Planescape - The Blood War (Inactive)

Game Master Tourach

"I would also add: explore the ruins to the list of things to do. If they left tomes, they may have left other things including artifacts. Those of us that have had a longer period of training in the magical arts may be able to find things that have been overlooked."

Katrin nods to Kayla and says, "This would be a good idea in our case. The more artefacts and spells we have, the more resources we can bring to bear to oppose this king and his chaotic policies of government."

Now, was that so hard?

The young man chuckles and starts walking again, listening to the others respond, Now we're getting somewhere.

"Gyda must not be present right now or she would have met us at the entrance. We will certainly let her know that you wish to speak with her when she returns. You mayfind an are that will be serviceable as a home if you wish, we take up only a small portion of these ruins. As for the scouting of King Hadan's forces or exploration of the ruins further...I do not know how we can help. We certainly would not stand in your way, but we have not found a map of anything deeper. If one of you is capable of reading elvish however, I believe that would help. We can show you a book we've found in the language in case the language is different...wherever you have come from."

Qalendar nods with curiosity, I'd like to see these books. He looks around the group. Does anyone understand elvish? I may be able to translate these books, but it will take a significant amount of time. More time than I expect we have if they are of any significant length.

Corey nods and leads you deeper into the settlement area. Going to what appears to be a makeshift library he pulls down a book and hands it to Qalendar. It is an old journal written in Elven though there are some notes scrawled in Undercommon in the margins.

"Many if not most of us can speak and read the elvish tongue. A necessity if you want to study arcane magic here. I simply wished to warn you that if you push deeper into the ruins sign, tomes, and other things are likely to be written like this one."

Tithonius gazes about the library, then turns to the others.

"I'm not sure exploration of these ruins should be our primary focus. We still have much information to gather about the capabilities of these mages and the forces of the king."

Turning to Corey, "Who's idea was it to ask help from the Baatezu? Who taught you to open that portal, and where to look for help?"

Qalendar nods, As much as I am curious about these ruins, I agree, we need to know more about this King, his motivations, and his power. Though if you are all proficient in elvish, perhaps, if we do ever explore them further, we shall have to do so with a guide. Something for later, however.

"How are outsiders viewed around here? Will we be immediately locked up if it is discovered we are not natives here or will we be able to walk around freely?"

"Our nation is nearly exclusively human. I would suggest that those of you that appear unusual should conceal yourselves as best you can. But our villages are quite different. It is unlikely that anyone will think it odd to meet a human they have never met before."

Tithonius waits, clearly expecting Corey to answer his questions.

Corey looks at Tithonius. "If you are looking for more details, you'll have to talk to Gyda about it when you get to speak with her."

Nora chuckles to herself as he mentions concealing herself. "I may be able to sway some people, but never really been one to hide what I am."

At this point I would have a disguise skill of +6 (after race change). Enough for casual observance, but wouldn't want to rely on it for an extended information gathering.

"Thank you for all the information Corey. I think we have some decisions to make about how to proceed with this. Could you let us know when Gyda returns?"

Katrin nods to Corey on his comments and says, "You are indeed correct that many of our group are more than human. Three of our party bear the marks of planar blood. The planar-blooded are very common in Sigil where planar races gather and crossbreed with the local harlots. The Planar-Blooded are unheard of in my homeworld of Krynn so I can believe that they are also unheard of in this realm. This could make it difficult for them to blend in with the local populace."

Corey seems completely confused by what Katrin is saying, but just nods slowly nonetheless. He bows slightly to Nora and speaks. "If you are around I will inform you. Though I suspect that you will know when she returns. There are only fifty or so of us here, so any group coming and going is an obvious occurrence."

Kayla frowns at Katrin's discussion of planar-blooded. Wait a minute, did she really just call my mother a harlot?

"Let's not confuse them with talk of our own homes. For now, how about we go and stake out our own area of the ruins where will be bunking down at? We can also discuss what our first action should be while we wait for Gyda."

This area has a number of small buildings and was likely a residential expansion of some sort for lower class residents. As a result, and given the small number of local residents, finding a building to claim is quite easy.

Let me know if your intention is to find somewhere deeper to go. No one really disturbs you or interferes if you want to move further into the ruins.

I'm fine with staying here, though it will make it easier to be eavesdropped upon.

Nora will go with group consensus on whether to push further in or not. Her preference would be to find a spot further in though.

Qalendar looks into the ruins, If we proceed further today, I will be of limited use without some form of light. But I can make enough to not fall over my own feet, just not enough to see anything other than those feet.

He smiles, But I'm fine with that as long as you are. I don't suppose anyone brought a torch? The young man chuckles as he looks around the group.

"We could ask one of the mages here if they have any spare torches. Surely they must have some since they are living in this cavern."

Are the two original mages still nearby to talk to?

Tithonius unslings his pack and sets it on the cold stone floor. It's a bulky affair, and after unfastening the straps, he draws forth a torch and flint and steel. A moment's focus, and the sparks catch on the dry tinder, and with careful breaths that he blows through the slit in his helm, he fans the flames across the torch and then stands and hands it to Qalendar.

"Come," he says, voice hollow and low. "Let's find a quiet corner and discuss our plans."

Without waiting for the others, he shoulders his pack and leads the way deeper into the tunnels, not looking to go far but keeping an eye out for a convenient and sheltered spot in which to camp.

Katrin says, "I cannot hold a torch while wielding my Polearm. Someone will have to stand behind me with a light source and illuminate what is in front of me. Unlike the plane-blooded here, us prime worlders lack the means of seeing in the dark without a light source"

Qalendar takes the offered torch and follows Tithonius.

Well, lucky for us, our friend here has provided one.

Since you have a torch I'm assuming you aren't asking the locals for one, but just to give you a better description, they are taking up less than the size of a modern city block among the lot of them. So everyone is close to where you are right now. Also it isn't a "tunnel" more like a very large cavern (at least from what you can see at the current moment) that is filled with a city. None of you can currently see any edges, but without light that isn't surprising (since Darkvision doesn't extend terribly far).

As you move a bit deeper into the city, you find that the buildings are dirtier and in less well-kept condition. It seems obvious that the mages have done a bit of work to sure up the structures they reside in but have left these untouched. Still what remains of the walls of buildings are made of stone and seem fairly durable and it is easy to find somewhere that doesn't seem in immediate danger of collapse.

It does quickly become clear, however, that the mages have searched this area before and there are no items, book or otherwise, that seem to be of any relevance or value in these nearby buildings.

Tithonius stalks ahead of the group like some spectral wraith, his bare upper torso pallid in the torch-light, his helm gleaming and glinting as disparate angles and curves catch the faint illumination. When he finally turns into a house that seems in a better state of repair than the others, he surveys the blank shelves and single empty chest before turning to where the others stand in the doorway.

"I am growing as suspicious of our hosts as you all are." His voice now is a metallic rasp, as of a metallic snake sliding over a file. "Still, this place is defensible and I don't expect an immediate attack. I am, however, getting the impression that this Gyda is setting us up." Tithonius shakes his head, "Perhaps I am grown paranoid."

He then moves to sit on the ancient wooden frame of a bed, the mattress itself long rotted away or stolen. Surveying the group, he interlaces his hands between his knees and continues.

"What have we learned thus far? There are four practicing mages, led by this Gyda, and forty other camp followers. They discovered their art by studying elven tomes in these ruins. They fell into disfavor with the king when their previous leader refused to go to battle. They summoned help, but apparently have no knowledge of the planes, Sigil, or what kind of help might be sent. Have I missed anything?"

He reaches up then to wipe away a dollop of rust-colored ichor that begins running down his neck from the edge of his helm. "It is a pity we did not see the contract they signed with the Baatezu. I would know what they offered in exchange for our services."

Qalendar looks around with an amused smile, Nice place you have here. Cozy.

We know that this land is called Sarendon. I know a little about the local towns. Some names. I think I could point them out if we had a map. There are about a half dozen villages to the south...seven maybe? Those have yet to be conquered. South of that are mountains. We know that there are elves to the north, but not if it is a nation, or simply a presence of villages.

I know a little about the local law. It is essentially that "might makes right" with each village is controlled by the strongest. We know that there is a King who has taken control and called these collected villages Sarendon. We don't have specifics concerning the laws. And we do not know how stable, or unstable, this situation is.

He frowns slightly, When asked about a contract earlier, they said they hadn't signed one. Is there any reason to believe they lied? Not that I would put it past them, just curious. Perhaps their interests simply aligned with our employers. If so, I'd be curious as to why.

Tithonius nods.

"Questions for Gyda. What are the extent of her powers? What can her three mages do? Did they ever try selling their magic as a weapon to the king? If not, why not?"

The tiefling lapses into a pensive silence, from which he rouses himself after a few moments. "These seven independent villages could be worth visiting and uniting in opposition to the king if events take a martial direction."

"There may very well not be any contract yet. The devils may not see any point in one unless they can manage to not be put to death by their king. They may also be priming them for a very large contract later by first offering to send them some help and showing them that being an ally to devils is a useful thing to be."

I'm assuming that you have moved far enough away from the group that you aren't being actively observed or overheard but that you didn't actually conceal where you were going. Let me know if that is a misunderstanding. With that said, let me know if you want to do anything else, otherwise you aren't disturbed for the rest of the day.

I don't believe we were being particularly sneaky. Torch and all. Though I think we went far enough in that it would require a torch or light to follow us. Or some other way of seeing, obviously. But, at least Qalendar wasn't checking.

Well, we have plenty of questions for Gyda. And these southern villages are worth looking into. We shall see.

I concur on the non-sneakiness, just a little overt recon.

"Their honesty or motivations don't really matter to me. I don't work for them. The bosses want the finger wagglers to come out on top of this conflict, so we make it happen. Gaslight said the bosses wanted these dazzlers running the show and to make sure there is a show left over once the dust settles. That might take 'large scale revolt' off the table"

"Don't sound like putting the king in the dead book is going to do much. What we needs is a sympathetic champion that we can get to challenge the king for the crown. Once we got someone in the fancy chair, we can get things moving towards a proper rule of law." He squints around at the ruins. "Maybe we can scrounge something that'll help with establishing our champion."

Time passes and the mage group is fairly quiet, you rarely hear sounds coming from their area that drift far enough to be perceptible to you. Though the lack of light makes it somewhat difficult to tell, around what seems to be the middle of the night you hear an unfamiliar voice moving in your direction.

"Hello, newcomers? Are you here? I'm told you wanted to speak with Gyda?" The voice continues to call out and move in your direction, the light of a torch eventually becoming visible, though they aren't moving directly toward you, just in your general direction.

Tithonius rouses himself from where he sits slumped against the wall, arms crossed, and rises to his feet. As the others stir, he takes up the torch that's no doubt guttered and died, and lights it anew.

Holding aloft the flaming brand, he steps into the doorway, and calls out, "Gyda? This direction."

Kayla stands up and waits for the mage to make her way to their camp.

A child appears, a young boy, and shakes his head. "No, not Gyda. But she has returned to our camp and I was told to search you out in case you still wanted to speak with her. If you do, you are welcome to return to us and I believe she will give you some time."

Qalendar stands with a smile, Well, what excellent timing. Everyone ready?

Tithonius turns to look over his shoulder at the group rousing themselves within the abandoned building, and nods his helm, the torch casting dancing shadows and light across the ruined walls.

"Indeed. We are summoned yet again. Let us hope this meeting proves more informative."

That said, and when the others are ready, the tiefling nods to the boy. "Lead on."

"I am ready. Perhaps after this will we have a better understanding of what is going on."

And how to accomplish our mission.

You are all lead back toward the camp to one of the buildings at the edge of the mage-occupied area. Inside, the run down structure has been mostly converted into a library with shelves and shelves of books and scrolls covering most of the walls. A blond haired woman in her mid thirties sits inside of the room and as she greets you your guide runs off back to the rest of the camp.

"I'm told you wished to speak with me. We do appreciate your help, so please, ask away."

Tithonius, in an act of extreme self-control, deliberately steps back and turns to look at Qalendar, who no doubt will be pleasant and patient and speak honeyed words. Possibly more constructive than the tiefling's approach. Of course, should it prove not to be, he's more than ready to step forward once more.

"My name is Kayla and before we can provide you with assistance, we first need some more information as to what the situation here is like. We are a bit unclear on the population size of this kingdom and the numbers of men the king commands. Also, information about the political structure would be useful along with knowing who the king listens to and actually takes advice from."

"We are also rather curious about how your own group formed and how you first learned how to decipher the books and learn magic from them."

Katrin lets Kayla do the talking with Gyda, seeing that she does not understand any of this magical stuff and just keeps an eye on the situation.

Qalendar smiles as he stands with the others. He doesn't seem to be paying attention to the conversation at all, spending more of his time looking around the room at the books.

"I believe we have maps if you are looking for geographic information. I'm sure that we can make one available to you. As for the number of men that King Hadan commands, that varies. I have never been to Sarendon village myself, but I believe that there are approximately one hundred standing militia though I am sure that he can double that number in short order. If he is moving to war, he will call forces from the other villages to a staging point and march from there."

She eyes Qalendar, but doesn't stop him from looking at the books as she continues, "I don't know how the king organizes his advisors, but I imagine you'll have better luck asking around in Sarendon than we would. I imagine they are all living in the village or at least nearby. His uncle Octavian, however, is sympathetic to our cause." She pauses, shaking her head, "Well perhaps not sympathetic, but he is older than the king and recognizes that he cannot win a duel. He hopes that our research is a manner in which he can be granted the power to take control."

She moves over to one of the shelves, digging for a leather-bound journal that looks fairly new, at least compared to most of the books. "I was not among those that discovered this place, but they took good notes. It was originally simply a refuge from a storm and the cavern had recently collapsed and exposed this place. The portion we now call home was searched and these books were discovered, some of them now known to be wizard spellbooks. The more intelligent among us were able to learn the first steps to being a mage and things have progressed slowly from there. We have not, however, pressed much farther into the ruins; there are strange sounds, especially at night, that come from deeper in and we do not have the privilege of risking lives pressing the issue."

Qalendar, the books and scrolls vary greatly in size and shape and if you take them down, most are in Elven. Some have much more recent notes written in Common inside, probably from the group of mages.

"How powerful have you and your mages become? Could you make peace with the king by showing him that magic can be used as a tool of war?"

"Strange sounds? Has anyone ever seen any tracks or caught sight of of anything unusual in here." Guess we should be keeping watch at night here.

"About how far is to Sarendon and which is the best way to get there?"

"The sounds have always been in the distance; out where the larger buildings are. This area seems to have been a later expansion, but the sounds have never come close to us. At least not yet."

"As for our power, we have only been studying for a year or so now. We are not able to turn the tides of battle, but if you think we can "make peace" by casting a Grease spell, we are willing to attempt it assuming you can guarantee our safety during that meeting."

She goes to another of the bookcases and grabs a scroll case, handing it to Kayla. If you look inside it has a map of the country and it appears that Sarendon is approximately 150 miles away from where you are right now.

Qalendar doesn't touch any of the books as he wanders the room, he simply looks at them, noting how many there are. When Gyda pulls down the journal, he remarks over his shoulder, I'd like to see that...if you don't mind.

If offered, he opens the journal and begins reading, seemingly paying no attention to the conversation going on around him. Though he smiles slightly at the mention of a Grease spell.

Tithonius presses on. "Which of your number opened the portal and requested aid from the Baatezu? Where does this uncle Octavian usually reside?"

He turns to regards his companions. "One possible solution would be to gather the support of the remaining villages, while promising Octavian that the mages and the rising force of the independent towns would stand behind him - if he managed to also steal away some of the king's own men. We could then effect a bloodless coup if we arranged for the takeover at the right time."

He seems to consider, linking his hands behind his back. "We could work it in stages. First travel amongst the independent towns, and form a coalition. Then send bards out amongst the conquered towns of the King, spreading rumors of a great uprising, using magic to convince them that this is a supernatural or destined revolt. Once the people are uneasy and we have a coalition in place, we contact Octavian and offer the leadership to him - if he can guarantee to betray the King at a key moment, by either suborning the King's men or using his own might within the capital and the coaltion's forces outside the walls to force the King to surrender."

Tithonius looks from each member of the group to Gyda. "Thoughts?"