Lmao, I love it. To me it actually feels like we are moving in the story.
Hmmm, looks like I'm gonna have to get nice and chatty to catch up :)
The company staff meeting had a haunted look to it, as it did from time to time when there was a setback in the war effort. What made this one different was that they had just 'won' Shadukar from enemy hands.
"Lieutenant ir'Kraal, front and center." came the command, and Garrick complied.
The XO began to read the orders. "For conspicuous gallantry in the face of adversity, Lieutenant Garrik ir'Krall..." he continued, issuing canned phrase after canned phrase. Another medal for another war effort, as if it were a sovereign in the well. Though the well never overflows... Garrick thought as the droning continued on.
"...and reflect great credit upon himself and uphold the highest traditions of the Royal Karnnathi Armed Services." came the end, his cue to shake hands, accept the medal pinned on his chest, salute and take his leave.
... except the XO wanted him to say a few words to those assembled. Though not unaccustomed to such, he hadn't expected it over such an award.
He went into his unprepared speech with all the grace of the zombies they had fought alongside.
"Well, folks... nasty business out there. But it's got to be done. You must see the enemy as they truly are... weak, undeserving of your thought. Their men are as women, their women as their children, and their children are worthless. Honor and righteousness are determined by the victor, and we will succeed, or we will die and then succeed.
There was a cheer, the same kind of cheer given by a group of men who didn't believe what was shoveled in their face, but hoped by virtue of their own volume and show of gusto that their sins would be absolved in the eyes of their contemporaries.
*****
As Garrick sat alone in his tent later, wineskin in hand, he wondered.
Did I really believe any of that?
Whoa. Hello Darkness, my old friend. That's some heavy stuff.
Hahaha, chatty helps, for sure. :) So do the weekly questions.
I want you guys to feel like you are getting XP, growing, advancing. I hate when it takes 7 weeks to get a tiny bit of XP for piddly things. Plus...I will have things that take away XP. (Fear them), and other things you can spend XP on (lust after them). ;)
Wooooooooooow.
Garrick. Damn dude.
Lol. That was brilliant! 75 XP!
Daxur, I didn't realize another DM had taken over Shackled City. Wow!
I am just waiting on Engineer #3 and Khravos to move the scene into the segue. Is there a subject you wish to discuss, Daxur? It would be interesting if I just said "segue-scene for the Wagon" here, and one of you went after a discussion thread you were interested in, rather than me providing it. But I am fully willing and capable, :), and have some that I may provide if I want to push the story one direction.
"Do you remember me, Master Hawkes?"
Though she spoke softly in the crowded room, the warm, feminine voice slipped easily between the other sounds of the party--the murmured conversation, the clink of glasses, the instruments of the chamber musicians--to Satinder's ears, and he turned, already knowing who he would find.
"Milady Shelyn ir'Marasha," he said, giving the lovely young woman a brief bow. "How could I forget?"
Shely, a short woman with dark hair and dark eyes, smiled slightly, looking away as his eyes met hers.
"I hoped you'd say something like that. You made quite an impression on me at our first meeting, Master Hawkes."
"Did I?" Satinder raised his eyebrows, the corners of his mouth curling up in a smile. "What kind of an impression did I make?"
"Well," Shelyn said, gesturing for him to walk with her as she turned to cross the edges of the room, "do you remember who was escorting me the last time we spoke?"
Satinder nodded. "Of course. Viscount Nathaniel ir'Demmel. I believe the party was being held in his honor. What about him?"
Shelyn glanced up at him as he walked beside her, her dark eyes dancing. The look shot straight through Satinder's body, and he suddenly found himself very warm and very aware of this young woman. The part of his mind that had been analyzing politics and alliances all evening faltered, and for a moment all he noticed was the gentle curl of her hair, the curve of her lips, and the way her dress wrapped around her.
"Do you see him with me now, Master Hawkes?"
They reached a doorway opening out into dimly lit gardens and walkways, and she paused.
"Master Hawkes, I would like to take a walk through the gardens. Will you accompany me? I would very much like to know you better."
Satinder hesitated briefly, turning and scanning the party for his master. He found Saint-Demain conversing with a group of nobleman. Saint-Demain's gaze met Satinder's momentarily, flickered to Shelyn and the open doorway, then back to Satinder. He rolled his eyes and returned to the conversation, though Satinder thought he saw the barest hint of a smile on his master's face. He turned back to Shelyn.
"I would like nothing better, Milady."
Poor Nathaniel got demoted twice lol. Started as a Duke, got busted down to a Marquis, ended up as a Viscount.
Nobility is rough.
25 XP, Satinder!
Whoa. Hello Darkness, my old friend. That's some heavy stuff.
yeah, drawing from Garrick's situation colored by personal experience. hahaha though thanks to the stories of people i know it is a little easier to make it much darker than my actual life
Write what you know, lol.
And again...thanks for serving. :)
Satinder was almost through the door when he heard the distinctive crack of an open hand striking bare flesh, and he heard the young halfling woman cry out in shock. The sound halted him as abruptly as if he'd run into a wall. He stood with his hand on the door, Saint-Demain already walking away from the crowded brothel into the night.
"Run away from me, poppet?" snarled a male voice--that would be Malket, the half-orc proprietor. Well-groomed for a half-orc, just under six feet, short hair, clean teeth, scar over left eye--the description rattled aimlessly in Satinder's head as he heard the girl cry out again, followed by the sound of someone spitting. The crowd roared with approval, and Satinder's hand tightened slowly on the door knob. Saint-Demain finally realized he was walking alone and turned around, cocking his head at his apprentice.
"Something wrong, boy?"
The sounds continued in the crowded hall. He heard something wet splashing, the girl choking and gagging, and another voice--(Mags Crowley, madame, human, missing top left incisor, broken nose)--crowed, "What's the matter, girl? Didn't you miss our fine ale?" The crowd roared again, louder, as the girl coughed and spluttered and began to cry.
He turned, shifting his grip on his cane to a one that would let him draw the blade easily, and took all of two steps into the building before a hand on his shoulder hauled him back roughly. Another hand seized the wrist of his sword arm, keeping him from drawing.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Satinder?"
Saint-Demain's grip was strong, and Satinder knew the older man could twist him into a sailor's knot if he wanted, so he didn't struggle, but he didn't relax either.
"I won't stand by while they torture that girl, master."
Saint-Demain gave an exasperated sigh.
"You knew she would be punished for running away, boy."
Satinder released the hilt of his cane, and Saint-Demain allowed him to turn so they could face each other.
"Punished, yes. But this isn't punishment, it's . . ."
He trailed off, looking back to where the small form was now being tossed from person to person in the crowd, hands tearing at her dress, her hands clutching at her rapidly disappearing clothing and her head flopping loosely as she was flung about.
"They're treating her like she's not even human."
Saint-Demain shook his head and leaned against the doorframe.
"Well, in point of fact, she's not," he began, and raised a hand when Satinder's eyes flashed.
"She's a runaway, Satinder. From a brothel. She's the next thing to property, and there's not a damn thing you can do about what's happening without starting a fight that will get you killed and her beaten for the trouble. Maybe there will be a time when a client wants Malket or Mags dealt with, but tonight is not that time."
He stared Satinder down, hard, until the young man's shoulders slumped. He didn't look back again as they walked away into the night, but that didn't stop him from seeing the fear and humiliation on the girl's face. Eventually, his anger faded, replaced by something else, something deeper. Malket and Mags weren't worthy of anger, he decided sometime later that night. They were nothing more than vermin.
And someday, he would stamp them out.
Yeah, this one got away from me a little, but I hate to cut a scene short when it's going so well. If it wasn't clear (and I'm not sure it was), what Satinder is disgusted by isn't necessarily abuse or punishment, but using embarrassment and humiliation as punishment. He considers that inhumane and vulgar and completely outside the bounds of justice in any sense.
Brilliant writing! Ha! 75 XP!
Everyone make sure to post those to your pages. :)
i tagged mine at the bottom spoiler in a link to the post
no need to thank me for serving, i wanted retirement and had no direction in life haha
All the same. I didn't serve, but I am grateful to everyone who does. :)
Grr. Boards ate like 3 posts of mine yesterday.
Will have some up later, assuming the site remains stable.
No worries!
yuuup, gotta copy/paste any of my posts before sending em off.
they should buy a separate site to handle these things, clearly the normal site cant.
That's an interesting idea. Something seperate, but associated...hmmm...
yeah. i mean something like event.paizo.com or something.
Ah. I was thinking for the game-play. That would be really handy.
Ha! +1 for CSI:Breland lol
Even without the heavy traffic, I've lost so many posts here in the past that I usually remember to copy/paste my post into a notepad before I submit it.
Lazarus is the best extension for Chrome, for just that reason.
Doesn't help when I'm on mobile or posting from work, though.
Sad for me, good for Paizo & the HumbleBundle folks - tons of money obtained already!
I am glad the sight is getting such good business, but it is frustrating on game-play, for sure. It's slowed us down a bit, which as a storyteller is hard, because I can't gauge if it is because you guys are bored, just not-playing, or frustrated at the sight, lol.
Mostly the site being down.
I basically have Paizo.com open on either my phone or PC all day, and typically am awake from 0700-0030 EST. If I am not posting, its typically because the site is malfunctioning, or whomever I was RP'ing with has dropped off.
Its hard to go back & forth with PCs who aren't as active as myself. No judgements there, just an observation. I know most folks can't be on as much as I.
Yeah, that's pretty much the same with me. I have access to Paizo all day long, and probably drop in on average about every 30 minutes. I wish there was a way you could… #Someone, or something, and have them receive a text notification saying "yo, dudes talking to you!"
yeah the Wayfinder app was cool but it didnt give notifications which is what i wanted.
Yeah, that's why I never picked it up. It seemed buggy in posting, and didn't give me the one thing I wanted...so what's the point?
Alright, I may be flying to LA this weekend. An investor has invited me to a premier he financed. And he wants to talk about financing some of my fantasy films, and about possibly developing an RPG with me. Which...yay! I'm having a hard time saying no. Also having a hard time coming up with the funds for the trip right now, lol, but he said he'd front half the flight there, and the whole trip back, so...I may be gone. If I can scrape the money together, lol.
I should still be able to post, but wanted to let you all know in case I did slow and you wondered why.
sweet, have fun!
Enjoy.
Good luck.
@Mittean
Where can I see one of your films?
Currently there is one I directed on Amazon called Templar Nation, but it takes explaining...which I hate. Lol. Jack (Satinder) has seen it. He and my wife played a drinking game with it, drinking every time it was bad. We almost lost Jack, lol.
I was hired to AD (Assistant direct) a feature two days after it had begun shooting in another part of my state. I drove down, to find it was a total disaster factory. The producer hadn't done pre-production, hadn't fully cast the film, had no wardrobe, hadn't sorted all the locations...and had hired an assistant stage make-up artist from a local college to direct it. She was clueless.
But he had several hundred thousand dollars for budget. I was a freshman in film school at the time. The financier showed up, lost his s#!t, fired the director and made me the director 4 days into a six week shoot, saying I was the only person on set who had any idea of what he was supposed to do. I still hadn't read the screenplay.
So I got handed the reigns, and ended up directing Erik Estrada (pretty good actor, I must say), and a lot of other NOT good actors. The result is something I am happy to have done, but I don't throw it around, lol, for obvious reasons.
It actually did well enough to get a sequel, The Freemason.
There are others I have worked on, helped with, and so forth, and I'm proud of all of those. I just got called tonight by my best friend to handle housing for crew for one we're shooting in April-May (I may get busy then) for 3.5M, so we're moving up the feeding chain. We've done several under a million, a couple at around a million, and now we're stepping up to the next level.
And I am signing contracts right now for a big, big project, that I'll likely announce soon. It's my baby, and I've taken it all the way, and we're pretty stoked. It is allowing me to enter a playing field way higher than what we've played in so far. But more on that later.
My other projects that are all mine actually haven't been released yet. Legal crap, and pissy directors. Here's what left of the Boys at the bar.
But if you are still interested...we'll talk, lol. And I appreciate you asking. :)
I can send you to films my close friends have completed, or ones I've helped with, for sure. Go find Sushi girl. If you have Netflix, its available there, and is a ton of fun. My other best friend, made this one. It is Mark Hamill's greatest role, and he is absolutely as nice as you would think. I came in at the end, helping a little with some of the marketing. This was a total break out hit, and killed it.
Neal and I became friends playing Celebrity D&D (with the illustrious Keith Baker), along with other great guys from the industry.
Last year I helped on Wafflestreet, and its that team that is coming back in April and May for a gritty crime drama.
Check out Mythica: A quest for heroes, Mythica: The Darkspore, (with the INCREDIBLE Matthew Mercer), Mythica: The Necromancer, and Mythica: The Iron Crown to see ones I've worked on, and am really close with the creative teams. The investor who invited me down financed the 3rd, 4th, and 5th and 6th Mythica films (trailers not out yet for the 5th and 6th ones).
Chris (Khravos) and his cadre of miscreants invited me onto their podcast (Dragonreel) to cover the first one (found HERE). It's pretty silly, and totally enjoyable.
So IF I gather up enough funds, and IF I go to LA, and IF my wife doesn't kill me, and IF the meeting with this investor goes as well as the other meetings we've had, I may be coming into some financing to do a fantasy film.
Might have to slip a few characters I know into the story...;)
We'll cover the next 2 as well, too, since I got the blu-rays from the Kickstarter. :D
*Note*
Jack almost died while watching Templar Nation, but it was because Jack was gulping his gin at every mistake instead of sipping it. It's a pretty silly film, but it's fun to check out.
Ha. those Mythica movies look like alot of fun.
But I have to say one thing.....SORBO!!!!!!...love that guy :)
Hehehe. Thanks. They are a lot of fun. Go check them out! :)
Alright, here is the question of the week!
This is currently worth 75 XP!
Both the love and disgust memories are still worth 25 XP each!
Satinder, could you please put your +1 AoO from the Fencer trait on your Special attacks line under combat? And also mention the +1 on all attacks and Combat maneuvers (already calculated in) from your Student of Saint-Demain trait. :) Thanks!
Alright, time for some XP!
Satinder - 90
Khravos - 40
Watches-Shadow-Behind-You - 40
Engineer #3 - 80
Daxur - 40
Garrick - 50
BTW, I am not going to LA. Sad face. I could not come up with the funds, unfortunately, so had to call it off.
Ah, sorry to hear that.
Don't they know.....they should be coming to YOU!!!! :)
Hehe. Thanks. :)
So . . . what exactly is going on in that combat/cutscene, mechanically speaking? I see the monster taking at least three separate actions, and Garrick taking . . . one? And Satinder took one or two as well, maybe? Sorry, it just seems like the crunch given doesn't really match up with the homebrew rules you told us to expect, so I'm a little confused.