GM Jen's A Time of Turmoil: There Be Witches in the Highlands (Inactive)

Game Master Retech

The death of both kings in the British isles by the hand of their own families have left the island fractious. With the nobility rended, adventurers may become nobility themselves, if they survive...


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Human Fighter 2

Mal wakes up in a hurry, grabbing his sword and trying to understand to what in heavens is going on.

Initiative, assuming we need to roll it.
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23


We're not in "combat" yet, but I'll save that initiative if we do end up there.


M Human Druid 1

As the dark clothed strange man runs in front of Drest room, a massive mastiff suddenly jumps out of the room to bite him.

AoO Attack 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16, damage 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11. If the attack lands, there is a free trip attack 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

For ease of use, I've included the statistics of the creatures drest can summon at the end oh his profile. The bonus for augmented summoning are included

Sczarni

Male Aasimar Inquisitor {Witch Hunter archetype from UC) 1

I will continue after the man yelling Halt villian! Reveal thy-self I will attempt a disarm manuver once I reach him.

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6 Disarm


Note to self, give enemies higher constitution scores in the future

The vicious dog takes a huge bite out of the man and he collapses to the floor clutching his side. Razo kicks away the dagger from his hand. Within a few seconds, it is clear he is unconscious and bleeding out. The guards surround him and hoist him up, dragging him to the dungeon.

While he's being dragged, his cloak falls off. Upon investigation, here's what you find:

Bottle of Emerald Sleep Poison
Two Masterwork Daggers
A letter with a hundred gold pieces with a wax seal of a noble crest

Knowledge Nobility DC 15:

It is the crest of the Thane of Glamis, the successor to Macbeth after he was killed for his treachery against the crown. Also, the same fella talking to the king when you first saw him.


Female Aasimar Bear Shaman / 1

"What just happened? Who was that man?


Male Elf Rogue (Rake) 2

Alain is preparing for bed, having stayed up a bit, when he hears movement in the hall outside his room. He makes his way to the door, something making him curious. When he peers out into the darkened corridor and spies the out of place man, he pulls the door quickly closed and fumbles for his dagger. By the time he is back at the door, the situation has erupted into all-out bedlam. He skids out into the hall, dagger at the ready, only to see the man go down. Alain watches the guards haul him away, trying to get a look at his face and clothing.

Perception on the Man 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Knowledge: Local if relevant. 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

When the items fall to the floor, Alain scoops up the parchment and looks it over.

Knowledge: Nobility 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

Sczarni

Male Aasimar Inquisitor {Witch Hunter archetype from UC) 1

Someone should check on the king and his family Razo says to the nearest guard. Razo will then continue down the path the assailant seemed to be heading and see if anyone is waiting for him.

1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8 Stealth


Human Fighter 2

Mal leaves the room and get to the others. He woke up in a hurry, but managed to find the time to put his kilt on and grab is sword. He as a puzzled look on his face: In the name of my granpa's beard, what is goin' on here? What was that noise? Who was that fellow? And where do this dog came from?


M Human Druid 1

As the man falls to the ground, Drest comes out of his room, asking the dog to release its prey and sit. As it does, a mist raise from the floor, engulfing the dog and leaving nothing behind as it dissipates. "Thank you, Drake,", he says to the disappearing dog.

"This man was sneaking in the corridor and when I call him, he fled, tried to kill a guard and came back. I just had time to call a friend. By the way, is that guard all right?", he adds, "I've got a little skill with healing;"

If needed, Drest will try to stabilize the guard with a heal check


Apologies, Sundays are usually busy for me. There is a rather large post coming up tomorrow.


Female Aasimar Bear Shaman / 1

Nervously, Kirsteen asks: "Was the man alone? Need we fear anyone else roaming the halls while we attempt to sleep?"


Male Elf Rogue (Rake) 2

"Oh, this is interesting." he mutters to himself, recognizing the seal. He turns the parchment over in his hands.

If it is sealed...

Alain looks in disappointment for the dog which took the lurker down, so instead crumples the letter artfully and tries to puncture it strategically to look like it got bitten by the dog in the struggle, breaking the seal. He then opens it up and gives it a quick read.

"I expect, my dear, the commotion has scared off any more would-be assailants this night. Someone ought to keep an eye on our friend Razo there lest he be mistaken for another assassin." he says to the others as he peruses the document.


Male French (Elf) Fighter (Free Hand) 1

Guy awakens suddenly at the barking of a dog. Sleepily grabbing his rapier, he moves into the hall to see the aftermath of the fight that had taken place. Leaning against the wall, he rests his rapier by his side. "Well, this is not the kind of night that I expected to have. Will we be getting anymore sleep, or shall I simply don my leathers once more?"


Razo:

There is no one heading in that direction except for the guards

The guards rush to check on the king in his chambers. Soon, two of them return. The first speaks in a hushed tone, for the benefit of your sleepy ears. It appears that there has been an assassin sent to take out the King or one of the important nobility in this castle. We have yet to ascertain their identity or who they are working for, but rest assured that everything has been secured.

The second is perhaps not as considerate and speaks in a loud, forceful voice. THE KING HAS GRANTED YOU AN AUDIENCE. FOLLOW ME.

Soon, the group is back in the throne room, but the king, nobleman, and minister are looking at you instead of ignoring you. Even though they are only in their pajamas, their clothing is still more opulent than anything else that you own.

I have heard that you were responsible for preventing the assassin for accessing my chambers. Do you know who sent him or have any evidence about the matter?

Sczarni

Male Aasimar Inquisitor {Witch Hunter archetype from UC) 1

With a bow Razo answers I was unable to find anyone else your majesty, perhaps it was these witches I have heard so much about.

Razo looks at the other noblemen and minister sternly to gage their reactions. 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22 Sense Motive


Male Elf Rogue (Rake) 2

Did I get a chance to read the letter?


Alain Lenoir wrote:
Did I get a chance to read the letter?

There is no letter. It's just an envelope with money, sealed by wax with an imprint of a noble crest.


Male Elf Rogue (Rake) 2

Understood.

Alain gathers up the evidence, first eyeing the daggers for any evidence of poison on their blades and follows the guards.

Sleight of Hand 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

Perception, DC of above roll.:
Alain slips one of the daggers into a pocket

Once in the presence of the King he bows deepfully and respectfully, and after Razo speaks, steps forward with a smile. "Your Majesty, I discovered these objects on the culprit." he says, producing a dagger, vial, and envelope with seal and the money within. Looking furtively to see if the Thaim of Glamis reacts at all as he hands the items to whoever moves to receive them.

Sense Motive 1d20 ⇒ 11


Human Fighter 2

Mal will stand in silence, letting the others do the talk, as he has yet to undestand what kind of character this new king is.


M Human Druid 1

Perception 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

Drest sands slightly to the side, observing his companions and the King.
As the wily Frenchman presents the evidences, he frowns. This looks so simple. who would try to assassinate someone carrying the name of his patron.

"Lord,", he adds, "I have no more clues than what Master Lenoir just presented you. However, I urge you to act with caution. It seems weird that whoever asked the assassin to kill you left such an easy track to follow. And any good assassin would not carry such a mark with him. So we have to assume that it was either planned hastily by stupid men or that it was more a plot to discredit someone it case it failed."

While talking, Drest takes the time to look a every reaction in the room, especially those who would react to his false lead hypothesis.

Sense motive 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17


Human Fighter 2

The tattoed man has a point. This doesn't look right.
Yer Majesty, Drest speaks the truth here. There is certainly somethin' fish about this. Maybe that coward of an assassin was supposed to fail all along, to cause much havoc between you and your vassals.


Everyone in the room seems to be in total shock, although perhaps that is a result from waking up so suddenly. The minister seems to be the most concerned of all by the hypothesis and as Drest presents his hypothesis, he whispers furiously into the king's ear. The king raises his hand to silence him and begins to speak.

Perhaps your line of work, inquisitor, leads you to see witches in many situations. In your opinion, what was the character of the assassin? Were you not about? Did he seem destined to fail or was he only foiled after brave effort?

The king ponders Mal's words carefully.

And you. He gestures towards Drest. Was this assassin merely incompetent or was it fate that led to his demise?


Male French (Elf) Fighter (Free Hand) 1

Guy hangs toward the back of the group. Though he certainly possesses a silver tongue, his skills were mostly in spinning tales, rather than carefully sorting out the truth. Risking the disfavor of the king this early on was a rather bad choice.

It's not like I really have anything to contribute anyway. I was asleep for the whole event. Who trusts the word of a man who wasn't even there?

Sczarni

Male Aasimar Inquisitor {Witch Hunter archetype from UC) 1

With a bow of acknowledgement Razo gives his response The assassin did not seem to have any assistance, this leads me to believe he was either very skilled, or set up to fail. His failure was not due to lack of skill I believe, but lack of preperation. This leads me to believe he did not expect our party to be present at this time, something he could only have known had he followed us. It is quiet possible he was already here befor we arrived.

Razo will continue to look over the crowd as he responds to the King looking for any sign of guilt.


Female Aasimar Bear Shaman / 1

Seeing as how she missed most of what happened, Kirsteen remains silent so far, trying to understand what is going on and wandering who would want this king dead.


M Human Druid 1

Drest remains thoughtful for a moment, trying to remember the assassin behaviour.
"This is a good question. At first sight, he looked armed, trained, and extremely dangerous. However, when I called him, he simply tried to flee, ran into some guards then back at us. My main concern is my dog just needed a single bite to put him down. So my impression was that the man seemed trained but this mission was not well planned as he took the corridor by our rooms that were supposed to be empty but were not."


No man would knowingly and deliberately put himself into a situation where his goal is death and failure was the only option. The operation was reasonably well planned, but it did not account for your arrival. This is how I know that you are trustworthy. Next, the guards had no prior knowledge that an assassin would arrive, meaning someone did not hire an assassin, only to betray that assassin and frame another.

I have determined, based on these findings, that the Thane of Glamis shall be put to death for the crime of treason.

The Thane drops to his knees and begins to beg for his life and soon begins to whimper on the floor like a kicked dog. His instinct overtakes his sense of honor and he has to be dragged out of the room by the guards.

Now, I recall that you had wanted to see me earlier today. Why have you come to see me?

Sczarni

Male Aasimar Inquisitor {Witch Hunter archetype from UC) 1

Razo bows deeply, If I may your Highness, I am Razo of Worms, barrister of Buchard II of Worms. I was sent to investigate the witch sightings, and aid in dealing with them. Perhaps this Thane has information regarding them, maybe he was swayed by them do act as he did. I have ways of purification that I might employ on him to extract any hidden schemes if you so wish.


Human Fighter 2

My name is Malhasturian, son of Dersten, of the Clan McBrayne, if it pleases yer Grace of course. He puts his hand on the sword handle and bows, not as deeply as Razo though. I have come from the Wester Ross lands to seek advicement from yer Highness. Our clan swore lealtie to the King of Scots, and to protect the Stone of Destiny. A fight with those twice damned Orrock numpties took many of our proud kemps, and I've come to ask what shall be done in this times of disgrace.


M Human Druid 1

On his turn, the Pict druid comes forward and without bowing announces in a clear voice:
"I am Drest MacAlpin, envoy of the Druid circles of Fortriu. My message will seem strange with the situation that arose tonight, however I am sworn to deliver it. Since the death of the MacBethad, the people of Moray and Glamis have been submitted to abuse by some new thanes and their retinues, for two false reasons. First, they were living in Macbeth domain so were part of his actions. Most of them are only herders or fishers and did not participate in any fights. Second, they are following the old ways of worship as taught to us by our ancestors and not those coming from the countries on the other side of the sea.
The druid circles, as voices of those people, ask you not to dismiss them or forget them, as they are part of the people you now govern. However lowborn, they are the blood of your kingdom."


Male Elf Rogue (Rake) 2

As the attention shifts to each of them in turn, Alain bows deeply with a flourish, and with a smile, addresses the King. "Your Majesty, I am Alain Lenoir of Normandy. I have come bringing greetings and best wishes in this auspicious time of your lifting to Just Rulership over this land. I am here now to offer what aid and support I can to your Court."


Male French (Elf) Fighter (Free Hand) 1

Bowing with great civility, Guy says, "Your Majesty, I am Guy de Lancre, formerly of the Duchy of Brittany. I have come to the land of the Scots to lend any aid that I can. Should my services please Your Majesty, I would ask in time that my service be rewarded with help to retake my ancestral lands in Brittany from the Duke of Rennes."


Ah yes, Barrister. More help regarding the witches is always appreciated, but I think that the noble was motivated by political means. If you have come in search of witches to kill, then you are in luck. We have an infestation of them.

And Sir Mal, who are these Orrock numpties which you speak of? I am aware of no such thing, although I am rather new to the job.

And druid, the Thane of Glamis is to be executed. He has no immediate successors. The area seems to be tainted, for every leader that has gone in has tried to betray the king. Do you know anything about this?

The Frenchmen...it is good that you are here. His voice trails off and he thinks to himself.

So it might seem kinda wierd that I am responding to all of you like this, but it is more fluid than trying to respond to each of you individually. It would be nice, but I can't come on and post dozens of times a day.

Sczarni

Male Aasimar Inquisitor {Witch Hunter archetype from UC) 1

Then I shall begin immediatly. Who might I talk to to gain further insight into the local witches activities your Highness?


M Human Druid 1
Jen the GM wrote:

And druid, the Thane of Glamis is to be executed. He has no immediate successors. The area seems to be tainted, for every leader that has gone in has tried to betray the king. Do you know anything about this?

I don't mind the way you do it, it's easier for us as well.

"I have no real clue about that, but as they were all from the same familly, I suppose it's a question of ambition and of revenge. If you want to avoid further mishap. I would suggest selecting someone local to avoid the impression you want to control directly all the domains. Someone without any blood ties with the previous Thanes obviously and most importantly someone that is know to honor his word in every circumstances.

However, one should not cast aside the possibility of a malefice of some sort linked to the Glamis castle. Then you should send investigator to ferret out the truth, before appointing this new Thane."


Human Fighter 2

I speak about the members of the Orrock Clan. They swore to protect ye as well, but their protection apparently involved slaughtering the warriors of our clan. Mal's tone of voice suddenly darkens. My father, Dersten, was beheaded. My uncle and brother died too, and my brother was no more than a lad at the time. They took part of our lands and possession, and we have been left with nothing but deirt and our women's lamentations. Mal then lowers his head more, his eyes to the ground. I'm not askin' for justice. What I long for is advicement. What shall be done with my people?


You have saved my life already, and that makes you more trustworthy than anyone else that I have. The connection to witchcraft is possible. Druid, I know that you are familliar with the area, and I'd like you to lead the expedition. Inquisitor, your services would be appreciated in this as well, as your expertise on these dark arts is likely unmatched except by the witches themselves.

He listens to the stories of Mal and Guy.

Both of you have been robbed of home. If you succeed in this mission, I will make you knights of my realm and when my position is secure, we will take back your homes. The Orrocks are clearly treacherous. And as for the Duke of Rennes, I cannot say more on that until the time is right.

And Alain of Normandy, I have a special task for you. I would like you to go with them, for if an English spy happens to see Frenchmen in my court, they will become worried and possibly strike against me. When you return, I have something important for you.

Psst Kirsteen, wanna jump in? :)


Female Aasimar Bear Shaman / 1

Yep, kept getting interupted yesterday before I could a post in on this game. She was going to wait and go last anyway though since she figures everyone else is more important than her and she's a bit intimidated by everything.

Nervously Kirsteen curtseys as she finally manages to speak up. "Your Majesty, I've come here because I wish to ask for justice and I can't receive it from the lord who owns the land my families farm is on because it is his only son I have grievance against. The young lordling has been abusing his position and his fathers name to act however he pleases and he takes what he wants without regard to person he takes it from. He behavior is more suited to a brigand. After the last" pauses for a moment, [/b]"encounter I had with him, I did work up the courage to go before his father and he called me a liar and had me horsewhipped."[/b]

Kirsteen clearly fears her word won't be enough for the king to do anything and she fidgets a bit nervously.

Sczarni

Male Aasimar Inquisitor {Witch Hunter archetype from UC) 1

As you wish my lord I shall follow this Pict, sometimes it takes a pegan to catch a pegan I suppose, though even I must admit that he has so far proven himself to be trustworthy. Trust seems something on short supply in this realm, hopefully we can remedy that for all of our sakes.

Razo looks at the Druid and offers his handDe duobus malis, minus est semper eligedum. Deus et natua non faciunt frusta.


Male Elf Rogue (Rake) 2

Alain bows once more, Your Majesty is wise. he says. I am pleased to render any and all assistance that I can. I will do everything in my power to ensure the success of our task.


M Human Druid 1

Drest takes his breath to answer the King when Kirsteen eventually gather her courage to speak aloud. So that's why you said your people did not exactly send you. Going to the King's justice requires a lot of guts. Well done. Drest tries to catch her eyes, acknowledging her request with a bob of his head and an encouraging smile.

Five seconds later, the smile is gone as he hears the words of the foreign witch-hunter. His knuckles turn white as he clenches his fists on his staff. Fighting to keep his control back, he breathes deeply and focuses on the King, ignoring the inquisitor.

"If that makes my people safer, I will seek the truth behind this story. If you can have a letter drawn, authorising us to look into these things, we can start at first light."


Human Fighter 2

Mal bends the knee and bows deeply this time. Thank ye, your Majesty. I shall be honored to accept this task. My sword is yours. Perhaps this would finally repair not only the misfortunes of his people, but also Kirsteen's and Guy's. As for the Druid, the witch hunter and the other noble Frenchman, they seem to know what they are doing, and he couldn't certainly desire for other travel companions at the moment.

But what about the Stone? Shall I reveal my doubts to the King, if he's even the rightful one? Mal is very conflicted about the whole situation, and almost decides to speak up his concern. Good times come to those who wait, my uncle said. I will wait for the right times then.


Male French (Elf) Fighter (Free Hand) 1

"Your Majesty is most gracious," Guy says while bowing. "It shall be my honor to undo the evils that enshroud your fair land."


Ah, a petition for redress. Who is this lord and son which you speak of? Of what thaneship and name do they hold?

These are "your" NPCs in a sense, so I'd like you to go ahead and name them and choose where they are from.

Minister, draw up the papers. They shall have a royal writ for their mission.

The minister bows deeply and scurries away into a side room. The king seems intently focused on the peasant now, and with no one around except for the guards, it leaves you (everyone but Kirsteen) free to talk amongst yourselves for the moment.

We shall begin the journey likely tomorrow, but it might be a good idea to smoothe things out with your official team-mates now that you have the oppertunity


Male Elf Rogue (Rake) 2

Moving aside with the others, he greets them affably. "Well, Drest MacAlpin. You are to be our guide in this endeavour? I trust your knowledge of these parts will prove most useful! And you sir, Malhasturian, son of Dersten, of the Clan McBrayne, you seem to have a strong arm and a singular forcefulness. Razo! Good to have an expert on witchery with us. Your education shall be a most potent weapon! And Guy, I am sure you will be a most steadfast and capable companion." Alain grins and looks around at the men. "I feel good about our association! We must toast to the success of our mission!"


M Human Druid 1

Once outside of the king hearing, Drest turns to Razo with a cold glare and an even colder voice. " Never ever compare me again with one of the witches you're so found of. You have no idea who the Druids are here and what we believe in. As you are foreign and with very limited knowledge, I'll let it go, but it will be the once and only time. Best you learn of what you talk about before opening your mouth."

He takes a deep breath again and goes on. "So even if it's not the time and place, let me instruct you. The Druids of here, be they Pict or Scott, all worship God and through him rejoice in the life he's created, the plants, the animals and the humans. As he has created the world and given it to man, it's our duty to look after it. And that's what we do, with God's help. And that's where our powers come from. AND NOT FROM BLOOD SACRIFICES OR WITCHERY OR WHATEVER HORROR YOU CAN IMAGINE IN YOUR DEVIOUS MIND."

Drest stops abruptly, remembering where he is. "I hope that's clear enough."

Jen, Nimon and the others, tell me if you think I'm pushing the character too far. There's bound to be some friction between Razo and Drest but I do not want it to degenerate and ruin the fun. So do not hesitate to hop in and tell.


Well, conflict with words is okay and interesting, but PvP should generally be restricted. I don't actually prevent you from killing each other, but things will happen accordingly. For example, you could try to kill the king right now, but you wouldn't know if he was well protected or what would happen after his death.

As long as everyone is having fun. :P


M Human Druid 1
Jen the GM wrote:

Well, conflict with words is okay and interesting, but PvP should generally be restricted. I don't actually prevent you from killing each other, but things will happen accordingly. For example, you could try to kill the king right now, but you wouldn't know if he was well protected or what would happen after his death.

As long as everyone is having fun. :P

For me PvP is never an option, nor having the character do something that will ruin the group strategy. But some players also don't like character friction too much and in PbP, it's always difficult to gauge. That's why I'm asking.


Also, I know sometimes it's hard to communicate ingame and in character all the time, so you can talk in ooc about stuff if you need to. Especially if one side of the group does one thing and the other does another,

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