Sic Semper Tyrannis! (Thrune's Hell's Rebels Revived) (Inactive)

Game Master GM Aarvid

Filled my vacant 3rd level spell slot with Locate Object. I'll defer to y'all on where to go. Personally, I'd be inclined to skip a personal delivery of the boys to their parents but no strong feelings. If next priority is Rexus, I can try looking for his cane again but am not sure if we want to try to the original route again or a different one.

My thinking is that we should try a different search route. I remember roughly what out previous route for Locate Object was, but not the exact details. Part of me wants to include the Fair Fortune Livery in the next search area, just because Rexus has been there before, but I don't know if that's rational or not. I'm grasping at straws trying to guess where he might have gone.

Two routes that I can think of:

1. Eastern Redroof, covering Hocum's Fantasmagorium (R1) to the Fair Fortune Livery (R5).
2.Old Kintargo, covering the docks (O1) to the House of Truth and Clarity (O11): What used to be Kintargo’s courthouse is now used to house political prisoners and host the occasional public execution.

Aldren, I think you had worked out the details of how extensive the coverage for one spell is.

At some point we will also want to discuss what we found at the Lucky Bones with Octavio Sabinus (Lictor of the Order of the Torrent).

High level, I just have to remember in-game Aldren has only been back less than 48 hours. He doesn’t know the Lictor, needs to apologize to Talvek, and was hoping to get to know Sidius and Fhingle once things calmed down (though maybe not Fhingle anymore). :-(

Anyway, on the route, I think I have a map on google drive. I’ll find it and reshare the link, then I’ll try to overlay an alternate route consistent with Lubella’s suggestion.

Here's what we did on the first casting:

Linky link

That's slightly larger than I had remembered. The two ideas that I mentioned are roughly south of that area and east of that area.

I found my old math:

If I double-move, I can cover 400 feet a minute. That's 2,000 feet, with a radius on the spell of 600 feet. If we pick a start and end point on this map (link), could probably do a decent job of at least narrowing things down.

So, I think I could get (a) all of Old Kintargo and the Devil's Nursery (pink), or (b) all of Redroof and the eastern bit of Old Kintargo (not drawn).

I'm inclined to agree the Fantasmagorium and Fair Fortune Livery are more likely locations... Just wish I could get more space. I can also memorize this again the next day... if Rexy hasn't tried his plan by then.

I was thinking we could probably rent a carriage - faster than walking, and then Aldren would cover all the distance he needed - and since he'd be in the carriage, there'd be no concerns about spellcasting or concentration.

Only if it has leather seats. I'm not sitting on a wooden plank! :p

Honestly, I think that's a great suggestion. Looks like there is a major thoroughfare through most of the likely path, so just based on the map it seems like that should work.

- and since he'd be in the carriage, there'd be no concerns about spellcasting or concentration.

Depends on the state of the roads, I should think.

Sidius Consano wrote:

- and since he'd be in the carriage, there'd be no concerns about spellcasting or concentration.

Depends on the state of the roads, I should think.

We'll make sure to bring very fluffy pillows. :)

So does anyone want the +1 Chain Shirt? If not, it should be sold for half price. I'm also leaning towards selling the potion of Bear's Endurance; that seems to be the sort of thing that never gets used.

I don’t. I have +1 agile breastplate and while I really want mithril to get 30’ movement back I don’t feel a need for the chain shirt. Count me in favor of “sell”.

Talvek could use it if nobody else wants it. He's already wearing a mwk chain shirt.

I can take it, give someone else the ring of protection.

It might make sense for Arcos to wear the +1 chain shirt, while Talvek takes the +1 ring of protection. Long-term, Talvek really would benefit from a mithril chain shirt anyway — his dex bonus will get really high with Cat's Grace (or other enhancement bonus) and mutagen. Then we could sell Arcos' current +1 leather armor.

The net result would be +2 AC for Arcos and +1 AC for Talvek. Then we just need to decide who gets the +1 Cloak of Resistance.

Definitely. I'll also get more of my defensiveness from other magic buffs like blur and mirror image than raw AC.

Sounds good to me.

You must understand, the very existence of these chambers has remained a secret for these 4 decades, and now, in an ironic turn, the same order that put a final end to the Silver Ravens so long ago may provide clues lost in time and a base of operations yet undiscovered by the Thrunes.

I’m still confused about the meaning of this (an order put an end to the Silver Ravens), but if the thrust and intent of all of this is to say the Torrent were not responsible for ending the Silver Ravens, I’ll adjust accordingly. Taking the kidlet to preschool and catching up on work emails but will post IC soon.

I rolled a History check to see what Talvek can remember about reading/not reading on that particular topic, so waiting for the GM response there. OOC, I know the answer after digging through some wikis.

Re-reading everything, I'm guessing it's just a typo and "Silver Ravens" should have been "Grey Spiders," but as we've seen my assumptions are frequently wrong. [-;

@Aldren - hopefully the history on the demise of the Silver Ravens and the connection to the Order of the Torrent explains it a bit.

@Lubella, you are not feeling quite ready to continue and may need additional attention for the bite from the sewer pit.

@Party...we are at a milestone in the game, but a bit out of order. You are about 1 mission shy of leveling...and probably should not proceed into the sealed tomb without doing so. The murderer and letter could be done afterwards, but may be prudent to resolve and get Lubella in better shape. There are a few other sidebars which have not been fully explored.

Next, the rebellion teams are needing some maintenance. The hope (and suggestion by Octavio) is to move them out of the Longroads and into the Lucky Bones, once it is cleared. But at this point the teams need their next week's assignments.

Finally, all of the above may change your actions for the next day. Additionally, I will be going on a short 3-day vacation for Labor Day and may have less time to post. So, we could resolve some of the above...perform the level-up now (early) and then I adjust accordingly. As well as take care of the rebellion checks etc.

Thoughts?

PS. I hope everyone is staying in good health. We have not heard from Fhingle in a bit...I hope all is well. However, if he is unavailable, we may have him stay behind rather than trying to bot him for an entire dungeon.

Thanks, GM. Hope you have a great vacation.

Maybe it would make sense to go to the north side. That way we can visit Laria, check in with the teams, rest, and be positioned to deal with the letter. Aldren can also try locate object on the north side of the city for Rexus and, if needed, Remove Disease for Lubella.

A successful heal check would help Lubella recover from the bite:

Treat Disease: To treat a disease means to tend to a single diseased character. Every time the diseased character makes a saving throw against disease effects, you make a Heal check. If your Heal check exceeds the DC of the disease, the character receives a +4 competence bonus on his saving throw against the disease.

Can you help remind us which other sidebars we haven't fully explored? Wuld any of those constitute a mission of some urgency?
Talvek is keen to deal with the murderer.

Also, Talvek's Heal skill is not great, so I don't think he can help much with getting Lubella better. =/

Could we move the teams into the explored bits of Lucky Bones, under strict instructions not to poke around beyond that?

Enjoy your holiday, GM!

That's why we have a Herbal Hedge Witch. ;) While Heal is sadly not int-based, I've been putting in the work. ;)

Sidebars and Rumors in no particular order
(not all are actually actionable or could be false)

1) Slasher/Murderer
2) Captain's Letter Delivery
3) Finding Rexus
4) Mysterious Figure in Doorways (outside Museum etc)
5) Potentially recovering the Hellknights Armor and Gear from Jail
6) Girl School's Troubles
7) The Poison Pen
8) The Rose of Kintargo

*9*) The Seal door in the Lucky Bones

Also, while I am at it...

===========================================
Rebellion Stuff

I think some of the rumours haven't been shared with the rest of the party. For example, I don't think Lubella is aware of the following issues:

6) Girl School's Troubles
7) The Poison Pen
8) The Rose of Kintargo

Probably true. I believe there were posts regarding each rumor or encounter but not all here were included.

Some, like the Poison Pen, you all would know by proclaim (see campaign tab for those prior announcements)

Proclamation the Tenth:
POSSESSION OF POETRY OR PROSE WRITTEN
BY THE FOLLOWING AUTHORS IS HEREBY
FORBIDDEN AND PUNISHABLE BY A FINE OF 100 GOLD PIECES OR IMPRISONMENT: BOSWYTH THE BARD, CHARLETTA D’VANEP, GHENRAIL OF VYRE, AND THE ANONYMOUS MISCREANT WHO CALLS HIM- OR HERSELF THE “POISON PEN OF KINTARGO.” ALL DOCUMENTS BEARING THE WRITINGS OF
THESE MISCREANTS MUST BE TURNED
OVER TO THE DOTTARI FOR DESTRUCTION BY SUNDOWN.

My thoughts are: Given the harm to the populace, prioritizing the slasher might be the best thing -- plus, it can't hurt to have the people feel that it's the Ravens that protect them, not the Dottari.

That said, some of the other items on the list may be quicker than tracking down a murderer - and I'm not against going after low-hanging fruit for some quick wins.

I really didn't get too hung up on what Lubella would wear while she was washing her clothes. She only has one set of clothes listed, but I'm presuming that there might be duplicates of some items. She presumably has more than one set of undergarments. :)

Mind you, a peasant's outfit is only 1 sp, and could easily be let at home base.

Oh, totally! It’s silly but Aldren’s vanity is kind of central to his character, so I probably spend a little too much time thinking about it, and with the hat of disguise I don’t think he’d have remotely considered a need to carry a change of clothing.

There's nothing like a close encounter with an Otyugh to make you appreciate the wisdom of a second set of clothes. :)

Ok, we are back. So what is the decision of the different missions?

I have updated the rebellion sheet. We still need to resolve the weekly of your 3 teams (pre-Armigers, who are now your 4th team). And congrats - as the Silver Ravens are now rank 6th Rebellion.

I've proposed delivering the letter to the Marquel Aulorian; I don't think anyone has suggested something else. But most haven't expressed an opinion one way or the other.

I'm down with crossing the river to check on the teams and attempt to deliver the letter.

Yup, Aldy has said in character the group should cross. Is Clenchjaws open (I cant recall how that was resolved). Might be able to get a meal there. But more to the point, relatively safe place to rest and recover, can deliver the letter, I could do Locate Object on the north side for Rexy, etc. Totally on board with crossing the river.

Sidius had suggested the murder investigation - but also said some 'quick' tasks would be helpful - and I would think delivering the letter would (mostly) qualify as such.

Retrieving the Torrent equipment from the Holding House is a good idea, but needs to wait until we're leveled up to 6th IMHO.

Perhaps we can sell all the unwanted loot? I think we have a bunch of mwk nets, that glaive, and various other items. Perhaps we can sell that creepy skull to some artists...

Is selling the loot something the peddlers team can do? Less conspicuous to spread it out among several people who already have trade contacts than us going around with a boatload of, uhh... rather strange things to be in possession of.

We also need to discuss team actions. It's been so long since we last did them that I forgot all the rules. :D

What does Rank 6 of rebellion give us, just the waterbreathing potions?

If I remember from last time, we had 3 available actions, the only thing I can think of from a spymaster perspective is to have Vendalfek continue to spread misinformation to the authorities about the 'Heirs of the Silver Ravens'. Another one would be to recruit supporters, any other ideas?

And how's our treasury doing, do we need to pad it out?

Definitely worth reviewing all the different activities; it's a little overwhelming. They start on page 27 of the Players Guide.

Depending on the types of teams we have, some options jumping out at me are:

* Gather Information (Find Sexy Rexy?)
* Lie Low (reduce notoriety; do we know what our notoriety is at?)
* Recruit Team (if we're not at max)
* Reduce Danger (if GM is using Danger rules)

Also, GM, given my absence during some leveling up, what should I do with the intervening ranks? E.g., I haven't taken the rank 4 bonus feat and, I'll double-check hero lab, but I don't think I took the rank 2 bonus skill.

I think we've already received the benefits of Rebellion Rank 6: the 750 gp gift.

Suggested Rebellion Actions:

We have three actions (2 + the bonus action from the Strategist). We're already at the maximum number of teams.

1. Recruit Supporters. We should always do this, since that's how the rebellion grows. Limited to once per week. I propose using the bonus action from the Strategist for this, to get the +2 bonus.
2. Gather Information. Not sure if this will help us find Rexus, but worth a shot.
3. Upgrade Team (Peddlers-> Merchants) — Cost :50 gp. Upgrading them will allow them to make more money with the Earn Money action, which we'll likely want to start doing the following week. We'll need to chip in some money for the cost: we could use some of the money from selling the surplus gear. I'm presuming that we can only upgrade a team by one tier at a time, although the rules don't specifically say.

Reduce Danger only reduces the Danger level for the following week, so I'm not sure it's worth it at this point. I think the danger level is relatively low at the moment. There's also a penalty for failing the DC 15 Security check.

Spread Disinformation requires a DC 20 Secrecy check (we have +6 Secrecy right now, and I think Vendalfek gets an additional bonus), and has consequences for failure. Our Notoriety is also relatively low, so I think it makes sense to wait until our Rebellion Rank is higher, when we will have a better chance of success. At that point our Notoriety will be more of a pressing concern, I should imagine.

I just realized that we don't have the right type of team to Gather Information (Agitators, Cognoscenti,
Rumormongers, or Street Performers).

Oh, that's a bummer, I was really hoping we can get help from the teams with figuring out Rexus's whereabouts.

I agree with Lubella's suggestions.

Also, I may have missed it - did we attempt heal checks, cure disease and/or saving throw for Lubella? If not cured outright, this particular disease needs two consecutive saves...so she may not be out of the woods yet.

One thing I may need to do with the teams - is on the Rebellion tracker page - lets update their mission next to their name.

Also for rebellion officers, we may need to check a few things. Fhingle can stay on as an officer, at least until we hear if he is coming back or not. But he will be working a desk job until he reports back.

I think with Aldren's return, may want to shuffle officers - or not.

Lubella made one successful fort save already. Should I roll another now, or wait?

Ok, thanks that's right. It was in the spoiler is why I missed finding it again. Nope, you are good but will need another in the next morning.

Our third rebellion action can be to assign Aldren to an officer position. I think he was a Recruiter previously, but he would also be suitable as the Sentinel.

Lubella is currently unassigned. She was going to move to Sentinel, but will need to move to Demagogue if Fhingle doesn't return.

@Aldren: Which do you prefer?

Probably recruiter? I could muddle along with Sentinel with Wisdom and Charisma (for Loyalty and Security checks), but on Secrecy checks my Int and Dex are both a +0.

My sense from the previous night is that Lubella was playing it pretty coy on the disease thing (?) but Aldren would be happy to assist with a Heal check or a spell if he thought she was struggling with something.

Also, I started to do one thing in a gameplay post, but then saw Talvek's bluff check and am going to wait to see how that resolves.

I can make a heal roll to tend disease, or produce an herbal remedy.... which... apparently doesn't give a bonus to saves, it just suppresses the disease effects for a minute... so that's less useful.