Cynara's page

Yeah, we can't leave any witnesses who know what we did.

Incidentally, I'm thinking that we put the crown on one of the corpses, prop it up, and then Cynara will lightning-bolt it. Hopefully that renders the head unrecognizable, so when we drop it with Arkona there's no reason for him to be suspicious.

When I was creating Cynara I thought about taking the Disguise hex, but decided to take Healing instead. Since I have a way to give someone else access to one of my hexes, we could've marched Pilt out looking like someone else.

Cynara lays another potent hex on the cyan guard, trying to make them fall asleep.

"There may be a way to get more convincing proof, but we'll have to hurry--and call off the dwarf." I'm reasonably sure that one has some serious unresolved trauma.

From above, Cynara focuses her attention on the purple guard and wills them to fall asleep.

Slumber hex, DC 21 Will save or fall asleep for 8 rounds.

Sense Motive check for Artegall: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (3) + 16 = 19
Sense Motive check for Pilt: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (6) + 16 = 22

Hmmm...let's see if I can help with that.

While in Korvosa, Cynara has +16 Sense Motive. Can she roll to understand Artegall's message subtext?

The witch concentrates, invoking the power of the city and rising slowly into the air. She extends a hand to the wall and her centipede crawls up her arm under her sleeve.

Grapple check for spell: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (13) + 13 = 26

That should keep the riff-raff out, at least.

Cynara moans at the impact, then grits her teeth and steps back a few feet. "Artegall, take a short step west!"

If he does so, the witch casts another spell, conjuring forth a field of writhing black tentacles that avoids Whisper but includes Jabbyr and the other entrance to the throne room.

If he can't, I'll have to try something else.

Happy New Year, all!

My thought was that the enemies to the north would focus on the immediate threats to Pilt, and the guards to the south would have to go through Artegall to get to her.

"I'll get your backs." Cynara steels herself and steps into the room, slipping past the unconscious guard before casting a spell. The north doorway is suddenly filled with reeking vapors.

Casting stinking cloud in the circle marked on the map; anyone in the cloud needs to make a DC 20 Fort save or become nauseated. Anyone failing their save will be nauseated for 1d4+1 rounds after leaving the cloud. The cloud is also opaque, obscuring sight beyond 5', as fog cloud.

If either of the two guards flanking the door are still up, Cynara focuses her will on the least wounded one. The guard starts to feel drowsy....

Using slumber hex; DC 21 Will save or fall unconscious for 8 rounds.

Cynara's familiar crawls out from under her dress and scuttles past the guards before scaling the wall over the door.

What do the captions (PC goal, NPC goals, etc.) mean?

When we come in, Cynara can drop a stinking cloud on part of the room and take a bunch of people out of the fight. If you know of any spellcasters, they would be good to include in the AoE...we don’t generally have good Fort saves.

I thought we were going to the unoccupied area to form up.

OK, so it's a DC 25 Spellcraft check to translate without read magic, but Cynara has +17 Spellcraft.

The witch finishes her perusal and looks around at the others. "Whenever you're ready."

Once the word is given, she invokes a hex to give herself good fortune before reading the scroll aloud.

DC 10 caster level check (assuming that the scroll CL is the minimum for a 5th level spell): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Fortune hex reroll, just in case: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Targeting roll: 1d100 ⇒ 24

Cynara takes the scroll and studies it carefully.

Can she take 10 on the Spellcraft check to decipher it?

"If I can make this scroll work, do you want to try to teleport directly into the throne room, or into an unoccupied area so we can form up before we attack?"

"I don't like the idea of anyone with a Final Blade, especially someone as...erratic as the Emperor. Plans where you divide your forces in the face of an enemy are generally not desirable, let's say, but in this case I think that pinning down the guards in the courtyard from the air with black tentacles and stinking cloud would let Mirela do significant damage. Everyone in the place is going to respond to the attack, too, which would give the rest of you a chance to get in...wait a minute. You've all been there before. Is there any reason the rest of you would be stopped if you came back and asked to see Pilt again? That would get you closer to the action when the time came.

"Do you know if there are any spellcasters of note in the court? The only thing I'd worry about would be having someone there with a prepared dispel magic when Mirela and I start the attack."

The arcane eye can fit through small openings, so unless the doors are sealed tightly Cynara may still be able to find Pilt.

Stealth check: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (6) + 21 = 27

Cynara is amazingly unobtrusive.

Cynara nods. "I'm ready when you are, Master Artegall."

The witch slowly turns away from the garden, clearly interested in it. "You're right, Artegall. There's much to be done."

Cynara follows the cleric's gaze. "What's interesting about the garden?"

Cynara's expression starts out a little excessively full of herself, shifts quickly to something approximating guilt, and ends in resignation. "I am, um, very good at not being noticed, even without magic. I can also use magic to scout ahead of us."

No, I still have to finish my character sheet.

Intrigued, Cynara leans a little closer. "Tell me more about this guillotine."

"I agree, Artegall. It sounds like we need Orsini to get the Seneschal, and Glorio has made his price for access to Orsini clear. The next question, though, is how do we do this? You've dealt with this 'Emperor' before--what do you think?"

"I'm more interested in what will be best for the people of the city. Is there anything you can tell me about the 'Emperor,' and about Lord Glorio?"

"May I join you?"

With a +16 to Sense Motive, Cynara can't fail the check.

Cynara listens to the exchange, showing little reaction. "Lord Glorio, if we could convince the 'Emperor' to share resources with you, would that address the short-term need? It sounds as though you--" She gestures, indicating the party. "--parted from him on reasonable terms. What do you think?"

Thanks for your patience, all--I got sick on travel, came back early, and spent a couple of days in hospital. I'm feeling OK except for being utterly wiped out most of the time, and should be able to catch up soon. (My work is being rather vehement about not coming back until at a minimum I've been checked by my doctor, and that won't happen until early next week. My followup with the surgeon will be late next week, so things may have to wait until then. That should, I hope, leave me plenty of time.)

FYI, I'll be traveling for work this next week. I should be able to post from my phone in the evenings, though.

The woman starts to answer Mirela's question when Artegall introduces himself. "A colleague! I was also something of an investigator in Magnimar. I worked for one or another of the Council of Ushers, mostly." Her voice turns rueful. "As for why I'm here, it's a long story. It started with the Skinsaw Murders. Some of my best clients were killed, and their families set me to find the perpetrators. It was the single most challenging case of my career. They were really good at covering their tracks, but I had the city whispering in my ears. I was this close--" She holds up a hand, index finger and thumb almost touching. "--when...well. I made a mistake. I was so wrapped up in the chase that I forgot to ask a very important question: was anyone influential helping the murderers? When the warrant was issued for my arrest, I figured it out, though. None of my former employers would hide me--it was all I could do to flee before I was taken." She shakes her head, and her voice is heavy with something like grief as she continues. "Leaving was--ah, it was terribly hard. But I knew that Magnimar's law wouldn't be able to reach me in Korvosa, so I came here. I had enough funds put aside that I didn't need to find work right away, and I could take the time to build a tie with the city that matched what I had with Magnimar. To do that, I had to spend at least a little bit of time in every district. I saved Old Korvosa for last, and I finished the process only a few days ago."

She shrugs, causing a bit of disturbance under her dress. "Sorry, Chil. Anyway, that tie carries mystical power, but there's a price. I came to awareness of the city just before the old king died, and suddenly all I could feel was desperation, terror, and need. I've been doing what I can to help ever since.

"I have no idea why they blockaded the island. That was on my list to look into once I dealt with the issues at hand, but there just hasn't been time."

The woman loses her smile. "Oh, I know their desperation. Believe me, it haunts me day and night. Magnimar was never this bad, even during the worst of the Skinsaw Murders last year. But...how do I put this? It is especially in that chorus of pain that I can feel the shapes of those others who work to ease it, sense the wake they--you leave. Before seeing you I couldn't have described you, but even so you're familiar to me. And where are my manners? I'm called Cynara." She bobs her head in another quick bow.

Then the collar of her dress pushes aside, revealing the foreparts of a large arthropod that appears to be sitting on her shoulder. "And this is Chil. Don't worry, she's friendly."

A short, slender human woman strides purposefully into the room, her body language giving the impression of someone much taller. Her long blonde hair is pinned up in a somewhat messy bun with a pair of lacquered wooden sticks. The hem of her black dress brushes the floor. She gives the noble a cursory but nevertheless polite bow. "Milord. Thank you again for your support." She's about to continue, but stops and turns to face the party, smiling briefly. "You! I've felt you in the weave of the city, working to help her people. I think we have much to discuss."

I'm far enough along to interact with the party, if you want to drop me in.

Dotted in. I still have to finish my character profile, but I should have that done soon.

ETA: what are you looking for from an arcane caster? Witches are generally good at debuffing, but I can take more damaging spells if that's what you need.

Life happens. *shrug*

I was waiting for the 3mo timer to drop this one from my threads.

Me, too.

Yeah, the GM has been off the boards since the beginning of April. I hope he's OK.

Sounds good to me. Let's go!

Diplomacy check: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

Phooey. Unless I can take 10 on it?

"They do not have the best interests of Kyonin at heart, let us say. Defeating their purposes would put the nation in your debt."

"We are in your debt. Is there a particular place where you've seen more of these Southern elves?"

Cynara makes a slight bow. "Many thanks, honored ambassador. First, what do you know of the nature of the blot in the sky? Second, are you familiar with a variety of elf with pale hair, charcoal-grey skin, and red eyes?"

Cynara shrugs with a small smile. "The world is not always as you've seen it thus far. I am indeed from near here, but have traveled extensively, and I assure you that I have had far more redolent companions of the road."

Is this a human woman? One of the sages Eloquan spoke of as being one of the last two humans remaining in the city?

Spellcraft check: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

Cynara squints momentarily, one eyebrow raising slightly, then bows respectfully to the woman before replying in Elvish. "You perceive correctly--we are newly arrived here. I am called Cynara Eruthiel; my companions and I have come in search of counsel regarding the phenomenon in the sky."

Sorry about the delay in posting; I had a lot going on leading up to and immediately following Christmas. Let me look back over the Gameplay thread and refresh my memory as to where we are and what's happening.