DM Jelani's Council of Thieves (Inactive)

Game Master Brian Minhinnick

Still in shock, Belinda follows the others.

"Agreed, let's keep moving." Oktavia continues to follow, natural instincts to keep close to the shadows.

<< Parego Spera, Westcrown | ??:?? (full dark, night) | Cold, 35° F | Moonday, Lamashan 11th, 4709 AR >>

Having put the shadow beasts down, the group continues their hurried flight into the night, still coming to mental grips with their new reality. Before long, they can see the light of the pyrahje and several torches at the base of the Truemount bridge. Watching from a distance they can see the silhouettes of the Dottari guardsmen patrolling back and forth in front of the lights. If it's a normal squad it'll be six soldiers and one lieutenant. The group will have to pass by them to get to the Rego Crua and the The Boar's Last Stand.

What do you do?

Updated Map

Geoffrey looks ahead worriedly.

"Should we try to swim, or simply run past them? I hold no love for the Dottari, but I don't want to slaughter them simply because they are in my way..."

"...I am not a monster."

"Bah, the corrupt pawns of a festering mess of tyranny. Would be no great loss if we did kill them."

He puts a hand to the still fresh wound of where the shadow beast clawed him, feeling his weakness.

"Still, might be nice to go for a nice bracing swim! It's been a few years since I've felt this strong."

Feeling the wound, words and a gesture come to mind unbidden. The slashes across the copper coloured skin begin to close, then fade and vanish.

Lesser Restore Eidolon: 1d10 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

"Well, isn't that handy..."

He flashes the others a ridiculous, over zealous grin.

"I should mention I'm not a strong swimmer. Though I do feel stronger in this form. They way I tore into that creature earlier..." She lets her words dangle for a moment, afraid of what she had done in her defense. "No, let's try swimming. I think I can make it."

"Either we swim or we stay somewhere here until morning." Belinda sounds exhausted. Like she wants to curl up and sleep for a week.

"They think we're monsters." Who can blame them, she thinks to herself. "If we stay here, they could get more guards and spread out looking for us. Best to put some distance between us if we're to avoid them. Running across the bridge defeats the purpose of that if they should see us, so swimming is a good plan. They may not expect that for several hours. Hopefully by then they'll be less likely to seek us out. We should have hidden the bodies of those creatures from earlier, that could give them the direction we were running." Oktavia speaks like someone who has had several opportunities to practice escaping the guards pursuit before.

So if swimming is the plan, I'll need several climb and swim checks from everyone. Two DC 15 climb checks to climb down to the water. 30 DC 12 swim checks (you can take 10), and then another two DC 15 climb checks on the other side. Also give me a DC 10 con check to avoid 1d3 points of nonlethal damage from fatigue. Failing a swim check means you have to start holding your breath and make an extra check to get back to the surface. See the swim rules for details on holding your breath.

Edit:Increasing your speed somehow would reduce the number of checks required. As would gaining a swim speed somehow (think that's out of your reach for now though still).

Why so many swim checks? Isn't this a just a rather narrow canal?

York will take ten on the climbing and swimming, as both should be pretty easy for him.

Climb: 10 + 5 = 15
Swim: 10 + 5 = 15

Fort save: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Non-Lethal damage: 1d3 ⇒ 3

As he's probably a better climber and swimmer than most of the others, he'll also try to assist the others as much as possible, climbing half way down the wall to help the others climb, and then swimming next to anyone having trouble to help them stay afloat. Using his take ten values, he should also auto-succeed on his aid other checks, granting them a +2 on their own checks.

Oktavia won't have any issues either taking ten.

Climb: 10 + 7 = 17
Swim: 10 + 3 = 13

Fort: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18

Because a full round of swimming for someone with a 30' speed and no swim speed is 15' of movement. The canal is 450-500 across, it's big. Although looking at the map maybe I underestimated a bit. It looks to be about 1/5 of a mile across or ~1056', which is actually 70 swim checks and an entire hour+. Once I get rolls/decisions from everyone I'll move this on. Keep in mind there is no indication that there are still Dottari after you from the house, you gave them the slip. You are however still dressed up as monsters, and out past curfew.

Also, it's not a fort save, it's a con check. Don't bother rerolling, I'll just alter the results.

Ok, I'm confused. Am I looking at the right spot on the map? The canal by the red dot? It doesn't look nearly so far where I'm looking, but admittedly that could be in the wrong place.

When I measure the canal, I get 1/20 of a mile at pretty much its widest point, from dry land to dry land, which would be 264 ft. If we picked a narrower point it would be less, plus how ever far we could wade out or walk on the mud. Hence my confusion. I'm assuming the canal we're crossing is by the red dot on your map, and the scale at the bottom of the colour map looks like it would be the oh-so-standard 1 inch is 1 mile type scale if I had it in print in front of me. The map below that, the black and white one looks to be about a one inch is 50 mile scale. On that scale, the canal probably would be about a 5th of a mile wide. Presuming I am looking at the right canal, are you sure you didn't mix up the scales?

I took a toothpick and held it up to the canal then marked off the segment to measure the width and then held it up to the mile measurement key at the bottom of the map. Yes, it's by the red dot.

I'm imagining a thirty foot or so sheer drop to the water, then the width of the canal (no mud or beach, it's man-made) and then another ~30' climb up the stone retaining wall on the other side. It needs to be deep enough for ships to pass under the Truemount.

Doing the measurement a couple more times carefully I'm getting 1/6-1/8th a mile which is still ~660-880 feet. It doesn't really matter, the point is it's not a creek. It's enough swim checks that someone who can't make them by taking 10 is going to have a very high chance of failing at least a few checks and possibly drowning.

Other possibilities include:Dropping eidolon suit and trying to bluff/talk your way across. Climbing the heavily carved side of the bridge itself while not getting seen. Breaking into a building and waiting until dawn. Walking a ways east and trying to swim the canal at a narrower point. There are probably more I'm not thinking of at the moment.

I'm a pretty good talker, but I still think I'd prefer to swim myself, regardless of how far it is. Even with a little fatigue damage, it's more of a sure thing.

I was probably imagining it differently. The map shows what looks like mud on the banks (dark brown edges along the water), and that the water is pretty far from the houses. If you assume that there is a wall down from the houses, and that the water comes right up to the walls, then that definitely does make a big difference. I was probably viewing the map too literally; assuming the amount of water shown was how far across the canal would be.

To measure, I had opened the map in Paint, drew a bridge across the water, then copy pasted bridges end to end until they were the same length as the 1 mile marker. I made exactly 20 copies. Here's the image: map

As I said, I still think swimming is still the safer option. Is there anyone who cannot take ten on the swimming part? (DC 12)

I don't think so :P So it's kinda a moot point. Yeah, your measurement method is much more accurate than mine. I didn't even zoom in on the map that far. So we'll say my original guesstimate is much closer. Something like 20 (+/- 5) swim checks to cross.

We haven't heard from Geoffrey or Belinda in gameplay in about six days, I'll assume it's because of the busy holiday season in the States. If I have time tonight I'll just assume they are taking 10 and move this forward after work.

Due to my drawback, 'take 10' is a failure normally, so I need York's assists to pass.

Geoffrey gingerly starts to climb down...

Climb: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 1 + 2 = 13.

...initially almost losing his footing...

Climb: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 1 + 2 = 20.
Climb: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 1 + 2 = 20.

...but with York's help, he easily makes it down, and then slowly flails his way across the canal.

Climb: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 1 + 2 = 22.
Climb: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 1 + 2 = 14.

He gets half-way up the other side before disaster almost strikes...

Climb: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 1 + 2 = 22.

...but yet again, York's guiding hand helps to get him up to safety.

Geoffrey con check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16
Belinda con check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

I'm not sure that York could actually aid anyone while taking full round actions to swim himself every round, but I'm not trying to get hung up here forever...

<< Parego Spera, Westcrown | ??:?? (full dark, night) | Cold, 35° F | Moonday, Lamashan 11th, 4709 AR >>

With several near issues averted by York giving Geoffrey a helping hand along the way, the four monsters are able to make their way across the canal. The swim is long and tiring, even in their new bodies. It's made even worse by the near freezing temperature of the water. By the time they pull themselves up the retaining wall on the far side of the canal they are completely numb and shivering violently. They have long since entered hypothermia, and can barely stand. If they run into any more trouble before the get to The Boar's Last Stand they are going to be in trouble.

Technically you should take enough cold damage to kill you all, but that's lame (1d6/minute in cold water, so like 20somed6). So I'll put all of you at 1 HP/1 THP instead.

The howls of more shadow beast from up ahead drive them doggedly down the side streets which follow along the canal they just swam. The four move as quickly as they can, jog-stumbling through the stiffness and numbness permeating their bodies. Ten minutes later they come to a shuddering, tottering halt in front of the closed up inn. They'd made it, barely.

What now? How are you going to approach getting into the inn?

"York, did you have an idea on how to get inside? Otherwise I could try picking the lock, but I'd expect we'd be heard. Or bribing whoever hears us to let us in."

Sorry, this month is going to be spotty (if its not a holiday party, then its cross continental travel), but I will do my best to respond if there is rp-ing to do. Feel free to roll for me if I'm holding things up. I would rather come back to lots of things to read than few. :-)

Belinda shudders as the fur melts away. She begins to pound weakly on the door. "Oh please, let me in, please! Some men tried to rape me. For the love of the gods, please help me."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

Who's the innkeeper York?

When Belinda starts her routine, he looks around, a bit panicked for a moment. Though he looks like he regrets it greatly, he closes his eyes in concentration, and his body shifts and distorts back to his original size and frailty.

As the change completes, his hand searches about for his cane for a moment, before he remembers that it was left in the carriage when he was picked up by the goons earlier in the night. He groans a bit, and then falls down to his hands an knees, quite taken aback at his sudden infirmity.

"Damnit, that's rough."

After a moment a burly overweight man opens a window on the second story and leans out.

Geoffrey and Oktavia, are you still suited up?

As York and Belinda return to normal, Oktavia follows suit. Willing the shadows away at first doesn't seem to work, not until she begins to feel herself come more together, more solid. As the shadows disperse and her own feet rest upon the ground, she suddenly feels much heavier, much more...there. Leaning against the wall, she nods to York. "I have to agree with that. How you feeling Geoffrey?"

Geoffrey leans heavily against the wall, suddenly far more tired than he was before, as human frailty once more makes its presence known.

"Drained... tired... confused... I just want to rest."

York recognizes the man hanging out the window as Ebbert, the inkeeper. He calls down, "Who's gettin' raped now?...York, is that you, you old codger? What'n the hells are you doing out at this hour? Ya aint trying to rape nobody are you?"

"Bloody hell Ebbert, I'm old enough to be your grand-dad's old man! Just some trouble with curfew. Do us a solid and open the doors!

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21

"Well...shit. Can't have you lot screamin' rape at my doorstep. Come around back and make it quick," he continues, ducking back into the window and slamming the shutters closed. There is a small alley leading around behind the building to the back door.

Ebbert meets the heroes at the door, letting them into the kitchen. There is a mastiff sleeping in front of the still somewhat warm oven. "Keep quiet, I'll bring some blankets back here. You can sleep with Dodger there," he says, pointing to the old dog. "In the morning you'll have some explainin' to do York."

"You'll get your story Ebbert. It'll be nice gettin' familiar with Dodger again, as long as he doesn't hog the blankets like last time. And Ebbert? Thanks."

York moves into the room as directed and begins to make himself comfortable.

We can move on to morning once everyone's ready.

Oktavia thanks Ebbert while curling up in in a corner. "Thank you."

Ready to move on.

The rest of the night passes quickly in the kitchen of Ebbert's inn. In the morning he comes in and rouses the group, early. "Get up you lot. My cook needs to get to work, breakfast customers will be here soon. If you want to keep sleeping you'll need to rent a room, and give me a real explanation as ter why you came poundin' my door down half dead and soaking wet way past curfew."

Geoffrey slowly rouses himself from sleep, his back, arms, and legs all aching abominably from what they were put through the previous night.

Mustering as much decency as he can, given the circumstances, he bows to the Innkeeper.

"I don't think that that will be necessary. Thank-you for your hospitality; it was very much appreciated."

Once the Innkeeper has moved on out of earshot, he whispers to the others:

"What do you want to do now?"

Oktavia awakens from the light slumber, hardly feeling rested. She only nods as Geoffrey offers thanks. After he moves, in response, "We should get out of here. No sense getting him involved with us more than he already has. I was thinking about it last night. It'll be harder to find us if we split up. We can use today to learn more about who that guy was, what's happened to us. Then we can meet up this afternoon somewhere. Thoughts?"

York wakes slowly, his old bones creaking from the night on the floor. Still wrapped up with the dog for warmth and comfort, he gives the dog a few good pats before getting up.

He goes to speak with Ebbert for a few minutes, in order to let the man know a more official version of what they were doing up last night.

"Thanks for the lodging's Ebbert. Can't remember if that makes us even, or puts me in your debt, but I'm glad for the help either way. As for last night? I'm still trying to figure out what exactly happened, and I'll have a few questions to figure out today too in order to get to the bottom of it."

"I was headed for shelter late last night. That bum at the The Rusted Hinge had me out, next thing to dusk, after I worked his common room the 'ole evening. Doubled his custom, I'd wager, and not so much as a 'by your leave' from 'im. Anyway, out on the road, I was picked up, none too kindly by some group in a carriage. They forced somthin' on me, and that's the last I remember. I wager these other folks got picked up some the same, for whatever purpose them creeps had in mind. They may a gotten it a bit rougher even, given the shiner's some of 'em were sportin'. Don't know exactly what they intended for us, if theys slavers, cultists, or what, but we all come to in some sort of basement. We managed to get ourselves free, and out in the street, but it was past dark, and you know the troubles... Had a few scrapes in the dark, and then had to sneak up from the Scribes. The soppen wet parts on account o' sneaken past the guards on the Truemount bridge. Sorry Ebbert. Didn't mean to mess with your beauty sleep, but I had no care to spend the rest of the night out there, nor for them weirdos to find us again."

After talking with the innkeep, York heads back over to the others.

"I don't know about splittin' up. You folk are the only connection I got to whatever in the nine hells happened last night, and I think I'd rather stick together, lest them guys that got us try and track us down again."

Presumably one of you at least has a permanent residence. Probably Geoffrey.

Technically, yes, but it is just a room at the back of his Master's workshop.

"Fair enough. Perhaps we *should* stick together for the moment. I am afraid that I don't really have the space to put everyone up in; my Master would probably raise an eyebrow if his apprentice brought back three strangers for the night..."

Geoffrey then turns to Belinda.

"What do you think?"

Well there are plenty of inns in town also. Once we get at least 2/4 people on one track I'll advance us in that direction.

"Well, if we want to stick together, I know of a couple warehouses we could probably hide out in for a while. It's always a risk, never know when an abandoned warehouse isn't so abandoned. But it's another option."

Oktavia would go for an inn, just offering another option.

"I have a house on loan from a friend of my father," Belinda says quietly. "It's quite lovely . . ."

"Well, if you don't mind, let's head there. We can talk about what we know, and what we need to figure out about this whole situation."

Geoffrey nods.

"That sounds eminently sensible to me. Let's go."

Nodding quietly, Ms. Thuru leads them towards the townhouse in which she resides.

The four make their way to the house unaccosted.

There is a thing that will move us on to the next bit, but it’ll happen after a day or two. Feel free to RP some, or we can skip the downtime. Once everyone posts at least once more I’ll wait for a lull in conversation then move us on.

Geoffrey raises an eyebrow as he glances around the house.

"Your family has some wealthy friends."

Once the party has settled down, he waxes thoughtful.

"You know, whilst I am not about to *thank* the... man?... who did this to us, I think that we would be foolish to ignore what happened; after all, between us, we were actually able to kill some of the creatures that have been preying upon the people of the city! True, the Dottari are unlikely to be our friends, but we could be a force for positive change within the city, giving hope to a populace that is badly in need of something to lift their spirits..."

Oktavia keeps her head down as they approach Belinda's father's friend's townhouse. She's pretty sure she recognizes the one next door, and not in a favorable way. She gives Belinda a rushed thank you, finding a seat inside.

When Geoffrey begins to speak, she considers his words. "As long as whatever it is we turned into doesn't consume us, you mean. I kept feeling like I was slipping away, especially as I began to hug the shadows. It felt strange, powerful yes, but still strange. Besides, why should we do that? What do we get out of it?"

"Wealthy? They aren't nobility." My family knows its place. I'm the only one who chaffs at it.

Listening to Oktavia, Belinda offers, "When those men surrounded me I thought they were going to rape me. They did not, but I still feel violated. But the more I think about it, the more I think that we weren't chosen at random. How did they know about us? Why us?"

"You may be havin' a point there, missy. When they were telling me to get my bones in the carriage, they called me by name. Before, I had assumed that their boss did want me specifically, but then when it turned out the way it did, I changed my mind and started thinking that maybe the goon on the carriage had just known me, coincidently. I'm pretty well known in some of the less polished inns and taverns in town, and I'd expect his ilk to be familiar with such places. Now? I'm not really sure. If that loony did pick us specifically, then why? What's the common element between us? None of us is particularly distinctive; if you'll pardon the observation, none of us is particularly successful or important. None especially virtuous or malevolent. What would be his aim in doing this to us?"

"That one, Geoffrey is it? Wants us to be some sort of 'eroes. That would have been music to my ears in my younger days, but now... I've seen age done in grandsons of mine, and helped settle 'em in the ground myself. Can't figure I'm long for this earth... but then, here I am; still."

"I think though that the mistress is right though," gesturing to Oktavia, "We gotta know a bit more about what's been done to us; what's the nature of it, before we start mapping out new callin's. Does anyone even know how it works? I think I can still feel it there, or perhaps the absence of it, but I think maybe I could do it again if I had the time. It's almost like I have to be able to picture it in my mind... put it together, one element at a time... Bah! But if my concentration slips, then it's gone. I'd have to concentrate on it; put aside some serious time, I think. Just meditate for an hour or so, just to get the image right... But, it's still like it's a part of me, and now that it's gone, I feel kind of strangely... naked."

"Specifically grabbing us? Okay, now I'm creeped out even more." Oktavia makes herself into a small ball in the chair she's in, hugging her legs tight.

"So where do we go to find out more about it? Do we even know who those people were? I'm afraid we start asking around now about some guy with golden skin will quickly lead the Dottari to us. I guess we could try looking in a library, but I don't know the first thing about this."

Golden eyes, normal skin. He mentioned seeing your faces in his visions while he had you tied up.