Refugees Leave Ymph

[Random_White_Guy]

After talking to the wise counsel and winning The Bet...

I give you Sol Auk, a study in Conservative RwG Play. A CN Rogue Treasure Hunter/Diplomat with focus on Merchant Lord.

The goal was 8 months, I made it more or less to the pinnacle in 4, and did most anything one could hope to on a non questing, social PC for Four Months straight, including ebbs and flows but a pretty much mandated slow, meticulous steps. Only ever doing a1 run of something in the gutters feeling kinda invasiony, and one run of Goats with Isabella like... week 2, in which people yelled at me for "Not Healing Anyone",  Sol Auk never picked up a weapon on either quest, or any exploration of the chapter outside the Hub, or harmed anyone... directly. He was an Ashfolk without the Application and overtime would the Stonefolk Fester.

[hide=Background] "Background: Born in a far off Tablet on the fringe of the desert lands by which only the most errant traveler or lost astrologer may stumble upon, Sol-Auk was not the largest, nor the swiftest of his Cairn (My word for stonefolk families). As they wandered from Tablet to Tablet his irisless eyes though did seem to absorb more than just the sun's rays into their opacity. He watched and labored, as so many had before him. For a time this was enough. To Remember and Endure.

To Sol-Auk the Well means change. He is neither panicked nor worrisome. For the Desert takes, for the Sun takes, for the Stars take, for all Races take. But to Endure in this new realm changing far too quickly? One must do more. One must Provide. Provide wisdom in the odd "Praises of Provide", acquisitions and growing. Provide Dinar in business, provide scrutiny in Tablet, provide strong shoulders for wares and good ears for opportunity. Provide diplomacy in mediation. Provide. Provide.

Remember, provide and endure"

Though, Praise of Provide proved too much so it was turned into Provisional Parables, Sol Auk was designed to be a villain in the truest sense of the word.

Ephia's Well was a corrupt place and among the Sheep would sneak in a Wolf. A Wolf who watched, listened, learned, before acting.

In time he would grow to be my take on the classic story of Vandal Savage from the DC Universe. He's seen a lot, he's done a lot over the years, but ultimately - The Breaking of the Rings was an infringement upon the way of life as tends of thousands of refugees flooded the Desert. The Stonefolk Labor so true and fierce was replaced by the cheaper, ineffective labor of Humanity, of Wood, of Elven and Dwarven craftsmen, the balance upset.

So - in essence, Sol Auk was here to bring misery. Misery upon all those who would take from the Stonefolk and the Tablets.

Stonefolk build empires, So, Sol Auk shall slowly build a Criminal empire.

And make the Refugee's pay.[/hide]

He brought Chaos, he brought Harm, and he brought woe. An Alien-perspective and an attempt to bring absolute misery.

Starting with his first action in Ephia's Well of mischief

The first night has been a hilarious success, my first encounter with a mute artist who I was pretending I couldn't read, so we ended miming and she gave me a tour of the hub and as "Charity"/bribe I gave her half my starting gold from every fedex quest she lead me to.

    Purple Guild PC Afsana has given me 200 gold because I said the White Guild was suspicious, and "Smiles too wide".
    She also gave me a list of Voiced PCs to speak with about setting up potential Diplomatic efforts in the White and Purple guild.
    I don't know if I'll go guild any time soon but I do like the idea of playing counter to the White Guild Stonefolk
    Other PCs i've encountered have been shocked by my giant, fat, slow PC haha.

My early day goals will mostly be use the thoughts Stonefolk are dumb to get lead around the city like a child, drinking in the politics and trade and more to "Learn" this new realm. Ask for a ride along with the Janissaries, observe Voiced PCs actions, etc.

He would go on to

- Commence a great many con jobs of people stealing thousands of dinar and never paying it back even before he was Voiced.
- Bribe an up and coming Janissary named Rennik Colmes with two bags full of light and medium water "For his hard laboring Janissary"
- Use the ties with the Naga's Janissarry (I forget the name sadly but she was awesome), to give fake witness testimony against Shane Gallows (Sorry Strange, Love ya IG), which lent to his exile.
- Use the ties with Colmes to raise a report against the crime lord Merizad (Sorry Lan, Love Ya), which lent to his execution,
- Rip off the original OGs of the Gold League, Radiant Manticore PCs by taking a bribe from them and then offering to help Ophelia for a price.
- He threatened Isabella de Veend, but not to kill her, to ruin the lives of her children's, children's children.
- Drug deal and hang out with Itaji, Laszlo, and the Wyrm Cult, arms dealing for them even after Quentin's murder.
- Start drug dealing with the Alchemists Guild helping them rise from Krak de Rose Laboratory to Minister and Government Position.
- Have Ophelia Whitmore Killed (Sorry Ashe, Love ya), by convincing Rennik Colmes to leak to Brudron she was snitching on him.
- Have Brudron of Purple Killed (Sorry Dabase, Love ya), by giving fake testimony and false witness reports.
- Get absolutely blind sided by two days later Syter dying, leaving an unplanned power vacuum, getting roped into Election politics.
- Took the 15k dinar bribe from Banafsi.
- Though he got accused of it, he never actually threatened Sephidra. Cmenden jumped the gun before I could threaten them, which lead to a lot of hilarity.
- Offered to Convert to Gellema or give The Stele to Gellema, if the Cult of Gellema helped him rig the Election. They chose the Stele (And got tricked, ha ha ho)
- We proceeded to move 9 PCs to Voice in two days to rig the election (That was true, though other stories weren't)
- Met with the Consulate of Baz'eel on many occasion~

From then on almost every single move taken as Legate was because someone or another bribed me to do something.
It's hard to document it all, after so many days of just no quest just meetings.
Also some of it is still very fresh and Spoilery.

Suffice to say I have never had such a fun time playing politics in EFU, Everyone should run for or try to be Legate, it's insane.

However after 4 months of playing v6 I've barely scratched the quest surface.
And I've never gone to any area that wasn't outside the path to the Caravan Area to one of the few Free Cities.

[hide=Best Screenies]

Get you a Sol Auk that looks at you like this

[/hide]
More Screenies in no particular order

While I quit accounting around the 70,000 mark - I believe I Cracked 110,000 dinar in purely bribes/Merchant Lord Wage. Majority of which went into Gold Sinks like a 12,000 dinar magical bag, two different 8,000 dinar property and refurbishments, countless bribes to Accord PCs, and more.

But again, having done nothing of v6 it's time to start that adventure.

[Empress of Neon]

You proved that this chapter is something previous ones were not; non-combatant friendly. Previous chapters were typically designed/tailored around the 'adventurer's' stories/builds, but you demonstrated how much impact a pc can have in peoples' lives without so much as raising a fist. I hope more consideration is given in the future to perks/class options that allow for this kind of synergy with adventurer pcs in the future (this time it was politicians and traders, but what about the smiths/builders?!).

I'll always fondly remember his back and forths with Isabella (especially when their political bantor was in its infancy back in the White League) and appreciate how he outmanuvered her every step of the way; right up unto her mental meltdown. It felt like the server was living up to the 'intrigue' element in sands of intrigue.

He was a beautifully written, deplorably corrupt politician who had a significant impact on this chapter's early growth/stumblings (or perhaps, DECLINE?!) who accomplished so much with but a few well chosen words/outright devilish dealmaking.

I loved him. And I hope we see an npc out of him.

I can't wait to see what you come with next. A++! Well done :)

P.S

"My Best Frenemy"
[hide][/hide]

"The Death of Political Rivalry... and the Beginning of Mortal Nemesis."
[hide][/hide]

[VanillaPudding]

Great job RWG. Sol was an impressive early standard to the political scene on V6 and you managed you dip your hands into a thousand things, endure them, and "NORMALIZE RETIREMENT". ;)

10/10

[Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi]

Amelie wrote you a poem. It wasn't published... publicly! A few PCs have copies. Anyway, well done! I loved all our interactions.

Before the Well was known to me;
In lim'nal place, 'tween Ash and sand;
Through fear of revenant's decree;
To dwell thereby at death's command.

The choice was mine, I made it true;
For people garnered little trust;
Of civ'lization to eschew;
But found myself in dwelling dust.

The lands, for Demon, set aflame;
And so it was with tremb'ling heart;
Starvation gnawed upon my frame;
Anew I sought a Well-borne start.

Upon the Plaza, terror-struck;
With verse in hand and meager kit;
I found his speech by fortune, luck;
And heard the Stonefolk to remit.

To seek him after, my intent;
And he and I, discourse did take;
So shocked was I, for his assent;
In patient grace he did partake.

But where now has that worthy gone?
He's cast aside his kindly cloak;
And taken up a blade whereon;
He cuts in stride the goodly folk.

Those that would see him lifted up;
Attend now 'cursed brothel's track;
In politics does he now sup;
I wish to see his kindness back.

If e'er, it was not, a lie.

[caesaropapist]

I imagine most absolutely everyone agrees, but Sol Auk defined a massive amount of early SoI and was a high point of RP in the city for me.
Seeing the crossover and interconnected cause/effect between some of the things you did early on Shayan al-Mualim together (there's a lot of interesting and unexpected interplay I had no idea of till now), to later meeting him in his final week?

Had great fun with every minute of it. Sol Auk's association and help with Salvatore getting started as a PC and trying to get himself established has pretty much defined the PC and the future of the things I want to do with him!
Wish we had more time to get up to let that good funny dug kingpin and ignorant Paladin dynamic play out, but honestly this retirement is more than well-earned and I look forward to getting wrapped up in whatever PC you get around to next.

[Don Nadie]

As ever, RwG's PCs are a treasure. <3

I will always remember the licking of the painting.

[zerotje]

Good stuff. I never was able to bribe you because I was never into money, sad XD.

I greatly appreciate that you were able to enable player plots and pursuits simply by accepting bribes. Very good thing to happen!

Good job.

[cmenden]

Not much to add we haven't talked about at length, a great PC that was instrumental in developing the chapter's setting and will definitely be talked about for years to come!

[BrassPheasant]

The Gilded Grognak and Brass Pheasant were both made at the same time, and ended up being rather similiar, despite their polar opposite alignments and approaches.

Argus had a great time playing with and off of Sol Auk. While he didn't approve of half his plots, he also was willing to let them happen, since nobody made him a better deal for turning on Sol Auk.

10/10, would non-violently roleplay with again!

[Moonlighter]

What a journey! There for and the impetus for many pivotal moments in my own character.

[Xenoboskion]

From a future IC post. o7

[Providence]

Wait, so you were not always honest? Damn. You got me. (Not fooling; I really bought everything he said.)

[AsheandCinders]

The biggest twist for me here is that He was only pretending he couldn't read.

Sol Auk was an awesome PC I enjoyed every interaction with, always making something happen for someone, and making sure at least two other people got screwed over by it. Truly an awesome example of what v6 allows people to do, and to get away with!

[-UnholyWon-]

Hat's off to you RwG, truly as masterclass in EFU politics! It was always great to interact with Sol Auk with Petro, before and after joining the Scribes. One of the best characters I think you've ever created, and you've created a lot over the years. Cheers, and may your next one be even more successful!

-UnholyWon