Poked by the "Plot Stick" (and an Out-of-Character Plea)

So...as those of you who were at the last Empire game (July 2015) or have read my last post will know, Lunetta's game got...interesting. Since the game, I have faced a lot of conflict and quandaries regarding the decisions that were made during the game, both my myself and by my character (this distinction is important) and thought that a post about such situations might do me some good!

Felix and Lunetta [Empire LARP] : "Fleeing Anvil"

[Josée's Note: Well, this Empire was certainly not a boring one! Lunetta was hunted by some plot, and decided to give it a nice old poke. This lead to her almost giving up her soul to look after a boy who had become a Herald of Mazen as a Herald of Lashonar. This was only stopped by her Cardinal attempting to murder her, which forced her to give up her course of action to make sure that he didn't end up facing the death penalty. She got in trouble with her Carta (understandably, to some extent) and decided that the only safe place for her was not in the League, her home, but with her Cardinal in Highguard. Cue "Fleeing Anvil" with her adopted children and her husband...but not all together.

This post features Draiton, Felix's player, as a guest writer, telling Felix's part of the tale.

This is likely to be the first in a series of posts about Lunetta and Felix's...unusual...journeys.]

His last embrace of Lunetta before following Galbraith into the rain had been all too brief for the terrified cambion. How many words he had wished to tell her, what little time they had. It’d all been a whirlwind of experiences that Felix was not quite ready for and had plunged into the deep end. But as always, sink or swim, he would survive.

"They Fit Just Like an Old Glove..."

Slightly later than intended, but here is my half-Resurgence, half-general gaming post.

After the Resurgence game on Sunday, I was trying to find the best way to write about it; whether I was going to write a letter or a stream of consciousness or a conversation or...something...

And actually, all I could think about was "Awh, it was so easy to get back into character...even after all these months...", which got me thinking.

"How Characters Were Germinated" : Lunetta [Part Two]

Since posting up my original "How Characters Were Germinated" post, I have had several people ask me "So...if you were in a nation you didn't want to play, why didn't you change nation?" and I thought - while I have explained this to some people in person, I might as well follow it up properly in writing.

Anyone who has read Lunetta's earlier pieces will know that in my first Empire game, Matthias and Reynard (played by my then-partner and a mutual friend) died in battle. To be completely honest, once I as a new LARPer had come to terms with my IC (and OC) support network being pulled from under my feet, I probably should have changed nation. I didn't, due to a number of different things.

Lunetta Sanguineo [Empire LARP] : "The Road to Holberg"

[Josée's Note: Big, big, big, big, big thanks to Will, Cerwynn's player for sitting with me on Google Docs and Skype to get this written in a single evening. (All the love!!) After 5.5 hours of work, I present to you, part of Lunetta's journey to Holberg.]

The Road to Holberg

The forest was dense, trees behind trees behind trees, each making its strange little noises. There was nowhere in the empire quiet like this place. It seemed like silence after a while, all those sounds merging into a quite  cacophony. Cerwynn stared out over the wooden walls of the Broch’s battlements, rubbing his temple. A hand reached down to the flask at his hip and hesitated there.

No, they need you.

With a sigh, he withdrew his hand and pulled his cloak over the flask, and turned back to the training grounds below him. Lynn was drilling the troop again, pairing them off to spar. She circled the grounds watching them clash. When one would relax his guard she would wordlessly intercede, raising his arm to the correct position and closing his grip more firmly, without so much as making eye contact. They were still a little intimidated by her, as fresh a bunch of soldier as their were, their thorn still red and raw, freshly branded on their cheeks, but Cerwynn knew he had made the right choice, she was the one of the few who were properly trained, and the only one who could keep them in line.

Lunetta Sanguineo [Empire LARP] : "A Somewhat Expected Journey"

[Josée's Note: I have had so many in-character letters flying around since I came back from Empire. I believe I personally have sent out thirteen or fourteen already, with at least three more to send over the next few weeks as replies come in! Because of Nora's reply, the next chapter of Lunetta's journey can be written: Oh yes, she's off to Holberg.]

A Somewhat Expected Journey

Lunetta stood in her bedroom, a large knapsack sat, half filled, on the bed. Giorgio sat behind her frowning.

"Priestess, you've repacked this bag twelve times in the last three days." He sighed. "Is it really necessary to repack it once more?"

"How Characters Were Germinated" : Lunetta [AKA "How Josée Became a LARPer"]

Unusual blog post, this one, as I have to thank a friend of mine for the idea. (And for the quote I have stolen for the title of this post!) On facebook, I saw a post (I hope she won't mind me partially quoting it!):

This is a behind-the-scenes question I always love asking fellow larpers, so: if it doesn't give secrets and spoilers away, who were your mythical, pop cultural, and trope-y starting points when you built your Empire characters? Somewhere I have a stickynote on my computer which I add to occasionally. It has people and quotes which were or later became inspiration points for my character.

I thought this was a really interesting post, but actually I couldn't add anything of worth to it. So I thought I would write a little on how Lunetta came to be, and if people seem interested, I might write a little bit about some of the other characters I have, and what brought them about.

Lunetta Sanguineo [Empire LARP] : "Unintended Admissions"

[Josée's Note: Another Lunetta piece, at long last! Last game (E7), Lunetta found out that Nora (Othneil's love interest and friend of hers) had lost seven members of her group in battle, a year to the day she lost Matthias and Reynard. She had written letters to Nora, and to Felix (who was caring for a Carta member in Tassato who was also grieving the loss of friends in battle) asking Nora to join her in Sarvos, and telling Felix that if Nora did not...she would be heading out to Holberg...where Nora was, and where the battle that fell all these people took place.]

"Unintended Admissions"

Lunetta’s eyes slowly opened, and she stifled a yawn. She smiled softly and rolled over. “Good morni…” her quiet voice trailed off as she saw the duvet still tucked neatly under the mattress. Her smile dropped and she half-heartedly chuckled. She had started to realise how accustomed she had grown to Felix’s presence around the Chapel, and momentary lapses of concentration such as the one she had just experienced made her stomach drop and her heart ache. She had received letters from him while on his journey, and each had lain under her pillow before the next arrived. It was childish, she knew, but it did help somewhat, for some reason. She pulled the duvet off, and sat herself up on the edge of the bed, pulling his most recent letter from beneath the pillow. This one…had been probably the most mature letter she had ever received from him. 

Lunetta Sanguineo [Empire LARP] : "An Unexpected Letter"

[Josée's Note: You will notice the change in name of the character. I have been somewhat awkward and decided to post this up before Lunetta's E5 diary, as I have under a week to write it, alongside a piece and a half of coursework to complete, plus packing, plus two other froth pieces I want to get done. So, you will have to make do with this particular piece because I felt I just had to get it done.

A brief overview of what lead to this occurring: Felix proposed-but-didn't-propose at E5 to Lunetta, and this caused all sorts of mayhem. Lunetta was suddenly under scrutiny, as were her Carta and she eventually decided proving her absolute devotion to Felix would be best done by moving across to join him in his Carta, and taking on their name, giving up her Mistresship in the Bellamarina to become an Apprentice in the Gilded Horn Carta. After getting drunk and (apparently) potentially making her situation a whole lot better (don't ask me how, I don't entirely know myself!) and having a very stern talking to by the one-and-only Senator for Tassato, Cesare, Lunetta vowed to prove herself worthy of Felix. Which leads to this.

For clarification, as Lunetta is very good at skirting around the actual details of the letter she received, Felix sent her an incredibly drunken letter explaining in great detail, exactly what he would like to do with her, including illustrations. Oh, the joys of having an ex-prostitute as a fiancé-not-fiancé, Lunetta!!

Enjoy!]

Lunetta di Sarvos [Empire LARP] : Autumn Solstice (E4 2013) diary

[Josée's Note: I have a confession to make about this diary entry. 30% (maybe) of it was not written post E4. In fact, I have only just completed it now. I found it difficult to write about the approach of the battle, and it put me off writing Lunetta's diary for a while. Still, it is complete now, but with the sad result that I can't remember what I did post-battle. Still, here is Lunetta's diary from September last year.]

Autumn 377YE – Anvil : Friday

Much of the past month or so has been spent preparing for the wake of Matthias and Reynard. I think everything is in order, ready for Saturday. I can only pray that this torrential rain eases off before it. The weather has been unkind to us for the past week or so, so we may be holding this wake in a tent, rather than outside as I had hoped. Still, that is to come. I created some books to help my brothers and sisters of faith to focus on the abilities that the Way gives us. I have had some interest from across the Empire, so I am intending to visit as many of the priests who ordered one as possible this evening.

Lunetta di Sarvos [Empire LARP] : "Losing Faith"

[Josée's Note: This is the second of three planned canon pieces regarding Lunetta and her parents. This takes place just as Lunetta returns from the Summer Solstice (E3 2013) after the deaths of her two companions, Matthias and Reynard.]

Lunetta’s skirts billowed as she walked slowly, purposefully down the road into Sarvos alone. Her head bowed, hands playing on the two rings on her fingers, quietly sobbing, she entered her hometown for the first time in several months. Luckily, in some ways, and unluckily in others, Giorgio, the caretaker of her small church while she was out of Sarvos, was the first to spot her.

“Priestess!” He called, his eyes lighting up as he spied the bright blue of her cloak. “You have returned!” He dashed across to her, and his face fell as he saw her shoulders heaving and her face wet. “Priestess…what has happened? Do you need aid?” She looked over at him, her face tear-stained and spirit broken.

Lunetta di Sarvos [Empire LARP] : Summer Solstice (E3 2013) diary

[Josée's Note: This is Lunetta's diary from her first time at Anvil (and my first time at Empire LARP. As you will see...not all went well.]

Summer 377YE – Anvil : Friday

I’ve never been to Anvil before. Matthias and Reynard have spoken many times of the people they have met and places they have been, but I have yet to travel there myself. I’m not quite sure what to expect when I arrive, but if it is anything like the place Matthias and Reynard speak of, then I am sure to feel at home.

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Lunetta di Sarvos [Empire LARP] : "The Journey Begins"

[Josée's Note: Lunetta's parents were both  Bishops of Loyalty, so I thought I should have a bit of fun and write up their reactions to their Priestess daughter running away with a Free Company of Mercenaries!]

“Mea?” Mea, a woman in her early forties, turned to face the speaker and her eyes lit up.

“Lunetta!” She smiled, “Or is it Bishop Lunetta, now?” She asked, warmly.

“Not quite.” Responded Lunetta, flushing slightly pink. ““Priestess” will do me just fine for now…at least until I’ve proven myself.” She added, with a slight shrug and raise of her eyebrows. “Mea, you wouldn’t happen to have seen my fa…I mean, Bishop Gianfrancisco at all, would you?” She seemed nervy and fidgety.

Lunetta Sanguineo / Lunetta di Sarvos [Empire LARP] : Background

[Josée's Note: Lunetta is my first ever contact LARP character. She was created in May 2013 and first played in July 2013. She is fantastic fun and has had far more chaos in her life than I could ever have anticipated. Expect many more posts about this particular character in future.]

Lunetta was born in Sarvos to a family of priests and bishops. Because of this, the idea of following any other path through life seemed almost idiotic. She was a particular believer in loyalty, and this became the path she dedicated her life to. Over time, she gathered a congregation that continued to grow.

She would often visit other cities within the League when she wasn't preaching to her congregation, and would come across travellers and townsfolk who would come to her for aid or advice, and it was on one of these trips she encountered the Bridgehouse Free Company. Their loyalty to each other, camaraderie and friendship was refreshing for Lunetta to see, and she found herself spending much time with them talking and discussing her pathway, their experiences of war and battle, and many other things.

When the time came for Lunetta and the Company to part ways, Lunetta gathered the courage to ask the Company if she could join them on their way. She had been told that one of their number was fantastic at teaching others to fight and defend. She offered her preaching and abilities to the unit to strengthen their loyalty to one another prior to fighting if they would be willing to teach her some basic fighting skills to enable her to at least protect herself to some extent on the battlefield.