War for the Crown

Game Master PJP

Valeria agrees and follows with Sveng.

Two going, one staying - how about the rest?

"I'm coming. Meeting the famous four hoods is well worth putting our lives on the hands of people we just met." Sara grins, leaving it unsure if she is being sarcastic or not. Still she undoes her belt with her rapier, handing it to Capricia, along with her crossbow. "I'll scream REALLY loud if things go badly."

Capricia stoically accepts the weapons from Sara and the others with the slightest of nods. "Be careful. And polite. And diplomatic."

Eregos chooses to remain with Capricia, as he doesn't want to give up a falcata that was an heirloom of Taldor's history.

Sara laughs "I don't think I can be ALL three." giving a wave to both of their warriors, she waits behind her Lady, as ladies in waiting are prone to do.

"I most assuredly would like to meet these fine folk!"

Bimble tries to hang on to his staff / flag, continuing to use it as a walking stick so it does not seem like a weapon. But he'll hand it over if someone insists.

The flag goes unnoticed as a weapon, and the lady takes you on a walk.

It is really only a couple hundred yards into the woods before you hear voices from up in the trees.

"So, you want to meet the four hoods, do ye?"

Another voice shouts "Ye all look to be rich kids to me! What you want with the likes of us?"

A third calls out, "Perhaps you are spies, working for that tyrant, Count Lotheed? Or his crony, Gul Gusairne?"

"We're new in town, and I'm afraid 'rich' is not part of the perks that came with this Betony Estate title. I'm the new Baroness to the north of you, and the town is in sad disrepair. Based on what we heard it's due to Count Lotheed not funding the town proper along the years. I'm afraid we haven't had the 'pleasure' to meet the Count's sheriff yet, but apparently his reputation precedes him. No. We are here because we need folks to help us rebuild, and we have quite a few empty homes in the village which some of you could use. We also need lumber and building material... and we were wondering if you had by any chance had any... luck... in finding such supplies along the road perhaps?"

"By chance, eh? Well, we are a lucky bunch!"

The next person says, "OK, if you want our help, we need proof you are on our side of things. Bring us the head of Sir Gul Gusaire, and you will have the help you need."

"Plus, you need to promise amnesty for crossing the border!"

"And for any crimes we may or may not have committed to date! You'll need to square that with your princess-to-be!"

That last comment seems to indicate they have some awareness of why you have all come to Betony.

Sara bristles a bit at the rich kid comment, but since it has been quite a while since her childhood in the slums, she can't find the drive to correct the unseen voices.

Clear and loud she does speak up, after a nod from her lady, "So you want us to murder someone to get into your good graces? And forgive ANY crimes you might have committed? We're not monsters, and we hope you are not as well. So please, provide a little more detail on why this man needs to die and what crimes we would be accepting. There is a line that should not be crossed unless there is no other hope, please let us find out what side of that line we all are on."

While the others are away, Capricia guards their weapons. Still, she tries to keep things friendly with the vagabonds (starting by NOT calling them that name!). Not having a lot to talk about, she asks about the original name of these woods. "Are there still bugbears living under its eaves?" she asks. "If so, perhaps my friends and I could oust them and make the place safer for you all. We're pretty good at stuff like that: We've eliminated the great manticore, Iron Lash of the Brashen Deeps; slain the slime-beast that haunted Lauchlein Lake; caught and pan-fried the General, a giant catfish from Lake Pensaris; and bested the hideous Queen without a Face!"

Turns out that Capricia actually glows when she gets into bragging about the accomplishments of herself and her friends. ;)

Capricia Belacrest Diplomacy Check (to change initial attitude): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

"I don't know where you got the impression that we could have any type of sway over the Princess, dear gentlemen, but I assure you that this request would be well above our station to make. We may have more success covering up for you in regards to the Count, however, if you consider working with us to rebuild Stachys and perhaps sending some men and woman to our village to help? if Gul Gusairne then decide to keep harassing you, I can appeal to the Count to pull the man away from our rebuilding operations... what say you? I need some kind of commitment from your folks here so as to make any appeal to the Count defensible from an outsider's perspective, should it... let's say... come to some kind of leadership change at the County level..."

"Hard pass. We ain't lookin' to become part of the machine. You heard our terms."

You certainly don't have to agree to their request, but they don't seem too interested in alternate options.

"The people you keep hiding behind may not appreciate your intransigent type of leadership, fools! I've had it with you stubborn-headed lot. The machine? I was born in Cheliax you idiot, and I was exiled because I spat on a General during a regimental dinner! I left a cozy life in a rich noble family by sticking my neck out trying to make a change! you know nothing of the machine, here, hiding in the bushes behind innocent women and children. Hard pass? F&#$ you!" replies Valeria, angered like no one has ever seen before. She turns around and storms out of the encampment.

A couple of them chuckle, one makes a sarcastic "ooooooooo!"

In any case, none of them stop you.

Where to? Back to Betony?"

Sara looks at the sudden thunderstorm that is Valeria with impressed amusement and respect. After her lady's words and leaving, the baker looks back to the hidden hoods "If you truly care about the people who look up to you, you really should consider pulling your heads out of your asses and look around. Until then, enjoy being silent lords of next to nothing." she sweeps into a bowing curtsey, as mocking as a curtsey can be, and follows her lady out, being sure to hand out the remaining of her scones to the hungry.

Can't speak for the rest of the party but Betony for a day or two sounds about right.

On the ride back home, in the coach, she says to her fellow adventurers, "It would be so easy now to have these woods purged, if we were the nasty or vengeful types... one letter to the Count or Gul and the lot of them would probably get slaughtered due to them answering to these Four Morons. One can see how easily some folks' lot can change for following the wrong leaders. My vote is to forget about the Beggarwoods: they won't help us, but I'm not going to go out of my way to make their lives more difficult. I'll send two or three agents every week to buy stuff from them so as to keep them fed and supplied though, with express instruction not to deal with the Hoods or trade with them. The normal folk don't need to starve, but I'm not sending a single bite to eat to these Morons..."

Sara fluffed out her skirts, trying to find all the nettles they seem to have picked up. Nature seems to have it in for her most times. As she does she spoke "They do suck. 'Kill this man for us, NO QUESTIONS!'. Asshats. Four Giant Asshats." said with her chocolate eyes flashing irritation.

Sighing at the futility of her current task, the nettles were multiplying at an alarming rate it seemed, soon she will be the nettle queen. "But I disagree with excluding them. They have Strength in the area. And we don't know how they will use that. Most thugs will take from those weaker, leading to those you are trying to help, beaten even more. Are they those types? Or will they just step up banditry against a stronger lord, drawing attention none of those people need."

Valeria sings a brief refrain, and the nettles all pull out of Sara's skirts, spiraling slowly to the ground into a neat pile, along with any bur, soil, or grass stain. She opens the coach's door and sweep the pile outside with her right boot.

"Hmm... go on then. What do you propose? my gut reaction after seeing these... ahem... yes... 'Giant Asshats' is to walk away and let the entire forest stew in its own juices... but sure, I'll listen if you guys have a good plan. So far, these so called beggars appear immune to my begging..."

Capricia sounds surprised and even a bit disappointed when she hears how negotiations went with the Four Hoods. "That's unfortunate, but I agree that just letting them stew in their own juices is probably the best way to go...so long as you didn't let slip that we're not the Lotheed loyalists we appear to be. That could come back to bite us if any of the hoods are captured by the Count or his attack dog, Gusairne."

"Asshats?" Capricia puzzles briefly. "Oh! Such people are called tricorneholes back in my hometown."

Val turns to Capricia, nodding, "I was careful with my words, sister-in-arms. I care not what they say to whoever they say it at this point. The Tricorneholes' potential besmirching will be met by utter denial from the Betony Estate, and if they push for slandering, they will surely bring our wrath upon them should the Count or his dog insist to have us do something about it..."

Valeria would not look forward to such a forced confrontation, but if it would come to pass, she believed she would find herself ready to knock these Four Idiots down a peg or two... the people there would do better without these fools.

Sara's grin at the unnettling, ending her potential reign, turns to uncontrolled giggles at Tricorneholes. Eventually, she catches her breath, slumped against Capricia's shoulder, she manages to get back into the conversation. "My suggestion... would do as you already suggested. Send people to buy things and/or trade foodstuffs, just without any attempts at excluding the Hoods. Treat them just like anyone else. No one important enough to EVEN worry about."

"If there comes a day we end up in open conflict with Gul Gusairne, then so be it--perhaps we give these folk what they want. Not much else to be done unless they change their mind. I think Sara has the right of it."

Sveng raises his brows when Valeria explodes at the locals, and he drifts back into the shadows just a bit more. He keeps his silence until the party has privacy, then steps forward and stares at them intently, quietly until it is clear he has something to say.

"That was a misstep." It was not a seething accusation, but neither was it padded to coddle. "To anger is to invite enemies, and such insults should be carefully considered for what benefit they would bring before letting them escape your lips." He stares at Valeria for a moment. "The only benefit here was to yourself. Small and foolish enemies they may be, but enemies you have made, and a pawn can undo a queen if the play is right."

Sveng lets that hang in the air a moment more, then inhales and moves on.

"We should let them languish in obscurity. Do not persecute them unduly, but neither reward them. Pay them in fair trades for fair goods, enough to keep them from starving. They will likely shake their fists in drunken anger about what happened here today, but as long as they can fill their bellies these do not seem like aspirational people."

Eregos thinks a moment. "What do these four hoods look like?"

"We don't know." the baker sighs, straightening on the coach seat again. "They hid in the shadows, in the trees, all mysteriously annoying. All we know of them the sound of their voices and their sarcastic 'Ooo'ing." Sara sighs again, it is becoming a thing, this sighing "I figure they are all hideously ugly with oozing warts and crow's feet the size of ogre butt cracks."

Valeria knew he was right, again. She had made a mistake. But this time she cared not. The man could have had the chance to alter the course of events back at the Beggarwoods, but he let it all played out in contemptuous silence. She hated him at times. Especially when his words made her hate herself. But as always she swallowed all the hate, and smiled, years of silence at being a 'good girl' in Cheliax kicking in, and she instead said "Of course Sveng, you are right. My thoughts exactly. Let them eat cake."

Bluff not to let her emotions show to Sveng: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (16) + 18 = 34

Eregos replies, "So, their conditions were that we kill Sir Gul, grant amnesty for crossing the border, and pardons for all crimes they may have committed, past and present? The first likely would have been easy. I'm sure that, given where Count Lotheed's support lies, we will eventually cross swords with Sir Gul."

Knowledge (local) what border are they talking about?: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (2) + 13 = 15

Sara eyes the two having their own conversation again. The flat mask and the lovely face... got to be a story there, but Sara does not have the skills yet to piece through the obfuscation shrouded about.

sense motive is +11 so she has NOOOOOO chance.

She just shrugs her shoulder, ignoring the fact, Sveng just suggested the exact same thing she did but got the credit. 'Recognition is second to success' someone once said, Sara just can't remember Who

Turning to Eregos "Yes, and all without telling us anything about what those crimes were, or why they wanted Gul dead so badly. Like we were their minions."

Valeria nods at both Sara and Eregos. "Before any confrontation with the Count or his sheriff, we need to put the population squarely on our side and finish our barony's repairs. But yes. A day will come where the Count and his cronies will need to step down, either by force or willingly, in order to enact the Princess' plans. In terms of the Beggarwoods, I wholeheartedly agree with Sara in that we should treat their people like it's business as usual."

The rest of the trip to the Betony Estate, Valeria enquires what the team will be doing during the upcoming weekend, and where they wished to head out come Moonday.

Yes, leading to ooc planning for our next move perhaps... ;)

Yeah I can't hit that with a nat 20, not unless I'm really prepped for it with magic.

Sveng narrowed his eyes. He couldn't tell if she had just lost her temper for a moment before, or if she was turning the charm back on for him. But he could not push the matter, especially in the group, without accomplishing more towards ruining their relationship instead of helping her grow. He keeps his thoughts to himself, saving for later that night once they had more privacy.

"I have met Sir Gul, briefly." Sveng's gaze moves over to Eregos. "A brutish, simple man. The only question is if he is cowardly or stubborn. A coward may turn to our side, but if he is stubborn he would indeed die with the current rulers. His demise at our hands would not surprise me." Sveng says this all with the detached analysis as if considering where to put their next infrastructure job at.

"For pardoning all crimes, we of course cannot acquiesce such a request. We would need to be more surgical with pardoning, I believe we are all in agreement with that. Allow an appeal for each crime where they may present their case. Burdensome, but not as problematic as a sweeping pardon."

I could actually use a refresher on some of our specific goals at the moment, I've kind of been flying at the seat of my pants the last few weeks.

The loot sheet, under the 'Stachys' tab, shows what's left to be done. We basically have to hit every point on the County map and dig at each sandbox location for infrastructure money. Yes, sandbox can be challenging in PbP, and we could use some 'GM fire' under our collective behind once in a while to prevent player drift methinks ;)

We currently have a lead with Okerra and Voinum, who have promised money at some point later when our village is somewhat more developed (I think Voinum needs us to update our farms first, which we've done now; Okerra, I'm not sure, so maybe the GM can fill in the blanks here if it's a case of player forgiveness vs. character knowledge). We have not spent any time in Lotheedar or anywhere west of the broken canyon bridge so we will need to hit these spots at some point. Oh and we haven't been to that village north of Voinum Estate either, so that too.

After a day's rest at Betony Estate/Stachys, here is my suggestion for our next trip: Lotheedar (unexplored), Voinum Estate (discuss wine deal with baroness there), Sotto (unexplored), Ruins of Jambis (unexplored), Gold Canyon (unexplored)

(See map for counterclockwise trip itinerary)

This should give our GM a nice order in which to prep/read the stuff! :)

Sounds good!

As usual, Capricia will go along with whatever Valeria decides. When Capricia wants to go against the grain, I'll have her speak up. :)

I really should start skulking about at night. I have a ring of sustenance so that I can do such a thing without exhausting myself or raising suspicion.

Plans sound good to me!

The book seems to think you will be selling off a fair amount of the estate possessions as well to fund your work. You certainly don't have to, but if you decide to, we can streamline it a bit.

I'm all for streamlining! this sandbox is a bit disorienting... hard to know what to do next...

Sell all the pretty stuff. just leave the beds and the kitchen please!

You instruct the staff to start organizing and selling off art and furniture, except the beds. It will take a few weeks to fetch decent rates.

Situated on the banks of Lake Stavian and named for the Lotheed family, Lotheedar is the largest town in the county of Meratt and supports a variety of industries, from timber and brewing to trade and smithing.
Lotheedar is home to the largest temple in the county: the Grand Bank of Abadar, overseen by Archbanker Lady Paril.

Valeria suggests the group secures lodgings at a fine inn and rest with a good meal to discuss what to do in Lotheedar. When her turn in the conversation comes up, she suggests that one of the thing they should do here is to meet with with Archbanker Paril.

Archbanker Paril, as it turns out, has already sought to seek you out as well. As you settle in at the inn, a messenger comes with an invite to her estate.

You meet with her, and after normal basic introductions and small talk, the lady suddenly gets serious.

"Recently, two of my acolytes seem to have vanished in the south. I dispatched Acolytes Mise and Maladus to investigate the silence in Jambis almost 2 weeks earlier and have heard nothing back! I knows they took the southern highway to deliver several books to Stachys along the way."

"It could be this Night Swan in the area, for sure, but it doesn't feel right. Any chance your band here would be interested in investigating for me? I could offer a wand with magical healing powers in reward."

Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds, fully charged

Capricia tends to leave such decision-making to Valeria, but in this case she actually gives the noblewoman a quick nod of approval for the undertaking.

"We were on our way to Jambis after a planned stop at the Voinum estate and Sotto, but we could certainly re-organize this trip to head down there faster, just in case your acolytes have got into some kind of trouble. Consider it done. We'll depart at dawn, Archbanker."

You head for Stachys, and the trip is uneventful. Asking about the acolytes reveals only that they stopped overnight at Onora’s tavern, delivering their books and paying for two meals before traveling west toward the old bridge at Gold Canyon.

Gold Canyon not a natural canyon but rather the remains of a strip mine that followed a winding vein of gold and quartz for miles through rugged, rocky terrain some 4,000 years ago. For a few centuries after the veins played out, the canyon still served as a quarry, providing much of the granite used in local fortifications. All that remains today is a staircase-style ditch some 30 feet deep, 80 feet wide, and nearly 10 miles long. A stone bridge, left over from the quarry days, once crossed the canyon, providing the only easy travel between east and west portions of southern Meratt, but a small earthquake collapsed the long-neglected bridge decades ago, leaving only the watchtowers on either escarpment. Locals can cross the canyon fairly easily on foot. Since steep stairs are carved into the rock next to the old bridge, all one has to do is descend; wade through the shallow, stagnant water in the canyon’s bottom; and climb the opposite side. The path is completely inaccessible to livestock and wagons, however, and this isolation has only contributed to nearby Stachys’s economic woes.

Because most of the gold mined here was used to mint Taldan coin, the site is a minor, unofficial pilgrimage destination for local worshipers of Abadar, who read their god’s approval in finding flakes or even nuggets of gold in the water.

A few of you notice a dead body dressed in gold and silver robes— lying facedown in the water and half-buried in the mud on the western shore.

"A body!" Sara exclaims, but quietly as she sees it. The baker's eyes leave the body almost immediately, to scan for any spots someone might be looking out from for other potential marks.

perception for ambushes: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

@GM: How long before us do we think the Abadarans would have passed through this area? Any obvious signs of what may have killed him (like arrows sticking out of the body)?

I'm thinking if the guy had been attacked by a predator (maybe in the water), he'd have been eaten by now. Maybe being half-buried in the mud is an optical illusion, though; maybe there's only half of him left!

Capricia Belacrest Perception Check: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28