Doug M's Way of the Wicked (Inactive)

Game Master Douglas Muir 406

Quote:

In other words, we all spend 2 nights in this city. Then we leave for Aldencross.

Clock check: one night on the lake, one night on the boat (after killing the Captain and all), two nights here in town. You'll enter Aldencross on the evening of Day Five / morning of Day Six after leaving Sakkarot's camp.

Why do we need to be in town two days? With Mount, not Mount, Communal cast for Xen, he could have made it to town in time to trade goods, and we in turn could trade the next day then began our foray to Aldencross. A single night would suffice I believe.

Xen saunters into the common room, some how his hat seems more fantastical than ever, where he hands out gold to everyone. Then for Zimu he hands her a small box.

For you my dear. Enjoy.

Cуровую thought Xen preferred crab cakes to ice sherbert.

Cуровую smiles and keeps the small token and whispers via Message, "That was very thoughtful Xen, my dear. I'll save it for a special occasion. Hopefully not either of our funerals."

Perhaps if you misbehave I'll buy you a dress to go with it.

He winks. Then he pulls out a small brass holy symbol. Any idea what god this is of?

'I like your new hat. Very over the top. Very pre mid life crisis.'

'You planning to become a holy man Xen? Celibacy is not your strong point.'

Knowledge Religion 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23

Don't hate me cause I'm beautiful Helen. I have pretended to be many things, perhaps a priest could be a good thing to have in the bag.

'On the contrary, I believe that while beauty is only skin deep, you have quite beautiful skin.'

Like butter!

Hey is that why you and lobster girl got along? What goes better with lobster than butter?

Oh, it's a holy symbol of Mitra. Of course.

Are you done complimenting each other? he says quite matter of fact. Doesn't seem annoyed, more of a genuine question.
I have always wondered why humans feel the need to bolster each others ego or confidence...must be a weakness. he says to himself but out loud.
A holy symbol of Mitra, could be quite useful, although I am the only one who can cast spells which might convince someone they are a holy priest. That could end up being useful!

Note that you can buy bigger and fancier holy symbols pretty much everywhere.

Why do we need to be in town two days? With Mount, not Mount, Communal cast for Xen, he could have made it to town in time to trade goods, and we in turn could trade the next day then began our foray to Aldencross. A single night would suffice I believe.

Because you didn't do it that way. I had Xen going ahead, but then everyone was all "oh no, we all want to arrive on the same evening".

Also, it's going to take a full day to sell all your stuff and then do your shopping. So, you won't be ready to leave until the following evening. I assume you'd rather spend the night than leave town and spend it in Farmer Bob's field just a couple of miles down the road.

discussed in OOC, with the aid of Xen and Dren's abilities.[/ooc]

In King Markadian IV court, is there some persona that could be a 'boogyman' type, something like a spymaster, Inquisitor or Darth Vader figure, someone who is feared rather than loved who is protected by the Crown and in turn protects the Crown's interests?

Excellent question! The answer, at the moment, is no. The closest would be Chancellor Morton, Pilkington's former boss, who is in charge of finance. However, while Morton is seen as strict and meticulous, he is also seen as a man who is simply enforcing the law. He may be disliked, but he's respected rather than feared.

The High Pontiff of the Church is seen as an amiable old dodder. The King is respected and popular. Princess Bellinda is universally beloved. The Inquisition is feared, but that's not part of the Royal Court. There was a bad Lord Chief Justice a few years back, but he was eventually exposed and banished.

Honestly, King Markadian is pretty popular, and most people perceive his rule as on the whole both fair and good.

So: are we all done with purchases? Ready to move on to Aldencross?

One last item in the OOC and then done.

Yea zimu I tried to go on my own and most of the party freaked out, like i was going to steal everything and run away. you all should trust me!

Nice. Moodkiller strikes again. Xen gives an elaborate bow to Zimu and goes to gather his things.

Dren see ooc for your share. I included you in it.

Because you didn't do it that way. I had Xen going ahead, but then everyone was all "oh no, we all want to arrive on the same evening".

Douglas Muir 406 wrote:

Snowmantle: okay, you can get Grumblejack on a horse. (Though the horse doesn't like it much.) You're still stick with the hour-and-a-quarter limit, though.

Technically 1 hour and 20 minutes, and if the group wants us to save time, I could cast Mount for Xen to use and we could use the full duration to get to the city ahead of the group, and the group would now have Mount, Communal for 1 hour and 36 min.

Hm, I thought the plan was we send Xen to get the items sold, then the next day we make purchases, then we are off to Aldencross, giving us at least half a day. No worries.

Can we at least as a group agree to leave as day breaks?

We leave separately, not attracting attention, maybe letting slip we are heading off to places other than Aldencross, further off, hence why we have to leave early. Once outside of town, Cуровую and Jax each cast Mount for ourselves, and Communal Mount for the party, giving the party 3 hours and 12 minutes of ride time.

Note that you can buy bigger and fancier holy symbols pretty much everywhere.

Done! Cуровую is getting a 7 gp silver one that is tasteful, not too large, that will ring her neck like a choker. And a deep henna tattoo saying in flowing script 'My body is a temple to Mitra' a few inches below the nape of her neck while everyone is out shopping. Lastly some gold's worth of well made, 'come hither' perfume please, with a wax seal.

King Markadian's court

Some possible cover stories come to mind.

Let us keep the cover stories we have decided on with this addition.

Jax and I will prepare some paperwork, that if caught, we can produce as 'evidence' and our 'true personas'.

The Judge

We create paperwork making him tied to The Inquisition, that he is respected and feared fanatic that roots out even the mildest threats to the church of Mitra. He has the Intimidate and Bluff to back this up.

The men attached to him are either Templars or sanctified men at arms.

Jax and Xen

Have a special writ that invests them with seeking financial discrepancies and fraudulent waste of the King's coin, in direct service to Chancellor Morton's office.

Cуровую

Same background linked to the Chancellor's office with the added backstory that she was a childhood friend of Princess Bellinda.

Again we are not using this stories as we walk in to Aldencross, but we prepare the paperwork for when we need them.

Xen will Inspire Competence and Dren casts Guidance

Linguistics for Forgery 1d20 + 7 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 7 + 2 + 1 = 30 Jax can look to see where I can make it more believable

Edit SEXY

i think judge decided we would enter together zimu. I can't remember

Cуровую will be a grand niece of Lord Stanley, who serves the Crown's Master of Coin.

Since we are here for a day, when shopping can the Judge and Xen find out some further information regarding Aldencross with their gifted skills.

Strictly speaking, I'm supposed to do Forgery rolls offscreen.

While you are at it kets work up some papers to incriminate that thieving runt Nimpy

Okay. On to Aldencross! [roll roll]

The good news is, you have no troublesome encounters on the road. (The road to Aldencross / Balentyne runs well south of the lake, so it has a lot more traffic on it.)

The less good news is, it rains. You'll end up squelching into Aldencross long after sunset, drenched to the skin.

And a deep henna tattoo saying in flowing script 'My body is a temple to Mitra' a few inches below the nape of her neck while everyone is out shopping. Lastly some gold's worth of well made, 'come hither' perfume please, with a wax seal.

Mm hm. Okay.

Okay, you've said you don't all want to stay at the same place. So who is staying where? To recap: The Lord's Dalliance, surprisingly pleasant upper midlist inn, 2 gp/night. The Dog and Dragon, a sleazy dive with stale food and infested blankets, 5 sp/night. The North Star, a flophouse with a communal bunk room, popular with peddlers and shepherds, 2 sp/night.

This may also be a good time to discuss ooc plans for investigating the Tower of Balentyne.

Strictly speaking, I'm supposed to do Forgery rolls offscreen.

That's right, I thought we roll Forgery then you roll Bluff off screen. Well Yaay NAT 20 that may have been for window dressing.

There was a bad Lord Chief Justice a few years back, but he was eventually exposed and banished.

Hello. What's this?

Did DM throw us a bone?

Xen will man up and stay at the dig and dragon. He makes himself look significantly disheveled and keeps to himself. take 10 on disguise for 24

Once in his room he prestidigitates the crap out of it

Della is in his Haversack. Only has sharpened daggers up his sleaves

Grumblejack will be perfectly content with the Northern Star. Ogres aren't picky. Mind, if he's staying there, it's probably a good idea to have someone else there keeping an eye on him.

Maybe we should also give Grumble some money, say 24 gold each? This way he has some 'walking around money' and hey, loyalty!

Cуровую will make sure Grumble is well fed and given a tall stout beer at the town before leaving for Aldencross.

Douglas Muir 406 wrote:

There was a bad Lord Chief Justice a few years back, but he was eventually exposed and banished.

Hello. What's this?

I am staring at the DM

I am staring at the DM

Justice Turpin resigned in disgrace... oh, it must have been six or seven years ago. He was allowed to retire to his country estate. Presumably he's still there.

Incidentally, the scandal led to reforms that included greater scrutiny of the judiciary. This in turn led pretty directly to the downfall of our own dear Judge. So if you ever were to encounter Justice Turpin (ret.), the Judge might want to have a word or two with him.

I thought the Lord Chief Justice who was eventually exposed and banished may have been the cardinal.

Nice try! But no. The dates don't match up.

We also investigate the names of inns in Aldencross. Once we find a decent one, we all head to Aldencross. Edmin, Xen and I will spend a night under the stars camping while Jax, Dren and Cy go forward to begin investigating. Xen, Edmin, Grumblejack and I will follow a day later. I would like two inns that are fairly close together with three of us in either inn. Once again, the goal is to divide our party to minimize any chance that Nimby is spreading rumors.

In other words, we all spend 2 nights in this city. Then we leave for Aldencross. The first group enters late on day 3 while the rest of us camp a few miles from the city. Cy can summon mounts by casting Mount/Mount(communal) to get us there reasonably quickly. With Grumblejack's speed, we should make it with time to spare.

Per the above quote Jax, Dren, and Cy enter the city late that day.

Nice try! But no. The dates don't match up.

I saw that bit. Hmm

"Well after the prison and that damned ship I am staying The Lord's Dalliance." Edmin smiles a very unpleasant smile at the others as he steps off towards the inn. "You are welcome to join me of course."

The knight keeps his hood up to protect himself from the rain as he walks down the street. His hair had still not grown back to its full length and the short beard from the delightful cruse helped add to the look of mercenary for hire. The champions plate mail remained wrapped in his pack along with the Headsman's axe.

'Welcome back to the North Sir Edmin.'

Prior to their arrival, the Judge discusses residences with the rest of the group.

Dren, would you be willing to stay at the North Star with Grumblejack? Turning to Grumblejack: With the extra cash, we can get you a side of beef or an unaccounted for drunk each day.

Xen, Jax and Cy. You all stay at the Dog and Dragon. I believe each of you has the ability to clean any vermin in the rooms and this will further split our group.

I shall continue as a merchant together with my bodyguard, Asmodeus' Champion of Darkness. We will stay at the Lord's Daliance.
___________

Once in the city, Xen, Jax and Cy should work the taverns frequented by soldiers, particularly times for shift changes and any guard patterns. Cy can also visit any libraries or historical records to learn about the layout of the fortress and any past attacks, and how they were defeated. The Judge and Edmin will work the merchant circles finding out about resupply timings. Dren will start working the lower class, speaking with the unwanted segments of the town, the drunks and the down on their luck.

Any additional thoughts are appreciated. I am not locked on this plan, but it seems one that will fairly well fit each of our backgrounds and keep us separate, but able to meet and communicate.

Nice. Moodkiller strikes again.

Worst James Bond villain ever!

From the way they described the inns, any self-respecting traveler will be staying at the Daliance. Unless we're posing as poor peddlers or farmers, it would be odd to be staying at the Dog and Dragon.

Diplo1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27

Xen seeks out some soldiers in a pub and attempts to sit and drink with them, learning their stories. He buys a few rounds, praises their bravery and thanks them for their service. Mostly he listens to tries to buy some goodwill, and leaves them with the promise of more drinks if they have stories of life in the fort. What adventures they have had, if they have ever had to fight etc.

will mine for info later

Day 6 (since you left the bugbear camp) is your first day in Aldencross. Xen checked in late at the Dog and Dragon, cleaned his room, took breakfast (stale bread, dubious cheese, you want an ill-tempered scowl with that?) and sets out for a stroll around the town, looking particularly for soldiers to chat with.

He finds a few around, running errands. And later in the afternoon, a few will drift into the D&D; it's a bit of a dive, but the beer is cheap. Xen is an ingratiating fellow, so by nightfall he's spent a gold piece or two and collected some basic facts.

SOME BASIC FACTS ABOUT BALENTYNE

-- The official garrison strength is 102 enlisted men, three officers, a commander, and auxiliaries. There are occasional vacancies among the enlisted men, so actual strength is more like 100 +/- 2. The garrison includes men from all over Talingarde.

-- Balentyne is not a large fortress, but its physical setting is such that 100 men can probably hold off 10,000. It blocks the mouth of a narrow pass coming off the end of the lake.

-- Relations between the garrison and the town are excellent, so there is regular coming and going; soldiers are in and out of the town every day, and servants, repairmen and delivery persons visit the tower regularly.

three officers, a commander, and auxiliaries.

Xen good start. We need to get some names, positions and specifics.

When we have more information, let's test the garrison's responses, mind you this will be much later, a few weeks off, by setting a large fire about half a mile away, one that would look like a natural occurrence.

We can see if this will draw some soldiers away, and it may give some lapses in security where we can scout inside the fort.

Not sure if a large fire will do the trick, but you get the idea.

Dren will determine the lay of the land with the poor and destitute after staking out a nice corner in the common room.
Are all of the commoners happy with the way things are going with the tower? Does anyone around here have a beef with the soldiers or the tower?
He then tries to determine if any of the commoners that work in the tower frequent this dump.
diplomacy/gather info 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

TODAY'S ROLL ON THE RUMOR TABLE

or, what Xen and Dren have found out from a day of chatting to people, category "hearsay stuff that may or may not be true". Not spoilered since I assume you'll promptly share with the rest of the party, but if you want me to, I can.

Xen, chatting with some soldiers over a beer: "Oh, Commander Havelyn is good. Veteran, you know? Keeps to himself, you wouldn't call him friendly, but he knows his job. The Wall is safe with him on watch."

Dren, sitting with some peddlers from the North Star: "Frickin' dwarves. I hate 'em. They're thieves, every one." "Yeah, I heard one of 'em was caught picking pockets." "Ha! He must have been a poor one. Usually they'll just &*^% you over with haggling. You can't separate a dwarf from his silver, and you might as well not even try."

You don't meet anybody who has a particular beef with the soldiers or the tower. (Not to say they don't exist! Just, you didn't meet any today.) You get the same "frequent coming and going" information, but you did not meet anyone (today) who works up there.

But those two guys? Man, they really don't like dwarves.

As long as its not illegal, Jax will try peddling his painting skills near the tower. He'll target servants and the like to try and get them to talk about how many there are, who/if they live in the tower, how often they hire, etc. This is, of course, assuming he won't be arrested for hanging out with some drawing supplies sketching near-ish to Balentyne. He'll want to be close, but not close enough to be suspicious. There has to be a street or two where people peddle to those coming and going from the tower? Perhaps?

Profession painter 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15 and uh..can he use bluff to complete the verbal disguise? 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22