#chapter 4 shenanigans

[fir-fireweed]

Me: I hate angst.

My beta reader, ugly sobbing after finishing Chapter 4: “my GAWD you gonna get SO MANY messages about this chapter end!”

😅

[casualhedonists]

NEED HIM ON HIS KNEES BEGGING FOR FORGIVENESS AFTER THIS!!!!

GIRL SO DO I 😔😔

[cylawsonwrites]

So does Loche have a crush on the MC or something?

There's something going on, but I can't tell what exactly is behind anything as it's major Loche route spoilers. Like, MAJOR MAJOR spoilers, so.

[lorekeepers-library]

Chapter 4- Among the Ashes (Part 3)

For reference, our  our characters are Bella the Eladrin Bard/Druid, Dalamadur the Dragonborn Paladin, Everard the Human Wizard, Raphael the Tiefling Warlock, and Stellise the High Elf Bard/Rogue.

Bella, Dalamadur, and Everard jumped into a portal. Stellise and Raphael stayed in the material plane and returned to Tavo. Tavo spent 8 hours figuring out that the portal sent the other three to the Shadowfell.

In the Shadowfell, Bella, Dalamadur, and Everard followed Baba Lysaga down a mountain path to a town gate and killed her to get Herald back. The gates to the town open and they meet a young half-Drow girl in a yellow dress. She takes them though the town, where they see the old inn that was recently burnt down, and up to the caste. They get a tour and rest for a while. 

Tavo reopens the portal to the Shadowfell, and Stellise travels through it. Raphael hears a call from the Raven Queen and reluctantly follows. They too travel the mountain path to the town and meet the half-Drow girl.

They did a lot of exploring and investigating. The gist of it was that the master of the castle married a woman, who his mother hated, four years ago. Baba Lysaga was his mother and was exiled from the town and returned two years ago only to kill her son’s wife. The master then locked himself in his room and has been there since. His butler still sends him meals through a slot in the door. The butler gets angry if there is any question of the master’s well-being or mention of the master’s late wife. The half-Drow girl is the butler’s daughter and seems concerned about why the master has been locked away in his room for two years.

After a lovely dinner, Raphael visits the temple of the Raven Queen in the town to learn more about his quest from her. Bella and Stellise put on a beautiful show in the castle courtyard for the townsfolk. And Everard uses Dancing Lights to recreate the night sky from the material plane for the half-Drow girl. (He received the first point of inspiration I’ve ever given, and the first of the game.)

((This session was entirely role-play, and there was a lot of character development. I did not want to type every little detail, so I simplified most things.))

[fir-fireweed]

I'm vibrating until 10/10 because i NEED to see how salty Tellus/Coda gets towards Bayram when he swoops in and starts flirting with MC. Maybe he'll act all calm but I can't see him keeping his cool for that long

[fir-fireweed]

i love vicente's jealous interaction with bayram hes literally like yeah but did YOU guys homoerotically fight after recognising each other 8 years later? thought not. like girl chill that is a friendly hug pls

[fir-fireweed]

I'd like to say l love how you made fire the healing element since usually in media water (or something earth too) is the one capable of healing and fire is the most destructive/aggressive element. To say I was surprised and so very delighted when I read the descriptions and they didn't align with the usual/expected roles would be an understatement.

But this also made choosing the attunement of my first me so difficult because on one hand there was this creative, new and interesting type of fire user (not to mention fire is my favourite element too) on the other hand there was air and I am so very very weak to making my mc's performers and/or dancers and I also love the description of their fighting style and the fact they use a battle fans...

l agonised over it for a couple minutes but in the end I chose fire because it's my fav element (I'm loyal to my love) and I was too curious to resist.But then when I started my second play through I didn't even blink before choosing air for my second mc.

I’m glad you liked that aspect! I did a lot of research, seeing how the elements are generally paired with senses and powers, and ultimately I preferred this combo best. The Iredicci believe in balance, in both destructive and constructive forces being equal and natural, and this felt appropriate.

I did a poll awhile back and air was the top choice. Fire and water pretty much tied for second, and my poor earth was dead last by a lot. 😭 But my loyal few earth MCs will have some fun bits of flavor text this chapter; all will, but I do enjoy writing earth. 💪🏻

[fir-fireweed]

Character Question: How would you describe everyone's handwriting? (By everyone, I mean ROs, eva, parents, named Resistenza members, etc. It's a lot of people, so if you answer this, don't worry about getting everyone)

Thank you for writing Cantata, Fir. I hope you have a good day

Stop looking over my shoulder as I’m writing! 🫵

No joke, I actually describe one of the ROs’ handwriting in chapter 4. 😂 I’m not going to answer this ask for any of the ROs; there’s actually several spoilers involved with this particular topic. So I’ll answer for the Sideris family.

FYI, I will never answer asks on the named Resistenza members. They are not as well developed and I will never get any writing done if I include them in asks. 😵‍💫

Evelyn has beautiful, scripted handwriting, which should come as no surprise to anyone. She practiced signing her name over and over as a child. It’s full of extra loops, each letter elegant and fancy.

Thaleia writes like your typical doctor: illegible shorthand. And don’t ask her to decipher it—she’ll tell you there’s something wrong with your eyesight, not her handwriting.

Jonah writes well, clear and concise. He doesn’t write in cursive, and his letters appear in neat rows.

And you are most welcome, it’s my pleasure to write this!