Character Age - How Binding Is It?

Lucelle

This is something I've been wondering lately. I know characters age the longer they stay in Achaea. How binding is this in RP? Can you 'roleplay' someone as being younger or older than their actual in-game age (ie, a teen or a new character being in their twenties or thirties). If your character is say, seventy or eighty years old, must they LOOK the part? Can they go about in-character as a twenty-four year old? Must they have knowledge and wisdom befitting of their time in the realm? As well as some clarification on the sort of psychic-thing characters in the game seem to have going on; should characters ICly know someone elses age without ever having even met them?

Nellaundra

Characters are essentially immortal.  They're entirely aware of it as well, and they know that eventually Thoth will take them - but the eventually is the key part.  Physical age is typically a reflection of mental age, though no one is entirely certain how it all works (my character has several theories that I'd be happy to share sometime).  Your IC age is the age set in your honours, so you can't play as older or younger than that - they are that age, and nothing can change it.  And as for finding out others' ages through honours, I'm not really sure.  I always play Nell like she doesn't know their name or anything about them beyond what they look like if she meets someone.  But, that's a very gray area and up to interpretation.

Jovolo

You are entirely within your bounds to choose the appearance of your character irrespective of their age - just be sure you can explain yourself if asked.

Silas

You can change your appearance at will, but if you start trying to tell me you're 200 and your character is 18 I'm going to kick you in the nuts and ignore you.

Siduri

Siddy can, she's a mutant. Deal with it, Sil-ass.

Shirszae

Nellaundra said:

 Your IC age is the age set in your honours, so you can't play as older or younger than that - they are that age, and nothing can change it. 

Unless they buy the hourglass artifact.

Zincor

Perhaps you are only basing your age on a real life human equivalent.  Who is to say that a Horkval in their 70's is not near the same as a 20 year old human?  Maybe life-spans are different for different races.  (I'm thinking a dog years type comparison here).

Sena

Your age is your age, you shouldn't try to claim otherwise. Even if you buy an Aeonic Hourglass (which hides your age) immediately after creating the character, chances are somebody will still know how old you are. However, in addition to immortality, eternal youth is normal in Achaea too. HELP AGING even explicitly states that getting older has no negative impact on your health or appearance, so you only have to look old if you choose to.

So basically, your actual age is always exactly what the game says it is, but your appearance doesn't have to reflect your age (I would suggest having a very good reason if you want to look old before you actually are, though).

Riley

Personally, I like how Riley's description had changed over 300 years of his life, he has some grey and wrinkles now.

Lucelle

Thanks for the answers.