GM R0B0GEISHA's Carrion Crown

Game Master R0B0GEISHA

Brogol looks to Dmitri and shrugs. "'Tis possible. Let's go ask him." He reaches back unconsciously and puts his hand on the hilt of his sword, and steps to the side, waiting for the sheriff to lead the way.

Dmitri nods deeply at Caeller's suggestion. "I like th' sound o' that," he offers, before turning towards Radag. "Ya seem t' be good at this kind o' thing. Lead th' way!"

"I can agree to that," Radag nods.

"Sheriff, keep your wits about you. If Gibs was willing to confront us in the graveyard with weapons at a funeral, he may be becoming dangerous or unstable. Take it from me, sometimes the ones you least suspect of harming you, can be the ones that end up dealing the most."

"Alright, let's have a look. Sheriff on your cue.

Dashil has done her best to keep one ear open for what Aduard has been saying (she doesn't trust him), but the lure of the chase is compelling.

She nods at Radag's advice to the sheriff. "We'll take a look around. If he causes trouble, shout."

With that, she moves in once Caellar's distraction is in place, scouting for anything out of the ordinary.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

It's been a while since we had some mood music. :)

Holy hand grenades! With mood music like this, this Gib guy is a freaking serial killer! I bet there is a eerie fog rolling through his fields as two rapid dogs fight over the few traces of meat on the bone their master left for them. Oh and a randomly large number of rusty farm implements scattered about like decoration... and murder

I believe Aduard is somewhere else at the moment. I'm working under the assumption that the sheriff is entering Gibs's house on his own, or talking to him in the doorway. If he's going to talk to Gibs outside, Brogol will circle around until a good nearby spot is found to listen innoculously.

Brogol waits for the sheriff to enter Gibs's home and then heads for the house himself, looking for a good spot to put himself near the conversation. He starts by the door, listening there, and then, if needed, moves around the house, trying to hear snippets of conversation from windows, etc.

perception, inspiration: 1d20 + 5 + 1d6 ⇒ (12) + 5 + (3) = 20 5/6 Inspiration Pool left.
stealth, if needed, inspiration: 1d20 + 5 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + 5 + (4) = 11 If needed, 4/6 Inspiration Pool left.

Radags search once sheriff gives thr go ahead

Radag searches round the house: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

Dashil shakes her head in disgust, sending her long blue tresses flying. "Waterskin filled with blood? I admit, that's a new one... Wonder what sort of blood it is. Ustalav." Shaking her head again, she moves toward the house. "Better give the sheriff the bad news."

If at all possible, Wakati will try to maneuver himself to where he can overhear what the Sheriff is saying to Gibs.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19

He scowls when the razor and waterskin are discovered.

Either this Gibs put up the graffitti, or someone is going to a lot of trouble to make it look like he did. What motivation someone could have for doing that is beyond my estimation. Most everything we've run into seems to point to the prison, though. I wonder, the list of names on the monument, are they just the guards, or does it include the prisoners as well? Maybe the familiy of one of the formerly incarcerated is trying to make a statement, yes?

After listening at the door reveals little, Brogol heads back to the others, finding them discussing the waterskin. Taking it, the half-man takes a dab of blood from the waterskin rolls it on his finger, smells it, and eventually tastes it, trying to figure out its source. Nodding to Dashil, his jaw set in a grim line, Brogol says, "Yes. Let's give tha sheriff tha news." Turning to Wakati, he says, "Aye counted them - 27 names on tha statue, 'ta commemorate all those tha lost their lives.' 23 guards, tha warden and his wife makes 25. Surely more than 2 prisoners were there as well? Something does na add up. There's tha letter "V" as well - someone's gloating Aye think. Or tis a message about one a tha victims - tha warden's wife's name was Vesorianna, an' no one knows why she was there tha evening. She's said ta haunt tha Harrowstone still..." Striding over to the door, the young man knocks three times - hard - and then steps to the side, expecting one of the others to speak with the sheriff once the door opens.

heal check on the waterskin blood: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

"What are you looking for permission for?" Radag laughs and just opens the door. "Aye Sheriff, waterskin full of blood and a war razor here hidden in the wood pile. Your Gibs here really has issues."

The following is something I failed to describe before at the monument.

Past the monument, facing the river, is a small garden surrounding a white marble fountain. Its hedgerows of white roses have become wild and half-merged with the surrounding undergrowth from lack of tending, but they lend a fey beauty to the memorial park, and it is popular for romantic rendezvous with a hint of danger. The pale gravel of the footpath is half-overgrown with grass, weeds, and wildflowers, while fountain and memorial alike show marks of weathering to accompany a patina of dirt and clinging moss.

The fountain itself is in two parts, a lower cruciform basin with four pools surrounding a central pillar. The 4-foot high pillar supports an upper basin 8 feet across and ringed by four stone gargoyles which sit at each of the ordinal directions (NE, SE, SW and NW) and support the basin’s fluted lip, where water spills between the gargoyles into the lower basins toward a central drain and thence into the nearby river. Water burbles a few feet in the air from the upper bowl, from which clean water can be drawn for drinking while the lower basins can be used for bathing or washing.

The fountain is in disrepair, with several of the gargoyles having suffered large chips and broken stonework, though the basins are intact.

Dashil takes on Gibs' glare, holding his gaze while she stares at him. Her eyes show no promise of mercy, pity; nothing but judgement, cold, swift, remorseless and unrelenting.

Intimidate: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Finally, she shrugs and turns away. She's used to being looked at with loathing; she sees a gaze like that every time she looks in the mirror.

Dmitri sighs as the farmer is arrested. "Do ya think he might'a had anythin' else in his place that'd be evidence?" the disciple of the Drunken Hero asks, arms crossed.

"Glad to be of some service, Sheriff. Now who wants to go and catch up that high-nosed Aduard- let him know what we've been up to and that we're finished?" Radag asks as he turns his back to Gib's house.

Brogol follows alongside Gibs and the sheriff for a bit. Keeping his eyes straight ahead, he walks in silence for a few moments, and then turns to Gibs, looking him squarely in the eyes. "If you did this, yer best ta confess ta the sheriff now. Aye'm sure he'll take yer cooperation inta account."

Whatever Gibs's response, Brogol looks the man over, watching for signs of nervousness, increased pitch in the tenor of his voice, avoidance, or other signs of lying.

sense motive: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Trailing off as the sheriff and Gibs leave, Brogol turns back and heads to the others. Looking to Dmitri, the half-human nods and says, "Aye think we'd best look fer ourselves." Removing his lockpicks, Brogol turns the handle door handle to the shack, and if Gibs thought to lock his door before leaving, Brogol sets about unlocking it, casting a sideways glance at anyone that objects. "What? We're not tha ones smearing blood all over monuments."

disable device, inspiration: 1d20 + 5 + 1d6 ⇒ (17) + 5 + (6) = 28

3/6 inspiration left if the door is locked.

Brogol keeps working, not turning around, his concentration obviously focused on the lock. "Hmmm. It's tha math, don't add up. Who's V? Why's Gibs so interested in tha Professer? Meybe he's just a crazy old coot. Meybe he's a patsy, or he's framed. But if he's connected ta this "V" - or the professor - there'll be something in the house. An' if he's not, an' I don't think he is, we'll not find anything."

Brogol grins as he thinks he hears the lock turn. Standing up, the apprentice turns back to Radag, and still smiling, says, "Or, perhaps he's a loaded old crazy coot, an' we can all retire to Absalom once we find his hidden stash." Still smiling at his little joke, Brogol turns the handle and pushes on the door...

Or, the door is just unlocked ;) Either way, if he gets in, Brogol will search Gib's house, trying to leave everything as it was left when Gibs and the sheriff departed. He's not interested in robbing Gibs, despite what he said to Radag. He'll take 20, for a total of 25, going over the man's home with a fine-toothed comb (figuratively - I'll need to buy one of those!).

Dashil nods. "Good instincts, kid. I was thinking the same thing myself. Wonder if he also did those sheep as well? Maybe as practice before moving on to something more public. Defacing that monument won't get him many friends round here, I'm guessing."

The inquisitor will join Brogol in searching the place.

Perception, Take 20 = 27

Dmitri remains outside, prepared to explain what they're doing if anyone comes by. "Try an' be quick, friends. We don't want t' be earnin' a worse reputation with th' townsfolk than we a'ready got."

Wakati follows behind Brogol, glancing over the contents of the shack.

Perhaps it's unintentional. Maybe he was coerced into doing it, by means beyond the physical. Let's see if there is anything here that might suggest that.

Wakati mutters a few words under his breath, and then wipes his hand over his face. He then methodically observes his surroundings.

Cast Detect Magic.

Just so we're clear, Gibs is not the ragged old man that was seen watching the funeral from afar/watching the Lorrimor house. Kendra called him "Antrellus." Gibs was the man leading the angry mob at the funeral.

"Guess Gibs just doesn't like burying necromancers of black or white magic in the Restlands. Now let's get out of here before you get another crazy idea."

Dmitri doesn't look pleased at Radag's statement. "The Professor wasn't a damned Necromancer. One o' th' nicest fellas I've e'er met, and he sure as hell wasn't desecratin' th' dead," he claims with a clear voice, but the Chelaxian silently admits to himself that he never really saw the elder Lorrimor do any of his research.

"You read the same pages as I did. He was into white necromancy business. Common folk are a lot more cautious than you or I, and they don't take the time to draw distinctions."

"I've read tomes o' Asmodean law before, not that I could understand most o' it. Doesn't make me an Asmodean. The Professor, jus' like me, was pro'ly readin' up on what he was dealin' with."

Brogol shrugs. "Necromancer, student o' tha ways o' necromancy, it's a fine line tha tha locals probably won't be gettin'. Since there's nothing here, Aye'm inclined to say poor Gibs is a patsy. But that mystery will have ta wait. An' Aye agree, Irefist - let's get out a here."

I'm travelling for work for a couple of days and won't have internet access - please bot Brogol if needed.

Radag backtracks through the woods back to the park and the statue and then on back to where everyone left Aduard.

As the party exits Gibs' house, having found nothing else incriminating, they notice a pair of figures coming down along the river: Aduard and Councilman Gharen Muricar.

Party reunited!

Dmitri nods at Aduard and greets the Councilman. "Hey, again. The Sheriff just took Mr. Gibs into custody, 'cause he might be involved with that mess at th' memorial in town," the Chelaxian explains, running a hand through his dark hair.

"So, what happened? Nahooda, did you record it for posterity?"

Wakati briefly describes the scene at the monument, and Radag's discovery of the tracks that lead them to Gibs' place. He goes over the discovery of the war razor and the waterskin filled with blood.

As Dmitri noted, the sheriff just left with Mr. Gibs. We took an additional look around, but did not find anything more that would either confirm or refute his guilt. It is possible that the evidence was planted here to make the man look guilty.

I did note down the names engraved in the base of the monument. Perhaps further study will provide some insight. For now, I believe we were headed back to the Lorrimor's. I'm not sure what more there is to see around here.

"Ah, I see. Still a but of a mystery then."

"Councillor, did you have any comments on Mr Gibs' character? Is this something you would have expected of him?"

"In fact" Aduard continues on, turning back towards the group "I was just talking with the Councillor about the terrible attacks on his sheep! Skinned, it seems! We were heading back to his house, once we assured ourselves of what had happened here."

"Councillor, could I impose upon your hospitality to host one or two of my learned colleagues for our discussion?"

Brogol fades into the background as the stranger comes walking up with Aduard. Sighing thankfully as the man seems to be friendly enough, Brogol still fidgets with his formula book and pencil as the others talk. Once the conversation dies down, Brogol says, "Councilor, is there a library open ta tha public in town?"

"Learned company and libraries, feh! I'll be at that devilish tavern until the rest of you are ready for tonights gathering."

Dmitri waits until Radag is out of earshot before sighing heavily, leaning on his spear. "Lovely fella, ain't he?" the cleric snarks. "I might not be much o' th' booklearnin' sort, meself, but no point gettin' yer knickers in a twist 'bout it."

Apologies for the lag in posting, I'm back now!

Dashil stares at Aduard. "Good of you to join us, we were just finding out who smeared blood all over that statue. I'd bet he was the one who skinned your sheep too, Councillor, but I can't prove it - unless that waterskin of blood we found is sheep; there's a bit too much in there to have come from a rat."

In reply to Dmitri's remarks, she shrugs, and runs a hand through her long blue hair. "To quote the late Professor: Radag's a good man; just not a very nice one. I, on the other hand, am neither good nor nice. So it goes."

Taking another sip from her hip flask, she considers things. "I think now that we've settled Gibs - assuming that the evidence wasn't planted - I'll go have a chat with Antrellus, that old man who keeps watching us. Anyone want to come with me?"

"Excellent! I take it the sheriff has decided to take advantage of his fortune in having such accomplished investigators at a loose end in his town?"

Aduard stares at Dashil as he speaks, willing her to realise what he's suggesting
bluff: convey secret message dc15: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20

Skinned, you say? Our sympathies, friend. Nasty business. Although, there seems to be plenty of that around these parts. You don't think that could be related to the desecration of the monument, do you?

The councilman shakes his head, his face grim. "Gibs has always been, shall we say, vocal concerning certain things, particularly Professor Lorrimor, but I never took him to be a criminal. Just a bitter old man. My sheep's unfortunate fate could be related to this bloody mess, but there's no way to be sure."

Muricar gives Brogol a curious look, as if noticing him for the first time. "Ravengro has no public library, but the The Unfurling Scroll" has a decent selection for a fee."

He shifts his attention to Dashil. "Good luck finding him, although I'm not sure why you'd bother. He might be odd, but he's harmless. He's lived south of town for a while now. Nobody has found the hole he hides in though."

He nods to Aduard's request. "Of course. I'd be delighted in introducing you and your friends to Ravengro's hospitality. I'll have my man put some tea on. I'd be interested in hearing your stories."

Radag, are you going to the Laughing Demon? And if so, is anybody joining him?

If you guys want to build a little momentum before the game starts, I'd suggest discussing everybody's roles in the party, as well as plans for character progression.

Finally, if any of you share campaign traits, it might be interesting to integrate a bit of shared backstory. It's up to you! I'll be checking in online every so often over the weekend to try and answer any questions.

Dmitri's going to be start off as mostly a martial character, but as he levels he'll start focusing on his spellcasting more. The idea is to be a support caster, using buffs and Sermonic Performance to help everyone out. :)

He has the Chance Survivor trait, I don't know if anyone else took it, as well.

Hi, everyone! I know nothing about CC, other than it is the horror AP, so I'm pretty excited for this game.

Brogol will be a skill monkey/utility guy. Hopefully, he'll have a trick up his sleeve when it is needed by the party. His skills are currently fairly rogue-oriented, and will get more knowledge-oriented as the game goes on. He'll be able to step into melee for awhile, but I don't think will have a ton of staying power. He also may make a decent face at some point, or at least an intimidator.

As for character development, right now Brogol is definitely a subservient type. He'll probably latch onto a character with authority. He's aware of his monstrous appearance and pretty ashamed of it. I hope that he grows to accept who he is. He's also lacking a moral compass. He's not evil per se, just someone who has never known anyone with ethics. He is pretty young and still very impressionable. As such, he could become something of a mad scientist, or go a lighter path, depending on how things shape up, including party dynamics. I see there are a couple of good PCs here, so out of character I will certainly be taking that into account.

I took the teacher's pet trait, but don't know that Brogol would know anyone else off the bat - he's been pretty secluded from most everything for the past few years.

@Dmitri - I love the evangelist archetype, and look forward to the Sermonic Performances to come!

At 1st level Bookman is more of a mobile grenade with attached wikipedia. He can only cast three spells per day, but one of them is very (encounter ending) powerful. Sadly outside that he's not going to be a lot of use in combat; he's got poor hp, ac, and is not great at attacking. He does have all the knowledges, and some pretty decent rolls, so he'll be useful when something needs to be known.
As we level he'll have more spells per day (so will be useful more often) but does not get more 'novas'. He does have the ability at later levels to 1/day burn spells for a druid/cleric/bard spell so he should be able to help with utility.
With some gold he can do scrolls of various utility spells that should help out.
Bookman is going to want to turn back as soon as he's gone nova even more than standard wizards. OOC I suggest we avoid doing this as otherwise we risk becoming the "Bookman and Friends show". That does mean there's going to be encounters where you might as well be literally carrying him though!

Aduard is dedicated to preserving the Bookman persona. This means he's convinced he's upper (or at least upper middle) class and should be respected. The Bookman Persona is a "good" man, but no paragon of virtue.

Bookman has 'inspired by greatness'. The Professor's life is a model Bookman envies. I see the Bookman persona as being modeled on the late professor in many ways - the person Aduard really wants to be, but isn't.

Of course this is all to keep secret what he really is. At least for a while that shouldn't be showing up.

Dashil will do ok at combat - she's not full BAB, but has Strength 16 and crits on an 18-20; plus she has some decent judgements to assist her.

In terms of character, she's not a goody-two-shoes paladin any more, but she's definitely looking to try and stay on the path of righteousness rather than stray any further; not sure she's exactly a moral compass, though!

She has the confidence that comes partly from age, but mostly from not giving a damn any more. She's not going to win prizes for niceness, but she is good at intimidating (+7) and reading people (+10 Sense Motive - Aduard, she's likely to clock reasonably quickly that you aren't all you seem; just a thought) so will provide direction if she thinks the group needs it.

Dashil has known the professor for more than 20 years; she has the Chance Saviour trait - as detailed in her background, back in his youth he was a bit more reckless and set off to explore some ruins without waiting for his escort. Dashil was there on a separate matter but reacted quickly enough to save his hide. Since then she's accompanied him a lot; she likes the fact that he never tried to judge her for her past and just accepted her for who she was (she gets very tired of people staring at her looks...).

It's entirely possible that she has already met some of you, if you worked for him.

Dashil: good point. I guess I could try to rejig the character in order to try to hold it off, but I'm okay with her having a 'hunch' that he's an impostor, or possibly not trustworthy. Makes for some interparty tension but hopefully she's not so far fallen that she'll not act too hastily on a hunch - and possibly angst about the days she could just 'detect evil'.
Other than that she'll have no issue working out when he's trying to bluff her, but almost all of that is just the impostor angle and in fact most of the time he's going to be telling the truth anyway.
If you start interrogating him and asking him point blank something like "have you taken a life" he's likely to (reasonably) react angrily.
His motives are actually relatively pure for coming; he wants to pay his respects to the professor, and he sent the professor a manuscript for editing and fact checking that he wants back. The manuscript is the only copy and he doesn't want anyone to read it.

Bookman is a relatively well known author, incidentally (looking at his profession score, anyway). People might potentially have heard of him or even read something he wrote. His niche is dark supernatural/horror fiction that is actually well researched.

How well known are the other characters? I can see Brogol probably isn't, thought the doctor might be. If people judge Dashil it suggests a bit of a legend might have grown up around her.

Dmitri is probably pretty unknown. He's just your average traveling priest, and they don't tend to be particularly memorable.

I think that the Doctor D. was a pretty well-known figure in certain Ustaleven circles: occultists, criminals, academics and monster hunters all might know the doctor personally or know of him by reputation. Thus, I think it is probable that Aduard knows the doctor and may have met Brogol - though he probably didn't pay the young half-orc much mind, as most of the doctor's guests saw Brogol as little more than the doctor's valet and manservant, and few would have known that Brogol had grown into the role of the doctor's trusted assistant - which would suit Brogol just fine.

Looking at everyone's crunch, I think with a Aduard and Wakati both being knowledge-based, I may shy away from that aspect of Brogol's future development and go more for the rogue and (eventually) face roles, which will be needed - except intimidate - Dashil is/will be scary ;).

But right now, I can't see Brogol having the confidence to even try to be diplomatic - as such I moved a skill point from Diplomacy to Disable Device, if that is OK with you, GM Olmek?

Sure. No dice have been rolled yet.

Sure. No dice have been rolled yet.

Great - thank you!

Aduard: wow, detailed response to a throwaway remark! Lots of food for thought - but don't rejig your character. As I've told many of my players, Sense Motive doesn't equal telepathy, and detect evil isn't a substitute for actual thought (in any event, isn't Aduard CN?)...

It's likely, as you say, that Dashil will have no issue working out when Aduard's trying to bluff her, but she's no moral compass herself (that's Sarenrae's job, in her view) and is unlikely to pry too closely into anyone's background, as they might return the 'favour'. She'll probably have a hunch that something isn't quite right, but how she reacts will depend on how obvious you make it.

As for fame, hmmm - hadn't thought about that. I'm reluctant to make a level 1 character too famous, but maybe within Ustalav (where it happened) the story of the Paladin who fell after the village she guarded was destroyed is well-known - I'll leave that for the DM. The full truth is known to very, very few people - all of whom have been sworn to silence. If you don't learn it from Dashil, you probably won't learn it (DM intervention aside).

I'm pretty certain that Dashil doesn't read Bookman's sort of writings: too close to what she has endured, I suspect. Could be wrong; my characters tend to surprise me, along the way.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Detect Evil doesn't actually detect a character's alignment. It detects evil auras like a cleric or an evil outsider or an undead.

Corrected ;)

If you have enough hit dice, your alignment will give you away, regardless of aura.

Bah. That's what I get for being too lazy to Google.

@ GM Olmek: There is, however, a particular nasty form of "skeet shooting" sabotage. Misdirection can make anything radiate as anything else. So you can make that old lady resonate as evil (from, say, a skeleton) then subtly point the Paladin at her. If the Paladin detects evil and kills the old woman without evidence, they probably fall. All this takes is a 3rd level wizard with a grudge.
I'm not saying Aduard ever would have tried this in his bad old days...
@GM Olmek: Aduard writes in a journal (as he is afraid of losing his memories) but obviously can't make this too obvious. If possible I would like this to be his spellbook, and for him to use Linguistics to write in a code. This does mean his writing is likely to be slower and briefer than otherwise. I figure someone can use Linguistics to decipher it if they get the book, but at least they can't just cast Comprehend Languages. If possible Code would look like arcane spell instructions & theory.
Also, is there any problem if I occasionally post excerpts from the journal? I figure it means people know what he's doing OOC, but I don't think we're playing a PvP game and I'm happy to trust people to use the OOC knowledge to create a better story.
Skeet Shooting: Casting Detect Evil and then killing anything that radiates as evil
@Brogol: That means that it would have been a different 'edition' of Bookman visiting the doctor, probably an older one. No offence, but the doctor sounds pretty dodgy - is it possible some elementary disguises were used?
@Brogol: was not my intention to push you out of a niche. Which knowledges were you looking at? Some overlap can be fine.
@Dashil: Thanks, and No problem! And yes, Bookman's CN (at the moment anyway). Just thinking it must be nice for paladins when they can go "that guy seems dodgy... hang on a sec... DETECT EVIL... yep. Dodgy." And therefore something Dashil might miss.
I want to be hiding from someone, so sounds like Dashil might be the person to hide from :)

I'm sorry Aduard - I think I misread your backstory. I was under the impression that Aduard's current incarnation is living in Ustalev. Certainly, Aduard and the doctor could have met under an earlier incarnation as well, as the doctor is an older man - probably in his 60s by now. Obviously, Brogol never would have met Aduard in that case.

And yes, most people would probably describe the doctor as dodgy, though the doctor would say that he has made himself unconstrained from rigid societal constructs in order to do the things for Ustalev's people that must be done ;)

As for the niche thing, don't worry about it! I'm actually happy to not have to fill that role, as it would be spreading Brogol pretty thin. He'll probably take a rank in a knowledge here and there to denote the continued filling out of his education, and with the inspiration mechanic he can still probably pitch in from time to time and should be able to aid another quite often - which makes a lot of sense, seeing as how he's basically a play on the "assistant to the mad scientist" trope.

Brogol probably will continue to up knowledge (local) every level, as it fits with his rogue-ish background.

@ GM Olmek: There is, however, a particular nasty form of "skeet shooting" sabotage. Misdirection can make anything radiate as anything else. So you can make that old lady resonate as evil (from, say, a skeleton) then subtly point the Paladin at her. If the Paladin detects evil and kills the old woman without evidence, they probably fall. All this takes is a 3rd level wizard with a grudge.

Just saying, I think the vast majority of Paladins have more sense than to murder somebody in cold blood, even if they detect as evil.

So long as he ain't pulling this kind of stuff, Dmitri probably is willing to let Aduard do his thing with minimal, if any, interference. Not that he's particularly perceptive about this kind of thing, but he's got a very definite definition of what "doing good" is, and stuff outside that is going to get a damn good scolding.

Agree with that, Dmitri - detect evil is not a substitute for thought (see: Miko Miyazaki)! Besides, people who aren't evil can kill you, too... Dashil's fall was in part because of disgust with the supposedly good (or at least neutral) folk she had to protect who did awful things to one another. Not that it excuses what she did, of course.

@Aduard: would be great to have your journal extracts! I'm not interested in PvP so please don't let that be a factor. And if you want to be hiding from someone, by all means it can be Dashil. What are your plans for Aduard? I'd like Dashil to seek redemption at some stage; hopefully we can accommodate both our characters into the larger story without too much conflict!

@Brogol: not ignoring you, just no particular thoughts on how we'd interact. Suspect it could be fairly uncomplicated and reasonably good-natured (to the extent she has a good nature, of course).

@Brogol: not ignoring you, just no particular thoughts on how we'd interact. Suspect it could be fairly uncomplicated and reasonably good-natured (to the extent she has a good nature, of course).

Yeah, there's no reason for Brogol and Dashil to know each other. Since Brogol is a pretty submissive sort, I'm sure he won't have problems with anyone. He'll just be happy to have a group to hang around with :)

I'm sorry Aduard - I think I misread your backstory. I was under the impression that Aduard's current incarnation is living in Ustalev. Certainly, Aduard and the doctor could have met under an earlier incarnation as well, as the doctor is an older man - probably in his 60s by now. Obviously, Brogol never would have met Aduard in that case.

And yes, most people would probably describe the doctor as dodgy, though the doctor would say that he has made himself unconstrained from rigid societal constructs in order to do the things for Ustalev's people that must be done ;)

As for the niche thing, don't worry about it! I'm actually happy to not have to fill that role, as it would be spreading Brogol pretty thin. He'll probably take a rank in a knowledge here and there to denote the continued filling out of his education, and with the inspiration mechanic he can still probably pitch in from time to time and should be able to aid another quite often - which makes a lot of sense, seeing as how he's basically a play on the "assistant to the mad scientist" trope.

Brogol probably will continue to up knowledge (local) every level, as it fits with his rogue-ish background.

Ah. My bad, it's a very confusing story.

Up until a few days ago Sim's mind was in Vladimir's body pretending to be Bookman. He then took over Caseron's body and is still Sim pretending to be Bookman.
Does that help clear things up?

Aduard Bookman wrote:

@ GM Olmek: There is, however, a particular nasty form of "skeet shooting" sabotage. Misdirection can make anything radiate as anything else. So you can make that old lady resonate as evil (from, say, a skeleton) then subtly point the Paladin at her. If the Paladin detects evil and kills the old woman without evidence, they probably fall. All this takes is a 3rd level wizard with a grudge.

Just saying, I think the vast majority of Paladins have more sense than to murder somebody in cold blood, even if they detect as evil.

So long as he ain't pulling this kind of stuff, Dmitri probably is willing to let Aduard do his thing with minimal, if any, interference. Not that he's particularly perceptive about this kind of thing, but he's got a very definite definition of what "doing good" is, and stuff outside that is going to get a damn good scolding.

The vast majority of NPC paladins do... my experience with PC paladins is a little more mixed.

Not thinking Aduard would do anything like that now, but I want him to have been dodgy in the past.

@Aduard: would be great to have your journal extracts! I'm not interested in PvP so please don't let that be a factor. And if you want to be hiding from someone, by all means it can be Dashil. What are your plans for Aduard? I'd like Dashil to seek redemption at some stage; hopefully we can accommodate both our characters into the larger story without too much conflict!

I'm hoping so. Actually I think the stories could work really well for a Paladin of "Second chance" Sarenrae.

I can dig it. Dmitri is a very friendly sort, so you won't have problems finding a buddy in him.

For some reason I wasn't getting notice of posts in the discussion for this group, sorry for the silence.

Radag is solidly and seriously going to be a martial horror slaying creature, I hope.

I like to be more fluid with character development so usually dont have plans with where Radag will be later on.

If there isnt much issue with the AP (adventure path) I am a fan of having a history with other pcs. For inspiration I like to draw on the bond system. Basically you come up with a general one sentence statement with a fill in the name blank space and then fill it in with a characters name and add a little blurb explaining it.

Here are a few for example:

______ is prepared to hurt me.

I have seen how ______ handles themselves in a fight

I have seen ______ wounded and weak.

I saved ______’s life.

A PC would just have to enter another character's name to instanyly have an interesting history with another character. Everyone could have as many or as little of these as they like but the statements should be unique/different from everyone elses.

If anyone is interested in this idea I gladly volunteer Radag to your bond/history development.

As a disclaimer the bond system was developed for use in apocolypse world originally and is not my own creation, although I am a fan.

Yeah, Radag's a full on martial, he's going to be handy to have around! Maybe he and Dashil were the muscle in previous expeditions with the Professor? Looks like they complement each other's skills: he has the edge in combat, but she can intimidate and cut through deceptions (oh, and heal!). My guess is that they've saved each other's lives, but Radag probably has the lead, which would annoy Dashil. They probably bicker a lot...

BTW, Aduard: how are you getting retainers at first level? Or are they made of pure narrativium? :)

BWAHAHA! They are secretly "Laborer Team" from Ultimate Equipment.
"But Aduard" you say "Laborers can't have profession skills. They'd be the worst servants imaginable! You yourself have much better profession skills in everything they do and would be better off just doing it yourself!"
AHAHAHAHAHA Now you see the genius... wait...

If someone was coming from Caliphas (or Virlych I guess) they might have run into Aduard's party.
Obviously anyone who had physically met Aduard in a previous body and knew who he was (Aduard) would be a problem.

Sorry guys, I just sort of see Bookman as very up tight about formal occasions like funerals.

@Brogol: Hmmm. Bookman ran a forbidden tomes type thing for a while. Perhaps he, the doctor and Brogol knew each other through correspondence? That would mean they could be on a first name basis without either knowing what the other looks like.

Possibly Brogol was actually used as a courier once or twice?

@Aduard - The Doctor would certainly have an interest in forbidden tomes, so it is likely that he and Aduard knew each other in some capacity then. If Doc bought a book in the last four years from Bookman, then it is also likely that Brogol acted as courier, unless Doc would have wanted to meet Aduard personally. Otherwise, errands were beneath the man.

Really enjoying your journal extracts, Aduard! Wondering where you find the time, though - they look like a lot of work

@Dashil: Thanks :)
They do take a while, but they help me get into the headspace before a post.

@Brogol:
That might be the way to go then. We'll need to work out why you can't just reveal Aduard's secret immediately, but that should be possible!

So, yeah. Anyone wondering how/why Dashil fell... kinda like that :)

PS MY music for the scene is NSFW (think Pulp Fiction...)

I love that rant Dashil :)

Dang. Had to step out in the middle of writing a post, now we've moved one! Ah well.

You can always drop a past-tense post into a spoiler.

True, but that only really works for actions that are not going to have changed the flow of the story.

Brogl: I like where you're going. Do I take it you interacted mostly with the servants but overheard Aduard talking on occasion?

Are you okay if, when Aduard works out who you are, he remembers you from letters the doctor has sent then? "Oh, you're the Doctor's new assistant - he speaks very highly of you" type thing?

Wakati: we're trying to set up previous links. Between characters. Difficult with Aduard, I'm afraid.
I was planning to have Bookman go by and use last names (Irefirst, Stockl, etc).
Given Bookman is a family name, and you are from a long lived elven family, are you interested in "family ties"?
Stockl and Bookman used to be part of a rare/forbidden book trading network. Seems like something you or your parents might be interested in.
Also possible your new addition (via the puzzlebox) might have memories of Sim (old bookman)
I notice you were in Caliphas, so we could have met up.
Where was your carriage coming from?

Sorry guys, posted the excerpt as Bookman, rather than his journal.

@Aduard: Previous links to Wakati are going to be hard, considering he's led a rather sheltered life to date. The most likely route is through his family. His parents may know of the rare/forbidden book market, but would lose interest quickly in any works of "fiction". One of his siblings, though, could be active in the trading network for fictional works. That seems like a good 'rebellious child' type activity.

Regarding the "hitchhiker" in Wakati's head, he dates from the time of the Whispering Tyrant, so 1000 to 1500 years ago. If Sim dates back that far, it's possible they crossed paths. At this point, Wakati has no real control over the memories he receives from Hilen, and can't actively access them. So any realization of a past link will be a drawn out affair over the course of the campaign.

As for Caliphas, he was only there briefly, searching for transportation to Ravengro. He's originally from near Iadara in Kyonin, and traveled by boat across Lake Encarthan. If they met there, it would have been a brief chance encounter.

Brogl: I like where you're going. Do I take it you interacted mostly with the servants but overheard Aduard talking on occasion?

Are you okay if, when Aduard works out who you are, he remembers you from letters the doctor has sent then? "Oh, you're the Doctor's new assistant - he speaks very highly of you" type thing?

I think so, Aduard. I think Brogol would have spoken with the servants more often, and even if he interacted with Aduard, he probably would have avoided staring or perhaps even looking at the Bookman, as he would have been extremely self-conscious and aware of his lot.

Although I think the doctor was quite fond of Brogol, he wasn't the type to show it - to Brogol at least. The assistant would be very surprised (and secretly very pleased) to know that he was spoken of so highly by the doctor.

Also, Brogol's formula book, a gift from the doctor before his disappearance, is bound in human skin. This seems to be exactly the type of book that the Bookman could deal in, yes? If so, Aduard may notice the book the first time that he sees it, and Brogol, years back, could have actually picked up his future forumla book from Aduard without knowing what it was. Just a thought, anyways...

@Brogol: Absolutely! Done.

@Wakati: While Bookman writes fictional works, and some are banned, the network trades in forbidden tomes of all sorts; including spellbooks.

If you were in correspondence to the Professor then perhaps also in correspondence with Bookman?

I'll have a post up tonight. I've got an IRL game right now.

Have any of you played Numenera?

Certainly have not.

I also haven't - it looks interesting. What's your take, GM Olmek?

No I haven't I'm afraid

I haven't played it but Im into sci fi stuff. Why do you ask?

Hadn't even heard of it until you mentioned it

Could everybody make a Roll20 account? This is how I prefer to run encounters.

Once you've done that, click here. That's the campaign link.