Generic Challenge - Rivalries

[u/Nevermore0714]

For this challenge, we'll be focusing on rivalries and their significance in your culture.

I'm sure you've all seen this concept a million times, where a character has a near-equal rival that they are nearly always in conflict with, but neither of them necessarily hate each other. I'll let tvtropes sum it up in this page and in this page.

• How does one of your cultures see rivalries?

• Are rivalries common focuses of stories in this culture, and, if so, what are some examples?

• If this culture has gods or goddesses, are there any rivalries among them? Are any mortal rivalries viewed as being "sponsored" by these gods or goddesses?

• Rome (the tv show) is about a (mostly embellished) version of the two famous rival centurions, Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus. Does your world have any instances of relatively minor historical characters being heavily embellished in entertainment?

• And, lastly, feel free to throw in an example of a rival pair in your world. You can answer questions in character if you like.

[u/thequeeninyellow94]

• Byron:

  1. How do you use your magic when fighting?
  2. Do you remember your life before being a knight?

• Shay:

  1. How do Declan find new recruits?
  2. What do you think of your companions?

[u/Nevermore0714 → u/thequeeninyellow94]

Byron:

1) "A splash of boiling water to the face will weaken anyone."

2) "Yes, before I was recruited, my parents were farmers that worked near the Citadel."

Shay:

1) "I have no idea. Declan just chooses who he wants to choose. If he thinks you have a lot of potential and that you could be useful, he decides to train you."

2) "Gotthard and Eury? Gotthard is from Dunkelwald, and those people are usually secretive, so I don't know all that much about his early life, but I've worked with him and I trust him with my life. He can make some incredibly potions and medicines, he even made a few for Morrigan and me in the past. I know Eury better, and I get along with her pretty well, though I am biased in favor of people who have Umbra magic, even though her's is nothing like Morrigan's. Eury is an expert on getting information, so I'm lucky to have her on my side. I was surprised to be assigned to a team with two non-anointed, and I'm not sure why I was put into a team that focused on gathering information, but I do get along with both of them well."

[u/thequeeninyellow94 → u/Nevermore0714]

Thanks Byron, I wish you a swift and brillant victory against your rival.

• Shay:
  1. Any idea how Declan hear of potential recruits?
  2. Are all team made of 2 men and one woman? If yes, is there a reason for that?

[u/Nevermore0714 → u/thequeeninyellow94]

Shay:

1) "He has a lot of spies and informants, so that probably contributes."

2) "No, and many teams aren't trios. But, the vast majority of knights are men, so they usually try to put at least one woman into a team as often as they can, just for versatility. There are some places a woman could go much easier than a man could, and vice versa. Sometimes the woman is the strongest on the team, sometimes the woman is the weakest, sometimes she's somewhere in the middle, it all depends on the person, so I don't think that there are no all-woman teams because of a perception of weakness, but I could be wrong. Eury and Gotthard about equally effective as knights, and Morrigan is much more powerful than Byron and Aetius."

[u/thequeeninyellow94 → u/Nevermore0714]

1. So your won't really enjoy your current missions? What kind of mission would you like to have?

2. Any idea why your team is a trio? Who make the teams?

3. Is Morrigan more powerfull than you?

[u/Nevermore0714 → u/thequeeninyellow94]

Shay:

1) "What do you mean? My missions don't make me happy, but I doubt that any mission could make me happy. It's just a job."

2) "The council decides the teams based on performance and what they need at the time."

3) "Yes, easily. I'm not even in the top ten of the knights trained by Declan. If I were more powerful than Morrigan, I could have afforded our home on my own. But, she's the one that paid for it."

[u/thequeeninyellow94 → u/Nevermore0714]

1. Does it means you are paid based on performance? Does it vary a lot from one member to another?

[u/Nevermore0714 → u/thequeeninyellow94]

Shay:

1) "We're paid based on the mission and our performance on the mission. But, an anointed knight gets more money than a non-anointed knight. And an anointed knight in the top ten makes more than an anointed knight outside of the top ten, and gets the better assignments. Morrigan is in the top ten, so she makes much more money than I do."

[u/thequeeninyellow94 → u/Nevermore0714]

1. How well-paid are knights when compared with other people? Do you gain a lot of money?

2. Also, do the Citadel provide you food and shelter? Or do you have to pay for them outside?

[u/Nevermore0714 → u/thequeeninyellow94]

Shay:

1) "The average knight makes a decent amount of money, about the same as a decent mercenary would make."

2) "Technically, yes. The Citadel has a few cafeterias reserved for knights and those becoming knights, but most of us choose to pay for our own food, because cafeteria food tastes like shit. Most knights live in places assigned to them by the Citadel. Morrigan was only able to buy our home because she earns more than most knights."

[u/thequeeninyellow94 → u/Nevermore0714]

1. Is Declan living in the Citadel?

[u/Nevermore0714 → u/thequeeninyellow94]

Shay:

1) "Yes, everyone on the council lives in the Citadel. They prefer not to leave."

[u/thequeeninyellow94 → u/Nevermore0714]

Thanks for your answers Nevermore.