So, where do we start???

Since we aren't doing this as part of PMOG any more - and it no longer exists, per se - what are we going to call the country where the action takes place initially?

No idea what we're going to call the place, but a name for a country can be made up very quickly, so I think anybody could just decide and we would all stick with it. More important, to me, would be to maybe get a few more details on the country, like the type of government and society. I'm still thinking of the time of the industrial revolution here, with a lot of child labour, harsh working conditions and so on, but I'd definitely be up for other suggestions, too (It's just a lot easier if we model our world after something that actually existed at some point in time, because then everybody would be able to fill in the spots that we left out by simply opening up a history book).

Another thing: Spike, you mentioned Ghouls and other creatures in your post. Do they exist in the world we are creating or are they just the stuff of legend? If they do exist, does everybody know about them, or are they hiding in the shadows, with most people (especially in a country of science and technology like the one the story will mostly play in) not really believing in them?

I'm up for the Industrial revolution type-scenario.

The supernatural nasties I mentioned in the profile for Ralkin are essentially legend/fable etc. However, I'm leaving room enough for there to be nasties of similar natures, but different origins. Human nasties, robo nasties, real nasties that were once wide-spread species - who knows? For now, though, they're mainly stories to frightened small children and the superstitious.

My point (long-winded as it is) is that it's a big world out there and once you leave the highly industrialised towns and cities, it gets a bit dark out there an the calls of owls are a bit eerie.

As for the main country and the world itself. Let's still call the world Earth - just another version of it is all. The main country... my suggestion is Archen. Vaguely Germanic, but you could still have the place littered with arches

I like the way you want to handle the nasties. If they're too common, that takes away the fear of the unknown. If monsters were just as common as animals, there wouldn't be any reason to be more afraid of them than of a lion, would there?
Name for the country sounds fine, too.

Archen works for the country name. Nothing really comes to mind when I think of it, so that pretty much makes it a clean slate for me.

I like the idea that this Earth could have various undead and other creatures.

Should have a partial bio of Jarvis up soon. Really. I'm not kidding...

Also...is anyone else working on another character? I'm starting to drum up ideas for a new one, but want to make sure it's not similar to what someone else has going. One of the ideas I had was a sort of cross between Aleck and Stephen from the previous story. Not sure exactly how that'll work out, but that's the main track I'm headed down now, but have a couple other ideas as well.

I'm up for it, but I wanted to see what was left...

What have been claimed so far? (Mine's a Seer, obviously)

I suppose we could have a 'normal' person in there too..?

If "normal" means without powers, my character doesn't have any. If you see "using explosives" as a power...I think Savv would qualify as "normal" then, depending on what you mean by the word, if Mnes is planning to use her again.

Jarvis is basically a benefactor. The other character I'm starting on most likely will be a Bedouin.

...which leaves 'splody, pathy and vigilante. (sounds like 3 of the 7 dwarves?)

but wait...mnes's character was affiliated with vigilantes, correct?

Not sure how a pathmaker would translate into this story, so perhaps we leave that one out.

Savv had dogs, doesn't really make her a vig, though...and Aran has 'splodeys.
I guess a Pathy would just know a lot of secret Pathways, have a lot of maps maybe, Lightposts could send some signal that can be tracked down with some device...
But we actually wanted to move away from PMOG...

We were also going to relate (loosely) to what has gone before.

I think that we generally mostly need folk with abilities in the main group, otherwise, I'm going to look like some kind of bleedin' god....

If you mean supernatural abilities...not necessarily. I think we had actually wanted to have a story that features a lot of investigation and not much fighting. In a story like this, the power to sneak around and infiltrate can be just as useful as teleportations. Weird inventions can always come in handy, too. You also wrote that the use of the portals can be exhausting-easy way to adjust his strength however you want. In a fight, Aran wouldn't look too bad besides Ralkin either. Not that much of a difference between being teleported away or being blown to bits-as soon as one of those two actually hits his adversary, he's taken care of.
That being said, I guess it would be good to have at least one or two more characters with powers.

Good, then the character that I'm working on should even things out a bit. Overall, the thief-takers should have something that sets them apart from the rest of the population that makes them an outcast/freak.

For Jarvis, it's mostly his freakish ability to build things and compute a good deal of things in his head that others would need to write down or experiment with in order to make something work.

I will have the new character all ready tomorrow...too tired to post that tonight. This character has a bit more of an edge than Jarvis, that's for sure.

What are we going to do about Archen's country profile, by the way? Do we want to collect some more ideas for that, or should one of us just write it?

That's probably a good idea...one of us writing it up since I think we have some details on it now. The new character I added is from Archen, but I didn't include much about Archen in the profile.

I still need to go back and add to the one I started, so I wouldn't be a good candidate to write up Archen at the moment.

So since Mnes still needs to write her character and Spike had suggested having two characters, so I'm assuming he might be doing that right now, that leaves...me?
*starts writing some notes about the country*

I am writing another character at the mo

I was also thinking about Archen last night. This is just me thinking here, but should we try to aim for something vaguely Teutonic/Eastern European in feel?

Just to let you know, as we're on the subject of geography etc, I was playing some ideas out in my head for the layout of the world itself too. I had good reason, as my second character is essentially a sort of 'African' tribesperson. (don't panic just yet, yeah? lol)

Guess I was being a little too quick here, huh? Um, yeah...well, as I said, I'm open for suggestions and don't really have a problem with revising large parts of the country profile.

(notices just where Mal comes from)

Am I correct in thinking you would have it relatively easier in coming up with a Teutonic (Germanic) feel to Archen?

Spike and I had a nice conversation about the story last night on chat. You can read it all in the chat archive. The chat is on the main page right on the bottom of the page, the archive is right next to the log in button.

Don't worry Obs, you're not the only one having conversations with himself on chat.

A guest...again. Maybe because I made it my personal website on TNN and the Verdant Casque.
*wonders about the mysterious guest*

Maybe we need to curb this stalker? lol

I like guests. Just wanna know who it is.

I've been adding more details to Zaranda and Jarvis will have a couple of other splashes of detail added to him as well. Also, just noticed that Zaranda is basically Aran with a Z at the beginning and a "da" thrown on the end. Completely did not try to do that, and in fact, had her real first name and alias switched, so she was originally Natalia Constantine as her known/alias and Zaranda Mullholland as her birth name. Maybe I'll switch it back...hmmm. Not a big deal, I guess.

Check it out! One pretty picture...still looking for more. Also a bit more detail on that part of the world. Should it border Archen or not?