most suitable for a genderfluid individual, and for the most part if someone is using genderfluidity to provide a function “between” genders, it’s alright. “We’re okay with what you are as long as it’s useful,” sort of thing. Agender individuals usually also fall into this societal niche. 

Larhh Kastramov, the Sun’s Heart navigator, is a genderfluid individual from Ivine. 

All in all, Ivine is... really not the greatest of places in Sosari, all things said and done, and I think a lot of their rigidity is the cause of this. Whether in the north or south, Ivinian culture likes things that are “as they should be” and believes everyone works best when everyone remembers their place. For those who don’t fit what they “should” be, for any number of reasons, Ivine isn’t a terribly hospitable society.

Not quite so... centralized as Rondell. Mevined might be the closest comparison in terms of a city with secrets and lots of things going on, but Mevined’s dangers are a lot more classy?? Mevined’s a city of intrigue and politics while Rondell is crimelords and gangs. 

Quite a few of the larger cities have seedier underbelly parts, but Rondell is certainly unique in the extent of its crime and corruption. Being isolated up there and gaining a reputation for bad things has kind of made the whole island fester over. 

Rakvin would probably try to boast that they’re one of the safest cities, because they have a very heavy guard presence which keeps crime low, but they also tend to be a little bit on the authoritarian side, in a “you are safe from the State if you cooperate with the State” sort of way.

Charille is fond of goldenrod, light peach, and indigo.

Her favorite food is actually a kind of pastry served in the place she grew up. They’re baked puff pastry pockets that are either filled with sweet dessert fillings or savory meat and veggies fillings and she would eat them for every meal if she could.

Favorite animal is an Albatross ;)

Ayyyyyy, listen you can say a lot of things about me, but when you come for Starbucks headcanons I WILL ALWAYS HAVE AN ANSWER.

Charille: Vanilla dirty chai, that good lightly sweet with a nice kick to it. Always Venti.

Bennest: Good Old Black Coffee Every Morning And He Leaves A Tip.

Corinne: It’s either a quad shot mocha undertow or a double chocolate chip frappuccino, and there is no in between.

Scritt: The most guilty and ashamed pumpkin spice lover to ever exist and no one can ever know.

Com: White mocha, no whip, with nutmeg powder.

Larhh: Toasted coconut cold brew, with coconut milk.

Japhs: Orders off the Secret Menu. Never has the recipe. Always demands a free drink when they don’t know how to make it. Has definitely drank almost as much spiteful barista spit as he has coffee.

SUPER BONUS ROUND

Caenlat: Hazelnut mocha latte, but has recently started drinking more tea B)

Leanne: Is offended that Caenlat brought her to Starbucks. Originally orders a London fog but begrudgingly admits that the green tea frappuccino is not bad.

Kitter: Red eye. With cream if he’s having a good day, but lol when’s the last time that happened.

Meijin: Espresso con panna.

Kodaki: Nonfat but with whip cinnamon dolce latte, usually at room temperature because he forgets about it.

Sidhale: Iced green tea lemonade with peppermint syrup. 

Ariah: Pink drink. Posts pics on Instagram. Baristas have figured this out and now put her drink stickers over the logo to ruin the shot.

Falrest: Attempts to order whiskey. Thinks he’s funny. Is not. Gets decaffed because he tried to flirt with the barista over the bar. Never tips.

As one might expect, foci that aid in survival or create more comforts in an inhospitable environment are popular. Lisseth’s or Bennest’s foci would be very useful in a desert environment. Other simpler foci, like those that manipulate air or temperature, are abundant, as are some more complex foci that help people grow food. 

At first glance, Laelle is quite a bit more overgrown and less tended, while Pava is more cultivated. 

The Laelle Wild in Pemall, is a forest that one could easily get lost in. Thick foliage at the center makes traversal difficult, though life abounds. Most roads go around the forest rather than trying to cut through it. The Laelle Wild is a popular hunting spot, due to the variety of large and dangerous animals that call the forest home, though all but the most dedicated hunters will stay towards the borders. Laelle also attracts archaeologists and historians, as it is one of the richest sites for High Empire ruins, and with the difficulty of access, many have lay undisturbed for centuries. 

The Rent Tears are a geological formation just north of the Kovrone Range, where the mountains taper off into oddly shaped foothills. The Tears were a focal point for a great amount of destructive magical energy during the Fracture, and as a result, the landscape of the area is broken and craggy. 

Cliffs jut from the ground at odd and unnatural angles and deep chasms open up unexpectedly, looking like the claw marks of a great beast. There are some wide plains containing fields and forests between these strange landmarks as well, which make for easier travelling.

Despite the unconventional terrain, the Tears are home to a few nomadic groups, whose expertise in traversing their strange paths. Rakvine soldiers often train in survival and wilderness skills deep in the Tears as well, though encounters with nomads out in the wild tend to turn violent.

Hello everyone, this is your friendly neighborhood GM @featherwriter, here to open the floodgates on our askbox! 

All evening I’ll be answering any questions you might have about the various cultures of Southern Sosari, where our story takes place and the magics and people that inhabit them. Any question’s fair game, whether that be about NPCs, cultures and societies, history, Source magic and foci, modern politics, or whatever, I’m here to take them. 

(Also I assume if you want to ask the players about any player characters, I’m sure they’d love to answer things for you too!)

Here’s our About page if you need a reminder about Sosari. I’ll also put a quick primer about the three major political powers in this area, the Coalition of Sky States, the Kingdom of Pemall, and the Ivine Empire, below the cut.

But yeah, ask away!

The Boss Battle: Sidhale

A runaway who has bitten off quite a bit more than he can chew, Sidhale explored a cave near the village of Jirah, stumbling on deep buried ruins from before the Fracture. Within, he found a temple-like building, and at its center, a great altar like two pyramids drawing to meet each other at the points, one hanging from the ceiling, the other rising from the floor. A sculpted figure of frosted, lavender glass once lifted her arms upward in between them, but now the temple has been flipped, and the figure’s hands appear to be clutching downward.

Sidhale attuned with the statue, which he calls the Great Lady, and it is a focus of immense power. The Lady allows Sidhale to take control of other people, transforming them into animalistic servants bound to his will. There is a compulsion to the statue, which calls out subtly when unattuned, demanding that her wielder find vassals to serve her.

Sidhale has been snatching people from the nearby towns to serve the Great Lady’s demands. Some--the “lucky” ones--are transformed into reptilian animals, like lizards, naga, snakes, and small dragonets, which wait upon Sidhale’s every command as his guards and army. The unlucky ones end up as food for this feral army after being sacrificed to Ariah.

Aspects

High: Brainwashed Devotee

Protect the Shrine at all Costs

Need to Let Them Bleed

Skills

(As Sidhale)

Good (+3): Notice, Will Fair (+2): Provoke, Lore Average (+1): Athletics, Rapport

(As Shrine Guardian--dragon)

Great (+4): Fight Good (+3): Notice Fair (+2): Physique, Average (+1): Athletics, Will

Physical Stress: [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] Mental Stress: [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] Consequences, post-battle:

[ 2 - Wounded upper arm]

[ 4 - Torn shoulder]

[ 6 - Severed arm]

Stunts/Extras:

Focus, Shrine of Ariah: While in human form, Sidhale can attempt to take control of another character by rolling Will. This action is defended by Will. On a successful hit, the character takes shifts of mental damage. On a SWS (three shifts or greater), the character takes one less shift of mental damage, but is controlled by Sidhale for one turn.