GM Giuseppe's Kingmaker (Inactive)

Game Master Giuseppe Capriati

The bandits might not be all bad, or at least some of them were just drawn to the life unwillingly. It would be smart for us to not attack immediately, maybe they could help. I believe if we are to retake the stolen lands we will need more than just law, we will need one who knows the lands as they are now.

The half-orc tilts her head at the notion and contemplates it for a second before responding.

I did not know that... Does this mean that they should all be done away with? Anya oddly enough begins staring off into the distance, her head tilted in deep thought, she can be heard debating herself as to what actions should be taken.

Greetings GM Giuseppe, I'm submitting Dargo Blanc for your consideration, a human fighter (Aldori Swordlord). Any feedback would be appreciated.

Likewise greetings one and all. Issi Flamehair here, hoping for adventure, answers and a chance to save her own life (not necessarily in that order)!

Issi Flamehair
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Nikolaus d'Shade
Gnome
Oracle
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Leadership Roles: Ruler, Grand Diplomat or Councilor would suit her best. She could serve if needed as High Priest but that would not be her personal preference.
Combat Roles: Healing, Buff, Bad Touch.
Out of Combat: Face, scout
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Time Zone: GMT, so one hour behind GMGuiseppe.
About Myself: I'm a very long term Pathfinder player and lurker on the forums. I've only recently discovered PbP games however, which is why I have a relatively low post-count at the moment. Since I started playing however I have been checking my game thread(s) 4-5 times a day and feel confident that I can make the required postcount. I like to make my characters flavourful - hence the fact that Issi has negative strength and con. I wanted to portray how the Flame inside her is literally eating her up - 14 con and that kind of backstroy just didn't work for me. Long and short, I love roleplaying, have been wanting to play Kingmaker for ages and would love the chance to tell a story with a bunch of likeminded players.
Post Samples:
Game Thread here Since I haven't played much this is the link to the RotRL game that I have just started - as you can see we've roleplayed pretty heavily without even rolling a die yet! (Adolina d'Jhaltera)
Combat Thread here In this thread you can find my posts for the only combat I have done on the forum so far. (Siobhan Sable)

I will dive into the roleplaying pit properly tomorrow. Just wanted to get this up tonight before bed.

Serolt, with a friendly gesture, waves away the waterskin. "Thanks, but I have water. I was looking for something stiffer." he smiles. "Though that's a handy skill, creating water from nothing. That's the sort of thing that can make a difference in the wild. I don't yet know much about spells, but I yearn to."

"Create water? I can do that!" An excited voice pipes up from behind Serolt. This is amply proved a moment later when Serolt, Regin and anyone within five feet of them is liberally doused in water conjured from mid-air. Into the middle of this dripping fiasco springs a young gnome. She is wearing a faded brown robe, almost the same colour as her skin but by far the most noticeable thing about her however is her hair which flows behind her like a sheet of living fire. Catching sight of the firepelt she takes a flying leap at him and tries to give the animal a large hug.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

Landing neatly astride the animals shoulders she proceeds to hug Regin animatedly. "Oh my, you must be the most beautiful animal I've ever seen!" She drops into sylvan without pausing for breath. "Truly great hunter I've never seen as magnificent a being as you. Have you been touched by the flame too? You must have been, to be such a magnificent colour. I wonder if we can keep each other." By then end of her speech she is mumbling directly into the firepelts coat, nuzzling up against the back of its head like a small, rather damp cat.

She seems utterly oblivious to the commotion she just caused...

@Celest: Yeah, Fighters can get balanced as far as skills go, if you do invest in them. And UMD is definitely has definitely a special place in my heart. Though the core only archetypes don't really fit the concept quite well (as Tactician might). So Bard with Inspire Courage might do the trick, picturing the sarg. barking orders left and right :D As for ranger, it is hard to find that same feel of the guy that used to lead a group of men and women (all in the way you portray your character I know, but still).

She looks over the newcomer with the pole arms on his back and nods approvingly. She points to Serolt, recognizing him from a previous conversation in town a few days earlier and laughs. "What's with you wilderness types and not carrying waterskins?"

"I've got water" - Reknar shrugs and chuckles - "But I've had enough of it to drown an whole regiment - I need something with something more of a punch" - he finishes looking around, but turns his head as the conversation seems to catch his ear.

"I've met many a good men and women who started out as bandits, or worse - most of them saved my life at one point or another" - he states matter of fact - "And a couple others with the 'Lord' title that... Well... Let's just say they never saved anyone's life, that's for sure" - and laughs.

"I've met many a good men and women who started out as bandits, or worse - most of them saved my life at one point or another" - he states matter of fact - "And a couple others with the 'Lord' title that... Well... Let's just say they never saved anyone's life, that's for sure" - and laughs.

"I daresay you've had good luck with the bandits then. Many can be viscous, dangerous fools, mistaking cruelty and self-obsession for freedom. The mercenary seems to know, many of them would as soon leave a victim dead in a ditch than alive to tell the tale. I'm not a fan of romanticizing their ilk. I won't argue the point about nobility, though. We are just as mortal as the next man, or woman, and just as prone to failure and foolishness."

"Create water? I can do that!" An excited voice pipes up from behind Serolt. This is amply proved a moment later when Serolt, Regin and anyone within five feet of them is liberally doused in water conjured from mid-air. Into the middle of this dripping fiasco springs a young gnome. She is wearing a faded brown robe, almost the same colour as her skin but by far the most noticeable thing about her however is her hair which flows behind her like a sheet of living fire. Catching sight of the firepelt she takes a flying leap at him and tries to give the animal a large hug.

Serolt wipes the water from his eyes, but lets the rest drip as it will. He looks at the gnome and shakes his head, gnomes!

Landing neatly astride the animals shoulders she proceeds to hug Regin animatedly. "Oh my, you must be the most beautiful animal I've ever seen!" She drops into sylvan without pausing for breath. "Truly great hunter I've never seen as magnificent a being as you. Have you been touched by the flame too? You must have been, to be such a magnificent colour. I wonder if we can keep each other." By then end of her speech she is mumbling directly into the firepelts coat, nuzzling up against the back of its head like a small, rather damp cat.

He laughs as the two romp in the midst of such serious talk of bandits and their relative sins.

"So gnome? What brings you here, just checking out a party or have you put your foot in? I wonder, what would you do to a bandit raiding the outer villages? Reknar here has a point - some folks do change. Or would you side with Kryolani here. Would you end their lives early, before they've had that chance?"

Clad in his customary loose fitting clothes, his long flowing beard tied in braids behind his neck, Kordrek scans the courtyard. So many, and many unexpected here. Seeing people not only from houses aligned with Rostland but also of the other great families. After I put in my application, I wonder if I could find a way to get word back to Toval. Information might help soften the blow about me up and running away Seeing Jellak Garess, Kordrek is shaken from his musings.

Surprised to see another member of the royal house so far east, Kordrek skirts around of the edge of the rapidly filling room to sidle up to Jellak. ”Master Stonecaller! Dwarf-friend and most respected son of the Garess family” Hoping he hadn’t forgotten any titles afforded a man of his position he continued on. ”Quite the varied group of travelers we be having here. Do ye think they all realize why the swordlords might be sending them south? More here than meets the eye according to ol Toval. For that matter, what be the reason for ye being here?”

"I daresay you've had good luck with the bandits then. Many can be viscous, dangerous fools, mistaking cruelty and self-obsession for freedom. The mercenary seems to know, many of them would as soon leave a victim dead in a ditch than alive to tell the tale. I'm not a fan of romanticizing their ilk. I won't argue the point about nobility, though. We are just as mortal as the next man, or woman, and just as prone to failure and foolishness."

"Never said I fell in love with all of them, but you won't find any argument from me against your words also" - Reknar shrugs - "Heck, I'd even toast to the 'we are all just mortal' part, if I could find something to drink" - but continues on smiling - "I for one am certainly prone to foolishness every once in a while"

The splash of water does interrupt his train of thought - "Guess I am not the only one though" - and he is not smiling anymore, but instead laughing.

This is oyzar's character Evan. He is not completely done, but I've made some headway with his backstory. Hopefully I'll be able to finish him up tomorrow so I can join in on the roleplay.

GM: I've been noticing a few 20's out there on stats and some dump stats. And while the hard dump stats (STR, CON, and DEX) pose a tangible game effect, sometimes the effects of the fluffy dump stats are hard to adjudicate.

Is there any special way that you handle 'fluffy dump stats' (INT, WIS, and CHA)?

Will they condition/limit roleplaying in any way?

Game on!

Finished gearing out Kordrek along with his spell list. Any feedback or criticism is welcome. Hope I didn't step on your toes Jellak, I made my character's background before reading into anyone in the thread and with the backstory given from you, it would be extremely odd to not have the two characters know each other.

Jacobus just cannot contain himself, "Who said anything about attacking? I am not here as a mercenary."

Celest looks at the man's holy symbol and smiles.

I really wish the difference between 19 and 20 in a caster stat at level 1 was smaller in pathfinder. At later levels the difference becomes much smaller, but at level 1 having 50% more non-cantrip spells is a big difference.

in an rp heavey setting like pbp why does it matter? Honest question as I've always felt the better PBP games have more non magical means of solving things anyways. Just my 2 cents. Not like the adventure paths are written for super munchkin characters.

No all i am saying is we try to negotiate help before attacking, if we tell them that the swordlords want them out that it may be enough to get them to help or leave. If that fails we at least have a chance to infiltrate their base or what ever they have. It's simple, we present the Rose before the blade.

"I can understand your words, and I see some wisdom in it, but a bandit prays on the weak. There is enough land, enough work, for anyone willing to do his duty to the community, but if you choose the easy road, you pray on the week, you already shown that you are not someone trustworthy. While I agree, some may be relativly innocent and we have to show them mercy, I do not think we should start with mercy!"

"I daresay you've had good luck with the bandits then. Many can be viscous, dangerous fools, mistaking cruelty and self-obsession for freedom. The mercenary seems to know, many of them would as soon leave a victim dead in a ditch than alive to tell the tale. I'm not a fan of romanticizing their ilk. I won't argue the point about nobility, though. We are just as mortal as the next man, or woman, and just as prone to failure and foolishness."

Nodding to the advocats words and stroking his amulet, Titian adds."We all are flawed, and we all make mistakes, but you have to raise above them, and be willing to work together for the better of the community."

A large portion of pbp is roleplay for sure, but there is also a significant mechanical component. For the mechanical component (combat, traps, puzzles etc) spells are often (but not always) the most interesting and fun actions a character can do. Being able to do more such things often then makes for example combat more fun and interesting. Anyway my musing on stats was just an observation. I'm strongly considering to drop Evan's charisma to 19 in order to boost his int and wis to 12 each, mostly for roleplaying purposes (I haven't fully settled on all aspects of his personality yet. I just wished the designers hadn't made the game such that doing that would mean going down from 3 to two spells per day.

He laughs as the two romp in the midst of such serious talk of bandits and their relative sins.

"So gnome? What brings you here, just checking out a party or have you put your foot in? I wonder, what would you do to a bandit raiding the outer villages? Reknar here has a point - some folks do change. Or would you side with Kryolani here. Would you end their lives early, before they've had that chance?"

Issi looks up from her mumbling and smiles brightly. "I'm here for the adventure!" Her smile dims for a moment and her hair fades with it, darkening from a vivid red to a more somber shade. "It's really important that I find a way to the First World soon..."

Her melancholy persists a few more seconds until Regins tail sweeps up and tickles her from behind. She swats at his head playfully before gently tugging one ear, trying to turn him around so that she can reach Serolt, hair brightening to a beautiful crimson, shot with gold as she reaches up for Regins back to shake Serolt's hand.

"My name's Issi, Issi Flamehair. Itsverynicetomeetyou. Is this lovely hunter yours? What's his name? Can I stay with him? Does he like fish? I like fish!" For the first time she seems to notice just how many people there are standing around them. She seems to concentrate for a moment and then speaks again in a much more restrained tone of voice.

"I don't think any person is inherently evil. My cousin Lorenzo was mean and tried to cut my hair but he wasn't evil, just jealous. Lots of people are like that, if you have nice things then they want to have them too." She pauses, and her hair becomes darker and darker, the colour of dried blood. "But no-one should be allowed to hurt other people. If someone tried to hurt my friends I'd hurt them back! And I'd keep hurting them until they stopped!"

Issi takes a deep breath and seems to realise that she has been shouting the past few moments. The spectators notice that her shouting voice was curiously deep with a slight hissing aftertone. She looks around again, suddenly shy. "I'm sorry... was I too loud?"

Ouch. I made some modifications in the background, added appearance, personality and mannerism, Loaded the recruitment page to post the updates only to see 50+ new posts. Then, I notice the GM started the RP part two days earlier than he mentioned in his first post.
Anyway, since I wasn’t expecting the RP until December 17, I wasn’t keeping close tabs in the recruitment and thus missed a big chunk of it. It’ll take some time to read it all and get started, but I’ll do it later today, in a couple of hours.

Background slightly modified, added personality and appearance. Still need to change the sheet and remove the background skills and re-purchase things with the average gold for the class.

GM: I've been noticing a few 20's out there on stats and some dump stats. And while the hard dump stats (STR, CON, and DEX) pose a tangible game effect, sometimes the effects of the fluffy dump stats are hard to adjudicate.

Is there any special way that you handle 'fluffy dump stats' (INT, WIS, and CHA)?

Will they condition/limit roleplaying in any way?

Game on!

As a general rule, I don't like dump stats, as I don't like min/maxing at all in my games. Of course, my choice will be also determined by this factor. I know the recruitment first post was a tad lenghty and so a few people may have missed my ability scores restriction, but it was supposed to be that way: as Painlord says in his guide, chance are that if a player is not able to read the entirety of your recruitment post he won't be an attentive player during the course of the campaign, so it's also a sort of test. I usually tend to prefer well rounded character builds, but we will see...

Ouch. I made some modifications in the background, added appearance, personality and mannerism, Loaded the recruitment page to post the updates only to see 50+ new posts. Then, I notice the GM started the RP part two days earlier than he mentioned in his first post.

Anyway, since I wasn’t expecting the RP until December 17, I wasn’t keeping close tabs in the recruitment and thus missed a big chunk of it. It’ll take some time to read it all and get started, but I’ll do it later today, in a couple of hours.

Background slightly modified, added personality and appearance. Still need to change the sheet and remove the background skills and re-purchase things with the average gold for the class.

Don't worry Sorry, you still have two more days to roleplay here :)

I've added a submission roster at the top of this page, in the campaign info. Please take note that I haven't added any character who has not filled the proper submission template.

Serolt wrote:

He laughs as the two romp in the midst of such serious talk of bandits and their relative sins.

"So gnome? What brings you here, just checking out a party or have you put your foot in? I wonder, what would you do to a bandit raiding the outer villages? Reknar here has a point - some folks do change. Or would you side with Kryolani here. Would you end their lives early, before they've had that chance?"

Issi looks up from her mumbling and smiles brightly. "I'm here for the adventure!" Her smile dims for a moment and her hair fades with it, darkening from a vivid red to a more somber shade. "It's really important that I find a way to the First World soon..."

Her melancholy persists a few more seconds until Regins tail sweeps up and tickles her from behind. She swats at his head playfully before gently tugging one ear, trying to turn him around so that she can reach Serolt, hair brightening to a beautiful crimson, shot with gold as she reaches up for Regins back to shake Serolt's hand.

"My name's Issi, Issi Flamehair. Itsverynicetomeetyou. Is this lovely hunter yours? What's his name? Can I stay with him? Does he like fish? I like fish!" For the first time she seems to notice just how many people there are standing around them. She seems to concentrate for a moment and then speaks again in a much more restrained tone of voice.

"I don't think any person is inherently evil. My cousin Lorenzo was mean and tried to cut my hair but he wasn't evil, just jealous. Lots of people are like that, if you have nice things then they want to have them too." She pauses, and her hair becomes darker and darker, the colour of dried blood. "But no-one should be allowed to hurt other people. If someone tried to hurt my friends I'd hurt them back! And I'd keep hurting them until they stopped!"

Issi takes a deep breath and seems to realise that she has been shouting the past few moments. The spectators notice that her shouting...

Smilingly Titian offers his hands to the little gnome girl and speaks up."No worries, you were fine. Nice to meet you, ma´am! And I agree, maybe not everyone is born evil, well I think some devils and demons are, actually most, but what we do defines us, not how we were born. Even the purest can fall, and even the vilest can learn compassion and repent!"

"I don't think any person is inherently evil. My cousin Lorenzo was mean and tried to cut my hair but he wasn't evil, just jealous. Lots of people are like that, if you have nice things then they want to have them too." She pauses, and her hair becomes darker and darker, the colour of dried blood. "But no-one should be allowed to hurt other people. If someone tried to hurt my friends I'd hurt them back! And I'd keep hurting them until they stopped!"

Issi takes a deep breath and seems to realise that she has been shouting the past few moments. The spectators notice that her shouting voice was curiously deep with a slight hissing aftertone. She looks around again, suddenly shy. "I'm sorry... was I too loud?"

"Nah.... Just a little psycho 's all." Celest takes a big swig of her drink.

Surprised to see another member of the royal house so far east, Kordrek skirts around of the edge of the rapidly filling room to sidle up to Jellak. ”Master Stonecaller! Dwarf-friend and most respected son of the Garess family” Hoping he hadn’t forgotten any titles afforded a man of his position he continued on. ”Quite the varied group of travelers we be having here. Do ye think they all realize why the swordlords might be sending them south? More here than meets the eye according to ol Toval. For that matter, what be the reason for ye being here?”

Jellak smiles warmly at Kordrek, especially since he used his adopted name as well as his formal. "Kordrek, good to see you! And I'm here because Gather doesn't trust me around Golushkin Mountains any longer, afraid I'll trade away our families fortunes. Or worse yet, marry a dwarf-maid to try and raise sons that are literally "As Strong as Mountains." He forces a chuckle after that, trying to hide a bit of the hurt he actually feels at his family's rejection.

[b]"Truth is, I'm here to represent Garess for the Call of the Swordlords. And honestly, it is nice being back out of the manorhouse again. Somehow that place felt more claustrophobic than the Goluskin Deeps. While I didn't get the opportunity to become the Aldori Blademaster we yearned to be as kids, I think I've learned some skills from the dwarves that would prove valuable out on campaign. What about you, what brings you here?"

Anya_ AngelKin wrote:

No all i am saying is we try to negotiate help before attacking, if we tell them that the swordlords want them out that it may be enough to get them to help or leave. If that fails we at least have a chance to infiltrate their base or what ever they have. It's simple, we present the Rose before the blade.

"I can understand your words, and I see some wisdom in it, but a bandit prays on the weak. There is enough land, enough work, for anyone willing to do his duty to the community, but if you choose the easy road, you pray on the week, you already shown that you are not someone trustworthy. While I agree, some may be relativly innocent and we have to show them mercy, I do not think we should start with mercy!"

Still talking back and forth to herself she responds quickly before returning to her thoughts, I only say start with mercy a it is the way of Milady Shelyn, it is also the just thing to do.

Side note

Non-Combat roles Diplomacy, Knowledge religion, and can heal[

Jellak Garess
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Crellan

Human

Druid

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Councilor, High Priest, Marshall

Primary caster, secondary healer

Survival, Scout, Healer

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Eastern Standard Time

I have been playing RPG's since the late 70's and Pathfinder since it first came out. I typically GM in table-top so PbP is my chance to develop characters and enjoy modules. I've been trying to play Kingmaker (never played or GM'd) on these forums for a while, but the GM's keep disappearing, which makes me excited about Giuseppe's campaign.

Post samples
Skorhald Warsong
Father Paidraig
Serelina Bellafini

Nodding at Jallek's responses, "Aye, I have the same feeling about the open skies. Although more than a few Dwarf-maidens were sad to see you go. One in particular....."

"As well as the Garess family has accepted us, not all have and Toval thought we should represent our interest for the Golka clan into the Greenbelt as well. Many a stories be coming out of there of some rich veins, and we've seen what happens when we leave it to you taller folk to properly mine."

bluff: 1d20 ⇒ 10

Wow really should've thought of something before talking to Jallek. I bet he knows ways to send information home, but do I want him learning how strange I've become?

"Well if these swordlords are half as smart as we held them to be in court, they would know two men of House Garess would be prime candidates for this trip." Bowing and walking towards another group of looks like would-be adventurers, Kordrek tosses one final remark back to Jallek "Did you talk to her before you left?"

Overhearing a particularly fiery looking gnome, Kordrek wanders over and has his attention diverted by a magnificent specimen of a feline. Not wanting to intrude on their conversation, he stands politely aside but he cannot tear his eyes away from such a creature of nature.

He takes a deep breath and straightens up. "Other than making water, what do you hope to bring to the expedition? I myself am a tracker and pretty good at surviving in the wild - and of course my bow is handy when the wild fights back... or bandit do."

Nodding at Serold, Jellak continues the conversation.

"Honestly, the wild is what I do... I am an Stonebound Druid, and at home more in the wild or caves than in the city now-days. I can commune with nature to heal wounds and keep us safe in the wold. I can also call upon the Stone to summon allies to fight with us against brigands or other enemies. With your bow and the power of the Stone, I think we could do well together to tame these wilds. Better than some of these who seem to have never set foot out of a city, in any case. Of course, there is little ale in the wilds, and I agree we should find something stronger while still here to find it."

"Well if these swordlords are half as smart as we held them to be in court, they would know two men of House Garess would be prime candidates for this trip." Bowing and walking towards another group of looks like would-be adventurers, Kordrek tosses one final remark back to Jallek "Did you talk to her before you left?"

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

Jellak squints a bit at Kordek and simply says. "No, I haven't seen her in some time..." As his old friend makes an excuse to speak with a gnome he simply nods.

Now what was that all about, he really not acting himself...

Roksana scowls at all this talk of saving bandits. She crosses her arms and shakes her head as she speaks.

"I've known bandits, many of the men and women I fought beside used to be bandits until they realized there was some other way to fight and get paid for it. I'm pretty sure the man I bought bread from back home saw his fair share of raids in his time. I'm not saying we should slaughter every one of them, but I don't see much point in sparing them the law either."

Her voice grows gradually more stern as she talks, as though she's lecturing, there's an arrogance underlying it, a sense that she just knows better than you and there's no point in arguing.

"There may not be much lay in the Stolen Lands, but if we're being hired by the Sword Lords than we can be the law. Show them that hiding in an unsettled part of the country isn't going to save them from the consequences of their actions. You don't get to kill people for fun and not pay for it. Not as far as I'm concerned."

Done with her little speech she finds that her right hand has inched almost all the way to her warhammer and she pulls it back hoping no one noticed. Keep calm. Flying off the handle is no way to impress your potential employers.

She's relieved when attention is turned to the fiery red gnome shouting a few feet away. Gnomes! I'll never be used to them.

"Anyway, you boys all seem like you've seen quite a bit of the world, except maybe small town Kryolani here. Any good stories from when you were in the thick of it?"

Alright guys, I will close this recruitment in 24 hours, so if you haven't submitted your character yet, please do it as soon as possible.

Titian Stagson wrote:

Anya_ AngelKin wrote:

No all i am saying is we try to negotiate help before attacking, if we tell them that the swordlords want them out that it may be enough to get them to help or leave. If that fails we at least have a chance to infiltrate their base or what ever they have. It's simple, we present the Rose before the blade.

"I can understand your words, and I see some wisdom in it, but a bandit prays on the weak. There is enough land, enough work, for anyone willing to do his duty to the community, but if you choose the easy road, you pray on the week, you already shown that you are not someone trustworthy. While I agree, some may be relativly innocent and we have to show them mercy, I do not think we should start with mercy!"

"You remind me of someone I used to know" - Reknar's eyes glaze over for a split second, as he absent minded rubs his arm just above the wrist - "Though his mind was focused on Milani. He was a brave boy"

The smile quickly returns to his face though - "Doesn't matter" - he follows up - "Bottom line, you just need to have the mettle to deal with the consequences of your choices - in the end, if you offer mercy and are met with steel or treachery without being prepared, it's on you anyways" - he shrugs again - "If you go around slaughtering anyone coming across your path, then you should be prepared to find those of like mind, that would first strike you than address you a single word. And if you slay innocents along the way, you supposedly pay for it in the afterlife, or so I've been told"

Thank you for the heads up GM Giuseppe - will try making my decisions, and finishing my crunch by then.

"Anyway, you boys all seem like you've seen quite a bit of the world, except maybe small town Kryolani here. Any good stories from when you were in the thick of it?"

Kryolani nods to the pack of adventurers with a smile, "Too right. As much as I'm sure that the salons of the fabulously rich and powerful have better entertainment that your local pub, the tales of daring do are notably lacking."

The lawyer calls over a food vendor who's been shilling some kind of hot, meat-like substance in a bun, and orders a round for the adventurers that have gathered for the conversation. He carefully counts out a small handful of silver to cover the price.

Roksana scowls at all this talk of saving bandits. She crosses her arms and shakes her head as she speaks.

"I've known bandits, many of the men and women I fought beside used to be bandits until they realized there was some other way to fight and get paid for it. I'm pretty sure the man I bought bread from back home saw his fair share of raids in his time. I'm not saying we should slaughter every one of them, but I don't see much point in sparing them the law either."

Her voice grows gradually more stern as she talks, as though she's lecturing, there's an arrogance underlying it, a sense that she just knows better than you and there's no point in arguing.

"There may not be much lay in the Stolen Lands, but if we're being hired by the Sword Lords than we can be the law. Show them that hiding in an unsettled part of the country isn't going to save them from the consequences of their actions. You don't get to kill people for fun and not pay for it. Not as far as I'm concerned."

Done with her little speech she finds that her right hand has inched almost all the way to her warhammer and she pulls it back hoping no one noticed. Keep calm. Flying off the handle is no way to impress your potential employers.

She's relieved when attention is turned to the fiery red gnome shouting a few feet away. Gnomes! I'll never be used to them.

"Anyway, you boys all seem like you've seen quite a bit of the world, except maybe small town Kryolani here. Any good stories from when you were in the thick of it?"

All the talk about law resonates quite well with Jacobus and he is starting to like this half-orc woman whom he has just met.

"Spoken like seasoned judge, ma'am. I dare say I haven't heard many bankers speak so eloquently. Count me in as a fervent adherent to your philosophy."

He pauses, "As for what I have encounter, there is plenty. I am frequently in charge of transporting goods, large caravans even, all over Brevoy and have seen my share of bandits or just mere criminals who think that stealing is better than hard work. Luckily, we have avoided many conflicts but never shied away when these people would not listen to reason. Luckily most are cowards and will turn tail as soon as it's clear that they can't have their way."

He looks at everyone around, "Now just think of your own families; would you tell them to go and live in a place where the law was not followed? Where their safety was not a priority? Would you?"

He looks at everyone around, "Now just think of your own families; would you tell them to go and live in a place where the law was not followed? Where their safety was not a priority? Would you?"

Reknar is still trying to signal someone around who he thinks may be serving drinks, but he does answer Jacobus - "Isn't that exactly what pioneers do? Taking their families into unruly lands, looking for a place to carve for themselves?" - he pipes in without skipping a beat.

The lawyer calls over a food vendor who's been shilling some kind of hot, meat-like substance in a bun, and orders a round for the adventurers that have gathered for the conversation. He carefully counts out a small handful of silver to cover the price.

"Now that was a good idea" - he bows to Kryolani, grabbing a couple of buns - "But I'll chip in" - he adds, putting forth the silver coins he believes should make up for his share of the payment, then gobbling down one of the things in two bites - "Light" - he offers - "But tasty, at least in my book"

Reknar is still trying to signal someone around who he thinks may be serving drinks, but he does answer Jacobus - "Isn't that exactly what pioneers do? Taking their families into unruly lands, looking for a place to carve for themselves?" - he pipes in without skipping a beat.

Kryolani reaches behind him, and without looking lifts a bottle of brewed spirits from a passing vendor in exchange for some small amount of coin, and passes the beverage to Reknar. "Well someone certainly has to. Folks like us do need to come first though. Secure the safety of the eventual township and all that. Stoke the home-fires. Lay in a few kegs," with a nod towards the ranger, "civilization doesn't come to the wilds on it's own, so I hear. If some bandits out there want to try to turn over a new leaf when we move in, fine. I'll greet them with open arms, but my sword will be loose in it's scabbard when I do it." The sorcerer considers the thought of personally clashing blades with a slight frown, "Not literally, of course. I'd light them on fire, personally, if things came to that. But you get the idea."

Jacobus Varadin wrote:

He looks at everyone around, "Now just think of your own families; would you tell them to go and live in a place where the law was not followed? Where their safety was not a priority? Would you?"

Reknar is still trying to signal someone around who he thinks may be serving drinks, but he does answer Jacobus - "Isn't that exactly what pioneers do? Taking their families into unruly lands, looking for a place to carve for themselves?" - he pipes in without skipping a beat.

"Yes and no. Pioneers do go into non established regions and try and tame the area but pioneering is a temporary status at best. And a very dangerous one I might add. You or I and whomever is selected by the Swordlords will be pioneers, yes. But the idea is to establish something more permanent, some sort of civilization. Only then can you lure a critical mass of people and establish a town and eventually a city"

He smiles as he pulls out a book, "It's all written out here, in 'The Manual of City-Building', an enlightening read if there ever was one."

"He makes a good point." The half-orc grunts nodding at Reknar,"The River Kingdoms, for the most part, were carved out of the wilderness, by refugees or just people looking for something new. It's a job for the daring, those willing to risk all to make the life they want from the remains of the one they left."

Roksana smiles, remembering her own lonely wandering before discovering the life she wanted to live. Also free food, no reason not to smile at that. She thanks Kryolani between bites before continuing.

"I don't think safety or law is what's going to attract settlers, but prosperity. You want people to leave a place where they're established, that's already dangerous, or at least a bit of a risk. You need to convince them the risk is worth it. Few enough people are going to believe that the Stolen Lands are safe any time soon, but if you can convince them they'll be more successful, well, I think this full courtyard is a testament to how well that works."

Reknar wrote:

Reknar is still trying to signal someone around who he thinks may be serving drinks, but he does answer Jacobus - "Isn't that exactly what pioneers do? Taking their families into unruly lands, looking for a place to carve for themselves?" - he pipes in without skipping a beat.

Kryolani reaches behind him, and without looking lifts a bottle of brewed spirits from a passing vendor in exchange for some small amount of coin, and passes the beverage to Reknar. "Well someone certainly has to. Folks like us do need to come first though. Secure the safety of the eventual township and all that. Stoke the home-fires. Lay in a few kegs," with a nod towards the ranger, "civilization doesn't come to the wilds on it's own, so I hear. If some bandits out there want to try to turn over a new leaf when we move in, fine. I'll greet them with open arms, but my sword will be loose in it's scabbard when I do it." The sorcerer considers the thought of personally clashing blades with a slight frown, "Not literally, of course. I'd light them on fire, personally, if things came to that. But you get the idea."

Reknar's smile grows impossibly wide when Kryolani presents him the drink - "Since you are now my best friend" - he jests - "I am henceforth siding with you on any opinion forwarded in this debate" - then laughs out loud.

"Seriously though" - he adds, taking a long drink, and offering it to the sorcerer so he can partake from it also - "Thanks for the drink - I owe you one. And look... On bandits and whatnot, I am really not trying to advocate some sort of pacifist way here, and there are about one or two people in the world I trust, so my weapon is always loose on its scabbard anyway" - he nods, now slightly more serious - "If bandits chose that path, they need to be ready for whatever comes their way - they make a choice, they deal with the consequences and that's that. However, I am no paladin, so I never said I am available to give them a choice"

Reknar wrote:

Jacobus Varadin wrote:

He looks at everyone around, "Now just think of your own families; would you tell them to go and live in a place where the law was not followed? Where their safety was not a priority? Would you?"

Reknar is still trying to signal someone around who he thinks may be serving drinks, but he does answer Jacobus - "Isn't that exactly what pioneers do? Taking their families into unruly lands, looking for a place to carve for themselves?" - he pipes in without skipping a beat.

"Yes and no. Pioneers do go into non established regions and try and tame the area but pioneering is a temporary status at best. And a very dangerous one I might add. You or I and whomever is selected by the Swordlords will be pioneers, yes. But the idea is to establish something more permanent, some sort of civilization. Only then can you lure a critical mass of people and establish a town and eventually a city"

He smiles as he pulls out a book, "It's all written out here, in 'The Manual of City-Building', an enlightening read if there ever was one."

"I am not an expert, and I am not trying to play Devil's Advocate here" - Reknar ponders - "Actually, I've already spoken more today than I have in the past month" - he chuckles - "However, aren't there some nomadic tribes that actually manage to constitute nations without permanent towns or cities?" - and seems to be making an effort to remember something he had read somewhere.

"Lucian, tyou would be scolding me right now, wouldn't you" - he thinks to himself, remembering his scholastic friend.

"Anyways, honestly I am with you" - he follows up towards Jacobus - "If I go out in the wild and establish any sort of order in my turf, even if it is only around my campfire, anyone stepping in better be playing by my rules, and that's that" - he nods - "Though... That is probably what these bandits have done. Bad luck for them, right?" - he finishes with a good nature pat on the man's back.

Reknar's smile grows impossibly wide when Kryolani presents him the drink - "Since you are now my best friend" - he jests - "I am henceforth siding with you on any opinion forwarded in this debate"

"Excellent! Thus I enact the noble prerogative, and win all debates through rampant and unabashed bribery." comfortable with his fiscally enhanced rhetorical supremacy, Kryolani scans through the crowd, watching the masterful Swordlords duel in the center of the courtyard.

Family She mutters looking a bit sad before returning to the conversation Laws will come when need, and you my friend should be the one to establish them, seeing as you understand their need the best...I agree with Rok, We will need Prosperity to attract more settlers, Laws should be established as need

"My name's Issi, Issi Flamehair. Itsverynicetomeetyou. Is this lovely hunter yours? What's his name? Can I stay with him? Does he like fish? I like fish!" For the first time she seems to notice just how many people there are standing around them. She seems to concentrate for a moment and then speaks again in a much more restrained tone of voice.

"I don't think any person is inherently evil. My cousin Lorenzo was mean and tried to cut my hair but he wasn't evil, just jealous. Lots of people are like that, if you have nice things then they want to have them too." She pauses, and her hair becomes darker and darker, the colour of dried blood. "But no-one should be allowed to hurt other people. If someone tried to hurt my friends I'd hurt them back! And I'd keep hurting them until they stopped!"

Issi takes a deep breath and seems to realise that she has been shouting the past few moments. The spectators notice that her shouting...

Serolt smiles and bows down a little to take her hand equally. "Regin's his name, and yes, he likes fish. Not afraid of the water this cat!" he smiles.

He listens to the heavy philosophical talk and interjects late as his mind drifts along a little.

"But what of those with little choice? Not everyone is a bandit leader, not everyone is evil when it comes to crossing swords."

He gestures to the two duelists practicing their trade in the courtyard, "Those two for example are bandying their weapons for our entertainment - ultimately for the coin they need to fill their bellies."

"There are those in the hinterlands who are left with no choice but banditry to fill their bellies. Hunger is a powerful motivator. They may have fallen on hard times and be in need of an even break. Not all to be sure, but some."

He stretches his legs, tired of standing in one place so long, "I'll use my weapons on any who cross me and mine to be sure. But I'll also show mercy to any who cease their attack and throw up their hands. I've shown mercy to a few, and never had cause to regret it."

He ruffles Regin's fur, "At least not yet." he laughs.

I guess I'll try again. I'm gonna figure out what I'm gonna do first again.

"... We will need a Prosperity ..."

"...Prosperity," Kryolani mutters quietly. "that's a pretty good name. Wouldn't mind a frontier town called Prosperity..."

O, wait, only one problem. I don't have access to the Kingmaker Guide. Damn.

Anya_ AngelKin wrote:

"... We will need Prosperity ..."

"...Prosperity," Kryolani mutters quietly. "that's a pretty good name. Wouldn't mind a frontier town called Prosperity..."

Prosperity...It is a nice name Anya agrees