I'll be there with some friends.
Curious if any EFU'ers will be there for the party, too.
Curious if any EFU'ers will be there for the party, too.
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Vyrgil Vendelstalh was an anti-agent. An inhuman villain with a human side. A man of many contradictions and plentiful flaws. On the outside, he was a crude and callous alcoholic. On the inside, he was a lonely man, struck with grief and bitterness.
He had very simple goals.
Rise to the height of political power
Become the greatest "scholar" by fraudulent means
Become unrivaled in the Art.
All for a single purpose
To found a dynasty of privileged heirs, to carry the name and endure the test of time.
He put the utmost trust into his "family" - and hated everyone else. How surprising that he would be betrayed time and time again by those closest to him. Perhaps, it was a bit his fault. The idea was to portray the most authoritarian an abusive father figure imaginable, balanced by unwavering loyalty and a propensity to dispense undue favours. And it was amazing, and led to fantastic stories, from Daro to Cavanac to Cousin Reman to Rebecca to Elizabeth to Elaine to ghost daughter Vyrginia! These were my favorite moments with Vyrgil, and amongst my favorite of all time in EFU.
The book plot was interesting. I did enjoy copying all these books, and coercing other PCs into writing more and more books to satiate his petty scholarly ego. In the end I probably spent far too much time perfecting forum material and copy-pasting other people's stuff. But it was a worthy ride. I can't thank the people who went along enough. Writing a forum pseudo-book for someone else is an effortful thing. I'm amazed so many of you went with it. A real testament to the devotion of our players! (except you, Moony. You still owe me a book!)
Vyrgil had a perpetual conflict with WAW, more so than with other factions. Under his tenure, the Watchers and Warders would be perpetually divided. Vyrgil was an abusive, demeaning overlord who stepped on the toes of just about everyone. This lead to an incredibly tense and cloak and dagger atmosphere, with Investigators busy collecting evidence for all of Vyrgil's acts of corruption and murder. It all culminated in an internal tribunal, where thankfully - the dead can't speak.
And then there were a plethora of other things. And this is Agent life. You become tied up in a zillion little things. But I think, it makes it even more important to remain focused on personal things - because the risk of spreading one's attention too thinly is a very real one! It's easy to become an archetype of an Agent by trying to Marie Sue it, and dilute one's character - losing track of what really matters in the process.
I think it was ultimately this character that made me realize just how sweet defeat could be, and how enjoyable it is to "set yourself up" for a good whooping. Flawed is beautiful.
Background
Vyrgil Vendelstalh was born to a physician of Old port who held daring repute. He was amongst the few who scoured the shores of Ymph in search of the fable cure that would wash away the Maiden's embrace, leaving everything behind in search for his cure for the masses!
The neglect of his father caused a profound family crisis. Vyrgil's mother had to "work the docks" while his sister died of the pox at a young age. All while his idealistic progenitor was away - unknowing of the family's tragic ruin - pursuing some fleeting vision of relief for the have-nots.
When his father returned, he was too ill to pursue his quest, or to care for his family. Soon, he felt the maiden's grip coiled around his ailing soul. Before the fever took him, he whispered words unspeakable to his eleven-year old Son.
"Vyr-Vyrgil, the dagger..."
There are some who would forgive, and carry the burden of their father to pursue with thricefold fervor what remains unfinished. To abandon themselves in the names of others - to walk the martyr's path. And then there are others.
Vyrgil grew up to become a petty, fearful man. Terrified of disease, curses, and "miasma," he shut himself into an ivory tower, and became a peddler of snake-oil amongst the Upper class of Old-Port; Conning minor barons and wealthy merchant in believing his famed father had found a miraculous remedy.
Most of all, he never forgave his father for abandoning the family.
Synopsis
The overarching theme was that of decadence, bitter entitlement, and grief. Bitter entitlement because of all his victories for the Spellguard, and the lack of recognition he felt as a result. Grief would come as a consequence of his failed attempt at uniting a perfect family - and the untimely death and betrayals of beloved children.
Food, wine, and orgiac gatherings in the Red Lantern were his coping mechanism at first. Slowly but surely, he turned into a morbidly fat alcoholic. The wine would dull his pain every morning - so he could go about his miserable existence for one more day at a time. Vyrgil kept on drinking despite knowing it would be his undoing. He did listen to the counsel of others, and tried to pick up hobbies beyond the self-destruction he was inflicting upon himself.
So he picked up painting. And he became obsessed with depicting his ideal family. The happy Vendelstalhs - with him, sitting as patriarch of this lucky bunch. As time flew by, he remained more and more cloistered in the Tower, with less and less interest in the world - he spent his time painting and drinking, to heal the wounds.
But healing never came. At some point, the grief felt over the loss of his lost daughter Vyrginia culminated into a delirium. His child was alive. Somewhere, beyond the veil. Speaking to his father during his delirious drinking sessions in his room. In truth, she was but a lock of hair in a wooden box. But she was alive, she was something he could hold onto.
Then she was taken away from him, and the box burned and salted by the only being left in existence that he cared for - Elaine Vadrell.
And so his spirit was broken one more time, betrayed one last time. And he kept on drinking. Alone in his room, clinging onto the surreal portraits of his loved ones.
His final relief from this world would come from the inside. His skin turned into a sickly yellow as his liver gave up the struggle. In the darks to follow, he would remain bed-struck, severely ill and woefully ignored by the Reformed Order he so often challenged.
On Eleasis 25rd, he died as he lived.
Alone.
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QuoteSo it is at last, the coot has met his end. Not without making a few sparks! I enjoyed my EFU break greatly this year, and I'm in debt to all of this wonderful community to whom I owe these blissful moments of EFU grandiosity.[/SIZE]
My plan with Albrecht was to explore a facet of lawful good inspired from medieval theology, namely Puritanism. As a devout of Siamorphe, his main goal was to restore nobility and their cronies to power in Sanctuary. I'm happy to say it was a blast in creating these bittersweet enmities with a vast portion of the Sanctuarian populace! It was a joy to log in and just be that old coot, striding in the square and hurling his discontent at the first man he saw. Joy in EFU comes with the little things, these little snippets of interactions that push you ever closer towards these broader, ever-elusive goals.
QuoteIt has been a very long and wild ride. I'm proud to say he had the greatest story I've had the chance to experience on EFU so far. I'd like to thank EFU as a whole for making such magic even possible. I can't start to single out people or this death thread would turn out to be an endless list. But you know who you are - in the end, it turns out to be the great majority of EFU's playerbase :)
I'll just say, for EFU:R - special cheers to Meldread, for his mad (and ongoing!) support to the Ascension plot. (and the whole wave of new DM's who have done a terrific job so far)
The Brotherhood of Ascent is an incredibly great faction, and if you're floating in between concepts : Go for it, they need a new spiritual leader ! (You might even get to play a Cleric of the Ascended One)
For what follows, I've mainly just copied my Personal Character Notes written in story mode. Enjoy folks, and rock on.
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