That vow can lead to very interresting RP, not least of all in determining how to fufill it. The major problem of the Sentinels is a lack of members not a mechanical restriction on RP. In fact I think that vow could have sparked as much identity for the sentinels as that Euxan pamphlet did for the aeromancers. And in no way less fun then any guild in this game.

Inky didn't mention Celestia

Make it up.

Sounds trollish of me, I know, but that's what we're doing. Just find some questions and do some research/hypothesizing into them, adopting the most convincing parts as guild lore.

1. Xyl very likely came from this plane, and is the god of the Lucidian race, which makes its home in Hallifax. Xyl was also very science-y. What else could have come from the plane?
2. Kalikai and others used (likely) Continuum as a base of operations from which to track down the Elder Traitors. Why? Is there a special characteristic to the plane that could incline them to hide in it?
3. Continuum has the same amount of spheres as there are fleshpots in Vortex. Vortex is a primordial plane, and it's basically what a plane looks like (maybe unique in a way, being Vortex) before Dynara started singing the Song of Creation to it. How does one go from 'pots from which life is drawn' to 'crystal spheres with really long Adjective - Noun titles'?
4. Investigate the implications of artificial life found in the spheres/polygons that float on the planes, and the possibilities for their origin.
5. Look into the harmonic energies found in Continuum. Why are they there? Are they the remnants of whatever crystal gods emerged from the plane? Did they leave anything behind?
Edit: 6. Probe the Conclave (I'm assuming from logs it's some sort of computer) for information on Project Paradox/Operation Whatever and consider it as a potential tool against Gaudiguch (intrigue!) Edit2: Actually you could do this for Continuum too, as the histories show crystal spires being used to set up the operation.

(Okay, after spending a few minutes on this - it's way easier to make up stuff when your plane is actually, well, alive. )

Clearly each sphere represents aspects of death.

But really, if you can tie each sphere to a facet of science or maybe facets of knowledge, that would be kind of cool, IMO.

If you're talking about skills and stuff, well there are ideas for that too, but I figure you're talking about RP here.

I think you're misunderstanding 'em. Fleshpots are just the things that you take a dip out of to make baby gods. There's no backstory, no particular relevance, just a generic usefulness. And you know what? That's ok! I don't know of any Gaudi disappointed by the way that the fleshpots mean absolutely nothing: no more than the metaphysical significance of Eventru's left kneecap. In fact, I think that's the point.

This. And Furien's suggestions.

You could actually remove every Blacktalon skillset (please don't do that), and the Blacktalon would still have rich RP. Guild RP comes primarily from your own mythos and philosophies and self-defined purpose in the world. Estarra just said you're free to go nuts in those departments. You're all set.

If I've misunderstood the original complaint, I apologize. If the original complaint is more like, "I wish our skills tied mechanically into more things in the world outside ourselves," okay.

But you don't need game mechanics to be a certain way to have rich guild RP, or any kind of admin intervention at all.

What?

You're developed from mercenaries!

And what do we know about mercenaries?

Mercenaries

are

habitually

cool ... ... well, usually.

Once (not if) they release polearms, I'm going Sentinels for the sweet purpose of being a Swiss guard. Going to stand guard at that entrance all day long.

I certainly see what you are talking about Inky. Ayden joined the Institute to feel a deeper bond with the Continuum and right now it doesn't feel like a bond exists at all. I certainly don't -care- per se about the Continuum, it's just a random plane that we get glowing crystals from at the present. I don't think that the actual crystalspinning is the problem (though i do wish the coorelation between the Spheres and the glowing gems made more sense), i think that it's more the other abilites that need to be worked on: Convoke, Reasonance, Crystal Spire, Shatterplex, etc. Why not let us get something like in Transmology where we get a polyhedral ent that we can customized using crystals from the Continuum?

For the Illuminati, Vortex is totally just a toolbox. We don't summon creatures to our aid, we don't make pacts--we use the flesh of unborn gods to create life and make it serve us. Which is awesome.

Oh, also, i do not like the idea of smashing crystals to create a cloud in a room that does something, i.e. balestone and malefactgem.

I understand what you're saying, Inky, I just don't think this needs a huge overhaul to the skillset. I know you were talking about getting Paths like the Illuminati have hardcoded in, which I don't think we need. We already have all the tools for paths just with what we got in the guildhall design. I think maybe some new skill like "HarmonicDirection" where you undergo the intense study of one of the Spheres and get some nice flavour benefit from it (your wand name changes or you get some RP effect) and a small little DMP benefit (like symbols from deepbonds give) would spice it up and tie things in a little more with Continuum.

I also don't see why we can't just invent the meaning of the spheres ourselves within the guild and make them Canon? I'm sure Elostian or Roark or whoever wouldn't mind modifying the ABs to give us something more flavorful than "diamond is hard, bloodstone is bloody". I like Harmonics and I think the skillset is really cool, but it could use some flavor in it. We can do most of the flavor at our end without trying to get a skillset overhaul and Elostian has always been helpful when you need an Admin help to reinforce RP things.

Also, I disagree with Estarra that just because Continuum is a dead plane means we really don't need any direction from it. The guardian skillsets are based off that tie, and I think if you compare the bond Nihilists/Celestians have with their guild identity tied to their Cosmic plane and the one the Institute has, it does look like we are getting the short end of the stick on flavour. I don't need the Institute to play a scientist, after all, so I don't think "go be a scientist" is the only thing we should be basing guild RP off of.

I really do love Harmonics and the Institute and all the really cool stuff we have gotten I'm just trying to suggest things to be helpful and make the gaming experience a little better, not to complain.

It's magic!

Yeah! Mad scientific magic!

I see what you're getting at here, but that's, well, intended. Nihilists and Celestines form a religious/spiritual faction. Illuminati have enlightenment going for them but there's still no religion present, doubly so for the Institute.

From what I read of Estarra's posts, the main 'tie' of the two guilds aren't actually in their primary specialization- that's just their shtick. The main tie comes from the secondary skillset they share with their other guilds: Paradigmatics and Aeonics. I can see how that might pose a few problems, though. :S

So what's the point of being a cosmic guardian if all that really matters is Aeonics? I could just be a Sentinel!

I'm not looking for a religion of crystal spheres here, but well... what is the point of being a cosmic guardians if you really do have very little tie to your cosmic plane? It's like Continuum is essentially a village, because it gives us gem resources, but we really don't care about it other than that.

EDIT: Oh, I actually got sidetracked by Furien. I really meant to post that the Conclave (in its excellently cool way of talking to people in different times) has talked about the "anomalies" on Continuum. I'm not sure if that's the spheres or the polyhedrons, but that is something to look into.

I think you might be missing the whole point of "there is no point." "There is no point" is the basis of a whole slew of very compelling RL philosophies. You have a successful cosmic creche up there. All of its beings came into their own and became real gods. You're not listening to the half-baked theories of stunted mutant retard teenage wannabe gods. There was life in Continuum; it was created, nurtured, flourished, and left. What's left after all of that? Not moral judgement, not an interplanar quest, not some abstract idealism, just ordered elegance. When you strip away all the nonsense that saddled the other cosmic planes, what's left behind is beauty and logic, and that's the point. When you try to impose something on top of that beauty and logic, it loses something. So, just acknowledge the lesson of Continuum: when intelligent life flourishes, what's left behind is simple, elegant, pure, beautiful, and comprehensible.

Okay, so what's the point of having cosmic guardians for an empty plane of ordered elegance? There's nothing left to guard.

Nice.