If anyone is interested in another game, I am in an Ironfang Invasion game that needs a new player. We have three remaining dedicated players and I'm playing a Tiefling Kineticist in it.
Feel free to contact GM Spazmodeus if you want to apply. We are currently at 4th level, getting close to 5th I think. I'm not sure what book in the AP we are in yet, but its been really fun so far!
Remove curse wouldn't do the trick, I'm guessing?
Remove curse wouldn't do the trick, I'm guessing?
The hag ritual that has transformed Baron Telus functions as a Major Curse spell. The spell description for Major Curse/Bestow Curse says that Remove Curse works, along with Break Enchantment (and a couple other high level spells). However, the AP book only specifically mentions Break Enchantment.
I will rule that Remove Curse would be a feasible way to cure Baron Telus.
The DC to remove the curse would be 5 higher, as per the spell description for Major Curse, and you have to deal with the fact that Baron Telus will likely be trying to eat you whilst you cast the spell.
you have to deal with the fact that Baron Telus will likely be trying to eat you whilst you cast the spell.
this does put a bit of a wrinkle into the plan, yes
Also, I don't have the spell prepared today, and I've already used my once a day "cast anything" ability to feed the villagers. We could always come back tomorrow, though. He seems like the sort to hang around.
You'll need to inform Amandine there's a real possible option for removing the curse. Her best guess would be they'd have to go back to the Abadarans for such a thing. She's not inclined to wait and come back since they've managed to deal with Telus's people effectively and aren't likely to get so lucky the next time around.
FYI, I will be camping with my son over the weekend until Tuesday.
I will try and post from my phone if possible, otherwise feel free to bot me if I take too long.
=)
Well, I don't think that's gonna do it. I've got one more 3rd level spell slot, and can cast a third time using my bonded holy symbol, but then I'm done for the day. :/
Huh, Telus sounds like every American corporation. Now, to be fair I'm sure I'm exaggerating. If I thought about it for a while I'd certainly come up with two or three that have good customer service.
I'm very sorry it's taken so long to post. I've been very busy lately and the new game post was a long one to put together.
Olivia nods. "I'm sure we could ask for support from our allies. Plotting against one-another is a noble's favourite pass-time. What we will need is some way to arm our peasants."
Just wanted to come back and say I was really impressed by how thought out your plan was, Amandine, and wish I had written a post to match the amount of effort you put into yours.
Thanks! I hope some of it is on track with where this book is going. I was just making some some guesses about how things might play out. This has been a very sandboxy book and we haven't really learned much new About Lotheed and company for quite a while so we still don't have any clear ideas on what they're all about.
Since there are loyalty points we're accumulating, there must be some sort of turn the county against them kind of thing involved. Also it does need to end with us in possession of Birdsong Palace, at least ideally, so I figured I'd try to string some things together that might point us in that direction.
I guess we'll see if things become clearer concerning what we're supposed to do with more time. That's why I labeled this a "Plan B". What happens might not track with anything Amandine said.
Works for me! I just worried about our little Swan mixing things up and trying to kill Amandine. She's just mixed up about nobility...not completely wrong...but mixed up. The Vigilante/Assassin could be a useful ally if we can somehow cure her notions of Democracy in a medieval world.
I just don't have a bead on the Night Swan. She'd make a good ally I think, but how do we get her onboard? I haven't a clue. I don't want her as an enemy, but I don't know how to get her off Amandine's back without making things worse.
Here's a few peeks behind the GM screen...
...
You are correct about the Loyalty Points. The climax of the adventure, as written in the book, is storming/infiltrating the Palace of Birdsong to confront Count Lotheed. The number of Loyalty Points you accumulate prior to this confrontation determines the amount of resistance you encounter.
Having too few Loyalty Points means that you are seen as glory hounds or incompetent nobles in the eyes of the locals; as a result, there are more defenders at the palace, including Baron Okerra and some of his soldiers.
Having more Loyalty Points removes traps and guards from the palace, as the residents of the county recognize that you are doing the right thing by unseating Count Lotheed.
...
Outside the Palace of Birdsong, you only really get a sense of Count Lotheed as an incompetent, detached ruler who treats Meratt as his own personal playground. Once you get into the palace, though, you find hints about what he and his family are really getting up to...
...
The Night Swan forms a dichotomy with Baron Okerra. The book states that she represents "the dangers of unrestrained freedom as much as Baron Okerra represents the dangers of unquestioning loyalty." Either one can be persuaded to temper their approach: Baron Okerra can learn "to bend the rules in order to do what's right, while the Night Swan can be taught the importance of "adaptability, tolerance for others, and willingness to organize for the overall goal of liberty."
However, siding with one typically means making an enemy out of the other. Presently, since you have made an ally of Baron Okerra, the Night Swan sees you as enemies because you are part of the establishment.
Well if that's the situation with the Night Swan and Okerra, I guess the course is already set. We're in a good situation vis-a-vis Okerra. If we're not, he may actually fight against us at the end. Also Amandine is quite sweet on him.
On the other hand, while Amandine is a Milanite, she's terrified of a Galt type of scenario emerging in Taldor. The Night Swan seems to have a Galt type of temperament.
Maybe we can just try to avoid engaging with her. I don't want to oppose her really, much less take her out.
Then it definitely sounds like the Swan needs to be in jail. We only kill her if we have to do so.
Well if that's the situation with the Night Swan and Okerra, I guess the course is already set. We're in a good situation vis-a-vis Okerra. If we're not, he may actually fight against us at the end. Also Amandine is quite sweet on him.
In terms of Loyalty Points, the party has already well surpassed the lower threshold, so you don't need to worry about Okerra siding against you.
Okerra and Night Swan are both suggested as potential romantic interests for PCs, albeit mutually exclusive ones.
While I wouldn't say it's impossible to win them both over as allies, it is very difficult.
On the other hand, while Amandine is a Milanite, she's terrified of a Galt type of scenario emerging in Taldor. The Night Swan seems to have a Galt type of temperament.
Your concern is well founded.
First off, if there was any lingering doubt, Lucretzia Marthane is the Night Swan.
She was born to a noble family in Cassomir, but a political rival left them landless and destitute when she was young. The only possessions that she managed to hold on to were some of her books - a combination of "tales of daring bandits wooing love and fighting injustice," as well as "banned treatises on Galtan philosophy."
These books, obviously, shaped her worldview, leading to her becoming the Night Swan.
Contrary to how the common people of Meratt see her as a folk hero, her real motivation is simply to rob the rich to bankroll the lifestyle that she feels she is entitled to. While she believes that anyone could and should steal from the wealthy to achieve the same standard of living, she has no interest in actually helping anyone get started on that.
Thus, rather than being a Robin Hood, she seems more akin to a non-heroic Catwoman.
Howdy! Sorry to disappear on y'all again, lmk if I'm still welcome around here, love the game, love y'all, love Greenly, but sometimes life gets stupid and chaotic. In a good place now though and tryna return to the site.
Welcome back! I was starting to worry a bit there.
=)
Of course you're welcome back, Greenly!
We all understand how real life can get.
Welcome back Greenly!
Yay, Greenly! We missed you.
Apologies for the gap in posting. Aside from the holiday my car was totaled over the weekend. No injuries, but I'm in the middle of dealing with all the stuff involved, including finding a new vehicle right quick. It may be a few days yet before things are back to normal. If you need to please bot me.
Oh no, that's awful! Especially trying to get a new car when the market is so bonkers. I'm sorry but I'm glad you're okay. :(
All caught up, I'll post as Greenly when we return to the manor. No rush, :)
Good luck finding a new car, Amandine! Sorry about your car, glad all you and yours are safe.
I think I'm finally out of the hole and can keep up on posting now. Thanks for your patience!
An interesting thing I realized while rereading the Discussion thread, you say here that bringing Okerra to Helpful sent the Night Swan to Hostile, but if that switch in Okerra happened before the Joust, remember that Greenly gave the bouquet to Lucretzia, which should have increased her attitude by one step, to say nothing about Photiné's and my attempts at diplomacizing her, she could potentially be Unhelpful or Indifferent to us. Still would be a struggle to hold both Okerra and the Swan in our lines but perhaps not as much
That's an interesting idea. I'd like to be able to at least keep the Night Swan indifferent.
I can think of a couple of possible reasons why there might be a mismatch in attitudes, so maybe one or more of these are having an effect.
Lucretzia/Night Swan likes Greenly and Photine just fine, but that doesn't extend to Amandine, who is the "noble" in the group. Her/Their attitudes might be split rather than applying to the entire party.
If she's a vigilante, or insane but not a vigilante, (actually I don't even know if this works for vigilantes but they do have dual personas) Lucretzia and the Night Swan might have different attitudes, and affecting one doesn't affect the other.
The Influence tracking System has a hardwired mechanic that causes Okerra and the Night Swan to have inverse attitudes. When one side goes up, the other goes down, like a seesaw.
So I'm going to throw out a bunch of things to see if y'all bite on any of them. Mostly they involve the two plans (such as they are) Amandine has laid out. If we split up to do some of these things it might move us along a little faster too. I know splitting the party tends to make people sweat, but these should be safer things to do it for since they're social and logistical.
1. getting the supplies moving to Jambis. What Amandine is saying is that we would buy the stuff in Stachys at regular price, and then ship and sell in Jambis at below what we paid. Say a unit of X costs 5 GP in Stachys, we would sell it for 4 or maybe 3 in Jambis. We take a hit to our wealth, but not as badly as if we just donated a bunch of stuff. It's also a boon to Stachys's economy so there are some side benefits for us maybe.
2. Amandine needs to visit Count Lotheed. Her obvious reasons will be to deliver a present she has requested to be sent from Malaprop's Literary Esoterica in Oppara. He should like it given his interests. Hopefully it's arrived by now. She will also report that Baron Telus is back and Jambis is on the mend, and that Stachys is beginning to boom. Finally she'll ask him for some advice and guidance on this or that fluff since she asked him to be a mentor to her.
There are a few reasons to do this. On the one hand she will be baiting the hook for Lotheed to get Guisarne on his way to Stachys, and maybe Jambis, to strip mine them for taxes. On the other, she going to try to raise Lotheed to a helpful attitude. Amazingly he's already friendly! I hadn't looked at the tracker for a long while and just realized this. Maybe it's possible to talk him out of Birdsong Palace if his attitude is high enough.
3. I wonder if it's possible to recruit the Beggarwood Bandits to serve as guards for the supplies transported to Jambis. We might not be able to just bring them into one of the towns yet, but this could be a nice first step.
4. I'd like to improve our relationship with Baroness Voinum. She's still indifferent, but Olivia seemed to hit it off well with her. If Olivia delivered a letter to her from Amandine apologizing for neglecting to visit because of all the things keeping her busy in Stachys and Jambis, maybe she could work on the Baroness some more.
5. I'd love to find Lady Sittas and Lt. Gortius and invite them to come stay with us for a visit in Stachys for a while. I'm not sure if they are still around, but they were awesome. If they can be pulled into our plans as allies it would be great.
6. If we can't improve our relationship with the Night Swan, and the timing works out, when Gusairne comes for taxes we pay him. Later we ambush him and take it back pretending to be the Night Swan and her accomplices. We get our money back and we can further complain that neither Lotheed or Gusairne are any good at the basic job of keeping Meratt safe. Maybe the Night Swan would even like the publicity.
So that would mean we'd could split up something like this:
Count Lotheed: Amandine and Dro'gan
Baroness Voinum: Olivia
Beggarwood Bandits: Greenly and Meraki
What do y'all think?
And of course, if we did do something like this, would you mind doing a split screen adventure for a little while Veyelan?
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I like them roughly but I'd certainly rather murder Guisarne and I worry about trying to pull wool over his eyes with how recognizable we all are; perhaps we could arrange a meeting with the Night Swan and enlist her help in this robbery and offer to split profits? We could even just tip her off and have them fight directly without our further involvement
One other thing. Later on, when we're ready to begin putting things in motion against Lotheed, I'd like to have a party at Betony Manor and treat it as a combined Persona Round for all the characters.
The purpose would be to get all our allies and potential allies together and carefully nudge them toward supporting Lotheed's removal in favor of Princess Eutropia's direct control of Birdsong Palace and Maratt.
I'd be happy to straight murder Gusairne, but depending on how things play out he might be more valuable alive for a while yet.
If we need him as the bad henchman of Lotheed's who we demand be removed, and which Lotheed won't in order to rally allies to the cause of removing Lotheed himself, then we're solving the problem we need by killing him.
On the other hand, if we can find other reasons to remove Lotheed that play well around Meratt, then killing him is fine.
It does seem better to try to get the Night Swan to actually do the deed if we can. Maybe we could have the best of both worlds and tip her off to rob him but not kill him. Of course that means someone other than Amandine setting it up. She would need plausible deniability if something goes wrong.
Maybe this approach: One of you is dishonest enough to go behind Amandine's back and set up the robbery with the Night Swan, splitting the take with her for your own personal gain?
It might be the story the Night Swan would find most believable, and it keeps her out of the bind of having to do anything she believes would help Amandine.
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I like your enthusiasm in planning!
Here are some notes to consider:
The AP book states that, between the Night Swan and Baron Okerra, shifting the attitude of one to Helpful causes the other's attitude to worsen by 3 steps. It does not clarify whether this is a one-off reaction, but I am inclined to say that it only happens once in order to leave the narrative possibility of swaying both NPCs with proper effort.
In fact, enticing the Night Swan with the chance to ambush and rob Gusairne is a great way to appeal to her and win her back despite her perception that you've sided with the "corrupt nobility."
I will also mention that the AP gives specific details regarding the repercussions for killing Gusairne depending on whether you manage to deflect suspicion from yourselves. Openly killing him makes Count Lotheed's attitude towards you immediately hostile, prevents you from attempting to sway any more nobles in the county, and the final chapter of the book essentially begins immediately.
If you kill Gusairne but deflect suspicion from yourselves, Count Lotheed's attitude towards you worsens only by 1 step due to his mounting paranoia.
If you kill Gusairne but take extraordinary measures to deflect the blame (and the book specifically cites framing the Night Swan, the monstrous Baron Telus, or another dangerous resident of the county as examples), then you suffer no loss of prestige in Count Lotheed's eyes.
...
I will grant a bonus to attempts to sway Baroness Voinum based on your accomplishments with Baron Telus and Jambis. Since she is a traditionalist, she approves of you restoring the rightful ruler of the barony, who is ostensibly your direct liege, which goes a long way towards combating what Voinum sees as the "social decay" in Meratt.
...
Recruiting Lady Sittas and Lt. Gortius will earn you a bonus Loyalty Point to represent both gaining them as individual allies and earning the respect of their particular circles, small though they may be.
...
Your plan to purchase goods in Stachys and resell them in Jambis is definitely worth bonus Loyalty Points. I'll say that for every 200gp you lose in the process (eg. buying 300gp of food and selling it for 100g in Jambis) will earn you a Loyalty Point, representing both the boost to Stachys' economy and the gratefulness of the people of Jambis.
I like your enthusiasm in planning!
Ha! Thanks! Maybe I'm creating a new party role. Add 'Project Manager' to Melee, Arcane, Divine, Support, and Utility. :p
One thing I keep forgetting to ask about Vayelan. Way back on 11/07/2020 I posted for a persona round. Amandine had her agent Gaspar go snooping for dirt on Gusairne. I never heard any results from that. Should Amandine be worried for poor Gaspar, or did it just get lost in the shuffle?
Thanks for the information Vayelan. Given to info on Gusairne it looks like we should find a way to talk to the Night Swan about him and drop the tip when the time is right.
Who thinks they could connect with her? Dro'gan has at least talked to her and walked away unscathed, so that's something. Greenly would have not liking Amandine in common with the Night Swan.
Either way, I think it's best Amandine stays well clear of it all, so the Night Swan is unaware Amandine would ever know anything about it.
I think it's best Amandine continue with the persona she's been trying to build since she arrived: Sincere, loyal, a do-gooder, but also not very sophisticated when it comes to social or political maneuvering, the ingénue role I mentioned back a long time ago. It makes it more believable to others that Count Lotheed would take advantage of her. That way, when she tells Lotheed all about how well things are going to bait him into sending Gusairne for his cut, Amandine can complain "How could I have known faithfully reporting events and developments to my liege would lead to him betraying me like this?" and have it sound believable.
I actually considered baiting a second hook when visiting him by signaling it wouldn't be hard at all for him to seduce her, nothing active on her part because that might seem fishy. Then she could also claim he's a cad. But that's mirky territory and might instead come off as any conflict with Lotheed being personal rather than about the county and what's good for it. Also for it to matter it would have to be something she made public, which might ruin things with Okerra for her.
Greenly has also developed a reputation with the common folk in Meratt, beginning in the Beggarwood and growing at the Joust, however she is also the person who spotted and disabled the Swan's trap for the Count (by getting shot in the ass if I recall correctly), so there might be mixed feelings there. Dro'gan is a comparative newcomer to Stachys, has a long-suffering staffer feel, and is also the best liar in the party. It could be either of us, both. Meraki also I think is a worthwhile suggestion. But not Olivia (sorry).
One thing I keep forgetting to ask about Vayelan. Way back on 11/07/2020 I posted for a persona round. Amandine had her agent Gaspar go snooping for dirt on Gusairne. I never heard any results from that. Should Amandine be worried for poor Gaspar, or did it just get lost in the shuffle?
Unfortunately, I did forget about Gaspar. My next post will include his return and the info he gathered.
I don't have a problem being the 'one' who deals directly with the Swan. Dro'gan is all for making her an asset, or removing her from the board if no other avenue is available.
A notice to all my games:
I've spent the past two days incapacitated with a bad stomach bug. I'm finally able to get out of bed for an extended period, so I'm going to work on catching up with my games.
Thank you for being patient.
No hurry! Take your time.
Hey folks, apologies again. I've been having a rough couple weeks IRL, but I'm good to go now. Thanks for your patience.
Happy Holidays everyone!
Hope those who celebrate had a happy Christmas, hope for Vayelan that you are well on your way to recovery, <3
Happy holidays to you all!
I am much better now, thank you.
My apologies for the lull. At first, I was letting you guys finish the RP, then I was waiting to see what you do next because I was a little unclear on what the party's next course of action was. Please feel free to jog my shaky memory.
I'm glad you're feeling better Vayelan.
As far as I can tell, we're ready to go back to Stachys.