Congratulations to everyone that made it. In a few days, the five of you shall embark on an epic journey within the city of Korvosa. stop riots, combat a plague, root out organized crime, and rescue political prisoners before escaping to the harsh badlands of the Storval Plateau.
For starters, please check in with your aliases here. Also make sure that your aliases follow THIS TEMPLATE for character profile. I work better in uniformity. If you wish to expand or intertwine your backgrounds, please do so so now.
Next, gameplay posting rules.
- "Bolded text in quotation marks is for dialogue."
- Italics are for inner monologues.
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- Smaller text is for whispers.
- Spoilers:are for private messages between one another. I will use this gracefully.
For better understanding of these codes, there is a 'How to format your text' section below.
Also I will take screenshots of Maptools for battle purposes.
Note that you were all taken in for your willingness to write interestingly and the synergy you have with your starting builds.
Thank you once again and congratulations. We're going to have a rocking good time.
Durriken made his way back to the Bowyer's shop after spending several hours and a little coin making what he hoped were discrete inquiries into Lamm's whereabouts. It was always a tricky process, trying to get information about him. Be too discrete, and the information would be no better than what he could get by asking any common citizen. Not be discrete enough, and...He fingered the scar on his throat, as he'd done a hundred times before. Well, he knew what would happen if Gaedren Lamm caught wind that he was looking for him.
Durriken nodded to the old ranger as he entered the shop, though the man was dozing in his chair. Business had been light, but it had apparently been enough. He made his way to the workshop and began fletching. There was something in the simple tasks that the old man had taught him that made him feel almost human again. Still, he doubted he could keep doing this forever. Men like him never seemed to be able to get away from what they'd done, what they were...
Darn right we're going to have a good time. In the interests of having a good time, would it be too much trouble for people to state their time zones and periods of greatest predictable activity, and for Squawk to centralize that information? It's not strictly necessary for everyone to be signed in and posting at the same time, but it's nice to know when that can happen.
For myself, I observe Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5), and am most active Monday through Thursday evenings after 4:00 PM (9:00 PM GMT).
hmm... normally I guess. it would be faster to code, and more uniform.
Good call Goffred. So I'm at the Philipines at GMT +8. Although this doesn't really matter much, it could help me schedule the fights better so they could go faster.
I'm also EST, and can usually be available M-F after 5.
Durriken, the spoiler tags in your profile are a bit wonky. There should be a "[/spoiler]" after your Will save to split the offense and defense spoilers.
Much obliged. Not sure why I didn't think of that when I transferred another profile over to the same layout, since I caught it there.
A bit of a non-sequiter, but I've been re-reading The Caucasian Chalk Circle and a few of the songs jumped out as oddly applicable to the adventure. I'll probably end up quoting a few of them in character at points (though not in full; Fredo's no bard). But for now, enjoy this one. Its narrated from far in the future, so it wouldn't come up in character, but it's potentially the most applicable to the adventure just as it's beginning. I've made some changes. The original words are marked out of character.
In olden times, in a bloody time
There ruled in a Varisian city
- men called it a city of the damned -
An old king .
His name was Eodred Arbasti .
He was as rich as Kalistradae .
He had a beautiful wife.
No other ruler in Varisia
Had so many horses in his stable
So many beggars on his doorstep
So many soldiers in his service
So many petitioners in his courtyard.
Eodred Arbasti ...how shall I describe him to you?
He enjoyed his life.
"I CALL MYSELF FROM THE AETHER MALESTORM AND INTO THIS THREAD!" A disembodied voice demands compliance from the thread itself.
***RAWR****
::Loud bang. Roiling chaos. Purple lightning. Smoke. ::
A young male half-elf exits the smoke cloud, coughing.
The half-elf smiles.
"I am honored to be selected. Thank you for having me."
* * *
I should have Tristain's alias built later this day. About time I finished waffling about the final small details to the build. :)
* * *
Tristain lives in the northern part of California, not to far from San Francisco (quite near Berkeley, CA, actually).
His time is PST. About -8 GMT.
CST (GMT -6) for me. I tend to stalk these boards most of the time. I will probably be most active between 8 PM and 3 AM.
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Raseri gives the comatose half-elf a quizzical look. Apparently, whatever he was drinking gives you delusions of grandeur.
Tristain's alias has been updated.
I still ponder some small choices (feat and ability scores), but he's as good/bad as he's going to be.
Let's just wait for Theron to pop by. Again if anyone wants to expand or intertwine their backgrounds, that's be ok.
Let's just wait for Theron to pop by. Again if anyone wants to expand or intertwine their backgrounds, that's be ok.
I kind of like the interaction we've established between Caseri and Tristain. May we build off that?
It had a My Bodyguard feel to it.
Edit: Yeah, Raseri. Typo. I shouldn't be posting from the gym, eh?
Who's Caseri? Raseri?
EDIT: possibly not.
In terms of intertwining backgrounds, I had a few ideas, none of which I really like. Mostly this is because they're vague and problematic, and could probably become better with input and fleshing-out from the people concerned.
1. Goffred could have glimpsed Durriken or Raseri during his brief stint in the custody of the Guard. Depends on how early and often they got themselves taken in. Durriken would have been twelve years old, and while he certainly has a criminal background, his current freedom bespeaks the lack of a criminal record. Raseri would have been fifteen, and certainly has had dealings with the Guard. I'm not sure if this went as far as imprisonment beyond the one incident detailed in her background. She might also not have been in the city six years ago. In addition to the timelines problem, there's the problem that Goffred's time of confinement was short enough that any relationship between him and Durriken or Raseri on that basis alone would be limited to acquaintanceship.
2. Eurythnia apparently left behind fewer ruins than Shalast. The only prominent ruins in the vicinity of Korvosa are the Sunken Queen, which may be secret or unknown, or the Grand Mastaba itself. For a Korvosan scholar of Thassilonian history, the remote (and possibly forgotten) nature of the Sunken Queen and the security around Castle Korvosa present a problem. Goffred could have approached Durriken or Tristan to help him past the security around the crumbled corner of the pyramid.
3. If anyone can think of a reason they would have to talk to Goffred or know or care he exists prior to the events of the campaign, I'd like to hear it.
I haven't got any ideas about possible prior meetings with Theron, mostly because I've got no idea of his timeline. How recent was his return to Korvosa?
As long as the other party is ok with it.
@Tristain: Write it as if the friendship didn't happen so recently, I'm ok with it.
Also the reason I'm ok with intertwining on this one is cause someone would be angrier if Gaedren wronged him/her AND his/her friends.
Reading through the backgrounds, I think ther are a few ways to connect him to the others, but some work better. Raseri's sisters disappeared after his employment with Lamm was terminated, and Theron seems late to Korvosa. However, their stories may be enough to put Durriken solidly on their side once the adventure starts - Lamm's continued destruction of the lives of children is almost as big a driver to him as what Gaedran did to him is. He also may have crossed path with either one once they started looking for Lamm.
Depending on what was going on with Goffred's brother, it's possible he was friends with Durriken, if he was actually in the employ of Lamm without Goffred's knowledge - I think there's enough play in his backstory that that could work. It's also possible that Durriken stole the bombs that were used, or actually had a hand in his death. Neither of these is likely to endear him to Goffred, and could be destructive to party unity if it came to light. Could be a driver for Durriken to care about Goffred's motives, though.
Tristain's likely someone that Durriken's encountered in his years in Korvosa, they've probably even spoken on several occasions. It could work well to have them have a guardedly friendly relationship. Tristain's personality lends itself to engaging strangers in conversation, and while they probably would not have spoken to each other about Lamm, it's likely that Durriken would have used him as a source of gossip over the years in his search. Anyone who would talk to him on multiple occasions is someone Durriken would regard as a friend, though he wouldn't necessarily spend too much time with anyone outside of his search.
Depending on what was going on with Goffred's brother, it's possible he was friends with Durriken, if he was actually in the employ of Lamm without Goffred's knowledge - I think there's enough play in his backstory that that could work. It's also possible that Durriken stole the bombs that were used, or actually had a hand in his death. Neither of these is likely to endear him to Goffred, and could be destructive to party unity if it came to light. Could be a driver for Durriken to care about Goffred's motives, though.
That's an interesting angle, and one I obviously hadn't thought of. Whatever Durriken's relationship with Alessandro ends up being, however, I the player don't want to have any input on it or hear about it unless and until it comes up in game. I deliberately left the answer to why Alessandro had bombs near Carowyn Manor vague so that Squawk could come up with an answer. I the player don't know what he was up to. Was the Guard correct and he was a would-be assassin undone by his own tools, which tools he had purchased from Gaedren Lamm? Is the story Goffred tells himself correct and did Lamm plant the bombs on Alessandro after the fact? Is there something else entirely going on? So if Durriken knew Alessandro or had a hand in his business or death, talk to Squawk about it and see if your ideas mesh with his plans. When the time comes, if it comes, I look forward to my eyes bugging out over what you came up with.
@Tristain: Cool idea, but I don't know if it would work. Raseri is blunt and that manifests in everything she does. She scours the city herself looking for any information on where Lamm or her sisters are, and that doesn't leave much time for being a bodyguard, especially since she has to find ways to support herself as well.
Here's a timeline in case anyone wants to see:
Age
0 - born
10 - Twins born
11-ish - starts working to help out with food and other things
15 - Parents died
16 - Twins kidnapped, Raseri jailed, Raseri starts looking for them
19 - Raseri catches pickpocket and finds out about Lamm
20 - Now
As far as having a criminal record, Raseri was only locked up the one time, otherwise every guard on the street would be stopping her for carrying that big sword of hers. She did get into a lot of bar-fights, but in general she actually kept them from happening, most of the time just by being there. People tend not to want to fight when the blonde waif routinely kicks you rear.
@Tristain: Cool idea, but I don't know if it would work. Raseri is blunt and that manifests in everything she does. She scours the city herself looking for any information on where Lamm or her sisters are, and that doesn't leave much time for being a bodyguard, especially since she has to find ways to support herself as well.
If only Tristain made a steady income from that art of his! Then you'd be able to support yourself as his bodyguard instead of working for him pro bono in addition to your actual paying job and looking for your sisters.
Here's a timeline in case anyone wants to see:
Age
0 - born
10 - Twins born
11-ish - starts working to help out with food and other things
15 - Parents died
16 - Twins kidnapped, Raseri jailed, Raseri starts looking for them
19 - Raseri catches pickpocket and finds out about Lamm
20 - Now
It is as I feared. Our incarcerations don't overlap, and are in fact two years apart. Oh well.
@Goffred - fair enough, and if there's any backstory between Alessandro and Durriken it would make sense that Goffred wouldn't know, or even recognize Durriken. Squawk, if you want to play on this at all, let me know.
@Raseri - Given the timeline, it's possible that Durriken was still employed when the twins were taken. It's likely he saw them once or twice over the 4-6 months that he still worked for Lamm after the abduction. He wouldn't have worked with them at that stage, or had anything to do with the kidnapping, but the resemblance to Raseri will probably strike his memory, if you want to play it that way.
@Durriken: However you want to do it. Surprise me.
Tristain's likely someone that Durriken's encountered in his years in Korvosa, they've probably even spoken on several occasions. It could work well to have them have a guardedly friendly relationship. Tristain's personality lends itself to engaging strangers in conversation, and while they probably would not have spoken to each other about Lamm, it's likely that Durriken would have used him as a source of gossip over the years in his search. Anyone who would talk to him on multiple occasions is someone Durriken would regard as a friend, though he wouldn't necessarily spend too much time with anyone outside of his search.
I've been thinking about my story more and I don't know that I want to deeply intertwine him much with anyone.
I think Durriken's point above is pretty nice and Tristain is pretty chatty and talkative (not quite his nature, but the nature of his chosen profession if he wants to make any gold) and probably has seen Durriken on occasion.
Two data points don't quite make a trend, but would it be fair to say that, broadly speaking, we have more leeway in intertwining our backgrounds with NPCs in other PCs' backgrounds (people like my brother, Raseri's sisters, Durrikan's boyer, or Theron's daughter) than we have with the PCs themselves? Or is this something to which no general rule can be applied?
Hmm... suppose our depressed neighborhood inquisitor does not show up within the next day, do any of you have another applicant in mind?
oops I'm here.
Theron has been in Korvosa for a little less than 6 months. His wife and daughter had been living here 3 years of his 10 year vision quest. He got knocked around pretty good early in the naive beginnings of his investigation. Since then he has been more cautious.
He had a retired watch member advising him for a while, but he was scared off. He has heard of others crossing paths with informants, and he has considered approaching them. However, reluctance to elucidate his motivations have kept him reaching out.
I'm EST as well. Right about now is peak time #1. I'm usually on the computer all day, and able to check in at least a few times a day.
Theron: PMing you ideas on background intertwinedness.
Alright! when each of you are ready, we shall begin!
Ready when you are.
I am ready.
This is to confirm readiness.
I am ready, as well.
Alright! when each of you are ready, we shall begin!
Ready.
That's everyone! Let's all break a leg, folks.
So somebody PM'ed me, however I think this reply should be to all of you.
I have read through the entire first part of the campaign and it is very possible for a group of friends to enter this mission. However in regards to whether I want you guys to be intertwined or not, I am indifferent about it. I'm just laying the option there whether you want to be the old acquaintance, or the new stranger.
Alright. I'll prepare the introductory message.
First post is up
Where? *cue inevitable reminder that I am a paizoboards newb*
There are some tabs at the top of the page, click the one that says gameplay.
I did. Nothing shows up. Is there a problem with my permissions?
I did. Nothing shows up. Is there a problem with my permissions?
Really? Try this. The games up, so I can't think of why you would be having problems. (it's not the permissions, I'm pretty sure about that.)
Try this: Gameplay Link
Ah, there it is. Thanks.
Just want to be clear on this, Raseri currently has all of her gear with her, and is wearing the studded leather armor.
I didn't say that explicitly in game thread, so thought I might better before stuff starts hitting the fan.
Good idea. Durriken has his sword, axe, and daggers with him, and is wearing his chain shirt. The bow would be too conspicuous to carry at this point.
Goffred isn't wearing armor. He's wearing his artisan's outfit - that of a bookbinder, if it matters - at the moment. He left the rest of his wardrobe, and his food, in his flat. Everything else is on his person.
Tristain, as pretty much a homeless artist surviving off the 'wilds' of Korvosa (okay...the city provides for him in a way), also has all his gear with him (which isn't a whole lot).
Since our campaign recruitments started in about the same time, I think "I'll watch yours if you watch mine" is appropriate. In any case, I'll follow the progress of your game, GM Squawk.
Apologies to every one if I interrupted.
Alright. If ever one of us overtakes the other, we could learn and benefit from that.
Since our campaign recruitments started in about the same time, I think "I'll watch yours if you watch mine" is appropriate. In any case, I'll follow the progress of your game, GM Squawk.
Apologies to every one if I interrupted.
No issue.
BTW. If anyone has an issue or suggestion with the way I DM, please say so. Improvement is always a good thing! (Also this is my first time to GM a PbP)