Unfortunately, I have to put an end to the game. I just don't have the time compared to before, and less time means less energy. I'm sorry to have dragged for this long, but I'd like to thank everyone for what they've done here and helping to make my story come alive.
If anyone wants a rundown on what was going to happen, feel free to reach out. Otherwise, I'll mark the campaign as inactive sometime next week.
Once again, thank you all for applying for and playing in my campaign.
Don't worry about it:4d20 ⇒ (14, 1, 13, 15) = 43| S, F, S, S Really, don't worry:4d20 ⇒ (13, 11, 5, 17) = 46| S, S, S, S Will you stop worrying?:4d20 ⇒ (7, 14, 16, 15) = 52| S, S, S, S Why are you worrying?:4d20 ⇒ (2, 17, 15, 1) = 35| S, S, S, F Be worried, I guess:4d20 ⇒ (8, 5, 1, 4) = 18| S, F, F, S
As the group decides that it would be prudent to avoid the orcs, they settle in for the night setting a watch order and resting for the arduous trek ahead. The night passes without incident other than the paranoia those on watch may feel when looking out over the silent plains. While this spot was chosen with care, there should be movement somewhere.
When the sun rises and the web shelter decays and falls apart, those still sleeping are met with the harsh rays of light assailing their eyes. Breakfast is prepped and consumed, spells are prepared (if needed) cast, and the uphill hike begins.
Any animals called will avoid going near the mountains at any cost, and will need constant handle animal or intimidate checks to make the climb. It'll take roughly 9 hours of travel, barring any events, to get to the mining town.
Everyone knows what lies ahead of them as they stare up the mountain from the base. A gradual slope with a clear trail that still had the faint tracks of wagon wheels leads you to your destination.
An hour passes. You are adventurers; the hike doesn't bother you nearly as much as the silence that puts you on edge.
Two hours pass. The slope starts to get gradually steeper. To those of lesser perception it doesn't seem like much, but you feel it in your legs.
Three hours. There are copses lining the road now. Any trails have been washed away by the rains and the wind. While passing by you listen for what you would expect; lizards skittering, rocks falling, something. Anything.
Four hours have passed. The world sits still around you as if waiting for permission to take a breath. Have your comrade's footsteps always been so loud?
The fifth hour. Over halfway there. The gradual incline now takes a sharp increases and the world around you seems to open up. The plains around the World's End Mountain are a welcome change to the dull grays and browns the mountain has become.
It is here the first hurdle lies in wait. While there have been times where rock slides have caused you to have to climb over or go around the, a more dire climb awaits. The road leads to a winding path up a cliff that had been broken in several places by the rain and the rock slides that came with it.
Perception checks and spoilers galore!
Perception DC 26:
At the very bottom of the rock slide, you can see a large hand that can be easily recognized as belonging to an orc. Perhaps this rock slide was not one that came with the rain, but some time after. It would take time to excavate them, but it is possible to do so with roughly 20 minutes of manual labor.
____________
Drask:
Around an hour into the climb, any weariness you may feel washes away from you. You actually feel really good physically, like you can go on forever. Just before you reach the cliff path, your energy levels spike up again. Gain a +1 on checks vs the cliff and moving forward.
____________
Hyacinth:
Around the fifth hour into the climb, any weariness you feel washes away from you. You actually feel really good physically, like you could move forward forever. Gain a +2 on checks vs the cliff and moving forward.
____________
Maggart:
Around the fourth hour into the climb, any weariness you feel washes away from you. You actually feel really good physically, like you could move forward forever. Gain a +1 on checks vs the cliff and moving forward.
____________
Byron:
This spoiler is for you! =D
____________
The Climb (Everyone):
The cliff is 70 feet tall, though you can start from 10 feet up by following the path. I'll require either climb checks to climb up to the next tier of the path or acrobatic checks to try and cross the rubble without falling and triggering another rock slide which, as you could guess, gets deadlier the higher you are. To start, I'll need 20 feet worth of climb checks, or two acrobatic checks.
Feel free to make these checks in a spoiler if you make the perception check so that we have them at the ready.
Reflex:1d20 + 16 ⇒ (3) + 16 = 19Crit fail, with Barkskin Doc is at 63/171
Doc nodded thanks to Cirri. "Oh, I think I have it. Completeness can only be found through fragmentation. To have the pieces is not enough, you must also know which pieces never belonged to begin with."
Expert Religion:1d20 + 19 ⇒ (20) + 19 = 39 There it is!
Upon watching the Whirlwind disperse hopefully Doc turns to Osh who is also hopefully alive and Cirri. Weaving his magic and drawing on his curse, he casts his healing magic on them.
Healing:6d4 ⇒ (4, 1, 2, 4, 2, 1) = 14
I'll fix Doc's profile up tonight, but for now: 63/171 HP, Moderate Curse, -1 Focus Point.
◆◆ Religion check w/ Nat 20
◆ 6th level Life Link on Cirri and Osh, healing them for 14.
Doc wasted no time getting to work on the gang. "Yes. Potions. Those will certainly come in handy if you plan on healing in a very expensive manner. Hold still." Doc commanded as he began with needles,thread,gauze, and poultices. He moved back and forth between Aiobhean, Cirri, Max, and Osh taking care of their wounds nearly simultaneously and with practiced quickness.
Four 10 minute activities. Good-aligned clerics can refocus while Healing, as a Life Oracle, would you allow Doc the same, GM? If not, that's fine, it's not pressing, just thought I'd ask. Numbers beloware based on if we're uninterrupted.
Doc Ling entered the room and immediately got to work. Striding confidently towards Max, the short figure pulled bandages from his pockets and set to healing the unconscious man before more harm could come and make his condition worse.
His bright red robes fluttered in the intense wind whipping through the room and his eyes peered out from behind the ornate beak-like plague mask that he wore to take in the scene. A team of four. Two woman, a man, and a stuffed toy. With a nod to no one in particular, Doc raised his hands and snapped his fingers. Light surrounded Aoibhean, Cirri, and Osh before forming an intangible connection with Doc and disappearing.
Without hesitation, the small doctor weaves another spell that acted similar to his last, but effects only Max and doesn't seem to heal him, unlike the last spell.
"Get up, now. Come on, it is too dangerous to nap here."
◆1 Doctor's Visitation to stride to Max and use Battle Medicine (Master DC 30).
Medicine DC 30:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (1) + 23 = 24
Well, that's an embarrassing first roll. Let's see what ◇ Halfing Luck has to say about it.
Medicine DC 30:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (16) + 23 = 39Almost a crit, thanks Halfling Luck! Medic Dedication heals a little more than usual.
◆2 Spending a Focus Point to cast a 6th level Life Link on Aoibhean, Cirri, and Osh. They'll heal and Doc will take the first 10 points of damage they take in a round. This will also activate Doc's Minor Curse.
Healing for Not Max:6d4 ⇒ (1, 3, 2, 3, 2, 4) = 15
◆3 Augmenting ◆◆ Shield Other with ◇ Quickened Casting to drop it to one action. That's cast on Max so that any time he takes damage, Doc will take half of it.
"W-w-what?" Ozella stammered, broken out of whatever thoughts passed through her head. "Fire magic is really too brief to do any real cooking and even if you tried then the outside would get really ashy and inedible and the inside would be a crapshoot of unevenly cooked meat not that I ever tried it of course that's really irresponsible I've never used a Burning Hands spell to cook before and I certainly haven't even used a Burning Arc on a patron's meal after he complained that it was cold and started yelling at mom and right in front of dad so that wouldn't have been good for anyone since dad was already in the process of grabbing his ladder but that guy deserved the food explosion that hit him and I'll stand by that even to this day mom!"
Ozella finally took a breath and blinked a few times. "Huh. Didn't know I was still working through that. Anyway, the important part is that it doesn't work very well, I've been banned from cooking, and fun fact we had a neighbor who tried to cook a chicken with nothing but kinetic energy. He doesn't live next to us anymore."
For those of you staying in an inn, you find good lodging and food, both dinner and breakfast, for 2 gold pieces. Maggart, you stay in a ditch covered in petrol, on fire for free and eat either your rations or whatever you can find. The more investigative of the party ask around about the going ons in town, but you don't get any information that Gar hasn't been able to supply you with. In fact, some of the patrons turn into doomsayers the moment the Gouged Eye is mentioned, and it's easy to tell that the conspiracies they speak are not based on truth or reality.
The next morning, your group meets back up whether at the breakfast table or a ditch that was somehow worse off than it was last night. With one last gear check, your team heads to the north gate. Despite being called the "north gate," it really turns out to be an archway large enough for a few wagons to pass through side by side. Not even a fence, let alone a gate. The stables next to the entrance are also abandoned, or so you assume by the lack of noise and activity. Understandable, as this would likely be one of the first places hit in an attack.
Under the arch, off on the side of the road, is a young human boy of perhaps 10 years. His oversized coat was dusty and worn with several patches throughout, but the rest of his outfit was like new. His shoes in particular were of good, solid leather. Strange for a still growing child.
Upon your departure, the child runs up to block your path. "My name is Krel," he says quickly. "My brother went up the mountain with a delivery and hasn't come back. If you're going there, take me with you. I'll pay!"
Good morning, team! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas (if that's your thing) and a great weekend! I am ready and refreshed and ready to get this ship sailing again!
"You'd best," Newt said with a nod and a grin before leaning in to whisper. "Abadar knows I'd give you a much better price than those morons from the House." The gnome started laughing and tucked away the scepter's case into his bag. "You be safe out there, Hyacinth. Don't get eaten by any cows or what have you." After shaking her hand, Newt departed back towards the city.
The ship Drask pointed out was a medium sized barge with two masts and painted white. The gilded words on the side named it The White Gold, a Whitehall Mercantile Company ship. On the dock, a middle aged woman with sun kissed skin and short-cut brown hair directed the workers on how to load the ship. Her eyes were sharp, but they lit up as she looked around the area she spotted your group approaching "Joanna!" she exclaimed, leaving her post to give Joanna a big hug. "It's been ages since I last saw you."
"It's good to see you, too, Helena," Joanna responded warmly. Helena Coins was the third daughter of Donovan and Violet Coins, the ones charged with running the Whitehall Mercantile Company.
"I meant to come visit you, but we're really only here for about an hour," Helena explained. "We have an urgent delivery, but you know dad. If he can squeeze a stop in, then he's going to do it."
Joanna nodded. "Actually, I was hoping to find a Whitehall ship. We're on our way to Pol, and-"
"Of course! You're lucky today, Jo! The whole lot of you, then?" After Joanna nodded, Helena continued. "No worries, no worries at all. Joanna, stay here and talk with me while your friends get situated on the ship. Benecha! Can you get our guests up in the cabins? Add them to the ledger as bodyguards."
A slim woman dressed in white who was helping the workers load barrels stopped what she was doing as she heard Helena call her. She handed the barrel she held to another worker who nearly dropped it, struggling to hold it by himself, and approached the group.
Perception DC 15:
It's faint, but her tanned skin has just a hint of green in it. When she speaks, if you look closely at her teeth it seems as though she once had tusks, but they were filed down or cut. You note that the workers are working hard moving the heavy barrels, but there's no sweat on Benecha's white garb.
Benecha stops before you all and bows slightly. "I am Benecha," she said in a mousy voice. "If you'll please follow me, I will take you to your quarters."
As the majority of the group walks onto the ship, they can hear Helena speaking to Joanna. "It feels like it's been years since we last spoke. What have you been up to all this time? What amazing adventure are you on this time?"
The ship itself was gorgeous to look at from the outside. Flashy and eye-catching, just as it was meant to be. The inside, surprisingly, was without frills. It was efficient in its layout and if it wasn't meant to be pretty, then they did not make it so for its own sake. It almost felt like you entered the wrong boat.
But this is where Benecha lead you. She stopped near the stern and gestured to the doors on either side of the hall. "Apologies, but we only have three guest rooms vacant at this time, so I would have to ask you to share. May I have your names so that I can add you to the ledgers as bodyguards? If you are with Lady Joanna, may I also assume that you are with the House of Fate and Fire?" She looked expectantly at all of you in turn, unperturbed by the strange composition nor the clashing smells in front of her.
Area (Local) check: Asides from the Gouged Eye Tribe, there are tribes of harpies living in the mountains. Bulettes are noted to live there, as well. You can expect rocky terrain that's uphill almost the entire way with a few landslides blocking the path. You also assume that you can follow a wagon road to the town, as it's been stated that they make the trip down at least twice a month. Being able to adjust the terrain to help ease your path with magic will likely be necessary at least once.
To the south of the Headwater Gap where the mountain range continues lies Mount Kaltafarr, the tallest peak in Taldor. Up until around 100 years ago, the Great White Wyrm Thelyrox called that mountain and the entire southern range its home. Before its disappearance, a group of adventurers claimed that they were capable of killing the dragon. After they left, the mountain became quiet, and they never returned. Due to fear of Thelyrox, no one has gone to see what had really happened.
Journals (Diplo to gather information) check: The Gouged Eye tribe keeps most of the mountain under check. Those who are allowed to move and settle in their territory are allowed to do so by the grace of the Chieftain Frazen, an aging orc who has held sway over the tribe for nearly thirty years. He accepts tributes of good weapons, alcohol, food, and books, which he gifts to his youngest child, Grashda, who is set to inherit the tribe. He has been able to hold his position so strongly due to his oldest child, Kadejah, who has been said to take on Taldan military squads by herself, but cannot become chieftain due to her inability or unwillingness to talk.
Crow:
Religion check: While most of the citizens of Taldor out there worship the Taldan Pantheon, Abadar, Cayden Cailean, Norgorber, and Shelyn, there are a few minor gods such as Kurgess and Alseta. Due to the Orc tribe's movements, it's likely they don't worship one of the warring deities of the Orc Pantheon, at least not as their main deity. You would make an educated guess towards Sezelrian, Orc demi-god who was said to have brought intelligence to the Orc race, as well as the strength to control Fire and Magic.
Castle:
Alchemy:1d20 + 25 ⇒ (14) + 25 = 39
"Bunch of hogwash is what it is," Silus first says, taking a swig from an unmarked vial with a putrid stench. The smell or, what was probably worst, taste doesn't seem to phase the old man any. He does perk up once he sees the coin, and pulls out a loupe from his breast pocket to look it over.
"First time I've seen this, it is," He muttered to himself. Silus always liked to mutter. Sometimes it seemed like nonsense, but if you listened carefully, you would learn things he wouldn't have normally taught you yet. "There's that crimson glint, hmm, that's dark. No protrusions, a solid band of red, color cohesion surprisingly solid. He took a swig of water and then popped the coin into his mouth, much to the dismay of anyone watching.
Then, he spit it out and rubbed it on his shirt to dry it off. [b]"Almost tastes like silver. Almost. If it were pure then it would almost taste like that. Most coins aren't. This isn't pure, due to the red. Hmm... Curious." Finally snapping out of it, Silus looked up at Jebediah. It's rare, too rare," the old man claimed.
"I've never been able to get my hands on it," he continued. "The line of alchemists and apothecaries who wanted to try testing it was long, but only a few were chosen. Bunch of quacks if I remember it right. Tolleto, Sarsaran, Fallowstar, they were a few if I remember. All quacks. But when they were done, they all said it was the same thing. Silver, but with something unidentifiable in it. Gods, what quacks. Barely had a once over, I heard. And can you believe there were rumors going around that the Crimson Coin Mine was filled with silver nuggets? What a load of horse dung."
Silver ore is less silver than it is copper, iron, or some sort of sulfide ore. To find a nugget of silver is incredibly rare, and they wouldn't be made into coins but more likely sold as-is to the highest bidder. The names he dropped were of well known alchemists in Oppara that your old master has always called charlatans. He seemed to have a grudge against Fallowstar in particular.
As you leave your humble bedroom on the second floor of the Lirwin Dormitory and enter the space you share with your team, you notice that a red letter has been hung on the doorknob. A letter wrapped in red could only mean one thing: it’s finally time for a new mission.
The writing on the front of the envelope is large and looping, nearly taking up the entire envelope just to say “Room Lirwin-2-D.” Those of you who have been with the House for some time will immediately recognize Layla’s handwriting and, as you open the envelope, you soon find that you are correct.
Good morning, team!
We have a new mission that came to me through Teladora herself. It seems a member of Taldan nobility (who wishes to go unnamed at this time) is in quite a bind. There has been an incident in the World’s End Mountain, and when I got the mission I nominated your group for it.
I tried my best to get your team a little more R&R as usual, so I know you will be in tip top shape. The mountains are very dangerous, so if you’d like to study up on them, you know the library is always open to you. I’ll prepare something extra in your work kit, too, so look forward to it!
Our meeting will begin at noon in the grass between the mess hall and the clocktower. I’ll have a meal ready for everyone!
Your friend,
Layla
House Mistress
P.S. I’ll have Hesla with me, so please make sure that Byron airs out before coming to our meeting.
You have been summoned for later today for what amounts to a briefing and a picnic. Although publicly Layla scoffs at her unofficial title of “team mom,” she takes pride in it and does her best to live up to the title. What that means for you at today’s briefing is likely a homemade meal not often seen from the mess hall.
Whether you’re looking forward to hanging out with the “team mom” or not, you have a few hours to yourself before your meeting to prepare yourselves for what seems to be a long journey.
Feel free to start your roleplay and introduce your characters proper! While this is “started,” I’m going to start the meeting with Layla on the 7th and interact with anyone who wants to do so before then. Whoever posts first can have the privilege of waking the others if they so choose. I’m assuming that everyone slept in their own rooms last night, but feel free to have something else going on if you prefer!
No worries, Maggart! For anyone else, if there's anything you need flavor-wise that's not 100% supported by rules, hit me up. I'm pretty cool for most things as long as there's a story reason behind it.
Also @Byron, yes, this site is notorious for going "Oh no, you had your chance!" if you leave certain pages to sit for too long. I always copy paste before I post or even hit preview. My bad for not telling you sooner, it's basically automatic for me now so I don't think about it.
@Joanna I've read what you've got so far, excellent. Take your time if you need to, it's not "due" until Wednesday but even then you have a lot of things answered already.
Also also @everyone, Gameplay is up! Feel free to roleplay now, and I want to get around to the mission meeting on Wednesday.
I'm with you on that, Jon. I also tend to do my characters by hand. It's nice, the problem is crafting characters that you'll never play! Sometimes you just gotta create.
Everyone's updated on the Sheet now (that I noticed.)
Mixed tables definitely sounds interesting, I'll have to see what I can come up with. There's a lot of things that have to align to have it work, though, so we'll have to see if it comes up naturally.
A very strange lineup of feats but it looks like it works.
@Souls At War
Core aging, no young characters.
@Everyone
So it was mentioned and then it got stuck in my head (something that happens fairly often, let me assure you) and I've come up with a few early access questions about your characters and the House of Fate and Fire.
Feel free to answer at your leisure. Be as detailed as you want, and feel free to take some liberties. I don't have every guild npc fleshed out, so you can add what you like and I'll slide them into the game as I see fit.
Guild Questionnaire
For what reason does your character become an adventurer? What motive keeps them going?
How did your character first hear about the House of Fate and Fire?
Why did your character decide to join the House over other options available to them? (Feel free to come up with some liberties on this one, whether they were recruited or tried out for the guild) How does the House fit into your motives as an adventurer?
The adventuring parties live in dormitory-style apartments. The rooms are quite spacious, and the living/kitchen area is shared. What does your room look like? What kind of roommate are you?
While Teladora insists that adventurers don't need as much rest as normal people, Layla disagrees. The lamia makes sure that all parties get at least a week of downtime between adventures unless they ask for less. What does your character do to unwind?
I hope those of you who celebrate have a very happy Thanksgiving today!
Specifics over generals, and in this case I would rule the Inspired Blade the specific over Elephant in the Room's general. So the Inspired Blade would still have to use a Rapier for class related features.
@RVer
At this time I don't have anything in particular that I'm looking for other than Backstory, and I planned on doing questionnaires after I've chosen the participants.
That said, if you'd like to do something like that early, absolutely feel free. The more I know about your character, the better your chances. If you think the backstory you wrote up will be enough, then stuck with that. It's your call if you'd like to throw out more.
@Everyone
Details! This campaign now has a title, huzzah!
Welcome to the Whims of Fate recruitment thread! It's the same thread as before it just has a fancy campaign title now. I've also updated the Campaign Info with character creation details, a finished Premise, and some information on the House of Fate and Fire, the guild your characters are a part of. I'll post them here in a spoiler as well for ease of access.
If you'd like to add some of the details about the House to your character's backstory, feel free. If you'd like to ask me about the guild, do that as well!
Also, thank you to everyone who's shown interest so far! We've had at least 20 players express interest. Either tomorrow morning or night (any time that's not festivities, really) I'll get a post together with everyone interested and links to their entries.
Updated Premise:
The House of Fate and Fire is a guild that appeared rather recently in Taldor’s long history. Full of adventurers and riding high on the prestige of recognition, this year seems to be one of its best yet. Your party has been with the House for some time now. For some, months, others, years. Whatever your reason, you saw that this was a place to gain what you sought. Whether you looked for glory, honor, money, respect, or something else, you found a place called home.
Early one morning, you and your group receive a summons to report to the guild master, Teladora Whizzlefizz, an eclectic ex-adventurer, for your next job. A low level member of the Taldan Senate, Senator Adreum Falls, has commissioned the House for a job both important and confidential.
The Senator owns many mines in the World’s Edge Mountain’s southern range. Just like his father before him, and his grandfather before him, and so forth, most of his income and power are tied to the mines that produce almost a third of Taldor’s precious metals. While Senator Adreum had never been deep into the mountains, he had sent emissaries to hold banquet with the orcs of the Gouged Eye tribe for trade and rights to mine in the mountain with great success.
However, not all is well. One of the mining towns had fallen silent. Nestled deep in the World’s Edge Mountains like the Crimson Coin Mine, so named from the silver mined there that gleams with a reddish tint when worked. The weather in the mountains this time of year was harsh, and it’s not unusual for a courier to be delayed by weeks as they attempt to make the trek to Taldor’s capital, Oppara.
Weeks passed without a word. Worried, Senator Adreum looked into magical means of communication, and became horrified by what he found. Upon Scrying on the town’s inhabitants, he could find no one from the overseers to the lowest hewer. The streets of the Crimson Coin Mining Town were empty. Not wanting any of this to come to light without further investigation, the Senator called in a favor with the House of Fate and Fire, promising much in return for a search party and the utmost discretion.
The House of Fate and Fire:
The House of Fate and Fire was an adventuring guild conceived nearly 40 years ago in Absalom by a then-well known adventuring party called Snake’s Tail. The founding members found limited success in Absalom and decided to move to another country altogether for the success of the guild. After many weeks of discussion, arguments, and a few duels, Snake’s Tail landed in Taldor.
The whirlwind of events taking place after the move as Snake’s Tail rocked the Pike District of Zimar. With so many eccentric characters suddenly appearing and purchasing abandoned buildings, many of the Taldoran military “old guard,” who were used to the stale and predictable schedule of the Pike, found themselves at a loss. These newcomers had changed the balance they previously enjoyed.
However disruptive they were at first, Snake’s Tail made a name for themselves through various deeds, each member doing what they could to help around town to accumulate goodwill. The younger members of the military saw them as a blessing and the older members soon came to realize what having the Snake’s Tail around would mean in the future.
After consulting with the ones who held office in town and the House of Gold, one of the largest cathedrals to Abadar in Taldor, Snake’s Tail decided to make some changes. First, the name. While it fit well back where they were known, it didn’t bring the same majesty in Taldor. After much debate, the group decided on the House of Fate and Fire. A name that called curiosity and compelled those nearby to come calling. By word of mouth, their prestige spread.
Second, they would begin recruiting. Zimar was the perfect place to find new talent as one of Taldor’s greatest strongholds, and the youth were required to serve in the military, which meant any talent would pass through the Taldon Phalanx eventually. Recruiting from those who found that military life did not fit well with them but enjoyed the life of adventure, the House of Fate and Fire grew in just a few years. By their deeds, their prestige spread.
Thirdly, make contracts. Although it took some decades, the House of Fate and Fire managed to secure a network of connections and contracts with nearly everyone worth mentioning in town. Banking rights via the House of Gold for various discounts in town. Training recruits of the military in exchange for more buildings in the Pike, allowing for a proper campus. Citizens, nobles, senators, businesses. There was even a rumor that the House had a rather shady deal with the otyugh king Gulreesh, Lord of Filth, for space under their main base of operations in the Undercity. By their connections, their prestige spread.
The first five years as the Snake’s Tail Adventuring Guild were spent in Absalom and were not as fruitful as they had hoped. The next 35 years, after coming to Taldor and becoming the House of Fate and Fire, showed rapid expansion. Today the House of Fate and Fire has a campus located in prime real estate near the center of town and employs nearly 70 promising adventurers in 14 different adventuring parties.
The House of Fate and Fire’s campus consists of several buildings. In the barracks, rooms are split up dormitory style based on adventuring parties. Parties are ranked based on their work reported, feedback from the contractor, and risk of the contract. Higher ranked parties get a chance to have individual rooms once they’ve reached the upper echelon of the House.
To help the adventurers and allow them to relax in their down time, the House has a few amenities that the founding members thought were indispensable. Including in these are a mess hall that’s operational 24/7, vaults for personal belongings, a bath house in a style particularly well-received in Taldor, a vast library with books from all over the world, a small colosseum-style building for sparring and training, and others.
The Founding Members
Teladora Whizzlefizz - An eccentric Gnome from a large family of Caydenites, Teladora is well known for her magical prowess in the arts of Evocation, fire spells in particular. She sits at the head of the House of Fate and Fire as the Guildmaster, a position she has often lamented for the past few years, stating that she wants to “go on an adventure herself, but no one’s willing to pay for her.” Despite her airy personality, she is always firm and fair with the guild.
Teladora always seems to know what is going on in town, as well, and that’s due to her familiar: Reginald, the cockroach. Reginald wanders through town, speaking with others of its kind and spying when it wants to, reporting back when he can. While usually a strange choice for a familiar, Reginald has become indispensable for his ability to gather information and report it to Teladora and has often been jokingly called “Spymaster Reginald” on occasions. The nickname stuck, and it was made an official title of the guild.
Layla - A good-natured Lamia Teladora picked up along her adventures, Layla has a matronly air around her that tends to offset the unease people get from being around one of the monstrous races. Initially, there was a lot of strife in Zimar that revolved around the House of Fate and Fire due to Layla’s inclusion. However, Layla truly was the best of the Snake’s Tail and her good deeds in town, especially those involving healing wounded soldiers, did not go unnoticed. Not long after, she picked up a Greater Hat of Disguise and spends time outside of the guild in the form of a human.
As a part of the House, Layla is the second in command alongside her husband, Konishi, another founding member. Her divine abilities cannot be attributed to any god, but she uses her magic to help those who need it, and can be seen as the “Team Mom,” and alas, on the anniversary of the House of Fate and Fire Teladora never fails to get her another shirt embroidered with those very words. Out of kindness and good-will, Layla will wear it for a few days before putting it in her closet forever.
Konishi - An aging Tiefling who is well versed in both magic and steel, Konishi came from Tian Xia to make a name for himself alongside his black bladed katana. During his travels he fell in with Teladora and a few others, gaining prestige as an exotic swordsman from the east. Once a hot-headed individual fond of duels and getting into trouble, he was pushed into a relationship that blossomed due to Teladora’s influence. As he aged, Layla’s influence was good on him, and he became a lot more cautious that he once was.
In the House, Konishi stands at the top, although he has no wish to lead the guild in its entirety. That’s despite Teladora attempting to pawn it off on him every year or so. Instead, Konishi trains the younger fighters and instructs in the arcane arts. He walks the path of an honorable swordsman, and often gives voice against any morally questionable decisions Teladora may come up with. While firm and sometimes unrelenting to his disciples, Konishi has a large soft spot for his family, and is often seen dotting on his wife and their young daughter, Hesla.
Barber Ian - A complete enigma. Their name is spoken by Teladora, Layla, and Konishi only when they’re feeling nostalgic. In guild paintings of the founding members Barber Ian is present, but painted over to only leave a silhouette. When asked about who they were, or what happened to them, the founding members always say something along the lines of, “Well, who knows? Maybe we’ll see them again someday” before the topic is swiftly changed. No one outside of the guild seems to remember them, and at this point their very existence is a point of controversy and conspiracy.
1. Could you explain, at least on a high level, what kind of themes/genres we may expect to see in your game? Do you want to run a dark and gritty game or something more upbeat, do you like political intrigue or more about the adventures, black and white depictions of good and evil vs shades of grey, etc. What can we expect for the feel of your game?
Definitely more high fantasy. The themes will shift with the narrative. Whether it's dark or upbeat will depend on the actions of the party, and the events that take place around them and very well may shift like a metronome when it's proper. I like to run a large gambit of personalities, from serious characters like Jargon the wizard/baker who's trying to get his life where he wants it to be to "joke" characters like Shooter McGavlin, Sr, who's absolutely the worst thief you've ever met but he's so harmless that he barely spends more than a night in jail because "Well, it's just Shooter." I don't believe in Black and White Good and Evil, but there will likely be characters that do, but most people are morally grey.
So I suppose you can expect high fantasy for the most part, with tonal shifts when it's proper to do so. The first leg of the journey will be dark just from the contents of the premise, but the only dirt and grime you'll likely come across is from the area itself. Mining towns are notoriously dirty.
I'm not as... experienced running political intrigue, but I'm here for it if that's the kind of route the party goes down.
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2. What is the setting for this campaign? Is it Golarion, or something homebrew? If the latter what details are there to be had about it?
Ah, I can't believe I forgot to mention this one. It will be in Golarion, likely set in Taldor (at first) although I do reserve the right to change things to fit the narrative. Nothing too huge like sweeping away countries or cities, of course (or will I...?), but popping up a town here or there where I need it to be.
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3. For the "character-driven" format (which is something I'm a huge fan of by the way, here's looking at you Avatar series), do you prefer us to give you a feast of background options to pick from and surprise us with story arcs later, or do you want to work with the players on where their story might go pre-game?
Avatar is fantastic. Please don't expect Avatar quality, you'll make me cry when I can't deliver.
A little bit of both. Having more backstory tidbits for me to pick from is ideal, definitely, but I also plan to ask something like "What would you be happy to see happen to your character, what would make you drop from the game if happened?" Everyone has their safe zone, and while I don't plan on treading any lines, who knows where the story will go when it's based on the heroes, and not the adventure?
Long-time PbP Player, first time PbP GM. I have been itching for some storytelling lately, and while I haven't ran a game on the Paizo website before, but I think I have enough references to do so well. I'd like to get my start with an idea that has been rattling around in my head for a while.
Rough premise wrote:
Your characters belong to a mid-large size adventurer's guild. Your party has been working together for a fair while now and for whatever your own reasons are, you'd like to move up in the ranks and become the top party in the guild for some sweet rewards and recognition.
One morning, your party is called to action. The guild has been contracted by a nobleman who owned a mine in a town a few weeks out from his city, and the head honcho decided that your party would be sent.
The Lord had not heard from the miners in quite some time. The weather had been bad lately, so it wasn't too strange. However, days turned to weeks, and weeks turned into a couple of months. No couriers sent had returned, so the Lord went to the next step, magic.
When magic couldn't reach anyone from the one in charge of the mine to the lowest foreman, the Lord began to panic and reached out to your guild.
As such, you have been tasked with traveling to the mining town and figuring out what happened to the workers and others who populated the town.
What I have: I have most of the adventure already written down and ready to go, sans names. I'm horrible with names in just about all capacities; remembering, giving, coming up with, etc. However, I'm not the type to stop something for the sake of "the perfect name," and I'll have that kind of stuff ready to go by the time we start.
What I'm looking for: 4-5 players who don't mind jumping into the unknown. I'm looking to create a story driven by its characters. Since it's character-driven, I'll be asking a lot of questions about the character's backstory, personality, connections (family, friends, rivals, etc.), and more. Once the "initial adventure" wraps up, I'll provide paths for the party to go down, all of which will be relevant in some way to the characters.
Knight of Rust as a GM: Most of my GMing experience came from PFS. I am a 4 star GM of Pathfinder 1st edition, and I am/was a Venture Captain for my area (I am currently in the midst of retiring, but that's neither here nor there.) My style of gamemastering is firm but fair. Even at a table, I roll my dice in the open, and what the dice says, goes. I am in favor of the rule of cool, even if it's not completely supported by the rules. The biggest thing that hits players is that I am an avid believer of the consequences of your actions catching up with you, both good and bad. I believe in a healthy mix of roleplay and combat, but I also know how to cater to the table depending at who is sitting at it.
Game details: Pathfinder 1, level 8. Standard gold. 25 point buy. Hit points after 1st level are roll or take average. Elephant In The Room. First party sources only, but as long as it's not outrageous (here's looking at you, Drow Noble) go crazy as long as you can come up with a backstory suitable for it.
If you're interested: Let me know! I'm not looking for full character builds yet, but if you're interested and you have one already, feel free to post it. I would like at least a character synopsis with a snippet of their backstory, race, class, and whatever else you think I should know about them. If this somehow blows up, I may even run two tables just to see how different the stories will go. 5 is personal maximum per table.
Sophia breathes a sigh of relief and leaves the veil stuffed in her dress instead of risking taking it out again. "We have some time," She whispers. Sophia seems unfeeling to get the guards to suspect anything again. "I would rather spend a day or two coming up with a plan than bungling the whole thing immediately out of anxiety for freedom."
Edit: It occurs to me it might be useful to summarize where I envision my character going mechanically.
Don't Need A Ride!
Sophia's plan:
As a Oracle/Sorc combo, I plan on sticking to these classes. Sophia is general Knowledge person having all knowledges, adding her Charisma and Inspiration to most knowledges. With Focused Trance, she also has the option to go back to Int based knowledge checks but get a +20 on it, though I got that skill for Linguistics and Forgeries it's absolutely useful for knowledges.
She also makes a good face. Because of Psychic Searcher she can add Inspiration to Diplo and Sense Motive for free. Silver Tongue lets her add +5 to her Bluff check so many times a day. Sophia doesn't have any ranks in Intimidation, but she absolutely does not look intimidating.
As far as Combat goes, eventually she'll get Sidestep Secret... But until then she's woefully unprepared for being anywhere near the enemy. I have a heavy Enchantment focus since the Kitsune Magic bonus and the Fey Bloodline bonus synergizes well. She's all about the save-or-suck spells like Murderous Command, Regular Command, and at these early levels, Daze. I plan on going down the road of Spell Focus, and the Sorc favored class bonus for Kitsune is +1/4th DC on Enchantment spells. Persistent Spell will be a must. A few attack spells on either side are also planned.
Sophia also has Cure spells, but that's the best she can do. No channels or anything more sophisticated than burning spell slots.
I think we're going to end up with a lot of Face, but we can just be a really smooth evil party.
"You can save your breath telling them to be careful. This lot's going to throw themselves headfirst into the nearest spear pointed at them. But, I'll make sure they come back in one piece. Mostly. We'll see what exciting ways they'll have to test their limits today."
"Captain Brother Rabbit” | Male LN Medium Half-Elf Flowing Qinnong Monk 12/Fighter (Brawler) 3 | HP 83/83 | AC 44, T35 , FF35 | CMD 48 (+11 vs Repo, +10 vs Trip, +4 vs B. RushDrag, +3 vs D. Trick) F +20 R +23 W +21; +4 vs Enchantments, +1 vs. fear, Improved Evasion | Init +10 | Perc +23 (Low-Light Vision) | Speed 30ft | Ki Points: 13/11 (2 stored in ring) | Redirection: 12/12 | Stunning Fist: 13/13 | Active Conditions: Heroes Feast, Status, Barkskin (120 mins), Mage Armor
"Thanks, Armik. Sorry we couldn't help you stay on your feet."
"And, just for the record," Darren says as he picks up his weapons. "If anyone asks, I was definitely not disrespectful to a Blakros. I feel like the less anyone knows about that, the better." He says this part more towards Faliana and Monty than to Armik and Brady.
Round 9 got lost into the void. You should have seen it, though; it was pretty wild.
Darren continues to tastefully keep a hold on Imrizade, doing his best to keep her hands from getting anywhere close to where they can discharge that electrical burst on him.
"Alright, calm down, calm down, only way I'm unhanding you is if you leave." Darren responds as he attempts to pin her hands so she can't attempt anything at all.
Grapple to pin+Flank(now)+5:1d20 + 16 ⇒ (13) + 16 = 29Since the 18 was enough...
Darren successfully pins Imrizade to the ground, but also being very respectful about it so the Blackros don't have a reason to make him disappear someday.
Darren scowled as Imrizade turned out to be too hard to hit consistently, especially when he wasn't trying to hurt her too badly. He threw down his Klar and machete and walked around the battle so he was flanking with Faliana. "You two make such a great couple, I just want to say that. You're adorable."
Changing gears, he reached for Imrizade and attempted to grapple her, keeping her in place and making it easier for the others to hit her.
"This place is trying to eat me and calling me Hawk!" Darren yells out in his drug addled state, looking around for mouths so he could see where the voice was coming from.
After rummaging around to find the Chimera's stuffing, Darren will shake his head. "I'm going to assume Nigel knew all about this rather than think that whatever they brought here is bringing everything in this museum to life. Because blaming Nigel will never go out of style, I don't think."
Darren looks at the warrior for a moment before turning his back. "I'm ready to drop down a level if you guys are."
"Amrik, you big lovable fluff of orange, wait, no, blue," Darren corrected himself as the Tiefling changed colors again. "I'm not going to kiss you cause you saved me buy c'mere. Come 'ere." Even as he beckons Amrik forward He moves up and hugs him, wrapping him in large arms, a klar, and a machete. "I appreciate you, Amrik. I don't care what anyone saysabout you you're good people. Anyone tell you otherwise and you tell'em Darren said otherwise. Okay? Okay?"
He then proceeds to hug Amrik for longer than is socially acceptable. "You saved my life, you're such a great guy."
Eventually Darren will be fine going to whatever door the party chooses.
"There's the bugger!" Philoneus exclaimed as he rushed over, ignoring the DM's hints of easily carried loot and trying to stab the ghost with his wand again.
"H-Hi, I am Todd, son of..." He looked at Lovissa and decided now was not the time for lineages. Todd turned his gaze back to the Kortos men. "W-we came to warn you. The Aspis Consortium is ma-making fools of you. They're using y-your warehouse to s-store and distribute a drug called Whip. W-we took out an alchemist in the s-sewers that was making it, named Laszo."
Todd reached into his pack and pulled out Laszo's journal as well as the samples and the unrefined version. [b]"W-we came in good faith, t-to warn you that the A-Aspis are taking a-advantage of you. They're not good people. I-if you keep dealing with them, th-then things are going to b-be bad for everyone because of all of the illegality. I-I mean we're in here without w-warrent but t-they'll bring the law down on y-you, too, if they're found out. C-could you oust them?"
The Grippli calmly offers the book and vial to the one leading the Kortos.
I'm with Grey on this one. Thank you very much for running these games back to back. You're great! If I run something down the line (very probable) I'll be sure to save you a slot if you're interested.
"I'm sorry, what part about stringing you up like a pearl necklace did you not understand? People are throwing stuff, and trying to get in a fight, that guy started it, so either get him out of the bar and into the street or we're going to see how long your sentence is."
intimidate:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
At this point Todd started feeling like a bully. He really didn't enjoy this, and it just reminded him why he got out of the Aspis Consortium in the first place. Regardless, a mission started is a mission worth finishing. Perhaps the next go around he won't be so mean.
It was also really hard not to let his accent get in the way. No one's intimidated by a two foot tall frog with a stutter.
Upon seeing the Aspis Consortium member, Todd immediately went behind the bar, where he imagined the owner was attempting to deal with the bar fight in one way or another. Once he had the person's attention, Todd spoke up in a threatening manner, though quiet enough so that only he and the owner could hear. "I'm not going to say much, but if you want to keep your black market dealings out of the hands of the law, you better do as I say. A man just walked in, Todd will give details on the Aspis member. I don't care what you saw, or what you thought you saw, but that guy's the one who started the bar fight, and deserves to be kicked out of the bar for good. If you don't heed my warning, then fake pearls aren't going to be the only thing to be strung up, hear?"
Intimidate (no size penalty cause Aspis boon):1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
Todd pointed at his own eyes with two fingers, and then casually tossed his fingers in the owner's direction before removing himself from behind the bar.
Todd sits down with Lovissa and Grey at the Pig's Paunch and works on a project of his own. The Grippli lays out plans for a charity event for underprivileged frog people so that they may have shoes as great as the ones his mother had made him. There weren't many Grippli in the area, but that did nothing to deter Todd.
Sovereign Court mission, DC 16 diplo check to succeed.
Todd will move towards the commotion with the last troglodyte, although he can't make it to a spot where he can attack. However, being the daring rogue that he was, he attempts to move between the Troglodyte and the wall, dodging the legs of his companions, and attempts the flank in a double move requiring an acrobatics check.
Tumble:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21
Of course the tumble doesn't matter because it's dazed, but Todd attempts regardless
Todd is going to frown. It's still just sitting in its web. That is one lazy spider. Dropping his rapier, he pulled his shortbow and aimed upwards towards the spider.
Attack:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24 oh boy oh boy The Confirmation:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 Awwww... Damage:1d4 ⇒ 3
Todd notices that Cerryl is by himself again, and has flashbacks of the potential danger he was in from the zombies on their last mission together. Jumping into action, Tood placed himself between Cerryl and the dogs in case any of them had the bright idea to charge him, and pulled out his rapier.
Move to be in front of Cerryl, standard to pull his rapier out.
