In need of a little help

[shawnrau]

Hello all

My group of 5 players have embarked on character creation and have run into 2 issues.
the major issue is mine in that I need to come up with a solid reason as to why each member should not in fact be a special snow flake. While I am all for each person playing a well thought out character I'm having trouble rationalizing a group composed of two Demorthen, one Magientist, one priest, and a peasant that happens to beable to read & write, and dreams of being a natural philosopher.

My other issue is explaining to one of the player exactly what a Demorthen does through the course of a typical day, he has read the universe book at least twice as well as reading through the prologue book and still struggles to understand just what a Demorthen does when not engaged In teaching/ talking about the old traditions, communing with the spirits of nature, or delving into the mysteries.

Any thoughts on either problem would be greatly appreciated

[Val]

Okay I'll try to deal with your first issue, since it's one of the major issue that a GM frequently meet in Shadows of Esteren.

Basically it really depends on what you are willing to do in terms of scenarios : do you want to play some official stuff like "Prologue" or "Tuath" ? If this is not your goal then the issue will be easier to solve.

The first thing you need is to find a place where all these people will encounter. Where can you find two demorthèns, a future philosopher, a magientist and a priest ? Two demorthèn make me think to the Tsioghair... Great place also for a young and courageous peasant who is looking for wisdom and who left his home to travel to this place.

So You need to find a reason for the magientist to be there : he could be a spy, sent by his reizhite organisation to observe that weird event and collect informations on demorthèn traditions, or to study the stones of tursal (do they give a special flux ?).

The priest can be here for another reason : to claim justice. Maybe he has been sent here to look after a community of believers settled in Taol Ker. And maybe he discovered that this community has been slaugthered and the church destroyed by traditionnalists. It could explain the reason of his presence in the tsioghair, he wants to meet some "superior" demorthèn because he thinks (although he is wrong) that they have a hierarchy like the Temple.

Okay once they all have a reason to be in the same place, you just have to find something to gather them... Since SoE is an horrific game, I would use an horrible murder. In such a sacred place, it can be the good start for a scenario ^^ Let your players be suspected of the crime (especially the magientist and the priest) or the people in charge of the investigations...

... then let your imagination act !


Val

[jujuzecatboy]

Hello!

Demorthèns daily life? That's an interesting question. A demorthen is a teacher, a kind of preast or shaman, a power of nature if he possesses oghams... What else? They participate to the life of their community, giving advices to people who wants them, especially chieftains. They can be representatives of their village as they are quite respected in Taol Kaer. Hurting one of them could possibly lead to the entire town turning against the agressor(s). They have responsibilities too, like celebrating holy days, weddings, funerals... Finally, a long work for many of them is training an apprentice. That's also teaching, yes, but of a different kind, more focused on ancient knowledges.

I hope all these occupations can fulfill a whole day of your demorthèn player!

[shawnrau]

Val thanks for reminding me of the Tsioghair!

the two Demorthens have decided to be teacher and student and the priest player has built his character around the idea of Cadfeal (tv show), So here is what im thinking for those three... The ionnthen is a former novice in service to the temple who after having been saved by the Demorthen from an attack by an unknown entity while gathering herbs deep in the forest, has begone to follow the Demorthen. a year and a half later the Demorthen and her Ionnthen the former novice travel to one of the Tsioghair gatherings.

at the Tsioghair the Priest has been dispatched by temple on behalf of the local monastery to investigate the rumors of pacts with demons being done there, and while he does not give it much credence he is diligent about his assignments, while there he happens to see an ionnthen that look exactly like a novice who is the base born son of a noble who has stopped paying for the construction of a Temple when his son went missing almost 2 years ago.

The magientist is there doing research on the theory that certain types of organic matter when harvested after a Demorthen ceremony have a high yield when distilled into flux.

The peasent has been traveling with Magientist as an all purpose laborer who is secretly reading the papers and books that the Magientist has with him.. and has been making tonic to sell thus far without the Magientist finding out.

and yes i will have a murder..