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She spied on people. Lots of people. Like who?

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Janissaries



Cinquefoil People



Random People



Whole Parties!



And here's one of her favourite pick pocketing spots

The mix of text-based communication with real-time combat makes trap-detectors in combat ineffective when conveying to your party members where traps are can be key avoiding a bad time.

To get around this, perhaps some sort of player tool or spell-like ability could be created that serves to act as/represent the action of yelling out the identification/location of a trap?

Some ways of how this could be mechanically implemented:

On a successful roll (that could involve various skills and abilities, search, persuade, intelligence, wisdom, and/or charisma), the trap could be flagged as detected so it is now visible to everyone.

To make things more complex but realistic, success of such a roll could instead lower the detection DC of the trap, making other characters more likely to see it.

Alternatively, success of the initial roll could give friendly/neutral (language speaking) creatures in a radius a temporary bonus to their search skills so that it matches the search skill of the ability user (or up to a certain percentage of the ability user's search skill).

Lesser Darkness

Spell Level: Bard/Cleric/Druid/Sorcerer/Wizard 0
Innate Level: 0
School: Evocation
Range: Touch
Area of effect: single
Saving Throw: Harmless (none)
Spell resistance: yes
Duration: 1 hour/level
Additional counterspells: Light
Effect: Creates a small source of darkness above the target creature's head.  It travels with the target. It can also be cast on any item that a character can equipment and make it emit darkness.  Creatures with darkvision are able to look within the affected area with said ability.

Notes: This spell would basically be a dark or lightless version of the Light cantrip. I'm unsure if "black" is a valid light colour in terms of NWN:EE's graphical engine so I think the visual effect could be implemented by having all light sources within the area of effect of the target temporarily suppressed/removed. Alternatively, the effect could be implemented via the Darkness spell VFX which does not require ultravision to see through/into it.

Aldstan was amazing. I loved so many things about him: his mysterious and tortured origins; his Dweebish start getting pushed around by others; his never shirking away from duels; that awkward one-on-one meeting with Brie in the Velvete; his prestigious rise up through the ranks of Moonspear; his diction and his manner of speech. It was great to see him become and establish himself as such a fixture of the server.

Liv was great and though I knew her life would end tragically I was still shocked to learn about her end.

Jacho was a great eccentric hedge mage and the commonalities Brie and he ended up sharing was wild. I was specially looking forward to the two of them discovering more of druidism together were it not for the rings they had to run. I'm glad they became such good friends through it all.

[Concept:]

So, after my previous PC Odette died, I told myself I should take a break. Take it easy and relax. I just went through a huge emotional ordeal, after all. Then a thought crossed my mind: omg i should play a rogue again.


Unsurprisingly, Brie's portrait was a drawing by the amazing Charlie Bowater.

[hide=Lovely portrait by Karpie!][/hide]

Concept:

To change things up a bit, I decided to try going with a INT/CHA rogue build so the idea of Brie being a social spy quickly came about. I figured this would pair well with my attempts to interact heavily with the Great Houses.

Brie was an exercise in spycraft and mind games and I wanted her to be my best rogue yet. Not just the best in terms of knowing everything and being able to spy on people without their knowledge, but also in being an enigmatic figure that no one is able to pin down with a hundred percent certainty. I wanted Brie to walk the knife edge between trustworthy and untrustable. I wanted the players of every character who enters a conversation with Brie to ask themselves "is this a good idea?" followed up with "was that a bad idea?" once the conversation is over and the characters part ways.

Brie was also an exploration of trust on a personal level. She is keenly aware and accepting that, as a spy, people reasonably do not trust her. She doesn't expect to be trusted nor does she think deserves to be trusted. What sort of effect does that have on Brie? Her personality? Her emotional state? Her wants and goals? Can she ever be saved or redeemed for being a liar, traitor, turncloak, betrayer, double-crosser, snake? And are other people attempting to save or redeem her worth the risk?

Origin/Background:

I somehow ended up with a fairly lengthy origin/backstory for Brie that managed to tie in her rogue perks quickly and easily. When inspiration strikes, go with it!

[hide=Backstory]Brie Cesme's early life saw her working as a physician in Selgaunt of Sembia. Eventually, her practice grew successful enough that it garnered the attention of Selguant's criminal organizations. In a daring ploy to defend herself, she began dabbling in poisons and, after successfully poisoning some of her harassers, she was able to negotiate a deal with them to back off.

Brie's handling of her situation caught the attention of the authorities working for Overmaster Kendrick Selkirk and the Merchant Council of Sembia. They recruited Brie as a diplomatic agent and spy, and provided her with further training in diplomacy, subterfuge, and espionage to supplement her other talents.

In her new career, Brie was frequently assigned and pitted against agents of the Zhentarim who were making attempting to make inroads into Sembia. She eventually fell into an antagonistic yet friendly relationship with a Zhentarim agent, the two of them acting as double agents for their respective authorities and opposing forces.

As time passed, however, Brie slowly became disillusioned with the governing forces of Sembia as it was rife with corruption–the criminals who caused her trouble in her earlier medical career were just as influential in the Sembian government. The Zhentarim agent took advantage of this and plotted to have Brie become a complete turn coat and new faithful of Bane.

However, just before such could happen, Brie was whisked away to the City of Rings. She awoke a few weeks before the revelation of Tchammorar. The events that followed further embolden traces of the new influences instilled in Brie: chaos would always lead to destruction eventually, order was the only safeguard. For the Peerage Ward to maintain any semblance of peace, law would have to reign supreme.

For nearly a year, Brie studied the Peerage Ward, its people, and traditions. Working simple and menial jobs, she watched and learned and, now, she was finally ready to become a much more active participant. In her studies, Brie came to a simple fact: order needs to be imposed by power. And, so, she thought of a fairly simple plan in general: become House Orza's hidden spymaster before finally joining them to act as their outward face.[/hide]

Thanks:

As usual, there are many, wonderful players to thank for helping/hindering Brie along in her story. But, in particular, I would like to thank the players who accompanied Brie on her ring running during the tail end of her journey: SN, VP, efuincarnate, Diablo, Gwillicus, merrychase, and TheCisco.

Screenshots:

So many...

First of all, Brie's antics in spying! One of the best things about playing a rogue is just being places and hearing things that other people don't know about.
[hide=Spying!]





[/hide]

House Orza... The initial goal and plan was that Brie would become House Orza's public face: diplomat, liaison, negotiator, etc. and try to subtly shift House Orza away from what she saw as chaotic/evil tendencies. Things clearly didn't turn out according to plan because House Oldflowers, which Brie infiltrated on Luciana's behalf, managed to impress and influence Brie to a great degree. I like to say what while House Orza was the first House that Brie worked for, House Oldflowers is the first House she swore loyalty to. After House Oldflowers was butchered, Brie decided to continue on with the plan with Lady Luciana Orza being the crux: to influence and help her grow into a good House leader. It was a hard one. Brie was the only good cop in a house full of bad cops. Nearly every other Orzan questioned why Brie was even in the House. Some even blatantly threatened her.
[hide=A chat with Lady Luciana Orza][/hide]

Liv was one of Brie's first and earliest contacts though there was actually fairly little espionage work done between them. Instead, Brie just considered Liv a good friend who helped comfort her after the slaughter of the Oldflowers, though the comfort came in the lesson that not all monsters looked like monsters.
[hide=Liv][/hide]

Cybel and Lamia were two interesting characters that Brie decided to keep tabs on because of what Luciana did to Lamia. Her relationship with Cybel grew into a genuine friendship, her relationship with Lamia...? I don't know...
[hide=Cybel and Lamia]


[/hide]

Gaddiel was simply a fascinating character. Brie and Gaddiel didn't interact much but I'm glad I got to see his end.
[hide=Gaddiel Who Comes]
[/hide]

Brie's relationship with Kinsley was interesting and strained in a subtle way. Kinsley was who Brie wanted to be--lawful, dutiful, a protector of the Ward. But, over time, Brie realized there's a reason why she went into spycraft: flexibility.
[hide=Kinsley][/hide]

In comparison, Brie's relationship with Pavlina I thought was very heart warming. The two viewed their profession/talents in a similar manner and Brie felt a kinship with the wizard who was wary of her arcane talents. Pavlina got Brie into poetry which Brie took to rather well, I'd say because I'd take every opportunity I can to get make up EFU poetry.
[hide=Pavlina][/hide]

Some miscellaneous group shots!
[hide]




[/hide]

Sorcha was just meant to be another plant. Another contact that Brie could ply to get information on Glitt. Someone like Sorcha inside Glitt working for Brie would have been so valuable that Brie even reversed the bounty contract that Aaron Goodwill's mother put on Sorcha. What Brie didn't anticipate, however, was how strongly Sorcha still felt for Brie after it was revealed that Brie was working for Orza. Unlike most others, Sorcha responded with a gentle (but still very blunt) approached aimed more at redeeming and saving Brie. Sorcha even went through the trouble and headache of trying to come up with a plan where the two of them would ring run to escape the Ward (a plan which eventually came to fruition). Brie initially merely amused Sorcha at first but Sorcha was so insistent and consistent that Brie was eventually won over by Sorcha's affection and dedication. When Brie finally decided to escape House Orza and revealed Manfred's infernalism, she was thinking about Sorcha.
[hide]





[/hide]

Loads of scenic shots!
[hide]




[/hide]

Enristo The Shaded (NOT ERNESTO). As part of Manfred's infernalism, he sought to try and get as many Orzans involved with demons and devils as possible. Manfred introduced Brie to Enristo but she tried her best to keep to under wraps. What exactly happened between Brie and Enristo? Did Brie really trade her soul to Enristo for something? Anything? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
[hide]

[/hide]

Here's a pic of some colours that looked more honest on Brie
[hide][/hide]

And... Finally... A Sad End...(?)
[hide][/hide]

An absolute force both brazen and behind the scenes!

I loved my encounters with Gilthalas. A mix of tragic and driven, personal and people.

I only got a chance to see Winnie from a distance and in fairly sparse amounts but I could easily tell she was still a great character.

Tolinar was a great character who felt like a fount of information and knowledge. It felt like he was everywhere and saw everything. Great work!

It was great playing with you again tinfoilhat. I was so happy when I learned that you played Francine. It was an absolutely wonderful to see the relationship between Odette and Francine develop. I'm desperately hoping that Francine and the rest of the Avowed made it to ring 1 because Francine deserves everything she wishes and hopes for.

I had a hard time figuring out if Thelisa was a positive or negative presence in the Ponds but she was very clearly a force to be reckoned with and respected.

[Concept/Origin/Background:]

Weight of the World - Nier: Automata OST
(Originally suggested to Roxy as a theme song for Vivian but as Odette
developed, I thought this also became suitable for them as well.)

Odette Sterra was my first committed PC in the City of the Rings and it was one hell of an introduction and reintroduction. Playing Odette has reminded me what I love about all of you and this place and I'm glad that I had that one weird dream about EFU (thanks Ciorba) back in August that convinced me to take a peek back in here.



Odette's portrait is another amazing work by Charlie Bowater. If you ever see any of her works as a character portrait, you probably wouldn't be wrong to guess that I'm playing that character.

Concept/Origin/Background:

The majority of 2018 was a bad year for me and--especially--my wife. Health issues that she had been suffering for over a decade and a half had gotten worse due to what treatments and procedures she tried having little or minimal effect. The entire thing was more draining and a bigger burden on my emotions and mental health than I either realized or admitted at the time, but it was one of the factors of why I stepped away from EFU back then.

Near the end of 2018, my wife started a new treatment that finally improved the state of her health.  It took a few months of the treatment's efficacy remaining stable and consistent, but I then started feeling  more hopeful than I ever have in my life. During these (mis)adventures in health and recovery, I was exposed to a lot of different approaches and interpretations of the concepts of medicine, health, recovery, healing, mental health, and so on.

I didn't realize it at the time, but I think this may be what partly inspired the idea of the White Willow--a deity of healing with a focus on incorporating and balancing body, mind, and spirit. As I am oft to do, I also wanted to play a relatively fly-on-the-wall (at first) character that allowed me to interact with as many characters possible. So, that's where the idea of the White Willow being true neutral came from. I wrote up an alignment interpretation chart which I think does a good job of explaining how any character could approach the White willow.

As for Odette's origins, I never actually decided on who they were before they Awoke. The most developed idea I came to was that they were a Sharran (thus why they had a fear of cats, as creatures of Sharess, hated them). This also would've been a good reason for their neutral evil alignment.

Thanks:

First of all. All of you. Just all of you. Every player and DM who contributes to EFU. And every player and DM for interacting with Odette. I like to think every interaction, big or small, affects my PCs in various ways and it absolutely felt like it with Odette.

Roxy, most of all, for having Vivian be both foil and friend to Odette.

The crew of the Blazing Hearts played by Zytum, Warsor, snoozer/mazz, Don Nadie, Nazey, and RippingHeadz. I am proud and amazed that we got as deep as we did. But I feel absolutely gutted and guilty with where it ends now.

For playing characters who have had a profound affect on Odette of their own: Astra, tinfoilhat and the Avowed crew players, scitus, DTW, Spiffy, Empress of Neon, Ciobra, Amon, Gordon, VanillaPudding, Diablo, Cisnopith(sp?), nelly, Voss, Lannister, naga, clood, cat, stranger, vlaid, SnakeXFX and the player of Ahma. There's likely many players and characters I'm forgetting but please believe me when I say that everyone who interacted with Odette contributed something to them.

Many players have noted how I played Odette as a non-binary/genderless person and I'd like to offer a special thank you to them. I originally envisioned Odette as feminine but the idea popped into my mind when I saw and decided on Odette's portrait. It took me a while to get used to it myself (there were a few cases where I emoted using "she/her") but it quickly felt natural a few weeks into playing Odette. This experience was also something that helped me to come to understand about my own gender.

Works of fiction:

I have always love writing fiction for EFU and I absolutely threw myself into it for Odette from the beginning.

Their journal can be found here.

The White Willow Bible here.

A Criticism of the Renunciation. Odette started working on this a few days after they met Vivian. Based on numerous discussions, this work was an attempt to try and peel Vivian away from the Renunciation. A certain trip into the Razor's Web that turned disastrous, however, changed that and Odette came to realize what the most important words in the world aren't those in some long winded treatise.

And most recently, the Prophecies of Saint Vivian Servanus, August of the Mist, which further developed into Odette's own prophecies as the Mist had a cruel habit of talking to them.

There was also an advice column that Odette wrote inspired by r/AmITheAsshole but that quickly fell by the wayside because I ran out o ideas and because I decided to focus on their journal.

Screenshots:

Time for the motherlode. As a number of people have suggested, I set up my own Discord server to host all the screenshots I took. I'll post some of my favourites here but for the whole gamut (nearly 80 images!) please come and take look here.

Note: I play on a 2K monitor so these screenshots can be a bit big, apologies!

One of the first chats with Vivian: I do not have the right words to describe the relationship between Odette and Vivian. It started off simply: "I'll convert her to the White Willow", but with every step forward, their relationship became more and more complex and I like to think they both developed in immense ways because of each other.  I, frankly, cannot imagine Odette without Vivian and, ever since they met, Odette was extrinsically defined by who or what they were to Vivian. Even after Vivian's death and with Odette's descent into despair and Mist worship, Odette was still making decisions that revolved around Vivian. The two were many things: religious rivals, philosophical opponents, quest buddies, ponds scum, ring running companions, and much more. In the end, however, they were just incredible friends that made life in the City of Rings bearable for one another.
[hide=A chat with Vivian][/hide]

The day before the Siege of Ring 92 event, Vivian showed Odette the cathedral and the two had a discussion that touched on death and reincarnation. Odette made a promise to her but, after Visha's death in the Ponds Sunpurse Manse event and Vivian's following break down, Odette realized this was a promise they should not keep and, instead, that the greatest act of friendship that they could ever do for Vivian would be to let her go when it was her time.
[hide=In the Cathedral of Ring 92][/hide]

Lots of people thought Vivian was odd or strange for a variety of reasons. But, behold, the true horror of Vivian:
[hide=The True Horror That is Vivian][/url][/hide]

After Vivian's death, Odette was able to get their hands on Vivian's robes which lead to this makeshift funeral.
[hide=A Funeral]

[/hide]

I love this shot simply because of how it seems like a weird mix of sad and badass.
[hide=I Wear Black Now][/hide]

Despite not being a follower of the Renunciation, this particular piece of loot obtained from within the Razor's Web was apt and would come to define the relationship between Odette and Vivian. This belt was a constant reminder of the lowest point in their relationship (just a little bit of murder-suicide, no big deal) but it was also a reminder that their relationship would eventually result in heartache for Odette.
[hide=Loot!][/hide]

A fun little trip to the Golden City to steal some heavenly wine. Out of all the Houses, Odette jived with Velstra the most. I had a blast interacting with all the Velstrans.
[hide=Wine Trip!]
[/hide]

Here's a beautiful shot from within the Razor's Web.
[hide=Vivian Giving All of Herself to the Renunciation... Or does she...?][/hide]

Some scenic shots. The DMs have done an amazing job of building EFU:CoR and it is absolutely gorgeous and I am absolutely blown away but the things I have seen. Ring running was somewhat tough on me because it felt both time constraining and lonely, but I definitely would agree that every player should give it one good go to see some of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen in this game.
[hide=Scenic!]





[/hide]

And finally....

I had no idea what was going to happen when we entered the Pallid Prince's Feast Hall. I was terrified, trembling in my chair. It looked like a battle with no way out. I had zero confidence (at the start) that the party could win and I had no idea how Odette was going to survive. This was a painful lesson to always, always take permadeath warnings seriously. Don't just ask if your PC is ready to die. Ask if they have real, good in-character reasons to go. Ask if they are afraid and if they should act on that fear to turn around. Ask if you're ready to stop playing them.
[hide=Feast...][/hide]

Don't forget all the screenshots are in this Discord server!

What now?

I have no solid idea.

Part of me says to just roll my next concept and jump back in. Many people have reached out to me with their suggestions and invitations and I'm absolutely touched by them and the fact that you enjoy playing with me to try to rope me back in as soon as possible.

Another part of me says I should lay off a bit. Playing Odette had got me back me into the bad habits of staying up way past my bed time, procrastinating on household chores, and writing far too many forum posts from work. These could fly in my earlier years but maybe not so much now.

Plus there's all the psychic and emotional damage I'm still recovering from (thanks a lot).

Well. Whatever. Keep rocking EFU.

I enjoy being a DM. Even more so than a player.

As a player I got to know many of you through your characters and through my own. As a DM, I was able to peek into your minds deeper and more intimately and in a broader scope than I thought possible.

However, just as playing a character takes time, focus, and motivation, the same is even truer for being a DM. Things have changed drastically in my life since I first started playing here and what I am now able to offer the server as a DM is not the same as it was. I miss the days of running half-day long events, trawling through pages upon pages of personal character notes, and eavesdropping on the relationships between characters evolve and develop from behind the curtain.

I miss all of that but I'm afraid I can't see myself being able to do it all again in the foreseeable future; and so I'm stepping down from the DM team.

Naturally, the timing couldn't be worse! NWN:EE has just been released! The plots are running thick! New and interesting characters are being created--as they always are!

But I know EFU will be here when I get the chance to come back. You people--players and DMs alike--are tenacious story tellers. The collective creativity of this community is astounding and I cannot imagine anything happening to this community other than for it to continue to grow and create.

Thank you all for telling your stories. I look forward to being part of them again.