Elven team in Campaign Elves vs Dwarves -- Dwarves and Gnomes Keep Out (Inactive)

Game Master Chainmail

For all we know, he may not be the guy to charm. Glad you rolled, Elorin. If she rolled well, and the dude has a negative cha. mod, she might change his attitude.

As a side note, when I GM, I modify on the fly based on the player's actual handling of the situation. (If you want to play a "face," you should be smooth-talking like one, bluff like one, etc. Otherwise, play a dwarf!)

seems we have similar thinking, I'm the same when I GM.

"Times have changed, and although I would personally like to help you, I have orders. If I can take one pouch of seeds back to my bosses as a show of good faith, we can start the loading.

Velesia was quiet in her position. Playing overwatch wasn't something she'd done much, but for now she found it to her liking. No need to crouch for achingly long moments in the dark, no shivvings, no rotten smelling alleyways. I could get used to this. She kept a close watch on proceedings, ready to fire away at the first human who thought it better to force the deal than rely on words.

Readying an action to shoot the first human who looks like they are going to attack our elves.
Readied attack:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15
Readied Damage:1d6 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + (3) = 9

Interesting how your offer changes so quickly to the lower and more reasonable price. More to the point, why is it that you come dressed for war, kitted out in the finest of armours and weapons when we are coming as a mission of good faith and of peace? It is almost as though you suspect us to be more than what we are? Surely you do not think us foolish enough to start war when we come for vital supplies that our settlements need? Surely you do not think we would be so foolish to begin some form of an invasion with such small numbers?

Whilst Talon keeps his voice under control, his irritation at being treated with such suspicion is noticeable.

Telethal regards the humans' armor versus his own, ... armor doesn't look so fine to me...

We were hoping to get started as soon as possible. Our lady wants us to return quickly, Seltyn says, calm and polite.

Times have indeed changed. As my talented colleagues have said, the sooner we get this sorted the less pressure there is on us all. May I inquire as to who told you it was two bags of seeds? I feel we may have been given varying information and as you seem to be a fellow in the know round here, I can trust you.

Elorin listens to his offer of goodwill and hopes that with co-operation of everyone this may well go smoothly. He seemed to be a reasonable human and perhaps not all had forgotten our great races where once allies.

"Two pouches is the price for an expedited transaction on the docks without kingdom entanglements. I was hoping to avoid taking you into town and having another anti-elf demonstration break out--especially after they see vital resources transferred to your ship."

"Shall we wait around together until a 'royal delegation' arrives? I can have some refreshing snacks and treats brought down."

Sense Motive 1d20 ⇒ 16.
Is he being legit?

He seems legit

Telethal glares at the lead human with his non-ruined eye for a few heartbeats. Apparently satisfies with what he sees, he settles back once more into his casual stance, leaning on his spear. With a shrug he mutters to no one in particular, "I can wait."

Mar listens as the exchange takes place on the dock before him. His suspicions are still up, especially when the man mentions the possibility of snacks or refreshment. If this was business, why food and drinks?

Its far more complicated than what I'm used to.

A hand reaches down to stroke Ingwe's neck, while he tries to observe what's going on.

Waiting until a Royal delegation turns up is fine by us. How about yourselves? As I would like this matter to be clear. IF the price is indeed two then it can sorted as soon as possible. I would not want you to get ripped off as you have been so understanding with us. Though in the same vain I would not want us to get ripped off, I am sure you can understand.

Still talking in the silken voice, she hopes this is going as well as the group hopes and perhaps Velisia is doing well with the captain and is in a position to help should this all go wrong. She smiles again at the Human and approaches, with respect and Confidence.

Perhaps when this is all over we can do you a favour. Maybe I could buy you a drink, should human and elf relations improved. There are many an elven silken drink you would like and I am lead to believe there are human nector's that have been improved and to be enjoyed.

Again glad to have Telethol by her side,(As well as they others) she really wasn't sure how this would go, and though it seemed good so far, she knew should the human be pressured he would raise a sword against them, regardless of there relations. She knew she had a Charm spell at her side but that was nothing compared to a swift actions and sharp sword stab by Telethal.

Windfavor enters from the stern of the ship. "The tiller looks fine." He whispers, "Valesia is behind the pier by the rock wall. I lent her a small hand mirror to signal, but the sun won't be high enough for that in about two hours as the far side of the harbor is still in shadow. I offered to drop her off by the shore if she wanted to chance a sneak into town, but she wanted to find a good blind instead and cover the entire harbor."

Bluff roll for Elorin please and +2 for such a smooth setup

"Milady, let me get you a large cloak and whisk you into town quickly. We can negotiate with the royal delegation quickly. If you do not trust me, I can have my son there, given to your companions to vouchsafe your good conduct. We are at an impasse, and I do not want others to take over if I fail to achieve an agreement. I will leave my bully boys behind.

The burly human negotiator points to a young boy in his teens playing with a sailboat on shore.

Seltyn looks uneasy with the suggestion, but leaves the response or any other ideas to Elorin. He's just the bookkeeper.

Elorin was not comfortable with the thought of going alone. If the human was telling the truth then they could get things sorted. However if this was a ruse then she would be facing trouble without back-up. IF I dont get the goods then my race is in trouble. perhaps it may be worth the risk to myself.

She remained smiling and gave no hint of her apprehension, she would have gladly waited for the royal delegates there but if it will speed things up and keep relations at the point they are now then she would try.

That sounds like a way to solve this quickly.I would be reluctant to go alone however. If one of my colleagues came with us then I would join you. There is no need for your son to be involved in this. If we do not return safely to the ship, it would be more than just ourselves at risk here.

What is the boy's name? Call him over here so we can meet him.

The spokesman says, "My name is Derrick, you boys stay here and do not START any trouble nor talk, that will only get you in trouble. My lady, come with me."

Derrick bows, After you, you can pick anyone you want. Last year I think everyone but the sailor here went. I would not bring the wild animal, but that is up to you. The more that come, the larger chance the people will demonstrate and the king will be unhappy. Of course the more bodyguards I will have to bring to, naturally.

Derrick offers you a calloused hand.

Seltyn, go with Elorin, between the two of you, I would think there is nothing you can't manage. The rest of us will look after the boat with the captain.

Let me remind you that we came armed, but did not raise weapons to you till your goons showed up. Should any harm come to those under you command, then I will find you and exact the same that was exacted to them. The day grows older with each second that we wait. Let us get this business over with soon so that there is less bother.

Hm, a little protection would be good. But hopefully she can get this done. Just in case, though, we should have some way of finding her.

Excuse me... Elorin? Can I have one of your arrows, please?

This way, Ingwe can track her if we dont hear back.

Very well. With our cloaks up, our elven ears won't give us away to casual observers. The last thing we want is to cause any distress.

Velesia's watching us, too. We won't be as alone as it would seem.

Seltyn calmy takes an arrow from Elorin's quiver and hands it to Mar.

He smiles at Elorin. Ready when you are, my lady. This shouldn't take long.

The burly human motions to two of his companions in turn, "You, you, come with me. The rest of you stay here and remember your orders; the offer of refreshments will have to wait until our return. Keep silent with your hands at your sides, my lady."

Derrick eyes you both cautiously the entire way. You follow Derrick across the ramp and into the tower through the open gate. He points to the the young boy's feet as he stands looking expectantly on the shore, and the young boy grimly nods in return. It is a series of alternating stairs with five landings every twenty feet to the top. There are cloths stitched and lashed to the solid structure to give the garrison in the tower partial concealment. There are six crossbowmen in sight currently split between the first and second 'landings'.

You arrive on the street and there is a crowd gathering as you leave the upper gate. Derrick motions to two thugs standing before the gate, and they unlatch the gate and take the lead. You smell the distinctive flavor of cooking fish and the occasional rotting fish as you exit the tower.

A priest with long hair and wild eyes is scanning your group as they leave the gate.

Do you wish to avoid notice? If so you need to roll a stealth check with +4 as the guards are obviously trying to block the priests line of sight and you have cloaks (but full elves are truly different here). He is wearing a large robe and has a holy symbol that can only be recognized with a DC 20 religion check. He has three companions with rolled up banners at their sides.

OK. We don't want no crazy priest scarin' the natives!

Stealth: 1d20 + 2 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 2 + 4 = 23

No ranks in religion, yet.

Yes stealthy would be good, though with no ranks in it i hope i roll well enough

Stealth role 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

After one of her arrows is passed to Marlamin. She takes the Humans hand and follows him through town. The smell did not bother Elorin, as she had worked with fish before.

Thank you good sir,Myself and Seltyn here, will be glad to join you. The quicker and quieter we can go the better. I appreciate the cloak and cover.

Elorin was very nervous but knew that it may be the only way to get a fair price. she knew those she had left behind could take care of each other, but with three humans to Seltyn and Herself she hoped this Human could really be trusted.

You sneak past the priest easily and you quickly trot three blocks to an imposing hall (A city block size). Two guards quickly spring to attention and step aside as Derrick leads you into an antechamber to the right of a wide passage. It has fish, fruit and washing bowls with towels to refresh visitors. Derrick tells the guards to prepare the king for an informal audience quickly and tells Elorin she can refresh herself quickly. "Let's get you on your way quickly with a minimum of fuss."

A small figure rushes into the room to replace some washing bowls and tries to pass a note to Elorin surreptitiously (making sure Derrick is in conversation with the guards out front) and leaves. He is, surprisingly, a goblin. Weren't they all exterminated in the goblin wars by the humans?

One of the humans looks your way quickly, "Lady, did that goblin give you something?"

"I Thought all goblins where banished, How is it that one is working in the castle?"

Elorin asks as she continues to look around from her spot. This day is getting more interesting as it goes. She was glad to be inside at the very least.

not sure if you want me to make a bluff role or stealth role so here are both just take which one you need, if any.

Maybe a sleight of hand would be good, too.

The human is taken about by the verbal offensive.

"He was not supposed to be there, sorry lady."

As you wait for the return of the two guards, you can manage to surreptitiously read the note, but must make sleight of hand DC=5 or wait for later.

The two guards return; "The king awaits. Let us go."

Let me know when you are ready to meet the king.

Talon paces slowly up and down the pier, looking to the supplies that they need so desperately. Part of his wants to ask whether they can load them whilst the price is being arranged elsewhere, but he is uncertain how that proposal might be met, after all, the humans were told not to speak to him and his kind. Indecision is a painful thing, but there is little to be lost by asking the men.

He looks for who he presumes to be the leader of the men, and peacefully strides to him with hands well away from any weapons.

Gentlemen, you know that the price is being arranged as we speak. Would it be possible therefore for us to help you by loading the supplies onto the boat, therefore meaning when our other companions come back we can leave your shores with the minimum of fuss?

I realise it is slightly unconventional, but surely your masters will see that you have been efficient with your time, and will highly commend you for it?

may have to be tomorrow to meet the king for me. its getting exciting though.

Elorin waits for an opportune moment and reads the note. She moves to Seltyn and says in a low voice "follow my lead". She wasn't confident she could pass the note unnoticed to him and a 'Leader' talking to her 'book keeper' about to meet the king would say something like that anyway, should they be heard.

I am not confident I could role as well again. hehe

Seltyn nods and smiles. Yes, this certainly is an impressive structure, my lady. I particularly like the wainscoting.

Meanwhile, at the harbor.... Surly looks at Talon from the five guards. No activity beyond the dropping of one crate down to the shore from the top of the cliff, and no movement to even touch that one where it rests.

Elorin and Setlyn are led into a large two-story room about 50 feet deep by 80 feet wide. Derrick follows with a look of concern on his face and points to the end of the threadbare carpet you are walking on approximately 20 feet into the room. The room is drafty and heat comes from a large two story fireplace. Tapestries hang all over the wall, but they look faded, smell musty, and depict human glory long since passed. The king is sitting on a throne whose bases is set 10 feet off the ground; he is middle-aged and portly. His throne sits in the middle of the back wall with three ramps to approach him in the center, right, and back. the symbol of the Coastal Kingdom, a diving bird of prey, sits perched above the king on an engraved, mostly flat, carving.

Across from him is what is the remnants of another throne that has been taken apart and was set at an equal height to the kings. This stripped chair is made of rough wood; obviously the finery has been stripped off the throne. Two very old gentlemen are by the king and they have completed some final discussion just before you arrive. One advisor seems pleased, the other wears a frown.

Four guards await you at the door dressed in chain mail with full visors. A herald stands the base of the forward ramp. He prepares to read a proclamation. Derrick quickly runs up to the herald and converses with him and quickly returns.

Derrick speaks quietly to Elorin - "You should have dealt with me--with a little groveling on your part we can end this charade our government has arranged. I think I have convinced them to keep extremely degrading behaviour 'off the table, but do not provoke them."

The herald reads, "Time seems to have left the elven people behind. Having limited influence and power, the elven nation is hereby declared a 'lesser state'. Its representatives will approach, stay on carpet, and make entreaties to the king with the appropriate grace and humility to King Cromwell, Ruler of the Coastal Kingdom and Protector of the remains of the former elvish nation. Without whose sustenance, succor, and good will they would perish."

Derrick visibly winces as the words are read and the herald points to the same spot Derrick indicated earlier. The four royal guards put hands on the hilts of their swords and appear edgy. The king and two advisors await your approach. Derrick's four men in plainer attire appear nervous too.

Elorin, expecting nothing less from a proud and arrogant nation. Was relieved to know that they may actually have friends here, even if those friends are as oppressed as the humans seem to want to make the elves. It takes a lot to embarrass a performer and She had played some stinkers of shows. this Charade would be no different.

She indicated to Seltyn to stay where he was, unless it should cause trouble, if so he was to walk behind her. She Gently stepped forward to face the king, briefly eying the indicated area. She smiled a very specific smile. A smile she reserved only for certain occasions.(one of her favorite smiles)

A smile that said and said specifically. 'I have you thinking right what I want you to think.' I sly, knowing and powerful smile. anyone looking at it (and she was not hiding it) would be wondering why she looked so happy and so confident and wondering why there words did not phase her.

She moved very slowly, arms out to her sides and made all her movements deliberate, she was purposefully making herself look UN-threatening and UN-likely to reach for any weapon or mischief. as it was not her intention to reach for a weapon if it could be helped.

Time is a tricky thing, Your sire over the human domain. It leaves some behind as your sire so rightly pointed out, It ages some things. Much like a fine whine or like an eroding of mighty...mountains. It is indeed a master we all must eventually bow to. Well most of us anyway.She smiles a little more.

As your grace has taken on the great responsibility of naming yourself our protector. Then your Sire would truly know the worth of what you protect. I would not expect any man to take on a job he was not fully qualified for. Your sire does not strike me as someone who is not aware of every piece of information when he accepts a responsibility. A smart Ruler such as yourself would know the true and extraordinary worth those seeds have, as you would be protecting those also. Your Sire would have set a exchange worthy of that price. Your sire would know that one bag of seeds is worth the goods you have kindly provided to the Elven people Your Sire protects.

She knows men and there need to feel powerful and in charge. This was not only true of humans but of Elves as well and she had many a bad situation occur with men and their need to dominate. so she knew only to well that the need for the King to not lose face in front of his people was more important to him than an extra bag of elven seeds.

For if you did not know all that your honors vast intelligence perceives how would many a proud and worthy songShe emphasizes the fact that songs have been written be composed in your honor. How many a rumor of your intelligence has spread far and wide. Rumors of your Strength and power. I can only imagine what would happen if others thought they where not true. Now simply by gazing upon your mighty Castle and Powerful form and manner, I can see they are true. If only others from neighboring kingdoms could see what a powerful and strong, smart leader I see before me.Anyone that would argue with your first instinctual wisdom in naming the price at one seed bag obviously does not trust your ability in this position And is Blinder than a common Elf.

She did not like calling Elves common but knew the pecking order here might help things along. She hoped she would not need the distraction. She began moving slowly the same deliberate manner as before, stepped back towards Seltyn and Derek. Without turning her back to the King. She knows correct royal etiquette.

Let me know if and what roles you want me to make. its been along day here and brain isnt as in gear as it should be with regards to appropriate roles.

The advisor on the right that seemed happy to get his way with the king speaks in a strangely powerful voice, "You would then be happy to present your protector a pouch of seeds on bendend knee then? Herald, record this moment in the log." All eyes are upon you.

Obviously, there is an expectation of homage (e.g. kneeling). Need to know what actions or further verbal responses before a diplomacy roll with no modifiers (-2 early arrival +2 smooth setup) is then made.

Seltyn beams, and nods just a little in agreement with Elorin, for surely the lady speaks marvelous truth! Our king and protector would do us no wrong...

Whilst Elorin did not like the fact that elven lands are called a 'lesser state' here, she knew that time woudl change that and in this short exchange it would not matter. She promiced herself this kingdom would see the Ekven kind rise to power. The words written in that book today woudl not be the last. bowing to the king meant nothing in the long run. it was his way of strokign his ego. it is better to give him the false sense of victory here than cause trouble.

However more than the insult was at play here and Elorin was very happy. Her little dance with the So called human king had taught her many things. not only had she learned how the king worked but she had learned who he trusted as his right hand man. she made notes to ask about him later. She learned that the other at his side was not happy and That Derek may be afraid of the power his king hold and he may not agree with it. She also learned that Goblins (at the very least 1) where in the city.

She thought to herself, the king may feel secure on his throne right now, but how long that may last is uncertain. if others feel the same as his own people

She turned to Derek and smiled, this time a sweet smile to try to let him know she knew what she was doing. She turned to Seltyn and in a soft but low voice she said "we will talk after this. what I do here I do for our future, not for his satisfaction.

She took a pouch of seeds and walked towards the king. this time quicker than before but again with no movements towards weapons. she looks around to ensure no soldiers approach as she stops in front of the king.

As your Sire agrees the goods you trade are worth one bag of seeds, I present you with your requested payment.

She gives him the same smile and bends on one knee. Keeping an ear out as she does. Thinking to herself As I touch my knee to the ground I swear to which ever god is brave enough to listen, this man will see the true power of the elven people before he leaves this world.

Perception1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

sorry forgot to label one in previous post is perception for checking for soldiers etc this next one is perception for preview

PREVIEW ABOVE Perception check. 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

The king nods. "Load their ship and get them on their way. Herald, store the seeds in my chamber. Lady, would you like to stay for a while and chat more about the future of our people?"

Derrick's men quickly snap to attention and march halfway to Elorin. Derrick is in their center and slightly extends his elbow at the waist.

"Sire, As we have a vital mission right now to return the goods to our fellow Elves, I feel though I do not wish to offend, I must return to the ship. However before I leave I will be happy to set up a day and time for us to return, to discuss the future."

Elorin had almost had enough of this man and wanting to keep the status quo she hoped the offer to return would be enough. If it was not then she would stay. at this point she wasn't sure what choice she had.

Derrick says, "Your majesty, we need to get them moving before the fanatics catch wind of this. I will take the steps to personally ensure this future meeting your majesty."

"Are you ready to go my lady?"

"Yes I am. We will speak agian Soon Sire"

Elorin steps away from him, again not turning her back straight away, and towards Derek.

Stealth back 1d20 ⇒ 191d20 ⇒ 3

Derrick hustles Setlyn and Elorin back to the tower. Seltyn is noticed by the priest on the way back, but before a cry can be raised, the upper gate is closed. The two original upper gate guards stay at the top just inside the gate and the two of the original reception committed continue into the tower proper. The work crew immediately resumes lowering the second crate down to the harbor. A chant of "No more elves" can be heard coming from the street level.

Derrick asks, "Lady will you wait with me in the tower while my men show your 'assistant' back to the ship?"

IF it is important I will. She was weary after the day she has just had and just wants to be back on Elven soil again. She turns to Seltyn If I'm not out in a reasonable amount of time, you know where to look for me.

she turns back to Derek and waits for him to speak.

My lady, I must importune that your safe return is paramount to our queen.

He turns to Derrick. I see no reason why she must be detained. Let us load the ship quickly, and be gone. The bargain is made, and any delay would be unpleasant for any elves left behind, judging from the sound of your people.

Let's load the boat and be on our way. Send emissaries in a week's time, and they will be treated with elven regard. The king can explain things well enough, once we're gone.

Diplomacy: 1d20 ⇒ 18

Perhaps the King could send you as an Emissary, We could talk then. or on the way to the ship now? I am feeling like If we are here for any longer then trouble may occur.

She followed lead from Seltyn, he was the leader of the group for a reason.

You can do your talking and plotting here.

I posted this also in the recruitment thread as this thread was only set up as i was typing.

sounds like we have a good strategy so far. though I as you said plans don't always work, but I am sure that we will get to know our characters and each others we will fall into a wining strategy. yes biffing and flanking sounds good to me, I've played ninja's and a rogue/bard gestalt before so it seem to be my strength in helping others to not die and get the win.

I am glad you ask about time zones Talon, I'm GMT. It is a good idea to run in initiative order and to stay an action or do an action for those that done post in time. It stops campaigns slowing down and helps everyone to work together and do actions and strategy's that compliment each other.
Though as some of us are on different time zones, can I request/suggest we post a start time for the first post of each encounter 'session' of game playing as it where. the time different is no issue for me playing wise, I'm a night owl anyway but it would be nice to not miss out on the chance of an action if I knew the first post was gong to be at 15:00EST for example then i know to check the boards from then and I can follow the action and to be there to post promptly when it comes to being my characters turn.

Elorin, do you have CLW as one of your spells? If not, we only have the druid's prepared slots for healing. We might be able to pool our cash and get a partially charged wand or some scrolls. I've got about 20 gold for the cause.

Reposted from the other elf thread... this one's gonna be our Discussion thread from here on out, right?

When everyone looks expectantly at Telethal, he hastily yanks the twig out of where he'd been jamming it in the hole where his right ear should be. He points to himself with a self-conscious look, "Telethal. I'm good at fighting…" he lifts his long weapon, "… especially with this. Killed a bear with it."

A thought strikes him (and judging by his excited reaction, it doesn't happen often), "Oh, I saw a guy fight someone else with some kinda magic that made him bigger… any of you can do that for me?"

---

Basically, normal reach barbarian stuff here. One combo we may want to think about monopolizing on is having Seltyn Enlarge Telethal so he can hold the line more or less by himself. A healer or caster could take refuge behind him somewhat safely. Use him for cover.

Telethal's not gonna have a great AC, so if we're in really tough fights, we should do our best to keep a healer close enough to make the difference if things go sideways for Telethal.

i agree with the over-all suggestions here. While Telethal won't be as effective at range, once he can upgrade to some decent armor (decent light armor or mithral breastplate), his speed will really become an advantage. So he could be even more useful as a meat-shield for you guys while you whittle away at our enemies from afar.

Yes I have CLW, not to worry there. I get the others as I level up aswel

repost from other thread

Elorin Silentall hear. Bard of much renown (at least I will be one day) Happy to make you warriors braver, rogues swifter and archers hardier. I can heal wounds and confuse the enemy. As well as strike deadly blows. As my father used to say when asked for a good strategy, hit em hard hit em fast, make sure they don't see it coming.

Lets not forget that the dwarfs are not our only enemy. Yes we may have fought against them in the war but at least they where upfront about their stand point. The humans where the ones who betrayed us. Who used us to win their war and then turned on us. I have seen this happen many times and Though I am not fond of those short hairy cretins, frankly I would much rather see our kind raised to the glory we once where and show the humans that they are not the only one's round here in charge, than go hunting cave men.

Flanking offers many advantages in battle as does ranged cover, we seem to have a good mix so far. I can sling spells as needed and hope to go down the effect minds route, make us harder and them easier to hit also get a bigger bash-ier weapon, though I always have room for a few healing spells if needed. I see myself as an all rounder, helping others kill and taking every opportunity to jab anyone that gets in my way.

I don't know the enlarge spell Telethal suggested, but I agree that it's a great idea. I'll ask around and see if I can copy it from a scroll, or a sympathetic wizard.

Point taken about rushing past decisions. I was putting future events out there that I know where not influenced by past decisions. I can stop that. Also we can allow more time for roleplaying.

This is my first PbP as a GM, but by no means my first Pathfinder campaign as a GM.

I realize I will also put out of game discussions here. Sorry for contaminating our story thread. I see how it can be a nice log of your greatness when done right.

Point taken about rushing past decisions. I was putting future events out there that I know where not influenced by past decisions. I can stop that. Also we can allow more time for roleplaying.

This is my first PbP as a GM, but by no means my first Pathfinder campaign as a GM.

Not a problem. I GM a PbP, too, and it's not that easy. It's different from a table game in a lot of ways. Typed communication doesn't carry all the nuance of face-to-face, so people might not understand where you're going.

The advantage is that you can take your time looking over the rules and whatnot before you post, and be concise when you hit submit. If anyone's confused, you can explain yourself a little more, or even turn the clock back and give a brief timeline of what happened when.

It's the same game, just different.

I also blew past the legitimate idea to go early. Having never painted in the PbP media as a DM and seeing boredom overcome most games I lurked on, I decided to make the pace fast.

It turns out it was too fast. Many players I dealt with were hack and slashers, so I had to keep their interest. Seems the players in PbP are better at Roleplaying.

Part of the problem is that all we have here is typed words on a screen. Therefore what is said takes on a huge amount of importance. What might have once upon a time in real life been discussed over twenty minutes of RP if not less, takes longer of these boards because you have to type it up, wait for others to respond and go from there. Also, because so much of communication is nonverbal in the form of body language, and we have none of that here, then once more more must be done to describe scenes and the like.

You are doing fine don't worry

I have to agree with what's been said. its difficult to do over posts what is done in real life. Ive never done this irl but I do appreciate the chance to rp things. Anywho its clear that you've got an awesome grasp of how to run these things and I'm excited to see where this goes. From my own perspective I'd appreciate a little leniency when it comes to rules. I just don't know the ins and outs that well.

The rules are pretty simple, but leniency will be shown I am sure. If you aren't sure of something, just ask.

I think you can take advice from Seltyn and Talon. They will be given suggestions (in the 20 word limit) and now they know to make sure you will have some help when you need it. The 20 word limit is to keep an unrealistically long discussion over 10 second actions.

Your build is quite good by the way. Did you seriously consider the shark or giant seahorse? I can get you an aquatic animal you can ride, but you will be limited inland. It is an option and I am learning to keep options open more today. I am sure Talon and Seltyn can advise you on this too.

I got confused because I didn't know who was talking. If the Lady is doing an augury, that's a really cool gift to the players, so give us a few lines about what's up. Put her words in bold, but give us a little "the lady casts the spell, and after a few moments of silence, begins to speak," sorta thing.

We're sorta co-writing an adventure novel.

On this page, you'll see an oracular sorta thing I did in the goblins campaign. I'm not saying it's awesome, but the players had a sense of time and place, then the "Lizard King" could spout some Doors-based poetry stuff that was kinda funny yet relevant, and really funny if you like the Doors.

Time and place move in all campaigns. You'll do fine. PbP takes some practice, and the idea for this is so cool, we'll all play, even if we have to back up now and then. You may have noticed that 12 players are all over this. That's a good sign.

Good advice, the augury was my attempt to rewind and undo my hasty fast forward and let the party roleplay and plan. Plus I have to get the dwarves started and ... well you know how it is when you are on many threads.

I was also surprised how fast things went. I thought, float this cool idea, have recruiting last a month, hope an experience PbP DM takes over the idea or collaborates, but then things started flying.

I guess this is pretty fast for the PbP forums?

I definitely didn't want the hot interest to die. I rushed your start some - so it came off unpolished. I toyed with adapting Kingmaker, but the original story worked quite well without it and I didn't want the kingdom development roles to detract from the story.

So I join four games and two die almost immediately (admittedly they were "rerecruitment" so I know to watch out for those. But it seems the life of the average PbP is quite fleeting.

It can be at times, but if you have a decent concept and so on, then things tend to work out ok and you have players that will keep on coming back for more and more.

To have recruitment last but 90 hours or so is incredibly fast for a PBP.

Could we have kept up the interest for a little longer and let you and Seltyn really make a selection from about 10 characters? Most of the threads I followed had to fight to keep five.

Then I needed another whole party (ideally about 10 more there). If this works I could try it again and insist repeat players go to the other side.

Yes, it's like drinking from a firehose. Your idea is awesome, and I hope it goes on a good while.

You're the GM, so you control the pace. It's perfectly legit to say "this started out quicker than I anticipated, so give me a day or two to get the dwarves up and running." We'll understand.

You've taken on a big job. That would be hard for any PbP GM, with 12 characters all wanting to have their moments of greatness. Just keep to your idea of how you want it to go, and the players who are enjoying it will stick around.

The augury was cool. We have an idea what to expect, and it sounds like a good fight is coming. We could play out getting on the boat, meeting the sailor, and planning our entrance to the dangerous port with what we know. We passed that, though, so just describe the port, and we'll take it from there.

You're doing fine. It just takes a little practice to get used to it. This is not hard to keep going. If anyone has a question, just answer it, and keep moving. It takes a while for everyone to settle in and establish a comfortable playstyle. You'll figure out what the players are like, what you want to see happen, and how to do it so that you're not bored or frustrated. If you're having a good time, we will, too.

I only allowed 4 players for my PbP. The more people you have, the more delays you get. If we lose some, try running with 4 or 5 player groups. Make the parties cover their bases. You can do it with 4, really.

Aye, I like the idea of what you are taking on, but its massive in terms of the amount of difficulties due to delays and the like. We can cover the bases without problems I have no doubt, heck, one of the interesting ways to do it would be to add a gestalt element to the game. In all fairness, the devil generally is in the details, and that is the one thing that I have really felt is lacking. For example, I don't have a mental picture in my head as to what the Queen looks like. I haven't a clue what the room that we met her in looks like. The ideas that you have presented us are interesting, and I am looking forward to seeing how they pan out in the next week or so. I think Team Elf will beat the hell out of Team Short over there.

The augury was indeed cool, but needed to be introduced a little better is all in my honest opinion.

Knowledge is power. We know that there is a chance we are going to have to negotiate, and that there might be a really big combat coming. We can now prepare for that and hopefully win it and thus advance the plot. Plus, exp is always nice right? :p

On a lighter note, I am enjoying the game. Let us go to this fine watercraft and find out what is going on in this City that we must trade with.

Thanks for the suggestions about upping the picture that is painted. I will take care of this right away. I will practice improving an augury device too.

I have to say I think you are doing great considering you are DM'ing for two games that will eventually meet.
there have been a few 'hang on whats going on there' moment but you dealt with them honestly. (added the comment of 'that works'). you showed that this is a work in progress which immediately made me feel more comfortable and eased some of my worries. it is great as a player for a DM show they are adaptable and can make mistakes just as we can as players and most important you are willing to go to the players themselves for advise. i know many Dm's that are 'my way or the high way' and I choose the high way every time.

(cliche waring) a rocky road that leads to a jade palace is better than a smooth road leading no where.

the fact is you have things with this game set up that other Dm;s may not have, so as Seltyn said, feel free to say i need some time to sort the next part out' essentially you are running a game for 10 players, its going to take some time to settle in to it. Anyone who doesn't have the patience for that wont be missed.

Is the last post on gameplay too much?

A tiny bit. It's cool though. Broad strokes of description often do far more than the minutia.

If you had described the Queen as a woman of great inner strength, but seems outwardly fragile, her blonde hair down to shoulder length and the skin of her face beginning to line then that tells us just as much, and also in some respects allows us to use the one thing that is most critical in something like this. Our imagination.

Don't worry about it. GM'ing is hard work. I know this well. Do not start doubting yourself just cause you are running a big game. Take a step or two back, breathe and get it straight in your head what is going on when and where. Paper notes are your friend at this point, as I am sure you are aware.

Keep going with it, we will get there in the end.

Okay, lets see if druid wants a seahorse, make sure the cruch is updated (fighter needs to pick a weapon), and pick a sailing time. Departure can be accelerated by up to 24 hours. Elvish shipbuilders have determined that reinforcing ship for cover is not an option.

Dwarves will need little in way of description - He ugly and wears drab colors.

The druid I am sure has already said that he has a leopard animal companion, we can always retcon the whole issue with the fighters weapon. As far as a sailing time goes, I would like to be there for the dawn, but if that is not possible then a good 4 hours or so before the arranged time. We need time to get prepared for whatever we might face in the city.

Yeah, sorry. I kinda had him picked based on both the backstory I chose and figuring that most of our adventure would take place inland, as we attempted to regain the lost land. Leopards are incredibly versatile in terms of adaptation, and if he was going to find some creature to bond with, it kind of made sense. Anywho, still excited to see where this goes. :)

Alright, I'm off. Goodnight peeps.

No problem. Just needed to know as it gives the alternate landing plan a significantly better chance of success. No sea horse, but big cat.

By the way, the backstory was great. If you want to, you can make an avatar for your leopard.

Holy cow. This game is cooking.

I'm still here, just trying to catch up. At least I"m playing a quiet, socially awkward character.

Quick question about the weapon/gear upgrade (which is very cool, Chainmail). Do I need to straight-up upgrade a regular weapon? Or can I keep the weapon I have and upgrade my armor to masterwork chainmail or breastplate?

Telethal is hurting for AC more than he's hurting for damage output.

And just a general note. I"m only going to be able to post a handful of times a day during the week, and the weekends are a total crap-shoot. I have a family and it's the holiday season. I like this game, but don't want to be the guy that holds it up.

Let me know if this is an issue.

It is not an issue -- if you miss some we will cover for you.
Armor is acceptable to upgrade.

I do need to know how committed Telethal is to the elf side of the conflict over the humans. I assume since you joined the elves the number is at least 50%. You went through the six month training and heard the inspiring dialogue. Give me an elven commitment level over humans percentage for Telethal from 50-100%

Let's put it this way... If Telethal were a ranger, he'd have FAvored Enemy: Human.

His early childhood among humans was... difficult to say the least. He sought refuge among the elves as he realized why the other humans despised him, and the elves' aloof contempt is far, far better than what he experienced in his community.

Now, i've taken some liberties here, and if the general human population doesn't hvae this attitude towards half-elves, maybe just the community in which he grew up does?

And I'll go with a MW Breastplate, if that's okay with you. That's a 350g value, if that's fine. :)

If you need a percentage, i'd put him at 85% commitment level. Only some memories of his immediate family and a few close friends from childhood give him any sympathy for humans.

Masterwork Breastplate added to Gear, and stats adjusted accordingly.

Wow this moves fast. I gotta be honest, it might be too fast for me. I work, and am also a graduate student. While class is out until early January right now, I'm still likely to only make a single post a day. Once class starts back up, there are going to be days where I simply can't post. On rare occasion they stack up into multiple days during midterms and finals. If this is a dealbreaker, then I'll let someone else in.

For usefulness sake, however, I think it should be said that a standardized method of posting helps the flow of reading massively. Having everyone decide whether you use bold for speech or not is one thing. Putting inner monologue in italics also helps.

One thing that I would honestly say has to happen is that things that aren't in character be put in ooc tags.

Thus we have bold tags ([ b ][ / b ])
italics tags ([ i ][ / i ])
and out of character tags ([ ooc ][ / ooc ])
Just remove the spaces.

Also, if I'm still in, I'll be replacing my studded leather with masterwork stuff. Getting rid of that annoying check penalty.

I think once a day is fine. As long as we check in once or twice a day, it'll move fast enough. If you're really busy, just tell us and I'll make some rolls for you if that's all that's holding it up. I have a working student in my PbP, and he gets busy at times, so I just fill in and do what I think he would do, sometimes. His goblin is 5th level, now, so he survives pretty well.

In my group, weekends are pretty quiet. Most of the posting happens on weeknights. We've had people go on vacations, etc., but we keep things moving. It only grinds to a halt when I'm away and can't post.

Some players (like me) can be here a lot, others can't. We'll adapt. Your character is cool, so just play her when you can, and let us know when you're too busy. She'll do her part, and still be here when you get back. I won't get her killed, I promise!

Things usually go fast at first, then slow down a bit once we're all settled into the adventure.

Yeah, I'm around a fair amount because my job/grad school means I have to be on teh internets. And this is a nice distraction, lol.

But most weekend nights, and for a week after christmas (vacation ftw) I wont be around.

I agree with Velesia's formatting suggestions. The common format on these boards do tend to be bold for in-character speech, italics for in-character thoughts or inner dialogue, and blue text for ooc thoughts or comments.

For example:

Telethal glares at the humans, "GIVE US OUR DAMN SUPPLIES!". He hefts his Longspear to drive the point home. As he yells, he can't help but think to himself, Take one step forward, bastards... just one step.

DM, Telethal plans to go all violent and attack if they take one step forward.

That make sense to everyone?

Makes sense to me, I was more or less using those self same formatting things myself. Looks like things are really going well in the game forum, so let us continue the wonderful pace there and see whether we can assasinate the Mayor King of this city and claim it for our own. At least that way we wouldn't have to worry about those thrice damned supplies

Thrice damned. he he...

i agree with formatting, much like velesia i have uni and work. uni shouldn't get in the way much as i fin around 3pm gmt so i guess around 10am for you guys so it shouldn't get in the way to much. but work however might, i work two night a week and it is usually 6til 10-pm which is around 1pm to 5pm your time. so that might. other than that i can probably post each day. it just may take me a while to get round to posting.

Since I forgot before, I'm in central zone here. GMT-6.

Action is officially now slowed down. Enjoy the drama.
In the old days you spouted out tons of content in an adventure to get to the opening scene. In PbP I am learning to take it slower.

My goal was to get everyone hooked before they got involved in the holidays and never came back. We will definitely be taking a break over Christmas

I hope my recollection of the harbor and description are sufficient, but I can add no more.

"The challenges of landing in the harbor are insignificant to that of landing along the jungle coastline. As our young druid can verify, the risk of predators and natives is also great in the jungle."

I agree we need to tighten up our posts; I encourage you young ones to do so too. I am surely trying.

As you now know, the state of my heart and the actions of the elfmaids, will significanty affect my morale.

Some of you may be too young to remember the song Windfavor alludes to. It's this 1971 top 40 hit from an obscure band called Looking Glass. It's some nice pop ear candy from the days when all songs had singing. Yeah, I'm old enough to remember when it was a hit and heard it on AM (or medium wave, for our continental players) radio!

"The allusion was mine. The elven version is much older."