The Beast & the Harlot: Dragoncat's Curse of the Crimson Throne (Inactive)

Game Master Dragoncat

Current Date: Oathday, 30th of Pharast, 4711 AR

Current Chapter: Escape from Old Korvosa

One would think that having ended the Urgathoan threat to the city, our heroes would be granted more time to rest. But alas, that is not the case. For Queen Ileosa herself has condemned Old Korvosa to a slow death, and is forcing the Korvosan Guard and Sable Company out in favour of a military force loyal to her alone--her Grey Maidens.

She must be removed from the throne, and the man who has the authority to unite the Peerage in doing so is trapped somewhere in Old Korvosa.

Map of Korvosa

Arkona Manor

The Vivified Labyrinth


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GM Who Must Be Feared & Obeyed (Or At Least Bribed With Cookies)

And here's the discussion thread!

It'll be a while before I start the gameplay thread up, so why don't you take some time, introduce yourselves, and perhaps work out how your characters know each other?

I'll be back soon with more.


Halfling Alchemist 7/Swashbuckler 1 / HP 56 of 56 / F+6 R+13 W+2 / AC 21.17.15 (-1 AC vs. same size or smaller)/ Init. +3 / Perc +14

Hello all! Checking in.

@Dragoncat - if it's not too late, I was thinking of taking the chirurgeon archetype. I think it fits nicely, considering Lyla lives with a healer, and it will help the group in the next levels since we don't have a dedicated healer. Plus, I'm glad to swap out the poison abilities from the alchemist class; I don't picture Lyla specializing in poisons at all.

Let me know if that works for you, if not, that's ok too. ;)


GM Who Must Be Feared & Obeyed (Or At Least Bribed With Cookies)

@Lyla
If you wish to do so, by all means, go ahead.

I haven't officially created the gameplay thread yet, so I'll wait until all the applicants arrive before setting the house rules & stuff up.


Halfling Alchemist 7/Swashbuckler 1 / HP 56 of 56 / F+6 R+13 W+2 / AC 21.17.15 (-1 AC vs. same size or smaller)/ Init. +3 / Perc +14

Done!

The sheet is still the same, the chirurgeon archetype only kicks in at 2nd level.


GM Who Must Be Feared & Obeyed (Or At Least Bribed With Cookies)

@Lyla
Alright!

Also, just out of curiosity, what does Lyla look like?


Character Sheet

Marissel checking in. I'm excited to be a part of this with y'all.

@Dragoncat: I probably should have asked this before, but I just want to make sure that it won't be a problem if I've played part of this before. We didn't get very far in, so I can't see it being a huge problem, but I'll leave that up to you . . .

How far we got:
We had just killed Lamm and found Zelara's(sp?) head when our GM quit on us.

Anyway, if that is a problem, I would be happy to let someone else take my spot.


GM Who Must Be Feared & Obeyed (Or At Least Bribed With Cookies)

@Marissel
It won't be a problem.

The players know what's going to happen. The CHARACTERS, however, do not. :)


Character Sheet

Cool. Didn't think so, but some GM's might have a problem, so I thought I'd check.

Anyway. With a quick glance through others backgrounds I see a couple places that Marissel might know the others beforehand.

@Lyla: Marissel could have taken his brother to Althea for healing when he had overdosed on Shiver.

@Ortik: With a couple quick changes the shopkeeper could have been Marissel's employer/friend who your father figure had been framed for killing. Maybe you interviewed Marissel in your search for the truth? Maybe he helped you a little with your investigation? It would end up giving Marissel extra reason to hate Lamm.


Init +2; Perception +4 AC 15, t 12, ff 13 hp 12/25 (1d12+3) Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +3

Jakob slips in quietly.

Some of you may know him. He's a quiet young man, a laborer from Old Korvosa, who would have lived and died and been forgotten in the same few blocks he grew up in if his little sister Hannah hadn't been taken by the notorious Gaedren Lamm. The last few months, Jakob has been asking around, looking for her. Not the stuff of legends, exactly, but those that look for such things agree he'd be a good one to have on your side in a scrap.


Dwarven Druid (Urban) 8 - HP: 71/73 - AC 17/T:11/FF:16 Fort: +10, Reflex: +5, Will: +11; Perception: +9

Anyone who's spent time in the city has a chance to have seen Ortik, but unless they actually spare the extra effort to pay attention to the vagrants, they probably didn't pay him any mind.

@Marissel: I can't think of a good reason why our backstories couldn't be related, so consider it done!

Also, no worries about using player knowledge in this campaign - I know a few of the broad strokes (who the eventual Big Bad is, for example), but I have not read this campaign, so I don't know anything about what's going to happen.

Also, since it looks like I'm the healer, I'll be changing around my prepared spells to make sure we've got a few heals.


Character Sheet

K. The change has been made in Marissel's background. All references of Faltar have been changed to Maxis so now they're the same person.


GM Who Must Be Feared & Obeyed (Or At Least Bribed With Cookies)

Waiting for Karri & Colt to join us before I can begin...

*Innocent whistling*


Init +2; Perception +4 AC 15, t 12, ff 13 hp 12/25 (1d12+3) Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +3

Looking at everyone's background, it seems likely that Jakob would have at least heard of almost everyone else (with the possible exception of Karri?) by virtue of the asking around that he's been doing. I can see him finding out about other people looking for Lamm and reaching out.


Halfling Alchemist 7/Swashbuckler 1 / HP 56 of 56 / F+6 R+13 W+2 / AC 21.17.15 (-1 AC vs. same size or smaller)/ Init. +3 / Perc +14

@Dragoncat - usually I choose the avatar picture first, based on an idea, so to some extent I kind of build the character around the picture. This said, that's pretty much Lyla there (only that's a night picture, so she's not really grey hehe): shoulder-lenght, staight dark hair, light skin, skinny and wearing goggles to protect the eyes from the fumes of her work. She's in her late teens, so not fully developed yet, and her face still has some girlish features. A little shorter than the average halfling.

@Marissel - I think that would work. Lyla helps Althea, so she could've met Marissel and tended to his brother for a few days while he recovered from the OD.

@Quiet Jakob and Karri - Lyla is always running errands for Althea, and she likes to keep herself well-informed about what goes on in the city and in the neighborhood. If Jakob has been spending time in the Shingles, it is very likely that Lyla has heard of his sister's disappearance, and maybe even hinted at the possibility of her having been taken by Lamm - though she wouldn't have revealed that she was a little Lamm a few years back. She is sorry about his loss, and about her situation, but has not done much besides feeling sorry - at least up till now. I think that same thing could apply to Karri - I mean, Lyla behaves pretty much as a local who "knows how things work", so it wouldn't be surprising if people pointed to her as source of information - as long as she can keep clear of Lamm's man, she is willing to speak to all these folks that seem to have lost their loved ones to the crime lords of Korvosa.

@Colt - If Colt is a street performer on the poor side of town, Lyla has probably seen him around, and knows him by sight, maybe.

@Ortik - I'd say Lyla has heard the stories about the death of Maxis Opertung and that the man known as Old Man Hartelby is said to have killed him. Too bad, Maxis had a nice selection of goods at fair prices... and who would've thought Old Man Hartelby had it in him? Well, these tragedies happen all the time around here...


Female Human Sorceror (Tattooed) 6 / Black Fire Adept 1 | HP 44 | AC 14 FF 12 T14 | Saves +6/+6/+8 | Init +6 (+10) | Percep +2

Sorry for the delay! I was unexpectedly restricted to phone internet only :)

@Ortik, Karri spent some time pretty low so there is a fair chance that we might know each other. Also, if he is known for investigating murders... Karri would be most interested in getting closer, regardless of the odor ;) Especially when he can offer sound advice for not dying of exposure!

@Lyla, Absolutely! Ties Karri into two other PCs, and with your local knowledge, would be a great guide :) "Oh, no, don't go to that tavern without someone guarding your back!" lol


Halfling Alchemist 7/Swashbuckler 1 / HP 56 of 56 / F+6 R+13 W+2 / AC 21.17.15 (-1 AC vs. same size or smaller)/ Init. +3 / Perc +14

I was checking the map of Varisia and I realized it makes more sense for Lyla to speak Orc (due to the proximity with the Hold of Belkzen, there are probably some half-orcs in the underworld of Korvosa, ain't that right?) than Goblin. NOW I'm good to go.


GM Who Must Be Feared & Obeyed (Or At Least Bribed With Cookies)

Well, I've PMed Colt, but I haven't received a reply from him or seen him show up on this thread yet.

Hopefully, he'll show up soon.


Character Sheet

Well, I hope he shows up, but if not I'm sure there are some great replacements.


GM Who Must Be Feared & Obeyed (Or At Least Bribed With Cookies)

In case Colt doesn't show up, I'd like to propose a different party member:

Demitri Severin.

An ex-Korvosan Guard whose daughter was kidnapped by Lamm.

Unless anyone has any objections, I'll PM him to see if he's still interested in joining.


Halfling Alchemist 7/Swashbuckler 1 / HP 56 of 56 / F+6 R+13 W+2 / AC 21.17.15 (-1 AC vs. same size or smaller)/ Init. +3 / Perc +14

No objections on my part.


Character Sheet

None here either.


Init +2; Perception +4 AC 15, t 12, ff 13 hp 12/25 (1d12+3) Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +3

Looks good.


GM Who Must Be Feared & Obeyed (Or At Least Bribed With Cookies)

Well, I've PMed him. Here's hoping he'll reply.


Chelish Inquisitor 8 - HP: 67/67 - AC 24, T:13, FF:21 Fort: +10, Reflex: + 5, Will: +10 Perception: +15 (Effects:)

Thanks for the invite. My reply is I'm in.


Character Sheet

Cool. Good to have you.


Chelish Inquisitor 8 - HP: 67/67 - AC 24, T:13, FF:21 Fort: +10, Reflex: + 5, Will: +10 Perception: +15 (Effects:)

Oh and I have CLW as a spell and I'll learn the other Cures too so I can take some of the healing responsibility, so Lyla and Ortik can do other stuff.


GM Who Must Be Feared & Obeyed (Or At Least Bribed With Cookies)

Alright!

First order of business:

Combat & Initiative

Play-by-post games, by their very nature, are different from tabletop games: you're not constrained by a 5-6 hour time limit, and you can put your move up whenever you have a chance to.

By that same token, however, combat has an entirely different flow, especially when it comes to initiative. If you're too rigid on initiative, it'll have the same effect on game flow as a cup of sugar does on your gas mileage: kills it stone dead.

With some consultation, I've decided on the following in order to arrive at a happy medium:

-I'll add up the initiative modifiers for each PC and average them all together to get an average initiative modifier. That will then be used with a die roll to determine Party Initiative. Players will be allowed to post their actions at any point in their turn, and actions will be taken in the order they're posted in.

-I'll do the same for the enemy combatants the party will face. Whichever team gets the highest initiative will go first. I'll also post the vital stats (AC, HP & Saves) of the combatants in an end-of-round summary to speed up the flow of combat.

-For Casters: I would really appreciate it if you could post running tallies of your spell durations & spell slots used with your actions taken.

Treasure & XP
What I plan to do with treasure & loot gained is: post a list of what you find, then allow you to decide who gets what.

XP earned will be posted at appropriate resting points.

Posting Frequency
I'll likely be available whenever you need me to:
-a) Move the plot forward
-b) Need an NPC for character interactions
-c) Answer a question you have.
I plan to settle on a once per day posting rate for myself. For the rest of you, I can work with whatever posting rate works best for you.

Player Comfort Level
Here's the 2nd big one.

I'm comfortable with whatever level of gore/sex/violence the rest of you would be comfortable with. My question is:

What level of the above would the rest of you be comfortable with?

This level can & will be adjusted to suit player taste if objections are raised at any point.


Chelish Inquisitor 8 - HP: 67/67 - AC 24, T:13, FF:21 Fort: +10, Reflex: + 5, Will: +10 Perception: +15 (Effects:)

So how does Party initiative affect my Tactics Domain ability?

Should I pick something else for my domain?

As far as posting goes, I can post multiple times per day and I can post whenever I'm not working.

As far as gore/sex/violence goes, as long as we don't reach absurd zombie movie levels I'm good.

Basically keep things Rated R and I'm good.


Character Sheet

^Same for me on posting times and gore/sex/violence.


GM Who Must Be Feared & Obeyed (Or At Least Bribed With Cookies)
Demitri Severin wrote:
So how does Party initiative affect my Tactics Domain ability?

With regards to that ability, I'll rule it as follows:

Whenever you and your allies roll for initiative, you can grant one ally within 30 feet the ability to add his initiative modifier to the final Party Initiative result. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.


Chelish Inquisitor 8 - HP: 67/67 - AC 24, T:13, FF:21 Fort: +10, Reflex: + 5, Will: +10 Perception: +15 (Effects:)

That works for me.


Init +2; Perception +4 AC 15, t 12, ff 13 hp 12/25 (1d12+3) Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +3

1. Cool. Daily posting shouldn't be a problem. Except on vacations and such, but I'll have plenty of notice there and will simply hand myself off to whoever seems least likely to kill my character.

2. I'm OK with gore/sex/violence of any level, from Disney/G-rated to rip-out-my-eyes-that-have-seen-such-horrors. I expect we'll find a happy medium somewhere within that range.


Female Human Sorceror (Tattooed) 6 / Black Fire Adept 1 | HP 44 | AC 14 FF 12 T14 | Saves +6/+6/+8 | Init +6 (+10) | Percep +2

Gore: Keep it in theme. Horror movies=Good; Saw 1-? = Bad!

Violence: We are murder hobos. Just not purely for it's own sake :-)

Sex/Sexuality: One man's kink is another's vanilla. However, let's use the fade to black if needed. Homo, Hetero don't care. Just keep it classy... "Joe takes Jane in a passionate embrace. Jane returns the affection with an ardor verging on lust." *Fadeout*


Dwarven Druid (Urban) 8 - HP: 71/73 - AC 17/T:11/FF:16 Fort: +10, Reflex: +5, Will: +11; Perception: +9

Having only seen approximately half of the original Saw, I'm not sure how gory that one actually got. I thought it was a much more psychologically horrific story than most horror films, and was actually pleased that it went for the far more gratifying slow build of dread, rather than the incredibly cheap and easy jump scares.

Which is why I was a bit upset when subsequent Saw films seemed to decide that was too much work, and went classic slasher. Never saw 'em, had no interest to do so.

So, anyway, back to the question at hand - I've got no problems with any of the above, really. As long as we're not wallowing in violence and gore, I don't have an issue with it. Stephen King, not Clive Barker. No issues with sexuality either, but, well, given the constraints of the public forums, I think anything beyond the FtB is a really good way to get the posts removed!


Dwarven Druid (Urban) 8 - HP: 71/73 - AC 17/T:11/FF:16 Fort: +10, Reflex: +5, Will: +11; Perception: +9

Oh, and on an aside, I really like the idea of an Iomedaean inquisitor. "Sometimes, doing right gets in the way of doing the right thing. That's where I come in."


Chelish Inquisitor 8 - HP: 67/67 - AC 24, T:13, FF:21 Fort: +10, Reflex: + 5, Will: +10 Perception: +15 (Effects:)

Well as far as getting posts removed, I've seen some explicit stuff in spoiler blocks that gets left alone and uncensored.

And yea I'm not the Iomedaean this city needs, but the one it deserves.


GM Who Must Be Feared & Obeyed (Or At Least Bribed With Cookies)
Demitri Severin wrote:
And yea I'm not the Iomedaean this city needs, but the one it deserves.

A watchful guardian.

A sworn protector.

A dark knight.

Of course...

Harvey Dent wrote:
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

:)


Chelish Inquisitor 8 - HP: 67/67 - AC 24, T:13, FF:21 Fort: +10, Reflex: + 5, Will: +10 Perception: +15 (Effects:)

I am darkness, I am the knight, I am Demitri.


Female Human Sorceror (Tattooed) 6 / Black Fire Adept 1 | HP 44 | AC 14 FF 12 T14 | Saves +6/+6/+8 | Init +6 (+10) | Percep +2

lol. So who is Robin?


Chelish Inquisitor 8 - HP: 67/67 - AC 24, T:13, FF:21 Fort: +10, Reflex: + 5, Will: +10 Perception: +15 (Effects:)

I think we'll get to find out during the game.


GM Who Must Be Feared & Obeyed (Or At Least Bribed With Cookies)

Just waiting for Lyla to check back in before I start setting up the gameplay thread.


GM Who Must Be Feared & Obeyed (Or At Least Bribed With Cookies)

@Demitri
While we're waiting for Lyla to come back, how about you work out how Demitri could possibly know the other characters here?


Init +2; Perception +4 AC 15, t 12, ff 13 hp 12/25 (1d12+3) Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +3

My backstory (such as it is) alludes to a Chelish girl - one of Gaedren's Lambs - being captured by the guard. If Demitri is looking for his daughter in a way that Jakob could have noticed or heard of as he searches for his own sister, he'd certainly seek Demitri out. Of course, I'm not saying it was the same Chelish girl - Lamm probably has quite a few.


Halfling Alchemist 7/Swashbuckler 1 / HP 56 of 56 / F+6 R+13 W+2 / AC 21.17.15 (-1 AC vs. same size or smaller)/ Init. +3 / Perc +14

Sorry, things at work have been crazy this week. Anyway, I'm ok with what everybody said, no restrictions coming from me.

I'll still be somewhat busy today, but go ahead and start the gameplay thread!


Character Sheet

Marissel, being a merchant guard might have known Demitri from his days as a city guard.


Halfling Alchemist 7/Swashbuckler 1 / HP 56 of 56 / F+6 R+13 W+2 / AC 21.17.15 (-1 AC vs. same size or smaller)/ Init. +3 / Perc +14

Demetri is 29, so I assume he worked for the guard for nearly a decade before quitting, is that right? If so, Lyla might know him from her time in the streets dealing drugs and doing other work for Lamm. Maybe he patroled the area where she worked… in that case, what kind of guard was he? Bad cop or good cop?


GM Who Must Be Feared & Obeyed (Or At Least Bribed With Cookies)

Ladies and gentlemen...

I think it's time to kick this campaign off.

Thank you all for your patience! :)


Chelish Inquisitor 8 - HP: 67/67 - AC 24, T:13, FF:21 Fort: +10, Reflex: + 5, Will: +10 Perception: +15 (Effects:)

Demitri was definitely a good cop once. Yea, he's been with the guard for most of his adult life. I like the idea of previously arresting a fellow PC like Lyla.


Female Human Sorceror (Tattooed) 6 / Black Fire Adept 1 | HP 44 | AC 14 FF 12 T14 | Saves +6/+6/+8 | Init +6 (+10) | Percep +2

I do not have a copy of Guide to Korvosa :( How much does property cost? I'd like Karri to have a roof at least! :)

I also added her equipment... not much being a sorc and all ;)


GM Who Must Be Feared & Obeyed (Or At Least Bribed With Cookies)

@Anyone who wishes to own property
Here's a listing of ownership & rent costs for various property types in Korvosa, courtesy of the Guide to Korvosa. This is a big one, so I'll split it into 2 posts.

Guide to Korvosa wrote:


Manor: These largest of all private dwellings belong only to nobles and relatives of the king. They typically rise to at least two stories and contain no fewer than five rooms (bedrooms and studies), two privies, a bath, a large kitchen and pantry, and a cellar. Most have large family or living rooms. Large, usually well-manicured yards surround these free-standing structures. Manors are never for rent.

House: One of the more uncommon types of dwellings, houses look like small manors, with one or two floors holding up to four rooms, a privy or two, a bath, a kitchen and pantry, and usually a cellar. Many have either a family room or a living room, but not both. Houses have their own yards, usually consisting of narrow strips of hardy plants. Houses are rarely rented out.

Townhouse: Most people in Korvosa live in townhouses. A townhouse is a narrow dwelling that abuts another building on at least one side. Most townhouses begin on the second floor of a building, rising above a shop or other business of some kind, which is also usually owned by the resident. Townhouses otherwise resemble small houses and always belong to those who live in them. This ownership usually extends to the ground-floor spaces meant for businesses.

Apartment Suite: Some buildings do not have ground-floor businesses and instead contain nothing but living spaces. The largest and nicest of these buildings contain apartment suites, one-story dwellings with one or two bedrooms and all the amenities of townhouses. An apartment suite never fills a floor on its own and usually opens onto a common hallway. Apartment suites can be purchased or rented.

Tenement Flat: Tenement flats lack their own privies, baths, and kitchens. Instead, they share communal rooms dedicated to these purposes. Two or three of them can squeeze into the space of a single apartment suite. Tenements are only available for rent and cannot be bought by their residents.

Studio: The smallest of all dwellings, a studio consists of a single open space, often with just enough room for a bed and one or two other pieces of small furniture. Studios share communal privies, baths, and kitchens. They are only available for rent and cannot be bought by their residents.

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