The Fifth Council Member


Savage Tide Adventure Path


I’m hoping one of you wise Savage Tiders can help me. We are starting the “guts” of ToD tonight and it’s going to be RP intensive. I’ve done my homework by reading through Farshore; City of Hope from Dungeon Feb. 2007. There it says “A five-member Expedition Council meets weekly to direct colony affairs…” and above that it lists the “Authority figures. In that section I only count four that are listed as “Council Members” – Aldwattle, Rev. Catherly, Syren, and Capt. Kabbanja. Who is the fifth? Meravanchi? If so, where does it say that, or is it just implied?

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Weird - on the top right of page 62 of Dungeon 143 there are 6 authority figures listed in my magazine;

Lavinia, Meravanchi, Aldwattle, Catherly, Syren and Kabbanja.

I assume that since Lavinia just arrived she's not on the council yet. That leaves five :)

Does that help?


carborundum wrote:

Weird - on the top right of page 62 of Dungeon 143 there are 6 authority figures listed in my magazine;

Lavinia, Meravanchi, Aldwattle, Catherly, Syren and Kabbanja.

I assume that since Lavinia just arrived she's not on the council yet. That leaves five :)

Does that help?

Well, sort of. That was EXACTLY my thinking, as well. I was just looking for confirmation, since it doesn't specify that. I was just surprised that, if indeed Meravanchi is the fifth Council member, why don't they say that? They specify for the other four, you know? I just thought maybe I was missing something.

I mean, it's going to come up. What's he going to say? "Maybe I am the fifth council member, and maybe I'm not." And don't ask the other council members - they are all controlled by the same DM. :D

The Exchange RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32

You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!

Okay - more proof to satisfy those tricky players... second column page 62 - the Vanderborens returned to Sasserine, leaving Lord Manthalay in charge of the colony. So... he's the boss and has a council of four?
And now Lavinia's back, exercising her family rights to being his equal. That's how I read it, in any case.


I read it Carborundum's way as well. There WAS a five member council including Meravanchi, but now Lavinia's arrival has destabilised that tidy arrangment (Lavinia deserves a seat on the council, but Meravanchi doesn't deserve to lose his, but a six-member council is a recipe for tied votes and indecision and can't be sustained). Hence the election.

Mind you, later events can change this arrangement substantially, if you let them. In my campaign, Xiureksior has a seat on the council...


Humble Minion wrote:

I read it Carborundum's way as well. There WAS a five member council including Meravanchi, but now Lavinia's arrival has destabilised that tidy arrangment (Lavinia deserves a seat on the council, but Meravanchi doesn't deserve to lose his, but a six-member council is a recipe for tied votes and indecision and can't be sustained). Hence the election.

Mind you, later events can change this arrangement substantially, if you let them. In my campaign, Xiureksior has a seat on the council...

Okay, Minion, I like your slant on it. My group is very political - we debate real stuff for about an hour before getting into the game. We even made the joke that Lavinia is running on a platform that Meravanchi's conflict with the Olman needs to end so she can focus on the Farshore Stimulus Plan. Seriously, though, I like having a logical political dynamic to draw on, and that does it. Thanks.

And, Carb, don't get me started on A Few Good Men. That is one of my favorite movies! "The truth is in places deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You NEED me on that wall!" Something tells me that Mathaley (sp?) is going to be working that into his campaign speech somewhere.


Troy, would you mind posting how ToD went for you, especially the part dealing with Farshore, the election, and the fortification.

My players didn't enjoy that part at all, and I'd like to see how the adventure worked or didn't with other people.

Thanks.


Have you also noticed the nice parallel between the five council members and the adventuring party of 5 that Verik and Larissa originally were members of, and which founded Farshore? So perhaps the council of five is a historical thing as well. Just a thought.


lin_fusan wrote:

Troy, would you mind posting how ToD went for you, especially the part dealing with Farshore, the election, and the fortification.

My players didn't enjoy that part at all, and I'd like to see how the adventure worked or didn't with other people.

Thanks.

Well, they just got to Farshore and fought the pirates last week, and this week they talked to Lavinia, met Mathaley and interrogated Lefty. Plus, I introduced a story element that will keep them busy next week and doesn’t relate directly to ToD. We haven’t even started the other Victory Point elements, the election or anything else yet.

However, if you want to follow along with us as we go, I chronicle everything in our blog. I only ask that, if you do, please comment the blog (NO SPOILERS, PLEASE). It’s very encouraging to my players that other people have taken an interest in our narrative.


Luna eladrin wrote:
Have you also noticed the nice parallel between the five council members and the adventuring party of 5 that Verik and Larissa originally were members of, and which founded Farshore? So perhaps the council of five is a historical thing as well. Just a thought.

Interesting. I hadn’t noticed that until you mentioned it, but it is highly likely that the council is indeed comprised of the very same adventurers that were part of the Vanderborens’ exploratory party. They are, after all, referred to as “a five member Expedition Council.” Farshore; City of Hope – Dungeon Magazine Feb. 2007, pp 62. If you consider who is in the council, it’s a fairly typical adventuring group: Two Fighters, a Cleric, a Wizard, and an “Expert” (mission specialist, if you will).


I know that Manthaly was one of the members. Verik and Larissa were also members.


Luna eladrin wrote:
I know that Manthaly was one of the members. Verik and Larissa were also members.

I don't suppose you know the exact source of that knowledge? It doesn't really matter - I think I've alread decided, regardless of what bg info I have, how things are (sometimes you gotta make stuff up on the spot and change the bg info to fit). I'm just currious.


It was in one of the adventures, but I have no idea which one. I read them all more than a year ago.


Hey, I just wanted to let you know that your comments really helped me out. It wasn't a huge part of the last game, but it will, of course, be revisited. If you're interested, check out our blog. It's just one line, but I did put in a shout-out to Humble Minion in appreciation. Carb, your shout out will be comming in the next update.

As always, please leave a coment to encourage me and my players if you do stop by. No spoilers, please. Thanks!


Troy Pacelli wrote:
If you're interested, check out our blog.

Troy--just wanted you to know, I've been reading your blog, and it's been very helpful. My group is just starting Sea Wyvern's Wake, so I've been mostly concentrating on that part, not your more recent posts. Seeing the your NPCs on the ship interacting with your PCs has really helped me establish personalities for my own versions of those NPCs. I haven't bothered to comment, because I'm reading stuff that you were doing many months ago, so I figured you'd miss any comments I made.


Aron Reif wrote:
Troy Pacelli wrote:
If you're interested, check out our blog.
Troy--just wanted you to know, I've been reading your blog, and it's been very helpful. My group is just starting Sea Wyvern's Wake, so I've been mostly concentrating on that part, not your more recent posts. Seeing the your NPCs on the ship interacting with your PCs has really helped me establish personalities for my own versions of those NPCs. I haven't bothered to comment, because I'm reading stuff that you were doing many months ago, so I figured you'd miss any comments I made.

We wouldn't miss anything. We all "subscribe" to the blog, so any comments get e-mailed to us. You can comment the most recent entry or one from two years ago and we'll still know about it. Feel free.

I'm glad our blog has been helpful to you. I can honestly say that the development of the NPCs has been greater and deeper in this game than in any game I have ever run or played in before. I contribute that, mostly, to how well my players role-play, giving me somthing to work off of. However, I got a lot from you all here, too. Finally, our original DM (who posts here as Tracerbullet42) did a lot of leg work on the NPCs up front, and I inherited the fruits of all his labors.

I'm really beginning to appreciate the value of DM preperation.


I have been reading your blog. This was really awesome, especially the way Rowyn returned. I am curious how it works out.


Luna eladrin wrote:
I have been reading your blog. This was really awesome, especially the way Rowyn returned. I am curious how it works out.

Yeah, I’m curious, too. Actually, I’m trying to salvage the whole scenario because one of my players tried cheating and, after all the time I (we, really) put into this, I wasn’t about to tolerate that. It was a long time coming, but suffice to say the player is gone and we, as a group, have to decide how to fairly deal with the situation. In the blog, it will appear seamless, but behind the scenes, there were some not-so-nice fireworks.

Thanks, so much, both for your kind feedback – both here and on the blog – and for your input which contributed to this scenario.


Troy Pacelli wrote:
...we, as a group, have to decide how to fairly deal with the situation...

I think that you should switch your game night to wednesdays and get the GM back who started that campaign...but as a player. (hint, hint)


TracerBullet42 wrote:
Troy Pacelli wrote:
...we, as a group, have to decide how to fairly deal with the situation...
I think that you should switch your game night to wednesdays and get the GM back who started that campaign...but as a player. (hint, hint)

Hey, I just cc:ed you on an e-mail to the others. It would be great if we could get Rob back. Maybe we'll resurect poor, stupid Shefton just for him.


Troy Pacelli wrote:
Hey, I just cc:ed you on an e-mail to the others. It would be great if we could get Rob back. Maybe we'll resurect poor, stupid Shefton just for him.

Or Ornrik could take on a "new personality." Or a certain bard in town could be thrust into the story...

Or something new altogether.

Or, poor, poor, stupid Shefton could rise from Brissa's bowels.

Or Martha gets awakened...or perhaps has been a druid in disguise all along! (Remember Martha? Love that little guy.)


TracerBullet42 wrote:
Troy Pacelli wrote:


Or Martha gets awakened...or perhaps has been a druid in disguise all along! (Remember Martha? Love that little guy.)

I thought about Martha when I was putting the "You can't save both of them" scenario. I was considering having the key INSIDE the bird.

Sure, you could play Miranda. You'd have to sing, though. I would insist.


Troy Pacelli wrote:
I thought about Martha when I was putting the "You can't save both of them" scenario. I was considering having the key INSIDE the bird.

Eww.

Troy Pacelli wrote:
Sure, you could play Miranda. You'd have to sing, though. I would insist.

I was thinking more about the barkeep in Farshore...but ok!


TracerBullet42 wrote:
Troy Pacelli wrote:
I thought about Martha when I was putting the "You can't save both of them" scenario. I was considering having the key INSIDE the bird.

Eww.

Troy Pacelli wrote:
Sure, you could play Miranda. You'd have to sing, though. I would insist.
I was thinking more about the barkeep in Farshore...but ok!

OH, YEAH! Him, too. Either way, you gotta sing, and I don't care if it's Chicago or Chubawumba.

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