Turn 121 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
If somebody makes the knowledge local checks and determines that this was the old jail, I'll give you a plan of the 'old' jail from a visit to the Archives.
Also, the urgency is on the eye of the beholder. It makes no sense to rush in without planning and botch it up.
Questions?
Game on!
+2 vs humans, +2 in Kintargo
I believe that gives me a 21!
Action 1:
Rowan graciously accepted the sword on behalf of the group. "We'll do as you say. We'll also send word once we have freed your men."
Action 2:
The warpriest was relieved to see Forvian when they returned. She clasped his forearm and said, "You've shown great wisdom in keeping to scouting out the place instead of attempting a rescue. Obviously force is out of the question if that's what they're counting on. We must turn our planning to either sneaking in or trickery to gain access. If we had a map of the structure, it would be of great help."
Rowan turned to Vandomir. "You're knowledgeable in architecture. Do you know where such plans may exist?"
tag Vandomir with his awesome role :)
Rowan turned to Vandomir. "You're knowledgeable in architecture. Do you know where such plans may exist?"
tag Vandomir with his awesome role :)
Eirik would know; he's been researching the city already in the 'Archives'.
I'll let Eirik delight us with a post and he'll then come back with the original plans of the jail.
I'll let you guys discuss more options and then offer a couple from the NPCs (or hopefully you will hit upon them).
A potential option lies in the following statement, which Vandomir 'got' with his check,:
Barzillai Thrune decided to reopen the Holding House as an interim prison for suspects who might not yet warrant full imprisonment.
Questions?
Game on!
Vandomir responded to Rowan, "the Holding House is a stone, one-story, bunkerlike building. One of the earliest constructions of Old Kintargo, it’s also one of the city’s strongest. The Holding House was the city’s original jail, but until recently the structure sat abandoned. Barzillai Thrune decided to reopen the Holding House as an interim prison for suspects who might not yet warrant full imprisonment. To be honest, I'd love to see the architecture and the plans for it myself."
Vandomir responded to Rowan, "the Holding House is a stone, one-story, bunkerlike building. One of the earliest constructions of Old Kintargo, it’s also one of the city’s strongest. The Holding House was the city’s original jail, but until recently the structure sat abandoned. Barzillai Thrune decided to reopen the Holding House as an interim prison for suspects who might not yet warrant full imprisonment. To be honest, I'd love to see the architecture and the plans for it myself."
"I might be able to help with that, "Eirik said, smiling as he returned from rummaging his stash of copied documents. "As you might know, I have spent some time studying in the Alabaster Academy archives, hoping to find, among other things, old architectural plans of current government buildings that might come useful in the future, when we were to plan for a raid. This one, I copied out for curiosity's sake, as it had been abandoned of late. But the fates were kind to me, it seems." The monk handed out a roll of paper to Vandomir. "Take a look, if you would."
"These plans might be useful once we get in and need to figure out where exactly the prison cells are located, but will they help us getting in?" Eirik said as the noble unrolled the carefully copied sketches. "The building might be old, but it was built ot last, and I'm sure the government made at least some repairs since they decided to put the place to use again. We do not have all the time in the world to plan for our attack - every day we tarry, the poor men and women might be subjected to torture and humiliation, if not worse. But I'd like to take at least one day to have our people observing the building, if they could spot some routines we could exploit. Perhaps the prisoners and the guards get food and supplies delivered to them - we could mug the servants and what guards they might have and take their place. Or impersonate a change of guard at a proper time, and enter in that disguise. For had the Lictor not spoken against the use of violence I wouldn't like to storm the building. If nothing else, if we make too much noise and take too long to reach the prisoners, the guards might decide to kill them all rather than risk them getting freed."
Action 1
Tillia nodded and took the weapon saying, "We'll take good care of it." As no one had claimed it to wiled for now she strapped it to her waist until they had time to discuss it in more detail.
Action 2
Tillia held out her hand and Salina flew over and landed there. She stroked the bird's neck and aid, "Excellent work Salina, you've done a wonderful job. Why don't you go rest for a while and I'll talk to you in the morning."
"Mugging them would be resorting to violence as well. What we really need is a way in that's unlikely to be guarded, say a sewer entrance or sneaking in with a shipment that's brought inside." She considered and said with a wry smile, "Another possibility is to try and find a guard we can question about the place, maybe I could try and seduce one to get information from. The only problem is that doing so might take a while and time is at a premium."
Turn 122 is up.
A short recap where I mainly added more information but did not advance the time any.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
Rowan considered Laria's words. It was true that stealth may get them into the prison but it would be highly unlikely that they wouldn't have to fight their way out. "The Holding House was reopened as an interim prison for those not warranting full imprisonment, correct? If that's the case, would it be possible to forge documents stating that Thrune has determined the prisoners to be transferred to prison? We could handle the transfer and the prisoners disappear in transit. I find it hard to believe that all the guards in the city are familiar with each other. We'd just need to obtain some proper attire."
tag everyone
A thought struck Tillia around that time, one that was incredibly devious, and she said, "Here's another thought, is there a point of law that we can use to get them released? While the guards may not care, or may be intimidated into doing as they're told the hellknights wouldn't be. If we could find a judge who would order their release then the hellknights are likely to back he order even if they don't agree with it. We'd have to be quick though, get the order to turn them over to us, obtain the prisoners, and then get into hiding quickly. We'd have to help the judge go into hiding as well but it does have some definite potential."
Rexus now added his own thoughts,"Yes, I like that and I know a good forger although she'll have to be convinced. I've seen some of the legal documents of Thrune and they all use special inks which must also be acquired."
tag?
Forvian commented, "Good plan boss but one of the boys knows someone who was kept in the Holding House and I'm pretty sure you need to know the names of the people you want transferred. They don't just write blank transfer slips."
tag?
It was Laria's turn, "And... we'll have to get you some decent disguises. There are too many soldiers for everyone to know everyone but still some sort of disguise is in order. What about Star? is she going with you?"
tag?
Vandomir suggested, "perhaps if the forged document referred to 'the members of the outlawed Hellknight Order of the Torrent' and it expressed that they were being moved to be subjected to some form of 'special treatment?'" He thought briefly, "are any of you able to disguise yourselves as Thrune using magic? Or perhaps some other high ranking official?"
Caleb interjected "Magic? No - but I'm pretty good with disguises. The trouble with magical disguises is anyone who detects magic is pretty much going to know something is up." "On the other hand I can alter my form somewhat. The trouble with mind control is that if it is strong enough to completely puppet people it's pretty easy to notice. If it isn't that strong then its hard to get them to do things they're particularly opposed to."
"I like the forgery idea. We'd have to get the inks. We should definitely look into that. Great trick to have up our sleeve. Maybe not for this one though."
"You know what I'm thinking? Fire."
Caleb interjected "Magic? No - but I'm pretty good with disguises. The trouble with magical disguises is anyone who detects magic is pretty much going to know something is up." "On the other hand I can alter my form somewhat. The trouble with mind control is that if it is strong enough to completely puppet people it's pretty easy to notice. If it isn't that strong then its hard to get them to do things they're particularly opposed to."
"I like the forgery idea. We'd have to get the inks. We should definitely look into that. Great trick to have up our sleeve. Maybe not for this one though."
"You know what I'm thinking? Fire."
Ok, I don't have Ultimate Intrigue but remember that I do not like radar-type scans. In my games, you can't just detect magic of an area and expect to find something behind a hidden door, a magical trap, or inside a chest even. You need to detect magic on a specific item.
So no guard is going to scan you with detect magic. They may try and detect magic on a specific item.
Questions?
Game on!
"Here's another thought, is there a point of law that we can use to get them released? While the guards may not care, or may be intimidated into doing as they're told the hellknights wouldn't be. If we could find a judge who would order their release then the hellknights are likely to back he order even if they don't agree with it. We'd have to be quick though, get the order to turn them over to us, obtain the prisoners, and then get into hiding quickly. We'd have to help the judge go into hiding as well but it does have some definite potential."
"Prisoners condemned by the Paracount himself of treason... I think it would take a lot more to make a guard believe they were to be freed than merely moved to another place of holding," Eirik said, "no matter how skillfully written the writ. The risk of the guard officer deciding he needed confirmation from his own superiors before handing over the prisoners would be considerable, no matter how hard the necessary delay would be on him, if the orders proved valid in the end."
Vandomir suggested, "perhaps if the forged document referred to 'the members of the outlawed Hellknight Order of the Torrent' and it expressed that they were being moved to be subjected to some form of 'special treatment?'"
"The Lictor would know their names, and the descriptions of all the prisoners dragged out for the hounds' pleasure should be easily enough gleaned from the rumors on the streets, in case not all the members of the order survived their capture" Eirik suggested.
"I like the forgery idea. We'd have to get the inks. We should definitely look into that. Great trick to have up our sleeve. Maybe not for this one though."
"A good presentation could help gloss over some minor imperfections," Eirik said. "Besides, there are many offiers and officials in the city who would have the authority to sign an order to move prisoners around... if we can determine the identity of the person commanding the Holding House, we could pick a person less likely to have been in contact with him over his career, and thus less likely to have his actual signature known to the man. Add to that some good, convincing acting on our part..."
So I'm picking up a course of action here...
1) go with forged note to transfer prisoners;
2) find out name of prisoners (how?);
3) find out who is in charge of 'holding house';
4) get inks and forger (Rexus suggests someone he knows);
5) anything special on that note?
I'll set up the scene for 4). Can you guys me give me some idea/approaches for 2) and 3)?
What about 5)?
Did I miss or misinterpret anything?
Questions?
Game on!
2) find out name of prisoners (how?)
3) find out who is in charge of 'holding house'
Tillia's expression became thoughtful as she considered the issue of names. She sat with her legs crossed at the knee and tapping a finger against her lips before she said, "I can send Salina with a note to the Lichtor to try and find out the names, it's a small order as I recall so he should know the names. I'll get on that and send Salina tonight when she won't be easily seen. As for information on who's in charge of the place and who might be able to issue those orders we simply need to find out. So we want to send one of our teams or should should we handle this ourselves?"
2) find out name of prisoners (how?)
We can roleplay this out but even though Octavio's order is not very numerous (23 armigers), he does not know all of those that have been imprisoned. He does know that there are four in the Holding House and that three of them are: Hortense Lierre, Ilsani Aberveen, and Kasston Auruda.
Tillia's expression became thoughtful as she considered the issue of names. She sat with her legs crossed at the knee and tapping a finger against her lips before she said, "I can send Salina with a note to the Lichtor to try and find out the names, it's a small order as I recall so he should know the names. I'll get on that and send Salina tonight when she won't be easily seen. As for information on who's in charge of the place and who might be able to issue those orders we simply need to find out. So we want to send one of our teams or should should we handle this ourselves?"
Rowan appreciated Tillia offering to send Salina to the shrine. "If it's too dangerous for Salina to go, we can always send one of the silver raven figurines."
When the Holding House was brought up Rowan said, "Guards often need to blow off steam. Do we know where the guards frequent, either tavern or brothel? Maybe a couple of our teams can handle getting us this information based on where they fit in best."
Caleb looks grumpy that his suggestion was ignored, but joined in with good humour "Alright. It's fairly easy to get into prison. It's possible we could get someone in as a guard. The names should be written down somewhere. Having someone on the inside could help a great deal later as well."
When the Holding House was brought up Rowan said, "Guards often need to blow off steam. Do we know where the guards frequent, either tavern or brothel? Maybe a couple of our teams can handle getting us this information based on where they fit in best."
”Getting to know the name of the master of the Holding House should be simple enough – being in charge of important political prisoners sounds like a job that will advance one’s career if done properly, so I don’t see why the officer would try to keep it a secret. Perhaps he’ll even encourage the news spreading out that he’s the one in charge, to make the most of the situation,” Eirik added. ”But it is unfortunate that we do not know all the prisoners’ names. Perhaps the guards could be persuaded to gossip and gloat over their beer, as you suggested. Say, to a young woman who seems interested at them and looks like she would be impressed by stories of dangerous prisoners he helps keep locked up, thus keeping the city safe…”
I intend to recap later today.
Any last minute items?
Tillia nodded at Eirik's words with a smile and said in a bubbly and almost worshipful tone of voice, "Oh yes Sir, I want to hear allll about how you protect us from those dangerous traitorous hellknights." She giggled then and said, "The sad thing is it'll probably work too."
Turn 123 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
"You'll do well. If you can find out the hiring procedure, I'm willing to have a go at getting hired." Caleb noted to Tillia.
Action 1
Tillia received Salina when she returned and took the note she brought back in her clutches. She handed the note to Caleb and then set her hand on the table for the little bird to step onto. With that accomplished she went and got a bowl and put some of Salina's favorite food in it then brought a small bowel of water over as well while the bird fed. With that done she listened to whatever was on the note that had come to them as it was discussed.
It took her a bit of time but Tillia finally tracked down where the guards from the Holding House liked to spend time when the weren't on duty. After that she went around to a few clothing shops and found clothing that would be suitably attractive and enticing on her without breaking any laws in the process. Information and clothes in hand she returned around an hour and a half later and told everyone, "I found out where I can find the guards for the Holding House when they're off duty. I plan to go down there and try to chat a few of them up for information. If someone wants to come along as a spotter in case of trouble let me know when I come back down from getting ready for my experiment in constructive flirting." With that she breezed on to her room and set about getting herself ready.
When Tillia came down a few minutes later she was a very changed woman from her normal rather demure self. Her dress, while strictly within the bounds of what the law allowed, was of black cloth and had a fairly low cut bodice that snugged against her breasts with a flaring skirt that reached her knees. She also wore a pair of soft black leather boots with two inch heels on them that reached to mid calf. She had put on a bit of makeup, just a little rouge on her cheeks and suet on her lashes. The whole ensemble was rather striking really and made her look much more like a woman than she normally did. She looked at her friends and said, "I'm ready to go try and find out the information. Is someone going with me?"
Action 2
Not much activity here. Let's chalk it up to the site being down for like 3 hours. :(
I intend to recap tomorrow so give me something to work with.
Questions?
Game on!
Action 1
Clad in the white and silver robes of a priest of Abadar, with the hood drawn down to shade his face, Eirik spent the morning wandering the busy centers of trade in the city, the markets and the harbor, listening rather than speaking. The capture and fate of the Hellknights was still a topic of much discussion and debate on the streets, though it soon became clear little of real information that wasn’t already known to the Ravens was available. Or if it was, it was too hopelessly mired with wild speculation to untangle the facts from fiction. The name of the officer in charge of the dangerous recidivists was out there, however, with little in the way of conflicting stories to make Eirik doubt what he had learned. Although he had to admit he learned nothing but the name itself: Sabo, also known as the Spider… an ominous moniker, suggesting subtlety and long-reaching plans. Or perhaps a cruder attempt to evoke terror. Perhaps the others could tell more, now that the name was known.
The monk made his unhurried way back to the coffee house, slipping in from a back door to shed his disguise in favor of more common street clothes, then shared the little he had found to during the day. ”We have the name, but I fear it tells me little of the man himself. Do any of you happen to know more about him?”
She looked at her friends and said, "I'm ready to go try and find out the information. Is someone going with me?"
”I can lend you a pair of eyes,” Eirik offered. ”I’m good at paying attention.”
Action 1
"Well, it certainly would not do for me to allow you to undertake this task on your own. With that said, I believe the best two ways to get a man's tongues wagging are alcohol and women. So it will not do for me to be with you as your companion during this, but I could get a seat elsewhere and keep an eye on you from a distance, if that arrangement works for you."
Action 1:
Rowan did not consider herself well equipped to help charm information out of anyone, especially next to Tillia. However, Tillia shouldn't go alone and Vandomir was right in that any male presence would deter chatting up the guards. "I don't know what help I could be and I definitely don't clean up as nicely as Tillia, but I can come with you. Safety in numbers, right? Unless I'd be a hindrance, then I can stay at a distance with Vandomir and Eirik."
tag Tillia
Action 2:
Rowan was surprised that Rexus hadn't already told Ruba what they needed or maybe he had and she just needed to hear them say it. "We need some documents written up that are delicate in nature. It could be risky but I assume that Rexus has told you that much."
tag Ruba
"Hmmmm - Vandomir's right. Male company is just going to make things more difficult. I'll see you in, then stay out of the way - wait! I'll come in, then fail to hit on you. With luck one of them will scare me off, and create an opening."
"A name is better than nothing! Alright, if he runs a prison, odds are I know people who might know about him. I'm afraid I'm going to have to do this one by myself, though. They see someone like Eirik here and they'll clam up - and I'll never live it down."
Caleb filled his pouch with coppers - silver attracted too much attention where he was going - and headed out into Redroof.
The Rusty Collar didn't have a sign - or a licence. An old cellar adjoining the sewer had been converted into a tavern by the simple route of adding a few 'liberated' casks. You brought your own glass to the Rusty Iron, and you made sure it was a cheap one you didn't mind losing. The Rusty Iron's claim to fame was the fighting pit where dogs, cocks, summons and sometimes people would bleed and sometimes die for the entertainment of the crowd underneath the only lantern in the whole place.
The noise, smell and darkness made it near perfect for having 'discrete' meetings. The bouncer'd let you in for five coppers, if you didn't have the stink of the law on you. Drinks were cheap, coarse and strong. As were the drugs, the 'dancers' and the patrons.
A pit of scum and villainy, it was the hardest, roughest halfling bar in the whole city. If anyone had information on Sabo the Spider, he'd find it here.
"Wooden dentures? A lady like you deserves better than that. You get us our documents, you'll have them."
Turn 124 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
Caleb dabbed a wet cloth at a cut above his eye, a sooty patch below running with black streaks like cheap mascara in the rain.
"Alright... Sabo the Spider. From what rumours I heard repeatedly, she isn't THRUNE, she's Asmodean." Caleb's voice didn't hold his normal fervor - while he disliked Asmodeus, his major problem with the devil was that he'd made a deal with Thrune. "Apparently she's skinny. Piercing gaze. Uses a lot of innuendo. Couldn't find out where the 'spider' comes from, and we should probably hold off on seduction until we do."
Caleb dabbed a wet cloth at a cut above his eye, a sooty patch below running with black streaks like cheap mascara in the rain.
"Alright... Sabo the Spider. From what rumours I heard repeatedly, she isn't THRUNE, she's Asmodean." Caleb's voice didn't hold his normal fervor - while he disliked Asmodeus, his major problem with the devil was that he'd made a deal with Thrune. "Apparently she's skinny. Piercing gaze. Uses a lot of innuendo. Couldn't find out where the 'spider' comes from, and we should probably hold off on seduction until we do."
Rowan smiled, "I guess it's a good thing finding out about Sabo. We wouldn't have gotten very far in our ruse if we had acted like the Holding House was run by a man." Then her smile melted and her gaze hardened. "Her being Asmodean makes her just as bad as Thrune in my eyes."
The usual: diplomacy for being nice, bluff if you are lying/exaggerating; and/or intimidate if you're being a bully.
Very little posting here...
Do I have to threaten to kill someone to get you guys excited? :)
Questions?
Game on!
Action 1
Action 2
Tillia walked into the tavern where the guards spent their time. She had shed her cloak and given it to Rowan before she entered the tavern so her dress was on display for all to see. There were few women in the place and few were as attracting as she, it was evidenced as every eye turned to followed her as she entered the room. It took her only a moment to spot the guards, she could easily hear their conversations where they were b@%~$ing about their job, their bosses, and the prisoners. She didn't wait any longer and walked over to them, her hips rolling and her expression hot. Leaning forward over their shoulders she said, "Is it true? Are you guards at the place their holding those traitorous water guys?" She barely waited for an acknowledgement before she bubbles on, "I want to thank you for your hard work protecting us from those treasonous thugs."
She chose the youngest, most handsome man of the group of guards and said, "Why don't you and I go over there and talk for a bit, pleeeease?" Her expression was sweet and pleading and combined with her outfit and manner the guardsman was putty in her hands. She took his hand and pulled him towards a seat in a corner.
The remaining guards were making comments like, "The young ones have all the luck," or, "Give her one for me kid." Their lude as they joked about what they knew she'd be doing with him later on.
When they reached the new seat Tillia let him sit down and then sat on his lap, she wriggled a bit as she got comfortable in an effort to distract him as it certainly seemed to work judging by the hand on her thigh. Now on her new perch she put an arm around the man whose lap she was on and leaned against him, "So, tell me about yourself Mr. Guardsman, what's it like protecting us from those horrible criminals." She listened intently to the guard talk, it took a great deal of effort to not roll her eyes at his foolishness, he was putty in her hands it seemed. She eventually directed the talk to the particular criminals that were locked up in the prison and eventually got the information that they needed on the last hellkinght's name.
It took a few hours of talking him up and letting the guard fondle her a bit but in the end she got what they were there for. When he began to get a bit too frisky and wanted her to come with him someplace private she said, "Mmm I can't wait, just let me go to to the ladies room and I'll be right back hon." She went to the privies and used the chance to slip away when the guard went to joke with his buddies about what he was going to be doing to her all night long and missed her slipping out the door now in the cloak that Rowan brought back to her. While they were on the way out they were headed to the forger as she told them what she had learned from the guard, in particular the name of the last hellknight prisoner.
Action 3
Tillia was out of her depth in dealing with the forger, this wasn't something she was familiar with and knew it was best to let the others talk...for now.
Action 1
She is the 'warden' that is currently running the Holding House where the armigers are being held.
Rowan smiled at Ruba. "It is true that we're currently strangers and it will take a leap of faith on both our parts to make this happen. But I also see this as the start of a friendship which could be mutually beneficial. The way I see it, if things continue the way they are in Kintargo then we will all need all the friends that we can get. If you can generate the necessary documents then it will help us to make even more friends. My name is Rowan, by the way."