The Enclave of the Winter Leaf [Archive] - Wizards Community

The Enclave of the Winter Leaf [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Silmarien Aldalome
06-05-05, 07:11 AM When the chaotic half-elf renegade Monk Varendil discovered Verse, there was a great melding of magical Lore with the power of the fist and a new Order was born. This occurred at around the time that wandering peoples of Aarendor were foming the the Envclave of the Winter Leaf. Thence, the remnants of the long gone Ancient Princedoms emerged and many of those peoples had Elven Blood.

Varendil was ever wayward, and he was exiled from by the Northern flame, for he had human blood. The Elves deemed him haphazard, mishappen and alien, for by way of naught but Varendil's blood, he was brought to conflict with Elvish law.

His mother, Silimna was Elven and she loved him and raised her son with the Elvish customs and in him, she saw great promise. For Varendil's blood burned with the blood of both Elves and Men and to her, Varendil was a paradox: a child whose spirit burned with the Elven wyrding but whose heart burned with the passion of his Human father.

In anger at his mistreatment, Varendil formed the Winter Leaf, which was a great gathering hall for all the disaffected of the Elvish city. The Silverleaf movement grew quickly, attracting many adept in the arts of disguise, secrecy and infiltration. But Varendil's blood burned hot within him and he became greatly angered when he discovered the coveted secrets of the Elven High Council. And slow were the Elders to hear the cause of compassion for those with mingled heritage. And the High Elven Council deemed him a disruption to the City's peace and as a dissident, he was exiled.

After he was exiled, he found refuge with the kindly Monks of Taran Dur Tethurrundar, high in the lofty heights of the Wilder Spires. There, Varendil was versed with a Monk's precision so that he quickly gained mastery, learning the art of delivering the Monk's flurried blows with deadly precision.

Mission Brief

The Winter Leaf is an Underground Guild;
primarily Covert Operations, as per Guild House rules (see sticky);
infiltration of enemy guilds and theft of their most prised treasures;
expansion of the interests of the Winter Leaf, such as gaining territories, capturing enemies to bring them to trial, and sociopolitical influence, through the covert stratum;
to develop a coded language, like the DaVinci Code (in-game), that none but members can identify, much like The Thieves Cant, only members will know when and what is being said, and to whom (Covert Operations DM will have access to the de-encryption sequences.

Housekeeping

none of its members will be identified on the thread;
your membership is handled via PMs, Covert Operations DM will have access to the lists;
roles, hierarchies and Guild Laws are all developed covertly, and will be in the keeping of the Covert Operations DM;
none of our objectives are developed on thread, but posting on the thread is okay, but not necessary, although, if you want to discuss Covert Operational concepts, please do;
the thread will be bumped every time it goes to page two

Enjoy
Xen155
08-15-05, 09:39 PM The last sylablle of that mysterious word on his lips Xen appears looking tired and travel weary.

I hope I have not arrived to late.
thasis
08-16-05, 02:05 AM Is this a Neutrul guild as in excepting good and evil or jus good or jus evil?
Zombomaniac
08-16-05, 07:00 PM Is this a Neutrul guild as in excepting good and evil or jus good or jus evil?
From what i can tell anything not in the first post will only be told to members and such.
Silmarien Aldalome
08-16-05, 07:15 PM Greetings Zombomaniac,

You must be a friend of Xen's maybe?

@Xen

(in the spirit of this thread)

*winks*

@Zombomaniac+thasis

There is a flash of silveryblue, and an arrow appears suspended in the airs - its tip rests on your forehead, so that you can barely feel the pressure of it.

A message unrolls as the arrow rotates suddenly and rapidly

'tis said amongst the wise that courage is measured by a woman's capacity to do what must be done, despite fear and even though the risk be great.

'tis also said amongst the wise that wisdom prevents rash actions.

*winks*
Demonfey
10-02-05, 11:27 PM bump:
A note falls from the ceiling. On it are only two words:
"Look up"
Wilds
10-03-05, 01:58 AM A robed figure appears. "My name is Kelreth, it seems that you have the same interests as us. I wish to propose an alliance as to not get in each others way. That way more profits flow and both sides stay happy." He sits on the floor, waiting.

Kelreth is the guidl leader of the Shadow breath and blade
Silmarien Aldalome
10-03-05, 02:38 AM @Demonfey

Ta, dude, muchly appreciated. I just spotted a reference to Silimna in the opening post!

@all

Note the date. Varendil thus has Drow, High Elven and Human blood - like Silmarien's children (Anglar was 1/4 Drow).

Enjoy!

Stav

OoG:

The Shadow's Breath and Blade, hey.. *grins*

You're not sure, but out of the corner of your eye you thought you saw a flash of Silver and Blue.

You can hear baritone chanting intermingled with a faint undertone of melody and Verse. You suddenly feel impelled to run, for the Verse raises the heckles on your skin, like the promise of the appearance of an apparition at a seance.

An arrow twangs and thuds into a tree, just missing your head. There is a note connected to the arrow. Opening it, you see runes of silvery blue ink flash iridescent under the sunlight. You read

Unfaltering be the heart that endures us. We are everywhere. When you least expect us, we will appear. We heed no Laws but the voice of our conscience.

Ward!

If you seek an alliance, conditions we shall place upon it, and there will be swift consequences for a failure in your fidelity.

Do you wish to proceed?
Wilds
10-03-05, 11:30 AM "An alliance will be decided on both sides. We will not be subjected to the rule of another. Though we are willing to negotiate." With that he pulls out a dagger, it erupts in fire.
Demonfey
10-03-05, 12:23 PM And the arrow hits another letter. This one says "ha, made you look"
Wilds
10-03-05, 03:09 PM Raises an eyebrow but remains silent. Thinking "dang it worked...."
Silmarien Aldalome
10-05-05, 09:46 AM @Demonfey

:rofl:

@Wilds

"An alliance will be decided on both sides. We will not be subjected to the rule of another. Though we are willing to negotiate." With that he pulls out a dagger, it erupts in fire.

You see another flash of Silver and Blue, but it is inside your mind's eye. Suddenly, you hear the deep baritone chanting overlaid with hints of melody.

A message enters your psyche, directly When you enter our warrens, you will be severed from aid, hidden and you will be closely watched.

Do you consent - thence we shall talk, but not here in the open.
Wilds
10-05-05, 10:00 AM "As long as my friend may join us then yes i consent. He is my bodyguard of sorts."
Demonfey
10-05-05, 11:30 AM You see another flash of Silver and Blue, but it is inside your mind's eye. Suddenly, you hear the deep baritone chanting overlaid with hints of melody.

A message enters your psyche, directly When you enter our warrens, you will be severed from aid, hidden and you will be closely watched.

Do you consent - thence we shall talk, but not here in the open.
@Sil: You hear a voice behind you
You are talking to a group of people trained to be able to break into places that are very heavily guarded, by both magical and physical might. Do you honestly think that you can prevent all of us from keeping an eye on him?
Ninja powers: turn invisible, turn ethereal. Currently just used ethereal.
Wilds
10-06-05, 07:40 PM "Come now, we are trying to make friends, though it is true. You may take over negotiations, just make sure to talk before you agree to anything."
Demonfey
10-06-05, 09:01 PM Thank you, sir.
Silmarien Aldalome
10-07-05, 09:52 PM Hi DF,

I'm not actually with Wilds, in person.....but,

we've got another chance to model to the community how to be all civilised. We did a really good job at the HEF (BTW, Sil's still with DF, but we should get that moving at some point).

Any thoughts about some 'gentlemen's rules of conduct' before we go any futher?
Demonfey
10-07-05, 09:56 PM Try remaining civil or beware the ninjas? I don't know.
Anyway, I see it as let them make their own decisions, and try and give warning if someone is going too far, but nothing more than just a little hinting about it.
Wilds
10-08-05, 12:31 AM Our guilds have a "code of conduct"? the SBB has a code. Do you mean between the two groups? I am rather confused, sorry
Demonfey
10-08-05, 12:32 AM We can work a code out between guilds IG.
Wilds
10-08-05, 12:34 AM O, good idea..... See thats why im not good at this type of stuff. Didnt even think about.....
Demonfey
10-08-05, 12:36 AM This is what, the third, fourth time I've tried something like this.
Silmarien Aldalome
10-08-05, 12:41 AM hi there guyz.

good to see ya :)

OoG:

Opening Post pointed to. We're developing a secret language, for use in public, that no-one will understand, except members. That should make it fun.

Getting the trust of (presumably, to you, although you're not quite sure yet) Varendil, is how to get it all going.

um,

@Wilds

I'm gunna come grab ya, with ya friend and ....let's see what happens next!

@Demonfey

Hmm, what I'll do, is send more advice to DMs about some important data. Are you seeking membership?

stav
Demonfey
10-08-05, 12:45 AM SBB member. Also, my stealth character is an evil half elf ninja/ghost faced killer with a fiendish graft.
I'm the negotiator for the SBB, since I've had experience with it from trying to negotiate peace between the HEF and the GoUE, or to be a little more precise, the HEF and Droga.
Wilds
10-08-05, 12:58 AM Me and my cohort or me and demonfey?

arg, ill post question once im coherent tomorrow......

code thing looks nice. Just hope no one from teh horsemen thread on the hecatomb boards get called over here. cause they are ridiculous at cracking codes
Silmarien Aldalome
10-08-05, 10:18 PM Me and my cohort or me and demonfey?

arg, ill post question once im coherent tomorrow......

code thing looks nice. Just hope no one from teh horsemen thread on the hecatomb boards get called over here. cause they are ridiculous at cracking codes

thanx for the thumbs up.

There is a flash of magical silver-blue light and you and your comrade are surrounded by magical fires. A concert of barritone voices chant

"The Catacombs beneath the earth
The mazes of the skies ahead
You'll never find the Bearning Hearth
that is our place, The Winter Leaf"

*flash*

You wink out of existence......
Demonfey
10-08-05, 10:20 PM Me and Wilds, right?
Silmarien Aldalome
10-08-05, 10:27 PM which PC is 'ere. The creepy craft-fiend *jibes+smiles* or another?

regards
stav
Demonfey
10-08-05, 10:29 PM The ninja with demon wings is here. Igor is not part of the SBB, he's freelance.
Silmarien Aldalome
10-08-05, 11:32 PM okay,

check your PM box.

stav
Silmarien Aldalome
10-09-05, 12:12 AM @Readership

OoC

okay, the opening post says that typically, we don't interact in public, here in IG mode. I am prepared, though, to build ideas OoC, about strategies for covert ops.

I'm going to be a bit cagy, and not reveal all my secrets. But you may well already have thought of the concepts, anyhowz.

Concept Summary of Covert Operations

i) Methodologies for Covert Operations can be organised into the following headings, or 'clusters' of concepts:

Arcane;
Divine;
The Mundane

Typically, the spell lists under Divination as the school of magic give most of the basics. However, it's much broader an area than that. If you think smart, you'll see some very powerful ways of using PHB spells for a Covert Operation.

At the most basic, even your grandmother sometimes sees something she might report to the authorities. The only difference in the Covert Ops world is that the better term is spies.

ii) Stragegies for Covert Operations combine different methdologies, in different ways, for different goals.

iii) The Social Organisation of a Covert Guild

These may vary as well. They may be hidden, or in other planes, or out in the open.

iv) Communication

As noted, opening post, see comments on Secret Languages (like Thieves Cant).

Just some preliminaries.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Silmarien Aldalome 06-05-05, 07:11 AM	When the chaotic half-elf renegade Monk Varendil discovered Verse, there was a great melding of magical Lore with the power of the fist and a new Order was born. This occurred at around the time that wandering peoples of Aarendor were foming the the Envclave of the Winter Leaf. Thence, the remnants of the long gone Ancient Princedoms emerged and many of those peoples had Elven Blood. Varendil was ever wayward, and he was exiled from by the Northern flame, for he had human blood. The Elves deemed him haphazard, mishappen and alien, for by way of naught but Varendil's blood, he was brought to conflict with Elvish law. His mother, Silimna was Elven and she loved him and raised her son with the Elvish customs and in him, she saw great promise. For Varendil's blood burned with the blood of both Elves and Men and to her, Varendil was a paradox: a child whose spirit burned with the Elven wyrding but whose heart burned with the passion of his Human father. In anger at his mistreatment, Varendil formed the Winter Leaf, which was a great gathering hall for all the disaffected of the Elvish city. The Silverleaf movement grew quickly, attracting many adept in the arts of disguise, secrecy and infiltration. But Varendil's blood burned hot within him and he became greatly angered when he discovered the coveted secrets of the Elven High Council. And slow were the Elders to hear the cause of compassion for those with mingled heritage. And the High Elven Council deemed him a disruption to the City's peace and as a dissident, he was exiled. After he was exiled, he found refuge with the kindly Monks of Taran Dur Tethurrundar, high in the lofty heights of the Wilder Spires. There, Varendil was versed with a Monk's precision so that he quickly gained mastery, learning the art of delivering the Monk's flurried blows with deadly precision. Mission Brief The Winter Leaf is an Underground Guild; primarily Covert Operations, as per Guild House rules (see sticky); infiltration of enemy guilds and theft of their most prised treasures; expansion of the interests of the Winter Leaf, such as gaining territories, capturing enemies to bring them to trial, and sociopolitical influence, through the covert stratum; to develop a coded language, like the DaVinci Code (in-game), that none but members can identify, much like The Thieves Cant, only members will know when and what is being said, and to whom (Covert Operations DM will have access to the de-encryption sequences. Housekeeping none of its members will be identified on the thread; your membership is handled via PMs, Covert Operations DM will have access to the lists; roles, hierarchies and Guild Laws are all developed covertly, and will be in the keeping of the Covert Operations DM; none of our objectives are developed on thread, but posting on the thread is okay, but not necessary, although, if you want to discuss Covert Operational concepts, please do; the thread will be bumped every time it goes to page two Enjoy
Xen155 08-15-05, 09:39 PM	The last sylablle of that mysterious word on his lips Xen appears looking tired and travel weary. I hope I have not arrived to late.
thasis 08-16-05, 02:05 AM	Is this a Neutrul guild as in excepting good and evil or jus good or jus evil?
Zombomaniac 08-16-05, 07:00 PM	Is this a Neutrul guild as in excepting good and evil or jus good or jus evil? From what i can tell anything not in the first post will only be told to members and such.
Silmarien Aldalome 08-16-05, 07:15 PM	Greetings Zombomaniac, You must be a friend of Xen's maybe? @Xen (in the spirit of this thread) winks @Zombomaniac+thasis There is a flash of silveryblue, and an arrow appears suspended in the airs - its tip rests on your forehead, so that you can barely feel the pressure of it. A message unrolls as the arrow rotates suddenly and rapidly 'tis said amongst the wise that courage is measured by a woman's capacity to do what must be done, despite fear and even though the risk be great. 'tis also said amongst the wise that wisdom prevents rash actions. winks
Demonfey 10-02-05, 11:27 PM	bump: A note falls from the ceiling. On it are only two words: "Look up"
Wilds 10-03-05, 01:58 AM	A robed figure appears. "My name is Kelreth, it seems that you have the same interests as us. I wish to propose an alliance as to not get in each others way. That way more profits flow and both sides stay happy." He sits on the floor, waiting. Kelreth is the guidl leader of the Shadow breath and blade
Silmarien Aldalome 10-03-05, 02:38 AM	@Demonfey Ta, dude, muchly appreciated. I just spotted a reference to Silimna in the opening post! @all Note the date. Varendil thus has Drow, High Elven and Human blood - like Silmarien's children (Anglar was 1/4 Drow). Enjoy! Stav OoG: The Shadow's Breath and Blade, hey.. grins You're not sure, but out of the corner of your eye you thought you saw a flash of Silver and Blue. You can hear baritone chanting intermingled with a faint undertone of melody and Verse. You suddenly feel impelled to run, for the Verse raises the heckles on your skin, like the promise of the appearance of an apparition at a seance. An arrow twangs and thuds into a tree, just missing your head. There is a note connected to the arrow. Opening it, you see runes of silvery blue ink flash iridescent under the sunlight. You read Unfaltering be the heart that endures us. We are everywhere. When you least expect us, we will appear. We heed no Laws but the voice of our conscience. Ward! If you seek an alliance, conditions we shall place upon it, and there will be swift consequences for a failure in your fidelity. Do you wish to proceed?
Wilds 10-03-05, 11:30 AM	"An alliance will be decided on both sides. We will not be subjected to the rule of another. Though we are willing to negotiate." With that he pulls out a dagger, it erupts in fire.
Demonfey 10-03-05, 12:23 PM	And the arrow hits another letter. This one says "ha, made you look"
Wilds 10-03-05, 03:09 PM	Raises an eyebrow but remains silent. Thinking "dang it worked...."
Silmarien Aldalome 10-05-05, 09:46 AM	@Demonfey :rofl: @Wilds "An alliance will be decided on both sides. We will not be subjected to the rule of another. Though we are willing to negotiate." With that he pulls out a dagger, it erupts in fire. You see another flash of Silver and Blue, but it is inside your mind's eye. Suddenly, you hear the deep baritone chanting overlaid with hints of melody. A message enters your psyche, directly When you enter our warrens, you will be severed from aid, hidden and you will be closely watched. Do you consent - thence we shall talk, but not here in the open.
Wilds 10-05-05, 10:00 AM	"As long as my friend may join us then yes i consent. He is my bodyguard of sorts."
Demonfey 10-05-05, 11:30 AM	You see another flash of Silver and Blue, but it is inside your mind's eye. Suddenly, you hear the deep baritone chanting overlaid with hints of melody. A message enters your psyche, directly When you enter our warrens, you will be severed from aid, hidden and you will be closely watched. Do you consent - thence we shall talk, but not here in the open. @Sil: You hear a voice behind you You are talking to a group of people trained to be able to break into places that are very heavily guarded, by both magical and physical might. Do you honestly think that you can prevent all of us from keeping an eye on him? Ninja powers: turn invisible, turn ethereal. Currently just used ethereal.
Wilds 10-06-05, 07:40 PM	"Come now, we are trying to make friends, though it is true. You may take over negotiations, just make sure to talk before you agree to anything."
Demonfey 10-06-05, 09:01 PM	Thank you, sir.
Silmarien Aldalome 10-07-05, 09:52 PM	Hi DF, I'm not actually with Wilds, in person.....but, we've got another chance to model to the community how to be all civilised. We did a really good job at the HEF (BTW, Sil's still with DF, but we should get that moving at some point). Any thoughts about some 'gentlemen's rules of conduct' before we go any futher?
Demonfey 10-07-05, 09:56 PM	Try remaining civil or beware the ninjas? I don't know. Anyway, I see it as let them make their own decisions, and try and give warning if someone is going too far, but nothing more than just a little hinting about it.
Wilds 10-08-05, 12:31 AM	Our guilds have a "code of conduct"? the SBB has a code. Do you mean between the two groups? I am rather confused, sorry
Demonfey 10-08-05, 12:32 AM	We can work a code out between guilds IG.
Wilds 10-08-05, 12:34 AM	O, good idea..... See thats why im not good at this type of stuff. Didnt even think about.....
Demonfey 10-08-05, 12:36 AM	This is what, the third, fourth time I've tried something like this.
Silmarien Aldalome 10-08-05, 12:41 AM	hi there guyz. good to see ya :) OoG: Opening Post pointed to. We're developing a secret language, for use in public, that no-one will understand, except members. That should make it fun. Getting the trust of (presumably, to you, although you're not quite sure yet) Varendil, is how to get it all going. um, @Wilds I'm gunna come grab ya, with ya friend and ....let's see what happens next! @Demonfey Hmm, what I'll do, is send more advice to DMs about some important data. Are you seeking membership? stav
Demonfey 10-08-05, 12:45 AM	SBB member. Also, my stealth character is an evil half elf ninja/ghost faced killer with a fiendish graft. I'm the negotiator for the SBB, since I've had experience with it from trying to negotiate peace between the HEF and the GoUE, or to be a little more precise, the HEF and Droga.
Wilds 10-08-05, 12:58 AM	Me and my cohort or me and demonfey? arg, ill post question once im coherent tomorrow...... code thing looks nice. Just hope no one from teh horsemen thread on the hecatomb boards get called over here. cause they are ridiculous at cracking codes
Silmarien Aldalome 10-08-05, 10:18 PM	Me and my cohort or me and demonfey? arg, ill post question once im coherent tomorrow...... code thing looks nice. Just hope no one from teh horsemen thread on the hecatomb boards get called over here. cause they are ridiculous at cracking codes thanx for the thumbs up. There is a flash of magical silver-blue light and you and your comrade are surrounded by magical fires. A concert of barritone voices chant "The Catacombs beneath the earth The mazes of the skies ahead You'll never find the Bearning Hearth that is our place, The Winter Leaf" flash You wink out of existence......
Demonfey 10-08-05, 10:20 PM	Me and Wilds, right?
Silmarien Aldalome 10-08-05, 10:27 PM	which PC is 'ere. The creepy craft-fiend jibes+smiles or another? regards stav
Demonfey 10-08-05, 10:29 PM	The ninja with demon wings is here. Igor is not part of the SBB, he's freelance.
Silmarien Aldalome 10-08-05, 11:32 PM	okay, check your PM box. stav
Silmarien Aldalome 10-09-05, 12:12 AM	@Readership OoC okay, the opening post says that typically, we don't interact in public, here in IG mode. I am prepared, though, to build ideas OoC, about strategies for covert ops. I'm going to be a bit cagy, and not reveal all my secrets. But you may well already have thought of the concepts, anyhowz. Concept Summary of Covert Operations i) Methodologies for Covert Operations can be organised into the following headings, or 'clusters' of concepts: Arcane; Divine; The Mundane Typically, the spell lists under Divination as the school of magic give most of the basics. However, it's much broader an area than that. If you think smart, you'll see some very powerful ways of using PHB spells for a Covert Operation. At the most basic, even your grandmother sometimes sees something she might report to the authorities. The only difference in the Covert Ops world is that the better term is spies. ii) Stragegies for Covert Operations combine different methdologies, in different ways, for different goals. iii) The Social Organisation of a Covert Guild These may vary as well. They may be hidden, or in other planes, or out in the open. iv) Communication As noted, opening post, see comments on Secret Languages (like Thieves Cant). Just some preliminaries.