(5) MDT's Revivified Kingmaker (Inactive)

Game Master mdt

Be it so known that the bearer of this charter has been charged by the Swordlords of Restov, acting upon the greater good and authority vested within them by the office of the Regent of the Dragonscale Throne, has granted the right of exploration and travel withing the wilderness region known as the Greenbelt. Exploration should be limited to an area no further than thirty-six miles east and west and sixty miles south of Oleg's Trading Post. The carrier of this charter should also strive against banditry and other unlawful behaviour to be encountered. The punishment for unrepentant banditry remains as always, execution by sword or rope. So witnessed on the 24th day of Calistril, under the watchful eye of the Lordship of Restov and authority granted by Lord Noleski Surtova, current Regent of the Dragonscale Throne.

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Dot.

Posting so it quits hiding at the bottom of the page as inactive

Dot

Dot

Murfle.

Ok, I think that's everyone yes? Given we lost the last addition to the group?

Just Fhârn, though I think he mentioned he may be busy at work. We can probably get things going and pick him up when he replies. :)

@Wil - I'm here. I just didn't want to leave my dot laying around and cluttering up the thread. :P

Flying out today, feel free to bot me as needed. Hopefully I'll have internet access soon but no promises .

Ok, so, Anastacia, Dareon, Felix, Fharn, Rowan, and Wilhelm

Several weeks (16 days) go by, and the hunt for the hag gradually cools down. Rumors abound of her having fled, or having taken the place of the royal consort, of her having taken the place of Wilhelm, or of her having never existed and her only being a convenient lie to cover up Wilhelm removing rivals, or that she's in the pay of the troll king and went back to be one of his generals.

There are rumors of the trolls being spotted in the forests, and the Sootscale clan seems to be having some internal strife, as a small but vocal faction is declaring that the Troll King will let them live as they always have without these pesky rules the Human King wants. It seems the more hard-line factions Read LE factions are banding together against the more neutral factions Read LN factions within the tribe.

There are also rumors coming in of fighting to the east, and rumors of Centaur attacks in the mountains.

And me

Gozran 24th, Year 2 - Wilhelm's meeting hall

Looking over the training reports that Dante had prepared, Wilhelm signals to an aide and asks, "Would you be so kind as to call a meeting of the council? We're due to meet and discuss our next actions.

Some time later.

Watching quietly as his friends trickle in, Wilhelm welcomes each with a weary, but warm, smile and bids them to be seated. Once all are seated, he begins, "My friends, it's been a few weeks and there is little sign of the hag. It's possible that she has left or gone to ground. In either case, I don't think we can put off other matters for any longer." Clearing his throat and glancing at Felicia, Wilhelm asks, "I've heard reports and rumors that have your tribe, Shimmerscales, as a divided one. Should we be concerned or is this a purely tribal matter?"

Wilhelm waits for his cousin's response before asking Dante, "Have you any word from the scouting party we sent after the trolls? I would have expected they'd returned by now."

We probably require an answer from MDT for the scouting party thing. MDT, basically we sent a small party (I think Dante said 10-20?) rangers in a group after the trolls after we'd met them in the Sootscale cave. They were to avoid contact wherever possible and report back after a week or whenever they found the trolls home.

The rangers managed to get some info, but they lost the trolls in the forested hills near the Narlmarches and Kamelands. Beyond that, they are not sure where the trolls went to, the trolls are very good at hiding their tracks despite their size.

Before we begin, have any of the other random encounters/quests in River Runs Red been done? Or is it a blank slate?

We've done nothing else. You can see the tiles we visited in the map I linked. :) That said, we're also about 2 levels higher then the expected starting level for RRR.

Gozran 24th, Year 2 - Wilhelm's meeting hall

Dareon shows up just a minute or two late, his glasses smoky and his robe smelling of herbs and trees and his dog. He straightens his tie and enters Wilhelm's manor, greeting the other leaders with a smile and a wave, sitting down next to Rowan. "The kobolds could be a valuable ally in any engagement with trolls," Dareon articulates. "Their propensity for pyrotechnics and trapmaking is a considerable military asset."

Just how many kobolds are there, anyway? And how many warriors? Assuming that we unite them, of course.

"This is unfortunately an internal matter. If outside influence were to step in it would be seen as exactly the kind of intrusive behavior the hardliners have been warning is coming. A people tends to wish to rule themselves. I am working to steer cooler heads around to what can be done."

"Seems to me that these hard line kobolds act out of desire for personal power, rather than desire for independence. They want an alliance with trolls. Trolls will not grant them independence, but servitude. They must be aware of this." Anastacia yawns. She has been burning the midnight oil, of late. "So they view the trolls as more powerful than we. We need to catch these trolls, and destroy them. Then the kobolds will know who wields true power, and will fall in line."

"They may simply prefer to deal with the devil they know." Fhârn chirped in. "If they see us as no different then the trolls, a foreign spices seeking to rule and subjugate them, then it isn't so strange. So we must seek to prove them wrong - without meddling. Not an easy task indeed."

The Skyborn general scoffed into his glass at Fharn. "If they see us as no different than the trolls, then they are foolish. We've met them with friendship not servitude and in thanks they would join our enemies? Let the foolish lizards jump ship. Any other noble aside our Lord Wilhelm would've burned them out and claimed that mine for their own. We've given them respect, out of the good nature of this company's members, not because they've earned it. If they truly see us as devil's. I say let the devil's work commence."

The large man poured himself another glass. "I've no real ill will against the little buggers, but I'll be damned if they bolster the forces of our enemies and cause the death of good men."

"We met them, as a whole, once. It wouldn't be the first time conquerors put up a friendly façade, so I would hardly blame them for their suspicion. On the bright side the troll-huggers seem to be in minority."

"I'm inclined to agree with Fhârn that this suspicion isn't unwarranted. It strikes me that some number of the kobolds, mostly the troll-huggers as you called them, dislike the requirements that integration would bring. Perhaps it would be best to appoint some form of ambassador to give them a chance to get to know us?" Wilhelm covers an embarrassed blush with a cough and glances at his cousin, "I mean to say a non-kobold ambassador in addition to you, Felicia. They see you as one of the tribe and meeting an outsider might help quell some of the dissent. Alternatively, it may be seen as meddling. Your thoughts, Felicia?"

Glacncing at Dante, Wilhelm adds, "It will also give us an alert should any defect, though the Sootscales may handle that themselves."

"As for the trolls, I'm inclined to agree with Anastacia's assessment that they must be stamped out. It seems that we didn't give them their due and they managed to give Dante's rangers the slip. I propose that we, the council, do our own scouting. When the caravan carrying supplies for the renovation of the former Stag Lord's fort leaves, we too can go. That should give us a day or two to prepare and then we can be off. Your thoughts?"

Basically split up into 2 groups of 3 and 4 and go scouting. I'd think something like: Dareon, Felix, Dante and Anastacia in one group and Fhârn, Rowan and myself in another. That gets both pet classes in one group to bolster their numbers.

Let me know when you're done with kingdom building and are ready to go. I'm not up until that happens. Until then, I just answer direct questions and put words in the mouths of NPCs. :)

Dareon will gladly follow the orders of the noble Lord Orlovsky. Not sure how useful he'll be against trolls, of course. Anyone have any fire or acid spells to share? Fharn, do you know produce flame?

@Wil - All three pet classes you mean! I have this oaf in platemail following me around constantly *caw!*

"Once again taking a look at the matter ourselves could provide new insights - and perhaps strengthen our bond with the Soothscales. But we must not forget this centaur trouble. It has been brewing for too long - at worst we could see a two-front war."

Hmm - as noted - we should probably try and defuse/deal with the centaur situation soon. It has been on our backlog for a long time now. And how knows, perhaps they would be willing to track down some trolls for us ...

Otherwise, the grouping seems okay : )

"A single envoy may be acceptable, and I am definitely going to borrow troll huggers. It comes out more degrading when you translate it." Shimmer chuckles at the thought, although the sound cums out as more of a barking hiccup. "Might shame some of the less invested in to line. Just make sure whoever you send can keep a civil tongue and hold their cards close to the vest."

Oh great mdt, we require you to fill the mouths of a few npcs with words. :P

"New insights, yes. Also that I've an itch to hit something after weeks of waiting with the threat of those bastard trolls looming over our head." Looking faintly embarassed by his outburst, Wilhelm continues, "Roan, I don't suppose you happen to have anything else on the centaur problems? As I recall, a mercenary captain was set up in the region -Varn, maybe- and it's possible the fighting involves that group."

Wilhelm nods his acknowledgement of Felix's reasoning. Glancing across the faces seated in the room, Wilhelm finally rests on one face in particular. I suppose that will have to be it, no matter how I may not like it. Duty is as a mountain. A small smile quirking at the corner of he lips, Wilhelm heaves a sigh and says, "Lanya, would you be willing to serve as ambassador? You seem to be the best among us to win the kobold's hearts. You'll want an honor guard while you're there, of course." Wilhelm eyes Dante and Vors and raising his eyebrows meaningfully.

Our ambassador from Brevoy told us about Maegar Varn and his mercenary crew who were set up over there. I think it was in competition with us by another faction but I can't say unless I go delving through the posting history.

Yeah, that does ring a bell!

"I agree. A good hunt for the good of the community. I believe Erastil would approve." Rowan says with a smile. "It's been a while since Argos and I found a challeng prey."

[ooc]I agree. If I remember correctly, the fey warned us that Varn had slaughtered a lot of the centaur under the pretense of peace talks.[/b]

On their sacred ground, if my memory/knowledge of the book serves me right.

Roan scratches the back of his head. "Not as much information as I'd like about the Centaurs. Some of the trappers have reported that they've seen lots of hoof tracks. And we've had some trappers go missing recently. Additionally, we've had 4 people killed by large wild animals in the village of Malver's Crossing, it's a new village north of the Sootscales on the river."[b] He winces. [b]"It's technically one of our villages, although we didn't really set it up. It was approved by Sloboda before she vanished, without asking or letting anyone know. A bunch of her radical friends, I think. There's rumors that it's Centaurs using familiars, killing people. But there's also rumors that it's the Sootscales... I hadn't wanted to believe that one, but given there's a schism in the tribe..." He shrugs. "I'm spread a bit thin, between the trolls, the centaurs, the humans, the fey, the undead, the kobolds, and the kingdom. What do you want me to prioritize?"

Lanya listens, and when asked if she will be a diplomat to the kobolds, winces. "I don't think both of us should be away from the capitol, Wilhelm. But if you think it's best, I'll do so."

Just to note, if you send NPCs to the Sootscales, I'm fine with that, but I'll handle the diplomacy trip via rolls, so you'll survive by dice whim. Just want to confirm you are all aware of that before I do it.

Wilhelm sighs as Roan rattles off a list of troubles that required attending to. Glorious work isn't it? It's worth it but there won't be any bard songs about this. Running a hand through his neatly trimmed beard, Wilhelm thinks over Roan's question. "I think the trolls need to be our first priority. They present the most immediate threat that might well end us. I'm hoping to make some more inroads with the fey with Rowan's help, so that'll be a lower priority. For these rumors of centaurs, maybe the group traveling to the south and east can swing by the village and have a look around. They can be a lower priority too until we've dealt with the trolls. That'll have to be quick lest we start fighting a two front war."

Wilhelm pauses a moment and thinks over the others a spot longer. "Keep watchers out for the hag and any ties to the undead. She can't be gone, but is probably just biding her time. Any rulers who stay need to stick together and keep a strong guard nearby. The kingdom's spying, whatever that may be, should continue at the middle of the pack with the humans holding up the rear. I don't think any other groups will be able to make a move for a time. There'd be too much backlash in Brevoy. They'd wait until we're weaker then we are now and then pounce by putting on a bit of a show about "rescuing the good citizens of Domierov". Does what I've argued make sense to the rest of you, or am I addled?" Wilhelm smiles thinly at his own weak quick, then sighs and glances at Lanya and shrugs, "As for the kobolds, I'm just not sure. Lanya raises a good point and with you as busy as you are, I'm not sure I can leave you as a steward in my absence." Wilhelm finally relents to the sense of Lanya's argument, "Maybe the best thing is to simply give the Sootscales time. I don't think we can spare you, Lanya, as you've aptly pointed out. Felix, your group will be traveling near the cavern, would it make sense for you to stop over and let them meet a few of our own again?"

Rough order for Roan: 1.) Trolls, 2.) Hag/Undead 3.) Centaurs 4.) Kingdom 5.) Kobolds 6.) Fey 7.)Humans. That make sense to everyone? Thinking Lanya needs to stay (partially the whole steward thing and partially the NPC rolls thing). Felix and Co. will be our substitute. Thoughts welcome on that too. :) Want you guys involved in this decision process as it's our kingdom, not mine. :P

"You're itching to go after an army of trolls and you ask us if you are addled? My lord, with all due respect, you truly have gone mad! But everything you've mentioned so far makes sense." Rowan jests with a straight face momentarily before breaking out in his classic boyish grin. "When shall we depart?"

How much time has passed as far as item creation goes? We've had items on the Crafter's Corner for a while now, are they all completed?

Wilhelm frowns a little, looking disappointed, as he misses Rowan's deadpan humor. His frown fades into confusion for a moment, then a flash of realization as he catches on when Rowan grins. Smiling slyly, Wilhelm quips, "I suppose we'll have to leave as soon as our subjects have finished picking a less addled council to replace us. I was thinking about the day after tomorrow. Is that sufficient time for all of you to set your stewards in order and scrub the rust from your stowed armor?"

"That's the greatness of hide, my friend. It never rusts. I'll be ready to depart tomorrow. Afterall, it shouldn't take the city a full day to find less addled replacements."

Well, for item creation, you had at least a month, as you did kingdom stuff for a month before setting out, so 3 weeks of work for crafters. Beyond that, Leinathan would need to specify how much down time you had before I took over.

Roan nods. "Right, got it." He heads off, looking very harried and overworked. There are indications that he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Perhaps Sanita had a better disposition to be a sneaky underhanded type.

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Two days later, the parties meet up outside the burgeoning town, astride mounts, and ready to depart on their separate paths.

Do you want me to create a new thread for group 2, or do you want to use the thread you were using before, with Leinathan doing the campaign updates for me?

Feel free to bring Sanita back to fill the Spymaster role as an NPC if you want. :P We kept Roan cause he was a PC, but that's a null reason now.

Gozran 26th, Year 2
Wilhelm, shining armor gleaming brightly in the brisk morning air, suppresses a shiver in the still-chill spring air. I've been spending too much time indoors if this bright morning is enough to give me the chills. Looking over his companions, he smiles and speaks, "Well friends, it looks that we're ready to ride away to the south. Dante, your group will split off south of the gold mines I assume? That should be well, we can at least enjoy half a days ride together. Let's try to avoid making any more unnecessary enemies lest Roan collapses into a babbling heap." Wilhelm grins and looks fondly at the man a short ways away. He then turns in his saddle, looking down at Lanya, "M'lady, I would be greatly obliged if you would serve as steward in my absence. We should be gone for roughly two and a half to three weeks, depending on the time we spend in the forest." He smiles again, bowing, and then leads his group out and away.

Ok, let's get this show on the road. :)

Anastacia sits astride Avalanche, her black hood, cape, and gleaming black armor a sharp contrast to the pale dapple gray of her horse.
"Actually, I would request that we swing East to deal with those restless dead. My duties to Pharasma demand it. I'd rather not test the Goddess' patience more than has already been done."
Avalanche prances a bit with eagerness, as the cleric continues to speak.
"From there, we could follow the river down, then back across to the mines."

"By all means, if you wish to give that a try. I seem to recall Dante saying there wasn't a ford across at that point, but I don't know that for sure. Whichever way is preferable at first. You'd be returning on the correct side of the river on the way back as planned, I believe."

Atop Mandarb, his warhorse, Dante greeted the morning with his usual gruff disposition. His armor was polished but not shining. A great fur cloak adorned his shoulders.

assuming this is what Anastacia is talking about.

"There is some sort of undead creature that guards the bridge there. Once dealt with, if the bridge is in disrepair we should be able to fix it with a few hours of labor."

Mandarb paws the earth with his hooves. "I go where needed. Is it your command then Lord Baron, to assist the Lady Stormwing in her clerical duties?"

"The creature ought be dealt with before it becomes a threat to our citizens, but I'll leave it to your discretion the precise method. You should all stick together, however, with those monsters running loose near our land."

So am I going with Ana and Dante?

Dareon's horse is a light riding horse name Unity, a light brown mare who's a little unruly for him, especially given his lack of talent at riding. "I'm not really one for battle," murmurs Dareon, "But I'll stand by you if you still believe you want me around."

Anastacia, Dante, Daeron, and Felix on the southeast route. Wilhelm, Rowan, and Fhârn on the western route.

Wilhelm gently guides Triumph alongside Dareon's hourse and lays a hand on the man's shoulder. "Of course we do, Dareon. You were there alongside us in the assault on the castle and I'm sure you'll acquit yourself here as well. I wouldn't dream of letting our Archmagus simply sit around when there's trolls to be burnt." Wilhelm grins warmly at the man and then gestures towards the road. "Let's be off then."

Ready to get this show on the road unless we have any further questions. :)

Sorry, been sick for two days. Will get us up and going by this weekend.

No worries MDT. I just got over a cold too, so focus on getting better. Being sick just sorta sucks.

Back :)

Fhârn leads his horse up to the meeting spot. It was refreshing to once again be off, to start picking off the long list of problems facing their small country.

"All ready and raring to go."

Ok, I'm going to just assume the things in Part 1 that weren't done by the group were done by NPCs. Also, note that there's a small chance NPCs can die by misadventure, as they will be here seeking their fortunes as well. This will only be for NPCs who have a reason to go out adventuring, obviously. Also, plot important people are immune due to divine (read plot) protection. :) So, Oleg & Svetlana are unlikely to go adventuring or slip and fall in the tub. Roan, or Varn, on the other hand, may have to go out. If someone can put a list of NPCs and current status's up for me in discussion, I'd appreciate it. This thread is for Wilhelm's group. Anastacia's group is in the thread B forum (see link at top).

Everyone please check in as needed and dot the gameplay thread as needed.

DOT

Noted!

Dot.

OK, there it is. Guess it takes more than a period to dot a thread. Thanks, MDT.

Might be an issue of minimum post size : )

@16 Days

During the 16 days of 'skip-time', it seems prudent that we would be able to use Share Memory via both Dareon and myself so that everyone would gain a decent understanding of what transpired, both with the hag and the troll.

In addition, it seems as if our plan to catch the hag by misinformation wasn't fruitful - but we tried.

Roan doesn't seem to be around anymore. Should we try to PM him and/or write some sort of explanation? Perhaps send him abroad as an envoy to gather support and/or keep an eye on our centaur-hating neighbour?

In addition, it seems as if a good way to set the scene again is to meet at Wil's and once again make (brief) plans on our future. I suggest looking into some troll killing techniques as well as hag-proofing our more important institutions. Additionally, we need to know more about the kobold and centaur situation.

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@mdt - One more thing that happened! In preparation for level 7 and the leadership feat (which many have expressed interest in) we have started to slowly introduce cohorts. For example, I believe Dante's daughter is currently gracing us with a visit. Just so you know if you see unfamiliar aliases in the old threads.

Also - It feels courteous to check again that the leadership feat is something you are willing to run.

And that you are okay with the cohorts showing up before we actually have the feat (but they will mostly just say hi).

Indeed. Given the request the day prior, Dareon can potentially prepare share memory nine times per day.

I would also be down for a meeting again at Wilhelm's manor. Dareon has a few ideas but few solutions to the troll problem - his opposition to Evocation makes Dareon a terrible battle-mage and little-suited to killing trolls. I mean, he can acid splash every round to deactivate their regeneration... Dareon CAN, however, help a LOT with the hag problem. His divination focus is very helpful.

Next level I might have to order a scroll of wall of fire. Conjuration fills a lot of my holes...

Also, is it a terrible idea to split the party? We need most of the party around to deal with the trolls. Numbers is power. However, Dareon can help a lot as an envoy, and is pretty capable of taking care of himself and traveling at speed. So...we could send Dareon to the centaurs? He speaks Sylvan and Giant and has a high Diplomacy score.

Yes, leadership/cohorts are still fine.

So far as Roan goes I sent a PM a few months ago and got no response. I checked a few of his aliases and I don't see him posting at all. Bummer. :) Given the above, I believe our current count is at 7, which is 1 shy of a convenient number to split up. That may be a non-issue with a bunch of cohorts running around.

Our current list:

Anastacia
Dante
Dareon
Felicia Shimmerscales
Fhârn
Rowan
Wilhelm

We could do the profane 6-and-1.

I was suggesting that Dareon go alone. I could bring someone's cohort or two, I suppose, as well. If that's okay.

I could also take Leadership and bring along my own cohort XD Not that's really a plan. I want Craft Construct so that I can just start building little servitors.

Can anyone think of a way to get it without meeting prerequisites? Can I re-train my "eye for talent" racial feature into the bonus feat that's the regular feature? I don't have a companion creature anymore to apply it to.

If the hag isn't causing much of an issue anymore then Rowan could accompany Dareon on his diplomacy quest and provide a lot of versatility.

Yeah, 5-2 sounds alot better. No fun going anywhere alone, is there :)?

And, while not constructs, these guys make adorable minions. Perfect if you have some time to spend with a druid !

edit: Behold: their glory!

edit2: The Leaf Leshys for example might be handy for scouting out the forest : )

Wow, that's a nice find :D Thanks. I might actually be able to make use of those, especially with adding druid spells to my spell list.

(You could just ask Rowan to cast them for you or help pen some scrolls. I'm not sure if "Magic Stone" is the best spell to pick if one only gets a small number of druid spells ^^)

The Leaf Leshys are described as kinda 'fake militaristic' with their twig-weapon drills and such, so I was thinking of making one of those somehow and then have it wander off to Dante's drills. Just to see what happens :P

I think I'd rather recruit an 8th to bring it up to two groups of four honestly. I don't really like 5/2, even if the the 2 has cohorts. Primarily because it makes it hard to keep things in sync time wise in game. Two people will post and resolve more often than 5, and then the 2 end up sitting around when it's time to bring the two groups together again. We kind of saw that when Fharn and Sanita went off, we got a ton of stuff done, way more than the other groups, and then kind of had to wait around a bit for everyone to catch up. We even got some extra adventures because the GM admitted he needed to slow us down.

Hmm. True!

But that pirate ship was really neat : )

Can I advocate for not recruiting another? At a certain point, it gets a little bit awkward to continue introducing new people into the thread, especially with a party size and age like this one. Not only that, but allowing more unconventional adventuring methods can be fun! Even though Fharn and Sanita got a lot more gaming in than the others because there were only two of them, it was an awesome experience, right? I read it, it was really cool!

Also, having a smaller party doesn't necessarily mean that they get more done...maybe it means that they get to elaborate more on it.

Also, about my racial feature? I'd just re-train to Magical Aptitude.

Perhaps just a 4-3 split then, if we are even going to do that?

Recruiting another once again when we just started to get things back on track seems like more trouble then we need : )

I'm fine with 4/3, just don't want 5/2 or worse 6/1.

I'm flexible, but am inclined to think that recruiting number 8 isn't a terrible idea. If we do so, though, I'd vote we wait until we're running more smoothly again.

Also, we're due to start the Gozran year 2 kingdom building. I can handle all the mechanical tracking and stuff. I'd assume we've kept our militia up and running (all 500 of them...) and that would cost 4 BP for those 2 weeks. Alternatively, our garrison can hold our army in reserve for the month and that takes up only 2 BP for the rest of the month. Go to reserve? If we do, there is no additional cost for us.

As far as what to do, I think we need to build in the Stag Lord's fort. This is what our kingdom is looking like right now. I'd say we should claim B18 and D20 (we can claim 2 hexes per turn now). We can start preparing G19 (Stag Lord's Fort) for its new settlement. That'll be ready next month and will cost 2BP. We can then get a farm on B18 and a Quarry on D20 for 2 and 6 respectively. That leaves us with either 33 or 29 depending on if we put the army in reserve. Income would be ((1d20 + 35)/3) + 7 bp which averages 22 BP. We'd have plenty to immediately get a castle in our new settlement (half cost).

Our capitol city, Zatoksta, in all its glory.

How convenient, the jail is right next to the 'dance hall'. ;)

And the tavern. ;)

Sorry everyone, I had a family emergency Friday afternoon. And then another one Sunday morning. I'm a bit shellshocked. I may be a bit spotty this week on posting.

Also, I'm fine with waiting to recruit up to 8, especially with things just getting started again.

Whatever two groups you'd like to break up into, is fine. And yes, I'd noticed that people were two higher in level than suggested, I can modify.

I would suggest that Dareon be in the group that uses the other thread, as he has control of that thread and can add things to it without having to switch owners (again!) on it. I'll just post links in the discussion or game thread when they need to be put in the top.

If you guys want to do the second year kingdom stuff before we get back to adventure, now is a good time to do it, otherwise, I'm going to assume the adventuring starts now for book 3.

I'm assuming you mean book 2? I was just thinking we'd do this month to keep things together. If we end up mustering armies and stuff, it'll throw off my calculations pretty badly.

Yeah, sorry, the current book. River runs red.

It seems a bit weird to run another entire year of kingdom building right off the bat since we have so many delicate tasks to deal with : )

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Sorry to hear about your family!

Just noticed that I misread that. Sorry to hear about the family emergencies, mdt. I hope everything is well for you and yours. Take your time returning, as there's no rush.

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So, assuming I don't hear any other negative feedback tomorrow, I'll proceed with Gozran Year 2 kingdom building. I value any commentary on my suggested course of action.

Go for it!

Ok, doing kingdom building for Gozran, Year 2:

Upkeep phase:
1.) Stability:
Stability check (DC 33): 1d20 + 31 ⇒ (12) + 31 = 43
No unrest and there's nothing to reduce so +1 BP (46 BP).
2.) Consumption: Put army in reserve so we pay 2 BP for the month (44 BP).
3.) No magic item slots.
4.) No unrest to modify.

Edict phase:
1.) Assign leadership (no change).
2.) Claim 2 hexes (B18 and D20) for 2 bp (42 bp).
3.) Build a farm/road in B18 and a quarry in D20. (33 BP)
4.) Prepare G19 for settlement next month. (31 BP)
5/6.) No new army or edict changes.

Income phase:
1.) No withdrawl.
2.) No deposits.
3.) No items for sale.
4.) Collect taxes:
Economy check (DC 36): 1d20 + 35 ⇒ (12) + 35 = 47 / 3 = 15 + 7 misc income + 31 treasury = 53 bp

Event phase:
1.) No event last month. Rolling for one:

Event chance (0-24 = no event): 1d100 ⇒ 13

Sorry everyone, we're on break until after christmas. I've been sick for a week, bronchitus. Doctor gave me a z-pak (alergic to penicilin) and it's wiping me out. I'll be dragging bottom for at least 3 more days, and that takes us to X-Mas, so we're on break until next week. Sorry, collapsed last night and slept all day Saturday.

No worries, MDT. I hope you feel better soon. Have a happy holidays! :)

+1 to Wil's statement. Focus on getting better and your family and the holidays : )

And happy holidays to the rest of you too!

I wish you the greatest luck in your Christmastime expansions, military campaigns and diplomacy missions against your family and friends.

Why thank you - just as I was planning on playing some civ 4 with my brother ...^^

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Merry christmas/have a nice day! : )

Merry Christmas, happy holidays and a joyous new year to all, by decree of the Baron! :)

Just wanted to check in and say that I hope you're feeling better, MDT. Happy new year folks!

Yep, feeling better, somewhat.

Ok, I'm up to start now. What would you like to do, group? I'm assuming split up into two parties? What do you need from me before going forward? Post what you want to check on before heading out (I'll supply information via NPCs).

Glad to hear you're feeling a bit better. Here's to hoping you feel fully better soon. :)

I had a few questions in my last IC post that require NPC answers. One was a question for Roan about anything further about the centaurs. I'll probably also want to have him send some more scouts out to see what we can find out there. The other question was if Lanya would serve as ambassador to the Sootscales (with honor guard implied to be provided by Dante/Vors).

We'll be splitting into two groups and exploring for what should be about 2.5 to 3 weeks which brings us into Desnus. I've outlined my proposed paths on our kingdom map. Group 1 consists of Dareon, Dante, Felix and Anastacia and they'll explore the blue tiles on the map. Group 2 consists of Wilhelm, Rowan and Fharn and they'll explore the orange tiles.

I think that's all I had. I'll probably designate Roan as steward in my absence. If anyone else has thoughts/concerns with the above, post it here and we can hash it out. :) The group composition seemed like it went over ok.

Order of spying seems good! And the proposed groups works for me too : )

I see nothing wrong with the exploration parts. It is good that we start in the soothscale end of things, so we can check by again. Perhaps even negotiate some way to *prove* our good intentions. We'll see ... : )

Note: I'm a bit preoccupied today and like two more days. I'll try to get an IC post up asap but I can't promise anything !

Not hearing a lot of feedback from players (Other than Wilhelm and Fharn). I'm assuming it's the holidays?

I'll hold off a couple of more days before posting anything to give people a chance to post and get back from holiday trips.

That was my assumption too. Give everyone through the weekend and then start everything up then? I think things will get better when we're into a bit of action. Nothing invigorates posting like breaking heads. :)

*Crack!*

"Well spoken, my liege!"

"Aye! I'll drink to that!"

Hope everyone had a great holiday!

Posting a reply later, just wanted to add that you can do whichever method you prefer, MDT. Leinanthan can probably also transfer the old game to your control if you prefer that route. Just let let us know what you want to do. :)

Magic items crafting has been ongoing for a year and a month, more or less. It was also synced to WBL OR whatever you had after last adventures, whichever was better. Presumably any crafting that was WIP is now done.

I think most went with the wbl sync - and using (all) that money simply to craft feels a little dirty to me :P

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I have a pair of meaty reports due the 8th - so for now Fhârn will just go by anything that happens quietly (except being slightly offended over the notion he would let his stuff rust!).

One question before I get started, did anyone collect the Tatzlwyrm bounty, or is that still outstanding?

I'm fairly sure that we haven't had that one back yet. We've just done the monstrous boar, the berries and the bandit stuff. We also recovered Svetlana's ring, I believe.

Ok, sorry, it's throwing me for a bit of a loop, it seems about half of book 2 was left out before book 3 started. That means a bunch of stuff the AP requires for book 3 hasn't been done yet. That means I'll need to combine some of the book 2 stuff into book 3 as pre-requisites.

I'll work out what I need to change tomorrow then. I had something typed up, and then realized I didn't remember ever doing the bits the book says you should have already done, and was hoping it was done while I was away.

So we should be through only the first book in terms of the main plot. We just met "King" Hargulka and his band of trolls. Most of the book 2 content and (probably) some of the book 1 content should remain. I don't think we've done any book 3 stuff as yet. We haven't finished exploring the entirety of the Greenlands (which is generally the end of book 2). Hopefully that clears up some confusions.