PBP Game Day 7: 9-03 On the Border of War

Game Master SwampTing

Opening gameplay thread for dots.

.

"Wwwooooahhhh. Check it out, Ikarus... We're in space..."
"Wwwooooahhhh. Check it out, Ikarus... We're in space..."

The familiar rolls its eyes and shrugs its tentacles before going back to reading its water-proof book inside the Aquarium ball.

Entering invisibly

A disembodied voice lets out a loud sigh, followed by a grumbling string of words that sound vaguely depressed.

*SIGH!* "grumble guess grumble grumble where they're sending grumble grumble bad kids. Friggin' grumble grumble...figures."

"I guess this is where they're sending all the bad kids. Friggin' blank room...figures."

Exiting invisibly

From outside the room walks a slender half-elf with stringy, raven black hair. He is dressed from head to toe in dark clothing, from dark browns or grays, to black. He has no visible weapons but wears several leather pouches on his belt. He barely casts so much as a passing glance at anyone as he enters the room. He heads to an open spot on one wall and casually leans against it.

Fingering a pair of knuckle bone dice, he cracks a lopsided smile as he greets the room.

"Hey folks. The name's Serres, but everyone just calls me Fade. Well some call me other things, but that can't be helped. Anyway, does anyone of you know the specs of why they called us here?"

His smile a thing of the past, he impatiently taps his foot while waiting for a response...

When none seems forthcoming he screws up another smile and offers, "Anyone care to try their hand at dice while we wait? I just learned how to play and it seems really fun. I'll put down a gold piece if anyone cares to give it a try."

I know the game doesn't officially start for a month and a half but I figure a little Roleplay doesn't hurt. Gets the characters to know one another a bit first.

Tofu's eyes open wide as he doesn't even see the newcomer before he leans up against the wall. The octopus at his side seems to have been watching the entire time, one eye peeking over a water-proofed book it holds in it's tentacles.

"Woooahhhh! Ikarus, that guy just showed up out of nowhere!"
The trident he wears on his back sings.
"Woooahhhh! Ikarus, that guy just showed up out of nowhere!"

The Aquatic Elf then pulls out some herbs from his pouch and starts mashing them together to create a tonic.

Intrigue fills the Deep Sea Octopus's eyes as it loves the prospect of a good gamble; all in fun, of course.

It reaches over into Tofu's coin purse and pulls out 100 copper coins. Ikarus then pulls the cover over his aquarium ball and rolls the ball like some sort of aquatic hamster up towards Serres. The ball stops in front of his feet and Ikarus then opens the top of the ball, placing the coins in front of his sphere.

Blrblrlbrlbrl.

As if there was some sort of telepathic empathy between the two, Tofu then looks up at his familiar, eyes blank, and says starts mumbling very quietly.

The trident, however, sings out loud.
"You have my attention, land dweller."

As my familiar is a Sage archetype, he has every knowledge. This is how information gets communicated from the Familiar to the party.

Antonella’s adventuring equipment is tucked neatly in a corner. Her bedroll serves as a prayer mat in the bare room’s center. The monk sits quietly with her eyes closed, adopting the cross-legged Padmāsana asana. She exists in harmony with the bowl of water before her, whose surface is free of ripples.

Focus on the water’s tranquillity. Become One with the water. I am the water.

A dot sized depression breaks the water’s surface, like someone has cast a coin into the bowl. A single ripple emanates from the vessel’s center. Once it reaches the clay edge, the water once again becomes calm.

Antonella opens her eyes.

She spots Serres.

“I would see what you have to offer, Brother Fade.”

In a single fluid action she rises and glides to the dark elf’s side, holding out her hand expectantly. (Edit) She sidesteps Ikarus’s roll-path – nodding respectfully to the octopus and its Master.

If the half-elf obliges, Antonella turns the coin over once in her palm before returning the article.

“You stake worthless gold. Presumably for the chance of acquiring more.”

The paladin’s tone and expression are neutral. “I am not opposed to games of conflict between intelligent operators.” Another bow to Ikarus.

“But for me to hazard something meaningful, the payoff must be worthy of the wager.”

"Gold worthless?! Caw! You crazy mammal! Gold is good! Shiny!"

The speaker is a tengu, resplendent in gleaming mithral breastplate decorated with medals and ribbons (although the ribbons are of the type that belong on a child's dress rather than a soldier's uniform).

"Me Baron Tooth of Ravenmoor! Me very important. Him Claw." The tengu gestures towards a giant, red and green praying mantis that looms behind him silent and immobile as a statue.

"Him Sven, him Ulfen Guard. Him protect me." Baron Tooth next indicates an Ulfen shield-bearer stood closeby. The Ulfen nods curtly in acknowledgement. Sven is a Vanity from a chronicle sheet.

"Show game, elf." Baron Tooth looks on, wanting to know the rules of the game before he decides whether to stake his precious gold.

"..."

"Gold worthless?! Caw! You crazy mammal! Gold is good! Shiny!"

“All that glisters is not gold — Often(?) have you heard that … told??”

Antonella notes the expression on the baron’s feathered face. “The Bard? Chelish playwright Amalia Wraxton of Pezzack-on-Sea??”

“Is there no Tengu equivalent, Brother Tooth?”

Fade looks over the water filled sphere as it rolls toward him, and his eyes go wide in surprise as the voice comes from the trident. "Well that's different." he says with a bemused look on his face. "Your coin is just as good as anyone's Fishbowl. But let's see what the lady here has to say before we get to rollin' the bones."

As his eyes take in the dark skinned Irorian before him, Fade just shakes his head and chuckles at her comment.

"You shouldn't call it worthless just because you don't value it. I know plenty of people that value it highly. I thought you Irorian's were supposed to be enlightened. You must be new." he says with an annoying smirk.

Throwing his hands in the air as if suddenly giving up, he quickly adds, "But that doesn't mean I'm not up for a different sort of wager. I was just making the bet with something most people have available. Hells, even the Fishbowl here had some coin to bet with so I wasn't far off. If you've got something else to offer, consider me interested." He says the last with a very suggestive raise of his eye brows.

Looking to Tooth he smiles and says, "A wise one always knows the rules before they play."

He laces his fingers and cracks them loudly before holding up the dice and explaining the rules.

Instead of listing the rules of craps, assume it is a shorter, faster version. Fade keeps it honest for awhile, winning or loosing at the whim of the dice. After that he would stop the game and show everyone how easy it is to win, rolling whatever number someone calls out. He refuses to explain how he's doing it and instead offers to bet on whether someone can catch him cheating. He pays up fairly if someone does catch him with an opposed roll of perception vs his slight of hand. Of course by that point he is likely just paying them with coin he already took from their purses, but that is another matter altogether.

“I thought you Irorian's were supposed to be enlightened. You must be new.”

“Entirely possible.”

Antonella presses her palms together. “I do not recall the form of my last incarnation. Nor whether this is my first rebirth.”

“I may have last travelled the Mountain as a rat, goat or … dark elf.”

“If you've got something else to offer, consider me interested.”

“Forgive me, brother. Perhaps you did not hear.”

*Deadpans* “For me to hazard something meaningful, the payoff must be worthy of the wager.”

"All that...? Ha! you right. Mithral also glister!" Tooth puffs out his chest to more prominently display his armour. He preens and struts, pleased with his cleverness.

"Me play game."

Tooth wagers a coin or two with Fade. "You cheat? Trickery in war OK, trick friends not OK."

perception, wasp focus: 1d20 + 15 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 15 + 4 = 31

Knight Captain Dailung is a tiny young woman of great beauty, about 4`7`` with maybe 95 pounds. In her human form she has long blond hairs with emerald green eyes of Taldorian origin. In her true form she has rustred hair. Usually she wears revealing clothes that do not hinder her movements of light colours with the insignie of a Captain of the eagle knights and a beautiful embroided rune cloak of saphire and gold. On a mission she wears a light chainshirt of finest mithral for protection and for weapons a longsword and a scimitar of mithral.
"Well met all."
Doesn´t this start till August?

"Blrblrblrblrb."

Ikarus then picks up a tentacle full of coin, about two, weighing them, and then tosses them in the center.

"Blrb."

Again, Tofu's eyes stare blankly at his familiar and he mumbles.

The trident hums, "Perhaps we shall go by formal names afterall, as is custom amongst the surface folk. I am Ikarus of the Deep Sea, and this is my follower; Deep Tofu. If you can read Tien then you can take a guess as to why he's called that, for he does not remember his own name."

"I'll start the blinds."

“For me to hazard something meaningful, the payoff must be worthy of the wager.”

"Blrblrblrblrbl,blrblrblb."

This time, Tofu's concentration breaks away from Ikarus, and he continues mashing random herbs together into a small bottle.
"I don't get what you mean by 'definition of irony' Anyways, chow time little guy."
"I don't get what you mean by 'definition of irony' Anyways, chow time little guy."

He then offers up the concoction he made and dumps it into the aquarium ball, and it appears Ikarus is enjoying the flavors mixed within.

*Deadpans* “For me to hazard something meaningful, the payoff must be worthy of the wager.”

"Ouch. The kitten has claws." Fade says with a mild grin.

I can't fault her for a solid assessment though., he thinks to himself, nodding appreciatively.

Then he turns back to the game at hand.

"Watch closely, and if you catch me cheating, you win the bet."

"Me play game."

Tooth wagers a coin or two with Fade. "You cheat? Trickery in war OK, trick friends not OK."

perception, wasp focus: 1d20 + 15 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 15 + 4 = 31

"This isn't really cheating now, since I told you I was about to do it. Now it's just your sharp eyes against my skill. Good luck."

Sleight of Hand: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (11) + 23 = 34

"Well, at least you learned I have a skill that can come in handy, and it only cost you a single coin! That's a deal if I ever heard one!" Fade says with an annoyingly wide grin.

Sleight of Hand: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (15) + 23 = 38

Claw later discovers his coin purse has an unexpected extra coin.

“Ha! you right. Mithral also glister!”

“Can we talk … practical philosophy while you pursue your vice, Brother Tooth?”

Antonella frowns – perhaps in concentration, perhaps at the rolling dice as she tries to understand. “I realize gold and mithral are both shiny.”

“But so are the common sulphide minerals of iron and copper – pyrite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite.”

“Are you saying fool’s gold is prized as much as the so-called precious metals in your society?”

"Bah... Gold isn't just shinny." Fade says, interrupting from over his shoulder as the dice continue to roll.

"It has all sorts of uses and the rest of the value is in its rarity."

Finally looking up from the dice, he stares directly at Antonella.

"From what I've heard, gold doesn't react like other metals. That can be really important for magic or alchemy... Those minerals you just mentioned, iron and copper? They react plenty, rusting and tarnishing. Gold doesn't do that, at least the last time I checked. When something is rare, beautiful and useful, it's usually thought of as valuable. Kinda like people."

Then after a short pause he adds, "Again, the last time I checked."

He winks and then twists his head back around to the dice game.

"... I really don't know what everyone is talking about." Looking around blankly at everyone in the room. "By the way, you can call me Tofu." He says blankly, forgetting that his Familiar already introduced both of them to everyone.

Tooth squints back at Antonella.

Py-what? Why these mammal monks always want to argue?

"Taldor value all minerals and precious shinies! Ha! Fade wise. Me shiny too! Me prettiest girl in village. Me have ribbon!"

Tooth looks back to the dice, satisfied that he has answered the monk fully.

“There are many inert alchemical and arcane substances that are far less costly than gold, Good Fade.”

“When something is rare, beautiful and useful, it's usually thought of as valuable. Kinda like people.”

A thin smile. “Especially when it’s people.”

“Me shiny too! Me prettiest girl in village. Me have ribbon!”

“I feel you are onto something there, brother.”

Antonella lifts her head for a long moment before nodding twice.

The paladin’s gaze shifts from the rolling bones, to rest briefly on Tofu’s face before moving on to Ikarus. “Who is winning, Brother Ikarus?”

“There are many inert alchemical and arcane substances that are far less costly than gold, Good Fade.”

"Eh, what do I know. I'm no alchemist. I did get stuck in the mud with one once though, but I doubt that counts for much." he says with a shrug of his shoulders. Then he adds, "Anyway, thanks for the education."

Antonella lifts her head for a long moment before nodding twice. “I believe one reason for the yellow metal’s popularity is many women like it.”

"Well the Sisters of the Savored Sting sure do, I will tell ya that!"

Then to everyone's horror, he starts to tell an extremely unappreciated story of this one time, in Absalom...

"Ikarus likes gold because it lets him buy books that don't take water damage." Tofu says, unhelpfully to the situation.
Oh Tofu, let that 7 Charisma shine bright!

BLRBLRBLRBLRLBRLRBLRBLRBBRLBRBBRLRRBLRBLRBL!!BLRBLRBLBRLB!"

Tofu's eyes glaze over again, and he mumbles. The trident blurts out "What kind of miserable cheatin-" before Tofu suddenly snaps back into reality.
"I just had the weirdest dream about Fade's mother."

Tofu's eyes glaze over again, and he mumbles. The trident blurts out "What kind of miserable cheatin-" before Tofu suddenly snaps back into reality.

"I just had the weirdest dream about Fade's mother."

Fade says with a resigned sigh, "I wish I could say that was the only time someone told me that."

Antonella expels a sound remarkably like a <giggle> –– which turns into an extended *coughing* fit.

She gives Fade an embarrassed smile before pretending to frown at Tofu.

Dailung taps her hand once than puts down her hat to get a nap.
"Wake me if the Venture captain arrives".

A nervous-looking liveried servant rushes into the room. Glancing around, he approaches the Baron, bows deeply, and proffers a scroll sealed by the official Seal of Taldor. "Urgent message, M'Lord." The servant bows again, and departs.

Tooth breaks the seal, and reads...

"Hmm, yes. Oh! Mmmm. Me is needed in Taldor for very secret mission! Me sure me will be back soon enough to help here too."

Tooth turns and exits, followed by the silent giant mantis.

Off to PaizoCon UK this weekend, where Tooth&Claw have several missions lined up! Hopefully will return intact, and level 9!

Caught by surprise from this sudden outburst, Tofu looks up to see that Tooth is no longer in the room.
"Wait, what?.. Oh.. Ok."
Best of luck, and come back alive! :D

After several days or perhaps weeks Baron Tooth returns, still accompanied by his giant mantis companion and faithful ulfen guard Sven.

"Me is back! Me not kill any more dragons. Me kill lions. And tigers." Tooth looks thoughtful, and a little sad. Then he perks up quickly. "Me go back home too! Not Ravenmoor. Ravenmoor very good place, but me go back to Kwanlai. Me meet beautiful tengu lady! She called Mika, she brave and fierce warrior of Twenty-Four Masks. Mika going to marry me! Me hope."

Baron Tooth sits happily, his mind on his new love.

“Praise the Iro-shu you have returned safely to us, Brother Tooth –– and Brothers Claw and Sven of course.”

“I am sure those lions and tigers deserved to die.” Antonella adds, though her expression suggests she’s not at all sure.

“If Fair Mika does agree to give you her talon in marriage, I would be pleased to perform the ceremony. Traditional Tien Iroran weddings are proving popular amongst Absalom nobility this summer.”

"If there's gonna be a wedding then I might even wear a clean... well I'm sure I have something clean... somewhere." Fade offers while picking off a piece of very old... food?... from his jerkin.

He furrows his brow and looks to the floor, his head tilting one ear to the doorway. "I think I hear the VC coming. If it isn't them, I'd be surprised."

Dailung puts her hat to the correct place and leans forward.
"Its a good idea to nap before a mission. One never knows if you have a chance later!"

"A wedding? I can bring the pesh."
A wedding? I can bring the pesh.

You have been sent from Absalom to meet Venture- Captain Alvar Hadrias in the Brevic city of Restov, and you have only just arrived at Birchwood Hall, the local Pathfinder lodge in the city.

Sturdy wood paneling runs the length of Birchwood Hall’s main corridor. Framed sketches of garment designs hang along the walls beside glass-encased pieces of fine raiment. Thick shelves carry an assortment of headwear and shoes, each carefully labeled with small, engraved plaques specifying their origins and cultural significance.

To the far south, the gallery opens into a circular lounge where a middle-aged Taldan man sits mending the hem of an ornate blue silk robe. This would be Alvar Hadrias, who sets down his work when your presence is announced.

“Pathfinders, thank you for coming. Pardon me; I was just finishing up restoring a new arrival. The Six Springs Empress herself wore this garment. It’s a very exciting addition to the collection. But enough of all that—I’m afraid I must be brief. Time is of the essence."

“Tensions are rising in the local town of Zmeyka regarding the rightful ownership of the region. The main source of contention comes from the noble houses of Orlovsky and Surtova. While I would appreciate if you could gather information on the current political climate and help soothe the strain, your primary task lies elsewhere.

“The unfortunate truth is that Brevoy is likely headed toward civil war, with Zmeyka as its starting point. Such violence is sure to lead to the destruction of many valuable relics, including an ancient local site known as Hartsfall Keep. It is now little more than ruins, but most of its history has gone undocumented. I need you to explore the keep and learn as much about its history as possible for our records before it’s destroyed.

“Avoiding war would be ideal if you can discover a solution to end the current divide between Surtova and Orlovsky, but that may not be an option at this point. If you can present yourselves as neutral arbiters, you may have a chance. Your main focus should be on logging your findings and retrieving any artifacts for safekeeping. In the meantime, I am bound for the capital to see if I can convince King Noleski Surtova not to send more troops that way. ”

Dailung puts her hat to the correct place and leans forward.

"Its a good idea to nap before a mission. One never knows if you have a chance later!"

"Go ahead and nap." says the half-elf, his head suddenly snapping to attention. "We'll just keep watch..."

It isn't at all creepy...even in the slightest.

Of course that is when Venture- Captain Alvar Hadrias has the group sent for.

“Pathfinders, thank you for coming. Pardon me; I was just finishing up restoring a new arrival. The Six Springs Empress herself wore this garment. It’s a very exciting addition to the collection. But enough of all that—I’m afraid I must be brief. Time is of the essence."

Isn't it always... Fade thinks to himself. Rush, rush, rush. Trudge, trudge, trudge. Here it comes.

“Tensions are rising in the local town of Zmeyka regarding the rightful ownership of the region. The main source of contention comes from the noble houses of Orlovsky and Surtova. While I would appreciate if you could gather information on the current political climate and help soothe the strain, your primary task lies elsewhere.

Ugh! Then get to the point already!

“The unfortunate truth is that Brevoy is likely headed toward civil war, with Zmeyka as its starting point. Such violence is sure to lead to the destruction of many valuable relics, including an ancient local site known as Hartsfall Keep. It is now little more than ruins, but most of its history has gone undocumented. I need you to explore the keep and learn as much about its history as possible for our records before it’s destroyed.

This doesn't sound bad. Not bad at all.

“Avoiding war would be ideal if you can discover a solution to end the current divide between Surtova and Orlovsky, but that may not be an option at this point. If you can present yourselves as neutral...

I like this guy. No mud and guts to walk through. No demons to deal with. Just a walk through a war zone and a skip through an abandoned keep. What could go wrong?

"They don't get much more neutral than me." Fade offers tonelessly.

"So what can you tell us about the two different sides in this possible civil war? Any special players in the families we should know about?"

"House Surtova and House Orlovsky are both noble houses of Brevoy. After the reigning royal House of Rogarvia vanished, House Surtova assumed the throne, much to the chagrin of some of the other houses. House Orlovsky and House Surtova both have ancestral claims to Zmeyka, and with House Rogarvia gone, the land’s ownership has fallen into question.”

You can roll a knowledge nobility to know more.

"BlrblBrblrblrrrb."
Know Nobility: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Ikarus will reveal all he knows about the subject matter by relaying it through Deep Tofu's Singing Trident.

Knowledge (nobility): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

"Hmm...never heard of 'em. I mean I'm sure their nice and all, what with all that chagrin and stuff they got going on." Fade replies, obviously misinterpreting what the venture captain said.

"What can you tell us about the keep? I know you said it's in ruins and that most of its history has gone undocumented, but what has been documented?"

Sadly, Fade doesn't have Know:history to even roll on.

know.nobility, confidante: 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 12 + 2 = 30

A liveried servant whispers in the Baron's ear before vanishing back into the shadows...

“Me know these Houses. Me is Baron!" Tooth recounts what he knows, whilst proudly puffing out his chest.

“We agree Surtova is rightful King, Captain? Only gods say who can rule! It very bad sin to usurp throne!"

“I need you to explore the keep and learn as much about its history as possible for our records before it’s destroyed.”

“Avoiding war would be ideal if you can discover a solution to end the current divide between Surtova and Orlovsky.”

“A couple of points, Venture-Captain.”

Knowledge (nobility): 1d20 ⇒ 12

Antonella bows respectfully to the Taldan, but is clearly unimpressed with Profession (fashion designer) as a day job cover.

“Firstly, where is Hartsfall Keep in relation to Zmeyka? Do we need to contact any local bureaucracy before crawling through its dungeons?”

“Moreover, when do you think our diplomatic skills will come to the fore?”

She watches the VC carefully. “Before we enter the keep, to discover the matter in dispute between the warring parties –– perhaps to get a sense of what might bring them together?”

“Or after we’ve plumbed the dungeon deep, wherein a solution to the impasse may reveal itself?”

Dailung just laughs and listens now intently!

“Do we need to contact any local bureaucracy before crawling through its dungeons?”

Fade just hangs his head and lets out a quiet sigh...

“Moreover, when do you think our diplomatic skills will come to the fore?”

She watches the VC carefully. “Before we enter the keep, to discover the matter in dispute between the warring parties –– perhaps to get a sense of what might bring them together?”

“Or after we’ve plumbed the dungeon deep, wherein a solution to the impasse may reveal itself?”

...and his sigh turns into a chuckle as he utters softly, "This is going to be more fun than I thought."