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@ GM and that is why I still have hope that you can't quit us. (In a non-brokeback mountain kind of way)
Is it weird that this exact thought has been going through my mind all day? I've never seen that movie, but I know that's the famous line.
Probably not weird at all.
So, about Greta...
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My admiration and apologies go to Chris. Aoife has little to do here, and that is a shame. Your posts of her inner thoughts, on the other hand, are a joy to read. It reminds me why PbP can be superior to regular RP in so many ways.
Worry not, you will have an opportunity for Aoife to speak her inner voice (or just her regular voice) very soon.
My admiration and apologies go to Chris. Aoife has little to do here, and that is a shame. Your posts of her inner thoughts, on the other hand, are a joy to read. It reminds me why PbP can be superior to regular RP in so many ways.
Worry not, you will have an opportunity for Aoife to speak her inner voice (or just her regular voice) very soon.
No worries at all, dude. I'm really happy Aoife is out of the spotlight. I had a hard time before thinking she was making the story so much about her, so I'm happy everyone else is getting great opportunities show off their awesome characters and interact with the environment/people of Whitethrone, this whole section is a joy to read. I'm totally digging it.
Because I'm trying to have her stay out of the way, I'm mostly just doing inner monologue/sad bastard type posts while she tries to process and deal with the loss of her father. Now all this Thora stuff just got stirred up, so I'm all good. Let's keep Aoife out of the way so that Kuragin, Jorvik, IMQiS, and Wolfbaad can knock it out of the water.
So I have Ishbaad updated in Hero Lab - just need to add Onyx as my mount.
Megoloceros are in the bestiary 2, so I will need to purchase that add-on, no big deal there.
I should be able to pick away at updating my profile today. I do it offline so I can just copy and paste it into the profile box. Much easier to keep track of things that way, especially the way I customize it.
Having the spotlight in the group is both wildly fun, and a little uncomfortable because I don't want to be a hog. Thanks again for the spotlight while I had it. I am excited to see what IMQiS, Jorvik and Kuragin can do now that they are home.
Ishbaad will remain a dutiful particularly exceptional piece of art, both to play my part in this scene, and to let you guys have the spotlight for a while.
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Let's keep Aoife out of the way so that Kuragin, Jorvik, IMQiS, and Wolfbaad can knock it out of the water.
Yeeeessssssss........
That is awesome.
Also... Cyrus'd. Funny we had the same thought and posted it at the same time.
Love the journal entry, dude. This morning I saw you had posted the journal entries and was super excited to learn a little more about my own toon's backstory. Super, super neat.
Glad you liked it! Got a few more lined up. The hardest part will be holding off on posting them - once I write, I just want to share!
Love the journal entry, dude. This morning I saw you had posted the journal entries and was super excited to learn a little more about my own toon's backstory. Super, super neat.
+1 to that - now let it drip forth so we can share in this awesome plot line!!! SOooooooo excited.
Dude... Aoife and GM Damo - killing this journal thing. So awesome.
Love it!
I'll get a post up later. Going to a cheerleading competition filled with screaming 7 year old girls. But its my daughter, and its a state competition. Should be fun :)
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Gotta agree with all of that.
Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight is wondering how Iomedae would think of Ishbaad's dalliances... she's not known to be the most forgiving of goddesses.
GM Damo, I've decided that Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight is going to bite on Solveig's offer to teach of Milani (partially because I am interested to see what you can reveal, and would love to do it through RP).
Aoife has been updated for level 5, I added a level of Ninja. She also is starting to pick up skald from all this time in the north. Now I (as the reader) will finally be able to see what everyone has been spoiler-ing about from day one and that I have forced myself not to read up to this point.
Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight is wondering how Iomedae would think of Ishbaad's dalliances... she's not known to be the most forgiving of goddesses.
This is a really good point that I wanted to take advantage of so I could explain some of Ishbaad's motivations of late, and some of the struggles that I thought would make the character fun to write about and interact with.
First - Ishbaad is an inquisitor, not a cleric. Otherwise he might have much to answer for.
Grim and determined, the inquisitor roots out enemies of the faith, using trickery and guile when righteousness and purity is not enough. Although inquisitors are dedicated to a deity, they are above many of the normal rules and conventions of the church. They answer to their deity and their own sense of justice alone, and are willing to take extreme measures to meet their goals.
Second - Ishbaad happens to be struggling with some temptation right now, because what good is a hero without a fatalistic flaw, right? Besides, overwhelming temptation is something that every human deals with, which helps the reader identify with the character. That is the end game I am hoping to achieve - all while having some fun with some tense moments in the game.
A tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction.
Now... whether or not I can pull it off without it just looking or reading silly is an entirely different matter... :)
Great news on the level ups... and on wanting to know more about Milani (who does indeed frown upon dalliances - but who approves of finding a new mate if the old one passes or otherwise breaks it off). Heh. I'll take it 'in character'.
I'd like to say I'll get a post out this morning - but there's so much. If you guys don't mind, I might respond to the (awesome) posts that are up there in batches. If I haven't covered your post, don't worry... it's coming!
I will try to do it in order, but it might not make 'story sense' to do so.
Great news on the level ups... and on wanting to know more about Milani (who does indeed frown upon dalliances - but who approves of finding a new mate if the old one passes or otherwise breaks it off). Heh. I'll take it 'in character'.
I'd like to say I'll get a post out this morning - but there's so much. If you guys don't mind, I might respond to the (awesome) posts that are up there in batches. If I haven't covered your post, don't worry... it's coming!
I will try to do it in order, but it might not make 'story sense' to do so.
There is a lot there, on both sides I assume. Take your time. Lots to digest both ways.
Looks like I picked the wrong weekend to stop sniffing glue. Reading and catching up. Still here. Great work boys!
Heh.
I think I've caught up now. If there is a hanging question that I haven't answered, please let me know! There was a lot to read and reply to.
I'm very happy to keep on talking about Milani, but will do it a bit at a time (rather than all at once). There are also more Journal entries, that I will now have Ishbaad read.
Jorvik and Kuragin, I will be sending you some emails soon asking about specific things in your past that could help here.
Lucky you, just finished the reading. Wow, just wow. I don't even know where to start.
I think we've all gone a little nuts lately with the imminent retirement of GM Damo...
Sorry about the novel, but at the same time I'm kinda not sorry... it sure is fun to write.
I just feel bad about making everyone have to do so much reading.
/sheepish grin
Yeah, I originally wasn't going to hold off on the next journal entry... but things ballooned. It's ready to post, but... ah, f&!$ it. I'll post it.
Hey guys, time for some meta!
I'd like to progress the story forward a little from this point... but there is a tonne of good roleplay going on at the moment.
Once this round of RP is over, I would like to split the party... perhaps in three directions.
Can we say that Jorvik and Kuragin need to go to meet their Stilyagi friends at The Cocoa Pot. After a brief inspection and admiration of Ishbaad, they let him go back to the Shrine and talk privately with their fellow Jadwiga. That conversation has a number of ways to play out.
Aoife and Ishbaad (perhaps Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight) can then continue some planning things back at the Shrine. Ringeirr will be there the whole time, and Solveig will be in and out (available intermittently) also. Ishbaad can (if he wants) also use this time to get in touch with Greta.
Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight can spend some time cultivating goblin contacts - or stick with one of the main groups. He can travel the city solo without attracting attention. The citizens of Whitethrone are used to having snow goblins (and winter fey) underfoot.
Just remember the social hierarchy:
- 1. Jadwiga (more recent ancestral rulership > less recent ancestral rulership, so Jadwiga Elvanna are up the top).
2. Winter fey & winter wolves.
3. Non-humans (the more powerful the better, so a troll > a goblin).
4. Human traders from foreign lands.
5. Summoned servitors (eg. elementals, house spirits).
6. Ulfen peasants.
Also, don't buy any divine type items as yet, you will get a few of those to help out from the Heralds. When planning how much gold to save for stuff, if it is a weapon enchantment, divine wondrous item of CL 7 or less, divine potion or divine scroll of level 4 or less, then Solveig can have it crafted for you at the cost of the materials only (ie. half CRB price).
Normally splitting up the party is bad, but I like this idea. It lets us take care of some things that kinda feel like "housekeeping" as we prepare for the next major step of what we are trying to accomplish.
Splitting up in this context makes a lot of sense to me.
Also - the selling/buying of goods without RP is perfect. I was hoping I could just take what gold we have developed on our loot sheet and just buy and sell what we need. I will make sure that is updated to reflect what everyone should have.
Once that is done, I would like to lock (and maybe hide?) everything on that sheet up until now to give us all a fresh starting point.
Sounds good.
Awesome journal entry GM Damo. This whole section when we are learning what is going on on Whitethrone, and trying to plan what to do, is great.
Plans and thoughts forming in my head - the journal confirms what I was hoping we could do.
So we can do what they decided not to do. We can kill the dragon (ha! actually sounds like fun) and convince the Iron guard to occupy the winter guard so we can get into the forest. We can perhaps even convince the winter wolves to help with that.
I am totally blasting this thread today and feel a little guilty about it, which is why I put that here. Ishbaad will post an internal monologue about how he is glad that he thinks the same way as Aoife's dad.
You've also got the Back Alley Boyz and the Stilyagi as potential assets / allies to use for the purposes of creating a distraction.
Please also do not forget that you don't currently have a contact within the Iron Guard, and Tighearnán was necessarily 'tight-quilled' with naming his contacts in Whitethrone. He also did not confide in Solveig as you have... but she can help.
I'm good for splitting a party for this situation. It only makes sense, since most activities wouldn't require the whole party. Of course, splitting the party always has the inherent dangers. Perhaps here it would work, still. Unless GM Damo wants to put an end to the campaign with a bang ;)
And Aoife & Ishbaad: Feel free to blast the thread as much as you want :)
In order
- Rest - tonight
- Tomorrow Jorvik, Ishbaad, and Ice go shopping (off screen unless someone wants to RP it then we all go - could be fun with ice.
- Kuragin and Jorvik go to bruch, get drunk and make fun of Ulfens, while the other 3 craft.
- Making friends - Jorvik and Ice to Iron Barraks; Kuragin, Ishbaad and Aofie look for clues on Dunwell, or make goblin friends, or make wolf friends.
How is that for a start?
Looks pretty darn good.
Missing something to do with Greta (unless that's 'make wolf friends').
There's also potential to scout out / research Logrivich... if that's the course of action you're thinking to take.
Also, Dunwell? You mentioned this in your last post, but I've got no idea to what or whom you are referring. Did I insert a location or NPC and forget about it?
Dunwell is from Journal #4. Thought it might be cool to connect with him if he was still around.
Also, the list was far from complete, just a let try this to start and see where we are at.
Oh, Tighearnán's wizard friend! Long gone. Ringeirr and Solveig can tell you as much.
Oh yeah, Kuragin was leveled up. I already had the Remove Curse on his list... The other lvl3 spell is stinking cloud.
I like Jorvik's list.
Ishbaad would only add to meet with Greta before going to bed for the night.
For language lessons.
*ahem*
Oh yea, and to convince her to convince the wolves to help us.
That only needs to happen tonight because the wolves are meeting tonight.
Now the real challenge here is to find a way to work in a "howling at the moon" pun... So far no luck. I'll keep you updated.
EDIT - Ooops - Ishbaad is all about adding scouting out Logrivich also, though I am guessing this will get tied in with Jorvik meeting his old friend/cousin who is in the Iron Guard.
Steve the player is shaking with excitement at the prospect of fighting a dragon, not going to lie. Ishbaad the character is stoically concerned about the inherant dangers, however.
(I really want to fight a dragon)
With Ishbaad additions:
- Ishbaad goes to meet with Greta to make
little half wolvesfriends with the winter wolves. - Rest - tonight
- Remove ring from IMQiS
- Tomorrow Jorvik, Ishbaad, and Ice go shopping (off screen unless someone wants to RP it then we all go - could be fun with ice.
- Kuragin and Jorvik go to bruch, get drunk and make fun of Ulfens, while the other 3 craft.
- Making friends - Jorvik and Ice to Iron Barraks; Kuragin, Ishbaad and Aofie
look for clues on Dunwell, or make goblin friends, or make wolf friends. - Possibly in conjunction with Iron Barraks friends, scout out Logrivich.
@Kuragin... weren't you going to learn remove curse from the scroll? Should give you an extra level 3 spell, if you want it.... or you can keep the scroll (but I thought that learning it at 5th level was the whole reason it hasn't been tried on Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight yet).
@All: Running out of time today. I'll try to push it along if I can later this afternoon or evening, but may be only to push it along for some players (or none).
Keep it up!
@ Ishbaad: Aoife is good with all that planning. I especially want to see what happens with Greta and the winter wolves. Also, like Ishbaad stated above, if we fight the dragon, it is going to be so awesome. I might need to the rethink Aoife's gear for that fight thought.
Ok so for crafting, I'd like to get the adaptive bonus to my longbow (anyone know why when I add adaptive to it it comes up red in Hero Lab?).
Warp Wood - Level 2 spell 500gp
Add +1 to breastplate 500gp
Now I have to look for more cool items.
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I believe adaptive is only for long composite bows?
Anyone care if Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight talks to the goblins? He's not going to do it unless given permission... he's a bit wary of pissing off Jorvik, Ishbaad, and Kuragin.
Haven't looked to items yet. Should update my money.
Jorvik, how are you getting the +1 for 500gp? Did I miss something?
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Ok, Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight's purchases:
Also, don't buy any divine type items as yet, you will get a few of those to help out from the Heralds. When planning how much gold to save for stuff, if it is a weapon enchantment, divine wondrous item of CL 7 or less, divine potion or divine scroll of level 4 or less, then Solveig can have it crafted for you at the cost of the materials only (ie. half CRB price).
Replace his chain shirt with a mithral shirt. (GM Damo, if this isn't permissible, just let me know). He's also going to get it enchanted to +1 (I assume that's going to take a few days before he can get it, so haven't purchased the enhancement yet)
He'll "trade" his muleback cords for the enhancement (sell for 500 gp effectively)
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He'll then dump the rest of his cash into a headband of intelligence +2, assuming he can get one.
Jorvik, how are you getting the +1 for 500gp? Did I miss something?
My bad - thought that Solveig could do that for us. So it'd be 1,000 for the +1.
Regarding the bow - it is a composite longbow and when I added Adaptive, it turned red. Not sure why but I checked the rules and everything checks out as far as I can tell. It even adjusted the strength rating when I applies Inspired Rage. Weird.
Solveig can do that for you. Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight was indeed missing something (unless I mis-specified it). 500gp for the +1. Did you have a +1 enchant on your longbow? You need it to add special abilities (even for those that don't increase your incremental enchantment).
You should have an exclamation mark in a red diamond on the top right of Hero Lab that will break down any redness for you - just click on it! ;-)
Thanks for weighing in everyone. Will move along some time before lunch time (gotta get to PC posts in those pesky other games first).
Nuts.
Ok so I will have to spend 1,500 for +1 adaptive, which is 1/2 the 'real cost' so it seems like I should do that.
Or I could have her craft a belt for 1,000 and +1 to my armor for 500 (Provided I sell some items I have been hoarding).
Or +1 armor and +1 weapon for 1,500.
I will have some time tonight to tinker more with purchases. My goal is to have that all done so that Monday we can go full steam ahead with some story arcs.
Off to go check what the pesky PCs posted on MY game thread - probably more foolishness.
Belts are 4,000gp usually... so 2,000gp if she enchants one for you (and 2 days).
Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight: no trouble with the mithral shirt, and you can indeed get that headband (in 2 days).
I'm still struggling with Hero Lab and adding Onyx as my bonded mount. Might just give up and do that manually. Oi.
I was going through my gear and looking at a bunch of the things I was going to sell and I had a thought.
The spear of manhunting is cool, but now that Ishbaad has a level in cavalier, he is proficient in some much more appropriate weapons for the type of build I was going for (ie greatsword). So I was going to sell it.
Except its worth almost 4k gold. I felt selfish selling that and keeping the gold for myself when the split of what we have gotten so far isn't really a whole lot. (at least from the math on the loot sheet)
We have gotten a ton of stuff, but we haven't sold that much, and so our actual gold level is pretty low. (it seems like... could be wrong, don't shoot me GM! ;)
ANYWAYS... I just wanted to suggest that if anyone is going to sell big items that we have been using out of party treasure, it might be a good idea to try to spread the wealth. It's really nice when anyone can just grab whatever is useful from the party treasure as we discover it, but that also has the potential to "unbalance the lootz" as it were.
I guess what I am saying is I just want to make sure I'm not being greedy.
Selling the spear of manhunting and splitting the profit means an extra 392.5 gp per person. So go ahead and add that to your total. I will sort out what I want to sell, buy and enchant this weekend, and hopefully get my new amazing, awe inspiring megalocerous mount sorted out for my profile and stats.
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Your gold level is quite low right now. The encounters on the road were (in general) very low-treasure. There have been quite a few treasure-less encounters throughout your level 4, actually.
The only possible way I could see it balancing out is if you were to... I don't know... somehow fight a dragon and discover its hoard in the middle of a populated city like Whitethrone. I don't see that happening any time soon, though, so you're screwed.
Sarcasm over, let's look to the loot sheet. Please make sure your wish-lists are up to date. I won't customize every haul, but I'm not above some tinkering.
For ease of book-keeping, I would rather everyone vends their own stuff and keeps that gold as they buy upgrades. If we want to look at overall loot by PC at any given point... we start to make it accounting exercise. It's a team effort, so whatever helps the team be best in combat / other situations. If everyone starts selling their items back to group loot, it becomes tedious (and still not necessarily 'fair').
Unless anyone objects, Ishbaad, just take the gold mate.
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Oh, excellent... that means he can get the headband for 2000gp? Then he'll be able to enchant his armor, and still have some cash left to keep making potions and the like. (I'll add the above)
So, the potions he can make are:
Crafter's Fortune
Cure Light Wounds
Endure Elements
Enlarge Person
Identify
Cat's Grace
Resist Energy
Lesser Restoration
Spider Climb
I kind of want to get him some more formula, so that he has more options here.
I've added a few things to Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight's wish list.
Phew. Got there.
Okay, so it should (hopefully) be clear that each of you has your own roleplaying situation now.
Ishbaad is going for the "night before" with Greta.
Jorvik and Kuragin are chatting to the Stilyagi prince. While Ishbaad is technically there, he's best served by being quiet (he can, of course, talk should he choose to do so).
Aoife and Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight are off scouting Logrivich's tower.
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I know Solveig suggested you should always have a Jadwiga with you, but the adventure does assume that you don't have one (let alone two!) in the party. As such, these forged papers are supposed to be how you conduct your business... so don't worry too much if you think I've taken your 'safety blanket' away.
"Ah, best not touch him there. Every man has his own limits, slave or not, and I for one simply cannot afford to look for another oread. We love our Ishbaad but sometimes he can be a like a winter wolf in heat....
John, your ability to make me laugh at uncomfortable moments in the office is unparalleled.
Bravo sir. Bravo.