The Succession of Chaos

[Gryphon]

Edit alert!: Please note that the rules of this game have changed since this topic was first created. The setting remains the same, but the new rules can be found here.

---

 

Merlin, King of Chaos stood on a rocky outcropping surveying his kingdom under a sky of shifting colour without a sun. Despite having come reluctantly to the throne so many centuries ago, he felt that he had thus far acquitted himself adequately, perhaps even well. It was only natural then, when things were going so smoothly that the forces of the universe should once again align to make life difficult. It appears that a king's duty is never done. Turning from his revery Merlin strode forth with purpose, his mission and business his own...

 

~~~

 

Welcome one and all, scions of the noble houses of Chaos! As members of your various noble houses you are all in line for the throne of Chaos, and with our Liege being absent we must prepair for one of you to take on the position of regent to the throne until his return. I know you all have the affairs of your own houses to take care of, however the saftey of the realm is paramount, so I urge you to put aside your ancient enmities and consider who among you would be a good strong caretaker for the throne until such time as King Merlin returns.

 

~~~

 

OOC: Welcome to the WereWolf XXIII signup and OOC thread. In this game you are going to be treated to some time the royal court of Chaos. As you sign up, take the time to create a character that would feel at home in a scheming high court environment populated by wizards, weapons masters, merchant princes and a myriad of other politically powerful beings.

 

All of you are somewhere in the line of succession to the throne and by extension heir's to or successors of your own family's estates and titles. Feel free to play any type of character that you can fit into such an environment, after all the name of the game is survival. Whether you do it by blade, magic, moneys or simply by poisoning all the opposition is up to you (and your clan who will support you naturally).

 

~~~

 

The World:

 

If you're not familiar with the Courts of Chaos and the books of Zelazny it doesn't matter - you can treat this as nothing more than a WW game set in a court somewhere.

 

The main difference is that in the Courts of Chaos everyone can shapeshift (this is a natural ability), the two preferred forms being human or demonic. Other forms can be achieved but doing so takes a lot of practice and patience, and those familiar with your character would likely still be able to recognise you.

 

If you are familiar with the books and you want to know about using anything peculiar to Zelazny's world, just PM me and check that it's ok.

 

~~~

The Game:

 

Most of your characters, will be happy to continue the status quo and have a regent hold the throne until the eventual return of the King.

 

The wolf (wolves) however see this as an excellent opportunity to seize the throne! Of course once they have power all they need to do to keep it is make sure that Merlin never makes it back to take his throne... but that's for them to worry about after this game is played out.

 

The seer has access to (either personally or through their clan) a powerful scrying object which they can use to spy on one person a night bypassing all attempts to obscure the truth.

 

The baner and his clan have resources, hidden or otherwise, that allow them to give flawless protection to whomever they choose.

 

I'm adopting the day phase = 48 hours, night phase 24 hours layout, subject to the occational time extension because my work in RL is erratic at the moment.

 

~~~

The Twist:

 

Lastly, because this is a high court after all, plotting and backstabbing is a standard fixture. The fight for who becomes regent and commands the power that entails should be as vigourous as the fight of the wolves to become King. PM alliances are allowed as long as a copy of all PM's come to me. However, it's not just villagers vs wolves, it's also to see who gets the regency!

 

Ideally I'd love to see the potential for political intrigue come to the fore with each participant working to push their case as best option for regent and working to discredit each other. Alliances can be created or destroyed as you see fit. I'm not sure how well it'll work, but my concept is that should the villagers win, s/he who has the most supporters in a vote will take the regency. If the wolves take it and more than one wolf survives they either work together to ensure that they keep their hard won kingdom or they get to fight it out between them.

 

~~~

 

So, before I manage to complicate things further... (hope I've not scared anyone off!) let the signups begin.

Edited March 26, 2006 by Gryphon

[Gryphon]

Just a clarification I thought I might add due to the nature of the game:

 

The character descriptions you post here should reflect the public persona of your character - basically whatever is known about your character by the masses - be that information true and correct or a fabrication carefully set up with intent to be sneaky.

 

If you want to flesh out the sneaky side of your character - skeletons in the closet and what your real agenda is, that should come to me via PM.

 

Also if you feel like just posting to register your interest and the filling in the character later on, feel free to do so. I'm not starting the game quickly because I'd really like to get a bit of character development (or at least some serious scheming) going before the game gets underway officially.

[Mynx]

Samantha of Aldwin

 

Samantha is a young woman who looks to be in her early twenties. Her family has been in the political limelight for many years and she has grown to the role admirably, helped by the fact that nearly every member of her family is involved with the Courts.

Her most distinctive aspect is both her pet hobby and her hair. Samantha has made mage craft her main focus of study outside of the Courts, and asa well as that has also paid particular attention to her shapeshifting. Samantha has adapted herself with many animal forms and their various mannerisms moreso than one usually would.

The generally serious study of magic has left Samantha with a permanent white stripe in her raven black hair (think Rogue from the X-Men).

More out of personal preference, than anything, Samantha never changes the stripe when she shapeshifts, making her easy to recognise by the write stripe no matter what she is.

Samantha is an aspiring young woman who enjoys her family's status and her placement in the Courts, and always appears amiciable and agreeable to her peers, despite whatever her opinions of them may be.

Edited July 7, 2005 by Mynx

[Tanuchan]

I'm in... just out of ideas right now. I'll be back later with a character

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

Edit: Character below

 

Katelyn of House Minobee

 

"The House Minobee are Traders, and this is far beyond the simple aspects of money. Trade can take any form, and can be of anything. A Minobee will never give you, young Diplomat, what they can sell to you. They are always looking for the margin to profit."

Katelyn and Karen of House Minobee, identical twins, have long hair the color of molten silver that glints and sparkles in the sun. Both sisters usually wear it braided and adorned with tiny jewels (blue/green/grey shades for Katelyn, red/orange/yellow for Karen). They have milky-white skin, and dark-blue eyes - the color of the sea during a storm - that can become as clear as peridot-green when they're angry.

 

Both sisters are minor mages, with skills in simple enchantments and illusions.

 

In their demoness forms, both sisters are tall, with pearl-white skin, piercing violet eyes, and a mane of copper-red hair that cascades over their shoulders. Their skin is covered with thousands of tiny, perfect scales - Katelyn's glowing sapphire-blue, Karen's glowing ruby-red.

 

 

Katelyn and Karen are identified by the jewels they use in their hair, and by the color of their scales in demoness form. Otherwise, they're absolutely identical.

 

 

~~~~~~

Edit: House changed, and info added

Edited March 26, 2006 by Tanuchan

[Venefyxatu]

Edit : Character description is posted, and it's right there \|/ too ...

Purple ninja edit : House correction

 

 

 

 

Karen of Minobee

 

Katelyn and Karen of Minobee, identical twins, have long hair the color of molten silver that glints and sparkles in the sun. Both sisters usually wear it braided and adorned with tiny jewels (blue/green/grey shades for Katelyn, red/orange/yellow for Karen).

They have milky-white skin, and dark-blue eyes - the color of the sea during a storm - that can become as clear as peridot-green when they're angry.

 

Katelyn is a minor mage, with skills in simple enchantments and illusions. It's a public secret that Karen has a fascination for dagger-throwing. The latter also has some magical ability, but not as much as her sister.

 

In their demoness forms, both sisters are tall, with pearl-white skin, piercing violet eyes, and a mane of copper-red hair that cascades over their shoulders. Their skin is covered with thousands of tiny, perfect scales - Katelyn's glowing sapphire-blue, Karen's glowing ruby-red.

 

The only way to tell them from each other in their human forms are the jewels in their hair, and in demon form the color of their scales.

Edited March 26, 2006 by Venefyxatu

[Quincunx]

What are the naming conventions of the Chaos nobles? Give us a few examples, or at least let us know the form: single name, Given Name of Clan X, Clan Givenname?

[Gryphon]

Typically the naming convention is of the house of

 

Merlin of the house of Sawall

Corwin of Amber

 

Primarily you'd just be referred to by a single name. That name can be anything. Because of the ability to walk through shadow (alternate realities are called shadows, each being it's own world) names from anywhere can be used.

 

Some names from the books are:

 

Merlin, Corwin, Brand, Fiona, Bleys, Deirdre, Jurt, Despil, Rinaldo (Luke), Caine, Dalt, Jasra, Dara, Mandor...

 

Not all of these are Chaosites, or even in the line to the throne, but as you can see, pretty much any name goes if you want it. If you've any doubts over a choice just PM me

 

Edit: Here's a link that gives a brief timeline of the series:

Amber Timeline

Please note that if you've not read the books yet, this timeline does contain spoilers that will remove some of the suprises for you should you decide to read the books later.

Edited July 6, 2005 by Gryphon

[Quincunx]

Fortunata of House Tarquin

 

All good things must come to an end. House Tarquin began as kings* but their prestige and skill had dwindled over the centuries; in these debased times, fourteen brats sprawled out over the youngest generation with brains enough for only three. If Fortunata, the oldest among them, had the looks of a goddess, it was a goddess of farmhands and hayricks. Her hair was hay-colored and tied up in fat horns on either side of her head, with a little cloth draped over the tops and trailing down to her back. Her laugh made roosters crow, she laughed at privy jokes and pratfalls, and she never knew when to laugh when most of the court tittered during a speech. She played badminton** obsessively on the palace grounds, holding her skirt up with one hand and the racquet in the air with the other as she minced across the court, lush body jiggling like a building in an earthquake, with half a dozen of her stubby-legged lapdogs running after her. Many court members have scryed her secretly, suspecting a ruse. There was none. Fortunata was truly empty-headed.

 

As the intelligence of House Tarquin sank, its humanity awakened again. For all her faults, Fortunata is a very kind person. Five minutes of conversation about someone's woes is enough to make her declare eternal and undying compassion, and horrible wrath for whoever brought the woes upon her new ally. Another five minutes of conversation from the horrible enemy makes her forget the first oath and swear undying and eternal compassion to her new ally. Various allies have tried to teach her to shapeshift but the only use she found for it was twinning and annoying the stuffing out of cousin Malvolio, an effete little sausage of a man who regularly captured the hearts of every fourteen-year-old girl in the court and lost them at sixteen.

 

*Consider that my druidess Tanaquil eventually married into the family. She was a knife-edged lady.

 

**"Why badminton?" asked a courtier one day. Fortunata's eyes bulged out and she clapped a hand over her mouth that didn't hide all of her smile, then beckoned the courtier close with her other hand.

 

"Shuttlecock!" she screeched, "Ha ha hee hee hee!"

 

[EDIT: Altered to suit the extended Tarquin history.]

Edited July 19, 2005 by Quincunx

[JDRollins]

Hello. I am new to the forum as Tanuchan brought me on board.

 

I would love to be in this game. Here is my character if I am accepted

 

Gregor of House Tinara

 

Gregor is the last born child of his family. He was born with genes that made him smaller than the rest of his family. Most of his family grew to heights of 6' 5" but he never reached above 4' 2" and was always treated with a jealousy from the rest of his siblings. His mother spoiled him terribly and his father showed him courtly ways more than the other siblings.

 

He is 24 years old now. He has long black hair with deep green eyes and a freckled face. He looks like he is only fourteen though.

 

He always wears darker colors like green, black and brown. Never anything flashy and never a hat of any kind will he be seen wearing.

 

Gregor acts as though he is stupid, but in reality he is very smart and has learned the dealings of courtly ways by watching the rest of his family and through his father's teachings. He has been merely biding his time to take over the place his father now holds. He was born last and is last in line of succession.

 

But he will take his rightful place and soon... No matter the cost to his older siblings.

 

He knows no magical arts but he has become a master of stealth and poisons.

Edited July 7, 2005 by JDRollins

[Patrick]

Paul of house Mib'Duad (character based on Paul Muad'Dib Atreides of Dune)

 

Paul's father had been killed because the king had seen him as a potential threat to the throne, and everyone thought Paul to also be dead. He returned two days ago to the court, after he had heard the departure of the king. Remaining members of his family had been ruled to be outlaws, but such a ruling hadn't been made against Paul, since they had thought him dead, and thus he can move around freely in the absence of the king. Not many people know however of his return as it wasn't done publicly and only a select few have heard from him.

 

Paul has black hair and matching dark eyes. He is rather tall and thin. He very rarely shapeshifts, but when he does so it varies what form he takes and due to him not having been seen in the last few years, it isn't easy to recognize him in his other forms.

Edited July 7, 2005 by Patrick Durham

[Katzaniel]

JD: I'm pretty sure you don't have to be a member to play. Welcome to the Pen, and welcome to the werewolf games.

 

Gryph: Sorry, I'm gonna have to sit this one out. I'm back in class, and busy again. I was lucky to get killed when I was in the last one.

[Quincunx]

Some of the people who brought Werewolf to our boards never became members. Heck, Jammeez even _hosted_ as an Honored Guest.

 

This promises to be an interesting game, a pack of driven, scheming individuals and one moron. I'm schemed out from WW XXI, let me just drag Fortunata along behind someone else's scheme. . .

[Degenero Angelus]

Julius Of the Iskari

 

Not a house, per se, but more of a brotherhood, The Iskari are a secretive, but well known, group of assassins and blademasters. Tall and slim, with a grace nearly unmatched in men, Julius is one of the assassins trained by the Iskari. His weapons are as hidden as his past, and no one has ever seen one of them more than once. A cleanshaven face to match his cleanshaven head, he dresses all in grey.

 

Nothing is known about him except for his name, his face, and that he comes to the court by direct invitation of the regent

 

His demon form, like his weapons, have never been seen by anyone living.

Edited July 15, 2005 by Degenero Angelus

[Savage Dragon]

Duke of the house Munich

(Duke is a name, not a title)

 

Duke is the only suriving member of the very unpopular house Munich. Despised for their creulty to their own people and to the other houses, the house of Munich was systamatically wiped out. Only Duke was spared, being a child of two, no one had the heart to kill him. Originally dismissed by the other houses as likely to fall, Duke was cared for by another larger house that has assisted him in maintaining his "clan" at a very minute level.

 

Duke is known for his generosity, thanks to the generosity shown to him at an early age. The vast wealth of his family is not what it used to be, but he has enough to suit him. His one and only shapeshifting shape, a demon, is slender and tall with "horns" of a sort, more closely resemblimg blades, on multiple parts of his body. However, his skin is that of a chameleon, instantly blending to its surroundings. Only the eyes, which always burn a firey bright blue, give him away. however, if he shuts his eyes....

 

Now that the regency is up for grabs, Duke is actively pursueing the throne, but does not really expect, or intend, to win. instead he uses the chance to be an observer, trying to learn as much as possible about the other "candidates". ones to befriend, ones to avoid, and possibly someone to rebuild his clan with.

 

OOC: Looks like a good game in the works. This is a strange format for me, so let me know if im out of place. If anyone wants to be the larger house that took pity on Duke, or a possible future wife for him to rebuild his clan with, let me know

Edited July 9, 2005 by MeThinksUFoolish

[Gryphon]

This is all looking really good. Just a couple of notes here:

 

First, if I don't mind you plotting with others to secure the regency for yourself or a cabal of your allies as long as you CC me in all in game PM discussions - I'm not going to insist on peering over your proverbial shoulders while you're doing character setup and approaching people to see if they want to become your allies, I just need to know the final result of those discussions.

 

Secondly, I've not set a time limit on the signup, partly because work is still quite busy for me, partly because I want a relaxed time table so as not to interfere with the Summer Carnival. Once I feel that everyone has had a chance to sign up and maybe lay down some basic alliances I'll open up the game thread and let the power struggle begin.

[Black9]

This is my first time in the games so go easy on the confusing stuff please:)

 

Name-Death (From the House of The Fallen)

weapons-Bone dagger-key item in summoning the dead

magic-Necromancy-uses the dead to protect himself

 

Status-Death looks to be the age of young boy of 16. He has no skills in melee combat and tends to have a attitude so happy it's almost creepy. Friendly to peoples faces Death likes to plot in his spare time with no general goal in mind. He is a novice at controlling the dead but has much potential. He carries with him a version the The Book of the Dead which he learns new spells and abilities. Death has the ability to summon one undead only but the better the spell the stronger the pet and the more difficult to control. If Death were to lose control, his own pet may just choose to kill him.

 

Family-Because Death's immediate family died when he was/is still young. Death grew up spending most of his time in graveyard. Infact, Death has come to believe that the graveyard strengthens him in the ways of power...and even though this is not true it gives him the confidence to better use his abilities.

 

Attire-Death's appearance is very gothic with everything on him being black. Even his hair is black and it's his natural color.

Edited July 15, 2005 by Black9

[Quincunx]

I seem to have spawned NPCs, as usual:

 

Lavinia, Grandame of Tarquin

 

Lavinia is not part of House Tarquin, she is House Tarquin. She was the oldest female of her generation and symbolically married the oldest male of the same generation; she bore a few children for talented fathers, as the Tarquins have a practical eye toward such marriages, but never gave them more than an aunt's acknowledgement. Her husband's body wasted away and died as he aged and had no soul to sustain it; her body is speckled and grooved, but the core of her competent soul keeps her head upright, even as her plots go soft and senile at the edges. Lavinia neither leaves the compound of House Tarquin (but keeps her eye glued to various telescopes mounted in the windows) nor speaks to outsiders unless another Tarquin provides an invitation.

 

Malvolio of House Tarquin

 

He ignores his cousin-wife Fortunata while stringing along the crop of new adolescent girls, year in, year out, from the comfort of his reclining couch at the edges of the court. In fact, he's always on that couch, heavy-lipped and adorned with his girl of the moment, playing cards in the middle of the most important speeches and arguments. His fashion is more modern than Fortunata's: billowy open shirt, narrow breeches, codpiece, hose and slippers, often colored and accessorized as though court were a masquerade ball. No woman over sixteen will dare being mistaken for one of his; the few men that speak to him are only there to capture one of his girls, and never succeed. Malvolio is too indolent (and perfect) to shapeshift.

[Gwaihir]

I'm not usually much into Werewolf, but this whole situation strikes me as eminently appealing. Looking forward to it.

 

Choseyre of House Choronte

 

As a teenager Choseyre ran away from home and for many years none of her family knew (or cared) whether she lived. Recently, however she has resurfaced. It's not clear where she enherited her wealth, wherever it came from she certainly does have a lot of it. Also, she re-appeared as a powerful mage. She is still a bit shy of showing off her skills, but many have seen the results of her magic after the fact and all of them are impressed.

 

Physically Choseyre is a woman of medium height with Dark brown hair. She is not beautiful, partially because of a scar on her face (and quite a few on the backs of her hands) that she says she acquired while young and foolish. Still, she manages to look quite interesting and more than one man has wondered if her smile was an invitation or a threat. Choseyre is always found dressed perfectly in the current style and because of her charming ways she is often found to be close friends with parties on both sides of any quarrel.

Choseyre refuses to shapeshift, because she is too shy.

[Gryphon]

Game is underway, finally!

 

Sorry for the delay in getting it up and running, RL is busy on and off so I'm going to have to run a fairly relaxed time table in that I might miss end of phase and move the time back (I wont move it forward at all, I promise).

 

Current list of players:

 

Mynx - Samantha of Aldwin

Tanuchan - Katelyn of Tredmer

Venefyxatu - Karen of Tredmer

Quincunx - Fortunata of Tarquin

JDRollins - Gregor of Tinara

Patrick Durham - Paul of Mib'Duad

Degenero Angelus - Julius of the Iskari

MeThinksUFoolish - Duke of Munich

Black9 - Death of The Fallen

Gwaihir - Choseyre of Choronte

 

I'd like to say you're all doing quite well so far in the sneakyness levels. It's time to bring some of those plans into the open and start your push for becoming the Regent of Chaos.

 

~~~

 

Edit: I forgot to mention that there are some NPC's that some of you have come up with that are not listed here because not all of you have posted them as entities. If you have one or more that you need to use feel free as long as you keep in mind that it's your main character who's in the running for the regency, not your NPC.

Edited July 29, 2005 by Gryphon

[Gryphon]

I was asked to clarify what it is that you're all working towards here...

 

The idea is that you're all happy with Merlin on the throne of Chaos and this regency is a chance to prove yourself an excellent choice for being named his direct successor when he gets back... not to mention maybe raising the status of your family in the process.

 

Wolves will be those who don't want to wait for Merlin to hand the throne on. They want it now, though gaining the regency would be a big step in the right direction for them too.

 

The seer can scry on one person per night phase, rightfully suspecting that there are some who have a lust for more than the regency.

 

The baner defends one person per night probably by spoiling an assassination attempt, be it through their magic, their presence or their martial skills. Protection is priceless.

[Black9]

Ooops..edited my post...hope it fits:)

[Gryphon]

No problem Black.

 

To give everyone an idea of what's happening with the game, in a day or so when everyone who want's to has had a chance to post and start building their climb to the regency has posted I'll kick things off with the first kill and the assignment of roles.

 

I appologise if I seem to be going on about it, but the whole 'wolf' thing is almost secondary in this game - certainly it's secondary now before the roles have been decided. For each of you, your goal is to secure the regency and your chance to prove to Merlin on his return that you'd make a fine heir to the throne of Chaos... How you go about achieving your goal is in your hands.

 

I'm just sorry I can't give too much guidance without feeling like I'm trying to control the path of the game for you all.

 

Good luck.

[Sweetcherrie]

Ok, you said in IRC that it was not too late to join....so I guess I will do so

 

Nazih Eadburga

 

This Arabic woman has it all; money looks, and she’s even charming and generally loved by all her employees (yes employees, cause she actually pays them!).

 

She’s been looking for a good and honest man to marry and share her throne with, but her advisors (main advisor is named Abdul Rashid, and absolute *peep*) have been disapproving of each potential husband so far.

 

She shape shifts (and quite adequately) into a Furfur demon (probably the reason that she really wants to marry, and also that her advisors won’t let her). I think I’ll keep the rest of her for in thread…don’t want to give it all away

 

Dictionnaire Infernal - Collin de Plancy (1863) (paraphrased)

Furfur is a count of hell who rules 26 legions. He appears as an angel or a stag with a flaming tail and speaks only lies unless enclosed in a triangle. He speaks in a raucous voice. Furfur sustains marriage, can cause thunderstorms, and speaks on abstract things.

[Gryphon]

Welcome back and sorry for the interruption... we will now return you to your regularly scheduled Werewolf game.

 

Due to technical problems the nature of this game has had to be altered slightly from the original although the original setting remains unchanged... The nature of these changes are as follows:

 

There are no PM alliances in this game.

The objective of the game is not so much to kill the wolves - it's more to survive long enough to take the throne.

 

All alliances / slander attempts / accusations and attempts to discredit your rivals are to take place in RP within the game. You are in a (non-inbred) royal court where treachery and politics are a way of life and you all live to play the game. How well you play it will directly influence the chances of your survival.

 

To keep it fun and because all accusations etc are to be done in character all voting is to be via PM, this means for 'lynchings' as well as wolf kills. Essentially you're not to know if your ally is planning to stab you in the back... the exceptions being the wolves, because they know they're working together.

 

~~~

 

I'd like those who're already signed up to please confirm your willingness to play, and I welcome any new signups.

 

For those who're not familiar with Roger Zelazny's books and the Courts of Chaos where this game is set, don't worry about it - just treat it like a cut-throat 19th century court where assassination and intrigue are a way of life... then add magic. For those of you who are familiar with the environment, you can consider yourselves as initiates of the Logrus and able to walk in Shadow. If you don't know what I'm on about - put yourself in the first category.

 

Post any questions here and I'll answer them as they come.

 

New signups and confirmations will be closed one week after Mynx officially finishes her current WW game.

 

Important!: Please remember that you're the best of the best of the greatest houses of Chaos. This is not some inbred court society, this is the embodyment of power. If your character is too much the weakling or outsider either you'll be first to die in the game, or your family will have you killed so you don't embarrass them. Life can be cheap here.

[Tanuchan]

Well, I'm still in as Katelyn of Tredmer (see here)... and I'm poking my "sister" Karen and I'll get "her" into the game, too... (=Venefyxatu )

 

Please, for any other interaction that was set at the time of the first sign up, I'd like to start from scratch - thank you

Edited March 26, 2006 by Tanuchan