Will post in game tonight
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As word spreads that Lord Wildhurst has sent adventurers to deal with Belig, the market area slowly fills with residents that have come to voice their concerns, tell their versions of events and speculate on the cause of the sickness. Most of them are also carrying baskets of food or farm animals which they deposit in Borden's wagon before joining the impromptu meeting in the village square. Irra You meet a family as they move to the village square. The couple is young with one young child, a boy of about 8, who defiantly carries a small, wooden sword as if he is setting off to deal with Belig all on his own. When you approach and introduce yourself, they seem flattered that one of Lord Wildhurtst's heroes would take the time to speak with them. Their name is Cutter, and you are soon deep in discussion with them concerning the going's on in the town. You learn the following information:
You demeanor is so friendly and the boy seems so taken with you that the family offers you a warm meal and a place to stay for the night. Turad and V'Thamuus Turad lowers V'Thamuus into the well. As he does so, many of the villagers crowd around the well to see what the pair is doing. They mutter in surprise as V'Thamuus create some magical light to get a better look at the water. The water is approximately 20 feet from the top of the well and there is no obvious signs of debris or other things floating on the surface. The well smells musty but not unpleasant.
Longfeather and Darnak Many of the locals seem hesitant to speak with you. Their answers are curt and reveal no new information. It is clear their mistrust stems from Longfeather's appearance and the reputation of his kin. All
Borden indicates that you are all welcome to pass the night at his house, if desired. You will set out tomorrow morning so you can be at the designated spot on time.
And another crisis on this end. My wife, a TV addict, has reported the TiVo is out. I am in the process of installing a new TiVo and dealing with the cable company. I will post in game either tonight or tomorrow, depending on how fast tech support at Crime Warner Cable is at resolving the security issues they created. Le sigh.
V'Thamuus walks the perimeter of the village, Moninga at his side, paying especial attention to the site of the planned ambush. He looks for a sniper's spot above and overlooking the site...
Sarenith 22 4710 (Toilday)
You gather your gear and head out northward toward Thistle. The day is as fine and bright as one could want and the miles pass by quickly. Borden proves to be a knowledgeable traveling companion and he tells you many interesting stories and legends surrounding this area of Varisia as you travel northward toward the village.
As the sun sinks westward, you enter the outskirts of the village. It is a wide-flung farming community dotted with well-built wooden houses. You can see several families working in the fields or tending animals; occasionally a nearer resident will remove a wide-brimmed hat and raise it over his head in greeting, shouting a hearty "Helloa" as your group passes. In the village center is a mill, a well, a market square (currently deserted) and an official-looking building that turns out to be part storehouse, part courthouse and part Borden's residence. Parked outside is a sturdy wagon; a bushel of rather underdeveloped-looking carrots rests within. They look like they were just recently and prematurely pulled from the ground. Borden nods at the meek harvest as you pass by the wagon and grumbles something inaudible. Borden welcomes you inside his home, where his wife, Riona, and his three children are prepping for the evening meal. Borden introduces his family and each of you, explaining that you are here to deal with the goblins tomorrow on behalf of Lord Wildhurst. His wife is plump with a homely but goodnatured face and his two older children seem the picture of health, but his youngest and only daughter still looks pale. She looks up at you through wide, dark eyes limned with dark circles and clutches onto her mother's skirt as your strange (at least to her) group is introduced. She still hasn't fully recovered from the sickness Riona says as she pries her daughter from her leg and hoists her onto an ample hip. This Belig now, demons take him, he needs to be put down. From the looks of ye, I would say you are just the kind of folk to do it. She turns her attention to her daughter. You hear that Carabel? These fine folk are gonna punish that mean goblin. Yes they will. Punish him hard. Carabel gives a thin smile and nods solemnly at you. You get him she says to you with some defiance. You get him for making me sick.
Yep. Just replied. Had a hella bad weekend. I need to get a couple family things sorted here and WILL post tonight.
Have had a cople of crazy days here, should post later today.
Lord Wildhurst seems encouraged by your enthusiasm and brightens when you agree to this second task. Thank you for all you have done and will do. I am indeed in your debt. I will send Johna to you with the advance on your payment and any other information you need. If you will excuse me, I am exhausted and will retire. Lord Wildhurst rises unsteadily to his feet, gives you a short bow and leaves for the private areas of the house.
A short while after the Lord departs, Johna indicates that your payment is available in your rooms and that Borden will await you at the northern gate at mid-morning tomorrow. When you decide to turn in, you find that in each room there is a small leather bag. Within is 150gp and a letter bearing the Lord's seal indicating that the bearer is to be shown courtesy within the city of Gulduria and given a discount of 25% on any goods purchased at any place of business within the city walls.
Lord Wildhurst sits down in an overstuffed chair and puts his head into his hands. He rubs his face, smooths his mustache and says I understand your concerns. I will tell you what I can. And while I do want you to resolve the problems in Thistle - I do - it is just that this issue hangs over me like a noose. When I was a young man and very full of myself, I fell in with a group of people I knew very little about. They were not bandits, they were not disreputable at all, they were more like ... scholars. They called themselves the House of the Circlet. They paid well for my services. I was strong, brave, ambitious and good with my sword. For years I worked for them and they paid well, not only in gold, but in other ways. More than that though, it seemed that chance always seemed to favor me whenever I completed a mission for them. My rivals befell misfortune and obstacles cleared from my path. So long as I served the House of the Circlet, my fortunes continued to rise. The Lord's face grows long as he pauses to reflect on his past. Now though, times have changed; things have changed. I am no longer young. My brother, the real Lord Wildhurst, was killed in an accident. An accident, so everyone said, yet now I have my doubts. I found myself named Lord Wildhurst. I cannot help but think another obstacle had been cleared to my rise. My dealings with the House of the Circlet have become less frequent and now I begin to fear them. They will not be seen in my court, they want no public recognition. They came to me last month and said it was time I joined them in full. But I have begun to wonder. Who are these people that they can grant me these things? Why does my advancement come at another's suffering? This is why I want you to go to the depot after you deal with these goblins. Learn what you can and tell no one of this other mission. And if there is a link between my past and these goblin raids, tell me of it so I can do what I can to set things aright. There may yet still be time. Lord Wildhurst is clearly emotional. You sense he is overcome with regret and concern.
As your conversation begins to wind down, Lord Wildhurst approaches your group in the sitting area you chose for your after-dinner discussion. He seems nervous and maybe even a bit intoxicated. He gives you all a grim smile and then pluges into a very strange speech. If you had known what I was asking of all of you, what I am now asking of you ... But you will say yes, of course you will. You're still young. I too said yes to a great many things I shouldn't have when I was young. I know better now, too late. Listen closely. The mission to Thistle is important but it is not why I send you there. There is a storehouse, a guesthouse - a depot really - two hours upstream of Thistle. When I was young, I was sent there to raze the place. To burn it out once I taken from it certain books my employers wanted. Set the place ablaze so their enemies could not use it against them. I did it, or tried to. It had rained all that week and my fire would not light. I could burn out only one storeroom before the choking smoke sent me back. The entryway caught fire as well and it teetered on the edge of collapse. I was afaid to pass through it again. I want you to go back to that compound. brave the entry way if it still stands. Find out what that place was, and who would want it destroyed. Somewhere within must be a clue to the people that built it, the people I worked for, the people that ... Bring to me all the information you can find. Take my signet ring when you go. When I went on my last mission, my employer put a spell on this ring; marked it in some way so that the doors would open before it. Bring it back to me quickly though! If they see I am not wearing it. They'll wonder. Maybe they will know. Do not be gone overlong. They are watching. This strange narrative bursts out of him in a rapid torrent. Now that he is finished, you see he is exhausted and extremely worried. He seems unsure what to do or say next and looks to you with a mixture of fear and hope.
Post coming Saturday. The evening got away from me!
I asked borden about how quickly the villagers recovered after the payment to Belig
You expect Belig to return for your supplies? Around what time of day does usually arrive? I'd like to have some time to look around Thistle before he arrives. Borden replies We are to meet him in a small forest clearing at mid-sun the day after next. We can leave mid morning or so tomorrow and get to the village. You can have your look around and we will put you up for the night. The following morning we'll take the wagon on to Belig in the clearing. It should take about 2 hours to get to the clearing once we set off; the path is more of an old logging rut than a proper road. When you speak of resupplying, Lord Wildhurst says Galduria offers many fine shops, I am sure you will find all you need here. You should be able to gather your supplies before you depart tomorrow. However, I know your business is a dangerous one and I would not see you unprepared or unrewarded for what you are to do. After dinner, we shall discuss terms and you will receive an advance on your reward to spend as you see fit. Furthermore, I have not forgotten the great deeds you performed last night. Gold and riches cannot fairly offset my debt to you; in fact they would only cheapen what you have given me. Instead, I will ensure that while you remain in Galduria and any time henceforth, you may shop here at considerable discount and may call upon me if you find yourselves in need of my aid anywhere in the city or the villages nearby While Lord Wildhurst is indeed pleased with all of you, he remains troubled whenever he talks of the attack on his home.
Could I use a heal check determine if the symptoms that borden described match a poison or dead animal in the well? Skill checks: Use them liberally and whenever you think what you might know may apply. I will let you know what you know. In this case - sure why not? I tend to be liberal with skills for the most part - they are a way for the DM to impart information and reward characters for what they know/experienced/studied. DM, if we have time before the next step of the adventure, I'd like to spend some wages. How exotic of gear is available in this town? I'd like to purchase a haramaki and armored kilt. If not available, I'd like to put in an order for when we return. No problem. You are about to be rewarded by Lord Wildhurst (you were promised a reward by his wife if you recall) and you will have time to buy whatever else you need. We won't move on until everyone's ready. There is also a bit more to learn here as welll :)
While I also agree that goblins do not possess a magical means of making a plague, adds Lord Wildhurst, there can be other ways. Perhaps they fouled the water with their filth or tied a dead animal to a stone and sunk it in the village well, just as Irra suggests. Regardless, I think you are right about questioning Belig further. It is intolerable what they have done to Thistle and their actions demand a reprisal without the insult they gave to me directly. I would like all of you to travel to Thistle tomorrow with Borden and be present when the villagers must make their next payment. Learn what you can and see to it that this Belig causes no further trouble using any means neccessary. Do you find this solution acceptable, Borden? Borden looks over the party and smiles. I do indeed, Lord Wildhurst he says, raising his wine glass in a toast to you all.
BTW if anyone wants to use any "soft" skills like Sense Motive, Diplomacy, Bluff or the like while interacting with the NPCs, by all means do so. Since I tend to post larger chunks of NPC dialog, feel free to roll when you post even if my post was large and covered a lot of time/ground. If you learn anything important, I will let you know.
Lord Wildhurst leads the party out through a set of double doors and onto a stone patio that overlooks the gardens. Beyond the garden wall stretches Ember Lake. As the afternoon is very pleasant, he asks that you remain in the garden and enjoy his hospitality while he takes care of some important matters. Before departing, he assigns a servant to see to your needs. The garden is very peaceful and dotted with well-kept flowers and shrubs. There is comfortable furniture, sturdy stone tables and shaded paths to wander as you pass the time waiting for dinner. About sunset, the servant gathers your group and leads you back into the house through a second set of double doors. These lead directly into a well-decorated dining room. Within, Lord Wildhurst is standing next to a tall, lanky man of middle age with graying, bushy, side whiskers. The man is dressed in simple but clean clothing and has a bearing of a leader or at least a politician. Both are drinking amber liquid from heavy crystal glassware and appear to be chatting about something serious as you walk into the room. Ahh, I see my friends have arrived. Please, help yourself to a drink from the side bar. I would like to introduce you to Borden Jacobson, a spokesman from Thistle. This is the guest I told you about and these, Borden, are the heroes I wanted you to meet. For their benefit, would you please tell them your tale, for I have said nothing of this matter to them, and I too would like to hear it again. Borden seems pleased to meet each of you and holds out his hand to shake each of yours, though he seems awkward when he at last reaches Longfeather and has to force his hand back out and a put a smile on his face when meeting the tengu. He covers this embarrassment by launching immediately into his story. The trouble began three weeks back. Without warning, our entire village fell ill. Men, women and children - no one was spared. Most of us were bedridden for days and I thank the gods that no one passed away. It was some days' time before most of us were on our feet and able to repair the damage to the crops wrought by neglect and tend to those who were still ill. Would that all there were to it. On the second day from the plague's start, when only a few of us were able to stand, a cocksure goblin came into the village square and shouted that he brought the plague. He jeered at us and beat mercilessly any that rose to oppose or curse him. He called himself "Belig" and he said that unless we paid him tribute, he would bring more plagues and other evils upon us. He demanded a wagon-load of goods and all the livestock that had died from the sickness. He told us that if we tricked or denied him, he would bring more evil down upon us. We paid him whatever we could - we were in no position to fight him or his band, and hoped that would be the end of it. However, he came again last night with a demand for another wagon-load of goods. We have delayed him, but he will be back in two days time. The village sent me here to Lord Wildhurst to see what we may do, for we have no doubt that if we pay him again, he will return for yet more goods and the village cannot hope to survive the winter if he succeeds. During this sad tale, the servants have finished setting the table and you have all been seated. As Borden finishes his story, the first course is served.
Ah, Ms Shattertongue, I am afraid we have failed to be as courteous to you as you have been to my family. I should have properly introduced you to my household. This is Ms. Marie Wildhurst, my neice. She lives here with me. Her parents...are no longer with us, I am sad to say. He puts his hand gently upon Marie's shoulder and smiles at her warmly. She smiles in return but turns aside to discreetly wipe a tear away. Uncle if you and your guests will forgive me, I would like to see to the rest of the house. Of course, Marie, of course responds Lord Wildhurst with a note of sadness. We will talk later. Once Marie has left the room, Lord Wildhurst returns his attention to all of you. I apologize to all of you, especially to you Ms. Shattertongue, for my breach of etiquette. I should never have put you or Marie in such an uncomfortable position. Lord Wildhurst pauses again, as if considering something deeply troubling to him. You should know that I am new to this office; I have been Lord here but three months. My elder brother, Lord Weldon Wildhurst and his wife, the good Lady Katryn Wildhurst, were recently killed in a tragic accident. Before this terrible event, I was a country squire, enjoying life in the manor you recently saved. However, with the death of my brother and his wife, his title, household and his daughter passed to my care. Poor Marie did not like life at my country manor and begged to return here to the city, where she was raised. Finding herself at loose ends, she insisted that she do something practical. She runs the household here and has asked to help me as she is able. Truely it is beneath her station to act as a serving girl, but I humor her for now while she overcomes her hurt. In truth, it seems to do her good; she says she is happier when she has things to do and I must agree that is true. Lord Wildhurst returns to the business at hand. Regarding the goblins, I too, have more reasons than this latest insult to see that these goblins are driven from this region. Indeed, that is the very business I planned to discuss tonight. I am expecting a vistor from the village of Thistle, which is approximately a day's travel north of here. If he is here to confirm the rumors I have heard, then I will greatly need someone I can trust to address this matter.
Lord Wildhurst hardly waits for you each to answer before summoning his footman with a shout. Jonah! Find Captain Davi and see to it he sends 20 men to my country estate immediately! Also, give him this. See to it my wife receives her ring. One more thing. Let Marie know I have guests and that she should bring refreshments. Jonah takes the ring from Lord Wildhurst and bounds off as fast as a man of his age can muster. Once Jonah is out of the room, Lord Wildhurst turns his attention back to you. He says nothing for several moments, apparently lost in thought, a look of deep concern etched on his face. Just as you begin to fidget and share looks among yourselves, he recovers his train of thought and forces a smile. I owe you all a great deal. Please, be seated and refresh yourselves. I would like to hear the tale in full, and to learn more about you all and how you came to render such a service to my family. Afterward, I would like you to meet another guest of mine and stay for dinner. He too has an interesting tale to tell concerning goblins from the north. Marie turns out to be an attractive young woman with long, black hair and dark eyes hidden behind long lashes. She is just about the right age to be Lord Wildhurst's daughter. She brings a tray with cheeses, a bottle of wine and a tray of glasses then steps aside to learn if anything else is requested of her before she departs.
Hey all - It's 2:18 am here and I just got off work. Gonna post tomorrow...
Only one of the three manor guards died and he was dead before you got there. You managed to save the other two - both of the guys at the door survived (though it was close!)
Sorry I've been away this weekend. My theatre is opening a new play this weekend. The logistics took up more time than I expected. Back now! No worries, glad to get you back so soon! A general question for all of you - Are you happy thus far with the roleplay versus the action or would you like to see more or less of either? Sometimes PbP can be seen as "slow", so I want to make sure we keep everyone posting and engaged in what they want to see in the story. All comments welcome.
The guards look over the party as they step from the wagon. The nearest holds the ring with care and looks at it carefully. When they notice Longfeather, their look of concern and acceptance turns dour. You say you got this from Lady Wildhurst? From Wildhurst Manor, atop the hill? one asks suspiciously, one eye on Longfeather to guage his reaction. It's the Lady's ring alright says the other guard. If the story is in any way different than what we are hearing, Lord Wildhurst will sort it out The other guard nods in agreement and puts the ring in a pocket in his tunic. Ok, the lot of you with me. I will see you to Lord Wildhurst's offices. And no getting lost on the way he adds with a hint of warning. The two guards escort you passed Keever, Hobak and Jeren, who seem to be reviewing their manifest and dicussing an import tarriff of which Jeren seems unaware. Keever and Hobak nod at you as you are escorted into the city but say nothing as the conversation seems like it is getting heated. Lord Wildhurst's offices are in an official and stately stone building overlooking the lake. You are greeted with stiff formality at the door by Jonah, the manor's doorman, who is told a brief reason for your visit and given the Lady's ring. The guards then depart for the gate while Johan leads you inside the fine, old building, through a few well-decorated rooms and into a parlor where you are instructed to wait for the Lord to arrive. It is clear he does not like the look of the party; it is as if you are all far too disreputable to have dealings with his master. After a few moments, a middle-aged man with long, brown hair and full mustache burst into the room, almost at a run. He is dressed well but not garishly and seems to still be in reasonable shape, like an old campaigner recently retired. His brow is furrowed and his face betrays a clear sign of agitation and worry. What is the meaning of this? he asks sharply, waving the Lady's ring. How came you into posession of my wife's ring? He looks to each of you in rapid succession, more distraught than angry.
Correct. I assume, unless the party changes its plans for some reason, that preparation-required spellcasters spend the first hour preparing the day's spells while the rest of the party breaks camp and makes everything ready to travel. I do this without making special note of it in the posts. As far as the actual mechanics of prep in a PbP, I assume that the players will just prepare the spells they desire and update their character sheets when they next post after a rest. At times, PbP post order and events overtake the player's ability to have spells prepared and sheets updated "in the morning". It happens. I am not overly worried about such things given the medium we are using to play; just update your sheet when you can to reflect the day's spells. Yes, this leads to the possibility that a caster might be able to note a sudden change of events and change his prepared spells to best match the challenges, but that is more of an individual behavioral choice and is not worth worrying about unless it begins to affect everyone's enjoyment of the game.
Adventure 1
The caravan rumbles down the rutted lane and you are jostled left and then right within the guard wagon. Hobak is chewing a large plug of tabacco, decorating the ground with his spittle and humming what Irra recognizes to be an old bawdy, tune. Behind you, a faint spiral of smoke is all you can see of Wildhurst Manor while ahead of you, the flags of Galduria flutter in the warm, suummer breeze. Ember Lake shines and dances off to your right; the white sails of dozens of fishing boats dot the water. The city gates are open and flanked by two pairs of relaxed-looking guards. Their leather armor is painted with Galduria's symbol, a red fish, and they lean casually on stout-looking spears. The one nearest the caravan holds up his hand as Jeren and Keever approach in the lead wagon and the caravan grinds to a halt. Hobak dismounts and heads up to chat with the guards while Farchet remains in his wagon, muttering soundlessly to himself. From what you can overhear, the guards are asking basic questions about cargo and destination. One of the other guards asks about the smoke atop the hill, and Keever replies, pointing back to your wagon.
Jeren shoots Turad a vile look and says Perhaps we were ill advised to take you on, then, barbarian. We are all but to our destination anyway so you can go... He suddenly realizes he is sitting at the lady's table and stops short, his face red. I am sure we are all under stress Lady Wildhurst says diplomatically. The goblins are gone, and if Mr. Deepstone will carry my ring and my message to my husband tomorrow, I am certain we will be fine. Just tell the guards at the city gate you wish to speak to Lord Wildhurst, show them the ring, and they will see you meet him presently. The dinner concludes without much other talk. Lady Wildhurst invites Irra back to the manor for a tour when she is next in the city as it is clear the evening's events have left her drained. Martin and the guards clear the table while Jeren, Keever, Hobak and Farchet set up camp. The mood in the camp is tense, with Jeren clearly angered over Turad's words during dinner. Just before guards are posted for the night, Keever comes round and tosses a small bag of gold to each of you. It's the payment we agreed upon. Jeren is none too pleased you all ran off to help the Lady and I want to ensure you get the gold comming to you. Jeren can be a bit ... difficult if he feels insulted. He shoots Turad a stern look but then gives him a wink. Stay here tonight, on your word, and see us to the gates tomorrow and then you are free to do as you wish for Lady Wildhurst. Hobak and Farchet stop by to thank you for your efforts. Hobak gives you each a firm handshake and a pat on the back and says he would be glad to travel with you in the future. Farchet mumbles out a few words - the first you have heard him say on the entire trip, but they are too disjointed and quiet to really understand. The camp settles into its routine and the night passes without incident.
Late night at my table top game. New in-game post coming tomorrow. Something tells me Turad skipped a post of mine somehow - I doubt he would talk about Jeren like that with him at the table! Perhaps we are seeing some mis-formatted inner dialog? Hehehe.... Turad - any thoughts on this?
I am not posting in-game tonight as no one is talking to the NPCs. Feel free to continue your chat and I will answer anything directed to anyone outside the party. If you are ready to move on, please post here and I will wrap things up. If there is something you want to do after the dinner wrap up, please also post that as well.
The conversation over dinner is limited as the enormity of the evening's events weight on everyone's mood. Jeren, Keever and the others are all but silent, partially because they are focused on the food and partially because they seem reluctant to say much in the presence of Lady Wildhurst. Keever avoids alcohol entirely, much to his brother's relief. I feel a bit like I have fallen from a ladder, but I will recover, thanks to all of you and we are both glad that you came to help at all. It is good to know that folk such as yourselves still roam the wilds. says Kamos cheerfuly in response to V'Thamuus's question. We will never surrender our homestead to those filthy vermin! says Lady Wildhurst a bit too forcefully, almost cutting her guardsman short. This is my home, and Lord Wildhurst's as well, though his new office takes him to the city. When the good dwarf here tells him our tale and shows him my ring, he will put things aright. Much of his guard will be sent back here and woe be those goblins if they think they can bypass the city to raise mischeif in the south! She masters her emotions once again and takes a sip of wine to calm her nerves. Turning toward Longfeather she adds I have never heard of this 'Belig', but soon, I wager, he will hear of us! Her grin is almost that of a seasoned warrior rather than the lady of a country manor.
We are indeed in Golarion, in Varisia, nearing the city of Galduria on the shores of Ember Lake in the southwest portion of the country. Tengus are indeed a marginalized race in Golarion canon, living together in cities in what I interpreted as ghettos, but I downplayed this as I didn't know your feelings on this aspect of their background. Tengus in Pathfinder SRD:
The crowlike tengus are known as a race of scavengers and irrepressible thieves. Covetous creatures predominantly motivated by greed, they are vain and easily won over with flattery. Deceptive, duplicitous, and cunning, tengus seek circumstances in which they can take advantage of the situation, often at the expense of others, including their own kind. They can be highly competitive, but impulsive and rash. Some claim their behavior is innate, while others believe their selfish mannerisms are cultural and developed as a learned adaptation that has enabled their people to endure through centuries of oppression. Tengus are natural survivalists. For many, only theft and guile have afforded them the temporary luxuries other races take for granted. In the past, both humans and powerful races such as giants sought the bird-folk as slaves and servitors. Many tengus scavenged for survival, scraping for food in the shadows of cities or living as subsistence hunters and gatherers in the wild. Their descendants now struggle to find their place in contemporary society, often competing against negative stereotypes or driven to embrace them, and they rely on thievery and swordplay to get by in a harsh and unforgiving world. This is pretty bleak, and I shied away from playing this as-is for the reasons I give above. Luckily, the first encounter we had was with a woman of class and distinction, willing to look beyond sterotypes and handle herself with grace, especially given the circumstances. Now that I know how you feel about this, I am fine with weaving in the general feeling toward tengus as I think this gives them depth as long as we, as you say, do not make it a central theme to the game. What I most want to avoid is a "we don't serve your kind here" mentality that makes basic civil interaction difficult on the rest of the party logistically or socially, that dominates the conversation to the detriment of the other players or that creates situations that involve roleplaying the distateful aspects of racism in its many forms. So, to summarize, you are accepted here at Wildhurst manor without question for your actions. As you move about Varisia, you may run into hassles here or there where you are judged on appearance rather than behavior. This will give meaning to playing a tengu without it becoming a central component of the game. Sound Ok?
Longfeather and V'Thamuus begin gathering the goblin dead. They are joined by the remaining guards and with their help and at Lady Wildhurst's insistence, the bodies are added to the dwindling but still potent barn fire. Thankfully, the light breeze blows the scent of their destruction away from the manor house. Meanwhile, Lady Wildhurst provides a brief history of the Wildhurst name with Darnak, Irra and Turad. While the tale is mostly comprised of things of concern only to the upper crust of society, there may be things of interest to the keen listener.
Perhaps the excitement of the evening was too much, however, as none of you learn anything of real interest. Still, there is an air of mystery about the tale Lady Wildhurst tells that leaves you vaguely unsettled. When the tale ends and just about the time the unpleasant task of disposing of the bodies is addressed, Jeren and your other companions rumble into the field in front of the manor house. Lady Wildhurst greets them warmly as they disembark and praises your efforts to your current employer. Her manner is so gracious that she charms even the gruff Jeren, who can only mutter 'It was no trouble, m'Lady, no trouble at all.' over and over at her animated thanks. Keever merely smiles and shares a look with Hobak behind Jeren's back and even Farchet is moved to carry out a number of stiff, overly formal bows while he silently and nervously works his battered hat at a furious pace with his hands. Martin soon returns to announce that dinner is ready in a stiff, formal way that seems out of place given all that has occurred this evening. Given the circumstances, Lady Wildhurst suggests that the supper be served outside, where everyone can keep an eye out for trouble and the wagons and horses be guarded in case there is further cause for concern. While the party, the caravan team and the Lady chat about cargo and destinations, the Wildhurst staff sets up an impromptu dining table complete with candles, cups of mead and wine, cold venison and various trimmings. Jeren shoots Keever a look of warning as the alcohol is poured but Keever's face remains a mask as he steadfastly ignores his brother's glare. Your traveling companions congratulate each of you on your heroic actions and seem immensely pleased to have something to eat other than beans; it is clear that they cannot wait to sit at this fine table and tear into the succulent supper.
One thing that interests me about Tengu (and other "exotics" - no offense :) ) is how the rest of society treats them. It has never been clear to me, that in a fantasy world where orcs, goblins, gnomes, elves, dwarves and humans (and their half-offspring) are thought of as commonplace, a more exotic type like a tengu, teifling, or the like is treated. My approach is to assume that the world's inhabitants are generally familiar with all races and do not practice any form of racial discrimination to classes chosen by players to be PCs. I do this because I don't want the game to decend into Drizzt-level racial wangst as much as anything. While RPG's might be an interesting forum for explorations regarding racism (or sexism or the origin of half-orcs or whatever), I really don't want my fantasy to soak in it and I don't want to spend pages of text "working through" various racially-charged scenes to the detrement of the other players' characters. If a player chooses a race with the intention of sparking racial debate wherever they go, the race (or perhaps the player) is probably not going to fit into the kinds of stories I tell. Players like that can hie to Ten-Towns and seek out a certain angst-ridden dark elf ranger that ponders his cruel fate in pages of italicised internal monologue if they wish that sort of drama on a regular basis. I post this only because I want to clarify why the NPCs are reacting (or not reacting) the way they are to the racial mix of the party. It is a whitewashed version of the way a simulationists gaming world would work regarding racial interactions, but it simplifies things. Only under extraordinary circumstances and with the full knowledge of the player(s), would I introduce racial or other prejudicial elements to a fantasy story. None of this - and I want to stress this - has anything to do with the way Longfeather is being played. His post above merely prodded me to comment on something I intended to post earlier but forgot about. As always, your thoughts are welcome.
The terrified goblin looks first to V'Thamuus and then to Longfeather. No no don't kill me! I came 'cause Belig told me to. He says he will be king of Everywhere soon. Lady Wildhurst snorts in disgust and rolls her eyes. You filthy beasts will soon find that my husband will set the north aright. His brother might have been lax toward your kind, gods care for his soul, but my husband will not be so soft. King of Everywhere, hmm! I think not. She smiles at Irra's kind words and motions her inside. It would be my pleasure to show you about, Ms. Shattertongue. Please, come inside
Why I tell you that huh?, says the goblin insolently.
Sorry for the missed post last night. I came in so late from work that I simply went straight to bed and just now had time to post again. Feel free to fetch the caravan and interrogate the goblin captive if you desire. It is clear the Lady will accomodate any basic need you have as well, so ask away! We will move along to the next day as soon as everyone has done whatever they wish.
Lady Wildhurst seems relieved at the prospect of having you stay nearby saying, It would be my pleasure to host you and your companions here on my grounds. You and your friends will be welcome here as long as you desire. Perhaps you could return to the the others and bring them back? I will have my cook prepare something suitable. If I may ask one favor from you though, I would ask that if you travel into the city tomorrow, you send word to my husband, Lord Wildhurst, about the attack. He will want to send some of the guard back here to watch over me and to take care of the ruins of the barn and smokehouse. As for why the goblins attacked, I have no idea. The foul things have been a trouble north of the city for some time, a dreadful trouble really, and this is just another tragedy in a line of tragedies we Wildhursts have suffered. She tries to put a brave face on it, but it is clear she has been under a great strain. With effort, she composes herself and forces a wan smile. But enough of that. You are welcome to all that Wildhurst Hall has to offer for your bravery. But for you, we all would have died. I am sure my husband will reward you as well. Here, take this ring, he will know it as mine, and it will ensure your passage into the city and a swift conveyance to my husband to carry my message. She removes an ornate ring, an emerald tree with an ivory background, and presses it into Darnak's hands. As she does so, he cannot help but feel her trembling with emotion.
V'Thamuus's gyser sends great gouts of steam spirling into the night air but the fire almost immediately flares back to life. The barn and other outbuidlings are a complete loss. The fence near the barn is afire as well, but Darnak manages to separate enough of the good posts and rails from those aflame that most of the fence will remain standing. The guards recover the body of Joquin and gather around Longfeather as he heals everyone nearby. Irra shows up at the edge of the group, dragging an unconscious goblin by one arm. Longfeather's healing burst elicits a groan from the goblin and his eyes flutter open. Bah, what are you saving him for? says the butler. The elegant older woman grasps the butler by the arm to keep him from raising his rusty sabre and steps out among the crowd gathered in front of the door. She seems to have composed herself significantly from when you first saw her frightened face. Martin, take Joquin inside and see that his body is properly tended. Kamos, if you are up to it, I would like you and Gerad to draw what water you can from the well and see to it that the fire does not spread beyond the barn and smokehouse. Wet the ground thoroughly. The butler and the two guards answer with a swift 'Yes, m'lady' and head off to do as they were bid. For a time you are alone with the woman as she gazes out on the fires. I wish to thank you for your bravery here tonight. I am Lady Wildhurst, my husband is Lord Wildhurst, of Gulduria. He just took his office - his brother died - the guards ... many went with him to the city ... he said we would be safe. Her composure leaves her for a moment as she begins to tremble but she soon masters herself. I am sorry, I am rambling and have not shown you proper hospitality. Please, stay her tonight if you wish. We owe you our lives.
Yes he is stable - just out cold for the time being. I will post about it in game thread.
V'Thamuus presses a wad of the critically injured guard's shirt into the cut in the guard's side and places the guard's hands over it so the wound can clot. The guard sighs a bit, nods and smiles wanly back at him. One moment all was well and a fine night too, and the next these little demons were lighting the place afire. Who would have thought they would come this far south? The main door flies open, revealing an aged, portly butler in fine clothes unsteadily weilding a rusty sabre. Behind him is the pale face of a middle-aged but beautiful woman. She has been crying and clutches a kerchief to her mouth. From her attire it is clear she is the lady of the house rather than a servant.
Turad is too fast for the gnome and the warning comes too late - the hapless goblin is skewered completely through before he can check his swing.
The wounded guard joins V'Thamuus and helps his wounded friend to the ground. Hold on, Kamos! The gods will not claim you yet! He turns his attention to the wizard, saying None got passed us, Lady Wildhurst is safe! A sudden realization seems to dawn on the man and he looks wildly beyond the wizard's shoulder to the chaos in the field in front of the manor. What happened to Joquin? Where is he? The timbers in the barn collapse in a spray of sparks and a rattle of heavy logs.
I would mention that I positioned the horse next to a flaming barn so as the heat and sound of the fire would disguise the horse's lack of both. So you did, my bad! If I missed it in your first post, sorry, but if you didn't explicitly say so, please indicate how you are masking/weaving your illusions into the scene in the future so I can properly adjudicate the saves. I'm getting the sense that playing an illusionist in your game is going to be a great deal of fun Good, it should be fun. A couple of other pouints on illusions: Illusions, as powerful as they are, do suffer from a couple of real flaws, both of which relate back to the the whole "6th sense" point above. An illusion looks the way you envision it looking, not the way it should look. So, if you try an illsuion of something you have never seen before and your target has, you are likely to not fool the target much as the thing will look wrong in some strange way, which will generate a Will save under most circumstances. A second, related flaw, is that the illusion is under your control at all times, and therefore you need to ensure that the illusion reacts like it should react when interacted with. If you created an illusion of a clear pool of water but failed to ensure ripples appear on it when struck with a stone, this will also cause suspicion and allow a Will save. Thus, an illusionist needs to carefully craft the sensory aspects of the illusion so that the target perceives what it expects to perceive and the illusionist needs to concentrate on the illusion to ensure it reacts as expected based on the target's actions. The better the illusionist does this and the better her breadth of knowledge and experiences, the more believable the illusions. Eventually, even the most believable illusions will fail under repeated tests or scrutiny because the illusionist will fail to account for some event or action that should have been addressed based on the target's actions. Lastly, Even simple things will cause problems - like losing line of effect, which will cause the spell to fail suddenly. Playing an illusionist is very powerful and interesting, but it is not always easy!
So GM, can I propel my illusion about? At what speed? Of course! Illusions have always been a bit tricky to run both as a player and a DM, but I personally believe they are some of the best spells in the game. As you will be using them a good deal, here are my thoughts on illusions. First, let's look at RAW for silent image: Range long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
This means 2 things: the area your illusion occupies cannot exceed 5 10ft cubes (5000 cubic feet) at your level (yours easily fits within this at 3140 cubic feet) and it has a range of 440ft at your level. This means you can move your illusion in any way you see fit within range. You can make it fly, "teleport" from one place to another, slide like it was on ice, have it morph wings and fly, become a butterfly or whatever strikes your fancy. Furthermore, you can do so at any speed you desire, as the illusion moves at the speed of thought if you wish it to be so. The trick is making it seem believable to the viewer. In a world where magic is commonplace, what is believable is obviously a lot greater than what is believable to you and I, who are stuck here on our boring earth. You therefore have quite a bit of latitude on how you want your illusions to behave and still make them believable. On the flip side, the more knowledgable a creature viewing the illusion and the more unlikely the illusion (for the game world/environment), the less likely a viewer is to believe the illusion. What would an average D&D sailor do if he spots a troupe of purple monkies juggling pinapples and dancing across the waves in unison? Would he immediately assume it is real because it hasn't been "interacted with" or view the entire thing with awe and suspicion that trickery was afoot? Now I know that RAW says "until interacted with", but this is really to keep players from meta-gaming and "rolling to disbelieve" like they did in the AD&D days, not mandate that everything perceived is automatically considered real; after all in a world where magic is common, illusions are certainly a possibility that the (knowledgable or suspicious) viewer will consider! Illusions (well figments at least) fool the senses, that is all they do. Bad ones fool only sight while more sophisticated ones fool other senses. Note however, that no figment is a mind-affecting spell. Thus, beyond just fooling the 5 senses, the skilled illusionist needs to predict what the viewer expects to see and depict that as well as the viewer has not only his senses but his knowledge and experience to draw upon, and that too must be fooled to truely succeed. Thus the illusionist must weave the spell's ability to fool senses in such a way as to fool the mind as well; the magic of the spell is powerless to affect this "6th sense". Illusions that lack effects that affect one or more senses will therefore generate a will save when the viewer interacts with the illusion using one of those unaffected senses. Such an illusion will also generate a will save when the illusion acts in a completely inexplible manner to the viewer as they draw additional scrutiny. The more senses it fools, the better the illusion. Therefore, the best (most believable) illusions reinforce what the viewer expects to see (and hear and smell and feel). As silent image fools only the visual sense, it is best used to depict things that will not receive scrutiny, like a wall in a dungeon or a bush on the plain. These things are expected to be where they are found, not expected to have especially noticable sounds, smell or heat and in general are effectively undetecible without being physically touched by the viewer. However, the viewer of the illusion is also party to the spell. In the case of the goblins (low intelligence, superstitious, uneducated and already distracted by the battle), they are easily fooled and many of them were frightened out of their wits at the appearance of the horse. They did receive saves however, because the horse was not hot and did not make sounds as it galloped about. Their low wisdom score reflects their gullibility, so none of them made thier saving throw. I also threw in a negative modifier because they hate horses and are superstitious enough to believe a "giant flaming horse spirit has come to claim vengence". Note that the high-level illusion spells are exceedingly potent. They fool all senses and are therefore for all intents and purposes real to the viewer. Illusions that provide sight, heat, texture and smell cannot be detected by merely touching them - that is their entire purpose. Instead, the viewer needs to have some reason to believe the illusion is not real - it is out of place, it acts in a way that is not understandable given the viewer's background and intelligence or the like. Basically, the viewer must use his "6th sense" - his knowledge and experience - to find a flaw as all other senses are misleading him at that point. For example, if a high-level illusionist created the illusion of an oasis in the desert, travellers may well drink from the cool waters and eat the fruit there without suspecting a thing, and only when their thirst continued to grow or they remained hungry (sensations not fooled by the illusion) would they get a save to realize the food and water they were handling was not really there.
GM, should we begin posting our actions for round three? Yes, you can now. The 'Begin Round 3' post just went up. Darnak and Longfeather have already acted (Darnak a bit prematurely as I wasn't finished with the guards' actions in Round 2 and Longfeather posted above on what he wanted to do in Round 3. All of these actions have been accounted for on the map. Still needing to post in Round 3: V'Thamuus, Irra, Turad. Once these are done, I will post for the goblin and guards.
Goblins at the Manor Outcome of Previous Actions
Begin Round: 3 Ordered Initiative (post order)
Map and Other Info
Active Spells and Effects
Is my horse actually doing something, or is it just providing a suitably epic backdrop? ... Heh; I don't mean is it stomping heads, I mean is it having any psychological effects on the goblins? Is it encouraging them to flee, is it discouraging them from attacking the houses? Is it worth keeping up?" Well it frightened off 5 or 6 of the goblins but the opthers have been locked in a life or death battle of one kind or another and can't afford to take their eyes off their foes, especially with the horse staying near the barn. You will need to move it around and make it too hard to ignore to the remaining goblins to have much more of an effect - they have to feel their death is imminent from the horse to react to it becuase their deaths are immenent already at the hands of the party and guards.
So yeah, I posted Round 2 on Tuesday, and here it is Friday and we are half-way through the round. I think we need to do something different, beginning with round 3. Please read the Round 3 setup carefully when it goes up, as the post order will change; all party members will be able to post together in any order. In future combats, I will take the party's highest initiative mod and use that (rather than an average as discussed above) to roll against the foes. This allows high initiative builds to get the benifit of their investment. All party members will then be able to post together in any order. This isn't perfect but it will move things along. Any objections?
Darnak's shouts draw two goblins away from the men at arms. Screaming curses against their hated dwarven enemy, they move to attack. One slips away from the guard and manages to gash the monk across the forearm with a dogslicer. The other is unlucky and is cut down by a guard as he attempts to disengage. Meanwhile, Turad runs a goblin through, giving Longfeather a chance to check on the downed guard. Unfortunately, the guard is dead. The remaining goblin near the pair takes a half-hearted cut at Turad and moves away as best as he can, a look of fear in his eyes. At the manor doorstep, the guard on the right suffers another blow and slumps against the wall with a dazed look in his eyes. Irra continues to chant and the flaming horse rampages behind the backs of the goblins locked in battle with the manor guards.
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