Roland Aristocrat Campaign

Game Master Goldstool Shroomshine

Nishara gives Marcus a little nod. “The coat room I believe. Went in with Valentina, Tomas and Emile. Careful around the bodyguard. He almost struck down Halcyon in the smoke room, and that was before this incident.”

In the basement, Ludovic grabs a hold of his crate once more. “Doubt’cha want me hearin’ all this, Master Emile. I’ll bring up them wines.” He walks towards the ladder, holding the crate close to his stomach. He grips it close with one arm, and slowly ascends with the other. He holds on to the sides between the rungs, making sure to be careful rising.

“OI! UPSTAIRS! Give a hand, will ya?”

It is 11:13PM, there are 47 minutes until the New Year. Predicted nine minutes until Guard reinforcements arrive.

Raphael studies his host, looking him over again and being suddenly remind of how jovial he had been a few moments before. You are certainly a very cool one, Emile. Of that there can be no doubt. Raphael glances from Emile to the servants and back, "I appreciate your good intentions, Monsieur de Beaux, but I think you will find that this attempt at shielding will do more harm in the long run. If you do not introduce them now regardless of whether this is a witch hunt, but do later, then you risk raising suspicion against them even more. In addition, you would likely be guilty of obstructing justice. What's more, I am currently directing inquiries into the servants in the aforementioned 'witch hunt' and I'm doubtful that you will find significant bias in my search." Raphael's tone is carefully neutral as he begins speaking, but by the end it has chilled slightly. He continues in the same neutral tone, "If it will allay your concerns, I would be happy to represent these clients without pay. I had discussed providing a portion of my time to the city's non-human citizens pro bono and would be happy to start with these. Between these two, I think it is in both your and their own best interests to see them upstairs. I believe we can explain away their absence. All this is my professional opinion as your client, Monsieur de Beaux."

1d20 + 15 ⇒ (12) + 15 = 27

The female tiefling takes a step forward. She seems to understand Emile. “We will trust the lawyer, Master Emile.” Emile calms, giving her a smile and a quickm quiet thank you. “Morgan, Mur, we are free of guilt here. Let us join them above.” The ratfolk, Mur, nods. Reluctantly Morgan joins them, sizing up Raphael as he moves past him.

“Again, my thanks. Have you any more questions before we return to being host and guest for the evening?”

Halcyon turns over the two cards below the center, the position of Woe. The first is The Mountain Man, showing a colossal sized man towering over a house with a dead dragon slung over his shoulder. The second is The Forge, showing a strong dwarf pounding something on an anvil. Illusions of these two rise up and begin to stare at each other with the posturing one expects from two strong adversaries. They don't come to blows, but their body language creates the expectation of a terrible fight.

"Okay, it looks like if there is to be trouble from this action, it will come from getting caught between two powerful enemies squaring off. Then again, maybe these will prevent woe by the balance of power preventing either side from making too much trouble. Depends on who these two guys represent."

To Asfal she says, "Interesting. Reminds me of a guy on the counsel here. Galatian ancestry but citizen of Durendal. I wonder if this Blair has visited him. It can't be easy to be pulled in different directions."

Seth reaches down and grabs the wines off of Ludovic. When he gets back to the top Seth hands Ludovic back the wines. "Are they on their way out now?"

Lucia nods to Helmuth and heads off back towards the group with the mages. "I hope you do not mind if I join you all." Lucia then pauses and listens to ascertain the topic of their conversation.

Nishara gives Marcus a little nod. “The coat room I believe. Went in with Valentina, Tomas and Emile. Careful around the bodyguard. He almost struck down Halcyon in the smoke room, and that was before this incident.”

he nods and says "right, I'll head on down then, good luck with your own endeavors," he says before going off to find his seer friend

Valentina nods to Eduard and leaves the coat room behind, assuring him that "Eduard, I will find your killer. If for no other reason than to ease your mind."

She heads out into the foyer, spying Ernest sitting by the other spellcasters and striding over to him. "Master Stoneheart! I believe that I require your assistance in a few matters, and perhaps -" he says, turning to Asfal (who stands nearby) "-some advice from you."

She has a suspicion. A creeping suspicion that she's leery to share. Perhaps with Raphael. Perhaps with Emile. She'll need to see them later.

She approaches Ernest and says, "I need you to prepare a spell for me, to assuage some of Ernest's fears and eliminate some of the patrons here as suspects." She leans in close. "I need you to prepare arcane sight, and scan every guest here for spellcasting abilities. Start with Tomas, to ensure he is not a caster, and then tell me who among the guests is a second-circle divine caster."

Raphael studies Emile carefully, perplexed by the growing impression he had of the man's behavior. I had thought it to be mere shrewdness, but could this be something else? Do I need to worry about a practitioner of forbidden magic as well? The assassin would be a natural suspect if so, but that has grave implications. Realizing he'd been lost in thought for a moment, Raphael shakes his head, "I believe i have what information I need for the moment. Let us make our way upstairs and see these gentlemen and lady to the rest of the servants."

Valentina parts the coat room, right as Marcus makes way for it. Eduard is silent and contemplative as Valentina departs, though his stare follows Marcus when he enters the coat room. Eduard doesn’t rise to his feet from his chair, and doesn’t grab his blade. He doesn’t seem hostile but his stare greets Marcus’ entry. His voice is low, deep and quiet.

"Can one not mourn in peace in this country? The oracle and her blonde man went to the bar. If you wish to grieve Abigal here, I suggest you do so in silence."

Valentina enters the foyer. She passes by Marcus, though heads directly to the circle of mages that chat with Lucia and Alexander. She calls for Ernest and Asfal.

Ernest turns to see her, and while a nearby Galatian man turns around, it isn’t Asfal but Aron Carlisle (Asfal is with Halcyon at the Bar Room). The Galatian returns to his conversation, ignoring Valentina. Ernest leaves his Society brothers and approaches Valentina. “Second lovely lass to ask ‘bout my spells tonight. ‘Sider yerself lucky, Miss Silverstone. Have that one ready. Lemme’ a minute, see what I can do.” His eyes flame blue, his irises a ghostly white.

Ernest looks about the room, searching for what Valentina described. He searches for spellcasters, giving each man and woman a glance. He speaks in a whisper to her. “Nothing on the ‘Zonian. Bertrand, Alistair are arcane, fer sure.” Ernest’s gaze searches the room. “Twas curious ‘bout this myself. Le’see what else we got. Beatrice, the Silver-haired lass… Aron… those brunette siblin’s you seem friends with… A servant … all arcane. As for divine… the wee de Beaux… Must be Eduard… and… ” Eduard stops for a minute, looking to the bar room. He takes a couple steps, trailing his sentence off. “Must be some oracle thing going on...”

He closes the door. “There, um, ah, no divine casters outside the oracles and the bodyguard. No one seems capable of castin' such a divine spell here.”

“You’ve met Arthur? I’ve never heard of him outside of his office before. He might be the hardest working man in this city.” He sips his beer again. It has half now of what he first poured. “He may be the only member of council who feels the need to prove himself. I am sure if there are any Galatian-blooded Durendale citizens, he is the one she would address. Though I still can’t imagine her friendly.” He smiles to himself, looking at the cards once more.

“I was thinking about that card you showed me earlier, The Foreign Trader was it? I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. Tell me, what does it mean exactly?”

Ludovic pushes the crate to the side of the wall with his leg. He begins to take the wines and place them on a counter. “Ya, two them talkin’ is all.” Footsteps from downstairs. “Well, here they come.” He takes a step to look down below, and his brow rises surprised. “Oh, ah, and I guess some servants are coming with ‘em.”

The first tiefling rises, the lights of the kitchen making her bald head seem almost polished. Her skin is maroon, and she has two small horns above her brow. She looks at Seth briefly, though her crimson eyes look to the floor embarrassed. The second tiefling rises the ladder quickly. His long arms reach the floor above after climbing only a couple rungs. His skin is vivid lavender, his eyes a smoky gray. The last servant rises, a small ratfolk man. He tips his small hat at Seth. He speaks, voice shrill but oddly slow. “Hey, ahh, gots a smoke or anythin’?

Another rises from the cellar. It is Emile. He rises quickly, with a smile stretched across his face. “More guests for the party, no? And worry not Seth, I know exactly what you are thinking.” His grin persists. “‘How will our handsome devil get himself out of this one?’" He laughs lightly, but the purple tiefling Sacha appears confused, almost bewildered. “No, Sacha, its an expression. I meant me. I’m the handsome devil.” The purple man still seems confused, but shrugs. A frail smile appears on Morgan’s face, but it melts to a worried frown once more. Emile seems to have noticed however, and seems joyed by it.

Mur the ratfolk asks Ludovic for some of his tobacco, to which Ludovic refuses. Mur begins to scan over the kitchen for something to gnaw on.

Raphael rises from the cellar now. Emile smiles as he gets on the same level. “SO! I imagine Helmuth won’t be too pleased about this for several reasons. Seth, perhaps it isn’t my place to ask, but can you ensure the safety of these fair three servants? I gave them my word I would protect them. This party affair may tarnish my name, and perhaps my business, but I will allow nothing to tarnish my word.” He gives a small grin to his servants, followed by one to Raphael.

Lucia enters the conversation of the mages and Alexander. It seems the latter man is speaking right now. “It is a difficult topic to address, and that is why we must address it. The wound is still fresh, both in the hearts and minds of those affected, and the city itself. And like a wound it must be healed. I try not to be rude but in the towers of your Society, have you lost vision of those below? Of those without the talent or gift that you possess?

Bertrand seems agitated. “Of course not, but The Crater is the only instance of its kind. A single accident should not force the Society to abandon its longstanding traditions and mission.”

Lucia calls for Ernest. The dwarf leaves the group.

“Isn’t an accident by definition a thing that could have been prevented? Who else but the Society could have prevented this? If the traditions of the past fueled the deaths of a thousand men and women in the Roland, the heart of our nation, should its traditions not be evaluated?”

"They should, but I believe restricting what knowledge we have acquired in these past centuries is juvenile. Perhaps better training of the consequences of such magic. Classes for aspiring casters. But the spells, our practising of them, and our knowledge of them should stay."

It seems neither of them want to back down their argument.

Marcus offers the man a look conveying empathy and pity. He then looks to the body and mumbles a short prayer before leaving for the bar.

Halcyon moves her attention to the cards to the right of the two significators (the Snakebite and the Locksmith). The first she turns over is labeled "The Dance" and depicts a Gypsy woman dancing. The other, called "The Idiot," shows a man riding backwards on a goat, wearing an oversized head mask of a human with a vacant, stupid look. Illusions of both cards rise and as the donkey lurches this way and that, the dancer tries to circle it and keep it from lurching off the board.

Halcyon studies the movement and nods, as if she understands. "Weal and Woe both. The Idiot looks harmless but represents the folly of greed, envy, hatred, something which is obviously at the bottom of all this. I'll have to dance carefully if this is the answer.". As she watches, the dancer's dress turns into a black evening gown and begins to look a little like Halcyon.

Asfal interjects some comments about the councilman as Halcyon spends some time absorbing the sense of this latest information. Then she turns over the cards on the left, saying, "Neither Weal nor Woe.". The first card shows a theater with actors and an obviously fake giant snake. This leads to an illusion of a small stage with a woman, again wearing a black gown and turban, doing a card reading, with some scrolls on a nearby table. The second card is called "The Big Sky." It depicts a group of freed slaves rejoicing that their bonds have been broken. On the illusion of the stage appear these same figures, who mill about and then scatter the scrolls, pulling the oracle from her cards and into a dance.

Halcyon watches all this with amusement for a bit, eventually commenting, "It would be simpler if this were the case. Wait for things to settle down and go home and go to bed.".

Halcyon watched the illusions move about over the cards, her attention shifting from the crows beating up the man to the dancer and the idiot to the mountain man and the dwarven blacksmith to the stage show, letting her inner senses attune to the currents of events all around her.

Eventually she glances at Asfal and says, as if there had been no break between his last sentence several minutes ago and now, "I have heard the council is considering a bill with implications for crimes committed in Roland by Galatians, something about required extraditions." She leaves the sentence with the implied request for comment.

"Thank you, Ernest." says Valentina, quite sincerely. "That helps a lot." She thinks for a few moments, humming and hawing. "It doesn't seem possible that any of those here are the culprit, or at least the brewer of the potion - we'd need a bard who chose to learn the spell to qualify. And unless it's Eduard, which I seriously doubt, none of the divine casters can even cast the spell, right?"

"Damn. That leaves us very little actual evidence." She looks between everyone visible, scanning faces and expressions, watching the others work and interrogate. "I think whomever killed Abigail is a warmonger of sorts..." she thinks for another moment before coming to a realization and leaning in close to Ernest. "Ernest, the only people who I can think of that stand to profit from a war are firearm manufacturers and us. What better weapon against Galatine than magic-immune golems? What if we're suspects?"

"You're fretting entirely too much, Emile. It is well that you are a true man of Durendal: a man of your word. I have already explained that I will assist your servants however I may. Helmuth may be displeased, but I believe I may calm any fiery outbursts. Stay silent and allow me to do any talking necessary. For now you should return to calm your other guests while I speak to your servants. Is that acceptable?" Raphael studies the man a moment while he answers.

Sorry for lack of/slow responses. I'm crazy busy at work.

Seth looks to the cellar when Ludovic mentions that they are coming up. Seeing the servants come up first, makes Seth think of acting but is hesitant since Raphael must know about it. When Emile comes out and begins talking Seth listens closely and nods along. "I will do what I can. I can understand why you did what you did, but unfortunately I will only be able to do so much. Nevertheless I will do my best to keep them safe." Seth readjusts a bit and walks a bit closer to the door and away from the cellar. "If it means anything Emile, your reputation is not tarnished in my eyes. A man's word is be more representing of his character than his reputation."

Lucia listens to the conversation between one of the mages and a man who is yet to introduce himself to her. I wonder if these two were having this conversation before I asked them that question? Lucia stands and listens intently to the two talk back and forth.

“I have heard of this bill. If it passes, I am sure the one behind Abigal’s death will answer to Galatian courts. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if we give up the perpetrator for good will, regardless of the law”

Marcus enters the room from the southern door. Asfal appraises Marcus briefly before giving him a quick smile. He returns back to Halcyon.

Another sip. There is only an inch or so left of his beverage. He looks to Marcus as though expecting a reason for his entry. He speaks up however. “Monsieur Tamarin, I assume you’ve seen an oracle’s reading before?”

Emile smiles. It seems he has returned to how he normally acts. Ludovic places the last bottle of wine onto the counter. “My lips shall be sealed. I will return to being a charming host once more. Though I should check on Beatrice. Family comes first, Raphael, I am sure you understand.”

Emile turns to face Seth now. “If value were measured in oaths and promises, my very blood would run with gold.” Emile chuckles to himself. "Any degree of assistance is appreciated, Seth."

He turns to the human servant. “Oh, Ludovic, we should bring those to the foyer. Have the Oracle scan them for poison? If they are fine, I’ll treat you and the other staff to a glass.” Ludovic sighs and breathes out a small curse. He begins placing the wines back into the crate from the counter. Emile’s lips curl into a small smile.

“Muro, Morgan, Sacha. Let us go to the foyer.” The three quickly bow to Emile as he walks past them. He looks to the door, gesturing them with a beckoning wave to follow. He opens it for them, and they exit. Emile holds the door for a moment. “Again, you two, thank you.” He enters the foyer.

Alexander continues the debate on magic. “You are putting your people above the people. The few over the many. Our nation is much bigger than the island your magical academy stands on. Luckily, Bleckhart isn’t the Society’s headmaster anymore, and Voidwalker sees the big picture. He at least has some notion of politics.”

“And perhaps you have too much of a notion of them. Politics aren’t meant to control magic and thought and expression.”

Alexander shows a smile that is quick to fade. “How childish. Politics control everything. Perhaps another time.” He breaks through the center of the group as heads west to the coat room. The man gives a fleeting smile to Lucia as he passes, but otherwise is fairly expressionless.

Emile enters the front foyer after his three servants. Some of the guest have already turns heads to witness the tieflings and ratfolk. Helmuth smirks, eyeing the host as he makes his way across the foyer. Vincent watches from above like a hawk. Alexander exits the room, closing the coat room door behind him.

Seth waits for Raphael to exit and grabs his shoulder and leans in. "I do not care what happened down there, but it seems as though you did the right thing. If Helmuth decides to go on the attack against Emile, I might be able to keep Helmuth away from the servants. As for Emile, that is all you." Seth waits for a response from Raphael, before letting the lawyer go first, and then Seth will follow closely behind.

"Of course, Emile. I understand perfectly. I will also want to speak with Muro, Morgan, and Sacha at some point."[/ooc] Raphael nods slightly as Seth whispers in his ear. He replys quietly, "I appreciate your trust, Seth. It would be best to avoid physical altercations and I have assured the four that I will provide legal representation in the event of charges being brought. I'll deal with Helmuth." Standing upright and taking a breath, Raphael escorts the others to the foyer.

Marcus looks closer at the magical auras.

By the time Marcus walks in, Halcyon has begun to slouch a bit as she continues to study the illusions and images of the cards. She attends to what Asfal is saying but says no more to him. She is close to receiving whatever insight the cards have to offer. She toys with the strip of veil in front of her eyes, lifting the veil and lowering it, as if peaking out from under it will make a difference to what she sees.

Marcus moves to behind Halyclon. When he can tell that she's finished interpreting, but before she speaks, he taps her on the shoulder and whispers in her ear what he has seen with his magical sight.

“Aye. Dun’ think either Oracle could cast it. Could be a magical item. We have lotsa couldas here, whoever did this is clever, give ‘em that.” He thinks for a moment on Valentina’s mention on the profits of a possible war. He gives his beard a good scratch before continuing. “Ev’ryone here is a suspect far as I know. Sure even a lady like you could do this with a few potions and some cheap trinkets. As fer the constructs, aye, got a point. ‘Spose we’ll get questioned by a detective later. Nothin' to fear though, right?” He grins widely.

Ernest reaches into his beard once more, taking out a small construct man. He holds it by the waist, and despite its struggled wiggles, he places it into his satchel. “And ya got some evidence, dontcha? Someone here has a chemist, or they have a magic item lettin’ them delay poison. Hells, one of those may be rarer than being able to cast the spells ‘emself.” Helmuth begins to speak loudly in the foyer, almost theatrically. Ernest turns to look, listening for Valentina’s response while listening in on the young captain.

Raphael and Seth leave the kitchen, walking into the foyer. Raphael leaves first, following Emile on his return, with Seth following behind and positioning himself amongst the servants. Helmuth cuts through the foyer. His voice echoes, piercing the small conversations of the foyer. “Ah, and the investigation bears fruit. And Frankie said I’d make a poor detective.” Helmuth bounces his gun on his shoulder, shooting a look to all the men and women who came out from the kitchen. He mouths numbers as he counts the three new servants.

The circles of mages quiet down, though this may be largely from Alexander’s absence. While Bertrand mumbles off on the right of a normal man in the affairs of the magical, he is quick to be silenced as Helmuth begins to speak to the party from the kitchen. Heads begin to turn to the captain.

“Seth, Raphael, wonderful work. The pair of you would make wonderful officers.” He grins, moving his eyes from the tieflings to the ratfolk to Emile. “Emile, my friend, we have much to talk about. Seth, guard the foyer for me. Raphael, a briefing on your questioning please. We may be able to sort this all out before the backup arrives afterall.” Beatrice takes a step forward, but a glance from Emile stops her. She takes a step back, whispering to Caroline,

“A very brief briefing if you don’t mind. I’d still like another perspective on the body, and I am sure you could bring a unique angle.”

Asfal Stormborn enters through the Bar Room door. He looks over the crowd, largely ignoring Helmuth.

Asfal is met with a silence from Marcus. The room is still. He finishes his drink, taking his glass to the bar counter. A voice from outside speaks aloud. Something about bears and fruit? Poor detectives? It is rather muffled in the bar room.

“A beautiful stout. I will have to inquire more with our host. You two seem like you have much to talk about. Be careful with what you share with others. Eduard nearly lunged for the Tizonian at a mere mention of a ranger. Perhaps he isn’t in the state of mind for such an investigation.”

Asfal departs, whispering to himself, alive with movement. He casts another spell. He departs the room as he finishes.

It is 11:16PM, there are 44 minutes until the New Year. Predicted six minutes until Guard reinforcements arrive. Around three minutes remain until the tarot reading is complete.

"Ah sorry, understandably distracted, you were speaking to me yes?" When he indicates that he was he answers the question "yes, I've seen her do this several times before, she's a friend of mine, and she frequents my establishment, it's usually quite entertaining to watch, sometimes it's rather sobering though."
derp, I somehow forgot to respond to him

EDIT: The following replaces Asfal's actions from earlier to reflect Marcus' action. The time has not changed.

After a brief pause, Marcus responds. Asfal glances over the cards as he takes the finishing sip of his beer. "Glimpses into the future are often grim affairs. I used to rely on divination, but found that destiny has a way of unraveling when you think you've outsmarted it."

A voice from outside speaks aloud. Something about bears and fruit? Poor detectives? It is rather muffled in the bar room. Asfal brings his mug to the bar counter, giving it a quick rinse with water. He casts a spell, bringing no attention to it outside quick movements and muted incantations (Same check/spell, both passed still). He turns back to the bard and the oracle. "I ask that you don't include Eduard in any theories of Miss Bolton's murder. I am afraid he doesn't seem quite sound. Give him the slightest push we may end up with another body on the floor."

Asfal runs his fingers through his blonde hair, adjusting it for a moment. "Well, if you require assistance for things beside this investigation quest, I shall be in the foyer. Sir. Madam."

He bows slightly, turns, and walks through the eastern door.

"divination is a tool, like any other, one must be sure that you use it, and that it does not use you" he nods to the man as he departs

Halcyon continues to contemplate her cards. She does not respond to anything Asfal says. Once he has left the room, she glances at Marcus. "Would be a dear and bring me something from the bar? A cordial perhaps. Sweet and strong."

Keeping her attention on the cards, she asks, "Anything interesting going on out there? I'm trying to determine if a potential lead I found is worth pursuing. Be done in a few."

Seth nods to Helmuth and takes a look around the foyer, and then towards the upper vestibule and Vincent. Seth pauses for a moment, looking around the room again this time spotting Lucia. He walks a bit hastily towards her with a slight look of concern on his face. "Lucia, it seems as though you have calmed down. Are you alright?" After speaking he gives a quick nod to Bertrand and Alistair.

Lucia looks towards Helmuth and jumps a bit after hearing Seth. "Oh... Yes, I am fine. I just needed a bit of time to collect myself. I felt terrible that you had to help out during our first real party and I decided to chip in myself. I asked Monsieur von Moltke if he needed any assistance, and he needed to know if any of the mages here had anything that might be of assistance." Lucia motions towards Bertrand and Alistair. "There were two others, even though I did not catch either of their names. One of them went to help Valentina and the other went off somewhere."

Marcus goes to the bar and mixes her a drink, flourishing the bottles as was his habit, he then casts a cantrip over it for aditional flavor, and to bring it to his friend's prefered temprature before giving it to his friend.

Raphael inclines his head to the young captain, "I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm afraid I've served my time fighting and I now have other avenues that I must pursue." A thin smile taking hold on his face, Raphael continues, "I am doubtful that this will clear up quite so quickly. My questioning hasn't turned up as many leads as I might have hoped, though I still have further questions for these three if that is acceptable. They had heard the shouting and commotion up here and thus hid in the wine cellar lest there was some bloody trouble. I can't fault them as there was a great deal of noise in here. That said, I doubt they had anything to do with the ambassador. They would not have been in the right place at the right time to poison her."

Not sure I need bluff as I'm not technically lying, just omitting certain knowledge. :P

Bluff with STH: 1d20 + 15 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 15 + 1 = 23

Halcyon watches the illusions casually, although her mind is very active. Now and then, she extends a hand and moves it through an illusion, which causes it to vanish. Then she watches as the illusion reforms. Sometimes it looks identical, but not always.

Marcus brings her the drink she requested. She says, "Merci," as moves it to her lips. After tasting it, she turns her head his way a moment and says, "Merci beaucoup!" She gives him a warm smile.

Studying her reading again, she says, "A moment ago, you looked as if you wanted to tell me something, just after Asfal left. I can concentrate on this and your news. Speak."

Campaign Discussion. More info TBA.

Dot.

Thank you for the invite. I am in the process of selecting gear. I am looking to be done tomorrow night. Today was busy at work and I am exhausted. I will have it done by then (around 9pm CST).

No worries, plan is to have it start in early to mid January (want to take into account the Holidays and New Years), so we have the time. To match up with the timing, the first session will be at a small New Year's Eve Party, and will serve as the introduction to the world and a brand new year. Glory to Durendal, the game is in sight!

Goldstool, I sent you a PM regarding a magic item.

No worries, plan is to have it start in early to mid January (want to take into account the Holidays and New Years), so we have the time. To match up with the timing, the first session will be at a small New Year's Eve Party, and will serve as the introduction to the world and a brand new year. Glory to Durendal, the game is in sight!

Well, in light of that I will pour over my gear selections to ensure that I have what I want. I will post again once I have everything finalized.

That seems good to me, I have done a good portion of my inventory but I have some money left over so who knows what I might do with it. Also just going to quickly do horse health rolls in here.
Health Part 1: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Health Part 2: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

So it is confirmed that with 24(?) Health, the horse officially has the most?

So it is confirmed that with 24(?) Health, the horse officially has the most?

The horse has 26 because the first HD is max plus its +2 Con mod

Dot.

That horse is twice as tough as Valentina.

Not surprising. d8 hit die and 8 Con isn't a great recipe.

Hi all, by the way!

Hi folks! Thanks to you, DM Goldstool, for inviting me to play in this game. I'm very much looking forward to it. I think I'm more or less ready to go, but I need to finish a couple things.

First up is my monthly income. I had a look at Ultimate Equipment and lawyers in the setting earn somewhere between 5 sp (novice) - 10 GP (experienced). I'm guessing I fall somewhere in the middle, but probably above the halfway mark to experienced (lots of sense motive/diplomacy/know(local) etc.). Assuming 6 GP per day per person, over 22 days (30 days - 8 weekends) I'd earn roughly 132 gp. If I have 2 novice lawyers helping me out so I can handle an average 6 people (or so) per day, I earn around 660 gp. Let's round that down to 600 gp to account for miscellaneous expenses. If I need to spend about an hour a day on each person on average, I have about 2 hours leftover to devote to my merchant business plus any overtime (probably some at least on social stuff e.g. meeting people to do deals with).

Based on all this, I think that something like 600 + some random modifier is good. I see Raphael as primarily an importer of foreign specialty/luxury goods as that's information he'd know. That seems like it'd be fairly stable with some chances for random fluctuation. 2d4 * 100 would average 500 gp month with a range of 200 to 800. My total income range would be 800 gp to 1400 gp with an average of 1100 gp. That sound reasonable to you DM Goldstool?

The only other thing is my contact, Estelle. I expanded her story a bit a lot below.

As a contact, I see Estelle as a means for Raphael to get a feel for certain underworld dealings. As a Guard, she's also an interesting point of contact for anything related to that faction and it's day to day happenings. For skills, Know(Local), Stealth and/or Bluff/Disguise seem reasonable to me, but you're free to come up with our own interpretations. :)

I am playing in a handful of PBP games and one of the things that it's usually good to do up front is decide any preferences for posts in the gameplay thread.

One issue to decide is the general verb tense to use in gameplay. Most games use present tense, as in Halcyon moves to the door and listens for sounds of activity on the other side. One game I'm in requires using past tense, as in Halcyon moved to the door and listened for sounds of activity on the other side. It's a small difference, but the latter provides a more literary feel to the posts. I've heard of games where this latter approach was used and someone went through later and copied and pasted all the entries together (sans rolls and OOC comments) into a kind of fiction narrative.

Another style choice is whether posts include things like what the character is thinking or intending. At one extreme is to only describe what other characters observing the scene would observe, keeping inner thoughts for others to infer from the actions. At the other extreme is to make the narrative include the kinds of things one might read in a fiction story, where the player narrates what the character is thinking and feeling. Other players have to be sure to filter this information out when choosing what their characters do, but it can make for more interesting and readable posts.

Related to this is the amount of OOC (out of character) comments made in the gameplay thread. Some games read a lot like an around-the-table game, with people making side comments about dice rolls, exclamations of woe and weal, etc. Other games discourage such table talk in the gameplay thread, preferring it the discussion board. Usually questions that involve interpreting rules, game world background questions, etc. are best placed on the discussion board where they don't interrupt the flow of events.

In the interests of keeping things moving, most experienced PBP players include rolls in their posts when it seems likely the GM may require one, such as for perception, stealth, knowledge, etc. It slows thing down if the GM has to post to specifically request such a roll, while including one that is not needed doesn't hurt.

It's a good idea to use the spoiler tags to hide information that is intended only for the eyes of a certain player or for the GM. Some GM's make a spoiler post with a title like "Perception DC 15". This means each player can make a perception check in their post and if they get a result of 15 or greater, they can look at the information in the spoiler. Otherwise players should not look at the information if their character did not make the required DC.

Finally, it's a good idea to preview posts and re-read them to proofread and correct errors in grammar and such. Preview will also allow a player or GM to see the results of a roll before submitting, so that he/she can take the result into account in the rest of the post, if appropriate.

Even after submitting the post, you can still go in and edit or delete the post for about an hour, after which the post cannot be altered. If much time has gone by since the original post, some players prefer their edit with the word "edit:" so someone who may have already read the post can see what was changed.

Thank you Halcyon, I am very glad you wrote this up for me.

Addressing things at random (and we can determine things as we play if need be):

• Prefer use of Discussion Thread, but I am fine with spoilers in Gameplay posts to comment on things, make a quip, et cetera.
  
• Let us use present tense. While putting it all in narrative form would be stellar, I don't think we need to think about that quite yet.
  
• People can roll whenever, for major things such as Knowledge DCs to know someone, I often roll that as things are introduced.
  
• I will keep the player things in spoilers, and only the players who pass should view. I ask that people follow this, especially if the party splits up, unless someone can sync minds up, and people want to share things.
  
• If you want, you can share knowledge rolls, information, or things you find. I will assume only you know of it if you do not share.

Knowing that you can preview the dice roll is game changing, I did not know that.

Raphael, you will never have to look up that much rules for downtime. The intersession system is basically designed so you don't need to worry about that / promote quick growth. I will make an intersession sheet for you (made 2 already), and we can talk more about intersession here. Everyone should start with an average of 1000gp per intersession,

For people who have not done PBP on Paizo before, it's worth noting that the dice-bot has a function to try to prevent cheating with the preview function. For example, if you preview a dice roll for a 1d20 roll and the result is a 1, you can't delete the roll and try again. The dice-bot somehow remembers the roll and if you try to edit your post and re-roll the 1d20 to get a better result, it will usually prevent the change, rolling a 1 every time until you post the roll.

This also means you can preview a post with a dice roll in it and the result won't change each time you edit the text and preview it again.

So a useful way to go about combat attacks is to do the 1d20 attack roll and add all your bonuses and subtract penalties. You can look at the result and if the attack would be a critical threat, then you can add another 1d20 roll to see if you made a critical.
Then roll normal damage (in case the result did not critical) with another extra roll for the extra critical damage. The GM can then judge whether it was a critical hit or not and how much damage to apply.

Raphael, you will never have to look up that much rules for downtime. The intersession system is basically designed so you don't need to worry about that / promote quick growth. I will make an intersession sheet for you (made 2 already), and we can talk more about intersession here. Everyone should start with an average of 1000gp per intersession.

Sounds good. I wasn't planning on doing anything more with the (overly complex and full of bookkeeping) downtime rules. I was kind of curious where the math would take me and you had previously mentioned that how the '1000gp' ends up working for each person will be different based on their profession. I was curious how it might work out for me. :)

For people who have not done PBP on Paizo before, it's worth noting that the dice-bot has a function to try to prevent cheating with the preview function.

This is correct. It looks like Paizo saves the next seed used to randomly generate each dice type's (d6, d8, d20, etc) result. So if you roll 5d20, it will always roll the same no matter how many times you preview it. Similarly for 6d8 or something. Swapping the order of the d20 and d8 rolls (e.g. d20 first and then trying again with d8 first) also doesn't change the results. If it wasn't already clear, I'm a computer engineer. :)

For everyone new to PBP, it might be helpful to take a look at these threads:

Painlords Guide to PbP GMing
and
DHs Guide to Play by Post gaming

Hey there leinathan, how have you been?

If anyone wants to discuss previous connections with Halcyon, here are some things that you might want to know up front. These are the things most people would know (or think they know) about her, her past, and her business.

Halcyon is an oracle (in PF class terms) but in public she is generally vague about her means of support. She goes by Halcyon d'Orsay and claims to be of a minor noble family from the Murgleis region. She is either blind or mostly blind, wearing tinted glasses and tapping a quarterstaff in front of her as she walks. She is slight of build, not very tall, but quite attractive and personable. Her disability does not stop her from attending the theater, parties, etc. She's something of a social butterfly with no known boyfriend or fiancé.

She sometimes dresses down, however, and mingles with more common people, usually wearing a scarf over her hair and a veil over the top part of her face, drinking at Marcus' tavern, doing harrow readings for 5 silver pieces (or cheaper if someone doesn't have that kind of change).

In either social setting, the rarefied heights of high society or the local tavern, she is keen to hear gossip and tell amusing stories. She occasionally does a dramatic reading of a well known poem or legend.

Anyone with underworld connections might know that she sometimes deals in information, either obtaining it if someone needs to find out something, or selling information she already has. This leads her to sometimes contract with people with specialized skills to obtain information for her or to accompany her when she looks for information to act as an escort and/or bodyguard.

Another way a PC might know her would be through her business, although she does her consulting in dim lighting that does not allow the person to get a good look at her, which makes it less likely that knowing her through her business would lead one to recognize her when she's in public. She starts most consultations with a harrow reading and follows up with more meetings if it turns out she can provide some helpful information or offer services that amount to counseling. She advises on love, business, politics, and even supernatural connections.

She has a secret that someone in the party may know, but she also likely knows a secret about the other person as well, so both parties have motive to keep the secret.

However your PC may have met her, he/she would probably be most impressed with how much she knows about a wide range of topics for one so young. She is smart with a good education behind her, but she seems to draw a great deal of information from informal sources, such as stories and tall tales. It's also possible she has spiritual sources of information that she naturally taps into; she sometimes slips into a mild trance for up to a half minute, after which she sometimes knows things it seems unlikely she could have learned by mundane means.

She can be very persuasive and diplomatic, and can put up a very good cover identity or bluff her way out of trouble. Finally, she seems remarkably perceptive, particularly for one with a visual disability. This especially applies to reading people. She has an uncanny knack for telling when people are lying or pretending to be something they are not or hiding emotions. She has some spells but they are mostly divination school spells or spells that help her in her work, such as Comprehend Languages, Detect Evil, and Tap Inner Beauty.

Post questions, suggestions for possible connections, or PM me as you choose. I look forward to getting to know the other PCs and getting started.

For my own purposes I've put together a list of the PCs in the game and Raphael's connection to them. Feel free to comment if anything seems amiss or if anything could be expanded upon.

• Halcyon d'Orsay: Raphael and Halcyon met when Raphael had his harrow reading done on a lark at Marcus Tamarin's bar (does it have a name yet?). Impressed, but not fooled, by the elaborate tale she spun from her cards, Raphael made a point of continuing to speak with the insightful young woman. The pair still meet occasionally (generally at the same bar) to trade gossip and to chat.
  
• Marcus Tamarin: I'm currently thinking that we may have met when I came into your bar for Halcyon's reading with some other noble friends. Since then Raphael would have been back a number of times, we may have struck up a conversation. Perhaps either you revealed your secret trading business or I heard about it from some other contacts. Either way, we've since done some business.
  
• Valentina Silverstone: Raphael served as a laywer for Valentina and saw her successfully acquitted of the charges levied against her. Valentina invited Raphael out to a coffeehouse in thanks and proceeded to try to charm Raphael (for some ulterior motive that Valentina hasn't disclosed). Raphael picked up on the fact she was using her looks and charm to manipulate him and called her on it. Impressed by his astuteness, Valentina dropped the act and the two have been business acquaintances since. Valentina procures certain difficult to obtain (but legal) goods for the MTC and occasionally helps with information from the criminal elements of Roland's society. Raphael, in turn, makes his legal advice and contacts available and helps lend a more legitimate facade to some of Valentina's dealings. Their quid-quo-pro relationship is built on mutual respect.
  
• Nishara Tamarin: I'm guessing that Nishara and Raphael met in the same way as Marcus. Perhaps Raphael made use of her clandestine services to acquire information for a lawsuit? I'm not sure what Raphael would provide to Nishara in turn other than coin. Any ideas?
  
• Seth Varianna: Seth and Raphael met when Seth's work as a mercenary led him to the fort guarding the border with Greater Galatine. They were merely casual acquaintances at that point. Later, when Raphael's ventures in the Montefiore Trading Company required guards, Raphael approached Seth and the two have done steady business since. They don't have much in the way of a personal relationship as yet, but that may yet change. One possible future development that seems interesting would be an expansion of MTC into a political entity like the East India Trade Company with it's standing army (led by Seth Varianna).

It sounds like, from what I've seen of each character's motivations, that our common thread is gaining power politically. I don't know that we really have another common thread. Raphael's big motivations would be to see Greater Galatine crushed like the pigs they are, increased political standing for himself and his family and restoration of the WTC to it's former glory. Any other thoughts on common interests? Feel free to respond here or via IM.

It seems to me that Seth, Valentina and Raphael could have a very profitable mutual business arrangement creating a business empire.

Raphael's mention of the East India Trading Company made me think - Valentina could contribute too. She's innovative and has a lot of production capabilities that the other PCs don't have.

By the by, I think I want to start calling her company "Silverstone Industries".

Everyone is making me giddy with excitement! I am preparing intersession sheets with the players' contact stats + businesses, and will soon populate them with side missions/job missions for everyone to do. Gonna now try a dice test:

Oh, about income!

Valentina's business sells big-ticket items. I'm thinking that a good way to represent this would be to have a d% roll to see if anybody bought anything, and then roll something like 2d800 to see how much she made that month - that is to say, to see whether one or two people bought something, and I kind of cherry-picked 800gp as a good number for a high-price item. What do you think?

EDIT: 2d800 isn't a good thing - it allows for any number between 2 and 1600. Maybe just 1d2 or 1d3x800?

Goldstool, sent another PM.

Oh, about income!

Want to clarify:

Yeah, that's what I mean.

I want to make more than your average player on the months where I make money because of the high-end nature of my items, but have the possibility of not making money.

You can do that. In that case, its about how extreme you want it to be. You can have it so you make money in 1 of 20 sessions, but make a 2d6 *1,000 + 10,000 when you do. Its just a matter of balancing risk and reward.

In general, so long as %chance * average payoff is close to 1000, it is good.

Hmm tavern names, I kinda want something classy, and a subtle reference to is being a kitsune hidden in plain sight like "The Sly Fox"
This also gives me the option of 'refuge in audacity' which is always funny
"let me get this straight, you think I'm a kitsune, what, like the fox people? If I were trying to hide why in the nine hells would I name my bar after them, I named the bar after a pet we had as kids, Wiley little bugger, she kept getting into my sister's secret stash of sweets, and when I went to set up shop selling food and drink I felt it to be just right to honor the creature's memory by naming the establishment after her"
Or the option of a 'sarcastic confession' wherein I say something like "oh sure I'm a kitsune and we all know of the fiendish race's skill at disguise, that's exactly why I branded the place where I live and work with their likeness..... What do you think I'm an idiot? Why don't you ask the owner of The Winking Skeaver if he's secretly a rat person, they're Wiley ones,"
What do you think sis?
Anyone else with an opinion can weigh in if they want to, but I'm specifically asking for her's as she's the one who, in character, I would have consulted about said name.

Let me put it this way and see if you have any insight:

On average, an item that I sell is likely to price about 1,000gp.

Ok, Roll a 1d6. This shows how many people were interested in the magic items that week. From there, roll a Xd3, where X = how many interested individuals. From there, if any of those dice rolls are a 3, you get 2d8 * 100 for each one. Example

Welcome to Math with Goldstool, where everything is more complex than it should be.

Hmm tavern names, I kinda want something classy, and a subtle reference to is being a kitsune hidden in plain sight like "The Sly Fox"

How about "Fox in the Rye" which could catch your kitsune reference but also add in rye as a reference to the grain used in various alcoholic drinks? Seems somehow appropriate for a bar.

But why would a fox be in rye?

Evading a hunter? Hunting something else in the rye? Hiding generally? That's all I've got so far.

Evading a hunter? Hunting something else in the rye? Hiding generally? That's all I've got so far.

The Catcher in the Rye is indeed a dangerous thing to avoid. The Fox and Hound Tavern, while we are still adding to the idea cauldron.

I don't think I have given a large enough character background here as some of the other players so here is some more info on Seth Varianna.

Seth Varianna trained from a young age to become a soldier. He was taught by a Commandant in the Guard, Lucius Ferot. Lucius was quite proficient with a glaive and passed his skills onto Seth. As Seth got older, the harshness of his father made him resent him more and more. It was a tradition in the Varianna family for the men to join the Guard. When Seth came of age he decided to go against his father and not join the Guard. To support himself, he became a mercenary with a friend he trained with under Lucius and together they started their own group of mercenaries. (I should probably give them a name at some point) Seth Varianna's group of mercenaries now has roughly 20 members and have been protecting trade caravans for close to 10 years now. The group works out of a small tavern, with an office in the back where Seth can work out deals with potential clients or former employers.

Goldstool, that document I spoke of is ready. You have been added to it. I've sent you another PM with more thoughts on my idea.

Halcyon probably would not have crossed paths with Seth under normal circumstances and it's not essential that we've all met each other. But if Halcyon were to have met Seth, it might be she visited the tavern with his HQ and did some harrow readings for him or some of his group, perhaps she was hired to accompany a caravan to provide readings. Or perhaps she occasionally needs someone as a body guard when she is looking for information in a rough part of town.

Ultimately, it's probably enough if we each have some connection to someone but we don't all need a connection to everyone else. I assume our first adventure will give us some reason to work together. As Raphael pointed out, we all seem to be motivated to improve our situations, build a better power base. It sounds like we've got a good combination of talents: fighters, rogues, spell casters, both divine and arcane, and all seem fairly astute in the social arena.

The friend of your friends could be yours as well, no need for everyone to be best chums,. You guys are in a pretty good region class and connections wise, besides knowing a Druid in the Botanical Gardens, friends with a Galatian or a direct Ratfolk connection, you have almost all the bases covered.

There are some random tavern name generators out there.

Seventh Sanctum

Mithril and Mages

Fantasy Name Generators

... to name a few that seemed creative.

When I create a name for a tavern as a GM, I think partly of the type of clientele desired. If it is an upscale place that wants the wealthy and famous, I choose a name that smacks of high society, such as the "Cream and Crescent" or the "Crimson Sunset." If the customers are likely to come from the lower class, the place will probably have some kind of image that can identify it for those who can't read, with a name that goes with the image, such as the "Red Dragon" or the "Blushing Wench."

If the owners don't mind giving a hint as to their race, then maybe something like the "Seven Tales" (pun on the multiple tails of the Kitsune) or "Fox's Alibi."

Hmm how about The Tall Tail Inn?
Advertised as a place where many a weary traveler or dashing nobleman can rest by the fireplace with their bellies full and their thirst quenched as they listen to the tales of their fellows and tell a few of their own in return.
For an image it'd have an image of a fox underneath the letter filled part of the sign with it's tail being disproportionately longer as it wraps around the sign.

Sounds good to me. Several days ago I added Perform (Oratory) to Halcy's skills, so she can do some story-telling. Stories are actually a kind of specialty of hers, as much of her knowledge of history, nobility, arcana, planes, and religion comes from her voracious appetite for folklore, myths, fables, and other such tales.

Part of her reason for doing something like this would be to increase her chances of being invited to parties, which puts her where she usually wants to be without her having to weasel and invite from the host.

As far as knowledge skills go, this group is pretty great. If there was a Roland Trivia contest, I would put money on your guys.

For my own purposes I've put together a list of the PCs in the game and Raphael's connection to them. Feel free to comment if anything seems amiss or if anything could be expanded upon.

• Nishara Tamarin: I'm guessing that Nishara and Raphael met in the same way as Marcus. Perhaps Raphael made use of her clandestine services to acquire information for a

...

Now that I have some essentials worked out I am ready to forge more connections. In your motivation section you mention that you are looking for more family heirlooms. Nishara might have been pointed out by an NPC that Nishara had worked for in the past. The NPC probably would have given Nishara's name as one who is able to obtain information that proved impossible for anyone else to get.

Does this seem acceptable to you?

As for everyone else, if you had your ear to the ground you would have heard that Nishara is extremely good at getting information, be it regarding people or things. How do you feel I could have come to know you? Anyone is free to look over my background to see what could be used to make a connection.

Looking forward to the ideas.

PS: What information, if any, would Nishara know about any of the PCs?

Probably won't be able to post much in the next day, making a long trip, but I will be working on readying the first session and finishing the Intercession Sheets (Just the Tamarin family I believe now?). I'll check PMs throughout the day and am usually good on responding, just don't think I am going dark.

Good news, we are actually progressing faster than I thought we were going to, everyones been pretty good on getting prepared and getting connected. We might be able to run the first round of intersession before December's end, but largely as this is also New Years/Holidays/family time, I won't be expecting swift responses.

I won't be working after the 23rd and I won't be traveling for the holidays, so I should be able to start any time. Looking forward to it.

I will be on a cruise from the 27th to the 3rd of january so i will be posting very infrequently. Whenever I have wifi I will try to check out the thread

The 24th, 25th and the 27th are no-no days for me - I won't be around. Same with the 6th of January. Other than specific no-no days I'm around on the boards most days.

As for everyone else, if you had your ear to the ground you would have heard that Nishara is extremely good at getting information, be it regarding people or things. How do you feel I could have come to know you? Anyone is free to look over my background to see what could be used to make a connection.

Looking forward to the ideas.

PS: What information, if any, would Nishara know about any of the PCs?

Nishara wrote:

As for everyone else, if you had your ear to the ground you would have heard that Nishara is extremely good at getting information, be it regarding people or things. How do you feel I could have come to know you? Anyone is free to look over my background to see what could be used to make a connection.

Looking forward to the ideas.

PS: What information, if any, would Nishara know about any of the PCs?

Spoiler:

For your consideration as to connections to Halcyon (Halcy):

Halcyon sat in her usual spot toward the back of the Tall Tail. She sipped apple mead and nibbled on the delicious cinnamon bread as she laid out harrow cards slowly. As usual, her eyes were covered with a violet tinted set of glasses that mostly hid the clouded sheen that covered her dark eyes. She never looked directly at the card, but rather put her hand over each card, and set it in place. As she did, faint images sprang into existence on the elaborate fabric mat she used as a carrying case for her well-used cards. These images played out little silent scenes until she swept the cards into a pile and shuffled them before starting again. As usual, it wasn’t long before she had a couple of young aristocratic woman asking giggly questions about some young nobleman.

After a while, the raven haired oracle put her deck away, indicating the time for readings was over. A handsome bard had begun reciting verses for the amusement of the audience. Nishara approached with a bottle of mead to see if Halcyon needed a refill. Before she got to the table, before she had said a word, Halcyon had moved her mug over to where Nishara could pour the mead.

“Seems like a good crowd tonight, Nishara,” Halcyon commented as the golden brew sparkled into her cup. “Is the bard as handsome as he sounds?”

Nishara could not recall telling Halcyon her name, but it did not surprise her that the oracle knew it. Lots of regulars knew her name and it was surely bandied about in her earshot. “He’s passing fair,” the server said.

They chatted for a bit before other customers required her services.

A couple more bards took turns entertaining the crowd, collected their rewards in their hats, and then a slight woman with a large black cloak made her way to the small stage near one wall, tapping a staff in front of her as she went.

It was Halcyon and she waited until she was on stage to take off her cloak, revealing a violet dress trimmed in black velvet, showing a lot of cleavage and drawing the attention of the men of the crowd. She introduced herself as Halcy d’Orsay and then began to tell a story she called “The Lion and the Fox.” The story involved a couple of foxes whose peaceful life was disturbed when a pride of lions took up residence in the same forest. Not only did the lions frighten away much of the prey the foxes relied on, they attracted hunters trying to capture one of the fine beasts. The foxes made a truce with the mice they normally ate and there followed an amusing tale of deception that resulted in both the hunters and the lions leaving the forest in peace.

The audience readily identified the lions with the country Galatine and the hunters, who drove them away, with Roland. Nishara, however, couldn’t help but pick up on little details of the story that linked Nishara with the character of one of the mice, who used magic to imitate various creatures of the forest. It could all be just coincidence, but she also noted that when telling those parts of the stories, Halcy was facing the general direction of Nishara, even though Nishara was constantly moving around waiting on customers.

After the performance, Nishara congratulated Halcy on her clever tale and asked about the character of the shape-changing mouse. To anyone else listening to the two, they were talking about the story, but to Nishara it soon became clear that there was a subtext to the discussion that was about Nishara and Halcyon. Through that exchange, she came to recognize that Halcyon was a player in the same game of information brokering and both were sympathetic to the same ideals.

Thereafter, they occasionally collaborated on leads and commissions. While Nishara had a patron, Halcyon worked for no one interest; but she never worked at cross purposes with Nishara, which led them to become friends. Nishara learned that the mysterious oracle could actually see quite well at short distances, even in total darkness.

Halcy did not speak much of her past, but Nishara strongly suspected that the story about her moving to Roland from Murgleis was as fictional as her story about the lions and foxes. Halcyon also knew that Nishara and her brother were Kitsune. Both had arrived at a tacit understanding that either could learn more about the secret past of the other but that they would not pursue that information actively.

Halcy continues to be a regular at the Tall Tail, but she also spent many nights at other locations. Some were parties of the well-to-do but she also know the oracle sometimes mingled with the lower classes at less reputable pubs, doing readings for free or cheap, sometimes providing healing when she learned of a worker who was injured on the job. Nishara also knew Halcyon had a consulting business that brought her regular income as wealthy customers sought insights into their futures and advice on how to navigate the intricate worlds of business and high society.

Sometimes, Halcy would contact Nishara and ask her to find out some information on a particular nobleman or woman. This usually meant that said noble was scheduled to meet for the first time at Halcy's consulting firm and Halcy liked to have some tidbits of information to slip into her readings that helped convince the noble that she had supernatural insights. Nishara always got a cut of the fee when she helped in this way.

Looks great, though I have but one point that I would like to discuss. I completely forgot to mention that the only PC who knows that Nishara is a Kitsune is Marcus. I realize that this info is in the alias, but that is just for the crunch. Being a shapeshifter such as her tends to draw attention and she is more than paranoid about it. She also doesn't take new forms randomly, and would keep this knowledge from others unless she was completely sure about them. Is there something that would cause Nishara to trust you with this secret?

Or, how would you have found out about it otherwise?

I'm not trying to dissuade you from knowing if it makes sense. I like the connection, very nice indeed!

I'll send you a PM about possible answers.

I also want to know how she knew us to be kitsune, that's supposed to be a rather big secret, espically early in the game.
If anyone finds out, Marcus wouldn't hesitate to have such a person discreetly killed if nesairy (and possible).

I also want to know how she knew us to be kitsune, that's supposed to be a rather big secret, espically early in the game.

If anyone finds out, Marcus wouldn't hesitate to have such a person discreetly killed if nesairy (and possible).

I sent you a PM about some character details regarding Nishara.

Goldstool, I sent you another PM.