Alysandra de l’Escalina |
Considering the hefty penalties associated with my snarled up, sleep-deprived attempt at a description I applaud it as a no small feat.
Cawmirth Ravenheart |
Whoops! I didn't see this until my post was already up.
In this case, since I'm after the edit window, can I just have Cawmirth suggest a bit more subtlety in how they go about this and hold off on the lock picking and trapfinding just yet?
Alysandra de l’Escalina |
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The flurry of posts... bane and delight of every fast-paced game.
Unless you have a GM who's skilled at reframing them into a coherent, linear narrative on the fly, that is :)
Phil Tucker |
Just a quick update. You four have unlocked the apartment door, and stepped just inside the entrance. Callista has flickered out of view, Alysandra and Sebi are frowning and staring at the chained form, and Cawmirth has begun to slowly walk alongside the walls, examining the writing that's scrawled across its surface. Perhaps fifteen seconds have passed.
Phil Tucker |
Voice of the Grave is an interesting spell, in that it doesn't neatly dovetail with the spell (Speak with Dead) that it's meant to emulate.
Voice of the Grave: You can speak with the dead, as per the spell, for a number of rounds per day equal to your oracle level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. At 5th level, and every five levels thereafter, the dead creature you question takes a cumulative –2 penalty on its Will save to resist this effect.
Speak w/ Dead: You grant the semblance of life to a corpse, allowing it to answer questions. You may ask one question per two caster levels. The corpse's knowledge is limited to what it knew during life, including the languages it spoke. Answers are brief, cryptic, or repetitive, especially if the creature would have opposed you in life.
VotG is limited by time, SwD by the number of questions.
As such, I'm going to rule that since it says "as per the spell", you get 1 question/2 levels - and you "use" as many rounds as it takes to ask those questions and get the answers. It may be that the answer to a question takes several rounds to give, depending on complexity of the question. If time or number of questions run out, you're done. The main benefit to VotG, of course, is that it's a standard action to cast instead of taking 10 minutes.
Given that a round is 6 seconds, and Sebi is level 7, that means you have about 45 seconds in which to get up to four answers.
Make sense?
Sebi Moncrief |
Yeah that makes sense. That's weird the way they did it like that; I didn't notice it when I looked over the ability the first time.
So, for the questions, would it be better to have one per post, or in the interest of time I could post three general questions and then leave the fourth open for a specific question relating to an answer. Which would you prefer?
Phil Tucker |
By the way, we've hit Page 3 of the Gameplay thread in just 10 days. That's insane. I hope we can keep up this intensity for some time to come, as I can't wait to throw you guys into all kinds of trouble. Thanks for being so focused, putting in the effort to consistently write excellent posts, and helping kick off this game with a bang.
Alysandra de l’Escalina |
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Thank you Callista for remembering us how a Calistrian can be the best of friends and the worst of enemies – a femme fatale who also defies the common stereotypes and manages to be a strong, three-dimensional character.
Thank you Cawmirth for having crafted a Linguistics-focused tengu Professor into a character who's a blast to play with, and for having brought a bit of Woody Allen into Golarion.
Thank you Phil for the marvelous game and the vivid descriptions which have brought it to life. The chains scene could have very well come out of a movie – brilliant!
Thank you Sebi for how you've weaved your PC's mechanics into an incredibly flavorful character concept, and for the evocative prose you've fleshed her out with.
Cawmirth Ravenheart |
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To add to the mutual thanks and congratulations (though, there is little I can say that Alysandra's player hasn't already put beautifully), I'll just say that this is a wonderful confluence of excellent writing ability and storytelling on our DM's part, along with a similar quality of prose and good balance of narrativism and gamism from the players.
That is, we're all playing well fleshed out, interesting characters and touch on the conflicts that can come out of those, but at the same time, it seems we're all being good team players in the way our characters can.
Really, this game is quite a delight, and I'm as curious as any to see where our mission takes us. Though, I'm a bit curious as to whether we took a detour Phil wasn't expecting or if he was hoping we'd pick up on clues and go after this Order of the Cypress early on.
If that question is far too metagamey or digs into your plans, I'm happy to just wait until we get to the end of the campaign to find out!
Also, to Alysandra... the Woody Allen comparison is one I hadn't thought of, but it's really quite apt! Thank you!
Alysandra de l’Escalina |
@Phil: Just as an advance notice, Alysandra's next step would be to reach a small shrine of Ragathiel where she sometimes meets with other members of the faith (mostly paladins and Eagle Knight members) for guidance and prayer. She'd write her report, perform her devotions (by the way: Ragathiel's obedience states the she should dispatch at least one evil foe – one who has also committed evil acts – to unlock its bonus for the day; would Kasoval count? I know it's a bit of a stretch, as he surely wasn't very threatening, of perhaps even evil in the first place before being corrupted...) and make an offering of 100 gps in exchange for 2 oils of bless weapon (if anyone has the right tools to fight devils, I'd guess it'd be Ragathiel's clergy).
Since you as a GM get the last word on such things as whether such a shrine would even exist in the first place, I thought about asking if you're fine with this course of action before posting it the Gameplay thread.
Phil Tucker |
Though, I'm a bit curious as to whether we took a detour Phil wasn't expecting or if he was hoping we'd pick up on clues and go after this Order of the Cypress early on.
If that question is far too metagamey or digs into your plans, I'm happy to just wait until we get to the end of the campaign to find out!
*grin* I'm going to keep my cards close on this one. I'll be happy to talk about my plans/expectations after we're done.
Alysandra de l’Escalina |
Cawmirth Ravenheart wrote:*grin* I'm going to keep my cards close on this one. I'll be happy to talk about my plans/expectations after we're done.Though, I'm a bit curious as to whether we took a detour Phil wasn't expecting or if he was hoping we'd pick up on clues and go after this Order of the Cypress early on.
If that question is far too metagamey or digs into your plans, I'm happy to just wait until we get to the end of the campaign to find out!
For my part, I'm still wondering whether I neutralized a nascent kyton or just nuked a defenseless 1st-level bard...
Alysandra de l’Escalina |
Callista's in my opinion would work even better, more private and discreet. The small problem would be that Alysandra stormed off immediately after the interrogation to deliver her report and thus had probably already left when Callista issued the invitation. Even if that weren't the case, she has already summoned her guards to the Hall of Reliquaries first thing in the morning (no particular reason there, at the time it seemed the only place everyone was reasonably familiar with).
I'd actually be fine with a little bit of retconning and pretend meeting at Callista's had been the plan all along.
Thank you for reminding me what a nightmare it was to arrange a meeting in the pre-mobile phone era...
Alysandra de l’Escalina |
That'd work out nicely. Two of the guards, Edvard and Nyle, escorted Callista to her house earlier, so they'd already know where it is located.
Phil Tucker |
If it's more convenient, we can bring the planning here so as to hash out what to do in rapid-fire mode.
As it stands, it sounds like the group is going to arrive incognito, and then split into two: Sebi and Cawmirth going to speak to Aurion Thorn (privately? openly as the diplomatic envoy in full view of the council?) while Callista and Alysandra are going to find the Griffin Maester so as to leverage Alysandra's military background in gaining his support.
That sound about right? How is Alysandra going to split her four guards between the groups?
Sebi Moncrief |
Sounds good to me. I would think openly declaring the reasons for our visit right off the bat would start a panic throughout Alastor, and possibly in the surrounding environs. Sebi plans to petition for a private meeting first.
Also, she'll buy 2 scrolls of sending while in Alastor.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Alysandra de l’Escalina |
Better this way.
My idea was to have Sebi approach Aurion Thorn semi-officially (that is, as the Supreme Elect's plenipotentiary with the full complement of guards escorting her, yet in the context of a private audience), while Lavinia discreetly visits the Griffin Maester and Callista perhaps a second councilor of her choice (Lysander Poolt, the merchant? Ser Forsyth Erekiar, the nobleman?), with Cawmirth being the wild card here.
The underlying strategy would be to appear in front of the Council having already probed its dispositions and perhaps secured the support of some of its members. Particularly if Thorn's demands prove unreasonable – in which case, I was wondering whether calling for a vote of no-confidence could be an option, should a more malleable (and eligible) candidate present himself (though if I remember correctly, Andoren mayors are appointed directly by the People's Council to discourage pork barrel politics, so this might not be an option).
From this point of view, I'd argue the more people we can talk to, the merrier. But I also understand how Callista's suggestion of having just two teams has its merits; mainly, being safer and allowing for a more focused effort.
Callista Jeggare |
Callista certainly doesn't mind operating independently, if that is the group's decision. She only suggested the groups for safety reasons, as Alysandra pointed out.
I'd actually prefer to spread out, but am happy with whatever.
Phil Tucker |
From a DM's POV, having the group split into 3 separate parties is potentially a bit of a headache if only because there's no guarantee each group will finish at the same time as the others. If everyone's amenable, let's go with the two groups.
Thus I think we're all agreed: Sebi and Cawmirth are to seek a private meeting with Aurion Thorn with the four guards to back them up, while Alysandra and Callista seek out the Maester.
Please note that I'm willing to allow further meetings with other council members after these initial ones without penalizing you for the timing (within reason and depending to some degree on how these initial meetings go.) I don't want Alysandra to feel that her strategy is getting short shrift due to potentially ooc considerations.
Let me know if there are any concerns or questions. Otherwise, it's time to try on those boots!
Alysandra de l’Escalina |
Absolutely fine by me. Let's see how this preliminary round of meetings goes and then plan accordingly.
Feel free to kick the game forward at your earliest convenience, Phil!
Alysandra de l’Escalina |
As someone with barely more ranks in knowledge skills than Callista... I'd say I'm partial to the first option, generally speaking; even better would be for you to roll those in our stead. Two reasons, mainly:
- Especially in a PbP, it allows the game to proceed more smoothly: i.e. it would cut 4 steps (GM setting up the scene => skill checks => GM telling results => PC explaining what he knows / player making a decision based on his newly acquired knowledge) down to 2, potentially saving 1 whole day of back and forth posting in a best case scenario;
- It better reflects the knowledge checks' 'passive' nature.
Sebi Moncrief |
I'm OK with you prompting any applicable knowledge checks.
If the knowledge check is directly a part of our character's action, though, I take it we'll still be rolling those, right? Like if Sebi wanted to go research gugs, then I would make the check as part of my post still?
-Posted with Wayfinder
Alysandra de l’Escalina |
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So to recap we have (ranked from most to least sympathetic to our cause, at least as far as we know):
- Aurion Thorn, Council Leader. Probably a bit bitter about his crushed candidacy for Supreme Elect and the way Andoran treated Alastor when its attention was focused on the eastern front. Unenthusiastic supporter of standing against Cheliax. Probably wants something in return for his support (having his name cleared of the past scandals?).
- Forsyth Erekiar, old nobleman, disgraced for skirting his military duties, who votes like Thorn.
- Lysander Poolt, merchant, most likely to be persuaded through concessions if not outright bribes.
- Aurissa the Blind, Pharasmin bishop, whom we know little about.
- Ossok Horn, Griffon Maester of the Golden Legion, technically a military man whose duty would be to stand at the front lines against the invasion but who's nevertheless uncharacteristically apathetic about the whole thing.
- Jain Kinch, a demagogue who openly speaks about siding with Cheliax (or at least seceding from Andoran and declare neutrality).
(Just a suggestion which I used the Discussion Thread to express since it's already wordy as it is ;) )
Alysandra de l’Escalina |
Personally speaking, I've often refrained from posting lately simply because upon checking, I've often discovered one of us has already interacted with Onario (which is awesome, love reading those posts!) and I didn't want to give the impression I was trying to talk over somebody (I've had a Kingmaker campaign which started off that way – of which I wasn't completely without fault – and it was a pretty chaotic experience).
Also, weekend.
That said, Alysandra has no more questions to ask; as far as I'm concerned, I'm ready to move on.
Cawmirth Ravenheart |
To address your strategy post, Alysandra, I think proceeding with the original plan sounds good, too. Thorn's likely to be the person who would be best able to tell us exactly how he's falling short in terms of rallying the council to his side (at least, from his own perspective) and Alysandra's likely peculiarly well-suited to figuring out what's going on with Ossok Horn.
Being largely blind to the others, I do love making (sometimes wildly inaccurate, if my recent guesses about Game of Thrones are any indication...) predictions, so I'll throw out my preliminary thoughts.
Forsyth Erekiar: If Erekiar starts to drift, I'm guessing he'll be a council-member most vulnerable to a straight roleplay approach. We're in a situation where a well-respected man has shirked his military duty and now threatens the whole realm and I'm guessing that'd be a key point to hammer on if he needs some convincing.
Lysander Poolt: Do you guys remember that big sack of change we got at the outset? If my guess is correct, we'll occasionally have opportunities to money our way out of problems when our skill checks and planning fail us. While we may have opportunities to get this guy without spending anything, I'm guessing he's a bit of a fail-safe (though, it'd mean we wouldn't have those resources down the road).
Aurissa the Blind: I have no idea. Given how hands-off and fate-oriented Pharasma and her priests come across in Inner Sea Gods and the Ustalav book, it's hard to imagine her being easily swayed by argumentation or bribery from a religious perspective alone.
Ossok Horn: OOC? This is the guy I have pegged as somehow being compromised. From an espionage standpoint, corrupting the opposing officers is the fastest way to ensure an invasion works (it got the Manchus past the Great Wall and ended the Ming dynasty). How the hell can you not have a strong position on an imminent invasion?!
Jain Kinch: I'm banking on Jain being at worst self-interested and at best, honestly concerned about his community. The war with Taldan's on the other side of the country and Alastor's giving and getting nothing back. Cawmirth's actually rather sympathetic to his position, as it's generally been stated. Not that personal sympathy's going to stop Cawmirth from trying putting the kibosh on this secession talk.
Anyway, those are just my guesses! Also, to our esteemed GM, I'm with Alyssandra in terms of not really wanting to step on any toes. I'm quite excited about the game, but at times, I don't want to jump right into conversations when it seems like there are quite a few cooks already in the kitchen.
Alysandra de l’Escalina |
To address your strategy post, Alysandra, I think proceeding with the original plan sounds good, too. Thorn's likely to be the person who would be best able to tell us exactly how he's falling short in terms of rallying the council to his side (at least, from his own perspective) and Alysandra's likely peculiarly well-suited to figuring out what's going on with Ossok Horn.
Being largely blind to the others, I do love making (sometimes wildly inaccurate, if my recent guesses about Game of Thrones are any indication...) predictions, so I'll throw out my preliminary thoughts.
Forsyth Erekiar: If Erekiar starts to drift, I'm guessing he'll be a council-member most vulnerable to a straight roleplay approach. We're in a situation where a well-respected man has shirked his military duty and now threatens the whole realm and I'm guessing that'd be a key point to hammer on if he needs some convincing.
I reason along similar lines. A moving speech about how spearheading the military effort could redeem his past failings and restore prestige to his name might seem a viable course of action, at least given what little we know.
Lysander Poolt: Do you guys remember that big sack of change we got at the outset? If my guess is correct, we'll occasionally have opportunities to money our way out of problems when our skill checks and planning fail us. While we may have opportunities to get this guy without spending anything, I'm guessing he's a bit of a fail-safe (though, it'd mean we wouldn't have those resources down the road).
Glad to know I wasn't the only one who thought of that cash as a sort of 'limited screw-up buffer'. Unless it's all just a cunning plan to set up a Pay to Win behind our backs once we run out of it, that is (Sinaiva is unmoved by your arguments and is poised to have his mercenaries join the Chelaxian forces, unless you can make him a better offer. It's 1$ for 100 gp, Paypal or credit?). ;)
Aurissa the Blind: I have no idea. Given how hands-off and fate-oriented Pharasma and her priests come across in Inner Sea Gods and the Ustalav book, it's hard to imagine her being easily swayed by argumentation or bribery from a religious perspective alone.
Ossok Horn: OOC? This is the guy I have pegged as somehow being compromised. From an espionage standpoint, corrupting the opposing officers is the fastest way to ensure an invasion works (it got the Manchus past the Great Wall and ended the Ming dynasty). How the hell can you not have a strong position on an imminent invasion?!
Exactly. Entrenching himself in his redoubt with an enemy army knocking on the front door is perilously close to treason. Plus, he's not just one vote, he has plenty of soldiers under his command. As every wanna-be golpista could tell you, controlling the army is half the effort of controlling a nation...
Jain Kinch: I'm banking on Jain being at worst self-interested and at best, honestly concerned about his community. The war with Taldan's on the other side of the country and Alastor's giving and getting nothing back. Cawmirth's actually rather sympathetic to his position, as it's generally been stated. Not that personal sympathy's going to stop Cawmirth from trying putting the kibosh on this secession talk.
...with the people's support probably being the other half. Alysandra's probably a bit less sympathetic, though that's probably due to her military mindset, as in 'what good it does me to know that my enemy is a decent man and a loving father if I then have to dispose of him nonetheless?'
Anyway, those are just my guesses! Also, to our esteemed GM, I'm with Alyssandra in terms of not really wanting to step on any toes. I'm quite excited about the game, but at times, I don't want to jump right into conversations when it seems like there are quite a few cooks already in the kitchen.
No-ranks-in-Diplomacy PCs unite!
Sebi Moncrief |
Yep, sorry was on the road Sunday and Monday and couldn't get time to post something more involved.
The merchant might just need a trade agreement or some such to be greased. I would rather not use our funds until absolutely necessary.
If you were Cheliax, though, what better way to disorient your foe than by using their own patriotism against them? My money's on Kinch. But, I will try and be the very best of distractions. Sebi knows all about that: haunted with a capital F!
-Posted with Wayfinder
Alysandra de l’Escalina |
Agreed on both counts.
"Captain," says Rahgnall quietly to Alysandra. "Should we fly the Andoran banner?"
Are we still sticking to the original plan (Sebi and Cawmirth announce themselves to Thorn, while Callista and Alysandra discreetly pay Horn a visit)? I understand Cawmirth agrees as well as probably Sebi; I'll wait for Callista's input before posting though.