In preparation of the Void quest...

[Amaterasu]

... I have a few questions that need clearing up.

First of, the word requirement. I can't seem to find where it was said, but I vaguely remember reading that doing the quest as a group has a non-linear word count progression (2 people adds 33%, every person thereafter adds 66% per person to the total word count). Is this correct, or is it simply a 20-40k * [number of participants] word requirement (which would mean 80-160k shared, for 4 participants)?

Now, assuming that the above question was correct, where would that word count put us for 4 participants? I'm not sure whether to calculate the 33-66% based on the results of the former calculation (case A), or just taking the total percentage number and applying that to the base word count (case B)?

Case A: 20.000 x 1,33 = 26.600 x 1,66 = 44,156 x 1,66 = 73.298,96 rounded to 73.299 to 146.598 shared word count

Case B: 20.000 x (100% + 33% + 66% + 66%) = 20.000 x 266% = 53.200 to 106.400 shared word count


The other thing that I need would be approval for the following storyline idea (so as to avoid risking that we write thousands of words before someone notes that this quest wouldn't be okay as a void quest):
[spoiler]-After climbing the mountain for a bit, the expedition finds themselves unable to proceed outside due to the strong winds and cold temperatures, so they begin traveling through the insides of the mountains of madness, which turn out to have an extensive cave system leading upwards.

-These caverns are enchanted (who by? Who knows) and cause the expedition members to be transported to strange realms, in which their spirit is tested. There are seven "important" caves each representing one of the seven sins (sloth, gluttony, lust, envy, pride, greed and wrath), as well as any number of corridors and "non important" caves which may give off illusions, be inhabited by inoffensive wisps or not-so-inoffensive wampas, but they are not the real meat of the story, and mostly just locations which the group can set up camp at to rest before embarking on the next leg of their climb. Being put to the test would distort time somehow, so they would need to camp and get some sleep 2-3 times before reaching the summit.

-The enchanted caves basically confront the characters with the worst that's in them, forcing them to acknowledge it and overcome it. The specifics of what actually happens are relatively open, so that every player may choose their own little path - be it fighting, resisting temptation or something else. The expedition members may be split up and be reunited later that day or in the evening if someone wants to "skip" one cavern in favour of focusing their writing efforts on another.

-Finally coming out near the summit the expedition encounters the Frost Dragons who live there, who may allow them to pass because they know that if they have made it through the tests they are "worthy", or (if at this point the quest judge(s) consider(s) that our word count is not high enough) they send the members back to the caverns or engage them in combat as a final test or because they are unhappy about the intruders to their nest. Sapphiron might be that dragon or it could be a nameless Frost Dragon or several.[/spoiler]

[Dark Link]

The rules regarding doing quests as a group can be found here:

If two people are participating in a quest, the word requirements should increase by 33% (so if the quest requires 10,000-20,000 words, it requires a total ~13,333-26,666 words between two people). For each extra person after that, add 66% of the word count requirement (so three people requires 20,000-40,000 words total, four people requires ~26,666-53,333 total, etc). These requirements may then be fulfilled as a group, and each member will receive the rewards individually. 

So, in your case, the word count for the entire group would be 53,330-106,660, depending on the writing quality.

As for the storyline idea, one thing that immediately strikes me as a potential problem is that your plan seems to handwave the actual journey to the mountains. Crossing the Fields is an arduous and treacherous trek, where characters are constantly threatened by the elements, the wildlife and the deceptive and uneven terrain. It'll likely take your characters weeks, perhaps even months to reach the mountains in the first place. If you wish to complete this quest without issues, you shouldn't neglect this part of the quest.

Furthermore, when writing the group's encounter(s) with the blue dragonflight, keep in mind that their attitude towards travelers varies significantly between them. Sapphiron in particular is quite reclusive, so he is unlikely to be welcoming to visitors. This isn't to say that he or another dragonflight member would be outright hostile or that they wouldn't be impressed by you being able to overcome the enchanted caverns. But the party will have to overcome a rather chilly reception in order to arrive at their goal.

However, as long as you keep those two factors in mind, I don't see an issue with your proposed plan. Consider it approved.

[Amaterasu]

The rules regarding doing quests as a group can be found here:

If two people are participating in a quest, the word requirements should increase by 33% (so if the quest requires 10,000-20,000 words, it requires a total ~13,333-26,666 words between two people). For each extra person after that, add 66% of the word count requirement (so three people requires 20,000-40,000 words total, four people requires ~26,666-53,333 total, etc). These requirements may then be fulfilled as a group, and each member will receive the rewards individually. 

So, in your case, the word count for the entire group would be 53,330-106,660, depending on the writing quality.

As for the storyline idea, one thing that immediately strikes me as a potential problem is that your plan seems to handwave the actual journey to the mountains. Crossing the Fields is an arduous and treacherous trek, where characters are constantly threatened by the elements, the wildlife and the deceptive and uneven terrain. It'll likely take your characters weeks, perhaps even months to reach the mountains in the first place. If you wish to complete this quest without issues, you shouldn't neglect this part of the quest.

Furthermore, when writing the group's encounter(s) with the blue dragonflight, keep in mind that their attitude towards travelers varies significantly between them. Sapphiron in particular is quite reclusive, so he is unlikely to be welcoming to visitors. This isn't to say that he or another dragonflight member would be outright hostile or that they wouldn't be impressed by you being able to overcome the enchanted caverns. But the party will have to overcome a rather chilly reception in order to arrive at their goal.

However, as long as you keep those two factors in mind, I don't see an issue with your proposed plan. Consider it approved.

Admittedly I forgot about the Mountains of Madness being a bit out there and us having to get to it... I'll have to see with the rest of the group about how we can cover those "weeks/months" of travel without actually taking months of real time.

We'll find something to have the Frost Dragons be believable according to the lore! Thank you for the input and the approval.

[Amaterasu]

So... time to dig this thread back up, for more questions.

With my characters starting out from Dwarfholm rather than the edge of the Frozen Fields, and because I want to place the focus onto the ascent of the mountain and the dangers within rather than the relatively monotonous trip to it (IMO there won't be as much to do, besides fending off the occasional predator and dodging natural hazards), I want to ask permission for the following:

-Would it be acceptable if I made several jumps, during which I briefly describe the day's events, spanning 3-4 days over a single post?
-Could my travel time from my starting point (Dwarfholm) to the foot of the mountain be cut from weeks to months, to ca. 9-10 days on mounts - in other words, having my characters reach the mountains after about 3 posts of 1500+ words each?
-This may be pushing it but would I be allowed to space out those 3 posts over a potentially shorter amount of real-world time, than 9-10 days (for instance, 6 days if I make one post every 2 days), or would respecting a 1-1 ratio of real-time to Omniverse-time be the bare minimum?

Also, a semi-related question to this:
-As Failz mentioned, the mountain with the void gate is not one of the Mountains of Madness. Does that mountain have any canonical name, then (I could not find any searching the Frozen Fields thread), and if not could I suggest that it be named the "Roof/Ceiling of the world", because it is the highest point of the Frozen Fields, and possibly one of the highest locations in the entire Omniverse?

On the note of time I have revised my posts in this thread and come to think that 3-4 days to ascend the mountain is too short. I'll lengthen it to at least a week to balance things out.

[Jade Harley]

I'm not certain about the time thing, but officially naming the mountain would be sort of weird seeing as the void gates are supposed to be near impossible to find! Still, the roof/ceiling of the world is definitely a neat descriptor.

[Alex]

-Would it be acceptable if I made several jumps, during which I briefly describe the day's events, spanning 3-4 days over a single post?
-Could my travel time from my starting point (Dwarfholm) to the foot of the mountain be cut from weeks to months, to ca. 9-10 days on mounts - in other words, having my characters reach the mountains after about 3 posts of 1500+ words each?
-This may be pushing it but would I be allowed to space out those 3 posts over a potentially shorter amount of real-world time, than 9-10 days (for instance, 6 days if I make one post every 2 days), or would respecting a 1-1 ratio of real-time to Omniverse-time be the bare minimum?

Also, a semi-related question to this:
-As Failz mentioned, the mountain with the void gate is not one of the Mountains of Madness. Does that mountain have any canonical name, then (I could not find any searching the Frozen Fields thread), and if not could I suggest that it be named the "Roof/Ceiling of the world", because it is the highest point of the Frozen Fields, and possibly one of the highest locations in the entire Omniverse?

On the note of time I have revised my posts in this thread and come to think that 3-4 days to ascend the mountain is too short. I'll lengthen it to at least a week to balance things out.

Time is fluid in the Omniverse, so how you portray it in your posts is up to you. I've had days travel in small posts, and I've had 4,000 word posts that only involve a few days. As long as it's not, you know, absurd, which would ultimately impact the judge more so than anything else.

I think it's fine to refer to the mountain as 'the roof of the world' (since I did that in the descriptor), but I think giving it a name implies that it's been somehow tamed or civilized, like a Mount Everest. Plus, there's not a specific place where the Void gate is (just that it's in a mountain in the same range where blue dragons inhabit). That was done deliberately to give subsequent people who do the same quest some creative freedom to not have to follow in the footsteps of others. (plus who said gates are static, anyway?)