I agree that I feel we're utterly outclassed and out of gas for this encounter. I scraped my brain for any reason at all Raliscar would have left this vamp alone, but couldn't come up with anything.
If we want to retreat, which I agree that we should, and presuming we're all able to, Aard will have done an excellent job setting up an ongoing nemesis for Raliscar to utterly hate and loathe. =)
Well, he was in the rooms before the end, but they also expected you to be able to fight the daemon in the vat.
Sadly, this adventure has a serious lack of what happens if you leave the place halfway through. In my reasonable mind, they would most definitely notice and react in some way, but the module makes no implication that you guys leaving is even a consideration.
To be fair though, the Nosferatu is/was willing to talk to you guys. He both heard and knew you (some enemy) were in the big room, and stayed where he was doing his own thing.
Neva's willing to hear the parley continue. She's old enough to know that sometimes you have to retreat. The main threat is destroyed, and this one can be hunted down later.
Anyway, let the role-playing encounter proceed!
I think I can sacrifice my ring of protection since I spend my time behind the warriors. I don’t know if that counts as 1000 gold or 2000 gold. I have loose cash I did not spend when I threw Feldy’s build together, but I don’t know if he would offer it with no idea who the young man is.
Anyone else have suggestions?
Raliscar's pre-adventuring business was providing transport from Korvosa to other neighboring towns and cities with an enclosed wagon. I could offer his livelihood perhaps. The horse and wagon are actually right upstairs in the loading bay as it turns out. Presuming he doesn't care to be seen, he'd just need to secure a driver.
If Feldy's offering his ring, which is worth 2K, then that might do it. If we need to start pooling items -- and Neva can talk Vyshael down, because at the moment he's literally fighting the urge to rush the vampire -- he's got a Pearl of Power (1) that'd do it.
However -- From a negotiating standpoint, I'd start with the offer of the horse and wagon first - since, to him, escape is more valuable than any wee trinket we might be carrying. Then we can start throwing in those trinkets.
I didn't want to offer the horse and wagon outright, but I certainly thought we could provide passage out of the city. Perhaps that would work as a first offer, the horse and wagon as a second offer, then other items if we need further sweetener in the pot.
Aye? Nay?
Makes sense. Offering to provide passage is an even better starting point.
quick math to calculate travel cost
Wagon can go 24 miles/day, Ardis is 530ish miles from Korvosa. That'll take about 3 weeks, but I rounded up to a full month in the calculations. CRB cites hired help as being 3sp/day, I bumped that to 4 for kicks.
Penny pinching, he could swing it for less than 100 gp, but it bumps up to 150ish gp if he takes a nice room every night at an inn and they go slowly.
I just role-played Neva to say "Dracula wants to go back to Transylvania? OK by me!"
The awesome power of no ranks in Knowledge(Geography)!
Assuming he doesn't eat the help.
What have we collected on this run? We can give him something we're not going to use that's worth between 150GP and 1000GP for him to use to hire the help.
Maybe offer the scythe with the wagon, unless Feldy got the impression it's too powerful for him to identify? Otherwise, I don't know if we identified it to be worth a lot, though, metagame, I'm sure it's worth a couple grand or so.
It’s a thought.
I can give him 200 gp to more than meet Raliscar’s estimate and the party comes out ahead when they sell the weapon, but that’s metagaming. Without metathinking, the gold in my apartment is already liquid and wouldn’t require him to sell something.
Vyshael is carrying about 400gp in Platinum and semiprecious stones. No need to let a magic item go.
My computer is down with all of my notes and character information, so I will be unable to contribute until I can figure out how to undo whatever’s caused this.
Ideally, with the outage ended, posting can return to normal.
Okay, moving it over here to allow a little more open discussion.
Looking at the Player's Guide to Korvosa. Haven't looked at it in a while, and that thing is a font of information. I wish the later ones were as fully fleshed as this one is.
That said, there are three churches in Korvosa Abadar is the primary and most influential, Pharasma handles the the Grey, and Asmodeus is ... well Asmodean in function. You guys know one member of the Abadarian church, and Neva is a member of the Pharasmin.
Abadarians require payment for every service they perform, down to the lowest level spell. Even if he wanted to help, Ishani Dhatri would be required to ask for a significant contribution determined by each action he took.
Neva hasn't had a strong presence in the Pharasmin Church, just by minimal association with it mainly. Even still, a task like this may involve some convincing to get them to act against the 'hospice', then some time to prepare themselves against a vampire.
Field Marshal Kroft still cannot act against the hospice until their crimes have been made known to either the public or the powers that be, or both. She has worked through you guys frequently for the sole fact you are free agents of the guard and for the sake of the Korvosan Guard's role in the city, she can claim plausible deniability to prevent the entire organization from being upended.
All valid methods or means, but they require time you may not have or resources you may not want to spend.
I thought there was also a strong presence of Sarenrae's priests? Or am I mistaken.
Either way, I think that my statement of "Might be easier to convince them to load us up with magic and tools" might work.
Also, if we have 3 hours that would allow us to get Nap Stack-ed and come back fully armed/charged up, right?
Not saying it'd be easy, but with a bit of pre-buffs, a whole new load-out of spells and channels -- basically, we could 15-minute adventuring day the guy.... while still providing plausible deniability to the Field Marshal
Well, part of the rub is we don't know how long Rutter's going to be off fetching a driver. =)
Raliscar wouldn't bother with the Abadarian's, not after all the mess with the plague in the harbor and the fever and all. The whole experience left him with a very poor view of those particular priests and he knows they'd ask for an exorbitant amount of coin for their help.
The Pharasmins seems like the best bet if we mean to try and rally some faithful types to help us in some capacity. Doubly so given Neva's relationship with them and their abhorrence of undead.
Kroft might be able to loan us some equipment rather than man power. Happy to drop the trussed up doctor we captured in her lap and ask.
----
Either way, I think Raliscar needs to stay put and play at preparing the wagon in case the vampire pops up topside to check on us or in case Rutter gets back first. Maybe Neva can hurry to the Pharasmins while Feldivar and Vyshael take the doc to Kroft and see if she can't equip us for taking on a nosferatu.
Pretty sure we could have told Rutter to take his time, or to tell him not to bother, even, as we left.
In that case, we could have him meet us somewhere before going back.
I will rule, sadly, that it will be a little too late to tell Rutter a different plan before he returns (mainly as it was only brought up recently) and he darted off rather quickly after the arrangement.
Raliscar, the vampire will not be long in gathering his things, but will need to make frequent trips with some of his stuff. He will be coming and going to and from the wagon while Rutter's away.
It really only leaves Vyshael, Neva, and Feldivar to try and manage something in the few uncertain hours Rutter is away.
EDIT: I have an idea that could work, but I'm not going to just give it to you. Everyone (including Rutter and Raliscar) can make an Int check for me to share. :)
We could pay someone to look for Rutter... We know where he's going, and deliver a "come meet us" message. Besides, Rutter doesn't need the nap stack - none of his abilities need to reset overnight.
Understood, Aard. And Vysh, I don't think we know where Rutter went exactly. That guy's got some seedy friends =P
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You misunderstood -- we likely don't know where he went to find a driver, but we do surely know where he's bringing the driver to - basically, we'd be catching him at the end instead of the start of the process -- but, as I said, he needs the sleep less than we caster-folk.
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Okay, without jumping through hoops to change plans, you can go about it a different way. Stay true to what you agreed to with him, but..
Have the driver drive him somewhere in the open outside the city (I imagine he would drive at day while the vamp slept), then do circles for most of the day. You guys can meet him at said place and ambush the vamp where he has no safety nets and you've had some sleep.
Brilliant! Make it so, Numbah One!
That works for me.
I’m in favor of that.
Okay, this has sadly become an inevitability that I tried to fight. I know I post slowly and keep a very relaxed pace, but I no longer have the time I used to have when I started all my games. I had been at 16 at one point, cut it down to 6 or 7, and now find I just can't maintain the games I run. I apologize for being just another campaign that dies here, and I thank all of you that have put up with me as a GM for so long.
No worries, Aardvark. Thanks for the years of gaming and all my best to you and yours. I hope you find some good gaming experiences in the future!
Remember, it's in the nature of a roleplaying game to end before folks are ready to say goodbye.
Hey, Aardvark, all the best. Thanks for letting me tag along for a while. To modify what Neva said, no one wants to leave when a game is good. Your game is good, ergo no one wants to leave.
No worries. Thanks, Aardvark!