Yoshimo's past in Kara-Tur?

[Lemernis]

It's basically a land of intrigues between competing shogun clans.

[Icendoan]

The likeliest for Yoshimo would be Yakuza or Ninja. I prefer Yakuza, you can see his personality in that sort of environment, but I can never see him in a formal court. Ninja doesn't seem Yoshimo-ey, unless then he was perfectly content to play Konishi Ieyasu's game, which I think he could appreciate, given his INT score, which is a little above average. (If 12 is average).

 

I see his personality as: Witty but usually reserved, occasionally reckless. Prone to greed, possibly a skilled manipulator. Good talker.

 

Icen

[Lemernis]

Yeah, I really have trouble seeing Yoshi having been raised a samurai in a noble/military family. He seems much more like someone who from an early age has been the street savvy survivor. Everything about him says rogue to me. I think if anything he would have been a Yakuza member. If we go with that we'll still have to come up with an interesting story for why he leaves Kozakura.

 

And as for his sprituality:

 

There are two main religious paths in Kozakura: The 'eight million gods' and the 'way of enlightenment'. The former is mostly practiced by peasants who turn to the the many gods for their various needs, i.e., to ensure a good crop, to have many children, ward off or appease evil spirits, etc. The latter is a discipline to achieve inner perfection: in one form involving chanting, in another meditation, and in a third proptiation of specific (good) gods and spirits.

 

I'm thinking also that in Kozakura Yoshi would hold a fairly utilitarian, pratical--and even blase--view of religion. Like he appreciates it for what it does, but has no heartfelt devotion to a deity. No real spirituality. Perhaps the absence of any heartfelt spirituality in Kara-Tur is a void waiting to be filled by a later conversion to Ilmater, once in the Faerun.

[Icendoan]

I agree with you, absolutely.

 

Well, he could have been part of the mercenary area, but only thrown in there due to lust for riches, which suits Yoshimo's early behaviour well. He takes on a high paying dangerous job as well as his usual peddling and swindling role, which also screams Yoshimo, as he seems trustworthy, no?

 

Due to the mercenary role, he ends up with successive jobs, each gaining him slightly more experience, and going slightly better. He retains a definite low-action style, preferring traps and shadows to open fighting, but strong enough to fight up front if needed. His fame grows, until Amnish merchants, one or two, knowing the Kara-Turan region, approaches this family and seeks a job done, and gets Yoshimo.

 

Yoshimo proceeds to succeed in this job, becoming, if briefly, a discussion point in that merchants circles. His friends start recruiting him and some other members of his Yakuza, but favouring him easily, until he gains a but of underworld fame in Amn, and is approached by a) Irenicus and b) The Shadow Thieves, which ties in quite nicely with his current relations in Amn.

 

Icen

[lac]

idea:

 

Tamoko is Yoshimo's half-sister. She's the one from the noble Samurai family,

with two Samarai parents. But Yoshi is the son of a male Samurai and his

decidedly lower-class pleasure woman .... i.e. not a Geisha.

[Icendoan]

Hmmm, that could work well, I think. I would feel that Yoshi 'Doesn't want to go into it.'

 

Icen

[lac]

If Kozakura is a lot like ancient Japan, we would also have an answer for another question -- why is Yoshi, who has the stats for it, not a fighter? Well, in ancient Japan only the warrior class was allowed to have warrior training. So Yoshi could be excluded on those grounds. So we have the makings for great ambiguity. On the one hand, Yoshi knows that the Feudal society is cruel and oppressive. On the other hand, he could have grown up secretly admiring his Samurai father even while he hoped that some day he would be acknowledged and move into the Samurai class himself. Except that his father really gave him no reason to hope for that. It's all a fantasy of Yoshi-the-child.

 

If Tamoko has no full brothers, then the normal thing to happen would be for

her family to adopt a boy from one of the other Samurai families. He would then carry the family name. It looks as if Tamoko, instead, tried to become a warrior herself. Either this is because Kozakura is less sexist than ancient Japan, or

there may be more of Yoshi's story carried in that act. Or did Tamoko's warrior

training only happen after she left Kozakura as well?

[Lemernis]

As mentioned, the section on Kozakura's culture deals mainly with its shogunate governmental history, current tensions between shogunate clans, and its architecture. But since Wa and Kozakura seem almost identical culturally, I think we're safe borrowing from Wa on Social Order, Village Order, and Family Order:

 

Social Order

 

The class system of Wa is rigid and strictly observed. Although the system is not specifically enforced by law, each group enjoys privileges and greater status than those below it. Since successive generations of the same family are generally locked into the same class, a child's status is determined at birth. A village may have as many as 100. It is rare for a citizen to achieve a status higher than the one he had at birth, but it is not unheard of, especially for those who find favor with the ruling class.

 

Lords. These are the members of the ruling class who exert total control over the rest of the populace. The absolute monarch is theoretically the emperor, but in practice is the shogun, with the emperor relegated to ceremonial duties and having no real power. The daimyo are samurai with authority over specific regions or provinces. Other members of this class include the counselors and administrators of the shogunate along with other principal officers of the realm.

 

Shi. These are the soldiers and warriors who answer directly to members of the ruling class. In the military state of Wa, shi is the highest rank a citizen of the lower classes can ever reasonably hope to attain.

 

No. Since agriculture is the backbone of the Wa economy, farmers are the highest class of workers and business-people. Fishermen are also included in this class. Interestingly, farmers are often less affluent than the merchant and artisan classes below them. However, their higher status assures them of access to military protection and preferential treatment in certain legal matters. Wealthy farmers have the highest status within this class, and day laborers have the lowest.

 

Ko. These are the artisans and craftsmen, including painters, woodworkers, weavers, authors, performers, shipbuilders, and carpenters. Preferential treatment is given to artisans who demonstrate exceptional talent in their area, but the highest status is reserved for those whose skills are military-related.

 

Sho. These are the merchants and shopkeepers. Their relatively low status reflects society's modest opinion of citizens who neither risk their lives for the protection of others, farm the land, nor create useful items. The most successful merchants have accumulated wealth exceeding the classes above them, sometimes including the ruling class. This inequity fuels resentment and unease, particularly with the samurai who often grudgingly turn to the merchant moneylenders when in need of a loan. Wealth determines status within this class, with the rich businessmen at the top and the poor street peddlers at the bottom.

 

Eta. These are Wa's outcasts, the poorest and least connected members of society. Hated and scorned by all higher classes, theirs is an existence of misery and destitution. The eta are gravediggers, fish cleaners, and animal renderers, responsible for the work no one else wants to do. Many become criminals. If an eta demonstrates exceptional skill or courage, it is possible he may rise to higher status.

 

Village Order

 

Since the principal industry of Wa is farming, most of the populace is organized into farming towns and villages. A province may have hundreds of these villages, all directly answering to a daimyo who is usually headquartered in the province's largest city.

 

A village is comprised of a number of holdings of varying size. A village may have as many as 100 holdings or as few as 10, but a typical range is 20-50.

 

Here's how the holdings break down in Ishakura, an average farming village of the Juzimura province:

 

Holdings under 5 koku: 12

Holdings of 5-10 koku: 5

Holdings of 10-20 koku: 2

Holdings of 20 or more koku: 1

Total holdings of Ishakura: 20

 

Note that Ishakura has many more small holdings than large ones. This is typical of most farming villages in Wa. The holdings under 5 koku were actually quite small, seldom more than 1 or 2 tan. After taxes, there were not enough crops to live on, forcing these farmers and their families to work for larger landholders.

 

The ruling class has an intentional policy of tying the majority of farmers to small farms to lock them into their status. Rice, the primary crop of Wa, requires a lot of effort to grow. New plants must first be raised in special seedling beds, then planted one by one in long rows. Weeding and hoeing must be done every day until harvest time. A holding of 10 koku takes the full-time labor of four or five men, a 20 koku holding takes the labor of 10 men. Since this is more labor than a family can furnish, communities count heavily on the cooperation of neighbors to get the work done. Family members from other villages are often brought into help. Many farms employ indentured servants called genin who live in crude shacks next to the family house. In hard times, as many as 10 percent of the village population are genin.

 

The administrators of a village are the shoya (headmen) and the kimori (agents of the daimyo). The shoya may also have several kumigashira (headmen assistants) if appropriate to the size of the territory. Five Man Groups (also called gonin-gumi supervise the activities of five households. Only landholders can become members of five-man groups or participate in village meetings, Large landholders are referred to as hon-byakusho while smaller ones are called kosakunin. Here's how the population of Ishakura breaks down:

 

Shoya: 2

Kimori: 1

Farmers (also called hayakusho: 20

Parents and grandparents: 18

Boys under 15 years old: 24

Boys over 15 years old: 13

Farm workers (also called nago): 28

Genin: 11

Servants: 3

Total males: 120

 

Additionally, there are 108 females, including daughters, wives, and grandparents. Ishakura also has 44 horses, 21 oxen, and 178 buildings, including storehouses and stables.

 

Goning-Gumi

 

Also known as the five-man group, these are representatives of five households in a village with jurisdiction over the actions of their five families. Approving marriages, seeing that taxes are collected, and preserving order are among their responsibilities.

 

In spite of its pretenses, the five-man group has little real power. Their elaborate plans and frequent meetings result in nothing more substantial than rules for tying up dogs and keeping the ditches clean.

 

In reality, the five-man group is a surveillance organization in service of the government. Since this is common knowledge, the five-man group seldom learns anything of consequence from the families it presumes to represent.

 

Family Order

 

The family is the basic social unit in the villages of Wa. In addition to the nuclear members (husband, wife, and children), a village family includes relatives, workers, and servants among its members.

 

Here are the members of the Kamano Muiji family. Muiji is one of the headmen in the village of Utumoi in

the province of Fochu.

 

1 headman

1 wife of headman

2 sons

2 daughters

1 wife of son

1 female servant

1 male servant

2 workers

2 wives of workers

2 daughters of workers

1 father of wife

1 mother of wife

 

The family also has two oxen and three horses. Their farm is valued at 50 koku.

 

Like the other social orders of Wa, family status is explicit and inflexible. The man of the house (the headman in the example above) is the absolute authority and requires complete submission from the rest of the household. Just below him is the oldest son.

 

After him, status falls off rapidly, with all other males clustered near the bottom, barely above the female family members. The sole exception is the head of the family's father-in-law, who may occasionally be consulted in matters specifically pertaining to him.

 

Younger siblings of the oldest son can find life to be harsh. In difficult times, these children may be forced to accept substandard food and clothing rather than deny the eldest son. Because of their extravagant lifestyles, samurai have an especially difficult time providing for extra children. Many samurai children suffer poverty within the walls of a lavish home. Some are adopted out. Others are turned into the streets to make their own way.

 

Women are expected to submit to their husbands and to males in general. A wife's primary function is to bear children, her secondary functions are to attend to her husband, children, and home. Wives are rarely able to initiate divorce, but husbands have no difficulty. Barrenness, disease, and laziness are sufficient grounds for divorce. If his status is sufficiently high, a husband can announce mikudari-han, a public declaration that he no longer wishes to be married. In this case, his divorce is effective immediately. In spite of their second class status, a woman's life is not necessarily one of misery. Males are taught from childhood the necessity of respecting women, and allowing harm to befall one's wife or daughter is a grave assault to the family honor. A husband who mistreats his wife may find himself the victim of her vengeful brothers.

[Lemernis]

If Kozakura is a lot like ancient Japan, we would also have an answer for another question -- why is Yoshi, who has the stats for it, not a fighter? Well, in ancient Japan only the warrior class was allowed to have warrior training. So Yoshi could be excluded on those grounds. So we have the makings for great ambiguity. On the one hand, Yoshi knows that the Feudal society is cruel and oppressive. On the other hand, he could have grown up secretly admiring his Samurai father even while he hoped that some day he would be acknowledged and move into the Samurai class himself. Except that his father really gave him no reason to hope for that. It's all a fantasy of Yoshi-the-child.

 

If Tamoko has no full brothers, then the normal thing to happen would be for her family to adopt a boy from one of the other Samurai families. He would then carry the family name. It looks as if Tamoko, instead, tried to become a warrior herself. Either this is because Kozakura is less sexist than ancient Japan, or there may be more of Yoshi's story carried in that act. Or did Tamoko's warrior training only happen after she left Kozakura as well?

 

Yeah, bringing Tamoko into this is at least consistent with part of what Bioware wanted to do with Yoshimo, if they'd had more time and resources when making the game...

 

Tbh, I'm not crazy about either of the ideas Bioware had for Yoshimo. Namely, Ilmater allowing him to be partially resurrected as a ghost, or revealing that Tamoko was his sister.

 

But if we did bring in the Tamoko-as-sister thing, I like what Laura came up with here. It makes good use of the culture. And the above entry answers some of Laura's questions:

 

why is Yoshi, who has the stats for it, not a fighter? Well, in ancient Japan only the warrior class was allowed to have warrior training. So Yoshi could be excluded on those grounds

 

"The class system of Wa is rigid and strictly observed. Although the system is not specifically enforced by law, each group enjoys privileges and greater status than those below it. Since successive generations of the same family are generally locked into the same class, a child's status is determined at birth."

 

If Tamoko has no full brothers... It looks as if Tamoko... tried to become a warrior herself. Either this is because Kozakura is less sexist than ancient Japan, or there may be more of Yoshi's story carried in that act.

 

"Women are expected to submit to their husbands and to males in general. A wife's primary function is to bear children, her secondary functions are to attend to her husband, children, and home."

 

If Tamoko has no full brothers, then the normal thing to happen would be for her family to adopt a boy from one of the other Samurai families.

 

"Like the other social orders of Wa, family status is explicit and inflexible. The man of the house (the headman in the example above) is the absolute authority and requires complete submission from the rest of the household. Just below him is the oldest son.

 

After him, status falls off rapidly, with all other males clustered near the bottom, barely above the female family members. The sole exception is the head of the family's father-in-law, who may occasionally be consulted in matters specifically pertaining to him.

 

Younger siblings of the oldest son can find life to be harsh. In difficult times, these children may be forced to accept substandard food and clothing rather than deny the eldest son. Because of their extravagant lifestyles, samurai have an especially difficult time providing for extra children. Many samurai children suffer poverty within the walls of a lavish home. Some are adopted out. Others are turned into the streets to make their own way."

[Icendoan]

So you could have a Yoshimo at the end of the chain, the youngest of his family, but began in riches. That would be quite interesting. He was thrown onto the streets as an unwanted child, and so on and so forth.

 

Icen

[Lemernis]

The Tamoko thing still feels forced to me, but it could be fun. Maybe she could be the one to return as a ghost, lol. (jk)

 

David Gaider wrote:

 

Yoshimo came to this land looking for his sister after losing contact

.

 

Maybe we can consolidate various aspects of all the different input so far:

 

 

 

 

Yoshi and Tamoko are younger siblings in a noble family whose head is a samurai. The family was a pretigious samurai clan in the past, but has lost a great deal of political power in the several preceding generations. The current head of the family seeks to restore the family name to its former glory. The father is a selfish, harsh, cruel, ambitious miltary man--not a family man at heart.

 

Yoshi and Tamoko are close in age, and bond strongly to one another during childhood. Yoshi is one year older.

 

Yoshimo and Tamoko fall late in the birth order. Because of the way younger sibs are treated within samurai families, at the age of 16 Yoshi can stomach it no more. He turns to the streets. Yoshimo becomes a thief for a Yakuza gang. He is of course disowned by the family.

 

Tamoko is very beautiful. Within a year after Yoshi leaves home, she catches the eye of a lesser cousin in the royal family. This royal demands of Tamoko's mother that Tamoko be given to him as a concubine. Inspired by Yoshimo's brave example, Tamoko runs away as well. She has heard rumors of where Yoshi has moved (to a different city), and considers joining her older brother there. But she knows that her offense is grave--she has disobeyed the order of a royal, humiliating him; and she has shamed her own family. The royal family places a bounty on her. If she joins Yoshi she would draw attention to him and his criminal gang, and she will not place him in such jeopardy. So she travels throughout the lands of Kara-Tur, on the run. Early on, in desperation, she turns to prostitution, as most in her position are forced to do. But soon she manages to receive training as a ninja. (Ninjas always operate in secret to begin with, and so women can be tolerated among their societies.) Eventually the authorities come dangerously close to tracking her down. Kara-Tur has become too dangerous and she travles west to Faerun.

 

Yoshi first learned only that his sister too had run away, without the details as to why. He was not terribly surprised. They had often talked of running away when growing up. But some weeks later when he saw a bounty for her and learned the story, he became more torn about what to do. Part of him wanted to rescue her. But the ultimately stronger part of him was simply the survivor. He decided that Tamoko had chosen her own path, as he had. She would sink or swim, as he had. There was little that he could do for her. Most likely he would only get himself killed along with her, he felt.

 

Yoshi continued deveolping his skills in the Yakuza. But his thoughts often turned to Tamoko. The kernel of a conscience within him, the part of his soul that can connect to and care about others, moved him to try to find and help her.

 

This was the birth of Yoshimo's bounty hunter skills! As he tried to follow Tamoko's path ahead of him, he learned how to track a fugitive. As he watched for bounty notices on her, he took notice of other bounties to take along the way. He took those bounties to survive, though they often sidetracked him from his goal of catching up to Tamoko. He realized he was good at bounty hunting.

 

But Tamoko was better at being a ninja than Yoshi was at being a bounty hunter. She moved fast and he was always a step behind her.

 

When he realized that she had left Kara-Tur, he embarked on his own journey after her.

 

***

 

In a BG2 game I think we would have to write this with the assumption that the PC killed Tamoko in BG1.

 

If the PC kills Tamoko in BG1, then we have to decide how Yoshi handles that.

 

One possibilty:

 

Let's say Yoshi ultimately seeks revenge against the PC for killing his sister. If so, at a certain point Yoshi lures the PC away from the party into traps that severly wound and stun the PC. The PC is then immobile on the ground but able to converse with Yoshi. The PC, in weakened condition as such, tries to talk Yoshi out of killing him. He observes that Tamoko chose her own path. The PC had reason enough to kill her. She was the lover of the man (Sarevok) who killed the PC's father--and indeed was trying to kill the PC! She issued the challenge to the PC of her own accord. If she died in battle as such it is not the PC's fault. There can be options to be understanding or harsh about this, but the basic message is the same.

 

Yoshi is able to accept this. (Obivously we can't have the PC killed off.) The saga continues.

 

However, in a BGT game it gets complicated depending on what the PC chooses re: Tamoko's challenge in BG1 in the Undercity. If the PC lets her live, Tamoko reappears later in BG2 and this forms the basis for the ToB subquest. Maybe an uber hit squad from Kara-Tur is closing in on her, consisting of ninjas (assassins) and wu-jen (sorcerers), which is the mightiest and last effort on the part of the Kozakuran royal family; i.e., they hired the most elite assassin team in all of Kara-Tur.

 

***

 

This has some nice parallels, actually:

 

- Yoshi empathizes with the PC's quest to rescue Imoen.

 

- It better explains why Yoshi might have felt compelled to take out Kesalo--Sarasina could remind him of Tamoko, as there are some similarities to their respective situations as young women.

 

***

 

Perhaps here's how we can tie this in to Yoshi agreeing to work for Irenicus:

 

Yoshi is still searching for Tamoko during BG1's events. During that time Irenicus has been scrying a number of Bhaalspawn. The PC isn't even on his radar yet. Sarevok however looks impressive. At that time Irenicus is planning on using Sarevok the same way that he eventually ends up using the PC.

 

Yoshimo loses Tamoko's trail for a time. (This happens from time to time for Yoshi--as a ninja Tamoko is very hard to track.) Yoshi travels through the southern lands, eventually winding up in Amn. Irenicus learns thorugh his spy network that Yoshi has been searching for his lost sister for many years. He figures out that it is Tamoko that he seeks. Irenicus knows about Tamoko because he's been scrying Sarevok. Sarevok is a definite contender to become the last one standing among the Bhaalspawn, and Irenicus wants the most powerful among them. He decides that the bother of the Sarevok's lover may be useful as a pawn, so he co-opts Yoshi. Irenicus sends his spies to bring Yoshi to his dungeon. He promises Yoshi that he will help him find his lost sister... in time. In exchange Yoshi must work for Irenicus. And that means accepting a Geas.

[Icendoan]

I like that, really. It makes Irenicus far more manipulative, while Yoshimo still in a fairly good position for the rest of the mod.

 

I think that talk should come after you meet Sarevok, and he can have some interjections about Tamoko, which would be interesting. Also, I think in the 2nd or 3rd PocketPlane Challenge, you have to fight Tamoko, which could have some interesting dialogue.

 

As the assassins close in on Tamoko, Yoshimo's father also appears, angered at both for destroying what little power the family had, and then Yoshimo's former Yakuza gang also appear.

 

The Assassins will kill Tamoko and anyone who tries to stop them, which is the Samurai, as he wishes to kill both Yoshimo and Tamoko, and the Yakuza are attacking Yoshimo (possibly for leaving the gang).

 

The assassins would all be about level 27-30, the Yakuza about the same, and the Samurai level 40, as he is alone.

 

This would allow for a more dynamic quest, where playing it means a fairly random outcome. In some fights, the Samurai would win, and get his dialogue triggered, and a different quest end, should the Assassins win, they will question you about Tamoko (as she isn't in the party) and possibly move on. If the Yakuza win, well, I don't know what will happen, but we can make it quite funny.

 

Something like this?

 

Assassin Quest: Search for and destroy any remaining traces of Tamoko. In the end, you fight and kill the Assassins, or you slay the member of the royal family.

 

Samurai Quest: You fight for the samurai in a huge battle to help him regain his honour. Endings is that he could die, but leaving it all to Yoshimo, so he becomes richer (magical items, not cash). (We could be escorting the same member of the royal family you kill for the assassin quest. Gives everyone an excuse to be there.)

 

Yakuza Quest: <insert quest here, I haven't defined their behaviour yet, so I can't come up with a quest>

 

Icen

[Lemernis]

Yeah, I think it would be a treat for many players to bring a good helping or Kara-Turan culture to the game as such.

 

I'm just not sure how we can create a convincing rationale for both the head of a samurai family and a Yakuza gang journeying all the way to the other side of the globe! In Kara-Tur, the world beyond its own borders is viewed as grotesquely barabarian, i.e., culturally inferior. The people of these lands view their races and civilizations as superior in every way, and the people in the Eastern Lands would never dream of leaving their homelands. However, an elite assassination squad hired by a the royal family for a very handsome contract is plausible, I think. Anyway, if we are to bring Yoshi's father and fomer gang associates all the way to the other side of the planet we'll need to invent a believable motivation for them to do that.

 

As for Irenicus, I admit I've never paid much attention to what he's trying to accomplish by "stealing" the PC's and Imoen's (Bhaalspawn) souls.

 

Please tell me if I have this right:

 

Back when Irenicus was an esteemed mage among the elves, his hubris grew to the point that he boldly sought to become a god himself. I.e., through some sort of ritual he attempted to join the elven pantheon, the Seldarine. It was a dangerous gambit that could have proven very costly to the elves? I recall something to that effect... Anyway, he was thwarted from achieving that by the elves. (I forget how.)

 

Irenicus' punishment by the Seldarine was to be stripped of his own soul--and to exist as immortal without a soul. A fate worse than death. That's why he can no longer feel any emotional or spiritual connection to anything, as witnessed in his dungeon with the dryads, preservation of Ellesime's room, clones of Ellesime, etc.

 

So Irenicus devises a scheme to use the PC's Bhaalspawn 'essence' (via his soul) to provide the power to regain his own soul. This Irenicus happily achieves, and even crows about the fact in the game. Empowered as such, Irenicus then takes the next step in his master plan: to achieve his original aim of becoming a god. (Lol, why are so many folks striving to become gods in this game? It's definitely an overused plot device what with Sarevok, Irenicus, and Melissan all striving for the same thing!)

 

Irenicus uses the Tree of Life for that. He does so by placing parasites on it to steal its energy (killing the tree in the bargain). He's using the tree's energy to try to become a god. The PC disrupts that, and kills him. But since Irenicus had taken the PC's soul, when Irenicus descends to hell the PC is compelled to chase after him and regain his soul. The PC takes the party with him (they die by entering the portal to hell, and are restored to life in the Prime Material plane afteward by the Seldarine?).

 

In hell the story is about the PC getting his soul back. The threat of Irenicus becoming a god has apparently been removed by killing him and dispatching him to hell.

 

***

 

I do like that we can explain Irenicus' motivations a little more clearly with our mod's plotline.

 

If I have this right, then during the BG1 saga Sarevok is definitely the one who Irenicus would capture Irenicus' attention. Sarevok is a mover and shaker who even slays the mighty Gorion! The PC is only just a young whelp who has never even left Candlekeep.

 

As we see from BG1's introduction movie, Sarevok has for some time been hunting down other Bhaalspawn and killing them. With each rival sibling Sarevok kills, his own power evidently grows.

 

Some things about this have never been clear to me:

 

- Does the essence of Bhaal that had belonged to those slain Bhaalspawn collect in the metaphysical Throne of Bhaal, a kind of well of energy for the remaining ones?

 

- Is the Throne of Bhaal something that Bhaal created, and Melissan simply discovers and tries to capitalize on it? Or is it something she engineers?

 

- Is that well of god energy available only to the last Bhaalspawn standing? As the number of Bhaalspawn whittles down, does each of the remaining ones grows stonger? Or does a Bhaalspawn who slays other Bhaalspawn claim each victim's essence for his own?

[Icendoan]

That story sounds alright, yeah.

 

The Throne of Bhaal is something that Bhaal creates, but it's origin is somewhat unknown. It is likely changed by Mellisan, like you shape the pocket plane.

 

The essence is gathered up so that eventually you have a god's energy, and Mellisan can shape it into Bhaal, when he would rise again.

 

Sarevok's power.... I'm not sure where it says that his power grows after each kill, but unless it is EXP wise, I don't think so. Else Bhaal's plan would be ruined.

 

The well of essence is available to any on that plane that can shape it. IE: The PC (But subconciously) and Mellisan.

 

About the Kara-Turans:

 

Perhaps this royal person is indulging himself by travelling the realms, as a recreational activity, instead of a mission. I am not sure how we build this character, really.

 

The father, has joined this royal person (of any status) as a Guard, but really wants to hunt and kill Tamoko/Yoshimo, as long as the royal guy is there, he is.

 

The Yakuza I don't have enough information about to find a reason. Driven by a more powerful gang out of the cities in a turf war, something like that?

 

Icen

[Lemernis]

Actually come to think of it, there's always magic portals. The Kara-Tur source book says "The world of Kara-tur has a huge number of portals and other gate-type devices which link that world with other areas of the Realms... either through the Astral Plane, by devices, or freestanding portals..."

 

I've found a reference to a portal in Shichi Hsi - The History of Kara-Tur. That reference is taken from Test of the Samurai, set in Kara-Tur, which is available as a Wizard's of the Coast free classic download here. It's more information than we need. But I wonder if it may serve as inspiration for using portaling in some humorous way. For example, the party from an ambush by the royal's assassins and a daffy wizard from Yoshimo's Yakuza portals in to rescue them. But in the escape the party is transported through a series of bizarre locations that require solving puzzles or riddles to get out of. (Ideally, some of these would be celestial.) Maybe we can reuse areas already in the game and give them new names? Anyway, just brainstorming.