So Sundered Shroud is finally in a good place where I’m comfortable. But as that’s largely a setting I run for RP, that’s going to probably move to the back burner for a while now.
So I’m turning my attention elsewhere. For the setting of another character. And while eventually they’re all going to get some love, for now I’m going to be focusing my personal efforts mostly on “Three Pantheons”.
First, I need a new name. Its annoying that there are so few good synonyms for “Pantheon”. I might use “Divine Realms” but that feels a bit generic. Also need to maybe rename some things in them, and redefine some rules. “Briarmarking”, as referencing song of the south, feels a bit…inappropriate. And other things just need more clarity or alignment to my vision.
Now once I get some of THAT done, I plan to start writing journal-style entries from Nathan. INS suggested that as a lot of the original text for the characters often was…circular, making sure everyone interacted (an artifact of the roleplay it was based on), often without meaningfully contributing. And on re-read, I agree. I always wanted to avoid rewriting the original lines too much, because at that point I would give Nathan all the good ones…but what I think will work is to have Nathan start, even before arriving in Lecce, to be making a journal. These journals will then be used as the storytelling medium.
I’ve never written in this style before, but for that matter, neither has Nathan, so we can learn together. And I can use the first entries to info dump a bit as he tries to organize his thoughts. In realm recording devices wouldn’t work, so journal logs would be critically important!
This will also allow me to re-cast the story in a way I think works better, and still makes sense. And, of course, I could maybe slip in some commissioned art in, here or there. Can’t be photoed, so again, hand drawn.
We’ll see where this goes. Right now I’m working on Marking 2 post, and some of the ways the gods aren’t totally reckless. For example, someone suggested that Hades, as god of mineral wealth, cash in by making diamonds available. And while he could, the cost of diamond has to do solely with supply constraint from de Beers. If the price falls that everyone can afford them…they don’t mean anything anymore as wealth or showyness. Will have to think.
Finally some of the geographic boundaries need to be reviewed, and the aftermath. I’m extremely hesitant to give the scraps of Finland not in the Midgard realm to Russia, but not sure there’s any other way to handle it.
Hope to see more this week.
blogsquawk[AT]vershaft.com if you want to contact me!