With the heart of the Stolen Lands explored and the bandits who ruled there scattered, the long-contested realm finally lies open for pioneers and settlers to stake their claims.:
Amid the rush of opportunistic travelers, the PCs find themselves stewards over a new domain, tasked with the responsibility of guiding and guarding a fledgling nation struggling to grow upon a treacherous borderland. Yet the threats to this new nation quickly prove themselves greater than mere bandits and wild beasts, as the monstrous natives of the hills and forests rampage forth to slaughter all who have trespassed upon their territory. Can the PCs hold the land they’ve fought so hard to explore and tame? Or will their legend be just one more lost to the fangs of the Stolen Lands?
Works for me as long as it doesn't start smacking back...so at the bottom, if I smacked it enough, we get teleported to a snowy mountaintop and I get to be Mythic! Awesome! Then I'll teach that Beetle of Many Colors a lesson in humility!
Male Gnome Bard/ 3rd AC: 15 (T 12, FF 14), HP 20/20 5NL, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1; +2 Enchantment | CMB +1, CMD 14 | Init +3 | Perc +4
RPGGGM wrote:
Soon Posh finds himself in what his ears and the hair on the back of his neck tells him is a vast space as large as the castle above.
Posh takes the time to look around carefully, his clothing were still giving off the light spell to help illuminate the area. He looked down to see if he could see Alia's blade, however for the moment it seemed there was just darkness here, especially as the pebble Alia dropped was glowing and went past him.
Posh's light only illuminates more darkness and the rope which disappears into the well tunnel above him. It is still night and windy so even the wall's cap and winch is difficult to see.
Water drips from the unseen ceiling into presumably more water below.
Then something slides forward out of the dark. It seems to be a small riverboat with ribbed sails like a dragon's spine frill, and a small house amidships. There is the rhythmic noise of oars being worked.
A ghostly face with pale like luminescent fungi takes shape at the bow. The figure is draped in black robes and black scarf covers the lower part of his face. On his head he wears a broad round Tian Xia-style rice hat. All around the man, Posh's light picks out flakes of some sort flaoting through the moldy air like gently falling snow, or perhaps huge moats of dust floating through sunbeams.
Posh is currently hanging at about eye-level with the figure on the ship.
Zokon keeps looking down can he see the boat and the man? if so he takes out and arrow and gestures to it, as if questioning the others on whether he should get it ready to use?
Illthir, wrapped in some blanket she found, makes her way out to the commotion by the well. It looked awfully dark down there and she couldn't help but feel that they were using their new friend as bait for some monstrous fish. "So *uh* what are we doing?"
| Bloodrage 12/12 | Fire Strikes 3/3 | HP 43/43 | AC 18 T 14 F 14(Uncanny Dodge) | CMD 19 | Saves 6/4/0 (+1 Will vs Mind Affecting) | Init 3 | Perception 3 | 4 Female Ifrit Bloodrager (elemental, fire) | Spells 2 |
"Good question. Assuming Posh can't find the blade, we're gonna have to head down there, right?" Scarlet stretches. "All of this roughhousin' makes me tired. We need to get some sleep."
Male Gnome Bard/ 3rd AC: 15 (T 12, FF 14), HP 20/20 5NL, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1; +2 Enchantment | CMB +1, CMD 14 | Init +3 | Perc +4
Zcerneboch, the Dark One wrote:
Bottom of the Well
"Почему ты пришел?"
** spoiler omitted **
The voice is silken rasp that seems to form in Posh's head without traveling the unseen spaces between.
"Why have you come?"
Posh, having been a constant one to run for trouble was tempted to call for help, but instead he gulped and forced a awkward smile.
"I...I'm sorry to have disturbed you. You see, my friend lost her sword down here. Some dwarf tossed it down here in frustration and I hoped to return it to her." he expressed as he continued to look around, seeing there didn't appear to be any kind of obvious blade hiding around "Her blade is very important to her. It's linked to her powers and I think it's been hers for many years. If you've seen it, could you help point me in which direction it fell? The light only helps so much and afterwards I'll leave you be."
Diplomacy:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17May not be relevent, but if he finds Posh sexually attractive, that's another +1. That being said, if he did he'd probably want to keep Posh...or eat him...
Male Gnome Bard/ 3rd AC: 15 (T 12, FF 14), HP 20/20 5NL, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1; +2 Enchantment | CMB +1, CMD 14 | Init +3 | Perc +4
Zcerneboch, the Dark One wrote:
Bottom of the Well
"The water here is deep, and perhaps too dark for one such as yourself to see in."
Posh sighs, feeling like he somewhat knew that this might be the case, but shakes his head.
"Even with my light?" he asked curiously as he looked back to the deep, dark water "Is there anyway you could help me retrieve it? I'm sure there's something we could barter or come to an agreement over retrieving it."
Posh can't really look at anything just now. His light has gone out. It is like really really dark here. Like really dark. At present Posh cannot even see the tip of his own nose. And it is tough to know if his eyes are actually open or not. It's that kind of darkness.
"Most assuredly. What do you have to offer in exchange for the retrieval of this most priceless blade for your dear dear friend? The darkness is nothing to me and my crew. We were born in it, molded by it. I am Zcerneboch, a traveler upon the Lightless Seas."
There is a noise like a pirate with two peg legs walking on the deck. It seems very close.
Alias eyes are fixed on the rope, on the darkness below. Anything around ceases to exist. There is only darkness ahead now, only darkness left in the world, the voices around a murmur slowly changing into a static background noise.
While negotiations for Posh's immortal soul drag on the Mivoni soldiers pull a couple of Hotspur's bedraggled guardsmen and some horses from the stable, and most shocking of all a second bound, gagged and unconscious Hotspur from the guardhouse next to the gate! It has to be a second Hotspur because the other one had just left not five minutes before with all of his dwarven mercenaries*! But how?
============
* After a suitable growled through gritted teeth "GOOD BYE" from Blue and his lieutenants to Scarlet (with one growled 'bark' from Arbalasti and stony silence from Warbeard of course) and a grim-eyed nothing for anyone else. And trust me, dwarves can do grim-eyed like nobodies business.
Male Gnome Bard/ 3rd AC: 15 (T 12, FF 14), HP 20/20 5NL, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1; +2 Enchantment | CMB +1, CMD 14 | Init +3 | Perc +4
Zcerneboch, the Dark One wrote:
Posh can't really look at anything just now. His light has gone out. It is like really really dark here. Like really dark. At present Posh cannot even see the tip of his own nose. And it is tough to know if his eyes are actually open or not. It's that kind of darkness.
"Most assuredly. What do you have to offer in exchange for the retrieval of this most priceless blade for your dear dear friend? The darkness is nothing to me and my crew. We were born in it, molded by it. I am Zcerneboch, a traveler upon the Lightless Seas."
There is a noise like a pirate with two peg legs walking on the deck. It seems very close.
Posh thinks for a moment, looking around and knowing he can barely see anything any that he's in a really bad situation, but attempts to keep up a smile.
"What do I have that may interest you?" he asked, thinking about what kind of barter they could possibly work out between the two of them as for a moment he feels for his headband and looked around into where he believes the voice came from "I do not have too much in the ways of gold I'm afraid."
There's a fetid scent in the cave air that makes it difficult to breath without coughing.
"An agreement then, I shall return your lady's sword and in return some time in the future you will retrieve something of equal value for me. Is it a bargain?"
Male Gnome Bard/ 3rd AC: 15 (T 12, FF 14), HP 20/20 5NL, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1; +2 Enchantment | CMB +1, CMD 14 | Init +3 | Perc +4
Zcerneboch, the Dark One wrote:
Bottom of the Well
There's a fetid scent in the cave air that makes it difficult to breath without coughing.
"An agreement then, I shall return your lady's sword and in return some time in the future you will retrieve something of equal value for me. Is it a bargain?"
Posh bit his lip. He had a feeling this was going to bite him in the ass at some point, but he knew how much Alia loved that blade and her magic was tied to it somehow he didn't entirely understand. Defeated, he gave a nod.
"Fine. I, Poshment Underhill, shall help you retrieve something of equal value in return for her sword. he said and reached a hand out into the darkness, in the direction he thought the voice was coming from. "Also she is not my lady. I don't own her and I doubt she feelings like that towards me." he just shrugged as he clarified this.
The hand that Posh's hand comes into contact with is long-fingered, cool, and disquietingly spongy.
"Return to your bright world then and take your rest. Return to the well at this time tomorrow and we shall see if I and my crew are worthy anglers."
Posh notes that he can see his hands again, thanks to his glowing shirt cuffs. He can see his feet too and the rope above until the darkness claims it. He can also make out Zokon high above at the top of the well. Other than that though there is nothing but the dark around him.
Male Gnome Bard/ 3rd AC: 15 (T 12, FF 14), HP 20/20 5NL, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1; +2 Enchantment | CMB +1, CMD 14 | Init +3 | Perc +4
Zcerneboch, the Dark One wrote:
Bottom of the Well
The hand that Posh's hand comes into contact with is long-fingered, cool, and disquietingly spongy.
"Return to your bright world then and take your rest. Return to the well at this time tomorrow and we shall see if I and my crew are worthy anglers."
Posh notes that he can see his hands again, thanks to his glowing shirt cuffs. He can see his feet too and the rope above until the darkness claims it. He can also make out Zokon high above at the top of the well. Other than that though there is nothing but the dark around him.
Of Zcerneboch there is no sign.
Posh was a bit confused about the situation, but also glad that he wasn't in the dark anymore. He tugged twice on the rope to send a message up.
"Reel me up! It's not a good sight down here." once he had been brought up, he dusts himself off "I have good news and bad news. Unfortunately I couldn't get the sword, however I made a new friend who said if we come back tomorrow at the same time he'll see about retrieving it. He was a bit of an odd creature though." Posh goes ahead and describes the figure that was below in that boat, but left out the part about striking a deal with him. As far as he was concerned, the sword returning was the important part.
Male Human (Varisian) alchemist (chirurgeon, promethean alchemist) 3 | hp 25/30| AC 15 T 12 FF 13 | CMD 16 | F +6 R +6 W +2 (+3 v poison) | Spd 30' | Init +2 | KnArc +8, KnDun +8, KnNat +8, Perc +7, SensM +0 |
"May I thhow you to your new roomth for the night?" Igor says suddenly appearing out of nowhere just behind Alia.
Male Human (Varisian) alchemist (chirurgeon, promethean alchemist) 3 | hp 25/30| AC 15 T 12 FF 13 | CMD 16 | F +6 R +6 W +2 (+3 v poison) | Spd 30' | Init +2 | KnArc +8, KnDun +8, KnNat +8, Perc +7, SensM +0 |
Male Gnome Bard/ 3rd AC: 15 (T 12, FF 14), HP 20/20 5NL, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1; +2 Enchantment | CMB +1, CMD 14 | Init +3 | Perc +4
Igor of Caliphas wrote:
"May I thhow you to your new roomth for the night?" Igor says suddenly appearing out of nowhere just behind Alia.
** spoiler omitted **
"Hello again Igor. I hope we didn't cause too much of a mess. I assume my old room will be fine?" he grinned as he expected the Lord had not revoked his stay, nor the free meals. If that was the case he was going to try and run up the biggest tab since when he worked for the king.
Alia, her trance transferred from the dark below to Posh, doesn't hear what Igor asked of her the first time around.
The second time asked, she shakes her head:"I will hold a Vigil next to the Well. I would not find sleep, either way, but appreciate the offer."
Male Human (Varisian) alchemist (chirurgeon, promethean alchemist) 3 | hp 25/30| AC 15 T 12 FF 13 | CMD 16 | F +6 R +6 W +2 (+3 v poison) | Spd 30' | Init +2 | KnArc +8, KnDun +8, KnNat +8, Perc +7, SensM +0 |
Poshment Underhill wrote:
"Hello again Igor...."
Does Igor know what Posh actually looks like? How long has he been playing Miles?
"Yeth, sir...." Igor says suspiciously eyeing the gnome, and when Igor eyes something it gets eyed.
Anyone taking Igor up on a real guest room in the great house, rather than a monk's cell as you would have had before the dwarven mercenaries moved out?
M Dwarf | AC 20, T 11, FF 19, CMD 23 | HP 75/75 | F +11 R +6 W +13 (+3 vs spells/SLA/poison) | Move 30' | Init +1 | Per +17 | Active: None
Durgan hesitates before accepting the offer.
"Igor, do you know anything about how there happened to be two Hotspurs? He was somehow abducted and restrained without anybody knowing, while another took his place. Did you see anything?" Sense Motive:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22
Male Human (Varisian) alchemist (chirurgeon, promethean alchemist) 3 | hp 25/30| AC 15 T 12 FF 13 | CMD 16 | F +6 R +6 W +2 (+3 v poison) | Spd 30' | Init +2 | KnArc +8, KnDun +8, KnNat +8, Perc +7, SensM +0 |
"Thorry thir, Thrapth and I were cleaning up after the meal in the kitchen when the hullabaloo was occurring." Igor says sheepishly.
Male Gnome Bard/ 3rd AC: 15 (T 12, FF 14), HP 20/20 5NL, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1; +2 Enchantment | CMB +1, CMD 14 | Init +3 | Perc +4
Igor of Caliphas wrote:
Poshment Underhill wrote:
"Hello again Igor...."
Does Igor know what Posh actually looks like? How long has he been playing Miles?
"Yeth, sir...." Igor says suspiciously eyeing the gnome, and when Igor eyes something it gets eyed.
Anyone taking Igor up on a real guest room in the great house, rather than a monk's cell as you would have had before the dwarven mercenaries moved out?
Good point, I don't think we really hashed it out, but I believe you did state anyone close to Hotspur would be checked with magic so potentially he could have been himself. I believe the idea was to hide when he heard a group was arriving, initially not knowing who they were and being paranoid, he assumed it was someone after him.
"I was also hoping to make an order since the good lord hasn't revoked my privileges I'd like a steak, lobster or your finest cosine." he smirked as this was but the start "Same for everyone too. Charge it to Hotspur and how late do you stay up for cooking? In case I need a snack."
Alia focuses on Scarlet, seemingly taking a few moments to process the information contained in her statement, before she replies: "I'll welcome your help in setting up a tent, but I'll want you to be well rested tomorrow. Find a warm, comfy bed. We are in a secured castle and I shall not be sleeping, there will be no need to watch over me, tonight."
"We need to consider where we are going to find help with the problem, now that the mercenaries don't appear to be an option again, we have wasted lots of valuable time." he says as they are following Igor
M Dwarf | AC 20, T 11, FF 19, CMD 23 | HP 75/75 | F +11 R +6 W +13 (+3 vs spells/SLA/poison) | Move 30' | Init +1 | Per +17 | Active: None
"Zokon, we could try to rally any of those in the Stolen Lands who feel they have been wronged by the Stag Lord. Form a militia. Or, we can try to lure the bandits out of their fort.
It is unfortunate that I had to use up that scroll of Invisibility Purge attempting to find Hotspur. If the Stag Lord has a wizard in his ranks, we'll need that spell. Perhaps in time I will be granted the power myself."
Durgan turns back to Igor. "I think I will take you up on that offer of a proper room."
He turns to Lady Vsevolod. "Thank you for your hospitality. I am sorry for the disturbance but glad it ended without loss of life; Lord Hotspur merely has to go meet with his father."
M Dwarf | AC 20, T 11, FF 19, CMD 23 | HP 75/75 | F +11 R +6 W +13 (+3 vs spells/SLA/poison) | Move 30' | Init +1 | Per +17 | Active: None
Durgan addresses the gnome (Posh).
"Greetings. I am Durgan Far-Walker, itinerant priest of Abadar in the Stolen Lands. Bringing civilization to the wild and, of late, seeking to deal with the bandit problem. I've been traveling with this group for a few weeks now. May I ask who you are, and how you know them?"
Male Gnome Bard/ 3rd AC: 15 (T 12, FF 14), HP 20/20 5NL, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1; +2 Enchantment | CMB +1, CMD 14 | Init +3 | Perc +4
Durgan Far-Walker wrote:
Durgan addresses the gnome (Posh).
"Greetings. I am Durgan Far-Walker, itinerant priest of Abadar in the Stolen Lands. Bringing civilization to the wild and, of late, seeking to deal with the bandit problem. I've been traveling with this group for a few weeks now. May I ask who you are, and how you know them?"
"Well met, I'm Poshment Underhill the first, as far as I know anyway." he grinned with a bow "I joined the group sometime ago to help deal with the bandits, but I had some difficulties and left with Esme to travel and perform. I wanted to the group, but I had no idea if you were all dead or not so I found employment here near the greenbelt and it appears that the Stag Lord wishes to sell his land. I hoped to meet you all at Oleg's. How is ol' Oleg anyway? Still keeping beautiful Svetlana happy I hope." the area suddenly gets quite at the mention of that name.
Feel free to correct or add what Posh had learnt under Hotspur as I can't remember and am having limited net access.
| Bloodrage 12/12 | Fire Strikes 3/3 | HP 43/43 | AC 18 T 14 F 14(Uncanny Dodge) | CMD 19 | Saves 6/4/0 (+1 Will vs Mind Affecting) | Init 3 | Perception 3 | 4 Female Ifrit Bloodrager (elemental, fire) | Spells 2 |
Scarlet is building a makeshift fireplace when Posh mentions Oleg. "Oleg... died. The Stag Lord's wizard came by and... we couldn't avenge him." She shakes her head. "A bunch of noblemen are gobbling what's left of the outpost. I mentioned letting Svetlana continue and they just laughed, like pigs ready to feast."
Scarlet continues building the fireplace for Alia. It's busy work, and it keeps her distracted.
Male Gnome Bard/ 3rd AC: 15 (T 12, FF 14), HP 20/20 5NL, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1; +2 Enchantment | CMB +1, CMD 14 | Init +3 | Perc +4
Scarlet Scarab wrote:
Scarlet is building a makeshift fireplace when Posh mentions Oleg. "Oleg... died. The Stag Lord's wizard came by and... we couldn't avenge him." She shakes her head. "A bunch of noblemen are gobbling what's left of the outpost. I mentioned letting Svetlana continue and they just laughed, like pigs ready to feast."
Scarlet continues building the fireplace for Alia. It's busy work, and it keeps her distracted.
For the first time the group has seen Posh appears not only upset but raging as his hands curled into fists. He took a few breaths to try and remain calm as he shook with a rage.
"Is she alright? Does she have a home?" he asked as he stared daggers back at the gate Hotspur escaped through "I shouldn't have left. Maybe if I stayed I could've done or s-seen something. I should've just stayed at the outpost and not been so afraid of Raven or my own silly paranoia." it's clear that the news has hit him hard, only wishing he could bring him back or have prevented what happened.
Out of time to edit: Just to clarify - I mean that our characters view differs. Alia does see a chance to get away, and feels justified in doing so, as the community is the "bad" guys here from what she gathered. And she's not willing to give in to bad guys and do their bidding just because they have the power to try and enforce their policies.
From his deneanor you know Zokon will defend Valorin from any attack .. I'm pretty sure Alia is not quite that headstrong. Especially considering Valorins history with wolves and it being quite natural for him to hate vicious animals. Yes vicious we have been attacked by wolves multiple times.
Gnome Sorcerer 4 | AC: 15, TAC: 13, FAC: 13, CMD: 11 | HP 7/23 | Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +6 | Init +5 | Perception +9, Sense Motive +2, Darkvision 60' |
Resources:
Spell Slots available: 1st: 5/8 2nd: 3/4 Claws: 8/8 rounds left SLAs: Dancing Lights, Prestidigitation, Flare, Produce Flame
Alia of the Blade wrote:
it will become clear that the "bluff" is in the duration of the spell.
No, I understood that. But that means that I am also taking time to explain to everyone that an invisibility spell lasts at least 3 minutes, since this is not something the average guy would know. By the time I am done the explanation, Rain could be visible again, and in the meantime people can still take potshots and hope they get lucky. Much better if they think that Rain is no longer present.
Alia of the Blade wrote:
I feel disintegrate is just a incredibly far-fetched lie, as even peasants should know that THAT kind of magical power takes a immensely powerful caster.
A few of them maybe... but they are not likely to know exactly how much power that takes, and if that makes them think that an uber-powerful mage is among them, better for us. They only have to pause for 2 rounds. I suppose I could have said you teleported it instead, but I didn't think of that at the time.
Alia of the Blade wrote:
If they could see us run for hours, we should easily have seen Fan Auric from Olegs, right?
Yes, we should have. From the top of one of those towers the horizon should be 6-7 miles away. I can only assume that he was concealed by some hollow or low hill or other feature.
Running away on foot is not really an option. We are dealing with experienced trackers who have a strong motivation to follow. And circling back to get the horses is pretty problematic too.
Alia of the Blade wrote:
And if the wolf dies, we failed, and THEN I would likely try and kill Grogan and Valorin.
Again, I stress that it is only a wolf. Killing multiple people to avenge an animal that didn't even belong to you seems a bit out of proportion.
Alia of the Blade wrote:
This community is not trying to protect itself, this community is trying to get a bounty.
The community is offering the bounty as a means to protect itself. The money is coming from the community. Grogan and Valorin are the ones trying to collect. Valorin is not part of the community at all, and Grogan only grudgingly so.
I am not concerned with Grogan's opinion of us, though Valorin is a bit more important. But the bystanders around us will talk. And that's a problem, since we are trying to build a good reputation here.
Mister Renault is not yet in range but I am hoping that as a community leader he can get people to stand down if we can talk to him. He already knows something weird is going on.
Alia of the Blade wrote:
Also, if the wolf IS to get away, someone will have to take the blame. Hence as I said(and explained), if we manage to clear up whats the deal with Fan and Rain(and Tamris), we could likely easily clear things up as an misunderstanding.
Possible yes, but easily? Easy for you to say. Celyne, Posh and I are probably going to be the ones trying to do the talking. It would certainly be easier though if the wolf doesn't get away; we show good faith that way.
Alia of the Blade wrote:
If the wolf dies and this plot remains unresolved, we'll still have to explain what we were doing, why I shot Grogan, why we hindered Valorin, and aided the Wolf...and in that case, we have NO answers to give...
We are acting on the basis of what Fan has told us, and he will still be here and able to speak. We will also be able to speak to Farmer Gallows whether the wolf is dead or alive. And we may be able to find Tamris some other way.
But we still don't know quite what is going on. If it turns out that Rain DID attack Farmer Gallows' daughter unprovoked, and the wolf IS Tamris' animal companion, then Tamris has something to answer for, and the locals' demand that the wolf be put to death are fairly reasonable, though Tamris might be able to make some compromise instead.
What I am planning to try to say to Renault is this:
* Rain is trained and not a wild animal
* Farmer Gallows is known to exaggerate
* Tamris is Rain's master
* Tamris is missing, and we need Rain alive to find him
* If Rain really has done the Gallows family an injury then we can get Tamris to answer for it, but only if we find him
If we can get Mr. Renault to listen, I think this will be enough.
you like turning things into discussions, don't you? *sigh*
@Invisibility: The bluff does not need an explanation. The bluff is "Wolf is invisible now, and will be far far away before you could see it again"
rather than "Wolf is invisible now and will be visible again in a couple seconds".
The point is not "what" is the wolf, but "how long" is it what it is.
@Disintegrate: I did say I'm willing to see if it flys, and would have claimed the alternate if it does NOT work. Quite a few saw me do stage magic with Esme, for fun. I doubt they'll consider me a magical grandmaster, but as I wrote, I just wanted to state what MY intent was, to keep that as a backup if your approach fails.
@Vision: 6-7 miles is what? 2 hours on a casual walk? From a spy tower?
Pursuit with horses could be a problem, which is WHY I suggested you stay there to stall them. If we can make it beyond a bend, or into the small forest, we have a very realistic chance.
@Vision 2: Even more interesting: If it's completely flat land with no hills, undergrowth or bushes, how did the wolf even get here? People would have seen it from miles away. I'd expect it's at least field or normal plains wilderness(which is not neatly trimmed...in fact humans could move there stealthily if they wanted. wild grasslands grow quite high, this is not a golf court-), making a wolf quite capable of being hidden from view.
@Justawolf: If these people intend to murder a possibly intelligent other living being, then it is hardly overreacting. Where do you draw the line? If they had shown even a remote willingness to stay their hand and not give in to their blood lust, things would be different.
I admit overstating on "would kill them then", but I would very much defend dappled with force if necessary.
@community: You are aware of how much 250GP is for these people? They don't casually offer that much based on the words of someone that is probably totally overreacting. Much more likely there is foul play involved and someone simply wants that wolf dead for some reason. Also, if you are so worried about your reputation, thats why I offered to blame it on me. I'll live by the standards I set for myself, and not bend over backwards to please anybody. Because Alia believes that long-term, over decades, it's much more important to have integrity than to try and impress people in the short term.
@wolfnotgettingaway: and lose all the answers. Why was it here, hiding(defensively, not attacking)? Whats up with Tamris? Why was the bounty posted?
For all we know, Tamris was in an affair with the daughter of the farmer, her father caught them and took him prisoner, torturing him to death, but his wolf escaped and was trying to get to Fan, to fetch help. To stop the wolf, the father then places a big bounty on it to get it killed, so he can continue to flay Tamris and murder him too, telling his daughter that he left her after a talk and would never come back.
Killing the wolf would make us accomplices to the murder of Tamris. But hey, we showed good faith and got a bounty. Nevermind that everything about this whole thing stinks.
@Tamris is missing, and we need Rain alive to find him
Your words. How did you intend to stop Grognar and Valorin from starting to flay the dead body of Rain before you finished the first 2 sentences of your explanation towards Renault? They won't "hold" while they feel they have a chance to get that bounty. Which, as said, is the main problem I see and why I'm helping the wolf flee in the first place.
Get Valorin and Axeman to stand down and I'll gladly stand right there and talk things over with them.
Addendum: "Invisible" The source of the confusion is the exact reason I wanted to use this variant, btw. Since the EFFECT is identical, there should be a hefty circumstance-bonus on the bluff that it will be long gone before it becomes visible again.
@Bounty: Think about it. There is a WORG lose in this lands. A whole PACK of wolves that attack people at night.
Yet the 250 GP bounty gets placed on a single wolf that seems unwilling to attack people except in self-defense. Doesn't that strike you as odd?
Gnome Sorcerer 4 | AC: 15, TAC: 13, FAC: 13, CMD: 11 | HP 7/23 | Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +6 | Init +5 | Perception +9, Sense Motive +2, Darkvision 60' |
Resources:
Spell Slots available: 1st: 5/8 2nd: 3/4 Claws: 8/8 rounds left SLAs: Dancing Lights, Prestidigitation, Flare, Produce Flame
@ Invisibility: The point of the bluff was to get the people not to try to attack the invisible wolf. Valorin could still take a shot with a 50% miss chance and kill it, but wouldn't even try if he thinks the wolf is actually gone.
@ Vision 2: Interesting point about stealth. It is still very early spring and the snow has just melted, which means there isn't much in the way of grass or growth to hide in. How did the wolf get here? Maybe Tamris is nearby?
@ "murder a possibly intelligent other living being": The theory we are all operating under at the moment is that Rain is an animal companion, and therefore not an intelligent being. Numalar is currently trying to use detect magic to see if that might not be the case (it strikes me as a bit weird that Fan uses the words "Rain is Tamris' Friend," which is why I suspected a lycanthrope), but so far we have no evidence to the contrary.
@ 250 gp: I wouldn't read too much into the amount of the reward. Svetlana is offering us 250 gp to bring her some rare radishes to make soup with. When James Jacobs was asked why, he said that it was roughly the typical treasure for a CR 1 encounter.
AFAIK the bounty was put up by Renault himself at the request of Farmer Gallows - Renault is the wealthy guy around here. So if he withdraws the bounty then everyone backs off. This is why getting to Renault is important, and Renault is right here.
If the Worg had attacked the farmers here I'm sure there would be a bounty on it too. There is a bounty on a feral boar ("Tuskgutter") who attacked people in the area, for example. We may see a worg bounty soon, who knows.
@ wolf not getting away: unless you have speak with animals, keeping the wolf alive doesn't necessarily get you any answers. You need to talk to Fan. He knows a lot more than he's told us so far.
@ "we need Rain alive to find him": I am planning on saying that, but it's a bluff to convince Renault. Having Rain alive makes it easier, assuming Rain knows where he is (and I hope he does), but we could still potentially find Tamris without Rain. It's clear this encounter could have easily ended with Rain dead long before we could get to him.
Next round will be the third round of my detect magic spell and hopefully I will get some specifics. Right now I can't pin down which auras are whose (and you are in the area of effect so your arcane bond is probably one of those auras). But if it turns out that Rain is actually a person shape-changed somehow into a wolf that changes a lot of things.
@Invisibility: Hence why I said I was willing to go with your bluff. Read it again if you don't believe me. Only, if your bluff FAILS, that means they will attack anyway. In that case, it's better to get them to break off pursuit some other way, such as making them believe it's going to be invisible until it's safely away.
@Vision: The question is what is "here". Because wilderness does not turn into barren land during Winter. Plains without road slow us down to 3/4ths speed, while forest or hills slow to half. That means even supposedly "flat plains" are hard enough to traverse on horseback that one is slowed significantly, unless there is a maintained road.(Alternatively, if you are walking: You cannot walk at your "normal" speed across plains. They slow you down unless there's a road.)
So yeah, even if it's short after winter, mechanically, we shouldn't be in a horizon-wide parking lot.
@murder: could be just an animal companion, or could be more. I know Sir Didymus is not even an animal companion, and you would probably gladly replace him, but I doubt Celyne would take it very kindly if the guards decide to kill Luna because she's also a wild dangerous animal.
Even "Just an animal companion" is misleading. The fact "link" and "share spells" is instantly unlocked implies the bond is deeper. You cannot share "personal" spells with a loved partner. You can with your animal companion. Plus they can easily increase their intelligence with the ability score increases, to PC-acceptable levels.
@bounty: Very convenient. The flatlands around here are important because they deny us the ability to flee. That cannot be ignored.
But both the amount of the bounty, and the choice of target can be completely ignored because they are inconvenient? Even if the bounty was only 20GP, or 3GP, it wouldn't matter. There's militant kobolds here, a wolf pack led by a Worg, and a wolf that seemingly is completely docile and unwilling to attack people. Why, then, is the bounty placed on it? Because it accusedly and unsuccessfully attacked someone? In these wilderlands, I feel there should be a ton of bounties on all matters of wildlife and bandits, then.
@wolf giving answers: Under my assumption, the wolf was here because it was looking for Fan. That is why it approached the fair in the first place. Rain has a plan, which may be as simple as fetch Fan and bring him to Tamris. As such, I assume no speak-with-animals will be needed. I doubt Rain came because it wanted to sleep below chirping birds.
@need Rain alive: I am unconvinced we could find Tamris without Rain, or even find out what happened to him. If the bounty is a way to remove a witness, then the tracks may be cold. Heck, maybe that farmer's daughter is experiencing with dark arts and killed Tamris, and Rain only wanted to defend him, and her father believed her sob story and doesn't know better. There's too many variables, without Rain, we have no reliable leads. Also, we could have seen Rain long before the encounter, Luna smelled him, but Celyne(same as me, ooc) assumed the Tiger was interested in the birds, rather than the wolf hidden below the cart.
@detect magic: Rain will already be gone, hopefully, by that time.(as in, not successfully attacked and taking a run action.) I have no idea why that would change anything, but I fully assume Rain to be a Wolf, no more, no less. I also don't see how that would help with the situation, you just claimed Rain to be disintegrated, do you think Valorin or Axeman would believe you if you told them it was really a human turned into an animal? Na, they'd happily kill Rain regardless. *shrug*
Numalar (or anyone else who can cast detect magic) can see that there is an illusory aura and even pin-point it to within 5 feet of where it is coming from however it takes him 3 rounds of concentration to do so and he has to maintain that or loose the trail, and still cannot see the thing that is hidden beneath the spell which still has its concealment.
Alia I would note that there is a bounty on some kobolds that are common to the area, and that the worg attack happened about 40 miles away. Though I would note that there merit to the bounty question but the line of questioning is not obvious right now.
@Detect Magic: My mistake. It was a houserule in another game I am in, where it came up, when one member of the group permanently kept it running, making illusions almost utterly useless and invisibility powerless.(e.g. sitting facing a single entrance, focusing on the area. If someone invisible enters, he instantly gets to pinpoint them. Someone casts an illusion, he sees it is an illusion and automatically interacts with it and gets the +4 bonus on the save.
It got really ridiculous which is why Detect Magic's utility got diminished. But that has no effect here, obviously, so it's good to go for seeing magically invisible things.
(I am aware of the concentration requirement, at least until one can get it permanent...but many illusions have prime use in pre/non-combat situations, as does invisibility...and those cases become harder...)
@Bounty: I understand, but here, Rain seemed utterly tame and docile. It's one reason I swapped over from "shoot at him" to "try and save him". He obviously is not a rabid beast. And I maintain that based on what actions we saw from him yet, there's dozens of other beasts that should get a bounty before. Heck, Renault probably has a donkey that's more dangerous to the farmers than that wolf is. *shrug*
@General: If you feel my argumentation is completely off track and/or disruptive, do tell me and I'll shut up. I'll still try and save Rain because wether I get to explain my thoughts or not, I'd feel it's the right thing to do, but I can do so without being vocal.
Aye, all my games seemed incredibly slow over this weekend. I was wondering about the lack of updates. Only the Way of the Wicked one picked up speed yesterday...
All my games were slow over the weekend as well... but I was surprised that this one was as well.. .usually strong on weekends.
As for detect magic working against invisibility - we've always houseruled that it doesn't negate invisibility, takes 3 rounds to pinpoint AND have to be coincidentally looking in just the right place...arcane sight is much better to make permanent. they do have arcane sight in pathfinder, right? (sorry, I'm still a 3.5 player and get them confused sometimes)
| Bloodrage 12/12 | Fire Strikes 3/3 | HP 43/43 | AC 18 T 14 F 14(Uncanny Dodge) | CMD 19 | Saves 6/4/0 (+1 Will vs Mind Affecting) | Init 3 | Perception 3 | 4 Female Ifrit Bloodrager (elemental, fire) | Spells 2 |
Arcane Sight is a level 3 spell.
Hehe, my 3.5 Wizard had permanent Arcane Sight on. He was a diviner who drove the GM insane, since he was so good at disabling plots before they began.
Then we restarted in Pathfinder, where diviners were even more powerful...
Just for the record: We still should have some smoked wolf from when the worgs pack attacked us.
In case Dappled is hungry, too *evil grin*.
The kitties all enjoyed it, and the dog also didn't seem unhappy.
"Not sure of the significance but Renault conferred with hunters and then Valorins party left"
Now that it is after the fact I wanted to explain. Basically were no one in the party able to track Rain, this was a hint to Zokon that there were others nearby that you could have called upon to help.
I usually base such hints off secret Wisdom checks.
Gnome Sorcerer 4 | AC: 15, TAC: 13, FAC: 13, CMD: 11 | HP 7/23 | Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +6 | Init +5 | Perception +9, Sense Motive +2, Darkvision 60' |
Resources:
Spell Slots available: 1st: 5/8 2nd: 3/4 Claws: 8/8 rounds left SLAs: Dancing Lights, Prestidigitation, Flare, Produce Flame
The hints weren't directed at me, but my thought was that the hunters would be tracking Rain whether we liked it or not, so one way to go would be to go with them; another would have been to follow them, but in both cases the hunters are there when we find Rain which I wasn't sure we wanted.
They are not here, though, so I'm guessing that assumption is wrong...
Honestly, whats more shocking(despite being obvious and Logical) to me is how easily this bastard tracked us.
We may want to consider options to make this harder.
Considering Pass without Trace is only Level 1, possibly one of us could "Research" a spell basically duplicating it's effect?
Because Zokon is a spell-less Ranger Archetype, he can't provide it for us, and Celyne is not quite a Druid.
(If no Research is possible, we could look into eventually purchasing a wand to utilize with UMD, an hour before stopping to camp for the night, or if we ourself track something and could be tracked)
Thing is, if this brute easily followed us to Rain, most other brutes, kobolds, mites, trolls and others may just as easily follow us. And if Pip and his gang decide that our horse tracks look tasty and they want to liberate some meat from our camp at night, that may be a Problem.
Grogan also seems very...persistent. Could it be that someone ELSE pays him for Rains death? If the bounty is off, there is no reason for him to risk conflict and possibly death for the mere joy of the kill.
The fact he came here and is prepared to stay and fight despite our presence would suggest he has a motive beyond pure bloodlust...or did I miss something?
Gnome Sorcerer 4 | AC: 15, TAC: 13, FAC: 13, CMD: 11 | HP 7/23 | Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +6 | Init +5 | Perception +9, Sense Motive +2, Darkvision 60' |
Resources:
Spell Slots available: 1st: 5/8 2nd: 3/4 Claws: 8/8 rounds left SLAs: Dancing Lights, Prestidigitation, Flare, Produce Flame
Alia of the Blade wrote:
Honestly, whats more shocking(despite being obvious and Logical) to me is how easily this bastard tracked us.
Well, you can always "cover your tracks" which increases the DC to track you by +5 but slows you to half movement.
Of course, considering how it was relatively easy to follow Rain's tracks, covering ours might not have helped. He was on foot so he wasn't going to make it here ahead of us.
You are right though that he seems determined. Possibly he has a side deal with Farmer Gallows? Or perhaps he is covering up his own crime?
Hey, our Ranger was unable to track Rain. It took Scarlet to do that, so it may not have been that easy ;)
Honestly though, I was less worried about right now, and more worried about the future. If the Stag Lord learned that some adventurers did Kressle in, and said adventurers are back cartographing these lands, he may send a kill squad that tracks us...and if they fall upon us in the night, that could get nasty. I think finding some way to magically conceal our tracks would be advisable.
Maybe a 3 use per day item that covers all of us? How much would that cost?(I could do the math by looking it up but maybe you know the formula by heart?) Not like we could get it right now, just considering planning ahead for the future.
Also, since my weapon will automatically level with me, I may have some disposable income that I can direct towards things I personally feel would benefit the party.
I believe Alarm is more of an in-door spell. With a 20-feet radius emanation, by the time it triggers, they are already doing a surprise round. Unless it's cast about 8 times in a circle around the camp, which will probably wake us 5 times a night when some tiny forest critter enters the camps perimeter...
Gnome Sorcerer 4 | AC: 15, TAC: 13, FAC: 13, CMD: 11 | HP 7/23 | Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +6 | Init +5 | Perception +9, Sense Motive +2, Darkvision 60' |
Resources:
Spell Slots available: 1st: 5/8 2nd: 3/4 Claws: 8/8 rounds left SLAs: Dancing Lights, Prestidigitation, Flare, Produce Flame
Alia of the Blade wrote:
Hey, our Ranger was unable to track Rain. It took Scarlet to do that, so it may not have been that easy ;)
Mainly that's because we don't have a ranger. :P
By the time I am 9th level I will be able to use my own spell slots to cast a spell like that off a scroll with a UMD check... maybe sooner if I make a Robe of Arcane Heritage. That might be too long in the future though.
Rope trick is another option - it's much easier to stand guard when your enemy has to climb a rope and through a small entry to get at you. Rope Trick isn't much good for the horses though, and I wasn't planning on "wasting" a spell known slot on it.
Male Gnome Bard/ 3rd AC: 15 (T 12, FF 14), HP 20/20 5NL, Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1; +2 Enchantment | CMB +1, CMD 14 | Init +3 | Perc +4
RPGGGM wrote:
Paizo... internet... crap... post later... Posh?
Though I had already posted? Also, as Scarlet said, Humble Bundle appears to have slapped the Paizo servers HARD! I ignored it, but now I've taken a look I'm going to have to buy into this bundle.
Though I had already posted? Also, as Scarlet said, Humble Bundle appears to have slapped the Paizo servers HARD! I ignored it, but now I've taken a look I'm going to have to buy into this bundle.
well, looking at your post history, the last proper gameplay post is 8 days ago, and I think we still were at the fair, then. I dare say if you did post, you either only previewed instead of submitting, or board goblins ate your post.
| Bloodrage 12/12 | Fire Strikes 3/3 | HP 43/43 | AC 18 T 14 F 14(Uncanny Dodge) | CMD 19 | Saves 6/4/0 (+1 Will vs Mind Affecting) | Init 3 | Perception 3 | 4 Female Ifrit Bloodrager (elemental, fire) | Spells 2 |
The Humble Bundle is pretty good if you don't have most of the books there. Only Ultimate Adventure piques my interest, and it's at such a high tier I'm better off buying the book directly.
I'll just imagine a crowd of shoppers flooding Scarlet, Grogan, Rain and the rest of the party so they can't take any actions.
Aye, I took a look too. Hoping the average drops to 15 or below again.
I own several Physical copies of books, and have acccess to most physical copies via a friend co-running an RPG-club.
Plus I do most of my looking up on the SRD. So yeah, its an awesome bundle and I'd like to purchase the highest non-physical tier just to support Paizo. But the average is higher than that :P
Just a heads up. I am posting this in all my games, so you may see it more than once.
I am leaving for a cruise at 2am on March 5th. I'll be on the road all night and arriving at the ship midday. I won't have internet access til sometime the night of the 5th... For the next 2 weeks, I will have spotty internet (wifi at sea isn't the best), and I'll probably only be checking in at night once a day. Please if my character needs to take action between my own posts, GM feel free to bot me as necessary.
Ship returns to port on March 19th, and I will resume normal posting on the 20th.
Thanks, and sorry for any inconvenience my semi-absence may cause.
