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Round 1

'The group gathers between the two doors, busy conversing as the door to the right of them suddenly bursts open and three armed men reveal themselves. Two of them, dressed in leather armor and sporting fire-red skin, fire their light crossbows, one of them hitting Marcus square in his hip - tearing into his flesh. Marcus takes 4 damage. The other bolt was the result of poor aim and flies far wide. Taurven, recovering from dodging one of the bolts, spots the approach of the third thug, a blonde and fair skinned man, and manages to evade the swift slash of his enemy's short sword.

The sound of multiple footsteps can be heard coming from the door straight ahead, accompanied by a dogs heavy barking and deep growling.'

Initiative: Ladder, Keilaan, Taurven/Marcus/Tarial.
Map Updated.

Next week or so will be a bit slower for my sake as well, got school starting up and tons of stuff to meanwhile. I will try my best to post every day none the less, but I can't afford to promise anything in this time-period.

Let me know when you've decided what door/what kind of approach you've settled on etc.

Ladder seems quite pleased with himself, having easily read the map for prominent locations. Remind me to procure a better challenge eventually, for our map-master friend here!

Well done Ladder, I didn't think anyone would manage to get that much information from that ram-shackle map.

I take it the group is headed for the warehouse, if there's anything you'd like to prepare before heading that way - simply post previously.. above the actions you wish to do beforehand, and At the warehouse.. after.

'After scavenging their fallen enemies for items deemed of some use, the group sets off after their elusive quarry. The footprints are fresh in the mud-ridden street, nearly impossible to miss - leading to an open gateway. The courtyard is situated in front of a large, L-shaped warehouse, leading to two double doors; one straight ahead, and one slightly to the right from the entrance. A gate, leading out from the courtyard into a dead-end alleyway, can also be seen from the entrance.

The warehouse is quite large, though overshadowed by other buildings of similar construction in this area. The towering wall surrounding the district casts a looming shadow across the building, granting it an eerie drape of darkness. The building holds no windows, at least not that can be seen from this angle.'

Map Updated.

'Except for the blood splattered across the street and the poor state of your slain enemies, Taurven does not notice anything out of the ordinary. He does notice the fresh footprints left behind by the Thug that escaped though, leading slightly around the bend - towards a courtyard situated in front of a large warehouse.

From this angle, the way seems clear. Most of the beggars around this area has cleared out once the sound of combat reached their ears. Some of the Thugs situated back the way you came from seem to have dispersed as well, leaving you with an ill sense of silence.'

Meant to post that in the Gameplay thread, but oh well. As long as the item-thingy doesn't evolve into a turf-war, I'm fine with any way you wish to solve it.

I know a lot of players use a Google Document to store all the items, depending on how well the 'load' capacity is used for PbP games or not. I'm all ears for suggestions, as I don't want to be too strict in the whole item load 'mini-game'.

'Rummaging through the dead tiefling's possessions, you find;
1 studded leather armor
2 leather armor
1 short sword
3 light crossbows with 20 bolts each
2 light maces
2 daggers
2 simple thieves' tools
38 gp'

Would be nice if one of you could post up a list for the shared items you find that you want to bring with you, I've pretty much got my hands full with everything else. How you want to solve the item thing is up to you.

At my sis atm, babysitting my nephew - so can't being up the loot from here (left my laptop at home.) Feel free to continue though, I think they had about 40 gp total, two leather armors, a suit of studded leather, a short sword, three light crossbows with 20 bolts each and a light mace. Will post it in the thread tonight.

'Although Tarial and Keilaan fumble their attempts to slay the last man standing, Taurven's deep cut forces the man into the wall. The Thug steps forward just as Ladder brings down his blade with immense force - eating deep into the man's torso, splitting him in twain down towards his midsection - blood covering his upper body as he crashes to the ground.'

Combat Over.

'The streets seem silent all of a sudden. As if a strange beast had entered a hunting party's territory. You feel eyes looking upon you from all directions, watching - measuring. Blood and gore abundant, the harvest has just begun.'

Doesn't seem like the dice gods are favoring you too much, Tarial - what did you do to drek them off? Smirks, though in a comforting manner.

Round 2 Summary

'Keilaan quickly moves to Ladder's side, laying her hand upon the dwarfs skin as she mends his wounds with but a simple touch. She takes note, while mending the wounds, of the direction one of the thugs headed.

The Thug realizes that he is alone, his companions dead or fleeing - little is left of humanity in his eyes, appearing more like a cornered beast than a man.'

Map updated.

Agreeable, let's run with your suggestion for now then Ladder.

1d100 + 13, heroes act 1-63, enemies 64-100?

Well, I don't mind critical hits to feel like critical hits, so I'm sure we can get some decapitations and delimbing into the gameplay.

Just waiting for Taurven, and we're good to go for next round.

Aye, just make the roll as early as you wish as a free action, I guess that's what most people do on the campaigns.

Isn't the crit-range on your Greatsword 19-20? Oh, you mean against his AC - no.

If you crit confirm you can pretty much sever whichever part you wish, as long as you do enough damage to kill your foe.

Knowledge rolls, or what do you mean? If so, you can just work it into your gameplay posts.

After each summary (unless it says combat over), you're free to post your next round's actions - no need to wait for your turn initiative-wise.

Also, concerning enemy statistics, resistances and what not - I thought we could do it simple - like listed under the knowledge skill in the prd.

Knowledge (varies) DC 10 + monsters CR, beat it and you get the information. Remember, knowledge: planes for outsiders etc.

Everyone ok with that?

Round 1 Summary

'As Keilaan steps aside to work her divine powers, the combined effort of Marcus and Taurven gives the tiefling behind them a one-way ticket to the afterlife. With the Taldan rogue's dagger stuck in his jugular, the tiefling staggers for a few seconds before crashing to the ground, suffocating from his own blood. Adding to injury, Tarial flings a magical snowball at the tiefling - but he seems not to notice as he dies.

The shorter thug flinches, even though the blow connects he does not manage to gather enough strength behind it to do any serious harm with his mace.

Map updated.

Aye, was just wondering - had a look through the rules and just wanted to make sure I got it right.

I'm sure it wont come to that, Marucs. We're all adults here, so I'm sure we can work everything out.

Quick question, channel negative energy affects everyone around the cleric - including his allies, unless he has Selective Channeling, correct?

Like that? Hope the map is working fine for all of ya.

The ability was used prior to everyone else doing anything (using the altered initiative), so I thought I'd post the result asap.

I'm game for doing it the regular way also, I'll let you guys discuss it and decide.

It's a whole lot better if you use the standard version, if you ask me. Can be a life saver. I agree that allowing the 1d100 to be affected would be too much, but I'm sure we can solve it somehow. I picked up the whole 1d100 thing in another pbp, works well if everyone posts at different times - so the gameplay isn't bottled up too much waiting for one or two people.

How about a bonus, as in if 1-50 players act 1d100 - (insert number) at 3/day?

Let's say, 10 points? Or would 15 be more balanced?

Simplest would be for you to select whomever you wish to give it to (by rolling yourself and listing who you rolled for and I'll snatch whichever is best for the summary), seeing as how I rolled 1d100 for initiative - it would only matter for the groups initiative.

Unless you feel your ability is wasted that way, I'm all ears for suggestions.

You should be able to move your own tokens, I just placed them there for you to arrange yourself. Let's see what you can do!

Edit: East on the map is north, you just came around the bend to the west (which means that's south). The map just looks better turned to the side.

And I guess you saw this one coming, didn't you Ladder. You been sneaking a peek at my notes?

Edit 2: Oh and feel free to act out of turn, I'll let all of you act for the round -> then merge your actions with the enemies action as a summary for each round.

'The tiefling grins as the group draws near him and knocks a few times at the wall behind him.'

"Ed, Oo gdootb eeeae'll na taagoots pena gdoot oo dootg. Neeem?"

'The tiefling draws his blade, a simple blade of common quality; but sharp none the less. You suddenly notice several doors opening on each side of the street, where several tiefling thugs emerge - approaching you with weapons drawn. You recognize one of them to be the thug fleeing towards this area.'

Map.

Initiative order: Taurwen, Tarial, Ladder, Keilaan, Marcus - Enemies.

'The group picks up speed towards the bend in pursuit of the lone thug, several beggars seem worked up as you pass them, ranting on incoherently or pointing fingers.

Down the street, you notice the thug you are pursuing disappear into one of the shoddy-looking houses, just past another tiefling standing with his back leaned towards a house closer to your position. He waves you over, while his tail flicks back and forth with slow, concise movements.'

"Ana teb, delg aeb gnootsalanm. Bdoog nnootsm eeeae ge gda taoosdnendeeg?"

His hands fidget and his tail flicks back and forth a little faster as he speaks.'

It's so easy to take such things for granted, like you think it's obvious - but that's 'cause you have the whole blueprint in your head while those seeing it do not.

Figured I needed to elaborate a bit on the area description.

The map lacks 'filling in' the blanks with houses and other locations. It's a simple scribble that only shows locations Red-Jack find important for whatever reason he has.

'The houses in this district are smaller than those you have encountered outside; shoddy make-shift buildings of poor construction. A select few of them seem to have been in better shape, though it must have been a long time ago.

Some local tough-guys stroll the area, wearing a posture and attitude like they own the place. Once they spot your group, a small group of them gather at the center avenue - before they disperse. Most of them head towards the tavern, while a single figure heads off around the bend to the north.'

The streets are about 20 feet wide (give or take), so four humanoids can walk side by side in a row if so inclined.

Don't worry about it Keilaan, there really is no rush - I merely want to give everyone time to explore as much as they want before I move on, while also trying to make sure that it doesn't bottle up.

Just take your time, explore as you wish and don't spend too much time thinking about it. Everyone enjoys different things, some want to investigate everything - while others just want to keep running the story or are just looking forward to testing their characters in battle.

I'm at CET (GMT +2 atm), so my posts seem to be most frequent while most of you are either asleep or at work.

Anywho, let me know if you guys want to do some last minute shopping before entering the Innards and post your marching order as well. Who knows what lurks in the dark.. Evil laughter drawn out way too long.

I take it you are heading for the eastern gate? If not, let me know.

'You make your way through the streets leading towards the eastern gate marked on Red-Jack's map. Though the trek was uneventful, you noticed that the massive wall surrounding the City Within, which in a sense resembles a smaller version of the outer wall, seems to have been constructed to keep someone inside rather than to keep anyone out. At the robust-looking gateway, enclosed by two large towers on each side, stand two Triumvirate guardsmen dressed in the same silver armor as those you have seen before. One of them steps forward as you draw near and speaks.

"Hold, planelings. This gate leads to the City Within, inhabited by the foulest denizens of Door. Sick people and lawless men dwell inside - and only a madman would enter on his own volition. On what authority do you seek entry? Wait a second.." The middle-aged soldier takes a good look at your group, then orders the gate opened. "Open the gate! A group of infected are coming inside, give them some space!" He leans over towards Marcus as he walks by, whispering. "Our mutual friend says hello, watch your step in there."

The sky seems different from within, darker in a sense. Throughout the streets you notice several people coughing, some beggars stand rambling to each other – while a few others wander about aimlessly, stumbling into things as they move along. The smell of filth and decay fill your nostrils and at first you find it hard to breathe as you try to keep your breakfast from coming back up."

Please let me know how the group wishes to proceed, in terms of marching order.

By the way, it has been a delight reading your posts so far. You all write very well and I really enjoy the different perspectives and urges to investigate more.

I hope I am not being to cryptic (and too crude concerning the Trims!) nor withholding information you desire too much.

As always, do let me know if you have any questions and I shall do my best to explain or elaborate (without spoiling anything, of course!)

'The journey from the market to Fylrok's End is not long, and as Keilaan manages to get the attention of one of the soldiers, the slaves are already being scuttled inside the massive gates surrounding the gargantuan fortress. This must be the cleanest area of the city, the banners aligned along the wall have been perfectly placed in precise order and the flora of guards; standing like statues outside wearing polished silver armor; is a sight to behold.'

'The soldier sighs as Keilaan addresses him, but the man does not answer like the sergeant from the market. She clearly notices that her appearance has instilled some kind of fear in the man, and though his hands are shaking his tone is calm and he speaks like he has practiced every word that leaves his mouth to perfection.'

"I fear that these slaves are beyond saving, even for someone of your obvious power. The evidence at the scene of the crime are enough to condemn them to death and thus they will hang come morning. You are free to bring your complaints to one of the sergeants, but I fear you will not be addressed before after they dangle. Now please, move along."

'The massive gates close as the two speak and it would seem that the slave is beyond Keilaan's reach, at least for now.'

@Keilaan Who knows what the gods are up to, especially on this particular crossroad-plane. Pharasma is not a prominent deity in Door, where (as noted in the Player's Guide) the single most worshiped deity is the Shapeless Shadow.

Here's the information as found under 'clerics' in the guide:

"Harken? Inept? Sounds like you don't know Harken very well, do you lad? 'The Varisian man shakes his head while looking at his companion, before he addresses Taurven once more.

"Harken's an old gladiator, won his freedom in the Grand Arena many years ago- or so I heard. Those slaves of his, those he tries to sell at the market; many of them are wild gladiators - refusing to follow orders or inclined to kill each other given the chance to do so. They killed him all right, there's no denying that - but I wonder where they got the weapons?"

'He look over at his companion again and they both seem quite lost in that particular trail of thought.'

'Leaving the Tavern through the main entrance, Keilaan spots the group of slaves passing by, chained at the throat, hands and feet - scuttling after a group of Triumvirate soldiers. They look menacing and somewhat content - but as Keilaan is about to turn towards Harken's pillar, one of the dwarven slaves in the back of the line gives her a strange, sorrowful look.'

'Keilaan continues towards the pillar and performs her ritual to Pharasma before addressing the Triumvirate soldiers. Some of the soldiers seem uncomfortable in the presence of a Pharasmite priestess, while their sergeant on the other hand; a broad-shouldered tiefling with several broken teeth; seems quite displeased.

"Hold your tongue, priestess. How dare you address a Triumvirate Sergeant in the common tongue?!" He clenches his fist, clearly angered - but calms himself as he takes another look at Keilaan. "Bah, you planelings are all the same. This body belongs to the Shapeless, whether he has family or not. Talmon! Get the wagon - we're moving this corpse to the gate! Move along, priestess."

'You quickly notice that the body has been beaten to death with blunt weapons - and that he was placed upon the pillar after he had already perished from his wounds.'

'The soldiers finally manage to push the body off of the pillar by using their spears to flip him off of the edge. The duergar crashes to the ground with a loud 'thump'. Two of the soldiers pick him up and throw him onto a wagon, then head off to the east. The sergeant and his men stay behind to watch a small crew of halfling slaves clean up the blood.'

"He did, well done lass. The rooms have already been arranged for you and your group - breakfast will be on the house as well!"
Rythari smiles, clearly pleased with the tab paid and the debt settled.

'Lomari seems to be getting weary, but remains to give Keilaan another clue towards her bracelet. "Oh, Valiar had a scar running from his left chin, up t’ward his nose. I think he fought in the war. I hope he's alright." After she finishes her sentence, she takes half a bow in respect to Keilaan - before she retires to her room upstairs.'

'Moments after Taurven wakes this morn, a ruckus can be heard coming from the market outside. As you peek through your windows, you see a large group of slaves rounded up near Harken's pillar, only to be dragged away in chains by a group of Triumvirate soldiers. A couple of Trims are trying to get something off of the pole-like pillar and as your eyes grow accustom to the light outside, you can see that a short and rather stout humanoid has been impaled upon the sharp edge at the top of the pillar.'

'The common room only holds a few patrons this morning; Lomari, Rythari and a small group of townsfolk, clearly shaken by the murder. You overhear a pair of them discuss the incident;
"..of course the slaves did it, they where there! Who else would do something like that to Harken?.." Rythari seems unaffected, though a bit distant as you make your way down the stairs. She smiles and greets you when she does notice you, and extends her hand to show a table prepared for the group in the middle of the room.
"Please, sit! I have whipped up a little treat for you today!"

Cold non-alcoholic drinks, salads with chicken and tomatoes, eggs and other treats have been skillfully prepared for your enjoyment this morning - and after serving you - Rythari leaves you to your food and wanders off to tend the bar.'

'Lomari's chiseled face shifts slowly, taking its time to address a slowly growing joy at someone willing to talk to her. She speaks slowly, her words strong in pronunciation and tone.'

"My humble greetings, Kei-laan. You play your instrument with skill, I am sure. My name is Lomari. What you have heard is true. What I have lost is mine by right."

'A tear manifests itself in the corner of her eye and it is quite obvious that she is struggling trying to hold back her tears as she speaks.'

"Will you help me? It is a small heirloom, a bracelet made from gemstone – and the key to my journey home. I cannot afford to pay you for your efforts, as I have already spent what coin I had left to stay here - and to hire a man named Valiar to aid me. I haven't seen him or his group of adventurers in a ten-day, and I fear they have either perished in their quest or fled the city."

She takes some time to gather her thoughts, before she continues.

"I used to live in the Innards, or well – the City Within for someone of.. your stature. I had a little house and a shop set up, earning honest coin. When the Plague hit I managed to escape, and slipped past the Trims standing guard at the gate. As I kept to the shadows, a golden-haired woman passed me by, snatching my belt pouch like it was her profession. My bracelet was in that pouch. Please, I have nowhere else to turn!"

She breaks into tears once more, but manages to regain her composure.

You guys let me know if you want to proceed to the next morning, or head out during the night - and I'll get the wagon rollin'.

Note to self, Tarial wants to be flayed alive by a Cenobite..

Haha, found myself doing that a lot in the beginning myself, Keilaan.

No worries, I'm sure that should work out for you if you're not playing tons of pbp games simultaneously.

Oh and Tarial, I hope I didn't let you down with the whole Puzzle Box not opening a portal to hell and all.

'As Keilaantara produces her holy symbol from within a fold of her tunic, most of the half-orcs bow their heads in respect towards her. The largest half-orc, the one previously talking to Lomari; stares straight into her eyes as she speaks - unflinching in the presence of a Pharasmite. He seems somewhat annoyed, but allows her to leave their table without incident.'

'Most of the patrons have either left or retired to their room as night settles its grip on the city. Red-Jack, the Half-Orcs, Lomari and Rythari are still to be found in the main room - but the entertainers and other drunkards have either been thrown out or left the establishment on their own volition. The two fetchlings bouncers seem delighted that night has finally arrived, and have moved outside to enjoy the darkness.'

Close to midnight by now.

Who knows what it was, right? Winks and chuckles all evil-like

Thank you for reminding me Ladder, I'll be sure to weave that into my neat little web at some point. Winks all evil-like.

And thank all of you for the kind words, my biggest reward is without a doubt your enjoyment of the campaign.

Standard prices, 5 cp for a mug of ale. Lodging (Good).

Food and drink

A piece of silver sounds about right, as you have not ordered anything in addition (food, beverage.)

1. Thank you Ladder - and very much appreciated. I'm hoping I can keep all of you entertained throughout the campaign.

2. There is, on the second floor - Rythari would have that information - but I might as well let you know right here. There's so much to tell and describe, that such things can quickly fall under the "I think I already told them that"-category.

3. A bloodstone is listed in the standard treasure category of the gamemaster's guide, I assumed most of your characters knew what it is (a common gem worth roughly 50 gp).

4. I wanted to make the Hanged Man a place where several storylines could branch out from - and the real reason for why I've got quite a few characters established early in the campaign; is because I'd rather create a living, breathing city where you actually feel part of a large community. I want to create immersion for the PCs, and poke you with several mysteries/storylines to make you want to explore more.

I'm sorry if you feel it is too much, but I'm hoping you're all enjoying yourselves thus far - I know I am, and I have to thank all of you for that.

Edit: Also, I think that my biggest challenge in this whole endeavor I've set myself on to is the fact that English is not my first language and that when constructing a sentence or dialogue, you *think* you've covered what you wanted to tell, but sometimes you need to hold more information to actually feel like it makes sense - and that whole mental-struggle can be daunting at times. Fun, most certainly - but equally daunting.