Rules of the Game (Plot FAQ) -- ALL READ!

[Robert Shaw]

Rules of the Game

(FAQ)

As you’re all well aware by now the little welcome back feast for Hogwarts was a wonderfully elaborate sham. Many threads and in character moments led up to this climactic and equally traumatic event and now that we’re at this juncture there are more than a small handful of guidelines that need to be adhered to for this to work as it is intended. The outcome of this plot, and everyone’s safety depends on the actions of your characters. Your actions can make you all be heroes, but remember they can also prolong the ordeal.

Boundaries:

The boundaries are quite simple, following the feast the entire ground floor is subject to your freedom and nothing more. Stairways leading to the upper and lower levels are guarded as are the doors to the courtyard and other outside locals.

Character Limitations:

Keep it human, realistic and age-appropriate. You’ve just been surprised and suddenly taken hostage by a capable and presumably hostile force of witches and wizards who know equivalent or in most cases more advanced magic than you. You shouldn’t all have your wands, jump up and start shouting hexes, last time I checked the patrons of a bank robbery didn’t suddenly all pull out pistols and kill their attackers. It just doesn’t work that way, so I’ll try and summarize this into list form as to not make it a long-winded blur you don’t read.

IN REGARDS TO:

Power-playing

First and foremost the Deva DO have some amount of power-playing right. They hold the cards here until you come up with your own, they can hex you at random, they can within reason hurt you, taunt you and mock you. Basically they can do anything for a good chuckle as long as it doesn’t kill, maim, disfigure, or otherwise violate board regulations. This is quite possibly the only place where the power-play rule will be excepted.

HOWEVER: This does not mean that the Deva’s posts are law. IF YOU BELIEVE A DEVA CHARACTER HAS OVERSTEPPED RATIONAL BOUNDARIES PLEASE REFRAIN FROM POSTING FURTHER AND PM ROBERT SHAW

Again: Your characters CAN and quite probably WILL be hurt depending on the extent of their actions. This isn’t an action movie, not everyone comes out unscathed and unharmed. Chances are people will get hurt, child and adult hexed alike with little discrimination.

Secondly, the Deva operatives both those played by writers and whatever NPC you may briefly mention in your threads sparing Robert Shaw himself are wearing masks which hide the distinct facial features from your view. In essence, to you their distinct faces do not exist. Vague outlines are visible, as well as the shape of the head/jaw line but eyes, nose, lips, facial scars and the like are hidden.

Examples:


Basically, that's what faces will look like. Barely discernable from a complete overlay of skin. Do not say you can see our eye color or that we smiled. Chances are if you can tell, you'll have to be glaring at us from two or so feet away. And no, sorry to say, the In-Character masks will stay on unless it is cleared by BOTH MYSELF AND THE WRITER, the NPC masks, on permanently.

NOTE: Just because a Deva character doesn't have a mask avatar does not mean they are not wearing one. I think we all have enough common sense to figure out who's on which side. If there are questions about this, PM me (I will NOT divulge the identities of possible student collaborators).

Escape:

This is quite simple. ALL ESCAPE ATTEMPTS MUST BE CLEARED THROUGH ROBERT SHAW This rule is only in place to ensure that not every thread made is suddenly a break out. Bring emotions and caution on the part of your characters into play here. Not everyone will have the urge to escape, no one is probably willing to rationally abandon their friends without thinking first.

If you wish to have an escape attempt coincide with the actions of another thread, again clear it through Robert Shaw.

Emotions and Reality:

Fear, anxiety and concern should by far be the top emotions your character feels. Your actions could cause the person next to you or someone you care about pain, discomfort, or hypothetical loss of life. Just because the Deva cannot kill your characters due to your rights as a writer does not mean that the characters should not fear death. There’s a good hundred to two hundred bodies in that hall including NPC students, too many eyes especially the eyes of your captors, one or two bodies are acceptable losses given circumstances. No matter how tragic the loss of life or age of the individual may be.

I think that about covers it, all this said. Think, keep it in a real perspective, mind the actions of those around you but above all, HAVE FUN WITH THIS!

(See below post for map of boundary region)

[Tamis Raynor]

Map of Ground Floor

The following is a map of how the ground floor is set up and how the Deva will be stationed in the school. Each X denotes a Deva member. There will always be a Deva at these locations unless something happens to one of them in the RP, at which point the map will be updated to reflect that.

Note: There are 19 Deva members inside the castle. 13 have assigned posts that you see below, 2 are on the First Floor, 2 are on the second floor guarding the armor gallery, and 2 are roaming around the Ground Floor keeping an eye on the stations.

Refer back to this often. It will show you different escape attempts as they occur and any ground students manage to reclaim from the Deva.

Suits of Armor: Are not on your side. The two guarding the front doors and the top of the marble staircase leading to the First Floor are barricading these entrances. If you approach them, they will charge and swing at you. However, they are empty armor... succumbing to enchantments and distractions... (if you can do so without drawing Deva attention *hinthint* )



Map compliments of the Harry Potter Lexicon.


Notable Details in Map You Should Be Aware Of:

• There are only 2 windows and they are in the Great Hall.
  
• The Staff Antechamber has only one entrance and exit; through the door in the Great Hall.
  
• The Broom Closet, Antechambers, and the Classrooms do not have Deva presence.
  
• The Courtyard is walled in. It does not have direct access to the grounds.
  
• Staircases to the Kitchens and Dungeons lead only to those places. If there are known secret passages, they still exist.
  
• The door at the top of the map does not lead outside. We assume it is to the Caretaker's Office as it is not shown.
  

[Allegra Thornton]

This is the timeline we have as now. Please remember to timestamp your threads so we can get an accurate picture of what's happening. I'll be trying to keep it as up to date as possible.


January 13th
6:30 pm
-Yuletide Returns and Brewing Storms
-All Characters excluding Raynor, Shriver, Samuel
Moments Later
-Why I'm Not There
-Shriver, Samuel
7:39 pm
-Melding of the Minds
-Shaw, A. Jedynak, Kirve
7:30 pm
-Checking In, Checking Out
-D. Thornton, Hjort, Faulkland, C. Jedynak
7:30 pm
-I Need You Like Water
-Gerislynn, Kendrick
7:49 pm
-Cub in a Baslisk Lair
-Faulkland, Jones
8:00 pm
-Closet Case
-Chaput, Plum, Cronon, Reese
8:00 pm
-Picnic and Panic
-McVeil, Taylor, Astley,
8:20 pm
-Sacrificed For What?
-C. Jedynak, M. Rolen, A. Jedynak
8:30 pm
-Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself
-Jones, Milosevic, Desrosiers, McVeil, Mizart
8:30 pm
-To Her Surprise
-Cooper, D. Thornton
9:33 pm
-Diplomatic Immumity
-Shaw, D. Thornton, K. Fleming, Jones, Faulkland, Reese
9:34pm
-Trembling in Fear
-C. Cardwell, C. Cardwell, Astley
10:00 pm
-It's a Matter of Courage
-Stevens, Cross, Lee, Davidson
10:34 pm
-Munchies
-Turner, Douglas, Desrosiers
11:29 pm
-Counting Conundrums
-Faulkland, Hjort

January 14th
12:00 am
-Sweet Dreams
-Cronon, K. Fleming, Maylorn,
1:00 am
-Better Out in the Open
-Marcellus, Estaci, A. Jedynak, Clacher
1:30 am
-Tunneling Out
-Taylor, Astley
2:00 am
-Alone...Yet Again...
-Kennedy, Hjort, Becket
3:00 am
-Reality Check
-Marcellus, Maylorn, Worthington-Smythe
3:37 am
-Due to Lack of Dreaming
-Viteri, K. Fleming, Schmidt
5:38 am
-Juni Service
-Shriver
5:45 am
-Juni Delivery
-D. Thornton, K. Fleming, McVeil
6:15 am
-Juni Service
-Shriver
9:00 am
-Far Away Dreams
-Marcellus, Cronon
9:27 am
-Clang! Clatter! Clang! The Alarm Shall Ring
-Faulkland, McVeil
10:35 am
-Taking a Breather
-D. Thornton, Tayern, Jones, Plum
10:48 am
-Not What You Think
-K. Fleming, Cronon
12:43 pm
-Land of the Libertines
-S. London, Plum
2:47 pm
-Bottom Step
-D. Thornton, Viteri, Hjort
3:17 pm
-Don't Mind Me If I Cry On Your Floor
-Viteri, A. Jedynak
9:00 pm
-Hope Near the Window
-Daniels, Lawrence
11:23 pm
-Juni Service
-Shriver

January 15th
2:05 am
-Another Sleepless Night
-Lawrence, Chaput
5:30 am
-It's a Conspiracy
-Wentworth, L. Rolen
10:00 am
-Stroking Fur
-C. Jedynak, Marcellus
12:26 pm
-Sorting Sides
-C. Jedynak, M. Rolen
12:49 pm
-Hold On To Your Pride
-Jones, A. Jedynak
5:12 pm
-Between the Devil and the Deep Sea
-Raynor, Shaw, Brady, D. Thornton, A. Jedynak, Schmidt, S. London, C. Jedynak, Reese, Tayern, McVeil, Maylorn, Lawrence, Viteri, Hjort, Astley, Taylor
5:37 pm
-The Thunder and Lightening Strike
-Schmidt, K. Fleming
Moments Later
-Change of Plans
-D. Thornton, Jones, Lawrence, Maylorn, Astley, Gerislynn
9:43 pm
-Drastic Measures
-Tayern, Nolan, Turner
10:48 pm
-Two Sides of a Door
-Raynor, Brady, A. Jedynak, C. Jedynak

January 16th
5:07 am
-Outside Looking In
-Viteri, Hjort
6:00 am
-A Million Thoughts
-Mizart, Blaze
9:00 am
-Old Friends
-A. Jedynak, K. Fleming
9:03 am
- Against It All
-Cronon, Viteri
10:00 am
-Going, Going, Gone
-McVeil, Brady, Marcellus, Baines
2:27 pm
-The Embers That Still Burn
-Hjort, C. Jedynak

January 17th
12:10 am
-I'll Wait For You to Forgive Me
-C. Jedynak, A. Jedynak, Shaw
Early Morning
-Green is the Color of Envy
-Mizart, Quinn
5:25 pm
-Under Me
-Mehra, Daniels, S. London, A. Jedynak, Richards
6:02 pm
-What's So Important?
-Plum, Marcellus
11:30 pm
-We Want Out
-Richards, Daniels, Mehra