[Polaris] Battle in the Remnant!

[GreatWolf]

(The previous report can be found here.)

Battle is joined in the remnants!  Demon armies attack!  Dragons clash in the air, and below, the Knights of the Order of the Stars deal death!

At last, we return to our Polaris game.  Let's get into it.

Long ago, the people were dying at the end of the world.

Quotables

"I have no control over what your sister does with her face!"

"Hey, look what my pants do!  I don't know why!"

But First, An Aside

This AP report actually covers about one and a quarter sessions.  The first part of the session was on March 1, 2006.  However, we were just barely into our second scene when I received an emergency phone call.  William, a teenager in our church, had been diagnosed with a brain tumor at the end of January.  That night, he had taken a turn for the worse.  In particular, one of William's friends at church was very shaken and needed to talk.

We called the game early, and off I went.

On March 5, William was declared brain-dead.  On March 7, he was taken off the respirator.  Within 15 minutes, his heart stopped.  He was sixteen.

Polaris is a game of loss.  This March, as I stood at the grave of a teen, I experienced loss.  I believe that William is with his Savior now, but still, I had hoped to have more time with him.

Then, Raquel traveled to Colorado, schedules didn't line up, and soon a month had passed.  Finally, we managed to assemble on April 12 to play.

This time, it was a success.

Overview of Play

Sadal had gone to the headquarters of the Order of Mesarthim to seek Maia.  Instead, he found Aludra, Maia's apprentice, whom Sadal blamed for the scarring of his sister Gemma.  He compelled Aludra to come with him and heal his sister.  However, as a result, it was fated that both Aludra and Gemma would die.

Then came the massive battle sequence.  This was very cool.

The Knights were passing in review in a celebratory parade when a huge demon army attacked.  Leading them was Muliphein, once of the Order of the Stars, now a demon himself.  He rides a skeletal dragon (essentially a dracolich) but is himself the most beautiful Knight ever seen.  I took to calling him "the prettiest Knight", so the group quickly named him "the Knight of Haunting Beauty".

Altair took to the sky on Agate, his ice dragon.  Being Altair, he quickly moved to engage Muliphein.  A well-placed ice blast shattered the dracolich, causing Muliphein to plummet onto the remnant wall.  Unfortunately, it simply reformed on the ground, shattered bones rattling together into place.  Seized with a chivalrous impulse, Altair alighted from his dragon to battle Muliphein, while Agate turned to fight the dracolich.  Altair drew his sword.  The two of them stood above the gate.  All about them, the battle raged.  Then, Altair struck.

Maia had been in the grandstand during the parade, and now she was trying to escort both Andromeda (the Chancellor's daughter) and the Spring Child to safety.  But it was not to be.  Muliphein had sent a demon for the Spring Child.  It took the form of a giant serpent with a wolf's head and claws sprouting from its back.  Maia fought it, stabbing deeply into its underbelly.  However, the acid blood spraying from the wound burned her severely, melting one of her arms and the one side of her face.  Then, in desperation, Maia reached within herself and reversed her Hand of Healing.  Into this demon, she poured every disease that she had ever healed.  Writhing in agony, the demon died, crumbling into dust.  But both Andromeda and the Spring Child were gone.

Rastaban had also been near the grandstand when the demons attacked, and so he saw Al Bali the Swallower emerge from the shadows and slip down the corridor, following Maia.  He knew that this demon was the Chancellor's personal assassin, so something must be up.

Indeed, Al Bali had been sent to capture the Spring Child.  But he had other ideas.  When he cornered the Spring Child, he picked her up and consumed her.  But he was unable to consume her essence.  Instead, she tore herself from his stomach and continued to walk away.  In anger, Al Bali impaled the Spring Child with his claws.  But it was too late.  The change had begun.  From within the demon something burst, ripping apart his body.   Poppies sprouted where the Spring Child's blood had fallen.  Where Al Bali had stood, now a tree swayed in the wind.  High above in its branches, the Spring Child lay in a cradle of living boughs.  Rastaban crept from the shadows and rescued the Spring Child.

This is the first tree ever to grow in any of the remnants.

Sadal took his stand in the streets, rallying the Knights to his side.  The demons fell before his furious onslaught.  Soon, Sadal had cut his way to the side of Captain Megrez, whom he had once accused of being possessed.  Now, they discovered brotherhood in the battle, fighting back to back against the rising tide of demons.

Then Sadal saw his sister Gemma, walking through the battle.  Her face was no longer scarred; Aludra had healed her.  She beckoned to him, and he followed.  Captain Megrez called after him desperately, but it was no use.  Megrez was pulled under by the demons, who tore him apart.

Gemma led Sadal to the top of the tallest tower in the remnant.  All around them, the city burned.  Then, behind them, Aludra came running up the stairs, calling for Sadal to wait.  With a fluid motion, Gemma drew Sadal's sword and ran Aludra through.  Then, without another word, she threw herself from the tower.

With her dying words, Aludra confessed that she had used demonic power to heal Gemma.  Her last words to Sadal were, "The Spring Child...."

Altair was losing the duel.  Muliphein was just too skilled.  So, Altair leaped to safety, calling for Antares.  But Antares was not responding.  He had been courting Gemma, and he saw her fall.  In the skies above, the dracolich tore into Agate, causing him to fall from the sky.  The dragon crashed into the grandstand, killing Senator El-Nath's son, earning Altair the eternal hatred of a Senator.  Then Muliphein moved in for the kill.  But Antares intervened.  Having torn himself away from Gemma's body, he threw himself on the Knight of Haunting Beauty.  But Muliphein was too fast.  With a swift motion, he cut down Antares, wounding him so severely that he will never be able to fly again.

With a cry of fury, Altair charged Muliphein.  His rage gave him strength, and he ran his sword through the other Knight, pinning him to the wall of the remnant.  But then Altair's eyes met Antares'.  All that Altair saw was anger and disbelief.  Antares blamed Altair for his wound.  He blamed Altair for Gemma's death.  Their friendship was shattered.

Altair looked at his friend, twisted and broken on the ground.  He looked at his dragon, tangled in the wreckage of the grandstand.  The enormity of his loss crashed in on him.  He pulled his sword free and slunk away, head hanging in shame and grief.

Muliphein mounted his dracolich and sounded the retreat.  Quickly the demon horde withdrew.  Behind them, the remnant continued to burn.

Group Input

First, a quote from Ron.  In this thread, he says, "potlight time during role-playing is not monologuing, but rather being the recipient of enthusiastic suggestions, cheerleading, and a general verbal barrage. This is the norm in my current regular group, and any time the spotlight-person doesn't feel like dealing with it, he or she just says, 'hut up, let me do it,' and everyone else does."  In this session, I found that our group embraced this idea whole-heartedly.

First, certain descriptions were the result of group collaboration.  The wolf-headed serpent demon is an excellent case in point.  We had established that the demon was a large, shadowy serpent in a previous scene.  When the time came to flesh it out, Gabrielle was the Mistaken.  However, it was Ralph who suggested the wolf's head.  Did Gabrielle have to incorporate it?  Of course not.  However, the entire group immediately expressed enthusiasm for the wolf's head, so Gabrielle chose to incorporate it.  The inversion of the Hand of Healing was also Ralph's idea.

Second, I found that at least Ralph and I were acting as cheerleaders in the Heart-Mistaken conflict between Raquel and Gabrielle.  Not only would we offer suggestions as to potential conflict statements, we would generally heckle them as the conflict went on.  I recall saying things like, "You can't let her get away with that!" or "Roll dice!  Roll dice!"  I'd like to think that these interjections were helpful.  At the very least, we egged them on to increase the intensity of their conflicts.

I think that all of this is an important lesson.  I was talking with Crystal about various items related to roleplaying, and she said that she often feels intimidated when she has to manufacture a narration out of whole cloth.  However, she finds suggestions to be very helpful, because she is able to draw on the resources of the group as a whole and merely exercise editorial oversight, when she is stuck for ideas.  I'm guessing that most of us end up in that position from time to time.  Encouraging kibitzing within your group can be a good way of encouraging creative input from everyone.

Final Thoughts

Everyone agreed that this was a great session.  I think that it is because each character experienced a major crisis point.  The one possible exception to this is Rastaban, and that's my fault.  I'm Ralph's Mistaken, and I probably should have made him bleed more.  However, the setup was too cool, and I was actually enjoying where it was all going.  Oh well.

I'll get him next time.

But that all happened long ago, and now there are none who remember it.

[Ben Lehman]

Seth, thanks a lot for posting this.

I don't really know what else to say, other than "I'm reading."

yrs--
--Ben

[ScottM]

I've been enjoying your writeups.  Unfortuanately, because it has been a while, I've lost track of a bit.  Of the characters who began, what is their status?  Is everyone a Vetran, with a few dead?  Or have all the deaths been non player characters so far?

Thanks,
Scott

[GreatWolf]

No Veterans yet, although Altair is hovering at 1 Zeal.  This session really racked up some serious Experience for the three protagonists.  Rastaban is still at 3 Zeal, if I recall correctly.  (My papers are at home.)  Sadal and Maia are each at 2 Zeal.

So, things can only get worse from here.  However, all the deaths have been non-protagonist.

Also, I've decided that a major goal of mine for Altair is to be reconciled with Antares before the end.  I'm not sure what it will take to accomplish this goal, and I'm risking a lot by even mentioning it here.  After all, my Mistaken does read this (Hi, Ralph!), and I just told him where to spike my efforts.  Still, that's where I want to drag the story, and if it works out well, it will be all the better for the adversity.

[Raquel]

Yes, but (for what it's worth) you know you have both moons on your side in that effort. Not because we're on Altair's side, you understand, but because we like Antares. :-)

[GreatWolf]

You know, that was the one aspect of play that I didn't bring out.  Let me give it a shot.

In another context, Ron was discussing the idea of "finding your protagonist".  Your protagonist doesn't have to be the character that you are playing.  Indeed, I'm falling back here on the literature definition of protagonist, which, crudely stated, is, "the character that you're rooting for."  Usually, you're rooting for your own character, but that isn't always the case.

In our session, I think that Raquel and Gabrielle found their protagonist:  Antares.  For those who were lost in all the names, Antares was Altair's wingman.  He was the voice of reason in that partnership, trying to restrain Altair from doing something foolish.  He was also courting Gemma, the sister of Sadal.  Now, of course, he has been wounded so that he will not be able to fly, and Gemma just killed herself by leaping from the tallest tower in the remnant.  Of all the characters, he has probably suffered the most loss so far.

In return, my Moons have deeply connected with Antares.  I don't know if it's just because they pity him or if there are deeper reasons.  Any thoughts, Raquel?

Oh, by the way, welcome to the Forge!

[Sydney Freedberg]

That game ws, indeed, extremely cool.

Polaris is a game of loss. This March, as I stood at the grave of a teen, I experienced loss. I believe that William is with his Savior now, but still, I had hoped to have more time with him.

For your friend's death, I am sorry. Allow me to offer a small prayer, for what it's worth. A family in my church lost their seven-year-old to leukemia last year, and I ended up turning to poetry (T.S. Elliot's Little Gidding and my own awful attempts) as the only way to come to terms with my own small piece of that sorrow. So, two questions for you to contemplate (not, necessarily, to answer in a public forum like this):

Did the game help you grieve? How did your grief affect the game?

[GreatWolf]

Well, I'm cool with answering in a public forum.

Speaking personally, I didn't think that there was a direct connection between this game and mourning, at least that I noticed.  Actually, as I was thinking about Polaris and remembering our interrupted session, I thought back to the end of our last Polaris game.  In particular, I thought about the tension between the closing phrase ("But that all happened long ago, and now there are none who remember it") and the reality that the authors of the story do remember it.  William's life was a story, and the Author doesn't forget any of it.

So, while Polaris is about loss, in an odd way, I also found it to be a reminder of that which is not lost and is never lost.

Yes, that line of thinking actually did arise from Actual Play.  Or, perhaps a better way of putting it is that it arose from reflection on Actual Play.  Let me expand on that a bit.

I often find it helpful to discuss a roleplaying story with the group when it is completed.  As the different players offer their various viewpoints on what occurred, it provides opportunities for reflection and contemplation which can be quite beneficial.  In many ways, I see this similarly to the sort of discussion that I have with someone after we have watched the same movie or read the same book.  The interchange of ideas and discussion helps bring out the fullness of the story.  I would highly recommend this to any roleplaying group.  At the end of a story (or story arc or whatever is appropriate in your game), set aside a little time to discuss it as people.  What did you notice?  How did you feel about certain things?  What judgments did you make?  Who did you like?  Who did you loathe?  Why?  Did it turn out the way you wanted?  Why?

Ask the questions, and contemplate the answers that you discover.  It is well-worth the time.

[Raquel]

In return, my Moons have deeply connected with Antares.  I don't know if it's just because they pity him or if there are deeper reasons.  Any thoughts, Raquel?

I think we connected with Antares pretty early in the game--we were just less vocal about it before his life fell apart.

I can't think of any really deep reasons for it though. Antares is just the guy you knew would always be there. He wasn't flashy, but he watched Altair's back while Altair went off to pull some crazy stunt. That's part of the reason that Antares turning his back on Altair was particularly painful. There's something wrong with a world where Altair and Antares aren't buddies at the end of the story, and I have to believe that in the end they'll be back the way they were supposed to be.

Which leaves question "In that case, why am I playing Polaris?" On second thought, the real question is why I'm enjoying Polaris so much in that case...

[Sydney Freedberg]

Thanks, Seth.

[Larry L.]

Wow. I am so jealous of the whole massive battle sequence! Dueling dragons! I've never seen any game handle dragonriders well before. Way freaking cool.

I continue to be impressed how Ben has provided exactly the right amount of color text to let the imagination go wild.

I hope that, in much the same way Polaris players engage in creative one-upmanship, Polaris groups will compete to have ever and ever more amazing games than previous groups. This particular session is very inspiring.

[Ben Lehman]

Raquel, welcome to the Forge.

It occured to me sometime after publishing the game that all three of the elaborate key phrases (game opening, character introduction, game closing) are, to a greater or lesser degree, bald-faced lies.

This is fine, the dissonance there actually has a positive effect on the game, I think.

yrs--
--Ben

[GreatWolf]

Ben, I'd like to follow that point up in this thread.

[Valamir]

I think this session was our best by far, even though Rastaban's only contribution was to witness Al Bali the swallower (demonic henchmen of the Remnant's Chancellor) be burst assunder from the inside by the tree that sprouted in his belly after his failed attempt to swallow the Spring Child.

I contributed far more as Seth/Altair's mistaken and as part of the Lunar peanut gallery than I did as my own Heart this time, and that was totally cool by me.  Rastaban had already had his share of really colorful scenes in earlier sessions.  My 2 favorites being when he confronted Altair's wingleader Regulus by popping out of the shadows and saying "I've been ordered to kill you, convince me why I should disobey that order", or when I just narrated him as already being inside Maia's quarters waiting for her to return...which got that relationship off to a splendid beginning.

Rastaban,with his tainted sword and Strike from Shadows ability and his stated profession as a assassin of the demon possessed (or suspected demon possessed) began the game as the darkest / most sinister of the characters.  I'm finding it exceedingly interesting (and from a story perspective pretty effective) that he now has the highest zeal, while Maia...the most "do-gooder" of the characters has the lowest.  That in itself says something about the nature of Polaris.

We haven't yet decided completely who are what the Spring Child is, but given that she's gone from infant to walking around toddler in 3 sessions and with the added color of melting snow and the brand new Tree in the court yard its becoming increasingly apparent that she's called the Spring Child for a reason. 

Given that Almach (villainous chancellor of the remnant and our shared fate), Thuban (demon possessed head of Rastaban's clan house), Al Bali the Swallower (demonic henchman of Almach) and Muliphein (former head of the remnant's Dragon Riders and now a demon) are all after the Spring Child...who has passed from Anatares, to Aludra (Maia's now deceased and somewhat crazed apprentice), to Maia and now to Rastaban...I'm seeing a major showdown in our future.

Earlier it was established as a fate that the ghost of my deceased father (yes, I put my father's ghost in my Cosmos) held the key to unlocking the secret of the Spring Child...I suspect Seth will get much mileage from that in our next session. 

It probably reveals something about me personally, but Antares was the character I immediately decided needed to suffer, pretty much from the first scene he was in.  If I have my druthers he'll continue to suffer...and pointlessly too...no glorious tragic ending for him...no sir...just arbitrary meaningless loss...the universe hates him and there is no karma...that should be fun to fight over ;-)

Its taken me a couple of sessions but I'm starting to get the hang of Polaris mechanics.
Things I've learned:

"But only ifs" don't have to have anything at all to do with the conflict currently at hand.

Asking for something truly unacceptable is a great way to get "You ask far too much" so you can turn around and offer what you really wanted.

If you narrate something that even your mistaken thinks is outrageously cool, he'll leave you alone (at least for a little while)

Watching characters suffer is way more fun than we'd like to admit so twisting the knife is its own form of kindness...there's probably a pathology embedded in their somewhere...

[Raquel]

  I'm finding it exceedingly interesting (and from a story perspective pretty effective) that he now has the highest zeal, while Maia...the most "do-gooder" of the characters has the lowest. 

Yeah, Maia's such a sweetheart, isn't she? Her best friend is the evil chancellor Almach, and she dotes on the Spring Child whose origins and intentions are questionable at best. On top of that she's terribly touchy about sinister assassins who walk into her rooms unannounced--I can't imagine why... But unlike my last character she has yet to give birth to a demon child, so I'm rather pleased.