RD's Fangwood Keep (Inactive)

Game Master Rene Duquesnoy

"Thank you," Armun says to the Marshall.
To the rest of the group he says,"As long as we stop by to see the Quartermaster along the way, I'm ready for The Ranger's Lament. I'd like to pick up a quiver of arrows and some rations."

You stop at the quartermaster's office and pickup whatever mundane equipment you need. If they are arrows/bolts, you get a quiver. If they are weapons, you fill out NForm2013 "Aggressive Infiltration Supply Request" in triplicate, and are told to bring the weapon back to claim your return receipt.

Sitting in the Ranger's Lament, you see a few young folk pass out rather quickly when drinking their ale. Those men get carted off. They probably deserved it.

Everyone has a fresh ale in their hand (if you drink), and some fine food in their bellies.

The first chance he gets, Narvik will ask the bartender what he knows about the three previous missions (who went, their fate, etc). He'll also watch the crowd for anyone else who might be interested in their presence, since you can never be too sure.

I would wish to grant each member of the party Enhanced Diplomacy, casting such cantrips in a quiet place, out of sight, before going inside.

Armun grabs arrows, but forgoes other weapons. He's not a fan of paperwork.

Seeing some folk pass out quickly, the singing archer will abstain from drinking. He whispers to the group,"The last time I was in here, my drink was poisoned. I'm loathe to go through that again."

After a pause and a glance at the Razmiran amongst them, he adds,"Though I guess the cause for said poisoning was removed from Tamran."

Looking at Armun, then his drink and then back again to the human, the half-orc smiles. Seems the poison had no long-term effect on you. This is good to know. Narvik then finishes off his drink as he proceeds to go and question the barkeep.

Consider everyone's diplomacy has been enhanced. Also, I am enjoying the RP. I assume we start the mission in the morning. I'll leave it to you on when you want to go to bed.

Once we get a little info in the tavern I'll be happy to set out for the keep, unless our info gathering dictates doing otherwise.

Armun will chat people up at the bar, looking to (somewhat discreetly) learn more about Fangwood Keep and any previous missions that went out as well.

Gathering Information (enhanced):
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

If this seems to yield little in terms of information, Armun will raise a toast to his companions for a successful mission, drink (with reservations, but still), and then call it a night.

Armun will be ready to go for next morning too, barring any weird discoveries amongst the crowd.

The most you get out of folks at the pub are things like "What?", "I have heard of it, never been in the forest though", and "Is that near Kassen?"

Your enhanced diplomacy only works once, and lasts a minute. Not useful when you are talking a bunch of people up.

I targeted the barkeep, but if no one here has any idea then we'll just have to head out in the morning. Perhaps we can ask a few of the soldiers and see what they might know, I was hoping to see a few of them.

The barkeep doesn't know much about the details of the war. We have been fightin since before I was born. Soldiers come in and out. Sometimes they tell stories. I heard that they ran into things from goblins, to bugbears, to ogres, and even giants. I take it them things aren't on anyone's side but their own. I'm no soldier though. Got a bum leg.

Tarrow eats, drinks and makes merry. Leaving the 'information' gathering to those better suited for it.

He winks at and pinches the a bar wench he thinks might be game, tries to get her upstairs. Successful or not he calls it an early night, much to do on the morrow and a man needs his rest.

Diplomacy: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (18) - 2 = 16

bluff: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 = 1

Excuse me. If you are looking for something more than drinks, you should go see Mrs Quills. the barmaid says before stomping away.

Tarrow lets the team know about Mrs. Quills, but passes himself. Finishes his meal and drink and retires for the evening.

Tarrow, sleeps with his crossbow within arm's reach, sets up an alarm(light objects glass/tin by the door and window) and sleeps in his armor(chain shirt).

Pribam will try a different tack with the locals. He uses the wand of cultural adaptation before entering the Ranger's Lament and asks around whether anyone knows anything about a symbol of a mailed fist holding a broken arrow and what that might mean in conjunction with a rogue Molthuni commander. He freely buys drinks for those with whom he speaks in an effort to get them talking.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for someone who might know something about a symbol that looks something like this," he says, sketching a mailed fist with a broken arrow. "I've heard a rougue Molthuni commander may have been using it recently. Does it mean anything to you?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 10 + 2 = 26 plus whatever additional amount spending about 10gp on buying free drinks can achieve.

Pribam gets a lot of new friends that night. Unfortunately, no one knows anything about the symbol. One of the friends offers to take him to see Ms Quills.

Pribam retires for the evening. No respectable Acolyte of the Third Step would stoop to purchasing favors. Attention from the faithful is expected in his station, not bought.

The Forest Marshal okayed the scroll of sending and I mentioned that we would stop and collect it on the way out, but the post about stopping at the quartermaster did not mention it. Did we get it?

You got it.

"Ms. Quills? I am intrigued, but the name forbodes practices I do not generally find pleasurable," says the young Shoanti. He shifts uncomfortably (eargerly) in his chair as he drinks another ale. "Mayhap we can find another Tent of Happiness that is less sharp and more round, eh, Pribam? Pribam? Tarrow? Armun? Navrik? Where did everybody go?"

Kelvor heads to his room, saddened at the early end to the night, but resigned to his fellows' strict "Chelaxian prudery" as the notably relaxed Shoanti tribes call it.

The heroes sleep in their comfy beds for the last time before setting out to Fangwood Keep. Tarrow kept Armun up with his loud snoring, but everyone else got a good 8 hours.

The next day greets you with eggs, bacon, toast, po-tay-toes, and bloody marys. It is about 8 AM. Do you wish to leave after breakfast?

"The sooner the job is begun, the sooner it is completed, as the Shaman Brofos Wildrunner of the Lyrune-Quah is famous for saying," says Kelvor between a mouthful of eggs.

Agreed. If we have all we require we can start our journey.

If I still can, Narvik would like to purchase a wand of Lesser Restoration and a spring loaded wrist sheath. I finally remembered.

Narvik: Do you have that on a chronicle sheet or do you have the 18 fame required to be able to purchase it? It costs 4500 GP

Armun mumbles about snoring old men, but the bacon cheers him up (as bacon will do). He nods with Kelvor and Narvik,"I'm ready. Let us get be off."

Bah, Hero Lab got me. Its only 1st level for a paladin, isn't it? Forget I mentioned it, LOL.

No worries.

On your way out of town, the Quartermaster catches up to you. Whew. Glad I caught you before you left. You must have made quite an impression on the Grand Marshal. He asked me to give you these. He takes out a few items from his satchel and gives them to you. They are 2 elixers of hiding, a scroll of knock, and a scroll of hold portal.

Pribam reaches out for the scrolls. "Blessed be the Living God and the expansive spell list he grants his clergy!

Bluff: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 13 = 17

As an arcanist, knock and hold portal are on Pribam's spell lists, so he can cast them without having to make a UMD check.

The look on the Quartermaster's face instantly goes from happy to worried. The Living God? Are you serious?

"Have no worries, my friend, we are on a mission from the Forest Marshal himself. All is well. I have just been carried away in expressing my faith."

Pastor Navrik, would you be so kind as to show the quartermaster our papers from the Marshal?

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19 plus any bonus for the papers.

I know you are on a mission for the Forest Marshal. He is the one that told me to give you these supplies. Well...good luck then. The Quartermaster walks back towards the fort rather quickly.

With the Quartermaster gone, Armun scowls at Pribam. "Do you need to babble about the Living God every time you speak to anyone?" Frustrated, he stalks off to the front of the group, getting space from Pribam so he can cool off.

Not really criticizing... but RP :)

"Hmmm. An excellent trip this will be, I see," says Kelvor as he watches Armun stomp off. "Ha! Narvik, did you hear? That rhymed! I'm a poet..."

Ready to head off?

Yup. Let's roll out.

Also, Armun will suggest that (since he's likely the resident sneak) he nab one of the Elixirs of Hiding.

I understand completely!

Ready

Perhaps whoever is worst should take the other potion. Pribam has a -1 Sneak modifier.

To Kelvor in a conspiratorial whisper " 5 copper says the bard strikes the priest first."

Louder for the group (with a hearty laugh) "Let's go men, we are burning daylight" Slapping Kelvor on the back.

Tarrow is ready to go and will suggest to the others to get a move on. Tarrow does not want any of the magic's provided.

Yes, a fine poet you are indeed. I only wish we could secure horses. Narvik says as he limps on.

Hmm, did we ask about horses? To be honest Narvik would love to have one.

Armun had asked horses, and they were all spoken for.

I understand completely!

Ready

Perhaps whoever is worst should take the other potion. Pribam has a -1 Sneak modifier.

Ha! Gotcha beat! Kelvor's stealth mod is -5.

To Kelvor in a conspiratorial whisper " 5 copper says the bard strikes the priest first."

"No chance, old man. The priest is way too accommodating. He must have water for blood," says Kelvor to Tarrow. "But I've got 10 copper that says the bard hits him before we make it to the keep."

Yes, a fine poet you are indeed.

"No no no. Man, did you never play the rhyming game as a child? I say, 'I'm a poet...' and you're supposed to say, 'And you didn't know it!' "

Kelvor waits expectantly, looking at Narvik. "Because 'poet' and 'know it'--- oh forget it!"

Kelvor rolls his eyes in good-natured exasperation and lifts his earthbreaker onto his other shoulder as he walks on down the trail.

"Ambassador Kelvor, you are clinking and clanking almost as loud as a smithy. Perhaps you should take the second elixir of hiding in case we decide to employ stealth."

As the party exits Tamran and heads for the forest, Pribam slows until he as at the back of the group. Once the party has left the town proper, he extracts his mask from his bag of holding and dons it. Then he extracts the golden holy symbol of Razmir and places it around his neck. Finally, he extracts the necklace of fireballs and the wand of cure moderate wounds from the bag. He places the former around his neck and the latter in the wrist sheath left vacant by the extraction of the holy symbol.

After that is done, Pribam jogs forward back to a place toward the rear, but not at the very back of the party. Once there, he utters an invocation to the Lord of the Thirty-One Steps and carefully caresses both the holy symbol and one of the necklace's golden orbs, "Father, give me the strength to remain patient with these Pathfinders. If they strike, I would be eternally grateful if You would immolate them through this holy relic. If they are kind, grant me the self-control to refrain from loudly calling out praises to Your holy perfection day and night."

I will be out of touch pretty much all day tomorrow. If a combat ensues, Pribam's default action is to pop out his wand of magic missiles (caster level 1, 47 charges) as a swift action and shoot, shoot, shoot until I can check back in.

He has a lot of other things to do in combat, but that's the easiest default one to adjudicate, if necessary.

I will try to check in tomorrow night, but it will probably be quite late.

Narvik will stay at the rear of the party due the the speed at which he can keep more so than his desire to walk alone. I really must look into the purchase of a mount. Eyeing Pribam as he goes thru his transformation, Narvik notes the man's devotion to his god. We could do much worse than him. One of such conviction can only be an asset to our company.

Games with words? No, not my strong point, dear Kelvor. That would not be a game of my youth. In fact, I don't recall many games.

You begin your journey after the quick chat with the Quartermaster. The further south you get, the larger the trees are. After a few hours, you come across a prominent granite outcropping that resembles a seesaw from a certain angle.

Knowledge: Geography if you have it.

Knowledge: Geography: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18
"Hrm, interesting..."

This place is called Seasaw Rock, and a group of nomadic centaurs claim this region as their own.

You continue on for about 10 minutes then you hear something coming. From over a small hill, a group of centaurs appear. One steps forwards. What brings you to my forest?

Making sure his body language remains neutral, Armun speaks up. "Greetings, good centaur. I am Armun Govil, and these are my companions," he says, gesturing at the group. "We're travellers on a mission to Fangwood Keep. I know that Seasaw Rock is home to a number of your kind, and we do not mean to trespass. May we ask for safe passage? We will not disturb your home, and indeed prefer to pass peacefully and quickly."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Not sure whether anyone can aid on this roll...

The centaur crosses his arms and gives you a slightly menacing stare (like your diplomacy failed). Why can't you go around?