DM Jesse's Kingmaker PbP (Inactive)

Game Master Jesse Heinig

"That isn't enough." Cassandra looks at Dovan for a long moment wondering why he was being so evasive. "Telmarni's a Strix, I'm a Skinwalker. What could you possibly be hiding that you'd sacrifice your life for it?"

Aaaand just lost my whole post. Starting over...

"Hey, I don't want to get executed or eaten, or whatever it is you do," says Dovan. "Look, maybe I can be helpful? I'm a fair hand with a knife - had to be, where I grew up - and I have a good eye for scouting."

Dovan seems to be sweating the interrogation but he doesn't have much else to give up - you can decide what you want to do about him. In the meantime, I'll also give you a little info about the other 'less important' bandits.

The other bandits that you capture include...

Topper Red gets his name from his shock of red hair and freckles. He says he's from Pitax, but he fled the city when he was discovered having an affair with the favorite rose of a powerful ex-gladiator. He has a good sense of humor (though occasionally ribald) and seems easygoing, though he is obviously worried about the possibility of being executed.

Fat Norry is, as his nickname implies, fat. The first thing he asks when you question him is when the prisoners will be fed. He says that he had a bad run of luck working as a laborer in various villages in the River Kingdoms and eventually wound up joining the bandits because even if the meals weren't great, at least they were regular.

Falgrim Sneeg is the man who was wanted by Kesten Garess. He was a member of a mercenary company, but he turned traitor and killed his own soldier-compatriots. You don't know what Kesten will reward for him, but you know he's wanted alive. Probably to be hanged.

Sally Hightower is a drab woman who says she is a waitress from Daggermark, but she was accused of poisoning a man with a drink. It's probably impossible to know if she did or didn't do it, since the Poisoner's Guild is so powerful in that city. It makes sense that if she did it for the Guild, though, she wouldn't be on the run, so she might legitimately have been framed. She seems to be involved with the bandits mostly for protection.

Ayles Megesen, whom you captured earlier along side his smelly brother, turns out not to be as dim-witted as Vance thought. What Vance thought was a lack of intelligence is actually a penchant for unnerving silence. Though Ayles doesn't talk about himself, you get from the other bandits that they fear him, and he has a penchant for torture. He seems to enjoy it a bit too much, according to his fellow criminals.

Dirty Jeb Megesen you already know a bit about; he was out hunting and known for his amazing smell, which is obviously why he can't survive in polite society. Hell, with a bath and a lot of soap he might be able to be redeemed.

Jex the Snitch you already know everything about, and he would be happy to tell you again if it pleases you, m'lady.

And the missing and deceased...

Cragger Kench was a cutpurse on the run from the authorities who took a bad head wound after he was caught filching a bottle of the Stag Lord's hooch. He never quite recovered and was a bit dim-witted and foggy after that as a result.

Penevere Ting was a young woman with short-cropped hair and ill-fitting leather armor, dressed like a man. Based on the reports of the other bandits, she was a teenager from an abusive family. She killed her father and fled, then took that anger and turned it against anyone who crossed her. She dressed like a man so that people would take her seriously, because she was otherwise short (5' 3").

Once all of them had been interrogated, Carinna turned to the others in private, so they could discuss what to do, and whose to save or kill. "Very well... I know we all hate this part but we'll have to do it nevertheless. From all they've said, I think we should spare Ralan, Jex, Akiros, Topper Red, Sally and, perhaps Fat Norry."

"On the other hand, I don't trust Dovan and Ayles, which makes me wonder what to do with Dirty Jeb if we kill his brother. I believe we agreed that Falgrim Sneeg is beyond our decision, since he is wanted by Kesten."

"Oh, and we also need to decide what to do with Auchs... he might be dim-witted, but with his strength, size, and fits of anger, he might be too dangerous to be let alive... perhaps Ralan or Jex could help us to decide." She then waits for the others to give their votes.

"I swear to all the gods if you ask me about food again I am going to turn you into barbecue," Cassandra finally snaps at Fat Norry.

How does grandfather deal with all this? Cassandra wonders as she rubs her temple. Based on how much they contributed to the headache she'd off Dovan, Fat Norry and Jeb no doubt. The latter's smell was starting to get to her.

"I don't know what to do with them all. I mean yes all that sounds about right. Dovan is being stupid, Ayles and Auchs are dangerous, but Ayles has a brother and he may not like what we have to do but should we...kill him just by association and Fat Norry is Fat and annoying and a bunch of other things. Yeah and Sneeg needs to get to Kestan. But that's a few days at their speed. I mean we aren't going to be outnumbered even if we take all of them or run out of food thanks to the owlbear but it will still be dangerous. None of them look like they are any good at survival." Cassandra flops down on a bench and sags at the weight of the decision.

"What if we just leave them here? We'll take Sneeg, Auchs, and Dovan back to Oleg's. We'll see if Auchs is really dangerous and maybe a few days hard marching will loosen Dovan's tongue. We leave Akiros in charge and tell him to get this place looking a little more presentable. They should have enough food until we get back. We could leave Kavalina and Telmarni nearby to watch over things. They still don't know about the trap door. If nothing happens and they make some progress, we know we can possibly trust them."

Also gives us something to do with the two missing players' characters.

Vance says, "I c'n stay with Telmarni and Kavalina, help wit' catching some extra food and bein' some extra eyes. You need Hatch to keep makin' his maps."

Hatch nods and says, "Yeah, if we are taking prisoners back we wanna make the best time possible! So we may not do much exploring right away."

"We can't just execute people because they're annoying," Korinne frowns. "Um...I do think we should give Akiros another chance, for sure. Ralan too because he helped and Jex, even if he's a bit of a brown-noser," she continues, ticking each name off one at time. "Sally would probably be okay too and Fat Norry and Topper Red...all of them seem more like they fell into banditry because it was easy or they didn't know what else to do." She sighs. "I know, I know, they had a choice to try something different...but we're supposed to give people the benefit of the doubt, right? Seems like it's worked out so far," she smiles, nodding over at Vance and Hatch.

"To be honest, I think Cass has a good idea. We'll need to be getting this place in order but we can't all be in two places at once. Let's leave Telmarni, Kavalina, and Vance here with Akiros and the others and take Sneeg and the other two back with us," she agrees. "That way we kill a bunch of birds with one stone! These other folks can start tidying up here, we can learn more about Auchs and Dovan on the way, and Kesten can go ahead and handle Sneeg and be done with it."

Sounds like you are mostly in agreement, shall we take that plan and return to Oleg's?

Reluctantly, Carinna nods to the others. "My only real concern with this plan is Auchs... I believe we can keep both Sneeg and Dovan tied up, but Auchs could easily break free due to the force of his muscles alone... if he breaks free and decides to attack us, the others could be far from us when he finally overpower Auchs."

"Guess ye'll just have to keep him under watch," says Vance. "An' try to make friends with him so he'll at least lissen to one o' ya."

Telmarni and Kavalina take on the duty of organizing the keep along with Hatch, and watching over the other bandits whom you defeated. They are a shoddy, demoralized group, obviously not in any position to revolt after they were so handily beaten.

You leave a large supply of food for the people who will stay at the fort, and you saddle up your mounts (or not, in Cassie's case) and head back to Oleg's, a trip that takes about two and a half days.

Oleg and Svetlana are both overjoyed to see you when you return. Everyone's been quite worried in your absence, but as you relate the story of the battle against the Stag Lord and the capture of his lieutenants, people cheer and pat each other on the back. The mood seems much improved - Kesten's soldiers are cheerful and jolly, even Kesten seems to break out of his funk for the time being.

When you deliver Falgrim Sneeg to Kesten, the latter says grimly, "Justice will finally be done. You killed your own brothers-in-arms, Falgrim, and now they will finally be able to rest easy."

To you Kesten says, "I'll make arrangements to have some weapons sent to this post - let me know what you want. I have a good supplier in Restov. I'll send Tamric Lees with an order and I should be able to get you four weapons of the best quality."

You also receive some letters from home, delivered by Tamric.

Carinna receives a letter telling her that she must return home at once - her uncle was gravely wounded in a duel and requests her help in managing his estates while he recovers (if he recovers).

And several new arrivals have come bearing addendums to the charter, indicating that they have been given approval by Brevoy to join your mission...

Cue the introduction of new PCs!

A hulking man with eyes like rubies and hair like fire marches towards the charter-holders. His feet are wide, clawed leonine paws and a thick, pointed tail hangs between his legs, but he wears a highly polished breastplate emblazoned in gold with a winged sword, like something the crusaders headed toward the Worldwound might wear. The apparent contradictions continue when he grins: it's a warm and friendly smile that reveals a mouth full of large pointed teeth.

"Greetings, my good ladies," he calls out affably when he draws near, "I am Auric Lightmane, a servant of Ragathiel and of the King. I come with a royal order to join you." The tall broad-shouldered man bows gracefully before handing over several official documents in a sealed scroll case.

On the way back:
Cassandra sets a hard pace for their prisoners. She wanted them, well one of them, too tried to lie by the time they got back to Oleg's. Each night she looks at Dovan to see if he wants to come clean and spends some time trying to understand Auchs. Could he keep his anger in check or was he going to be too dangerous to...well, she didn't want to think much past that.

Oleg's:
"Holy shit another one?" is Cassandra's first reaction to Auric. Good start. At first she thought him another skinwalker. Three of them in the Stolenlands already seemed like too big a coincidence. Then again her traits had never been that pronounced. And no Lycan she had seen had traits that diluted when they transformed. He was somewhere in between. And then their was the red eyes and orange hair. That didn't seem to match the theme. She continues to stare, confused and unable to figure out what she was looking at nor able to ask the simple question.

Behind Auric was a litterally overshadowed dwarf, clad in a beautifully etched breastplate and a curiously scorched leather apron. With the exception of the apron, everything on the dwarf gleamed- his immaculate hair and beard shone with the deep luster of gold, accentuated by polished silver rings holding his double braided beard together. A silver hammer rests between the braids, clearly marking him as a member of a certain holy order.

"And I am Vallen Silverclasp; engineer, mason, and priest of Torag." He follows suit after Auric's introduction, voice reminiscent of the sound of stones tumbling down a rocky embankment.

The dwarf raises a bushy eyebrow at the lady frozen in place, staring at Auric. "Uh. Another one? We heard you captured some bandits, do they have a tiefling among them? I was surprised to see Auric myself, so if you've seen two... Well, strange odds, that."

"Tief..." Cassandra started as she looked down at the dwarf and then to the Tiefling. Finally, recognition crossed her face. Most of the time she could look into a man's eyes but Auric was a good hand taller. "Oh. I thought...the hair makes since now." She wasn't really one to speak since her own was a silvery white. And now that the others knew her secret, she rarely wore the hood any more.

She looked between their expectant looks and realized she had neither explained nor introduced herself. "Oh. Sorry," she said blushing with embarrassment. "I'm Cassandra. I thought you were like me and another we met." She realized much faster that her explanation would not be enough and decided to show them. Before their eyes, Cassandra puts on at least 25 pounds of pure muscle. Her face takes on some of the feral qualities of a wolf, including some blackening around the eyes, sharper teeth, and slited nostrils. She holds up a hand to show elongated and deadly claws as well.

"I was confused because I thought you were between me and a true Lycan."

Melancholy steals the smile from the large man's face. Looking down at the floor he confesses, "My mother was a witch... I bear the proof of her dark dealings in my flesh. But, like my Lord, Ragathiel, I will prove my commitment and worth to the celestial host."

A lean, scruffy-haired man with wiry arms offers his hand as well. "I'm Tamric Lees," he says, [b]"local trader - I come through these parts every few weeks or so. Trade routes circling from here to Brevoy and back."

Shifting nervously from foot to foot behind Cassie and Korinne is another man, slightly squat, with a journal in his hands. His thumbs run nervously over the cover of the book, and he seems uncertain of how to approach the social situation.

Oleg joins the discussion with a boisterous laugh - happier than you've seen him in a long time. "You know, I may not always want to be around lots of people, but today's the exception. With the bandit lord defeated and peace coming to these lands, I imagine I'll have to get used to folks comin' and goin'."

Almost forgot! Turning over Falgrim Sneeg to Kesten Garess completes a quest, which is worth 100 xp for the party.

"So where ya gonna go next?" asks Oleg. "You got that map still, boy?" he says to the man with the journal.

The man looks a bit startled and says, "I'm not a boy, sir."

Oleg rolls his eyes and says, "Ehh, I just said that because I couldn't remember your name."

"Hatch, sir," says the nervous man, and he holds up the journal. "I have all the maps in here. There's still some forest to the southwest, and, um, hopefully the ladies at the old ruin will explore the area around there as part of securing it." (They will.)

Vallen shifts uncomfortably as Cassasndra changes, unconsciously placing a hand on the butt of the pistol at his waist. "Erruhh... Oh. A shapeshifter. That explains capturing the bandits. Well I'm glad you showed me now. If you had surprised me with that, especially at night, I would have deeply regreted shooting at you."

He chuckles nervously, before asking a question with the subtly of a clumsy ogre. You said "true lycan" so I'm guessing you're not... contagious?" Vallen also becomes aware he is wearing a lot of silver, and makes a mental note to not get too near Cassandra.

The arrival of Oleg is a welcome distraction, though it only takes a minute for Vallen to realize he is unsure of what's happening. "Wait, I'm here to advise on settlement and colonization on behalf of House Garess as a service from High King Borogrim the Hale." He explains beginning to gesticulate rapidly. "I was told the land was already scouted and ready for surveying."

The nervous man seems to perk up and says, "Oh, the area's not completely surveyed yet, but we have a good amount of the plains and hills southeast and south of here scouted. There's still a little forest territory to cover. You should see what we've found! Old ruins! A lost temple! Just... all kinds of things!"

The easygoing trader Tamric says, "Hey, I'm not done yet!" He goes to one of his pack horses and rummages around, then returns with a thick leather satchel that has a wax seal of the Swordlords on it - just like the one you got after you wiped out the bandit camp in the forest and reported it back to Restov. He holds it out to Carinna, but she is scrutinizing her letter from home and waves it over to Cassie.

Inside the satchel - after breaking the seal - is a small piece of parchment that says:

As the chartered expedition into the Stolen Lands has made peace with the kobolds of that place to the satisfaction of the Swordlords, these funds shall serve as recompense for any expenses and injuries sustained, and additionally to fund further explorations.

There's a large quantity of gold coins, many of them looking freshly minted.

800 gold pieces total.

Auric cocks an eyebrow at the dwarf's words. "I don't know what surveying is," he admits, "but I've been trained in rhetoric and swordplay and I'm ready to use both skills to build this kingdom."

Do Auric and Vallen also get the gold? Don't care either way, it's just we didn't earn it so I wanted to make sure.

The dwarf sighs and runs a hand over his face when Hatch delivers the news. "Droskar's festering pits. Shoddy information. Well. I suppose there's no helping it. I know my way around a forest at least." The ruins and temple do intrigue him, if only to see the architecture. "What kind of ruins and temple? How recent?"

Vallen had not known Auric long, but it only took a few conversations to determine he was slower than a gnome walking through a room full of baubles. "Surveying is figuring out the best place to put important things for towns, like houses and roads." He says simply, knowing that a real definition would only further confuse the paladin. There was no malice or annoyance in his voice, just simple fact.

It is fortunate Ragathiel blessed the him with strong arms and a disarming smile. Torag bless this poor lad, his bellows don't pump a lot of air.

That's up to the party - it's a lump sum, not per person. So far the party has been pretty casual about having a fund and letting people use that fund if they need to buy something, but the veterans also really need to start getting some magical gear.

The man with the journal opens it and shows a region map. In a careful but happy tone, he says, "I've been keeping track of all the places we went. This map here is a map of the lands around the inn. The charter says we explore a square of a certain size and we've explored most of the east and south side - we just need to finish the western edges." He flips the page to a depiction of an area in more detail and says, "I've taken notes on the places we found. The temple was an old temple of Erastil. It was guarded by an angry bear who used to be a priest! He attacked us and we had to kill him, but he seemed... happy about it? If it gets fixed up it would look really nice. It has a reflecting pool, and a cave, and a statue of Erastil."

He flips the page again and says, "The ruins were an old fort on the shore of a lake. It looks like it was Taldan, from long ago, when they were still doing expansion. It's partly made of stone - they must have brought it in from somewhere, we haven't seen any quarries. That's where we fought the Stag Lord! And some of our friends are there, holding the fort. It would be a good base for, I dunno, exploring more or making a new trading route to the south."

I always like the group fund method. I see everything is tracked in the swag bag!

Vallen, though tall for a dwarf, still has to gesture for the man to lower the journal so he can take a look. "Ahh, you're a cartographer!" He remarks, glancing over the carefully drawn lines.

"A temple of Erastil? Hmm. I would love to see it, but unless it was rededicated to Torag I won't be restoring it. It would be disrespectful to Erastil in any case, and I'm not going to be the nexus of a conflict between two gods that are apathetic to each other." He ponders what to do with the statue, but will decide when he sees it. If it is high quality, perhaps we could move it so people could appreciate it, at least.

Hatch suddenly has Vallen's interest at the mention of the fort. "Cut and dressed stone? What kind? I'll get some hearty stone-sniffing dwarfs to look for good building stone later, but we could strip the fort in the meantime."

The priest waves a hand. "I'm getting ahead of myself though. What we need first is infrastructure. Roads, bridges, wells, farms..."

Korinne had been largely and unusually quiet as introductions were made, offering her hand for a shake but otherwise remaining silent as she attempted to get the measure of their two new companions - which included gaping slightly at Auric until a sharp squeak near her ear reminded her that it was rude to stare.

"Um, making plans is all well and good but now that we've taken care of the Stag Lord can't some of this talk wait a bit?" she finally asks. "We should celebrate! And get to know each other better if we're going to be working together."
____________

Korinne's outfit is red and white but she otherwise largely looks like the linked picture. You'll also notice she seems to have a small bat resting on her shoulder.

The dwarf looks at Korinne's hand for a beat, momentarily forgetting that it was a human tradition to shake hands.

Always seems humans are trying to stay a literal arms length away during a greeting to me. Vallen thinks as he grasps Korinne's hand- the mason's fingers were rougher gravel, but they are cleaner than a spring-fed pond and his grip is surprisingly gentle.

"Ech, I know you've just returned from the wilderness, but there's work to be done and Torag shall not see me idle. Strike while the iron is hot. Even humans are fond of proverb 34 from Torag's holy book, eh?"

In the end, the priest shrugs in a jangle of rings and metal. "Of course I'm not going out there by myself, so I can busy these idle hands somehow." His eyes catch the bat on Korinne's shoulder. "Ah, you're a wizard? Never studied arcane magic myself, Torag blesses me with any power he deems me worthy of wielding. Good to have an expert along though."

You said "true lycan" so I'm guessing you're not... contagious?"

Cassandra shifts back into human form and looks worried, faliling hands as she tries to reassure Vallen. She did not need that idea getting around. "No. no. Of course not." She knew a lot that were but he didn't need to know that. None of them did yet anyway. She's happy to let Hatch distract him and hopefully he'd forget that little conversation.

"Um, making plans is all well and good but now that we've taken care of the Stag Lord can't some of this talk wait a bit?" she finally asks. "We should celebrate! And get to know each other better if we're going to be working together."

"I am okay with a rest but I'd feel bad celebrating without the ones we left at the fort. And no, its pretty shabby," she says, turning to Vallen. They really should take a detour on the way south. Explore a region or two and give them some time to make some progress on the fort. But there was another important matter to attend to.

How talkative were Dovan and Auchs on the way back? Any new stuff there?

Dovan is inconsistent. You eventually get the notion that he's feeling you out to try to figure out what your motivations are, so that he can talk to you accordingly. His story is inconsistent and he papers over pieces by saying "Well it's more complicated than that" or "Sorry, I'm probably conflating a couple of things, it was a stressful time for me." He loathes Auchs (but bosses him around if given a chance) and he has some disguised contempt for Hatch.

Auchs is a problem. He's strong and tough, but has the mind of a child. He loves to play with his toy knights and dragons, and he has a tantrum if someone else touches them without his permission - but he's also just as happy to suddenly go from playing with his toys to smashing a lizard or throwing rocks at a hare, and you get the impression that he'd probably do it to people if he could. He listens to Dovan, who seems able to manipulate him to some degree, though based on your other conversations he apparently had started switching his loyalty to Akiros. The frustrating part is that he's so simple that he might not be capable of understanding some of the concepts of right and wrong in a meaningful social context - if he hurts someone and you explain why it's bad, he might break into tears and bawl, but by tomorrow he'll have forgotten and he just does what he wants to do.

Oleg says, "I'm all for a celebration. Let's have a great feast - on the house - and you can deal with Tamric to buy things you might need!"

Tamric adds, "I figured you'd be successful here. I brought some good stuff with me from the city. Take a look after dinner!"

Hatch says, "I like that idea, but we can't stay too long. Telmarni and Kavalina will need us to get back to them soon!"

Carinna looks a bit conflicted, partly a bit moody, partly a bit sad. "I may need Telmarni's help dealing... with this family issue. I'm... I'm afraid I can't stay. My family needs me back home, and... I have come to respect you, my friends, and your various talents, and I'll never forget you. And it saddens me that I won't be able to finish this journey with you." She sighs and says, "For tonight, let's focus on the good memories."

Hold that thought.

"You guys have also come at a bad time," she says pointing out their two prisoners, Dovan and Auchs. "We left most of the bandits occupying the fort alive cause their leader was dead and didn't see a need to kill them all. Some of our friends are watching over them now as they fix it up a bit. These two we couldn't decide on."

She points at one of them but keeps her voice low enough the prisoners can't hear. "That's Dovan. We can't seem to get a stright story out of him. It's like he keeps changing it as we react to it. I mean we want to give people a second chance but we can't trust a thing he says."

She points at the other. "That is Auchs. He's not done anything bad to us...yet. But he's like a child with the strength of an adult. Well, an adult built like you," she says, indicating Auric. "We took him out of the fight pretty early and tied him up. He doesn't seem to get right and wrong. He threw large rocks at rabbits on the way here just because he wanted to. We heard he was used as muscle but not to what extent."

"The charter says unrepentant banditry is punishable by death. So yeah. Kind of a tough choice here."

I hope the others can get the same ooc impressions from the two after talking and watching them for a bit.

Vallen shrugs when the celebration is decided on. I'll find something to do around here. The wagon I rode in had a wheel that squeaked louder than a mouse being clubbed by a giant wielding a granite pillar.

His attention is distracted by Cassandra, whom he listens to with growing interest. "Ah... well, if the law says "unrepentant banditry", and there is no repenting, then they are to be put to death. I trust there was sufficient repenting back at the fort for the others." His tone of voice clearly indicates he is skeptical there was any repenting bandits at all, but he moves on.

Vallen fiddles with the rings in his beard, running calloused fingers over the them as he recalls a memory. "These two pose an interesting dilemma. I have experience in ousting lairs; had to interrogate a skin stealer once, if you've heard of the creature. It's a type of fey, skins people and pretends to be their victims. Well, we didn't know it was a skin-stealer of course, but long story short it nearly killed me after we got a confession out of it." One hand wanders to his chest, and he shudders upon remembering the skin-stealers knife-like fingers splitting his leather armor open like a speared fish and piercing his left lung. Magrim nearly took me that day...

The priest takes a deep breath, releases a tortured sigh, and continues. He doesn't seem to be making any effort to keep his voice down. "Anyway. Dovan I have a definite solution. Auchs will be harder, we will see what he says. I will ask Torag for blessings of Truthtelling- filled with his stern honor, they will be forced to speak only the truth, and ultimately face judgement. Give me 15 minutes to pray, and fetch them."

Vallen has a 1st and 2nd level spell slot open. He will take 15 minutes to prepare Touch of Truthtelling in both slots.

Auric looks both of the prisoners up and down.

using detect evil on them...

His attention is distracted by Cassandra, whom he listens to with growing interest. "Ah... well, if the law says "unrepentant banditry", and there is no repenting, then they are to be put to death. I trust there was sufficient repenting back at the fort for the others." His tone of voice clearly indicates he is skeptical there was any repenting bandits at all, but he moves on.

Cassandra opens her mouth then wisely closes it and looks away. As Vallen speaks more, her confidence rises. She wished they'd been around sooner. His spell of truthtelling would have been really handy.

Hurray for divine magic.

Auric does not detect evil from the prisoners.

Keep in mind that if they aren't evil clerics, and they are low level, they will only detect as evil if they are actively planning or engaged in an evil act.

"Oh wow, you can do that?" Korinne asks of Vallen, looking rather impressed. "Too bad none of us could do that earlier," she sighs. "Er, not to say anything bad about Kavalina though. Just, she worships Shelyn so I think her powers must work differently than yours," she explains.

yup, 4 hit dice or less (iirc) they won't register unless they have the evil aura class feature.

"Maybe just being here will inspire a change of heart..." Auric offers, "sometimes facing your death can do that."

Vallen smiles at Korinne, finding a teachable moment. "Functionally speaking most divine magic works the same- it is given to us by our gods. There are many, many blessings the divinely blessed can ask of the gods, and a good priest will know them all. However, whether or not a priest will use them is dependant on their individual moral code or their god's views. For example, I won't be performing any necromancy any time soon!" He says with a chuckle- the very idea was clearly absurd to him.

"But I know how to ask Torag for those blessings if I need them to carry out my interpretation of his Will. Of course, he may not even grant me those spells without a convincing prayer. So, in conclusion, your priestess may have been uncomfortable or objective to forcing someone to be magically bound to tell the truth. I have seen it before. I have no such qualms about using it on lawbreakers, and Torag is very clear that honesty and integrity are the cornerstone of all good civilizations."

With that, the dwarf clasps his holy symbol between his hands, bowing his head in prayer and concentration. All-father, your servant beseeches you for the illuminating light of your eternal forge-flames, from which darkness flees and lies burn...

Vallen finishes some fifteen minutes later, and strolls to the captured bandits with the rest of the group while speaking. "The image of an archon will flicker over their form if the spell takes hold. If they have nothing to hide, they will not resist... Anything they say will be true. If they refuse to speak or answer questions... Well, that is damning evidence to me. Simple yes or no questions work best to prevent them squirming around the truth. You will have three minutes to ask your questions."

The squat priest stands before Dovan, drawn up to his full 4' 3". "I am Vallen Silverclasp, priest of Torag. You will be subjected to Torag's Divine Will and be forced to speak only the truth. It is in your best interests to not resist." He states plainly, grabbing his holy symbol with one hand and clasping Dovan's shoulder. Strong words of Dwarven, charged with divine power, flow from his mouth...

Vallen casts Touch of Truthtelling on Dovan from a 2nd level spell slot, DC 15 will save to resist. If he successfully resists Vallen will cast it again from a 1st level spell slot, DC 14 will save to resist.

"Hum...I guess that makes sense," Korinne agrees. "Arcane magic seems to work the same way. Er, not that we pray for it, but the spells never change - it's just up to each person to decide which ones to learn and how to use them."

When it comes time to begin the next interrogation, she listens intently as Vallen explains how the magic should work. "So...it doesn't hurt them or anything, they just feel compelled to be truthful? That doesn't sound too bad..."

Think they use this same sort of method in Cheliax? Or Galt?

Korinne shivers.

Don't be silly. Let's see what comes of it before you start getting antsy, okay?

Will save: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (16) + 0 = 16

Will save: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (9) + 0 = 9

Vallen is forced to use his spell multiple times, as Dovan initially seems unaffected. The second time that Vallen calls for intervention, the rogue twitches slightly and something about his features seems to become more symmetrical. Oddly, even the shadows across him look, for just a moment, like they are a mirror image.

What do you want to ask Dovan?

Vallen said to do yes or no but if we did that on pbp it would take well into next year. That and it only lasts 3 min so we aren't likely to get far in that amount of time.

"You told us you from a brothel in Nisroch. That you heard a man wanted to kill one of the girls so you warned them and then fled to protect yourself from him. What's the true story? You also said the Staglord was an awful person. Why did you never leave? Why stick around and continue to do his bidding when you could obviously survive on your own?"

These are basically the two points Carinna told us about the first time we spoke with him.

"I am from a brothel in Ustalav!" Dovan starts off. "I... I was born there, it was a terrible place. They had special business to cater to clients who killed the workers to sate their lusts. That is all true! I had to escape because they were going to let a client kill me," he says desperately.

"The Stag Lord was a beast, that's also true. But he could be managed. His operation kept us fed, got us wealth. He drank a lot - too much - he could be manipulated. Tell him what he wants to hear, then tell him what you want him to hear. Kept me safe. I could do what I wanted and nobody would cross me because the Stag Lord would back me up if something went wrong."

Korinne sits quietly and watches with a sort of morbid fascination as they finally begin getting what seems to be the real truth from Dovan. "Can't blame him for leaving Ustalav," she whispers softly. "And the rest...it sounds like he stayed because it was easy and convenient," she adds with a sigh.

Vallen listens to Dovan's story, his expression rapidly souring. The dwarf's arms cros over his plaited beard, and it becomes obvious he does not like what is coming out of the former bandit's mouth. Torag shows the truth. This one is unrepentant for his actions. "Do you regret the unwarranted suffering you have caused others with your banditry?"

"Ehhhh..." says Dovan, then nothing more. Sweat starts to bead on his forehead.

"So now we get the truth," Cassandra says, starring at the confused Dovan. "You're reasons to run are no better than Jex. And you have the nerve to belittle him. And just like with Auchs, and even us, you manipulate those stronger than you to better your life. I think we we are done here." Cassandra was tired of listening to him speak so she stuffed a rag in his mouth and took a loose bit of rope to tie over it. To think she felt sorry for him. That was exactly what he wanted her to feel and irked her to know he succeeded for a time.

"Well that decides that I think," she says in conference with the others. "But that still leaves Auchs. I know a bad deed is a bad deed whether you know it or not but still. I don't think I can kill him knowing he's really nothing more than a very large child."

Damn. He's perfect for Spymaster. Too bad he's a dick. I assume the spell wore off.

The corners of Vallen's mouth turn up in an unamused grimace, distorting his moustache into a line of doubt. He shrugs as Cassandra gags the former bandit. "You're right about Dovan for sure. Torag would call for justice for Dovan and Auchs alike, but these are not his courts nor is it my decision. Your description makes me believe Auchs may not understand the difference between right or wrong, making him no more at fault than a hungry but cognitive animal. However, he has been trained to believe it is acceptable to hurt others, and that makes him a dangerous animal. I can prepare more truthtelling tomorrow if you wish, but I don't think it would make a difference."

The priest has made his case and given his counsel, briefly fiddling with the rings in his beard as he wonders how a High Judge of Torag would handle Auchs- likely a death sentence if there was no family to immediately care for them.

I'd rather have a decent spymaster I can trust rather than a great spymaster I cannot.

"Even a pet dog will be put down if it starts to bite the children," Auric echoes with a nod, "I know death sentences are hard to carry out... I can bring their justice if you want?"

"They've got a point Cass," Korinne says sadly. "We can't always have someone around to keep an eye on him so he won't hurt himself or anyone else. And if neither arcane or divine magic will help him, then...I'm not sure what other choice we have. M-maybe we can at least make it quick and peaceful...?"

Cassandra looks over at the bandits. Her eyes smolder at Dovan but look pitifully at Auchs. "Yeah. Okay." Her shoulders slump as she gives in to the group consensus. "I don't think I am going to be too up for a celebration after this though." Cassandra heads for the bunk house, leaving the deed to Auric.

Vallen sighs, crossing his arms nervously over his chest. He was not looking forward to the impending violence, but it was his duty to see justice and law carried out. Or in this case, supervised.

The dwarf looks at Auric and jerks his head towards the two bandits. "Well. Let's get it over with." He mutters, reaching to the rigid book holster on his right side and unclasping the iron-bound leather tome with gold thread stitched across the front in plain Dwarvish from its confines. Even without being able to read the title, anyone with knowledge of popular religions would recognize it as Torag's holy book- Hammer and Tongs; the Forging of Metal and Other Good Works.

Vallen opens up the leather book near the end, flips one page back, and places a stubby finger on the text to trace over some lines. He takes a deep breath and begins translating last rites for non-believers.

"All hearth fires die, and so too must we. As your time on the material plane draws to a close, reflect on your life and all the good work you have accomplished. Feel the pride of a job well done. Know that your crafts will outlast you and bring joy to others or ease their burdens in life. This is the final wordly blessing I ask Torag to bestow upon you."

"Now I ask wise Magrim, remaker of Dwarf should and older brother of our Mighty Forge-Father Torag, to take a moment from his everlasting duties to see the safe passage of these two souls to the Boneyard where Pharmasa will bestow Final Judgement. Please, o ancient Taskmaster, I beseech you! Do not let their souls stray from the path, to become trapped here as vengeful undead, or allow their flesh and bone to rise again as vessels for negative energy."

The priest sighs and closes the book slowly, bowing his head so he can avoid witnessing the beheading "Be at peace, flickering coals. May your next life spark be good and just."

Auric nods stoically and has the two men lead outside. Helping to tie the manipulator to a stump, he declares, "Donovan, you have been found guilty of unrepentant banditry, the penalty for which is death. You may take a moment to make peace with whatever god you expect to meet on the other side." After a quiet moment he raises his massive sword and relieves the man of his head.

As he helps to secure the next man to the stump he begins, "Auchs, you have been found guilty of unrepentant banditry, the penalty for which is death. That means you're about to die... there is a goddess named Sarenrae who has the power to forgive, if you hope to go on to a better world after this you should ask her for mercy. You could pray, 'Dawnflower, I have made many mistakes but I desire forgiveness, please show me mercy' or something like that... if you want." He pauses once again to give the simple man a chance to do whatever seems right to him, then he sends him on to the next world as well.

Like Cass, Korinne had no real desire to stay and watch the proceedings either but her father's voice in the back of her mind keeps her rooted to the spot. She can see him, back home in their little bakery in Restov, a memory on the value of persistence...and of a properly kneaded roll of dough.

You can't just throw the dough together an' not knead it before it goes into th' oven. Always gotta finish what you start, Kor. Part of bein' a good worker, part of bein' an adult.

Even if she wasn't going to be the one to wield the blade, she'd helped make the decision to lead to this point. She couldn't walk away now and leave practical strangers to finish what she and Cass and the others had started.

After Vallen and Auric offer their words, Korinne quietly clears her throat and speaks. "This isn't a decision made lightly but one made for the good of the communities we want to build, places free from oppression and rule of the unjust. Lady Everbloom, never let us stray from that path. Lady of Graves, please allow these souls to go where they're meant."
_____________

If it wasn't apparent from the outfit, Kor's words should pretty well peg her as having allegiance to Milani. And yes, her outfit is meant to basically be like a white mage from Final Fantasy since Milani's colors are red and white :3

With the executions completed a somber mood comes over the place, but eventually dinner is served and you have a chance to get back into a more "normal" sort of routine. Kesten's guards dig a pair of graves out back and bury the bodies there, then put up small markers for them.

The next morning, Kesten oversees the hanging of Falgrim Sneeg. His body is left up as a warning - though doubtless he'll be taken down, too, in a few days when he gets to smell like Dirty Jeb.

Kesten says, "With Sneeg executed his justice is served as a lesson to those who would betray their brothers-at-arms. I can procure for you four weapons of the best quality, ordered from Restov. Let me know what you wish and I shall make the arrangements through Tamric Lees."

Tamric likewise says, "If there's anything else you need from the city, I am going to make a fast round trip - you gals have been great for business! - and come back with whatever you want. So let me know now!"

We're at a point where you can do some exploration to knock off the rest of the unexplored hexes on the map, though you probably wanna visit your crew at the old fort at some point. Also you may wanna replenish food stocks since you had to leave a bunch at the fort. Then when you return from this round of exploration Tamric can bring you more of your rewards for completed quests!

Vallen shrugs at Kesten, rubbing the silvered butt of his pistol with his palm. He was rather attached to the firearm, and it was unlikely the man could find anything like it from Restov. "I have not done anything of note to warrant a reward, but your offer is appreciated none-the-less."

Ready for hex exploration!

Ok, we have a little work cut out for us!

Telmarni's "buddy": Someone needs to have a tie to Telmarni to explain how she got in on this business. :)

Chaos as far as the eye can see: We have a really heavily chaotic-leaning party here, which can run against some of the core themes of KM in terms of creating order, establishing law, and building government. So, I suspect this will play out more in the form of a desire to build a very hands-off, wild-west-style society -- a loose confederacy of towns with trade and mutual defense agreements, rather than a heavy-handed monarchy with a strong central government and tax base. The ultimate goal is to eventually build some kind of nation-state, so I just want to make sure that everyone is on board with that from the start.

Healing: You'll notice that your group doesn't have a cleric. Your healing will be handled by your witch and your white mage arcanist. Since your witch has the Cauldron hex, she should be making healing potions for you in downtime. :)

Traps: You're also kind of weak on Disable Device. You'll probably just have to suck that up unless you use Summon Monster spells or get a few ranks in the skill for someone down the road, or get a rogue cohort.

Checking in, thank you for the selection and I'm looking forward to playing with everyone. Looks like we'll have a fairly diverse and interesting group of characters! :D

Re: Telmarni - I'll have a read of Telmarni's backstory and see if there would be any way that Korinne would know her or know 'of' her!

Re: kingdom type - That actually would be fine with both Korinne as a character and myself as a player, as I think it would make for an interesting twist on the Kingmaker theme as you said! However, I'm willing to try for a more traditional style of kingdom if that's what the majority wants to do.

Re: healing - Based on the way the white mage archetype functions, Korinne will be more of a backup/oh s#$& type of healer. However, I'll be sure to keep investing in UMD so she can make use of Cure wands and such as needed. Valeska, I'm also happy to coordinate with you on healing as well as spells and such!

Re: traps - I'll leave that to someone else if they want to pick up DD at some point. Otherwise, we'll figure something out :)

Checking in! And really, really thanks for selecting Carinna, when I saw all the awesome PCs out there I had little hope honestly...

Re: Telmarni - Carinna's uncle Daranir Del'annerie is a respected and kind man in Restov, even if not of the high nobility. It would be not hard for him to adopt Telmarni, making she and Carinna friends. Daranir even trained Carinna with her sword and having a second student would make a lot of sense. He and his wife never had children, so adopting would be interesting.

Re: Kingdom type - Carinna would prefer a traditional kingdom, since she wants to build a place to the people of Rostland.

Re: Healing and Traps - Hum... completely lost at this point... I think a cohort would be nice.

Hi Nella! (Shuo here). Nice to see you made it too!

Hey Shuo, it's good to see you again!

How many of us are from Restov? It's always feasible that one or more of us know each other that way as well, in addition to Telmarni being linked to someone :)

*intense girly squeal* Sorry. Had to get that out. Happy to be here. So what does Telmarni need a buddy for?

Couple of things:

I added Tulis and Erastil as deities. Tulis because most of the people in her village can empathize with her story and Erastil is obvious.

She has Warded Against Nature so no animals nearby.

I switched some points for enough wisdom to get Keen Scent. I now have scent...for reasons.

Hi! It's great to be here!

Something's just come up today that's important to mention: I have to be out of the country for the last two weeks of November. So, I may need to be NPC'ed then, or if you want to switch things around, I understand. Just warning everyone ahead of time.

Otherwise, yes, I plan to be making healing potions every time there's sufficient downtime. I only need 2 hours to make a potion right now, so even extended camp time can work (although that eats a spell slot for the day). If there are enough healing potions, I'll start making other potions, like potions of enlarge person, mage armor, or remove sickness. It'll cost 25gp per potion. I've kept enough gold on hand to prepare three potions right away.

I figure I'll be light on cure spells for casting in combat, focusing on more control like Obscuring Mist to start. I also have the Slumber Hex, so expect a lot of that.

Also, 150 is not enough for someone that uses a Longbow.

Hey Shuo, it's good to see you again!

How many of us are from Restov? It's always feasible that one or more of us know each other that way as well, in addition to Telmarni being linked to someone :)

Do not know how old is Korinne (Carinna is almost 19). When she was a chield she used to run all over Restov playing with the other kids... if she is of the same age, we could be childhood friends.

Or Carinna could just love some delicious bread from your family's bakery!

Valeska's been traveling with a Varisian caravan throughout the River Kingdoms and Brevoy, and it's time she stops roosting with those vagabonds. The little girl shouldn't be wasting her time in entertainment, anymore.

(Valeska will do most of the posting, but I'll be around.)

Do not know how old is Korinne (Carinna is almost 19). When she was a chield she used to run all over Restov playing with the other kids... if she is of the same age, we could be childhood friends.

Or Carinna could just love some delicious bread from your family's bakery!

Korinne is 18, so either option (or both!) sounds good to me :)

Thank you DM Jesse for accepting Telmarni. I see Carinna is accepting her into the family. Though I want to ask, did you see them traveling often? Would explain how they came across a young strix girl.

Ohh... I am soo excited for this!

And for Kingdom, I kinda hope for a more good leaning kingdom. To treat Telmarni nicely and not... Arg! Evil Strix! Blarg! So... Since we're not lawful, maybe Chaotic Good or Neutral Good I hope. So she would definitely support it.

If anyone knows Carinna's family, they might just know of the strix in her family. Or she might be a guarded secret. What do you think? Also... What family trait would the Del'annerie family be of?

Also, 150 is not enough for someone that uses a Longbow.

Yup. :)

*intense girly squeal* Sorry. Had to get that out. Happy to be here. So what does Telmarni need a buddy for?

Couple of things:

I added Tulis and Erastil as deities. Tulis because most of the people in her village can empathize with her story and Erastil is obvious.

She has Warded Against Nature so no animals nearby.

I switched some points for enough wisdom to get Keen Scent. I now have scent...for reasons.

Telmarni needs a buddy because she is not just nonhuman, but from an adversary species. So, she basically needs a pal or sponsor to vouch for her as a reliable ally. Otherwise she'd just be causing intense fear in or attacked on sight by humans who don't know her.

Hi! It's great to be here!

Something's just come up today that's important to mention: I have to be out of the country for the last two weeks of November. So, I may need to be NPC'ed then, or if you want to switch things around, I understand. Just warning everyone ahead of time.

Otherwise, yes, I plan to be making healing potions every time there's sufficient downtime. I only need 2 hours to make a potion right now, so even extended camp time can work (although that eats a spell slot for the day). If there are enough healing potions, I'll start making other potions, like potions of enlarge person, mage armor, or remove sickness. It'll cost 25gp per potion. I've kept enough gold on hand to prepare three potions right away.

I figure I'll be light on cure spells for casting in combat, focusing on more control like Obscuring Mist to start. I also have the Slumber Hex, so expect a lot of that.

If needed, I will control Valeska while you are out.

Well the Del'anneries are low nobility (since they are from old Rostland) and differently from the high nobility that has tons of gold, her Family need to live. Their main business is trade, with her uncle Daramir taking care of the business since her father died.

Daramir travels a lot, making supply contracts and arrangements for the safety of their trading caravans. It would explain how he found Telmarni.

He is a well known citizen, loved both by the common people and the remaining Rostlander nobility. In the beggining it makes more sense that Telmarni remains a secret, for he fears that she might ruin his business and reputation, even more now in this unsteady atmosphere.

He needed to ask a lot o favors to put both Telmarni and Carinna in the group though.

@Korinne: Both sounds good! So childhood friends and recurring customer!

Also for downtime purposes, I've got Craft(Alchemy), so I can also make us alchemist's fire and tanglefoot bags and the like.

I am at Comikaze (terrible timing, I know) and will update tonight!

So what would be Telmarni's Kingmaker trait then? And if it is still Noble Born, which one would fit best?

Though the one that fits a merchant family is Lebeda. Since it mentions in the trait that their family are merchants and traders. And maybe the Del'annerie are a minor part of that family?

Well, Cassandra or her home, is an obvious choice but I think knowing there is a noble out there willing to look past the physical is important. That or they could have met up along the way to the meeting place to sign the charter. Considering her home and personality, Cassandra would help. When is the first Gameplay post?

Cassandra has a lower charisma than Carinna, so Carinna is probably the "safer" choice.

Also, Carinna, do you want me to make up your heirloom weapon's name and more details of is history, or did you want to flesh that out?

Working on getting the maps set up to start gameplay.

No rush DM, I imagine a lot of folks have also been busy with Halloween stuff (or maybe just stuff in general) this weekend!

On a slightly different note, since this is one of the APs where it will potentially matter the most, I'm hoping to slowly work on fleshing out more on the important NPCs in Korinne's life - family, friends, etc. since it's entirely possible that some of them might show up at some point!

Family will likely come up for most of this group!

I've set up the Roll20 page, and will be loading a map and starting gameplay tomorrow.

Happy Halloween and daylight savings!

Cassandra has a lower charisma than Carinna, so Carinna is probably the "safer" choice.

Also, Carinna, do you want me to make up your heirloom weapon's name and more details of is history, or did you want to flesh that out?

Working on getting the maps set up to start gameplay.

Hum, yes, I think I'll leave this to you. Makes more sense.

No Halloween here... I'm from Brazil! But happy halloween to all of you!

I'm looking over the other characters and wondering, are we getting three traits? I thought we only had two, with the campaign trait being one of them.

We can take a drawback for another trait.

Ah, okay. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

I took a drawback.

I'm tempted to take a drawback, but I just can't bring myself to take one.

It depends on the character background for me. If drawbacks are allowed and there's one that makes sense for the character (and one that I think I can roleplay effectively) then I'll take one, but sometimes there aren't any that really fit and that's okay too.

As Korinne said, it depends on the character and the background of said character. For Telmarni, she fled from Cheliax when she was young. She was a trophy slave there, hence the Mark of Slavery drawback.

A character doesn't really need drawbacks nor do they need an extra trait really. It just adds a bit more flavor for the game, somewhat. But doesn't really come out often.

Anyway, going back to traits, what Kingmaker trait should Telmarni take? I am just a bit lost right now due to choices now. I am leaning towards Carinna's Del'annerie family, so what trait would fit best for that?

Hum...kinda hard to say, though it might depend on how long you imagine that Telmarni has been with Carinna and her family. If it's been several years, maybe the Sword Scion or Rostlander traits? Bastard is only for humans, Brigand, Issian, and Noble Born don't make sense and I don't think Pioneer would be applicable since Carinna's family lives in Restov. Or maybe you can work out some sort of modification or custom trait with DM Jesse?

I mentioned in recruitment that you could perhaps take a trait associated with one of the noble families via adoption or sponsorship. Hang on, I'm just getting the first map uploaded (at last!), then I'll take a look at the KM traits and have a reply for ya. :)

I think Rostlander fits best then if nothing else. A +1 to Fort saves and living in Rostland, I guess along side with Carinna when she was being train in sword fighting. What do you think?

Edit: I just finished working out Telmarni's background with the Del'annerie connection! Please read and comment! :)

That works for me!

Great! Now... Lets see if I can get a bit more personality into her.

Telmarni paces around in her bedroom in her adopted family's hall. Dressed simply she holds a piece of paper that is written that she will assist her cousin in the "Reclaiming" of the greenbelt. Why does Dar-Father wish for me to go? Does he not wish for me to be around? I can see myself being of use to Carinna, but I might be a burden for her.

She continues to pace around her room, a plainly decorated bedroom of a girl who had a hard life before she found acceptance, at least after she was adopted by her new family. Near where she walks is a bed, and upon it lies a scimitar, made out of a weird black metal that was a gift to her in addition to the letter she received. Telmarni lets out a sigh and plops down on the bed, careful of her new sword. Well, the sword is well made. So it should be of use. But... She rolls over a couple times, wrapping her own wings around her. If it is Father's wish, I shall do it. Though I am not sure of the phrase, "Spread your wings" when he wanted me to find a better life. She frowns as she sits up on the bed.

Looks like you're getting into Telmarni's head just fine!

I've opened up the Gameplay page and made the initial post. You will notice as well that the campaign page has a link to a Roll20 map -- this link is also in the first gameplay page. If you still want to discuss the nature of your various character connections, you can do so here, or you can jump right into the role-play over on the Gameplay page.

If you have questions about what your characters see or what's happening at the trading post that is the start of the adventure, ask 'em on the Gameplay page. If you have more questions about tweaking stats/alignment/details, ask 'em here. :)

Was Path of War ever addressed in recruitment? Could I take few levels of Stalker at some point? If you refluff the extraordinary bits as utilizing her inherit animal instinct, it all flows quite well. I was thinking 2 or 3 levels to make the beast form more tanky and decent DPS.

Yes, it was in my creation doc, it's allowed.

I'm gonna be driving for about six hours but I should be on a regular schedule again tomorrow.

Just to confirm, Tzerny is indeed a magical beast, is a familiar, and is granted by a class ability, and so is not affected by Warded Against Nature.

I meant it has to be granted by a class of mine to not be affected.

"Animals do not willingly approach within 30 feet of you, unless you or the animal's master succeeds at a DC 20 Handle Animal, Ride, or wild empathy check. Animal companions, familiars, and mounts granted by your class abilities are immune to this effect."

Ah, okay. But Tzerny is still a magical beast, not an animal, by the rules.

I don't know... looks like familiars are not affected... the emphasis you made just states about YOUR pets. Regarding other players or NPCs, Warded Against Nature would indeed affect only animals.

At least this is the way it is writen.

Anyway, the GM should decide about it, since it is not clear enough.

Might as well figure this out now in case it becomes an issue later. Like if Tzerny needs to deliver a touch attack but I am in the way. Still, interested to see his reaction.

This disad (Warded versus Nature) is really poorly written, but:

* Tzerny's post above is on point, familiars (and any animal with intelligence 3+) are Magical Beasts, which are a separate category from Animals.
* The clear intent of this rule is to mimic the uncanny fear that "normal" horses, chickens, dogs, etc. have for supernatural beings that masquerade as humans, and I am inclined to work in that direction.
* It's a disad, so it should be a problem more often than it helps.

So, in no particular order:
* Warded vs. Nature will not stop Tzerny from taking actions, but he can certainly feel it. To him, Cassie doesn't feel like a human, she's a monster wearing a human skin.
* This will certainly be a pain when it comes to horses. Horses will generally freak out. This means that the party will want to try to keep its speed at 30' so that you can explore a hex (on the KM hex map) each day. Horses would make the group faster, but unless Cassie gets a mount as an animal companion, that's probably not gonna work very well. (I guess Cassie could stay some distance from the rest of the group, but that causes plenty of annoying little issues.)
* On the up side, natural animals will avoid Cassie whenever possible. This does mean that they will try to attack other party members if they do attack, though. ;)
* And most importantly, I really would rather not turn this into something that makes it harder for the party to work as a team. It is gonna be enough of a pain when Cassie tries to explain why horses always freak out and the party can't reliably ride across the countryside. ;)

How much of difference does the speed make? Does this bother anyone? I want a wolf as a companion but they don't increase to large until druid level 7 or 10 as a full ranger. I can change that with boon companion but minimum is still 7. Or I can get a horse 4 and trade out later. I am sort of rolling with her just being terrible with all animals but wolves since they are part of her bloodline.

I'm fine with having to move a bit slower until we can come up with more reliable workarounds to the horse issue. These sorts of things are what make games fun and unique...well, maybe not fun for the PCs, but I have fun as a player :)

It was a calculated risk but the RP options outway it in my opinion.

Agreed. As long as you keep speed 30'+ you should be fine. It's when you have people at speed 20' (like heavy armor or dwarfs or whatnot) that it really starts eating up extra time and resources.

Oh yeah. Thought I should ask. Am I right in interpreting the Change Shape ability allows me to choose which ability score to increase as well as a feature each time I use it? For now it is dex and darkvision. If I wanted to be a tougher melee combatant I will switch to str and AC. I can do this right?

For fluff, dex is cat-like, str is wolf-like and con is bear-like.

Correct -- each time you Change Shape, you choose what benefits you get in terms of stat bonus + special ability.