Olga's Ring (questions answered)
Sept 3, 2021 16:42:56 GMT -5
The Semi-Retired Gamer, The Perilous Dreamer, and 1 more like this
Post by hengest on Sept 3, 2021 16:42:56 GMT -5
My answers to the questions I developed for use with the originally somewhat plain item "Olga's Ring." Thanks to mao and The Perilous Dreamer for pushing me on this one. Everyone is welcome to do their own version or to respond to this in some way.
Possible Questions/Hooks (compressed a bit to clear out repetition)
1. Was it buried with her? Has she been buried or is she still lying in state in some way at present? -- Lily will lie, half-buried, half "in state" for a month in a lidless wooden coffin standing free in the tomb of her ancestors. Half that month has passed.
2. Did anyone know (about the ring)? -- Those with eyes to see might have seen it on her and guessed the source of her power, but if they did, they may have known more than Lily herself.
3. Did she leave it to an heir? -- Unknown.
4. What did she say? -- Unknown.
5. Did she herself know or remember its power? -- How much her half-childish mind grasped of such distinctions (this is me, this is my ring) cannot be guessed.
6. If it was not buried with her, was it left to anyone in particular or simply among her personal effects? -- Her hands, crossed over her chest, are covered by the rough work gloves of her people, and it is not clear at a glance whether the ring is on her finger.
7. Is there a meaningful distinction between vassal states that paid tribute to Queen Lily and true allies? -- Some fifty years ago, there might have been such a distinction, but as the queen aged and relied more on reputation and diplomacy to maintain her position, such distinctions were forgotten, at least among Lily's people. There may be those in the satellite tribes who remember the flames or stories of them.
8. Until when was Queen Lily able to use the telekinetic and pyrokinetic powers of the ring? -- Lily went through a period of strange grief in the middle of her life, and no pyrotechnics after that time can be recalled.
9. What was her age when she inherited the ring or got it by some other means? -- Lily's ill aunt, fifteen years older than her, gave her the ring when she was a girl. She wore it sometimes and played with it often for some years. There is no story about the first time she used its power.
10. By what means does the wearer activate the kinetic powers? Simply by desire, or is a command word or something required as a trigger? Is strong emotion sufficient to trigger any of the kinetic powers if the user does not know of them? -- Desire or "will" is sufficient. The exact limits of the ring's power are unknown, as it did seem to Lily using her powers was easier when in a state of emotional abandon. Such a state plus true inward discipline (that Lily likely did not possess) might make its effective power even greater.
11. Who made the ring and for what purpose? Does it function as designed or is this a "broken" set of powers? -- No user of the ring but Lily is known. Exactly how it might work with another user remains to be seen.
12. What are the rules of succession in this kingdom? Does Lily have an obvious heir? What sex is this person, what are they like? Is it this person who possesses the ring at present? -- There are no rules of succession and no obvious heir. She has known kin, but as they are little like her, and she ruled for so long, none of them is asking to be her successor.
13. Who was Olga? -- Her name is cut in runes, hardly known now, on the inside of the ring. Whether it was made by Olga or for her is unknown. It is not known even that Lily could read those runes. We may take into consideration the apparent age of the runes and confused state of the legends concerning the fallen culture (the Grass People, whose name does not reflect their skill with metals) that might have made the ring. These things taken together, an informed local might guess that the ring is between 200 and 500 years old. It is unknown whether there is at present any such person capable of framing such a thought.
14. Under what tactical circumstances did Lily use the pyrokinetic power? -- The tactical use was somewhat crude, but very often effective. A bit of planning with strong warriors in her youth allowed her to combine the theatrical with the military. One early technique, made more effective by her youth and beauty, was to parlay with only a mini-retinue at her side and make moderately outrageous demands of tribute. On hearing refusal, Lily would call down fire from the sky and ride away while the locals were still laughing. Moments later, they would turn to realize all their wealth was being consumed by flames. The result was massive resource reduction for the enemy with little risk to Lily and her men, whose fearful reputation grew. Other, more complex techniques were also used over the decades.
15. Did her use of the pyrokinetic power cause any changes in local building habits? -- Of course, although the area is not particularly rich in stone for building materials. Some peoples took to storing goods and wealth in cellars, but this idea took well after Lily's dominance was established.
16. Was Lily always queen when she used the ring, or was she a princess? Or was it her military prowess (don't forget her other personal characteristics) that made her queen? -- Lily was the only daughter of a local warrior who was respected, but far from 'first among equals.' Her father and several of his peers formed a casual governing body that had influence and power but was not universally recognized even in its small area of influence, which we will call the Valley. It was Lily's unexpected rise to power during her young womanhood that gave her the title of queen and allowed her to become the central power in her tribe and those closely related to it.
17. What was Lily's natural WIS? Was she exceptional in any other way? Was she a figurehead or a confident ruler? -- Her natural abilities are unknown. Whether she was exceptional personally is better left to those who knew her and those who write the chronicles, but this much at least can be said: she was beautiful, but not beyond words. Perhaps due to her early military success, she developed little of the woman's art of display and grooming. Until the end of her life she preferred the gaudy adornments of a child to the filigreen jewelry the wealthy could obtain. She did have some sense of pomp, however, and as she matured, she made a distinction between her private dress, unchanged since her girlhood play, and what she deemed appropriate for rituals or state affairs. For these latter, she preferred natural adornments: a crown of leaves or an ephemeral bracelet made of wildflowers. Her people still know that, although she ruled with a firm hand, she never set aside the skills and customs she learned in childhood. Her hands were callused from work, with a bit of softness from dealing with mare's milk. There is a story, perhaps true, that during one of her renowned parleys, those hands were working the beginnings of a grass mat as she sat astride her horse. Neither truly a child nor play-acting one, she was a rare woman whose strength comes at the right time to ward off the smoothing effects of adult enculturation. Lily was herself, although her grief was that she had no true peer.
18. Did she marry? Did she marry a ruler of one of the neighboring kingdoms? Did he pre-decease her? -- Lily never married formally according to the custom of her people.
19. Is there a sister ring anywhere? Are there any other remarkable magic items in circulation? -- There are no known magic rings in circulation.
20. How old are Lily's people as a distinct culture? -- Their status as a clearly defined power began with Lily's successes within living memory. Outside but near their circle of influence, they are still thought of as an upstart kingdom. In the middle of Lily's life, there were some who tried to stitch the oral history of their people into the tales of more powerful cultures, to find ancient royal ancestors for Lily, and so on. She resisted these attempts and encouraged the singing of 'good tales' rather than 'prideful daydreams'.
Possible Questions/Hooks (compressed a bit to clear out repetition)
1. Was it buried with her? Has she been buried or is she still lying in state in some way at present? -- Lily will lie, half-buried, half "in state" for a month in a lidless wooden coffin standing free in the tomb of her ancestors. Half that month has passed.
2. Did anyone know (about the ring)? -- Those with eyes to see might have seen it on her and guessed the source of her power, but if they did, they may have known more than Lily herself.
3. Did she leave it to an heir? -- Unknown.
4. What did she say? -- Unknown.
5. Did she herself know or remember its power? -- How much her half-childish mind grasped of such distinctions (this is me, this is my ring) cannot be guessed.
6. If it was not buried with her, was it left to anyone in particular or simply among her personal effects? -- Her hands, crossed over her chest, are covered by the rough work gloves of her people, and it is not clear at a glance whether the ring is on her finger.
7. Is there a meaningful distinction between vassal states that paid tribute to Queen Lily and true allies? -- Some fifty years ago, there might have been such a distinction, but as the queen aged and relied more on reputation and diplomacy to maintain her position, such distinctions were forgotten, at least among Lily's people. There may be those in the satellite tribes who remember the flames or stories of them.
8. Until when was Queen Lily able to use the telekinetic and pyrokinetic powers of the ring? -- Lily went through a period of strange grief in the middle of her life, and no pyrotechnics after that time can be recalled.
9. What was her age when she inherited the ring or got it by some other means? -- Lily's ill aunt, fifteen years older than her, gave her the ring when she was a girl. She wore it sometimes and played with it often for some years. There is no story about the first time she used its power.
10. By what means does the wearer activate the kinetic powers? Simply by desire, or is a command word or something required as a trigger? Is strong emotion sufficient to trigger any of the kinetic powers if the user does not know of them? -- Desire or "will" is sufficient. The exact limits of the ring's power are unknown, as it did seem to Lily using her powers was easier when in a state of emotional abandon. Such a state plus true inward discipline (that Lily likely did not possess) might make its effective power even greater.
11. Who made the ring and for what purpose? Does it function as designed or is this a "broken" set of powers? -- No user of the ring but Lily is known. Exactly how it might work with another user remains to be seen.
12. What are the rules of succession in this kingdom? Does Lily have an obvious heir? What sex is this person, what are they like? Is it this person who possesses the ring at present? -- There are no rules of succession and no obvious heir. She has known kin, but as they are little like her, and she ruled for so long, none of them is asking to be her successor.
13. Who was Olga? -- Her name is cut in runes, hardly known now, on the inside of the ring. Whether it was made by Olga or for her is unknown. It is not known even that Lily could read those runes. We may take into consideration the apparent age of the runes and confused state of the legends concerning the fallen culture (the Grass People, whose name does not reflect their skill with metals) that might have made the ring. These things taken together, an informed local might guess that the ring is between 200 and 500 years old. It is unknown whether there is at present any such person capable of framing such a thought.
14. Under what tactical circumstances did Lily use the pyrokinetic power? -- The tactical use was somewhat crude, but very often effective. A bit of planning with strong warriors in her youth allowed her to combine the theatrical with the military. One early technique, made more effective by her youth and beauty, was to parlay with only a mini-retinue at her side and make moderately outrageous demands of tribute. On hearing refusal, Lily would call down fire from the sky and ride away while the locals were still laughing. Moments later, they would turn to realize all their wealth was being consumed by flames. The result was massive resource reduction for the enemy with little risk to Lily and her men, whose fearful reputation grew. Other, more complex techniques were also used over the decades.
15. Did her use of the pyrokinetic power cause any changes in local building habits? -- Of course, although the area is not particularly rich in stone for building materials. Some peoples took to storing goods and wealth in cellars, but this idea took well after Lily's dominance was established.
16. Was Lily always queen when she used the ring, or was she a princess? Or was it her military prowess (don't forget her other personal characteristics) that made her queen? -- Lily was the only daughter of a local warrior who was respected, but far from 'first among equals.' Her father and several of his peers formed a casual governing body that had influence and power but was not universally recognized even in its small area of influence, which we will call the Valley. It was Lily's unexpected rise to power during her young womanhood that gave her the title of queen and allowed her to become the central power in her tribe and those closely related to it.
17. What was Lily's natural WIS? Was she exceptional in any other way? Was she a figurehead or a confident ruler? -- Her natural abilities are unknown. Whether she was exceptional personally is better left to those who knew her and those who write the chronicles, but this much at least can be said: she was beautiful, but not beyond words. Perhaps due to her early military success, she developed little of the woman's art of display and grooming. Until the end of her life she preferred the gaudy adornments of a child to the filigreen jewelry the wealthy could obtain. She did have some sense of pomp, however, and as she matured, she made a distinction between her private dress, unchanged since her girlhood play, and what she deemed appropriate for rituals or state affairs. For these latter, she preferred natural adornments: a crown of leaves or an ephemeral bracelet made of wildflowers. Her people still know that, although she ruled with a firm hand, she never set aside the skills and customs she learned in childhood. Her hands were callused from work, with a bit of softness from dealing with mare's milk. There is a story, perhaps true, that during one of her renowned parleys, those hands were working the beginnings of a grass mat as she sat astride her horse. Neither truly a child nor play-acting one, she was a rare woman whose strength comes at the right time to ward off the smoothing effects of adult enculturation. Lily was herself, although her grief was that she had no true peer.
18. Did she marry? Did she marry a ruler of one of the neighboring kingdoms? Did he pre-decease her? -- Lily never married formally according to the custom of her people.
19. Is there a sister ring anywhere? Are there any other remarkable magic items in circulation? -- There are no known magic rings in circulation.
20. How old are Lily's people as a distinct culture? -- Their status as a clearly defined power began with Lily's successes within living memory. Outside but near their circle of influence, they are still thought of as an upstart kingdom. In the middle of Lily's life, there were some who tried to stitch the oral history of their people into the tales of more powerful cultures, to find ancient royal ancestors for Lily, and so on. She resisted these attempts and encouraged the singing of 'good tales' rather than 'prideful daydreams'.
