Way of the Wicked - a Tale of the Fall of Talingarde (Inactive)

Game Master Mark Sweetman

Nothing leapt out to Albina as relevant to the mission, so yeah, move upwards. Or downwards. Or something-wards!

Sick bub tonight...

*pokes VoV with some questions*

Might be worth identifying those fish in C11, probably poisonous or something. Can we assume we know about the magic mud? If so what aura of magic is it?

So after staying up till 3 am last night with bub, today was punctuated by man flu... and midnight fireworks for Malaysia's independence day waking everyone back up again... so I won't be able to squeeze in a post tonight.

The fish will need some research potentially - it's Knowledge Dungeoneering.

Mud - will be extrapolated in time, but it's faint transmutation.

"If the transmutative properties of the mud allow one to breath underneath water, or, in this case, mud, temporarily, it could be a means of reaching another series of chambers that anyone not knowing of the mud's special magic properties would not know of." Albina muses aloud.

She then looks again at the mud and shudders. "I'm not sure that there's any amount of money that would motivate me to use such a travel method..."

Was that there meant for the game thread, Albina? I started to respond IC, then realized what thread we were in.

Uh, yeah. My bad. :)

As a heads up I am working 34 hours over the next three nights, so my posting ability is likely to be limited until Mondayish. Feel free to bot Mi'Dre as necessary

Caught up in a busy long-weekend, expect post in roughly 24 hours ish.

I have posted! Hope that's busy in a good way VoV :)

Fellow Blackhearts - DMVoV has graciously allowed me to revamp Cruxcarr slightly (re: build choices) to better supplement our group - however RL (work) means I'm just not getting a chance to nail that down and as such have been keeping Cruxcarr somewhat in a "holding pattern" in the game...

So to remedy that we've agreed to have the fat basterd take a sojourn of sorts, which will allow me to get him rebuilt to our satisfaction (everything will be negotiated with our overlord :) and when I rejoin it will be with renewed impetus for all things gluttonous.

DMVoV you want to handle the "in-game" script?

I'll still be here - just not active in the game for a wee while

Cheers

Happy Horning

awww, we'll miss the big ugly lug. Or at least Mi'Dre will if we run into anything gross and/or delicious.

Will not be able to post until tomorrow. Work :/

Ugh. I was gonna post something, but it's been a ridiculous week, and I am so tired I think I'm completely incapable of being clever enough to do Sholano justice. I can tell you that he's intrigued by the corpse in 1-4, specifically the tattoo - he'd like to try and figure out what that's about.

Well, guys, I hate to do this, but I think something's gotta give. My life has been a pretty constant whirlwind of busy lately, and I don't see an end to it anytime soon. I've pretty consistently been unable to keep up with my posting responsibilities 'round these parts, and sadly, non-gaming priorities have to come first. Never had to do this before, but I think I'd better call it before it gets really bad.

I'm really sorry to do it, especially after only having been around for such a short time (relatively), but I've got to lower the number of things I'm a part of, and PbPs are one of the first priorities to fall by the wayside - so, I'm afraid I have to tender my official resignation. Good luck, and crush some do-gooders for me, huh?

Sholano - understood and thanks for letting us know rather than leave it unsaid. I wish you well in the wider world and thanks for the time spent with us.

aww, well fair enough Sholano. I'm sure your bits and pieces will be put to good use even after your demise ;) Good luck getting things sorted for yourself!

I'm gradually getting to a point where I think I need to make the hard choice about this game and shut it down.

It's been 10-13 days since the last post from each of the remaining players, so I'm not feeling any real sense of engagement with what is going on at the moment. No player drive makes my job as a DM harder... though I'm fully cognizant of the fact that there is no player drive likely means that I've not been doing a good enough job personally.

So an open question - can you give me any tangible and real reason to keep trucking along with the PbP? I'm happy to do so if there is really a desire and drive from the players... but I've been sensing a waning engagement for a while now.

Well, as a 'poor, dumb fighter' without any relevant knowledge skills, I am unclear what we are meant to be doing, besides sitting on our hands for 222 days, once we acquire 666 doses of unholy water.

The complex appears to be empty, so there is nothing to fight.

There appears to be interesting fluff, but it is unfortunately not something that my PC can meaningfully contribute to ferreting out...

With some restraint I'll respond.

Your PC is more than able to be a poor dumb fighter and not seek to plumb depths and whatnot. But as a Player - you've not even bothered with so much as an OOC Hey DM, I'm not sure what's left to do - any hints? to which I could have actually given a response that explained what does remain.

Instead you've been completely silent for two weeks - which sends me as a DM a message that you're disinterested / not even checking the thread.

There are a bunch of unplumbed threads here - and frankly it's a little tiring as a DM to drip feed players specific bits and pieces. It's meant to be an exploration where I react to what you guys do - rather than just laying down a specific A-B path. Here's a few things left:

• Complex doesn't extend the full height of the horn - perhaps there are higher levels?
  
• There is a hidden stairwell in one of the pillars... but no corresponding stairs yet seen
  
• There is an acolyte that has been turned to stone and can be salved back into existence.
  
• There is a shrine to Iomedae that hasn't been desecrated.
  
• There is a mural in the Ash and Fire room that shows some interesting characters that could be studied more.
  
• There is an alchemical golem on a slab next to notes on how to rebuild it that were not investigated.
  
• The murals on level 2 that show interesting things that need study.
  
• No-one has tested out the teleporting throne theory.
  
• While you have the what of the ritual, you still don't know where to do it... and only have one of three 'eyes'.

Is it really so obtuse that people are paralyzed by a feeling that there isn't anything to do? - the sandboxyness of the AP gets deeper before the railroad flows back into town... perhaps people just aren't interested in the more open nature and would prefer a 'ok after A, B is next' style adventure? - this book of the AP isn't that.

Or to put it a different way... I think perhaps we've got four players sitting back and waiting for someone else to take the initiative and drive the storyline... except nobody is doing that.

Which I interpret as another indication that I'm failing to get anyone sufficiently engaged with the storyline?

Hmmm... Fair enough. I will poke the thread, and see if anything happens from the others :-)

I blame myself mainly. I want to poke things and mess with thigns and give more reasons for the rest of the party to strangle shendalyn to death as he mocks their black robes and stone cold demeanor while he embraces the rockstar lifestyle.

But, well, things are not happy on my end from a personal standpoint. Not because of the game. Mind. But because of that I've been hard pressed to sit down and do much other than anything. So thats my recent reasoning.

But, that's merely transient trouble. Stuff that will inevitably pas before my own stubbornness to be brought low by nonsense.

As for moving on?

Well issues aside do we really really want Shendalyn to take charge and move thigns along? It's certainly within his personality. But this is like putting a drunken belligerent crack monkey at the head of the train. And afaik most of the group doesn't think much of him as is. And less if he starts swinging his machismo around.

Well, as 'new kid on the block', I don't really want to be seen as 'taking charge', but if it helps to move things along, Jethryk is perfectly capable of 'delegating' to other people tasks he has no idea how to actually do ;-)

I agree, TarkXT, that I doubt any of us would consider Shendalyn as viable leadership material; at least by any sane standards ;-)

I'll echo Tark's words and shoulder a huge element of blame myself. Cruxcarr is the group mage and potentially the sharpest tool in the box - I've not played him like that. Its been a classic case of a great concept that I've not really had the time to develop in RP (and flawed crunch)... more than any other character I've played Cruxcarr really demands a huge amount of work to do justice - something I've just not delivered (and something that I constantly grapple and gripe about).

Ironically just when I take a sojourn is when I potentially see my wicked wizard having a greater impact.

I'd love to say that my RL workload is dropping and I'll have time to properly reboot and reintroduce the fat basterd into the game, but at the moment its likely to be closer to the end of the year when offshore work slows that I'll be able to do the game, the party and the character justice.

WoW has huge potential - in the hands of such a capable GM even more so. I'd love to see it continue for selfish reasons but also feel I've waived my say in contributing very little of late.

Think Shen as leader would be insane fun, leading to the ire not just of good aligned foes, but of our evil benefactors as our Knot becomes a potential liability.

Jethrykk as leader would potentially create some interesting power-struggles and confrontations. Albina strikes me as the most likely de-facto due to her divine convictions nei?

As a group I also think we need to get our "evil on" way more - taking down good aligned guardians and subjugating humanoids should be the tip of the iceberg for us... Opportunities of scheming, personal agendas and downright wickedness are things DMVoV's game is affording us and at present we're just forcing the hand of a more linear route (again I can't complain overtly as I'm a huge part of the problem)

Apologies for the epic post - know if I'd bothered more with this level of "in-game" we might not be mooting its demise.

Mi'Dre in his current form really isn't suited for leadership (the 6 charisma is a fair indication of this :p). I've tried to keep this moving along as much as I can poking people with him.

That being said I had been intending to rework him a fair amount once we got to the ritual to transform him, and turn him into a more sociable fella, so wouldn't mind taking more of a leadership roll then. I think Albina would indeed make the most sense as leader right now, but that's up to Set I suppose. I could probably stoke up Mi'Dre's delusions of grandeur a bit more and have him take charge if people like; he'd certainly love the opportunity to boss people around. Otherwise give Shendalyn a try if Albina's not interested as leader :)

I'm still here and getting responses to question posed has proven that you all still are as well - so we'll keep muddling on for the short to medium term.

I know that a lot of people are implying that they aren't 'leadership' material... feel free to make use of OOC tags to push questions on me or advance things indirectly as well.

The lack of outright 'evilness' is rectified in Book 3, but you'll have a steady stream of 'good' stuff to deal with soon enough.

How far away from the first transformation opportunity are we? I had a look back and you originally said 6th or 7th level, does that still stand? Are we anywhere near 6th level? I'm hoping we're at least getting some story XP for some of this stuff... :s

Good thought Shendalyn... unfortunately these particular daemons aren't bound to that room...

*grumblegrumblestupidgreaterteleportgrumble*

*grumblegrumbledimensiondooractuallygrumble*

I think you just want me to summon archons by this point.

Cause I'll do it.

I swear I'll do it.

And I'll laugh and laugh....

Mmmm... Lantern Archons...

I've just gone over my details and noted a minor faux pas on my behalf... y'all should be 6th level at the moment - especially as you're down a character.

Make the appropriate adjustments as though they came in just before this fight.

Not that they'll help much mind.

For the record. BEfore shendalyn dies he'd like to point out he totally would have shagged the boggards.

Tell you what, if Shendalyn dies, I'll make sure his 'dying wish' is fulfilled ;-)

Woot! I thought it had been a while since we'd leveled, but I put that down to the recent slow pace :p Now I've got to remember how we do hitpoints for this campaign. Looking at my sheet looks like average...

Oh hey, looks like I calculated all of my hitdice as average (or rather herolabs did). Should my first racial hit-dice have been maxed, my first class hitdice maxed or neither?

Updated excepting the above question.

First HD regardless of source should be maxed.

Hit points can either be halved round up - or rolled, but if you roll you keep the roll.

Alrighty. Mi'Dre on 20/52 hit points after bites and lightning. I suspect we are screwed :p

Yeah no haste with the damage just dropped on me. Need more damage prevention right now and the best way to go about that right now for me is to give them better targets to whack at.

For example I can start chucking Dretches on the board.

Mi'Dre likes Dretches right?

How about Lantern Archons? How does Albina feel about those.

I can turn this basement into another little corner of the blood wars if I felt like it. :D

In fact I wodner if that's not something shendalyn might not do for fun at some point.

"Yes, you hound archon aaanddd you mr. babau. Yes, fight to the death now."

He probably likes killing them.

I would say Lantern Archons would be a more effective use as they can hopefully bypass the thing's DR. Are those the things with the light attacks? Maybe not then...

RAW - no issues with summoning the little good celestials... but theres always a chance that a bigger fish might notice that some of his fellow archons are being perverted for the purpose of evil and take an interest...

Given the circumstances see if he gives a damn or ten.

Oh aye - I'm more foreshadowing something a little further down the line :P

So am I. :)

I don't think it's a secret to anyone that Shendalyn would spit in the eye of the prince of darkness himself given half a chance.

Unfortunately the chances of Shendalyn surviving this encounter are looking pretty grim to the point where I've started brainstorming his replacement. I'm wondering if a true agent from cheliax might be in order as a stark contrast to shendalyn's devil may care attitude.

Also, necrophiliac sex with a boggard harem would still be hot to him given enough drugs and alcohol. He is a very disturbed and twisted man.

Very well, consider it done, then :-)

..and yes, I had kind of picked-up on the fact that there was something... 'a little off' with Mr Shawn ;-)

I have been following this thread since the beginning.. I hope you guys stick this out and finish the whole Adventure path

Good news gang - Crux should be ready for re-introduction over this weekend, feel I've got him fixed of sorts and a decent handle going forward... Will PM DmVoV to see how best to proceed...

Cruxcarr to the rescue! Save us Obi-Wan Crux-nobi, you're our only hope!