This is an RP challenge, the last one of the game. You must split up your team to fight with the different factions according to your established characters. These are your choices:

1. Join Djoni and the Wolves. This is a good choice if you are a werewolf, of course, or if you have a vicious style of battling and do not want to join the Vamps. This should be a rough-and-tumble very physical approach.
2. Join Lysandra and the Vamps. If you have always wanted to write a scene with blood dripping, or if you're a vampire yourself, this would be a good choice, This is the other "savage" faction.
3. Want hand-to-hand or Ninja style battle? Join Tanaka and the Singari. This is a different approach and if you have a rogue/thief nature, it should suit you fine.
4. Alchemists and Magic users may want to lift off in the ships with Lucien and the Pyrates, Drop bomb concoctions or shoot down spells. It might be amusing.
5. Along with the Bards, Mages and Alchemists may also find defending with Junu and the Crystanians is the best choice for you. There is less actual combat in this choice, but more caretaking of those inside the castle.

Obviously, you don't have to cover all the factions. You each will choose the option you think best fits your individual character, and members of a team may find themselves choosing the same faction. However, you cannot lump the whole team in one place. There should be at least some division, even with a small team.

The whole idea here is to make this as creative and involving as you can. There will be pieces which you must blend together in order to make it work as a whole piece.

Deadline: Please help me decide! Let's reach a compromise for ending this round of WS, but still giving you all enough time to get this done. Is a week enough? Week and a half? I'd really prefer not to go a fortnight, but I will if you all feel it would be best. Let me know, and then I'll post our deadline.

Posting this now, so we can get started.

What group would each of you guys like to join?

Green Rowan Update:

Frieda plies me with cookies and wonderful drinks, so I'll take her suggestion and go with Sept. 13 at 11:59 pm Subeta time for the deadline.

That gives me time to enjoy seeing a production of the musical "Addams Family" the Saturday before. Good reviews and lots of giggles, so I understand.

So, on to the battle. If you're joining Djoni, you're going to confront werewolves, yes, but also evil wargs (think of Norse vargr for reference.) Falcorians, even the "normals" often keep wolves as pets, and some of these are noble wargs. You can play with these in your RP as you wish.

If you're helping Lysandra, you'll encounter the vampires who refuse to "civilize" and are ostracized for their bloodlust. They are relatively few in number, as are Lysandra's troops, but they have a little thing called "ghostfire" which is a bolt of dark essence distilled from the souls of the unrepentant. Nasty stuff, and vamps have good reason to fear a direct hit.

Tanaka and the Singari have a bit more leeway. There are bands of assassins, bandits, and thugs in the outer regions of Falcor. It's a much wilder country than Crystania. Now, they do expect to meet some of the Eastern forces, but will they be the ones targeted? Hmmm--we shall see.

If you're in the sky with the Pyrates, do you really think the other side doesn't have mages and alchemists, too? Count on their aircraft to be a cut less than your side, but don't count them out.

Now, why would the Eastern troops travel so far to help? And who is behind all of this? (Speculate away. You won't learn that until WS6--if there is one, as I may be burnt at the stake by then--or not. We host the League of Capricious Complainers, after all. 😉 )

If you're guarding the castle, you have the Coppelias to contend with as well as the infiltrators. Create lethal dolls if you want, or don't. It's your show and your RP. But you do have a Faerie healer, a contender for the crown of Sinhae, and a young woman who is completely devoid of, and resistant to, magic. Not to mention Larianne, who would make an awesome hostage.

SO enjoy on your own terms, each of you. I will knit the stories together in the denouement. After all, this is not an industry, or a corporation, or even a business. It's an entertainment--with lots of prizes. It's for FUN! Entertain yourselves and your team, other players, the judges, and maybe even me. ENJOY!

PS: Questions are fine, any time. I encourage them at the end of every OOC starting post! Kristoff is not from the Eastern Lands. He's actually Lysandra's cousin, but Frieda should hang on to her theories---just sayin'.

From player Frieda's research:

(from my research notes)

There are three classes of creatures in Falcor:

• Wolves of Falcor, = Ruling Class King Magnus, Tamara, Djoni
• Vampires of Drakhall = Rulling Class Lysandra (looks like a child) distant relative of Djoni.
• Singari = third-class citizens, yet powerful and poised to assume control in a power vacuum. Irella the Seer.

These three factions are joining forces to combat a fourth faction:

• The Rogue Nation who is prepared to create the civil war that we are going to be engaged in is led by Kristoff, the creepy guy at the maze who had cornered Chaisa (she was rescued by a wolf). Krisroff apparently is Vampire-kind?

Anyhow Kristoff is the one who has recruited the thugs of the dark forest, organized the dark forces and is from the Eastern Realm.

Y'all I will have to be honest. What class am I this summer? I think I said Ranger but now I don't see anything Ranger like up there so I really don't know. I will role play whichever faction I need to. I'm not the best at roleplaying but just tell me which one to go for and I'll do it. Thanks!

You put:

Team member: bamaace83 (Status, Reluctant) Character: Anna Class: Ranger Companion: Bird, Midnight

My name is Anna and I come from a far, far land. I spent many hours sitting at my Grandmother's kitchen table, listening to stories of grand adventures. She told me of scaling cliffs, getting lost in the midst of hidden woods, and braving new ocean waters. She taught me at a young age to use a bow and arrow, to start a fire from a couple rocks and twigs, and to eat and drink off what nature has to provide. Over the years, my curiosity started to peak and I certainly wanted to have a few of these experiences that she told me about over and over again. Unable to fully leave my work requirements in the medical field of my hometown, but in the need of an adventure to make life interesting, I am ready to venture out on my days off to explore new lands. Along with my companion, Midnight, I am on the search of new adventures and new friends.

Sounds like you're very comfortable in the wilds and in the woods... And you said you're good with the bow and arrow...

---1) Join Djoni and the Wolves -- This is an extremely violent section. Without extra magic, power or strength, it might not be a good spot for you... ---2) Lysandra and the Vamps -- Also extremely violent, like the wolves... ++3) Want hand-to-hand or Ninja style battle? Join Tanaka and the Singari. This is a different approach and if you have a rogue/thief nature, it should suit you fine. -- Hand-to-hand combat doesn't sound like your style, but Robin Hood was a rogue-thief sort, so this might be a spot for you... +4) Alchemists and Magic users may want to lift off in the ships with Lucien and the Pyrates, Drop bomb concoctions or shoot down spells. It might be amusing. -- While you don't have alchemy or magic at your side, you do wield a long-range weapon, so this could be a possible spot for you... ++5) Along with the Bards, Mages and Alchemists may also find defending with Junu and the Crystanians is the best choice for you. There is less actual combat in this choice, but more caretaking of those inside the castle. -- You could take up a post on the castle wall, taking down enemies that draw close... Bow and arrow is an excellent defensive weapon.

(My suggestions for you)

For me:

---1) Join Djoni and the Wolves. -- weather powers are not necessarily very useful in CLOSE combat, so I'm not sure this would be a good spot for me.. ---2) Join Lysandra and the Vamps. If you have always wanted to write a scene with blood dripping, or if you're a vampire yourself, this would be a good choice, This is the other "savage" faction. -- ditto ---3) Want hand-to-hand or Ninja style battle? Join Tanaka and the Singari. This is a different approach and if you have a rogue/thief nature, it should suit you fine. -- ditto +++4) Alchemists and Magic users may want to lift off in the ships with Lucien and the Pyrates, Drop bomb concoctions or shoot down spells. It might be amusing. -- The skies would probably be a good place for someone with weather-related powers... I can help keep our ships in the air, while taking down enemy ships, and raining lightning and such down on whatever enemies I spot down below... 5) Along with the Bards, Mages and Alchemists may also find defending with Junu and the Crystanians is the best choice for you. There is less actual combat in this choice, but more caretaking of those inside the castle. -- Also potentially useful, since the castle wall would give me a good vantage point for taking out enemies who draw too near...

So I'll probably stick to the castle or the airships...

WOO, okay wow. I was worried there'd be more RP right. @.@ I get so overwhelmed when it comes to writing/nervous for anyone to read my writing but I'll do my best. Looks like the deadline is the 13th? My apologies for being a couple days late - I've been suffering with awful stomach aches and it made it hard to sit at the laptop for very long at all. The castle sounds like it would be fitting for my character... perhaps Dahlia and Raine could join forces if you don't decide on airships? I haven't finished reading all the OOC thread to see if two characters are allowed to interact in RPing. The "lethal dolls" suggestion from GR sounds kind of cool... I've gotten a little confused though, are many of them real dolls and only one of them a normal girl under a spell? or are all of them human in which case you don't want to harm them?

I wouldn't know where to start though... this is my third wayward squirrel but I've never really understood who all the NPCs are (((I struggle a lot with retaining information... it's very frustrating))) but from what I've always understood, we aren't allowed to write for the NPCs... but GR's descriptions makes it sound like we would be directly interacting with them... ah this is going to be a hard one...

We are ABSolutely allowed to interact. We just can't ALL be in the same group. We need to pick at least a couple of the groups to split up amongst. :)

I would totally be up to pairing with someone then for brainstorming/rping to help make things less intimidating. :)

I don't know. You sure you don't want to make one mean dust devil to ruffle werewolfs fur? X3

It take me forever and a day to write for these very reasons.

As for me.... ---1) Join Djoni and the Wolves. -- This probably more for heavy weight fighters...Which, if anyone grabs Max's arm, he is quite thin. +++2) Join Lysandra and the Vamps. -- I might go with this one, Max just has to go barter for some silver from someone in camp. +++3) Tanaka and the Singari-- The most straight forward RPing. Anything goes. ---4) Alchemists and Magic users-- Not much of a magic person unless you count his boom stick (pistol) +++5)Junu and the Crystanians-- Being a Jack, Max could technically get deadly dolls to work....

We can't directly write for them... But I think we can probably mention things they are certain to do in the event.... Like we could say Djoni gave his group of fighters directions, or that you saw him in the distance fighting off some wolves...

Green Rowan on NPCs: [/quote] To what extent we should be using the Main NPCs?..........Should we acknowledge them and not directly control them? Yes. Please do not write for them, as I have plans for them myself.

(Actually, there has always been a policy in place since WS1 to not write my characters. It hasn't always been followed, which makes for some pretty tricky adjustments, or I have to ignore what you wrote--neither one is optimal. There was a situation in WS2 that I really don't not want to relive! 😮. Thank you for asking.)

Also the more unnamed NPCs do we have a bit more leeway with? Yes, but DO NOT kill Kristoff! [/quote]

I think Frieda has been in Wayward Squirrels a number of times before? Anyway, this is what she said about roleplaying WITH the NPCs...

Also, here is what GreenRowan said in the Character Guide:

(There are a number of new characters for WS5 and veterans will hear news of other characters who won't recur this round. Please don't play for or with these folks in a substantive manner without asking me first, as it may affect the later plot. Exchanging pleasantries, etc. is completely fine.)

Oh, and I just remembered this bit:

"If you're guarding the castle, you have the Coppelias to contend with as well as the infiltrators. Create lethal dolls if you want, or don't. It's your show and your RP. But you do have a Faerie healer, a contender for the crown of Sinhae, and a young woman who is completely devoid of, and resistant to, magic. Not to mention Larianne, who would make an awesome hostage."

The Coppelias... We might have a potion, but it will only work if we get it to her. So we need to save the real Coppelia AND help fight off the robot Coppelias... Which should be fun...

Getting caught up now. Gong to read through everything in the RP and try to get one of my parts done tonight or early tomorrow if real life allows. I'm all for splitting into two teams to make it easier on all of us. Sorry that I've been extra quiet the past few days, been dealing with a bad stomach and just blah because of it.

(Sorry I didn't post much sooner guys.) I'm fine with teaming in two groups, if that's okay with you . My character used a bow/arrows and knives last year (and those haven't really been of much use until now). I feel like my character (as a ranger) could work in 1. wolves, 2. vamps, or 3. hand-to-hand w/ ninjas. Though, I must say, I'm still a little inexperienced writing battle scenes. [Speaking of which, , I thought I saw GR mention a possibility of ninjas going towards the castle in the OOC as a response to someone. Might reread her comments there. :) Be careful of ninja wherever you are.] ;)

If its alright with you, I can post a little for you meeting up with Max, and you can add whatever you like :3

I was thinking Vamps. More interesting and....maybe thrilling >3

Haha, yeah, it's a little nerve wracking... We have to start our roleplay, and divide up and all, but then this is only the first half of the battle... So there is no telling what GreenRowan will throw at us in the second half!

Does this apply to the current chapter? I hope so, I'm having crap ton of luck with out internet right now. It took me 5 min just to pull up that quote, and I don't even know if this will go through. Cable people screwed up out internet this week when my mom canceled the cable part of our package. We almost never use our tv, but still need internet. They took that as, you want to cancel your whole account? Okay! And then they wouldn't give the internet back. Now that I have it, I'm 3 down, 3 up vs the average 40 minimum most people have......Anyway, I'll type something up for both and myself with the vamps in case they can't make it. If they do, we can edit stuff around. Hope this goes through....