It's a Long Way to the Top - Hell's Vengeance (Inactive)

Game Master Leedwashere

Do you detect as good? I've been scanning for good ya know? You've got an aura, as a priestly type, so you should ping if you chose one of the good alignments today.

I think she went with her default of Lawful Neutral.

Ismene adds her voice to Lady Pride's outcry. "Yeah! And what about the Goblinblood Wars? Asmodeus is Isger's Inheritor!"

Diplomacy (Aid Another): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

I chose Lawful Neutral for today's alignment. It seemed to be the best one as it would make me not stand out to Detection Methods. I wouldn't look good to evil people, nor would I look evil to good people.

"Don't look at me," says Cimri, shrugging, in response to the discussion of the donkey cart. "Animals and I don't really get along."

"I don't think it's fashionable at all," says Lacall to Muziel. "The Angel Knight's helmet should be safe with us. I don't know whether she's an actual angel or not, but whatever she is, she's proof that the corrupt business as usual cannot last forever."

As the rest of you start joining in, the two brothers start to get even more defensive. "Peace at the price of oppression is not a fair trade," says Loran.

"Abusive authorities are not proper," adds Lacall directly to Amanda. "Security from outside forces is worthless when the inside forces are worse. You twist words and their meanings until they don't make sense anymore."

"Asmodeus usurps, he does not inherit," says Loran to Ismene. "But we are neither the message, nor the messengers. If you wish to look at the message, do so. Otherwise, please be on your way in peace and may Iomedae's grace go with you."

Amanda scoffs at Lacall's response and says, "And you think that our outside enemies will stand idly by as you lead Cheliax to tear itself apart from within? You preach of freedom but follow only the ideals of foreign lands. How do we not know you aren't working for those fool Andorians who so envy our vast empire and would jump at the chance at claiming new lands. Or those rebels from Galt still looking for a fight after ripping itself from the rule of law. For Cheliax to remain strong it must be strong within and without. The nation may not survive another civil war if this Glorious Rebellion has its way."

After his song Nikolai waits for an angry retort, what he would expect in court. When it doesn't come he is surprised. When Sister Ismene begins to chant, he will add his voice to it with come conviction. "Asmodeus! Asmodeus!Asmodeus!" Intimidate: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Kolaiah gestures to Penelope, "let's do this quickly, while they keep the brothers busy." He moves towards the pitch wagon.

Penelope shrugs and will go to the wagon. Looking to see if anyone notices them near the wagon. perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

"Light it and let's move, once the fire starts we should be away from the wagon and ready to snatch the helmet."

If she doesn't notice anyone watching her, which she probably won't with that roll, she'll dig her dagger into a barrel til it starts leaking, letting it pool, then release a little of the fire inside her to lick the blade.

uses one charge of her hellfire strike on her dagger

Touch it to the tar and back away quickly.

The chanting of Asmodeus' name doesn't really catch on with what's left of the crowd, but it does make many of those who've sttayed to decide that this is a place that they'd rather not remain, further dispersing the people.

The two brothers decide that they've said their piece, and stop responding to the rhetoric being levied against them, standing in an uncomfortable silence instead. Meanwhile, on Seward Street, the neglected donkey cart starts to kindle, then quickly erupts fully into flames.

Since neither have ranks in Handle Animal, I'll use the higher of your charismas (Kolaiah's) to try and guide the scared animal toward the church square.
Untrained Charisma: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

The donkey brays loudly and tries to run from the fire toward the church square, but pulls the source of its panic with it. The animal makes it to the middle of the square before succumbing to the heat and collapsing, causing the burning cart to crash and turn into a quickly escalating conflagration. The sounds of screaming, fleeing townspeople fills the square. The sheriff and her deputies strugle to figure out what do do and what caused this sudden catastrophe. Loran and Lacall start repeatedly casting create water to try to put out the flames.

The brothers are distracted enough fighting the fire to attempt an untrained sleight of hand (DC 9 for the magnitude of the distraction) to swipe the helmet unnoticed.

Amanada looks at the fire and feigns concern but otherwise decides to efficiently look for a route to disconnect herself from the ensuing chaos and panicked civilians. Not briefed on the plan to steal the helmet she instead moves toward Sarini and joins his side while watching the fire burn.

Wow, that can't have been an accident! thinks Muziel. Noticing that the brothers are distracted, Muziel tries to snatch the helmet! Sleight of Hand: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

He then gets the heck out of dodge, moving away as quickly as possible and trying to find a place to make himself unseen. Stealth: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

Penelope will get back to her "employers". Sure is pretty she sighs, firelight reflecting in her eyes.

Kolaiah watched as Muziel snatched the helmet. To no one in particular, Kolaiah states, "Storing such quantities of flammables in such a carefree fashion is inviting disaster. There should be laws about this sort of thing!" He turns away from the flames and walks away with a smile on his face.

Pardon me while I meta game: Roughly how many gallons of water are those do-gooders producing with each casting of the spell?

On his way back, Kolaiah will pray to the Prince of Locusts, in his aspects covering Catastrophe and Loss, "Lord of Pestilence, I pray that you found the mayhem back there to your liking, I can only apologize that I had no way of striking the Iomedaeans down with a disease, but I shall keep at it."

Nikoali stops chanting as the fire erupts. "This bores me now. Are we done?" He says to Cimri yawning tiredly. "I do hope I can afford a carriage after this, my shoes are getting worn and my feet look 10 years older. "

Nikoali sees Muziel steal the helmet Greed indeed. and keeps an eye open for anyone that might be pursuing him. Perception Untrained: 1d20 ⇒ 1 Apparently he is distracted by the fire too.

Well, we've insulted people, set a massive fire, and stolen something... back home then?

"Not a bad day's work!"

Amanda nods and says, "Yes I believe we've done our part and suitably embarrassed the Paladins. I shall return to the inn and then meet up with you to close out the assignment. Well done everyone."

And with that she leaves, goes back to the inn, changes out back into her gear and packs away the courtier garb, grabs her things and then heads off to meet with the rest of the party at the meeting point.

"Yeah, we're done," says Cimri as she also makes a hurried departure from the area. "You all know where to meet up," she reminds people. "I'll see you there!"

Upon returning to the Ash House and heading upstairs Razelago is waiting for you behind his screen. His shadow once again resolves itself from that of his chair. Cimri gives a detailed report of the sermon and the events following, including the theft of the helmet. Razelago chuckles, his shadow on the screen clasping its hands.

"That's a more dramatic move than I'd expect from a country priestess. I admit I'm impressed. Tileavia Allomar might be more interesting than I thought. It's this 'Angel Knight' and her helmet which has me most curious, though. I've heard rumors of the Glorious Reclamation, an overzealous mob of Iomedaean fanatics calling for a nationwide revolution, as if there was any hope of that. Still, Archbaron Fex should find this information valuable.

"In any case, you've done well and I applaud your initiative and outspoken loyalty on behalf of the Archbaron. You'll find the payment we agreed upon in its usual place in the parlor when you return downstairs. I shouldn't have any more work for you today, but if things go as I expect there will be some first thing tomorrow morning."

Nikolai rubs his hands with anticipation."Thank you my lord. I shall take my payment and retire for the evening." Nikolai does just that and has his valet prepare him a bath and do minor cleanup around his room. "Festus, when I first acquired this room I made a comment to the proprietor about performing here. At the time I was only half serious, but I think it might be a good idea. Can you set up an appointment with her to discuss it if she is interested? Hopefully my little performance today might have wetted some appetites, but either way I need to perform. There has to be some place in this dreadful town where people seek entertainment. " In all seriousness I would like to find a place to perform during downtime so I can make enough to afford valets and carriages like a proper noble.

was it 200gp? Penelope will look in the chest, hoping dinner is also there.

"Let's see the helmet Muziel. Do you suppose it is magical?"

"I have to say, that was a lot of fun! Can't wait for the next job!" Muziel heads downstairs while holding his prized helmet, turning it from side to side. "So, what do y'all think this is worth?" Appraise: 1d20 ⇒ 18. He hands it off to whomever is interested.

Convening downstairs, Ismene pulls Cimri aside. "What'd Sheriff Staelish want this time? Does she suspect anything about last night's job?"

"It is awful lucky that fire started when it did, I sure hope not too many people were injured or killed in the chaos!" Kolaiah gives Penelope a meaningful stare.

Amanda says to Cimri, "It was my pleasure to help in kicking down those Imeodeans a few pegs and doing my part to turn people from rebelling against the proper order of this land. Still I would have preferred to have arranged the death of both of those righteous bastards. They will be trouble in the future, mark my words. Righteous Rebels cannot be bartered with, they should be cut out like the cancer that they are before they fester. When they raise blades against the authority of this country, I will be among the first to see that they they are dealt with harshly. Better still if we can take them alive so I can torture them personally."

Amanda gives a sadistic grin on her face, imagining the torments she'll inflict on these righteous fools.

I have Profession Torturer as a skill and this I am SO looking to make use of it.

Sense Motive on Koliah: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

"Hehe, that's a good one, Koliah!" says the gnome, more confident than ever that the fire was no accident. "Let's go see if there's dinner!" Muziel searches with Penelope for some delicious food.

"Amanda, I do not intend to stifle your creative intent with respect to the brothers, but I will caution you. They are not inconsequential entities. They are both imbued with the power of their deity, and are not novices in exercising it. Either one of them would be a stout opponent, and together, well, together the whole would likely be greater than the sum of the parts. In short, let us not be rash in how we deal with those two."

Amanda nods to Kolaiah, "Indeed I agree they are not inconsequential Kolaiah and thus something should be done about them. Still you are right that caution should be taken and we should not rush into a direct confrontation. Still by their own words they have shown their Treason and if we can get some "evidence" that can prove their outright sedition to Asmodean Disciplines we could see them in chains before they cause bloody war in the streets. As tolerant as the laws to their ilk are in this city, Treason is still an inexcusable offence."

Razelago's shadow once again merges with that of his chair as everyone leaves. Downstairs, the chest contains the payment promised: 200gp for everyone. No gifts or food this time, though, just cash.

"Oh, you know how she is," Cimri responds to Sister Ismene, with a wry grin. "She suspects me of having a hand in anything around here. We've got some seriously fast and fancy talkers in this group, though. I don't think she suspects anything about it anymore." She grabs the pouch set for her. "We keep makin' bank like this, this town won't hold us for long, though!"

It's now about 3:30 in the afternoon. The rest of the day and night is yours.

Nikolai:

"I shall speak to her at once, sir," says Festus nodding deferentially. "I believe most in this town seek their amusements at the Last Stand Tavern, though they currently already have a house performer. A young man by the name of Riley Kels, I believe. I don't know much about him, as I don't frequent the establishment much, myself."

Festus departs allowing you to enjoy your bath. He returns some time later. "Madam Cembers was particularly open to the idea of you performing, as early as this evening if you are so inclined, sir," he reports. "It seems that there's rumors spreading quickly around town about you, concerning your wit and loyalty to the Archbaron. I'm sure she was more interested in the latter. She's been trying to get Lord Fex to visit for as long as she's been running this place. She offered to pay you a flat two gold, plus commission on any business it brings in." The latter part represents the result of the perform check.

Perception: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (11) - 2 = 9

Perception Untrained: 1d20 ⇒ 20 Nikolai held his tongue last time, but this trend needs to stop. "Cimri, I can't help but notice that the last two jobs you have been paid considerably more than us. I can understand for the first job as you arranged our coming together, but if we are to remain a team I believe we need to renegotiate our contracts."Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

Response to Festus "Excellent Festus, sounds like you just got a raise. I will give you the 2 gold flat fee I was offered. Thank you for arranging this. The Last Stand Tavern? Sounds...common. Still I should appraise the local competition I suppose. Tell Madam Cembers I will be performing here starting tomorrow night barring any unforeseen business. In the morning pay the remainder of the balance for our carriage. I will not hire a driver yet, you have proven most capable I am sure you can drive a carriage. I am going to this Last Stand Tavern tonight to see what this Riley Kels is about. I feel I should extend an invitation to my compatriots, I hope they can behave themselves." Nikolai returns to the Ash House after his bath to invite his fellow Sins to join him at the Last Stand Tavern.

Current Gold after Carriage payment: 200 + 162 - 250 = 112

Perception re gold: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Muziel hadn't noticed that Cimri was being paid more. Nor did it particularly bother him.

Muziel spends much of the rest of the day trying to find a time when the upstairs room did not seem occupied. If he could get a sense of when it was empty, Muziel intends to sneak upstairs and find a good place to hide the small mirror from the grooming kit he just bought so that next time they're summoned for a mission, he can get a view of the figure behind the screen.

Perception to select a good time to go upstairs?: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17;
Stealth to go upstairs to hide the mirror?: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16

Penelope listens to Kolaiah and Amanda argue for a bit, then announces I'm grabbing something to eat. Muziel, you want anything? since he seems otherwise occupied with something and looks like he might forget the basics. She'll head out to the nearest not quite a hole, devour something mostly rare, drink a bit, then head back.

Muziel feels his stomach growl as Penelope mentions something to eat. "Oh yeah, food! If you find some, bring back some pie. I could really use something sweet. Promise I'll pay you back!" Muziel's mouth was salivating at the thought.

As the gnome waits for the right moment, he starts to pace back and forth, occasionally conjuring small gusts of wind to ruffle nearby objects. Perhaps it was a nervous twitch?

"Speaking of food, I am going to to the Last Stand Tavern to see this Riley Kels play. We can get the greedy little guy some pie also." Nikolai says interrupting Penelope.

Nikolai before the Ash House:

"That's most generous of you, sir," Festus says, graciously. "I'll give madam Cembers the good news while you're out, and make sure to have the carriage ready and waiting for whenever you choose to go out tomorrow. Enjoy your evening, sir."

At the Ash House:

"Razelago really doesn't like discussing the money aspect," Cimri says, with a longer face than is normally characteristic of her. "But you guys were great today, and really helped keep my nosy aunt off my back. I really would hate to have any bad blood between us, so how about I give each of you twenty-five from my own cut to make things more even? I know it's not an exact split so I'll buy you all a round at the Last Stand, too."

Those of you heading to the Last Stand find colorful wooden shields and weathered antlers hanging upon the deck girdling the rustic building. Overhead, a sign carved with crenelations bears the name, with the 'L' and the 'T' formed by painted, green-fletched arrows. The inside is decorated much the same as the outside. A small stage rises to the left of the bar. Riley Kels, a blonde-haired young man with a salacious grin is sitting on a stool and singing a bawdy song and accompanying himself on a lute. Several in the crowd are singing along. Behind the bar, Bolgart Caggan, a large, simple-looking, red-headed man is keeping the drinks flowing, and liberally sampling his own stuff as well. Several waitresses are go between the bar, the back room and the tables keeping the guests supplied with food and drink.

"This place is the best," says Cimri, enthusiastically. "You guys find a table, and I'll be back with a drink for everyone."

Nikolai whispers "Very common, crowd singing? Oh joy, just the thing to go with my watered down horse urine they call ale. A lute player, gawd could it get more cliché." Nikolai is his usual cheery self as he sits and listens to the Riley Kels play.

When there is a break in songs Nikolai will stand up and deliver a finale act from a Chelish opera Perform Sing: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

Amanda says, "I suppose a meal would not be too much of an indulgence. I will go there once I've gathered what is due."

After saying her peace takes her share of the money and heads off to the Last Stand to take part in the activities there. She joins the party at some tables and waits for the drink that is going to arrive.

Kolaiah will accompany the group out for food and beverage.

Ismene gladly accompanies the others to the Last Stand. She and Cimri are regulars, as are many of the townsfolk, what with it being the only decent watering hole in town. The Arch and Lark was expensive and stuffy, just like its clientele, but the Last Stand was always good for a drink (and a brawl if you were lucky). Picking a seat with a decent view of the stage, she flags down a wench. "What's a Sister got to do to get a bowl o' stew around here?"

Waiting on drinks and food, Ismene joins in the sing-along chorus, pounding on the table in time with the tune, paying no mind to Nikolai's grumbling.

"Good idea about the Last Stand! You all go on ahead, I'll catch up with you after I take a break here." Given that he's pacing, it's not at all clear that he really intends to take a break. In truth, Muziel is quite pleased that most of the others are conveniently leaving before he does his bit of sneaking.

Once the party is gone and he goes upstairs, Muziel slips the mirror in a discrete location, so he'll have a pretty good view of the guy when the group is standing in their normal spot. He sees if he can see anything right now.

When you refer to "the creature" that's snoring, did you mean Razelago's familiar? Does that mean Razelago isn't in his chair? (Because if Razelago's there and snoozing, Muziel has darkvision and should be able to look directly and get a decent black-and-white view right now! In which case, he might just take back the mirror as opposed to leaving behind incriminating evidence.)

* * *

With the deed done, Muziel catches up to the rest of the party. He pulls up a chair and looks for a hard object to add as a booster seat on the chair. He then tires to get the attention of a tavern wench. "Hey pretty lady, can I get a pie? Apple or berry pie would be delicious. And how about some milk, too!" He looks around to see if there were others of short stature at the Last Stand that he might talk to.

Cimri joins everyone at the table with a waitress beinging a tray with ales for everyone. She takes orders from those of you who want food and returns several minutes later with a bowl of stew for Sister Ismene and some berry pie and milk for Muziel. As far as other small folk go, there are a trio of halflings sitting at one of the tables, two female and one male, but no Gnomes are in sight.

The crowd reacts with confusion to Nikolai's operatic interlude. Kels seems to take it in stride, though, and takes the opportunity to swap his lute for a fiddle, which he tunes quietly during the performance between drinks from his own mug of ale on the floor next to him. When the finale is finished, there's a smattering of polite applause and Kels speaks up.

"You've got a good set of pipes on you, my friend," he says, grinning. "I'd wager that you're a long way from home, by your taste." There's some light chuckling throughout the crowd. "Well, my fancy friend, this song goes out just for you!" He starts stomping his foot and singing along while some people in the crowd stomp or clap along, eventually joining himself by sawing on the fiddle.

"Just as I assumed, not a cultured man in the whole place. I believe I have realized my calling. Asmodeus has sent me to force taste down these yocals throats. So be it." Nikolai says to himself and smiles with a wry grin formulating a plan to bring a level of elitism to Longacre.

Pffff.... halflings thinks Muziel. He never did like them very much, and he likes them even less after recent events. Even though they may have inadvertently helped him out. Instead, he very much enjoys his pie and milk, and indulges some curiosity while he's at it. "Hey, Cimri? When did you start to work for Razelago? And how were you first introduced to him?"

"I only started working for him a few days before I recruited you all for that first job," Cimri answers, shrugging. "I'd been squatting in the ash house for a few weeks, to get out from under Aunt Rhona's thumb you know, and one night as I was stumbling back drunk I noticed there was a light coming from upstairs. I went to check it out, and that when I met him in that 'office' of his. Not sure why he was there, but he offered to pay me for some extra-legal fun and I figured I found my ticket out of this dump of a town."

When Nikolai starts belting opera, Ismene rolls her eyes. Read the room, Sarini! But the chorus is surprisingly catchy, and she finds herself humming along by the third verse. When the song is over, she begins clapping, but quickly stops when nobody else in the room joins in. "Hey fancypants, you ever hear any Isgeri battle hymns?"

Nikolai considers Sister Ismene's question as he takes a small sip of the poorly crafted spirit offered at the Last Stand. Not really sure what that would fall underKnowledge (history): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12Knowledge (local): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7 Knowledge (nobility: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22
"Ah yes, General Henderthane once got drunk at an assembly and began chanting one about the Goblinblood wars. Not the best display, but perhaps I can recall some of it, give me a moment."

Perform (sing): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22(+11 vs. members of Chelish aristocracy), Nikolai begins to sing -To the Hilt

"I only started working for him a few days before I recruited you all for that first job," Cimri answers, shrugging. "I'd been squatting in the ash house for a few weeks, to get out from under Aunt Rhona's thumb you know, and one night as I was stumbling back drunk I noticed there was a light coming from upstairs. I went to check it out, and that when I met him in that 'office' of his. Not sure why he was there, but he offered to pay me for some extra-legal fun and I figured I found my ticket out of this dump of a town."

Muziel begins to twirl his mustache, something he tended to do when pondering deeply on a topic. "Did you ever go upstairs before then, or was it your first time? Did anyone know you were crashing at the Ash House?"

*Edit* - "Also, did Razelago seem to just know things about you? He seems to know a lot more about me than I ever expected!" Muziel, after all, did not widely share information about his magical powers; indeed, he hadn't had a reason to do much other than flutter a few papers around at the Ash House for amusement!

* * *

Muziel doesn't know anything about battle songs, but is pretty excited as Nikokai sings the tune! Seemed a lot more fun than that Chelish opera stuff. He tries to sing along. Perform (sing): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0. But he sounds screechy, off-key, and keeps getting the words wrong. And to think, he hadn't even had any alcohol!

Welcome to my recruitment for Hell's Vengeance!

I've been a face-to-face GM for several years at this point. Over the last six months or so I've gotten hooked with play-by-post as a good way to scratch the itch of being a player that I don't get while GMing, and I've enjoyed it so much that I want to spread the fun and run a game now that I'm familiar with how it works. I'm able to post frequently and can support as fast-pased a game as the players are capable of maintaining. I'm not going to put a minimum requirement on posts/day because, as I've seen in the games I play in, posting frequency can be a fluid thing. I do ask, though, that if you know you won't be able to post something for more than a day that you give a heads-up beforehand. I'm looking for a group of five despicable villains interested in working for House Thrune.

Character Creation Guidelines:

The player characters should all be at least tacit supporters of House Thrune’s rule—far better if they harbor ambitions to work for House Thrune or the Chelish government in some way, even if only to increase their own power and prestige. At this point, however, the PCs are little more than amoral mercenaries, common street thugs, conniving con artists, diabolic dabblers, or petty criminals. They should either be residents of Longacre or ne’er-do-wells recently come to town, and have no qualms against doing bad things to good people. In short, they should be more than willing to be villains. In addition, the PCs should all have some reason to know an ambitious local crook named Cimri Staelish, who is eager to prove herself more than just the town troublemaker.

-Characer Level: Level 1, as per normal AP beginnings.

-Ability Scores: 15pt buy. No restrictions on the buy except what's presented in the table (i.e. can't buy lower than 7 or higher than 18). Default age category is adult. If you want something other than default, that could be arranged on a case-by-case basis. Ask me first, though.
-Races Allowed: All core and most "featured" from the ARG, except Aasimar or Drow. The wierder your race, the more compelling backstory you need. No "uncommon" races.
-Alignment: No good. No exceptions. Evil is preferred, but I'm open to characters that start neutral with the expectation that the moral event horizon is inevitable. That being said, characters should be willing to work with others. Just because you're evil doesn't mean you have to be stupid, and I don't want this to degenerate into a PvP-fest.
-Classes Allowed: Everything on the PRD except Ninja/Samurai/Paladin. Summoners must be unchained, all others may choose.
-Hit Points: Maximum for 1st level. Every level after that will use my HP house rule: each point of Con bonus adds extra dice to roll, from which you pick the best result. Example: a bard with 13 Con (+1 bonus) would roll 1 extra die for 2d8, take the better result, then add the +1 con bonus as normal. If said bard rolled a 2 and a 6, the end result would be +7 HP before favored class bonuses.
-Skill Ranks: Normal, but background skills from Unchained are available
-Traits: 2 traits, one of which must be a campaign trait from the Player's Guide. No drawbacks for extra traits, no exceptions.
-Starting Wealth: Average for your class.
-Resources Available: Most anything on the PRD. Emerging guns only, Technology Guide and Mythic Adventures are both out. No third-party stuff since I'm unfamiliar with it. Paizo books not on the official PRD count as third party for this restriction since I'm not familiar with them, with the exception of Inner Sea Gods because I own that one and can look things up in it. Additionally, while it won't come into play for a while, the spell Magic Jar from the CRB is completely replaced by Possession from Occult Adventures for all purposes and the former is considered to not exist.

How To Apply:

I appreciate that alias bloat is a real thing, and as such I do not require an alias for your application. Having one is fine, but doesn't grant any special consideration. That said, to consider an application complete there are a few things that I require:

-Backstory: It doesn't have to be elaborate -- your story is going to be building to the future -- but it needs a solid foundation upon which to stand. It should give a good idea of who your character is and how the character came to know and work with Cimri. I can help with this part, since the Guide doesn't say a whole lot about her. Please put your backstory in spoiler tags if it is more than a single paragraph long. This is the single most important part of the character. The more compelling the character presented, the more likely it will make the cut.

Who is Cimri? A sharp-tongued hellion with a penchant for drinking and long knives, Cimri has lived in Longacre most of her life. Recently, she’s gotten involved with some powerful, if shady, folks willing to spend well to advance their goals.

And a little more about Longacre:

In the better part of a century since House Thrune came to power, Longacre has changed little. Many of those who came to escape now find themselves prisoners of their own memories, entering their twilight years burdened with old scars and regrets. The families of the waning veteran population tend to either linger, knowing nothing but the town’s quiet life, or—in most cases—drift away down the Whisper River. A slow sort of pessimism taints the town, one that its ruler, Archbaron Darellus Fex, either hasn’t noticed or cares nothing about. Many residents seek one last adventure, one last chance to be great. These days, Longacre is coated in the dust of years, making it easy to ignore the powder keg hidden just beneath.

-Stat Block: This is second in importance to the backstory, but still quite important. If you're familiar with the standard Bestiary/NPC format, that is my preferred arrangement. If you get a stat block generated by a program (like Hero Lab or whatever) that's fine as long as it's coherent to read. See any of the character aliases associated with my profile for examples. This should definitely be in spoiler tags for length unless it's in an alias. Provide stat blocks for any animal companions, eidolons, familiars, phantoms, mounts, etc. They'll get their own alias during the game and will act on their own initiatives (except familiars, and unless they're currently being ridden or otherwise unable to act separately).

-Theme Song: Link to at least one song that really fits your character's ethos or personality, or makes good background music for them if instrumental.
-Sample Combat Turn: This can be in a separate post after everything else is done, but I'd like to see it in the format which I would like used during the game. For the purposes of this sample post, assume that your character is currently under the effects of inspire courage +1 or the spell bless. Note that, depending on what your character likes to do, some of this format might not make sense, in which case those parts should not be included. The specifics of what you do and who you're fighting are less important than making sure the format is followed. An example post that closely resembles this format can be found here.

1. Roll initiative (I'll usually do this for everyone during the actual game for speed)
2. Blank Line
3. Round # (1, in this case): Initiative Count # (what you rolled) in bold and bigger.
4. Blank Line
5. Descriptive text for your turn. Be creative, and bear in mind who your character is and what they do. What or who you're fighting is up to you. Make it interesting!
6. Blank Line
7. OOC-text summary of your turn in terms of rules elements. Spells cast should be formatted as a link to the spell on the PRD.
8. Blank Line
9. OOC-text summary of non-intrinsic bonuses/penalties to die rolls (if any)
10. Rolled dice, keeping any separate bonuses from item 9 as separate parts of a long chain, in the same order as listed in item 9.
11. Blank Line
12. Summary of Active Conditions. Use a spoiler to list any active conditions or modifiers you are recieving or providing here, along with a short description or link for an easy reference for everyone. This includes feats such as Combat Reflexes which change how the normal rules of combat function for your character.

Some Final Thoughts:

I'm more interested in recruiting a stable of really interesting villains than I am in recruiting a traditionally balanced party. Two of my home games get on just fine with the only arcane caster being a bard, for example. I want characters who will take the opportunity to work for Cheliax and run with it, using this interesting opportunity to its full extent. That said, there is one degree of villainy that is completely unacceptable for this game: Rape. Characters may not be the sort who perpetrate rape, nor may they be raped as part of their backstory. I have a pretty hefty tolerance for most everything else, but will give the chosen players a chance to offer other areas that would make them uncomfortable if included in the game. This is supposed to be fun, after all!

I'll be checking in as frequently to answer any questions and keep tabs. Recruitment will be open until two weeks from today: Tuesday May 3rd, 5 PM US-Pacific

Hmm I might actually be able to play that tielfing priest I had to abandon from Way of the Wicked...

I would lo-o-ove to play a Vigilante in Hell's vengeance. Social identity is the "mercenary's" manager, while the Vigilante identity takes out the trash.

Very, very interested.

I need to work on a background that would make this PC be 'evil' or at least 'amoral' and I'm thinking that 'bullied all his life' with a view of life sucks and everyone is out to get their own, sprinkled with some tough breaks, might just do it.

From a class perspective, I'm thinking witch, which goes nicely with 'runt, picked on when younger' theme.

Question: where is Longacre? Is it a port-city or close to a port city? I want this guy to be from Mwangi Expanse or Sargava and have him be a recently escaped slave.

Do you see any red flags in the above concepts that would preclude me from developing this further?

Thanks for hosting.

Very, very interested.

I need to work on a background that would make this PC be 'evil' or at least 'amoral' and I'm thinking that 'bullied all his life' with a view of life sucks and everyone is out to get their own, sprinkled with some tough breaks, might just do it.

From a class perspective, I'm thinking witch, which goes nicely with 'runt, picked on when younger' theme.

Question: where is Longacre? Is it a port-city or close to a port city? I want this guy to be from Mwangi Expanse or Sargava and have him be a recently escaped slave.

Do you see any red flags in the above concepts that would preclude me from developing this further?

Thanks for hosting.

While Longacre itself is not on the coast, it's adjacent to the Whisper River which gets to the coast, and the coastal city of Remesiana, fairly quickly. I think Longacre is probably one of the best places in Cheliax for an escaped slave to try to start over, since a lot of people go there to disappear. I don't see any red flags so far.

I would lo-o-ove to play a Vigilante in Hell's vengeance. Social identity is the "mercenary's" manager, while the Vigilante identity takes out the trash.

I think Ultimate Intrigue is out? I haven't had the chance to look through it at all, so unless they put it on the PRD in the next two weeks I'm going to have to veto the Vigilante, unfortunately

Fabian Benavente wrote:

Very, very interested.

I need to work on a background that would make this PC be 'evil' or at least 'amoral' and I'm thinking that 'bullied all his life' with a view of life sucks and everyone is out to get their own, sprinkled with some tough breaks, might just do it.

From a class perspective, I'm thinking witch, which goes nicely with 'runt, picked on when younger' theme.

Question: where is Longacre? Is it a port-city or close to a port city? I want this guy to be from Mwangi Expanse or Sargava and have him be a recently escaped slave.

Do you see any red flags in the above concepts that would preclude me from developing this further?

Thanks for hosting.

While Longacre itself is not on the coast, it's adjacent to the Whisper River which gets to the coast, and the coastal city of Remesiana, fairly quickly. I think Longacre is probably one of the best places in Cheliax for an escaped slave to try to start over, since a lot of people go there to disappear. I don't see any red flags so far.

Great then! You will definitely hear from me again as I progress on the development of this PC.

Game on!

so unless they put it on the PRD in the next two weeks I'm going to have to veto the Vigilante, unfortunately

As of this weekend I believe the class was added to the PRD along with all its bits and pieces. Not sure about the whole rest of the book though.

Leedwashere wrote:

so unless they put it on the PRD in the next two weeks I'm going to have to veto the Vigilante, unfortunately

As of this weekend I believe the class was added to the PRD along with all its bits and pieces. Not sure about the whole rest of the book though.

I'm not seeing it. Can you give me a link?

Maybe.

I'm not especially familiar with the PRD, but I've had the idea for an infernal sorcerer going into Hellknight Signifer and/or Diabolist over time for quite a while now. Would I be right to assume that neither of those PrCs are available for this?

I'm not especially familiar with the PRD, but I've had the idea for an infernal sorcerer going into Hellknight Signifer and/or Diabolist over time for quite a while now. Would I be right to assume that neither of those PrCs are available for this?

Yeah. While those sound really flavorful for this AP, I'm not familiar with the source from which they come. I have to draw the line somewhere, and I think the PRD is the best place to draw it. Sorry!

Okay Thinking of two characters.

First is a barbarian who is 'Angry for House Thrune!' ALL ANGRY ALLL THE TIME! A part time stonemason who likes chiseling and strengthening fortifications, he uses a Earthbreaker in the shape of a spiked fist.

Second is odder. Halfling Apocolypse Oracle who secretly preaches to halflings not to continue having children so that their generation is the last to suffer as slaves. Why is he helping Thrune? Cheliax is where he can spread his dogma the best. Helping Thrune doesn't matter in the long run since Thrune will end sooner or later(Groteus worshipper) He follows behind like a good little slip(Even though he isn't) and will aid the party while staying hidden(Perhaps looking for a permenant Sanctuary spell later on) Killing other halflings as a last resort is okay since they will be free from bondage.

Sounds like you're not allowing Paizo material found on d20pfsrd, which is really unfortunate. There's a lot of great stuff out their for villains in the various player's companions and campaign setting books, which are not on the PRD due solely to them containing intellectual properties of Paizo(anything from Golarion is not allowed on the official Paizo PRD. Inner Sea World Guide, Inner Sea Gods, books on Cheliax, etc).

Okay Thinking of two characters.

First is a barbarian who is 'Angry for House Thrune!' ALL ANGRY ALLL THE TIME! A part time stonemason who likes chiseling and strengthening fortifications, he uses a Earthbreaker in the shape of a spiked fist.

Second is odder. Halfling Apocolypse Oracle who secretly preaches to halflings not to continue having children so that their generation is the last to suffer as slaves. Why is he helping Thrune? Cheliax is where he can spread his dogma the best. Helping Thrune doesn't matter in the long run since Thrune will end sooner or later(Groteus worshipper) He follows behind like a good little slip(Even though he isn't) and will aid the party while staying hidden(Perhaps looking for a permenant Sanctuary spell later on) Killing other halflings as a last resort is okay since they will be free from bondage.

They both sound interesting, though I have a question about the second. I can't seem to find Apocalypse Oracle, is that a mystery or an archetype and which book is it in?

Sounds like you're not allowing Paizo material found on d20pfsrd, which is really unfortunate. There's a lot of great stuff out their for villains in the various player's companions and campaign setting books, which are not on the PRD due solely to them containing intellectual properties of Paizo(anything from Golarion is not allowed on the official Paizo PRD. Inner Sea World Guide, Inner Sea Gods, books on Cheliax, etc).

I agree it's unfortunate, though I'm going to stick to my guns here to limit the amount of stuff I have to learn, mechanics-wise. Any flavor or Golarion information in those books is fine to use, though, and the mechanics stuff in Inner Sea Gods is expressly permitted because I'm already familiar with the contents of that book, since I own it.

Vigilante on the PFSRD

Vigilante on the PFSRD

That's not the SRD he's using, I'm afraid.

Ah I see its not on the paizo SRD then.

Yeah. It's a shame, because after my sorcerer, I considered a vigilante, but that's ALSO not on the PRD, and I honestly can't think of another character idea that speaks to me. I thought maybe a mesmerist, but that's not really exciting me.

So it looks like the only thing from the Player Companion and Campaign Setting lines that is in play is Inner Sea Gods and then the books available on the PRD are what's available for regular rule books, correct?

MannyGoblin wrote:

Okay Thinking of two characters.

First is a barbarian who is 'Angry for House Thrune!' ALL ANGRY ALLL THE TIME! A part time stonemason who likes chiseling and strengthening fortifications, he uses a Earthbreaker in the shape of a spiked fist.

Second is odder. Halfling Apocolypse Oracle who secretly preaches to halflings not to continue having children so that their generation is the last to suffer as slaves. Why is he helping Thrune? Cheliax is where he can spread his dogma the best. Helping Thrune doesn't matter in the long run since Thrune will end sooner or later(Groteus worshipper) He follows behind like a good little slip(Even though he isn't) and will aid the party while staying hidden(Perhaps looking for a permenant Sanctuary spell later on) Killing other halflings as a last resort is okay since they will be free from bondage.

They both sound interesting, though I have a question about the second. I can't seem to find Apocalypse Oracle, is that a mystery or an archetype and which book is it in?

Whoops, it is not on the PRD, but the other one. I guess a Bones oracle could work just as well.

"You just found out you were expecting? Oh dear. Take this mixture, you will feel nauseous and there will be discharge, but soon you will be well."

So it looks like the only thing from the Player Companion and Campaign Setting lines that is in play is Inner Sea Gods and then the books available on the PRD are what's available for regular rule books, correct?

Exactly correct. Though any non-mechanical flavor insight added by books that pertain to the campaign setting are fine for connecting yourself to the world.

This being Cheliax, I assume tieflings are good to go without some extraordinary backstory, right?

Assuming the first question is a "yes" then how about the Variant tieflings from Blood of Fiends. I'm guessing this is a "no" but it can't hurt to ask.

dotted!
Will create a character ASAP

I am running this AP currently, but I would like a chance to play in it. I can keep player and character knowledge separate I believe.

I have an Asmodian Infiltrator Inquisitor I am willing to submit to the group. She could be acting openly but concealing her identity to those outside of the party, or she could be pretending to be a mercenary in order to act as a spy for the church of Asmodeus to test the loyalty of this bunch of unscrupulous mercenaries. Its up to you to decide what would work best.

And 15 point buy! That is way too low, especially for characters that require multiple stats like Inquisitors, Monks and other classes that need multiple stat scores to function. I had to take Dual Talented to even be competent!

Yes! I've been waiting for another Hell's Vengeance recruitment to come up! Here's a character I built for a previous recruitment: a human Brawler (Strangler). Definitely just coming off of being a petty criminal and looking to join up with Throne for the chance to get his hands on some throats.

This is GM Gathrix's submission.

This being Cheliax, I assume tieflings are good to go without some extraordinary backstory, right?

Assuming the first question is a "yes" then how about the Variant tieflings from Blood of Fiends. I'm guessing this is a "no" but it can't hurt to ask.

Both assumptions are correct

I am running this AP currently, but I would like a chance to play in it. I can keep player and character knowledge separate I believe.

I'm fine with that

I have an Asmodian Infiltrator Inquisitor I am willing to submit to the group. She could be acting openly but concealing her identity to those outside of the party, or she could be pretending to be a mercenary in order to act as a spy for the church of Asmodeus to test the loyalty of this bunch of unscrupulous mercenaries. Its up to you to decide what would work best.

And 15 point buy! That is way too low, especially for characters that require multiple stats like Inquisitors, Monks and other classes that need multiple stat scores to function. I had to take Dual Talented to even be competent!

I'd say you should have no fear for acting openly, but I'm sure catching heathens is easier when they don't know who you are. It's really up to you, since I think both are fine.

As for the point buy, I'm basing that on the AP expectations and the fact that I'm recruiting larger than I'd really like. If someone ends up dropping out, I'll let those who are left retroactively improve their buy rather than recruiting another.

I'm quite liking the submissions so far! Don't forget about the sample combat turn or theme songs

The submissions so far:

• Amanda Malburne - LE Infiltrator Inquisitor of Asmodeus (still need sample turn and song)
• Boaz the Breathless - NE Strangler Brawler (still need sample turn and song)
• Nikolai Sarini - LE Court Bard (still need sample turn, but loved the choice of song)

Ok I've got a theme song that might be good for my character. Here is the link.

Theme Song

Dot

• Amanda Malburne - LE Infiltrator Inquisitor of Asmodeus (still need sample turn and song)

I recommend the Inquisition song from History of the World Part 1.

Boaz the Breathless - NE Strangler Brawler (still need sample turn and song)

Sorry about that. Forgot that part, I was so excited. Haha.

[/spoiler]

Dotting for interest! Right now I'm considering an Isgeri orphan from the Sisters of the Golden Erinyes for an interesting take on the monk.

Btw, loving the musical interludes. The Heavy is my favorite band of the moment, and have been since they released The House that Dirt Built.

Applying with Davy Dagaroth, a charming swashbuckler who pretends to be your friend! A bon-vivant who doesn't mind siding with House Thrune to get what he wants.

The backstory is more ellaborate than that, I'll include it in the profile once I have the time to write it down.

Combat, This is in my profile also
Roll initiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

Round # 1 Initiative 14

Feeling the blessing of the infernal powers surge through him, Nikolai is inspired to mock his would be attackers for their sheer futility.

Bardic Performance Satire -1 to enemy attack, damage, and save vs fear or charm

No Bonuses
Dice would go here: 1d1 ⇒ 1

Is Variant Multiclassing from Unchained in? You didn't mention it, but Unchained is on the PRD, and you specifically included Background Skills, so I thought I'd ask.

Btw, loving the musical interludes. The Heavy is my favorite band of the moment, and have been since they released The House that Dirt Built.

Glad to hear it! I'm planning on doing the same sort of thing during the campaign when introducing new NPCs or locations. It's the closest I can come to the playlists I like to put together for my home games.

-------------------------------------

Submissions So Far (Updated):

• Amanda Malburne - LE Infiltrator Inquisitor of Asmodeus (still need sample turn)
• Boaz the Breathless - NE Strangler Brawler (complete)
• Nikolai Sarini - LE Court Bard (complete)
• Davy Dagaroth - NE Inspired Blade Swashbuckler (still need background and sample turn. Cool song, I hadn't heard that one before!)

Is Variant Multiclassing from Unchained in? You didn't mention it, but Unchained is on the PRD, and you specifically included Background Skills, so I thought I'd ask.

Sure, though it's an either/or scenario with regular multiclassing.

EDIT: for anyone thinking about multiclassing, feel free to choose whether regular or variant works better for your concept, then stick with it

So none of the Hellknight prestige classes will be available I take it. Will a character have the opportunity to become a Hellknight?

So none of the Hellknight prestige classes will be available I take it. Will a character have the opportunity to become a Hellknight?

Actually, that opportunity to join them will be available for sure. In fact, there are opportunities to achieve the devil-slaying prerequisites with the proper witnesses is hard-coded into the parth as early as book 2. Now that I'm into the process of reading The Inferno Gate, I'm finding that several NPCs are using Hellknight prestige classes. Since I'm going to have to become familiar with those anyway to understand them, to use them properly, I'm going to make that an exception to the PRD-only rule. By the nature of prestige classes, though, that shouldn't have much of an effect until later, I think.

I'm aware that this is a reversal of a call I made upthread. I've read through more of the AP since then.

If anyone who has already submitted wants to tweak their characters with that knowledge, feel free and let me know when you do so I can take a look. I'm hoping that they'll make the prestige classes available on the PRD, but thank you to those who linked to the other PRD since it's made it findable for me in the mean time.

EDIT: Also, as a heads-up, as far as I've gotten in reading through the adventure, the three with the most involvement so far are Orders of the Pike, Rack and the Godclaw, though the latter has been all but eradicated by the Glorious Reclamation as part of the setting of the table for this AP

I've been trying to find an AP for my Dark Tapestry Oracle. I'll get him rolled up this week. Thanks for getting the game started Leedwashere!

Next question: the Chelish Nobility Campaign Trait. Among its benefits is the ability to take Noble Scion without the Charisma requirement.

However, that feat is from a forbidden source.

Is there an alternate boon for that Trait to give?

May I present Benzin Grimmle - Oracle of the Dark Tapestry

I'd rather not create an alias just yet, but here's my submission.

Sample Combat Turn: A Friendly Demonstration of Hamatulatsu

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23

Round 1: Initiative Count 23

Sister Ismene bows to the opponent before her, a Hellknight armiger. She takes a deep breath to center herself, feeling the energy flowing through her body. She bends her knees slightly, preparing to spring into action. Her face is expressionless as she sizes up her opponent. Young. Arrogant. Terrible stance. Strong frame, but his joints look weak. Chanting in Infernal, she aligns her energies for her opening salvo. The Hellknights were about to get a demonstration of the power of Hamatulatsu.

When the call goes out to begin the match, she darts forward, closing the distance between the combatants in the blink of an eye. Before the surprise can register on her opponent's face, she drives her fist into his solar plexus, finishing her chant and releasing the infernal energy into her victim's body.

Declaring use of Stunning Fist. Move action to move 15'. Standard action to attack with unarmed strike and Stunning Fist (DC 13 vs. Fort save).

Active bonuses: bless (+1 to attack rolls and saving throws vs. fear)
Attack: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 5 + 1 = 20
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Theme song

Some notes - I don't have HeroLab or anything, so the stat block was hand-typed. It should be correct, but I'd be happy to fix any discrepancies. I haven't finalized gear selection yet. Finally, I don't really know anything about Cimri, so I'm not yet sure how to work her into Ismene's story.

Okay Here are the starts and back ground of Trevor Culexes

Sample combat, an avoidance of close combat.
Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12
Round 1 Initiative 12

Trevor's head jerked up as the bandits erupted from their ambush spots in the woods. His voice slipping into the infernal tongue that emerged during times like these, Trevor chanted a few words and he seemed to become even more unnoticed in the swirling melee.
Casting Sanctuary. DC 14 to attack Trevor