Welcome. You guys should have a link to Discord in the PM I sent. If you're opposed to using Discord, that's probably OK as long as you can PM me your email address or you can present some alternative that works for me.
I won't need it often. Just to check in when you're busy before botting your character, that sort of thing.
Also, my plan is to use Roll20 for the maps in this campaign and I'll link an image of the current combat state so you guys can check it on your phone. I'm happy to move tokens for you if you need.
If that solution doesn't work out for some reason, I can switch to Google Docs. But I have everything set up in Roll20 already from a previous campaign so let's start with that.
I'll have the link up shortly.
I posted the campaign link in discord. Let me know if you need a PM with it instead.
If you can't or don't want to join Roll20 for some reason, that's fine just let me know. I still could run this on Google Docs if it's really important to anyone.
My plan is to get everyone's character finalized and to hopefully post the opening Gameplay post tomorrow evening.
If you guys want to make any mechanical adjustments to your characters based on party composition etc, we probably have a couple days before it's really important to have it locked down, so just let me know what you're doing.
Once your character is ready to go, can you check in here, please?
Meloriel here, checking in.
I've just downloaded discord for my tablet, and have added the game to my roll20 games. I am good to go! Nice to be here!
No intended edits for Pythia.
I'm excited to see who else got picked!
Also, we're starting right outside the Whispering Cairn, right? Is there any information we need to know before we decide how we all know each other?
I almost forgot.
We need to connect the characters, however loosely, prior to the start of the story. I kind of have an idea of Pythia's connection based on the party RP earlier. It'd be easy for her to connect one of her patterns to one of the other characters or even to the cairn itself.
The main goal is to get all the characters together for the exploration of The Whispering Cairn, where we start the game.
If your character could have some connection to the new cartographer stationed with the militia(from the bronzewood lodge), you could've gotten a glimpse of the old map.
There are other possibilities as well so if you have any ideas, definitely let me know!
This is Kayri checking in with Chaetris.
I've signed up with both Discord and Roll20.
GM LCF and I already hashed out some mechanical tweaks, so we should be good to go there.
We'll probably want to work out some recent background entanglements to help get to know each other better.
Should we consider stealth dots into the gameplay thread to help keep track of this game in our campaign screens?
Ok yeah. Let me set that up. I'm still new to this forum!
Ok the gameplay thread is there for you to dot.
Stealth dot is stealthy.
As far as character connections go, do any of the other characters know anything about the Cult of the Green Lady, or have any reason to have connections to the church of Wee Jas?
My intention was that someone else gets their hands on the strange map of the Whispering Cairn that has the odd markings on it that aren't on any modern maps. Those markings are the same symbols that scar Pythia's upper thigh.
Anyone who has been a customer of hers at the Midnight Salute would recognize it. Also, sometimes she strips instead of resorting to prostitution, so someone may have been in a bar and seen her scars while they were there. The scar is visible when she's in her 'work uniform,' which she sometimes forgets to change out of before walking home, so someone might have noticed it in passing. Lastly, this is the same scar she was showing off at Shag Solomon's birthday party, which she had a feeling someone needed to see.
Whatever the case, someone who has the map then just needs to recall her scar and you guys can come see her at the Midnight Salute or at her house to ask her about it. Pythia would explain it's one of the may symbols she's seen in her dreams, that she keeps record of. And if it's on that map she needs to go there. It's her destiny!
This way no one needs to be that town crazy's friend, or invite her for her skills--most people think Pythia's deranged after all--they only need to recall the symbols are on her and ask her for information and they won't be able to get rid of her.
I also like the GMs idea above. After I show you guys my records of those symbols on the map in my massy home--which is plastered all over every surface with papers of symbols and scribbles--I could find a symbol on my walls that matches each of the PCs. Maybe a birthmark, or a scar, or a pattern on their shield or something. A holy symbol of their religion.
---
In response to Cerise's question: No, I have no connection to any of the churches in town. However, Pythia's visions show her the past, present and future in cryptic images, which she records obsessively and writes all over her walls and flesh. If YOU have a connection to one of those groups, Pythia could have dreamt of the symbols for those groups, or a symbol related to a site they use. She would have gone to investigate--probably getting turned away--but it's enough that your character might have seen her and her weird papers and symbols. In the end the reason she'd have seen that symbol in her dream is because it represented Cerise herself.
After re-reading your backstory, the symbol I dreamt of could have been the holy symbol of Wee Jas. Presuming you wear such a holy symbol, that would have given Pythia enough reason to approach you in the road. Contrari-wise, if Cerise saw Pythia wandering around with papers covered in scribbled images of Wee Jas, would she have approached Pythia?
I like the idea of Pythia having a vision and seeking out Cerise. Lets go with that.
Awesome. Unfortunately for both of us, Pythia has no idea what for...
Until we're all gathered around the fateful map.
After reading Gaurwaith's comments on Discord, it looks like he and I would probably know each other from the mines.
Chaetris has been in Diamond Lake for decades, born into servitude and recently free to seek her own way in the world, but too poor to do so.
Chaetris also reads a lot, right? Maybe she's the one who got her hands on the odd map?
If anyone can make a connection to the Church of Heironeous or the Greyhawk Militia, that would be the easiest(their cartographer has said map). Ateris' player is making a Ranger instead of his Investigator who could definitely have some connection with the the scout for the militia who is from the Bronzewood Lodge.
If not, I have other options as well.
I could connect to anything with my weirdness, but it's best if someone else finds the map.
Anyone else?
Actually, I can assign the map to someone easily enough. We just need to draw loose lines between the characters. Just some reason your character might bring along another character or why they might bring you.
Pythia has a good catch-all for this and most of you have a strong motivation to take a risk that might get you out of town.
The exploration could be dangerous and probably should be kept secret.
Worst case, your character could notice the group leaving town heading east(not much that way but cairns and lizardfolk) and tag along.
Here's what we should do. Look at the rest of the characters and find one that you can come up with a reason for your character to trust to some degree. Once everyone has one connection(even one way), I can fill in the rest.
Edit: This will be easier once Gaurwaith and Wolfspirit's characters have dotted the gameplay thread.
Also, I plan to post the intro up tonight, but I don't mind if the first week is kind of slow due to finishing up characters etc. Just at least post in this thread if you don't have time to post in the gameplay thread.
This is Percival, Gaurwaith's character.
Chaetris Admeroi and Percival definitely know one another. Percival likes to differentiate himself, and Chaetris is pretty distinctively different. I would say he's probably shared a drink with you at some point, but your character doesn't seem like the type to do that.
He probably has, however, borrowed a book from you. Percival likes to read adventure stories, fairy tales, and things tangentially related to them. He's only slightly educated, but highly literate and fluent in elvish. I don't know how good friends they might be, but Percival is generally agreeable, so it's reasonably likely. Percival is not an extravert, but he is friendly.
Chaetris would join the other miners for a drink after a long shift. She's more likely to get wine than beer (yet another reason she doesn't have any savings).
As for other possibilities,as an elf she probably spent a period trying to fit in with other elves. During her Elven phase she would have visited the Bronzewood Lodge to worship Elohnna.
Percival would probably have ordered wine a few times, but he rarely has the cash. He'd definitely try to talk to you, though.
He'd probably begin by commenting on Chaetris's use of small constructs and skill with mechanical inventions. He'd want to talk to her because she's an elf, which is unusual for the mines, but would probably not just say that outright.
On my phone, but I have something to add about the mines.
Dourstone mine runs 24 hours, which is a little unusual. The day shift is manned by humans, the night shift by all dwarves. The dwarves are highly racist toward Chaetris, but luckily she works the day shift usually, so the interactions are brief.
I have more detail I can add once I'm home later.
Ok I was actually remembering incorrectly. I just looked into the details of the mines when I got home.
It's the guards that are human during the day and dwarves at night. The mines have a normal schedule, so disregard my entire last post here.
I'm going to write up some detail about some of this stuff for you guys.
I'm putting this stuff in spoilers if it's character knowledge and not public knowledge. Go ahead and read it if you want, but just keep in mind that your character doesn't know it if you aren't listed on the spoiler.
Ragnolin Dourstone runs a pretty poor operation. Ever the pragmatist, Ragnolin thinks it's better to pay a few guards a good wage to keep the workers in line rather than offer a fair wage to his miners. Most miners don't last too long before moving on. Well, except the criminals. Ragnolin must have bribed the right people to get all the free labor that he does.
A few details about the mine that you know:
The dourstone operation is run more than a bit like a concentration camp. The wooden stockade that surrounds the mining camp is constantly patrolled by two groups of four guards. There are also a pair of guards at the gate and another pair of guards on a watchtower near the wall. The miners are let go at night, but nobody goes home early... for any reason. The criminals never leave at all.
There are three foreman that keep watch over the miners.
A rusty-voiced thug named Gerreld is in charge of the office during the day. He does all the paperwork and distributes the miners' pay. A lanky, limping man named Lordren is the overall foreman, but he spends his day down in the mines with his lazy-eyed assistant, Carr. None of them are very nice to any of the miners.
Ragnolin himself spends a few hours at the mine each day.
Recently, Chaetris installed a new elevator in an offshoot deep in the mines. Ragnolin is exploring the set of caverns that it leads down to in hopes of finding a new lode or vein. It's strictly off-limits to everyone else, including Chaetris. Ragnolin guards his potential earnings with a paranoid care.
Undead in Diamond Lake:
Several years ago, Governor-Mayor Lanod Neff decided that he didn't much like the Cultists of the Green Lady and kicked them out of town, leaving the sheriff's department to maintain the boneyard. Mostly that meant just keeping grave-robbers away.
It ended up stretching them a bit thin, so they grew lax and eventually, the dead started wandering out of the boneyard into town.
The Governor-Mayor was forced to call the militia in to put down the undead threat and swallow his pride when he invited the cultists back.
Now the cultists do a pretty good job of keeping the dead, dead.
Wolfspirit's character was involved in putting down the undead threat.
When you first investigated the cult, they were surprisingly receptive to an outside follower of Wee Jas. They took you across the lake on their boat, the Harkness and you were able to explore a small part of the supposed "Cairn of the Green Lady".
It wasn't all good though, their leader, Amariss, was out conducting "research". And while they were pretty amicable to you being present, they wouldn't let you explore very far.
Also, they spent the majority of the time there trying to convert you to the veneration of their "saint". It's not too clear whether this is actually blasphemy or not. They seemed to do all the right things to honor Wee Jas, anyway.
Your frustrating, vague, frightening, incomprehensible, true visions. You don't understand why they're so unclear. It's almost like you're looking at them through the wrong lens, or maybe you're just too far away. You feel like important things are happening, but you barely make out vague shapes amidst the static. A tangled spiral, a jagged star, a stretched-out circle, a dancing shadow, the fuzzy outline of a man, with one arm shorter than the other, a cone with its top cut off.
It doesn't mean anything... but it should. You need to, you don't know... get closer somehow.
Time for a composite list of equipment. This will let us know what we need to get and what is redundant.
Starting Gold: 105
Gold spent on gear: 63.21
Gold remaining: 0 GPCarrying Capacity:
Light 100 lbs
Medium 200 lbs
Heavy 300 lbs
Carrying: 104.5 lbsCombat gear: 40.1 gp, 45 lbs
Hide Armor, 15 gp, 25 lbs,
Glaive, 8 gp, 10 lbs,
Longsword, 15 gp, 4 lbs,
Dagger, 2 gp, 1 lb,
Sling, negligible, negligible,
Sling bolts x10, 1 sp, 5 lbs,Non-Combat Gear, carried: 23.09 GP, 59.5 lbs
Backpack, 2 gp, 2 lbs,
Bedroll, 1 sp, 5 lbs
Blanket, 5 sp, 3 lbs
Mess Kit, 2 sp, 1 lb ,
Trail rations x6, 3 gp, 6 lbs,
Filled waterskin, 1 gp, 8 lb,
Traveler’s outfit, negligible, 5 lbs,
Signal Whistle, 8 sp, negligible,
Flint and steel, 1 gp, negligible,
Lamp, 1 sp, 1 lb,
Lamp Oil, 1 sp, 1 lb,
String, 1 cp, .5 lbs,
White Chalk x3, 3 cp, negligible,
Blue Chalk, 2 cp, negligible,
Red Chalk, 2 cp, negligbile,
Charcoal, 5 sp, negligible,
Candles x10, 1 sp, negligible,
Bells x3, 3 gp, negligible,
Earplugs, 3 cp, negligible,
Gear Maintenance kit, 5 gp, 2 lbs,
Vial, 1 gp, negligible,
Dice, 1 sp, negligible,
Paper, rice, 20 sheets, 1 gp, negligible,
Fishhook, 1 sp, negligible,
Pitons x4, 4 sp, 2 lbs,
Iron Spikes x10, 5 sp, 10 lbs,
Hammer, 5 sp, 2 lbs,
Sealing Wax, 1 gp, 1 lb,
Rope, Hemp, 50 ft, 1 gp, 10 lbs,Currency: 0 gp, 0 lbs
leather armor,
dagger,
rapier,
shortbow with 20 arrows,
backpack (bedroll, clockworking tools, mess kit, silk rope (50 ft.),
soap,
trail rations (5),
waterproof bag (ink, inkpen, investigator starting formula book, journal, waterskin),
belt pouch (flint and steel, ),
2 gp, 4 sp
Combat Gear
cestus,
dagger (4),
morningstar,
scroll of cure light woundsPossessions
studded leather,
light wooden shield,
backpack,
bedroll,
chalk (4),
ink,
inkpen,
journal,
paper (10),
scroll case (2),
trail rations,
waterskin
Carrying Capacity
Light 0-50 lb. Medium 51-100 lb. Heavy 101-150 lb.
Current Load Carried 50 lbs.
Money 0 GP 0 SP 0 CP
Armor: Silken Ceremonial Armor (Reinforced mage's robes) (30 gp)
-On belt and bandoleer-
Spell component pouch
Familiar satchel (25 gp)
Bag of steel marbles
Coin pouch (spare change only)
Traveling Spellbook w Book Lariat (10 gp)-Traveler's Pack-
Waterproof bag (inside pack, acts as liner)
Change of clothes
Toiletry kit
Trail rations
Canteen of water x2
Spare spell component pouch
Empty sack x2
Bedroll
Don't be silly, how could a spirit carry anything?
We have 50 ft of hemp rope and 50 ft of silk rope, hemp from me and silk from Chaetris.
We have 5 trail rations from Cheatris, 6 from me, and an unspecified number from Pythia and Cerise.
Cerise has two canteens of water, the rest of us each have one waterskin. No one has create water, but we could easily retcon that.
Our light sources are as follows:
10 candles from me
1 lamp and 1 pint of lamp oil from me
Light cantrip prepared from Pythia and known from Cerise
The only tool we have that isn't part of a kit is a hammer from me. We might want a crowbar and a shovel as well.
We might also want a ten foot pole of some sort.
Any suggestions?
Still working on the name.
I dunno, "Unnamed Hero of Worms" really speaks to me, I think it might be the one.
scale mail,
greatsword,
javelin (3),
morningstar,
short sword,
backpack,
bedroll,
belt pouch,
chalk,
flint and steel,
hammer,
hemp rope (50 ft.),
ink,
inkpen,
journal[UE],
piton (4),
soap,
tindertwig,
trail rations (5),
waterskin, 4 cp
This adds another waterskin, 5 more trail rations, and 50 ft of rope to the above items.
The second hammer is...there has to be a pun here, right?
I put up some detail in this thread and added a lootsheet and a map link to my profile. We've been working out some things in Discord for those of you who are interested in checking that out, but it's not too important.
I'll post the opening tomorrow night once all the characters are ready.
We're close!
Edit: The link to the Roll20 campaign is pinned on discord (click the push pin)
I only have one day's worth of trail rations. That's why there's no number next to it.
Our trip to the Whispering Cairn was supposed to be a day trip, wasn't it? We're going on our day off from work, right? Pythia isn't aware it might take longer and she might miss work tomorrow?
Yeah, you're going on Freeday in autumn in the morning. It's 2 hours walk from town. I planned to have you arrive about 10am.
Freeday is everyone's day off and the last day of the week.
Names are hard. Seeing how this looks.
Whoah, that was a lot of back reading to catch up with on Discord!
Really? I always loved naming characters. I like what you've got up now, by the way.
Good news, my normal roll20 game tonight got cancelled, so we're 100% starting. And I'll be available all evening to answer questions etc.
Let's do this thing!
Well, in like 6 hours when I get home from work.
Edit: I'm a big fan of that surname. How did you choose it?
I'm weird about naming characters; either a name instantly -clicks- for the character or I struggle with it. It doesn't help that my favorite Baby Name Book got misplaced and I had enough akward conversations trying to explain that I was wasn't expecting and was just trying to name RP characters the -first- time I bought it.
Zephros is a contraction of Zephyros, a spelling of the Greek God of the West Wind.
Kael means "Mighty Warrior", though it also means "uncertain." (It also means slim / fair. Gaelic is weird.) So "Mighty Warrior / Uncertain Wind" seems thematically appropriate.
Anyway, I'm pretty happy with this. On to the show!
Whoah, that was a lot of back reading to catch up with on Discord!
I'll second that.
It took me several tries to get through everything. The app kept jumping to the end and I'd have to scroll back up to try to find where I'd been.
I think things will die down once we get started past the initial enthusiasm burst. I'll admit to being somewhat chatty and had a boring afternoon to kill. It might be good to have an "urgent" channel or something like that to make it easier to find high importance things, though.
I did have a question for people that I was debating bringing up in Discord or here: What is everyone's preferred posting tense for in-character posts? It seems like the default is "Third person, present tense", but I figured I'd ask.
I made a channel for important messages in discord.
I'm working on the opening now.
I was also more talkative than usual yesterday. It was a pretty empty sunday. An important messages channel sounds like a good idea.
Third person limited present tense seems like the standard. I prefer that myself.
Aaaand we're off! Please feel free to offer any feedback or suggestions.
Also, don't miss the link in the title. :P
Third person, present tense is what I'm used to on these boards.
Yeah, let's just go with third person, present.
I have an idea for Pythia's connection to Kael (at least what would convince him to let her tag along.)
I have an idea for Pythia's connection to Kael (at least what would convince him to let her tag along.)
** spoiler omitted **
I definitely like this idea. It's going to get interesting really quick :P
There's no rush yet, but be thinking about a marching order. Right now, you're not really much of a team yet. I'm guessing after the first combat is when I'll put a marching order into place.
Also, I can post the next section as soon as I have a post from everyone. It seems like we have 2 votes for leaving the difficult terrain.
Sounds good!
If you guys do decide to clear out the mining office before entering the cairn, let me know. I'd like to summarize the experience and bring you right back here rather than drag the story out there.
The interesting things are definitely right in front of you :P
Says you. Little did you know Kael's lifelong goal was to set up a Mining Office and this was an elaborate cover to achieve that. Who needs cairns? Who is with me!?
Seriously, though, that sounds like a plan. I thought that maybe there'd be a chance of odd supplies being abandoned there, but having a fallback to rest overnight in wouldn't be a bad idea, particularly if this is the "Cave that Eats Children."
I'm all for setting up in the office and leaving some of our heavy stuff (like food and bedrolls).
Also, I realized that Chaetris' inventory was incomplete, so I spent all but 3 cp on more adventuring gear. I'll be updating the alias shortly.
Ok that sounds good. I'll summarize the side trip and bring you back here tonight. If we hear from Cerise today, I'll put you right in the mouth of the cairn so we can start moving forward.
Remember, you can always log on discord to get a quick answer from me if you have a question!
I'm here! Sorry I've been less present on the boards than usual. A combination of being super sick and having family obligations has eaten up my time and creative energy.
I'll get a post in gameplay up now.
That's ok! I'm glad you made it before I posted my update!
Hope you feel better soon!
Speaking of, are you guys cool if I post without you if we get to 24 hours after your last post? I'd prefer to just post assuming your character goes along with the others and not do any actual botting unless absolutely necessary.
I figure if I leave your character out and just move things forward, you could include any actions before my update in your next post.
Any thoughts one way or another?
My obvious preference is that I hear from you on Discord if you can't get a post up in time and we work out a plan that way.