What Follows/saved posts
Topic: Solhaven
Message #: 3290
Author: GS4-LYDIL
Date: 11/04/2021 09:58 PM
Subject: Re: What Follows - Thank You and Feedback
Thank you all for the feedback and thoughts on What Follows. I apologize for not responding sooner, but I wanted to give everyone time to respond, and then October was a rather busy month for me between EG and real life. All of the responses have been useful to read, as everything you all provided was constructive in nature whether it was what was liked or disliked. I never expect anything to be universally liked or enjoyed, nor is praise all I am looking for when I make these threads, so again I appreciate you all taking the time to respond, as such information will help to make for better things in the future.
The overall intent of this storyline was to pick up or continue a number of threads that had been dangling from past events, which is in part why it was named What Follows. Because now we were seeing what came as a result of things in the past, and in part because it was quoting a line from the Bard himself that I've always been fond of. The idea was also to do some in a more every day manner than big flashy ones. If thinking of it in terms of episodes in a TV series, this would be some of the more focused and quiet middle episodes, than the big mid or end of season finales. Because of the more quiet nature for this storyline, this led to the idea of having multiple elements via the different characters/stories, so as to give people different ways of getting involved especially if any particular one did not resonate with them. The thought of running each one separately was considered, but I decided against this as I wanted to give each time breathe and develop over time, and so went with the plan of mixing the different stories so that there was always an active element at a given time. In retrospect knowing what I do now, I can certainly see ways to have executed all of this better, but that only comes with having tried it in the first place.
For each of the story arcs, what took place may have not been an epic event for the ages, but each did result in significant impact and change for the characters involved. And for all of them, what did end up taking place was influenced by the actions and words of all of those involved. For some the ramifications may have been larger than others. To that end, some insight into each of the arcs:
Ciermont - The main purpose was to close the circle when it came to the Research Proposals. His staying in Vornavis was a highly flexible thing, and had there not been the engagement in the historical discussions then he very likely would have returned to Nydds much sooner. But that was not the case, and the results of which will be seen and felt down the road. In particular I was not sure how the response to discussing history and such would go, as it can be a very dry or boring subject to some. That so many did engage with it was an enjoyable thing to see and experience.
Camryth - While it may no longer be the case, for a long period of time anything associated with Jantalar was seen as evil/bad. It was specifically chosen as her home to help show how times have changed. Her story was meant to be a mirror of the story for many characters, but just how much changed from the first night. Seeing people give her the same advice five times, and just general behavior of characters towards a young girl fresh from the far it resonated just how "weird/different" PCs can be, and so that resulted in my leaning into that and how Camryth viewed/responded to people. On a more broad scale, the words/actions of people greatly affected how her story arc went. Had it gone differently, she could have ended back on her farm, leaving for somewhere else, or even dead/injured. The post showing Camryth preparing the night before to meet with Gedrick was reflective of that, as the thoughts she heard in her head were based on actual things said to her. Which led to things coming together in a moment that will have lasting repercussions.
Gedrick - For all that was done with Camryth, the end goal of her being accepted as his squire would never have happened if not for the influence people had on Gedrick as well. Camryth could have done everything right, but if efforts were not made to help pull Gedrick out of the situation he felt trapped in, then it would not have succeeded. And along the way he was meant to serve as a mirror to the knights and titled folks who encountered him, showing that such a grant is not always a reward, and the life of a knight is not all horses and heroics.
Salnim/Kasendra - Their aspect of storylines is always a tricky one. As I want to have you all involved in it, but at the same time they are nobles of the Empire and with that comes a certain amount of separation from regular folks. It is why for some of the more important and intimate moments for them it was shown via forum post, as it would be very unlikely for such to have taken place where others can see. But that is not to say that the interactions with them have no impact, as they certainly did help influence the course taken.
Malvernus/Orphia - This was actually not originally part of the storyline, but rather a late addition after I brought the idea up with GM Auchand. He was most agreeable to it, and I realize now I forgot to thank him for his part in my initial post. In the case of the outcome of this arc, the actions of your characters were incorporated, but the end result was always going to be the restoration of Orphia. So it is interesting to me that the most "on rails" arc was the one that stood out to many as the most enjoyable/normal of them. This was something I had wanted to do for a while, and was glad to finally bring it to fruition, as the point of this arc was to show something that had not sufficiently been shown previously, which I can especially say given the whispers and MYChars thought about it.
Hopefully all of those insights into the different arcs is of value and you find it useful. It is rare for me to make a character and then throw them away afterwards, especially when they are still living. So it would be very safe to say that you will see all of these characters again down the road in some fashion. And again I do understand that a non-traditional story with clear protagonists and antagonists is not something that was fully expected or enjoyed, and will keep that in mind in the future. In that same vein it will not always be quiet/small stuff. But whether you fully enjoyed it or not, I do hope you will continue to spend some time in Solhaven/Voranvis, and especially join us for what else might take place in the future.
-Lydil