How would you...?

Ooooooo I like this.

I'll be sure to edit this post first thing tomorrow morning with something.

Edit: Okay, I've detailed what I would have done. Now it's your turn, OP.

As for stripping away players' ability to play true sorcerors, this is what I would have done:

* Change nothing for existing sorcerors. They are the last of a dying breed.

* All new sorcerors are given the ability to read/write in vloran or some other archaic language.

* Each new sorceror will be given the ability to choose a particular path at char-gen.

What does this do?

* Promotes a sith-like concept of a master and an apprentice, wherein the older, wiser, more powerful sorceror teaches his/her younger apprentice the finer points of sorcery.

* Promotes the banding together of sorcerors. By writing down what they know, their apprentice(s) would be able to learn new spells via scripts/coded instruction

Can a player eventually become a true sorceror?

Yes.

Will they succeed?

Highly doubtful, though chances are high they WILL learn a smattering of new spells along the way.

Why I like this:

* It promotes PC interaction

* It promotes PC conflict

* It offers a variety of avenues for roleplay/plots (imagine a gang of weaker sorcerors combining their powers to attack Luir's or build their own enclave where they each vie for dominance and try to learn new spells from/backstab their "allies")

* Gives sorceror pcs a reason to live, beyond merely skilling up. Maximizing your skill in a spell is stupid easy, believe me. Being forced to now rp and SEARCH for a teacher to help you grow even more powerful is beautiful, and I love the opportunities it offers.

* True sorcerors would be more scary than ever before, because to completely max their character means they're likely RL years old.

Example 1:

A/The TM preserver, in a desperate move of self sacrifice, outs him/her/itself and seals the volcano.  This is done to rob Tektolnes of a power source, or some detail that is never explained to the playerbase and thus doesnt matter.   Several player-lead, almost entirely mundane rpts occur here, outlining what players can see of the action, scouts, the Tan Muark preparing, and independents in the know (including desert elves) running like hell for cover.

Once the existence of a powerful preserver becomes known to high ranking templars and nobles, Allanak and Tuluk armies both descend simultaneously on Tyn Dashra and erase every last drop of TM genetic material.  With prejudice.   Naturally, there are player-lead rpts leading up to this as the critical information becomes known, and forces action.

After the purge is accomplished, it appears that foolish people on both sides and of several varied ranks can't resist taking a swing at the other side.  In violent chaos, the two armies try to disengage, fight, and seize opportunities.  For some "miraculous" reason, a few crack Jihaen-lead Ivory guard units are able to organize a functional retreat, reasoning with some foes and killing others.  The army rpts become many scattered skirmish units, where pcs can act without instantly being erased.

Neither army goes very far.  Marching all the way home would return them to the old, static lack of political and material opportunity, so both sides maintain camps afield.  The northern army has better prepared camps and supply lines, due to distance, but the massive southern army is able to seize more resource areas.   Scattered all over to facilitate a scouting and intel screen, both sides are as defended, and as exposed as they dare be.  If one side backs down, the other army will fill the void, and someone will lose territory.

The merchant houses, desert elves, rogue mages, and tribals become able to act in both spheres, where others cannot.  Rpts occur in this vein, especially with noble houses and low ranking merchants (below the rank of "Great") currying favor with these actors, according to the perceived size of the opportunity.

Later, whispers circulate that the whole conflict was manipulated into occurrence by a shadowy villain by the name of Amos McBob the fourth.   The powerful begin to train their minions and trusted, capable independent to go research this possibility.

(more rpts happen here on a new plot arc).

Volcanos will sink in one themselves if its a massive enough eruption. The volcano never should have been teleported that is the dumbest shit they could have done. It should have naturally erupted and created a massive sink hole called Dragons Bowl.

Or you know the sorcerer-king could protect his city? lawl wait..

for the purpose of this exercise I am assuming i would be a staffer with the go-ahead to do this shit.

I would have tasked the PC templars with finding (and then recruiting) a Nilazi PC. they would have to use a team of PCs to safely gt the Nilazi into the Valley of the F-me Gypsy Bullshit so it could cast Mark and then return home. i'd hit any PC elementalists with echoes, penalties, and feelings of hostility whenever they were around this Nilazi. They wouldn't have to do anything beyond having a reasonable reaction to this things.

The Nilazi would then have to travel to the elemental gate through the lava, with the help of fire protection spells from a PC krathi (who could cast them at wek if desired to let Suk-Krath eat the blighted nilaz sucking bastard). the Nilazi [or the incinerated nilazis replacement] would have to role play studying the gate and researching a ritual to move it later. The Nilazi would be told OOCly that s/he determined a number of components would be needed, requiring further PC involvement to collect or create these items. The details ofthe ritual would be written down by a templarate scribe, so that if the nilazi died another one could perform it; however it would be obvious to everyone a nilazi had to be the one to do it.

At the component stage tuluk would be informed the nakkis were collecting shit for unknown reasons, and PCs would be employed as spies/kidnappers/bandits to intercept the southern scum. Tuluk would only be able to learn the true nature of what was going on through pcs leaning it.

When everything was ready, allanak would just crush the living shit out of the gypsies with their vastly superior army. In retaliation for the gypsies' Fire elemntal terrorist attack HRPT that resulted in Allanak burning, the gate (not the volcano) would be relocatd by the power of Nilaz into the middle of their valley. And this would form a new volcano rather than "move" the old one. it would symbolically poison the wells and salt the earth of Allanak's entirely inferior foe.

As for tuluk, i guess i'd just have them show up late. And theyd see the damage and assume the whole thing was a trial run for ending Tuluk. And as for Nak's volcano it'd go dormant and become a mountain. which they could strip mine or something if it really was ruining someone's view.

Special notes: At any point in this plotline an important pc died, a PC replacement would have to be acquired by PCs. Allanak would continue running this quest until they got everything ready. PC involvement would be fairly massive over a long period of time, including coordinating pcs to get shit done. the only part of this they wouldnt participate in is the battle right before the ritual. Once the ritual was prepped Id just fiat the battle. i don't want to waste PCs' time making them participate in the one part of this plot thing that can't be influenced/succeed because of their actions. Large-scale battles suck in this codebase and only serve to show people how intense things are by wtfpwning a few PCs.

Since his character died by rumor i would have just written a better rumor.

some filthy magicker or mindbender disguised itself as a sexy fellow noble, seduced him in the blink of an eye (this char was a known lecher), and gave him a massive dose of hallucinogen and war spice. Raleris, mad, partially unclothed, but entirely armed would have then devestated his way through the city before being killed by the Legions. Hed simply be too crazed to mindbend and too strong to capture, and some (probably exaggerated) large number of soldiers had to work together to bring him down.

there would be some talk about how terrible it was to have such a mighty weapon of the sun king turned against his own people, yada yada, and so on. Basically there'd be flattering spin mixed with tragedy with a dash of xenophobia. Something tuluki. i mean give the guy some props for his skillset, dont have him killed by some asshole with a knife in the middle of what should be the best guarded tavern.

The vile poisoner would of course have been caught by the templarate or still at large, depending on who you talk to. but everyone who you talk to would acknowledge his faithful were doing the best job possible and that they are very happy to have such great ebings keeping them safe. Very happy. BIG SMILES EVERYONE. HAPPINESS IS MANDATORY.

Real Version: Raleris was aging into that danger zone where he had low endurance and was basically the most powerful PC chosen yada yada yada. A supposedly southron punk with a knife tried to take out his half Tenneshi daughter. He jumped into the fray, saving her, and dying in the process. This was also not death by rumor but a REAL EVENT WITH EMOTES! It was likely some kind of Tuluki double super sekrit Faithful approved shartist plot, but who the fuck know.

Jeshin Version: I would have had Raleris die of old age naturally and instead of being killed off I'd have had him seclude himself from the city and even his own family in the Chosen manor. I would have then had numerous rumors from PCs and NPCs alike inform the populace that the Kenku are not extinct and that Chosen Lord Raleris himself is leading an expedition to reconnect with the race that is his Houses symbol.

Why? Because 1 it fuels player hope that old things that were cool still exist in the game. 2 it is a very tuluki move to retire to die of old age while being publically remembered in a glorious manner that also makes your House seem all cool and relevant again. 3 because while I think PCs should have cool deaths not all these deaths have to be real cool they can be false cool. Raleris was so old and established he should have just been promoted and virtualized and the player should have gotten some badass rumors about what he was supposedly up too as reward for service both IC and OOC. Afterall it's more believable and if no one knows the difference then Tuluki super sekrit double plots right?