(no subject)

[the_wolf_queen]

Hedge here with a possible fourth character. This is Isolfr from the sometimes awesome, sometimes squicky deconstruction of animal bond fiction (such as Pern) A Companion To Wolves. He's from Grim Up North and is psychically bonded to a huge dire wolf.

My idea for his general plot arc is that, following defeating a major warren of riftspawn, he's sent south, ostensibly for the purpose of securing Dagarian friendship and recruits for the wolfhealls. What he doesn't know, however, is that the instructions he's given are actually meant to provoke a Dagarian invasion of the north, because one of the jarls (lords) of the north wants to unify the northlands into a kingdom and for that he needs a common enemy.

1: How's this concept sound to yall? Would anyone like to make friends/enemies of Isolfr and his dire wolf?

2: Would anyone be interested in playing the scheming jarl? It should be a character who's a plotter and somewhat evil or morally ambiguous and while not necessarily Norse, at least close enough to pass. Roose Bolton (ASOIAF) would be a good example.

3: Would anyone be interested in having their character be recruited into the wolheall, to bond with a dire wolf? It's a lifelong commitment but a very rewarding one. The wolfheall has never taken women but there's no reason why we couldn't play out that controversy.

4: Would anyone want to play someone from the same place, wolf-bonded or no? Remember that it's Grim Up North up there, so it should be a character suited to the setting. Jon Snow or Asha Greyjoy (ASOIAF), Hiccup (HTTYD) or most other Proud Warrior Race Guys/Girls including KRONAR, SON OF MAN from OGlaf would be good fits.

Comments

[of_the_wicked_eye]

...I thought I posted here.

ANYWAY THIS ISN'T HELPING MY IMPULSE TO APP THIS LADY

Nailah would be Very Intrigued by the wolfhealls and the trellwolves, to the point of wanting to visit those northlands sometime. Though she has a bit more of an underlying reason than just curiosity (though that's a pretty big reason itself because SHE'S THE QUEEN SHE DOES WHAT SHE WANTS)

Nailah wants to expand or otherwise migrate her people out of the desert since it's going to run out of resources to support a growing population soon. She wants to do this peacefully, but we all know how easy it is to misinterpret "a bunch of strangers house-hunting on your property". Maybe a visit would be enough to slap a pretense of "INVASION!!1" on?

I also have a very vague idea that she may have a connection with the svartalven that I haven't entirely thought through yet. Besides IS!Hatari being squished up against the mountains and them speaking the Ancient Language (Squigglies!) which could potentially have similar linguistic roots. Nailah's vassal Volug speaks it exclusively, while most of the older characters in Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn are fluent in it.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS

[the_wolf_queen]

Ooh, that could generate all sorts of delicious controversy as the human jarls and wolfjarls get butthurt about the new visitors and Nailah's people have to cope with fitting themselves into the existing hierarchy of the trellwolves, who need the influx of new blood from the beastmen. Isolfr could use them as his trump card against the power of the power hungry jarl.

I hadn't even thought of what to do about the svartalfen. Whatever you wanna do there would work too.

I CAN'T SPELL

[of_the_wicked_eye]

Nailah wouldn't press for the move straightaway until she's sure her people would be welcomed, but I imagine the jarls' intel agents would get wind of her plans soon enough and spill things into a premature clusterfuck.

In addition, Hatari is known in the game as welcoming both laguz, humans, and that universe's version of half-breed hybrids called the Branded. The Branded look completely human except for an elaborate mark on them somewhere (forehead, between the shoulder blades, etc etc) and there's a lot of bigotry against them from both of their parent races. Laguz, because they get illogically uncomfortable around them and humans because humans can be douches. The Branded can't take an animal form like their laguz parent or ancestor, but they do have abilities unique to them, either magical or otherwise or just at being really good at what they do (such as generals). They also live longer than humans, but can usually be easily mistaken for them. THEY CAN EVEN BE YOUR NEIGHBOR.

...no I don't know ho that biology is supposed to work, though I imagine Nailah (and most of the wolf laguz in general) have gotten past that Weird Feeling. Some of the trellwolves might get a similar weird vibe from Branded, though.

A mixed group at least would probably make the trip if a visit is indeed in order.

What I'm thinking right now is that Hatari has some generic contact with the svartalf in their particular mountain range; they probably trade metalwork for cloth and such (which Isolfr might notice if he's from that canon point and decides a reverse visit is in order). Maybe they have to escape from a party of a jarl's men and go under the northern mountains and find another group of svartalfen there?

...though these are all just thoughts and nothing set in stone.

[grand_theft_moe]

Sounds good to me. The main thing I need to do this thing is a villain.