Okay jk, I’m too excited and gotta get these shared before my brain gets full of other stuff this week!
First, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the personal plot engagement! Jeremy, Brian, everyone! Thank you! From hi-jacking Takahiro (and completely blathering details of her personal quest for the entire tavern to hear, just because she was so close she could TASTE IT, and she got too excited), to EXQUISITE roleplay with The Registrar (“I am going to ask Nikhujo a question… then I’m going to ask SUSIE a question…"), to *incredible* combat (thank you so much for hopping fence, Albert!!) and SO much lore about Gold Claw, oh my GOODNESS! (And all the consequential honor-driven concerns that are coming from this… hoo boy!)
I’ve never had so much personal stuff fleshed out on stage and I am extremely grateful for everything everyone put into it. I can hardly believe this stuff is happening. It’s almost surreal. It’s so deep in her backstory, I never thought anything like this would ever be possible. IG or OOG! Dang, it’s making me emotional!
Related: the PCs who jumped on board with this quest of hers so eagerly and kindly!
-Joshua has been such an MVP with his Cosmological, Metaphysical, Ritual-Problem-Solving shenanigans (including an obliterate over the winter?! WHAT??!), and all the on-stage RP about this quest has been SO on point. Thank you, JP. Thank you very very much!
-Meeting Tieran! And getting to hear him say “Rituals may have all the answers to the questions, but they *lead* to the *STABBING*, and THAT’S what solves the problem!” … Yes. A+. Facts. Plus, she finds out he has PARTICIPATED in a Fevboz Ded?! Okay. Welcome to Ukzwe Nikhujo’s team of approved-of individuals. You’re in. Lol.
-Kudos to Duorn as well, who has been a sounding board for her – even if he offended her by *offering* help. ::huff huff:: Hahaha.
-And Ky’Van! Adam, what a cool new character! Nikhujo really appreciated his cooperation and his idea-sharing throughout the whole weekend, it was neat to have that Scout-Respect-Vibe click so well so quick!
And then!! All the FRIENDSHIP lessons! Oh my goodness, when Tieran was talking to Takahiro about working with Baltessa, and Tieran literally had to start poking Ukzwe for her to understand he was making a point to her. AND JP! Don’t think I didn’t notice!! Josh HEARD HER say “It’s Lady Nikhujo, only friends call me Ukzwe…” AND THEN JOSH IMMEDIATELY STARTED CALLING HER UKZWE.
Sparring Tieran and his dinner-table-shield was an excellent experience, as well.
Sharing Gorban culture with Murdoc was both wonderful and uncomfortable, hahaha. I’m glad he got cleansed enough (as far as she could tell) that she could eat some of his liver. There was a sneaky level of fondness and a touch of grieving, there!
Training Flora!!! Ohmygoodness! OOG, incredible work, Marie, and A+ adjustments to experiment with angles and footwork and such, but IG?! This ELF is bringing out the Mama-Nikhujo training mode? Ngl that was a pretty special moment. And Ukzwe did start to feel better about how “soft” she was being when her pressure got the elf to PUT DOWN her BOW and pick up another sword!! Bwahaha, SUCCESS!
Finally, the number of “War Councils” we had this weekend… synthesizing ideas and bouncing stuff of each other so much… it really felt like a community effort. That’s really cool, guys. Maybe it’s just because Nikhujo is now in a place of being invested and getting REALLY pushy (because she’s getting something for herself out of saving this world, haha)… but I dunno. It just felt like a well-coordinated, thorough and thoughtful approach to this big bad dragon problem, and I really appreciated that.
I ALMOST FORGOT. ALARIK. AND YOUR MINT. Ahahahahah, when your life flashed before your eyes because you thought they may have all spilled… ohhh man. Everything about that ridiculous evening trapped in the tavern due to flooding rain was just so special. From antsy yoga (and subsequent threatening QJW), to the aforementioned mint fiasco, to the planning all sorts of war ideas, and lastly the stupid o’clock OOG story sharing. I’ve missed the later-nights of full weekends.
Love y’all so much! Can’t wait to play again!!!!