Merry Christmas / Happy holidays or just Hyvää joulua… whichever happens to be acceptable in the current political climate where you all live ;^)
A very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all to!
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Dounia - survival will tell you that a dry thunderstorm could mean sky to earth lightning which would potentially be very dangerous in the open desert. The best way to protect yourself is to stay in the lowest part of the land and to divest yourself of any large metal objects. Tymythy's new spear, for example, is suspect.
If we haven't reached the city by that time I suggest we don't even try to travel far on the third day, but spend time looking for as safe a campsite as we can find and make it ready for the storm before it hits.
Quick note:
The young hunter wondered what ancient civilization had set up this road. Perhaps the one Cairee had mentioned earlier? These Validuh, amongst whom Ylde-Modor, the previous wielder of his new spear, had been lived and ruled?
Not sure if I understood you here.
Ylde-modor was the old woman that gave you the coin. You understood her to be Latronite (the wandering peoples without a country) and not Validuth (the ancient peoples from a golden age of mankind - a bit like atlantians). The one you took the spear from was Ku'bara'sigi.
I'm throwing a lot at you all. Thank you for sticking with it.
That was a copy-paste error on my part... recalled the spear's owner had a funny name, took a quick look in Tymythy's inventory, saw one name that fitted, pasted that to post. Only that name was indeed what I had written down for the coin, which I had forgot to delete from Tymythy's list of gear - that's sorted now as well ;^)
Ahhhhh ;)
I have been thinking of suitable ways for Tymythy to bastardize that name, Ku'bara'sigi... for there's almost zero chance he will learn to remember that mouthful anytime soon. Trying to twist that into something approaching Kha-Bahr-sekir, I think... that's sort of composed of the correct kind of sounds to him even if it still feels alien.
Anyway, assuming we get into the city in one piece and Tymythy can start trying to find out more about the fellow's legend, I foresee that as a painful trek unless he gets plenty of help. His clan isn't big into written history, so he's certainly not at home among books... assuming he can even read the language most of the books would be written here. Add to that the fact that old knowledge would likely to be found in old tomes, using older dialects, and his inability to spell or pronounce the name correctly... ;^)
I think Tymythy will find he has three grateful girls falling over themselves to help him. :) Now, as to how helpful they'll actually be.....
Cairee can help with reading weird languages
Happy Belated Birthday, Shari! Sorry I wasn't on the ball on the 30th. I totally missed wishing you a happy birthday last year! Shame on me. :)
Happy New Year everybody!!
Hey Shari! Happy birthday!
Happy New Year!
Happy new year to you too! And happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Shari and to 2023!
I haven't seen a call on what the group is doing. Are you going to avoid, ignore, or greet this person?
Let's just go past him in that case. We can greet him in passing, and if he chooses to ignore us that's fine, we can just keep on keeping on. And, once we get closer, we might see or hear something new that prompts us to act.
Happy New Year!
Thanks for the bday wishes :)
If you like, please continue to CI with Friar Ldanfoat under the title The Strange and Indecipherable Friar Ldanfoat.
Otherwise, welcome back to Zhayalahmar ;)
I am posting a lot recently but I expect things to slow down for at least the next two weeks (one of the museums I work at will be receiving a Body Worlds exhibit and it should make things very busy).
I'm going to write two new posts but after that I will be slow to respond.
I'm not going to call a hiatus to the game. Feel free to post. There will be three titles to post under:
You can have three more interactions with him concerning the book and the history of Bar Ku'bara'sigi. I would like one diplomacy roll for the entire meeting with him (for my own purposes). Then we will close that interaction off. This was a random encounter based on a random encounter system I am working on. Expect more encounters that don't have a direct baring on the lineal narative.
If you want to do anything before returning back to Hassena's Humble Mansion.
and
This one will become more clear after my upcoming posts.
I will write replies when I can.
Thanks for the info. Have fun setting things up.
And love the interludes!
It's that time again.
Please let me know what questions you/your character has. They can be burning, core of the storyline questions or little itching questions. They can be from recent events or from you character's origin story.
If you want to have a group discussion please send your comments here. If you want to send me questions privately, PM or e-mail me.
I have one: in alHuffra, in the prison, we were almost thrown in the moment we got into contact with the official, as he believed we were part of the troublemakers brewing something in the mines themselves. Seems only those few great diplomacy rolls convinced him otherwise...
Was it originally in the cards for us to be captured and become part of the prisoner uprising in an effort to free ourselves?
Ahhh, a 'what really happened there' question.
Months before you arrived at alHufra, Kharma had been messaging back and forth with the Hand of the Desert (the main Thieves guild in alHufra). They found a way to get him out of his cell and promised a secret passage out of the prison.
A couple of weeks before you arrived at alHuffra, Kharma had been using the prisoners in lowest level of the prison to stage 'protests'. Work slowdowns and stoppages. This was done to force Deemeer, the secretary of alHufra, to come to the prison and have a parley.
Deemeer started to think that something might be going on, something he couldn't put his finger on. Deemeer 'knew' Kharma was in his cage. He knew there was a good compliment of guard in the bottom level. He agreed to see him but would bring his favourite body guard, an Oread warpriest. He needed to show his superiors that productivity in the mine would get back to normal.
Then you guys enter. You didn't have the right papers. Your story about getting a servant for Lady Harmattan didn't smell quite right (his sense motive is quite high). He decided he would take you to the most vulnerable place above the prison and do a proper interrogation.
After some rather brilliant diplomacy, etc rolls happened he realized he was wrong and went about the business of selling a human being. You calmed his suspicions. He didn't pay attention to his 'spider-sense' telling him not to go see Kharma.
In some sense, although I'm only now realizing it, you helped Kharma take control of the prison by calming Deemeer's suspicions, but, earnestly, the riot would have happened anyway.
I was going to stage this if you had shown up later in the timeline. It was scheduled to happen when you arrived. If you waited too long you would have heard about the riot and Cyra would have been in the hands of Kharma's thugs - whatever that might mean.
---
I thought the game might break into three possibilities:
1) you escape in the elevator (as you did)
2) you are stuck in the prison and have to ally with the rioters to escape
3) you don't join the rioters but gain some allies (like Cyra or the Gnome sisters) to find your own way out ... maybe fighting a tunnelling monster along the way
Thank ye for satisfying my curiosity ;^)
I have a question :)
Was finding the item from the 'old man' always the task that Zahra would be sent on or was this given once the Sorcerer knew her bloodline?
It seems like only Zahra would have been able to open the door if I'm understanding the Interlude properly...
Kamzar had guessed that Haseena was going to ask to take on a pupil. He set the task before he knew your bloodline with the expectation that you would either die or fail. When he found out you had Silimiel's bloodline he dreamed you might succeed.
Tymythy would like to hang onto his new spear... but how does local law see the matter? The thing is a bit on the large and conspicuous side so it's hard to justify as self-defense weapon or some such ;^)
This is an adventurer's city and the street is a bit unruly. People with knives to polearms walk the street. There are too many wealthy with too many bodyguards to have strict laws. It's worse in alShafaq where people are more cut throat.
You will have trouble entering a church/monastery/noble's residence/city building, especially if they don't know you.
Right… Tymythy will want to hang onto his fancy new weapon, and will only willingly lock it away if we are going somewhere a large weapon would not be welcome. Unless someone sells the idea to him as keeping the valuable artifact safe from the masses of people eager to steal it away from him… and if presented the wrong way, that will just make him feel that’s a challenge he should embrace and overcome instead.
Tymythy would want to do a little bit of shopping related to that soonish…
Item number one: a sheath for the blade portion of the spear, preferably attachable to the quillon, removable almost as easily as unsheathing a sword… so the spear goes to promising violence in a few easy steps from Tymythy carrying a naked blade in his hand around town. Should make city guards a little more comfortable with him having it.
Item number two: a banner/standard/flag attached just below the quillon… 3-4 feet in length and a bit less than a foot wide. Patterned after the knot design the ring decided to show him, repeated along the cloth’s length, in colors relevant to his clan. Say, copper knots on a field of green, with thin copper lines along the edges. I think a banner will go well with a long spear.
Both of these need to me made on order, I imagine, but shouldn’t actually cost too too much. Still, need to find a weaponsmith and a seamstress to make the orders!
And thirdly, a replacement for the simple silver ring woven into his warrior’s braid – keep forgetting his first one was stolen by the slavers in the very beginning. That one should be easily available from a number of vendors. And perhaps a third ring, for him having won his first proper duel back in alHuffra. Iron for adulthood, silver for bloodied warrior… copper for a duel victor?
Sorry, I'm getting some infrastructure ready, so it will be slow for a bit
Been busy myself, so the timing was convenient;>) But should have time tomorrow to get a decent post out.
Oh, and adding to the to-do list: Tymythy would love to spend some time sparring with those warrior monks we met just before leaving on our grand adventure in the desert, to finally get his unallocated feats sorted out.
Hope your mother recovers quickly, Shari.
Yes, a good recovery. And please take care of yourself.
if you want to try to trick Kamzar out of the scale I'm ready for that kind of game (and love Cairee's post - the "we Lie" coming from her is a beautiful moment). But Kamzar is very high level and he knows what he sent you for. It will take more than basing everything on a single Bluff check.
Get information. Find allies. Make a plan.
If you go this route we will do another heist 'game within a game' like we did at alHufra.
Tymythy sees this as Zahra's call - she has most to lose here. Either way, it seems like: if we go along with the Warlock's deal, she loses the scale that she has ties to (her bloodline ancestor, was it?), and we give what might be a powerful ritual item to an entity that certainly isn't friendly to us. And if we break the deal, even if the Warlock himself doesn't seem to stomp us, he will at least walk on his part of the deal and Zahra keeps having to deal with those other creeps seeking to capture her.
I'm fine with keeping the scale - I got the idea the Warlock was one of the enemies Tymythy's patron spirit was opposing by pushing him into their path.
Sorry Dounia and Zahra.
Somehow, although I'm certain I clicked on Zahra's name, I've sent a PM to Dounia with the contents of the four letters. I tried deleting them but I believe that just deleted them from my list and not from yours.
If you haven't read them Dounia, please delete the post.
Also, Zahra. I seem to have sent you two PMs with the same title. If they show up as two posts (I tried to delete the first) please delete the first yourself. I meant to edit it (it has some confusing mixup with someone's name) and accidentally sent it. Otherwise both sets of letters are identical.
Sorry for the confusion
I want to assure you all I am willing o go in any direction you want. If you want to try to lie or con Kamzar out of the buckler as Cairee suggested we can go in that direction. If you want to try to steal it back, I'm in to plan that out. If you want to run I will plan that out. If you want to give him the scale and move on to other plot points I'm there!
Please, go where you'd like.
Haytham - that's not the name we saw at the opera on a plaque of someone who had died, is it? I remember it being a name of someone Tymythy knew and the timeline of when they died and when Tymythy knew them didn't match up.
It is, yes, and a mystery. Easiest answer would be just a coincidence (two unrelated people can have the same name), or perhaps the name goes in family and the current Haytham has inherited it from an ancestor? Or for some reason the Haytham who did great things here faked his death, or was just assumed dead and did not see fit to correct the mistake. Tymythy will assume either of the two former options is true, unless given real reason to believe otherwise.
Anyway, planning a bit on the OOC side here.
Since Haseena doesn't trust Kamzar to keep his word in any case (this world's Putin, I guess - the moment not following an agreement becomes more profitable than following it, the agreements gets scrapped), I see little reason to give him anything. Particularly as Corey has made clear Kamzar will not just teleport over to disintegrate us personally, or change us into newts or whatnot ;^)
Make sense - Kamzar is a high level NPC from all indications, and out of our league for a long while. I still think he might send some appropriately-leveled minions to harass us, but seems he might do that even if we give him the scale, and that'd just be right and proper adventure if that happens.
Giving Kamzar the scale and trying to steal it back could make for a fun adventure, but we'd be again putting ourselves against a much higher-level NPC (or his traps at the very least).
I say we keep the scale, and perhaps default on the deal on a technicality. "Sorry, boss, we went there but there wasn't no hermit around. Nothing alive other than bugs and some flinds. The flinds had just eaten a person, so perhaps that was your hermit friend? He did have this climbing kit... its a bit used now, but you can have it if you want?"
... He did have this climbing kit... its a bit used now, but you can have it if you want?"
BWa-HA-HA!
Please go in any direction you want - I love the idea of playing keep away with the scale.
I've got:
Dounia - give him the scale and steal it back
Cairee - con him out of the scale
Tymythy - keep the scale. If you're damned if you do and dammned if you don't then don't.
Zahra - try to appease the bastard by giving him the scale and then get to the business of living in a dangerous world ... maybe go see some monks.
also today:
shopping?
A banner for Tymythy?
Info gathering on the Fida Hurras/possible allies/etc
Shopping, definitely. And training with the monks - Tymythy has been sitting with 2 unallocated feats since the last level-up!
Will the Status spell allow Cairee to find Zahra at this party if the location is hidden by the invitation? I happened to prepare it today :)
Sorry, I wasn't clear. No one can remember the contents of the note but some can read it while they are looking at it (Cairee, Tymythy, Dounia, and Zahra can do this). This allows them to find the house of Hullwn. Those who can read it are invited. Some can't read it at all (Haseena). They are not invited.
I made it confusing by having two parts to Hullwn's message. There is a letter and there is an invitation (very Charlie and the Chocolate Factory golden Ticket). No one has a problem reading the letter (which provides the time of the party - all day tomorrow but come for 9am if you want the full experience). The address is on the golden ticket.
Will the Status spell allow Cairee to find Zahra at this party if the location is hidden by the invitation? I happened to prepare it today :)
You would have to roll your spell casting ability vs the spell casting ability of the magic hiding Hullwn's home 'Gossimer House'. It would be very difficult.
So, about Tymythy's feats... he has two open ones, with which he'd like to now take Weapon Focus (longspear) and Spear Dancing Style. After that, he'd need to retrain Spear Finesse into Spear Dancing Spiral (spiral does what the Spear Finesse did earlier, except to a 2-handed spear). The next time Tymythy gets a feat, I think I'll take the Exotic weapon prof to explore the "unlock other special traits" possibility you hinted earlier ;^)
So... how long it'd take to get the training done? Picking the new feats should be "free" as usual, but since Tymythy needs to retrain the third one to get the real benefit of the other two feats... mechanically the change isn't huge (from a feat that allowed finesse with 1h spears to one that allows finesse with 2h ones), but we did discuss earlier that some training would be needed, and those warrior monks we met in that temple seem like the place to get it done.
Retraining a feat takes 5 days. Although the feats are very similar, I have created a new feat so that you could use weapon finesse right away so retraining is going to cost you (at least as much as it would cost anyone to retrain a feat). It will also cost 30gp/day of training and that one stings - I've been stingy with gold and the crypt was meant to be a big payoff. The days of training do not need to be consecutive.
Am I right in thinking you need to retrain one feat to have the others make sense (I believe we've talked about this before)? Those feats will be trained along side but for flavour only, not costing money or adding to the amount of time. It was certainly penalty enough to go through a a week and the entire crypt two feats short.
I am very pro everyone doing a little self-maintenance, a little time passed training and maintaining your roles in the world is good for the narrative.
I'm excited you're interested in ancient spear training.