@Ruler said in Expand Half-Orc Head Selection:

+1
To expand on
Replace half-orc model with human model as an option if possible

use half-orcs model to customize orc tribe npcs/spawns

The kingdom has no hopes of micromanaging the wildwalkers or raiding their groves should they ever have intentions that work against the crown. Thus, we would be offering the illusion of benefits or promise.

Do note, I don't expect the Kingslayer works alone. A reasonable consideration after the war.

Some additional ideas..

Wildwalkers

• May bring their animal companion within the city, so long as it is of no harm to the public, they could gaze upon the tamed beasts in awe
• Are permitted to change the weather within the city, so long as it is to the benefit of the kingdom and balance
• Wildwalkers can issue challenges to other rangers or druids that would impose on their groves, without interference from the kingdom
• May preemtively handle necromancers or those summoning the Occult, should evidence be found afterwards that they disturbed the balance. Should it not, the wildwalker will go through the normal court proceedings

Not saying all or any of these should be the case. Simply ideas.

kindly,

~Guildmaster Finley Copperfield

@Crusader-K said in Defiling the dead:

You are not wrong. Perhaps animation and defiling should be separated. Although heinous and in need of a firm and swift punishment I do not believe a grave robber defiling the dead, or an adventurer willfully speaking with a sentient undead should immediately result in capital offenses but should still be handled with strict justice. Perhaps animation should be moved out of "Defiling the Dead" and become it's own Capital offense.

-Morpheus

Agreed. Forgive me, the sight of animation as a serious crime blinded me.

Kindly,

~Guildmaster Finley Copperfield

As it stands, it is a serious crime in Mister Frosthelms draft:

Defiling the Dead:
Animation of the dead is illegal. In extreme or repeat cases, the sentences may be considered Capital. These cases include, but are not limited to: Raising undead minions for nefarious purposes, raising undead to assault the city, peace officers, nobility, etc. Defilement of the dead is also defined as any interaction made with an undead creature that does not eventually result in the destruction of said undead or the prompt fleeing from it. Certain rare exceptions may be made if the creature is conclusively deemed by Peace Officials to never be capable of threatening the common folk. Affecting 'deals' with undead such as liches or other grossly evil, intelligent undead will be considered as defilement. Having an undead creature in your company or retinue is considered defilement. To strive to become undead yourself is defilement.
Note: Undead creatures have no rights in the City of Arabel; they are protected by no laws and may be destroyed immediately if discovered. Additionally no church or organization is exempt from this law and may be held accountable if it is discovered.

I propose this is considered a Capital Crime as it is beyond reeducation. Giving second chances to those who, at many times, had the opportunity to find a better way will only cost us more time, lives and resource.

I do hope I need not explain more. But we shall see.

Kindly,

~Guildmaster Finley Copperfield

I agree with Lord Cormaeril. Making this a common occurrence not only takes up time but weakens or kills those who would defend law and crown.

Kindly,

~Guildmaster Finley Copperfield

@V-Rage said in Summoning the Occult:

With respect Guildmaster, You are not an expert on conjuration.

Summoning devils and demons is outlawed because they are evil beings that try and tempt people into selling their souls.

Celestials do not have this issue.

Also going back to Eveningstar, There is a vast difference between the sort of celestial an adventurer could conjure and what was bound in the Temple

I am not suggesting it should be done all the time but there needs to be exceptions for respected clergy to be able to call them in certain situations

Michael

Your first claim is to discredit my authority on the matter. The very reason I am summoned here is because I am -the- expert. I am a Guildmaster and as such it is my responsibility to research beyond what may be considered selfish interests in order to understand and teach others on their path leading forward. But because you brought it up-

Most people don't know this about me but I have extensively studied and applied the study of Abjuration. A school responsible for banishing outsiders from the material along with a great many other things. I'd argue as such, I am quite familiar with the risks and unfortunate histories of conjuration.

I understand you are hopeful to find any and all reason for yourself to summon celestials but you do not have my sympathy in this regard.

There is also no -line-. There is no boundary after one learns to summon celestials and whoever in power permits it. There are many "goodly" faiths that would weaponize this ability for the advancement of their faith under the guise of "greater good" or as I will return the sentiment in kind for Mister Duponts comment, "boldness"

In example: Say I am approved to summon celestials, I then am approved to stretch beyond what most people see as summoning. Think about the summoning circle underneath tilverton, except utilizing celestials for instance. There is no justice in this circumstance or for the natural progression of ambition us mortals and I'd argue even some faiths, are chained by.

The kingdom is on its knees and summoning any sentient outsider is a risk. It is also my belief that you can solve the same issues with non sentient summons. That which you summon ought not to be smarter than you are, gods have mercy.

Some more things of note

• It isn't uncommon in other kingdoms to be killed on the spot for this pursuit
• In what world do sentient summons answer problems non sentient can not?
• Studying and practicing such summons have in the past weakened the boundary between the material plane and celestia
• There are always those who will bend the law to satiate their ambition

It remains my opinion that across the board Summoning the Occult needs to be outlawed, with strict punishment upon being caught. I'd suggest execution as a possible and likely outcome in order to dissuade any of those who would attempt such with the comforts of a heavy purse.

There are other ways to save the realm without blatantly risking innocent lives.

Kindly,

~Guildmaster Finley Copperfield

Mister Frosthelms Draft:

Summoning the Occult:
Summoning intelligent outsiders from any realm, aberrations, or undead spirits. Those caught leading or controlling occult minions will be arrested immediately. In extreme cases, the sentences may be considered Capital. These cases usually include city assaults facilitated by the summoning of the occult. This does not include extra-planar creatures such as infernally tainted animals, but rather applies to powerful sentient extra-planar creatures that pose a serious risk to life and property. Those witnessed to be in the non-hostile company of an intelligent being of the occult(and not busy destroying them, fleeing from them, etc) can be assumed to be under extreme suspicion of having made a Pact or criminal association, and will be investigated as such.

Quotes from others files:

Laypriest Dupont:

@V-Rage said in Morpheus's Draft:

Mostly good.

I'm against some of these though.

Namely the fact beings from higher planes such as Celestia would be included in this Summoning the Occult.

Whilst it shouldn't be done lightly there can be times Summoning celestials could be helpful such as expeditions into Deadwell to clear the undead.

Mister Frosthelm:

On summoning celestials, have you seen what happened to Eveningscar? Mortals should not have any right or responsibility to summon powerful, sentient outsiders. I would not trust that with anyone outside of the High Clergy of a church, with the approval of the crown. Someone thought releasing a celestial on the Cyricists was a good idea and it lead to pandemonium that we are still cleaning up. I would not, in good conscience, recommend anyone doing that again, even to Deadwell.

-Morpheous

My opinion, dare I say strong opinion on the matter is this.

Under no circumstances should summoning sentient outsiders be permissible or without -serious- punishment. In an effort to make for a fruitful discussion I will cast aside the recent example Belon has provided us with from historic events.

Let us consider deadwell as Laypriest Dupont suggests. Deadwell consists of mostly non sentient undeath, sure something may linger in the darkest corner of the crypts below but the undead that plague that land have obvious intentions and limitations, with no strings tied to ambition.

Outsiders do not share these qualities. To summon or create any means for sentient outsiders(yes even celestials) to conquer a land in hopes it is cured from undeath is flawed in more ways than one. We cannot assume:

• That they have the means(or interest) to cure or weaken curses, such as deadwell
• That they don't have extreme views on what the material plane should look like
• That they share our views on what deserves life, death or judgement
• That they do not have other ambitions or motives that risks realm and kingdom during their visit

"But guildmaster, I am a capable summoner able to control sentient outsiders under my command because I found a book!"

Neato-

But when has it ever stopped there? It has not, nor would it ever. Every summoner has their limitations, none in history would were able to conquer deadwell(or similar examples) with sentient outsiders unless they stretched beyond their limits thus risking the realm and kingdom as a whole.

Saying that we must summon celestials to answer deadwell is an extreme and dangerous measure that lacks creative thought to find ways that do not risk innocent lives.

Some things to note that I find most curious:

• Those who have summoned celestials or permitted others to do so, were those often without a deep understanding of the Arcane(and those that did had villainous intentions). My respect to the rulers before us but they were not arcanists nor experts in the dangers of these extreme measures.

• Adventurers often jump to the most extreme solution to a problem, even if it risks lives. Defending it as the "Only way" when really, it is not nor do they regularly have evidence that would support this.

• Ambition should be accounted for. The same minds that would exploit these powers would not stop there, especially after initial success.

• Imagine the peace the citizens would have knowing we learn from history(belon and others) instead of continuing on and acting as if the lives lost had no lesson.

• Should someone find the means to summon sentient outsiders, it may be the design of one under the guise of an established faith, or any powerful entity giving false promise

Kindly,

~Guildmaster Finley Copperfield

From Mister Frosthelms Draft:

Research of Dangerous Phenomena:
Research of any other strange phenomena deemed a possible horrendous threat to Arabel are capital crimes. They are not to be tampered with under any circumstances without Crown Approval.

I would suggest the following:

I would like to make the case that clergy (officially recognized or not) specifically related to the deities of knowledge be exempted in whole or in part from any attempts at laws or restriction on:

• Carrying documents that may be considered profane, blasphemous, or otherwise unpleasant.

• This would include things like copies of texts teaching one how to summon outsiders, how to raise undead, and the like.

• Conducting research into fields that may be considered as above up to the point where that research is put into practice. Studying intense necromancy (for example) should not be cause for arrest, death or worse. The actual implementation of these teachings in robbing life of dignity is the crime, not the knowledge itself.

• Carrying relics of similarly dubious nature with the exception that if such a relic poses a credible threat to a settlement or the city, it should be well documented and handled appropriately- likely destroyed if possible. Much as a Mystran might argue this, I believe in preservation of life over some artifacts.

If such a body is available, the local Arcane Guild should be made aware of the presence of any of the above if they are of significant danger or potential danger. All research on these documents, relics, and so on should be shared with said guild who can offer its own body of knowledge to aid the research. The research will then be shared with the shrine of Deneir, documented, cataloged and preserved for future generations.

Failure to inform local handlers of the arcane of these sorts of affairs should be treated as a lesser crime, punishable by fine. If the objects or topics in question are of great severity (such as Belon's binding of an angel), the punishment should reflect the nature of the lapse up to and including execution. Regardless of the priest's rank or standing; putting people at such a great risk is inexcusable.

Deities of knowledge would include:

Racial deities that deal exclusively in the handling of one or more realms related to preservation of knowledge or magic. Examples include:

Deneir, Mystra, Oghma
Thot (Mulhorandi pantheon)
Dugmaren Brightmantle (Dwarven)
Labelas Enoreth (Elven)

Lack of documentation was the downfall of those before us. Not to mention, those with faith related to the weave and guilds such as ours are the best equipped and knowledgeable to not only handle such matters but to document and communicate their relevance.

Kindly,

~Guildmaster Finley Copperfield

Its an Arcane Registry, should the crown be interested in it stretching beyond that into the divine, I would not have such matters be the responsibility of the Arcane Guild.

The registry as it stands, is not a punishment. Once submitted, the arcanists are eligible for substantial rewards. A system the guild is currently discussing in depth. Yet another cost we endure for the safety of Realm and Kingdom. Such rewards may include:

• Grants for specific research/studies
• Wands and scrolls at incredible prices, or free
• Care packages to encourage them along a path of responsible arcana
• Earnable Degrees
• A sense of community, dismissing the divide between arcanists like the precepts and many mossmere apprentices clutched onto.
• One on one training or arcane councel

Should one go out of their way to not register after multiple attempts, then that tells us there may be suspicious activity already at play and would warrant investigation.

It allows us to keep track of those capable in doing certain crimes when we coordinate with investigation on such matters, creating a more efficient process which in the end saves lives, resource and time.

It is common for Kingdoms to have an Arcane Registry, arcanists are generally uncommon, however the reoccurring crop regarding Children of the weave or those with latent abilities have complicated matters, yet we remain determined to document anything and everything.

As for changing it to fourth circle casters and above, I disagree. Those able to cast a fireball and destroy buildings or groups of innocence I believe would qualify, a great variety belonging to the third circle and above. This would also include the infamous spell "Animate Dead" and so many others that could reap destruction.

If your interest is to empower the registry through precise and fair law, then you have my blessing. But you'd have an easier time defeating a polar bear with snowballs than convincing me it should be removed. I'd suggest as follows:

Arcane casters capable of third circle spells and above are required to register their talents with the authorities. Early registration is welcome and encouraged

Divine spell casters are not required to register, as they're governed. Clerics and paladins are governed by the local churches, druids and rangers are governed by the Wildwalkers.

Kindly,

~Guildmaster Finley Copperfield

It is an unfortunate bit of news to see the registration be viewed on such a singular axis.

What issue do you take with the arcane registry as it stands Laypriest Dupont?

~Guildmaster Finley Copperfield