DM Barcas - Kingmaker of Korvosa (Inactive)

Game Master Isaac Duplechain

"Helping survivors is all well and good, but we should not linger too long. We have much to discuss and the night is already well on."

Despite her cold, if practical, words, she returns her arrow to it's quiver, slips a hand beneath some noble youth's arm, and helps her to her feet. "Come, milady. These cold cobblestones are no place to take your ease."

There is a popping noise without warning, accompanied by a sudden smell of sulfur and a flash of light. A girl tumbles out of a briefly-open portal, catching her footing before she hits the ground. She looks up from behind her glasses and sets her eyes of Rica, who recognizes her as a former classmate from the Academae, Darena Dalengé. The girl is a bookish-looking girl of faintly elven appearance, with mousy brown hair and a figure that is all angles and skinny youthfulness. Words start falling out of her mouth faster than she can form them. "Rica! I hope you don't mind me scrying on you, or startle you with this teleportation spell of my devising. The Academae is on lockdown, but they didn't cut off our ability to cast divination spells. I was watching the riots in Old Korvosa, but then wanted to measure the differential response in terms of socioeconomic advantage, so I divined the inhabitants of the Heights. I saw some young noblemen of some money but minor pedigree who stated that they ought to go into the street to teach the Varisians and Shoanti some respect. I believe that they intend an extralegal retribution, likely summary execution of their targets, from their words, tone, and non-verbal cues. Last I saw them, they were headed north to the bridges of Old Korvosa. I couldn't think of anyone not on lockdown at the Academae, and certainly no one capable of stopping them, besides you. Please, Rica, I beg you to help the targets of their indiscriminate violence before they hurt or kill someone!"

Elrith nearly has to catch her own arrow, so quick were her startled reactions to the sudden arrival. Tisking at the now-collapsed noble youth she had been escorting, she puts her weapons away again and picks up the 'ladyling', resuming her escort to the Pantheon.

She returns to hear more about these vigilantes.

Sighing, Alejandro scrubs his hand down his face, gritting his teeth once again. "Old Korvosa? Young Nobles? G+&!+#n it... Fine!" Sighing, he moves over to Mirrin, catching her by the elbow and turning her slowly to face him.

"Mirrin will everything be okay here, should we leave? We have another situation that recquires our attention. I can try to be back later, should you need help?"

Turning, he looked at Senjin. "Best cover your face friend, if they are hunting those not of Chelaxian birth!"

'Or we could play bait, what better way to draw 'em than with a beggar and a Shoanti. The poor and differen'. We have to get ahead of 'em though. Young miss,' Luca turns to the young mage with a smile.

'Could you use yer magicks to get us to the bridges to Old Korvosa first? Or tell us the route they is takin'? He smiles again, teeth white amidst the soot and dirt caking his face and bandages.

The mousy girl looks at them, startled by their words. "Oh, are you friends of Rica's?" She seems quite surprised by this, though doesn't make a point to show it. "In that case, I'm Darena Dalengé, a former classmate of hers. Good to make your acquintance. As for your question, I fear that I can't be of any help. This spell circumvents the magical barrier around the Academae via a combination of traditional teleportation and through a derived application of astral projection. I am tethered, via the Astral Plane, to the Academae and will be called back momentarily. It's rather like exploiting the elasticity of the magical barrier."

Mirren tucks her hair behind her ears, readying herself as a warrior of the Inheritor. "If the Abadarians and Asmodeans can keep the peace in the Pantheon, we can secure South Shore with less violence than the Hellknights will. May Iomedae bless you!" She takes a deep breath, obviously suppressing some feelings in favor of what is required of her as an acolyte of Iomedae.

The young girl helped by Elrith is of little help in her own defense. She babbles about how close she was to being killed, and is generally too absorbed by the trauma to notice the rest of the chaos in the city. Elrith hands her off to the priest that Alistair had been talking to. The Osirian cleric of Sarenrae thanks her with his deep voice, taking the girl and sitting her down in the temple.

"If we cam successfully choose the operational grounds, we can easily set up a baited trap for these vigilantes," Elrith says. "A few of us with ranged weaponry on rooftops across a broad street or intersection can cause confusion and panic. When you have a mob, their emotions are contagious. When some are feeling brave and filled with rhetoric, the group is brave. When a few start to panic under fire, the panic spreads also. Perhaps, that sort of panic is all that would be needed to convince these fools to head back to their manors and palaces for a time."

"Naturally, we would find an escape route for the two of you, for some of them will not break as easily as the horde."

Smiling, Alejandro lays a hand on Mirrens shoulder. "I believe in you. I know I can leave you here to do what must be done. Just make sure you leave something for me to do, when I get back!" Squeezing her shoulder softly, he smiles, before turning away, the grin sliding off his face.

"Let's plan on the way. We have some way to go now!" Nodding softly, Alejandro grips the hilt of his longsword hard, before setting off, towards Old Korvosa.

"Elrith, that is a good idea. I am little use with a bow though. I shall accompany the Gull and Eel!"

Rica's expressions quickly cycle through anger, fear, and pride before she forces her face blank. "She scryed on me? -She- scryed on -me-?! How long ago was this? Was it during the meeting? No, it couldn't be, she wouldn't have so causally mentioned the fact that she....she -scryed- on me?!" She taps her cane against the ground as her thoughts race. It takes her a moment to decipher exactly what Darena is saying, but once she does, her attitude changes considerably.

"How long ago did you scry on them? How many of them were there? This is -very- important. If we have enough time to set up an ambush, then I might not have to resort to...less controlled tactics." She turns to Luca and Alejandro, her eyes revealing her manic excitement despite her otherwise serious expression.

Alejandro shakes his head softly. "We do not want to kill, if we can avoid it. These are still ou people. No matter what is going on tonight. We need to keep the City as intact as we can!"

"I admire your sympathies Darena and from what it sounds like, we don't have time for an ambush if they are already on their way. We need to start moving and avoid the Hellknights. Perhaps guards at the bridge will turn them back or at least delay them. And as to violence, I think we use what is necessary for the situation. I attacked a Shoanti to protect nobles, I will not hesitate to attack a noble to protect Shoanti...if it is needed." he adds to show that he is not mindless in wishing violence on nobles.

"Whatever we end up doing, we need to start moving now, or we won't have any options at all."

Elrith is practically bouncing on her toes with impatience.

Darena excitedly gives them the best directions she can in the short time she has left. "About two minutes ago, I saw them get across the westernmost wooden bridge to Old Korvosa. There's a lot of foot traffic with the riots between here and there. You have a few options, though none are ideal or efficient as teleportation. You can take the streets, through either the Heights or Midland, or you can try the Shingles as best you can navigate. You may want to consider the Vaults as well, though I wouldn't recommend it without a guide. There's also--" With a hollow pop, a light envelops her and she disappears, teleported back to the Academae by her temporary spell's end.

Grinning, Alejandro strokes his chin softly. "A pretty woman who gives helpful information then disappears before she can get angry at you? Beautiful..." Laughing softly, he shakes his head, before pursing his lips. "I jest of course. Come. Let us go!"

"I'm relatively new to the city. Which way is best? Senjin, can you guide us through the Shingles?"

"If I were alone, I'd take the streets... But with a group this large, perhaps the Shingles is the best way to avoid trouble." Alone, he could easily navigate the streets and move through the crowds of people, but with six other people, it would be slow going and the chances of encountering trouble would be much greater. "The Shingles are confusing and can be treacherous, but not so treacherous as running into more rioters and the Hellknights."

"The Shingles may provide the least observed route, but ..." Senjin looks at Luca, "I have heard the accent change, does the limp? A lot of jumping up there. Otherwise the Heights may avoid the worse of the Hellknight influence tonight and have less rioters.

'The limp is real I'm afraid. I can jump, but not run very fast. I can see if I'm any use here and you all can race ahead without me, I'm not that much use in a fight anyway, I got wrestled pretty easily back there.'

"Bullocks to that!" Senjin exclaims forcefully.

"I would probably be dead tonight, right over there, without your skill Luca. If we are going to be a team in all this, and it seems we are off to a rocky but good start, that means leaving no one behind. If you were easily wrestled down, all the more reason not to leave you. It just means I have to do a better job of staying upright to keep them off you. The Shingles then, it will keep us out of sight...mostly."

Senjin leads the group out of South Shore, as the area is both too new and too affluent to have developed its own version of the Shingles. The closest entry point into the Shingles is in Pillar Hill, where the youths of the area created their own version of emulated rooftop shacks amid the dense townhomes of the working-class community. Over the last few years, the indigent population has moved in heavy numbers to the area to escape the extreme poverty of the Bridgefront and Old Dock areas, making it as difficult to traverse as some of the other "neighborhoods". The largest threat, though, is the areas closer to Cliffside, where the wealthier homeowners have turned to private security to prevent the creation of Shingles in the area; these guards do not hesitate to use force against those who would bring the chaos of the Shingles to the middle and upper-class neighborhoods, especially in this climate of violence. A "safe" route exists over West Dock, though it is largely considered territory of the gangs.

Senjin leads them to an abandoned townhome in one of the alleyways just north of Pillar Hill Boulevard, carefully and quietly entering. The house is quiet, though it is devoid of furniture. Heaps of trash pile up in the corners, where vagrants have thrown it without regard. A fat, lazy-looking rat sits atop one of the piles and simply stares at them as they pass. The climb up the creaky wooden stairs, which sound as if they are under severe strain as the group ascends them. He leads them out through a window on the second floor, grabbing a ladder fashioned rough rope and climbing up the opposite wall.

One at a time, the six makeshift rebels make their way up atop the fifth-story rooftop. The whole of the city is spread out in front of them. From their vantage point, they can see and the widespread unrest in the city. To the south, white smoke rises from the doused, smoldering remains of the Jade Circle. To the northwest, Castle Korvosa looms above them at the top of the great hill upon which Korvosa itself sits. Dozens of Sable Company Marines circle the castle, swooping in on occasion to combat some unseen threat. There are a number of isolated fires across the city, especially in Midland and far north up in North Point. The night sky is occasionally alight with flashes of light and flame, likely magical in origin. Looking to the southeast, they can see the Hellknights assembled in the square of Eodred's Walk. It appears that they have utterly quelled the unrest in East Shore, likely with a high body cost. Most of the Hellknights return along the High Bridge back into the main part of the city, preparing to reclaim the city block-by-block, either west along Pillar Hill Boulevard or north along Harborview.

They must hurry along the Shingles, as hazardous as rapid movement is along the makeshift raised shanties, or risk being unable to cross into the next neighborhood. Unless they have means of making the sixty-foot leap across the major avenues, those that would cross the Shingles must descend to street level in order to enter the next neighborhood.

@Senjin Sounds good to me.

"Stay close. Point out any bad footings to those behind you. Hopefully the action down there will be more exciting to those who normally hang out up here. or our numbers might discourage them. We will have to descend back down at big streets on the edge of the neighborhoods, just way to big of a jump. Would be best if we did that before the Hellknights close those streets."

"After this, East Shore would probably be the safest place," Rica thinks, her sense of self preservation pushing against her pride. She starts to wonder how her parents are faring during all of this, but shoves that thought aside. She follows closely behind Senjin, glancing back at Luca every so often.

"Lovely," she hisses through her teeth after almost slipping.

Elrith follows along also, keeping an arrow on her bowstring at all times, and her eyes on the lookout for trouble. She's also actively trying to remember the route and finding good nesting locations.

"Good vantage point, there," she says to herself at one point.

Luca's hips scream at him as he marches onwards, he pays attention to the footing, his teeth gritted after a day of running and now climbing, his joints aching and burning.

He looks up and sees Rica glancing back. Grinning he winks and makes a flourish with one hand, one that Rica may recognise as a the motion one makes to a dancing partner to signal that they should take the floor first.

He then returns to his agonised traipsing, and almost doesn't stop when they reach the gap. His eyes widen when he sees all the climbing that will be required. 'Lets get about this, I'm already slowing us down. We can't afford delays. Yeah? Maybe someone else should go first and find the best footholds.'

Keeping his gaze focused straight ahead, Alejandro grumbles softly as Luca gestures to Rica. Leaning in over the mans shoulder, he begins to whisper furiously in his ear. "YOU are a beggar, Master Gull. Best you remember that!" In a much lower voice, one that definetly could not travel, he continues to whisper. "Luca we need to talk. When we get to our destination for the night, me and you need to have a long discussion about why we are here!"

Nodding softly, Alejandro frowns around, keeping his eyes peeled for any soft of trouble.

Perception-1d20 + 0 ⇒ (3) + 0 = 3

Following Senjin's capable lead, they navigate the treacherous paths of the Shingles. Some of the vagrant residents who did not go down into the city to riot and loot stare at them as they pass. As the paths can change without even an hour's notice, navigation of the Shingles is part memory, part intuition about where to go. Not all of the alleyways have paths over them. Some of the braver inhabitants of the Shingles simply jump over the alleys from rooftop to rooftop, though the fall can be potentially fatal for those who don't make it. Others simply seek another path, as the Shingles neighborhoods are almost always connected over the alleyways. The major avenues, on the other hand, is another story. As they reach Field Marshal Avenue, Senjin leads them into another one of the abandoned houses to make their way to the street level. From there, they can find a way back up and cross over West Dock on their way to Old Korvosa.

Just before they exit the abandoned townhome, they hear a familiar sound of iron boots marching in lockstep. Peeking out of the dust-covered glass, they spot groups of Hellknights marching down Field Marshal Avenue from the shops of Eodred's Walk and the tents of the Goldmarket. The looting and unrest must be quelled there already, as the Hellknights are now flooding into the area. The first group of five enter the alleyway to the right of their abandoned townhome, likely to "secure" the neighborhood they just passed over. Looking down the road, another few groups march towards them. They may be able to cross between a pair of the groups if they time it right and are sneaky about it. Otherwise, they'll have to find another way across the Avenue, and fast.

If you want to cross, I need Stealth checks (with appropriate narration) vs. DC 15. Failure means they notice you and approach.

Are you interested in the new Stealth Rules? Not pertinent now, but in general.

Luca looks around to see if he can find any cover or debris on the street to make the crossing easier. Chancing my arm at using a Perception check to watch the controls and terrain to 'aid myself'.

Perception1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

However, he can't see anything to hide behind, and the Hellknights walking speeds aren't conducive to sneaky. Taking a deep breath and swearing to Sivannah Luca darts across the street as silently as he can.

1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Its not meant to be... Wish I had a hero point...

Sighing softly, Alejandro stares up and down the street, his forehead creased in concentration. When a gap, he deems large enough, opens in the patrol, he moves forward, crouching low.

1d20 - 3 ⇒ (7) - 3 = 4

Though he moved well, Alejandro stumbled half way across the road, before collapseing noisily to the cobbles, his armor crashing loudly. Lying there, face down in the street, he sighed softly.

"This was always bound to go bad..."

"Will somebody else who is not stealthy get his drunk Lordship out of there?" Elrith suggests at a whisper.

New stealth rules! New stealth rules! Hooray! I don't know of any GMs who didn't already allow you to sneak out from behind cover to sneak attack somebody with a successful Stealth check, but there must have been some. It's nice when the RAW catches up with common sense. Go get that chicken, Jack!!

Rica curses under her breath and strolls out into the road, not even bothering to hide herself. "I know this is a trying time for the city, but don't you think you might want to lay off the drink, Sir?" she says loudly, her voice reaching an obnoxious 'I told you so' tone. She then kneels down to help Alejandro up on his feet. "And you! Get back here and help me!" she calls out to Luca, trying as hard as she can to sound like an irritated noble.

Bluff
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

As she is an irritated noble, the act isn't particularly hard for her.

With the distraction in place, Elrith attempts to slip across the avenue.

Stealth: 1d20 + 8 - 1 ⇒ (17) + 8 - 1 = 24

Once secure on the other side, she climbs up to the roof, and heads up the street a bit, ready to cover the others with Bernie, and perhaps draw attention away from them.

Better to fall on the street than on the roof, but still...

Senjin moves quickly to the prone nobles. "Hey Noble scum, gimme your jewels and..stuff!"

"Quickly" then quieter to Rica and Anejandro, "Down the alley, third building on right, boarded up window swings open, wait for me up top...old times for the Eel."

Senjin makes to grab something from Rica, looks at the approaching Hellknights. "Hey! Smellknights! You and the Queen can bite me!" Senjin then make a rude gesture and runs further down the Avenue and ducks into the next alley on the northside of the avenue that won't dead-end on him.

Stealth -> 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

He will seek an alternate route up to rejoin his companions

Taking Rica's lead, Luca turns back to Alejandro, hobbling quickly towards the fallen man with a fearful expression on his face.

'Yes ma'am, ah course. As you wish, help ye, I can do tha' yes ma'am.'

He puts his arms under Alejandro's shoudlers and helps to lift the man with suprising strength. Luca don't look like he'd have 14 Str! But he's wiry!

He waits to take Rica's cue again at Senjin's sudden appearance, glad that at least Elrith got across the street easily. Disaster after disaster, how will we save the city at this rate.

The Hellknights are a difficult group to bluff or to provoke. Regular guards might give chase to Senjin like dogs after a rabbit, but the Hellknights are a well-trained, well-disciplined group. One of them, presumably the squad leader, points towards Rica, Luca, and Alejandro in the street; two of the five stride forward towards the group of nobles while the other three move to head off Senjin. While they don't know the city quite as well, this is what they train for. The spread out to head off his potential avenues for escape.

Senjin, give me a DC 10 Knowledge: Local check. Failure means that they corner you like this.

The other two quickly arrive on the three, though they don't spot Elrith and Alistair on opposite sides of the street. "Halt! This area has been declared to be in violation of the law! Give me your names and identification!"

Identification, in this case, would be a signet ring or a coat of arms for the nobles.

Are there only five Hellknights?

The squads consist of five Hellknights each. There are multiple squads, though you timed it so that only one squad was possibly in sight when you tried to get across the roadway.

just one more turn should put me at..wait this isn't right..

Know(local) -> 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Senjin comes to a stop as the alley opens up, the Hellknights' armor finding enough light in the alley to reveal their presence.

Not good..

Senjin holds his hands up in front of him, showing he is unarmed.[/b]"Listen..sorry 'bout that bit about the Smellknights...all right you got me..."[/b] Can't climb fast enough that they won't just grab me and pull me down. All I got on them is speed.

Senjin makes a feint to the east, then breaks into a sprint to the southeast. As he skirts the Hellknight(#2), he draws his hatchet but drops into a roll hoping to avoid it's blade and make his escape back down the alley.

Acrobatics -> 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Moving east 5', diagonally to Q12 (counting every 2nd diagonal as 10' and adding 5' for the tumble), then down the alley. I hope to make it to Q-17 and escape these poor rolls. Will take an AoO trying badly to roll out of O-10.

Any chance Elrith was able to make it up onto the roof and see Senjin in trouble?

Round 1, Initiative 19-11

Senjin is quick on his feet, darting away before the Hellknights can respond in their heavy armor. He rolls into the alleyway, making it into the narrow space between two modest homes. The closest of the Hellknights follows him into the alley, his halberd barely able to fit into the tight space. His helmet bears forward-facing horns, which identifies him as a member of the Order of the Nail along with the halberd. He catches up to Senjin and demands, "Surrender or die!" The other two Hellknights go off in a different direction, likely hoping to head him off if he chooses to run again.

Up on the roofs, Elrith spots Senjin being surrounded. She makes her way over to the clearing that he is in just in time to see him dart away. A ten-foot gap separates her from the next building, though most of those buildings are almost touching. She looks down, estimating the fall to be between twenty and thirty feet if she fails to make it across.

Elrith tries to guess where Senjin will be heading and moves ahead of him, ready to pick off any Hellknights that look like they'll be closing in on him.

Here is the map. You're going to have to make a 10' jump over the alleyway (which is DC 10 Acrobatics with a running start).

Senjin manages to successfully grab her belt pouch if he actually moves to take something, which elicits a glare from her as he runs off. "You filthy-," she starts, cutting herself off as the Hellknights move forward. Her eyes widen as they ask for her name, but she quickly stands up and begins rummaging through her pockets, finally pulling out a rather dull signet ring.

"I...it has?" Rica asks, her surprise sincere. She glances off in the direction that Senjin ran before answering with her name. "I'm Rica Hismar, daughter of Marus and Sadie Hismar." She takes a second to wipe off some unrecognizable spell ingredient residue from the ring before holding it out to the Hellknights.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 8 - 1 ⇒ (15) + 8 - 1 = 22
Elrith easily clears the alleyway and sprints along the rooptop, ending in J11.

Stealth: 1d20 + 8 - 1 - 20 ⇒ (8) + 8 - 1 - 20 = -5

She's none to quiet about it, however.

The Hellknight glances at Rica's ring before handing it back. His voice emerges from underneath his helmet, an eerie metallic sound that makes him seem even less human. "Return to your homes. The city is under mandatory curfew. Rioters and seditionists are to be killed on sight. Make no mistake, there will be blood tonight from those who resist. Who are these two?" He points to Alejandro and Luca.

Getting the jump on them was nice, but the plunker actually wants to race me.

To create some separation, Senjin runs up on a pile of crates as one of the Hellknights comes clanking after him with his halbred.

Acrobatics -> 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17

Then he concentrates on running, putting as much distance as he can (Move to K-21). But also scoping a place where he might regain access to the Shingles.

Perception -> 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Know(Local) -> 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

He realizes he is being herded back to the main avenue (I think). Seeing a chance to perhaps avoid that, he prepares to put on a burst of speed.

I thought that the blank in the south was the edge of the drawn map, but now realize it was probably intentionally left blank as the Avenue. Oh well, nothing really going right here anyway.

You double-posted, it appears. We will take post #1d2 ⇒ 2 as the correct rolls. Lucky you. (It seems that you have erased it. The rolls were 13, 19, and 20, which explains how he sees the graffiti on a 3.

Senjin evades the Hellknight, his speed and wiliness a great asset in the narrow alleys of Korvosa. He spots a little bit of graffiti directing his attention up, his eyes raising to notice the overhang that is barely visible but is apparently a recently-made rope ladder up into the Shingles. He leaps up, pulling himself upwards until he makes it to the gently sloped roof of the townhouse.

Hellknight Perception 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19 vs Senjin Stealth 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19
Tiebreaker 1d2 ⇒ 1

Rounding the corner, the Hellknight spots his foot disappearing onto the rooftop. He shouts to the others, "He's going on the rooftops!" His metal boots thump against the hard-packed dirt of the alley as he rushes to catch up to Senjin.

The other two shout back as they look up at Elrith. "He's got a partner up on the roof! An elf! Get word to the Sable Company!" They seem to be maneuvering to try to head her and Senjin off from the ground, shadowing them as best they can.

Sorry about that, my computer hiccuped as I was posting. Then I saw new numbers and kind of freaked, trying to figure out what that was all about. I was trying to recreate the original post and managed to triple !!! post. It was then that I saw that it was racking up all these posts so I went after them with a blow torch. Sorry for the confusion.

F~%!in tense! Good luck Senjin!

Luca helps Alejandro to his feet and glances nervously at Rica, keeping his head down and his eyes averted from the imposing Hellknight, he leans heavily on his good leg, seeming little more than a cowed peasant.

Bluff 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

Elrith gets herself to within sneak attack range of one of the two that spotted her, and fires.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 4 + 1 = 22
Damage: 1d8 + 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + 1 + (2) = 5 if he's flat-footed from running or some other reason.

Her arrow slips between the plates of his armour, but emerges, having hit little.

Brushing himself off, Alejandro stares the Hellknight straight in the eyes, refusing to back down. "Alejandro Endrin, at your service Captain!" Pulling the Signet ring from under his shirt, he flashes it at the Hellknight, before tucking it back again. "And this is my old servant Dagnar!" Pointing to Luca, Alejandro nods softly.