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We seemed to have slowed to beyond a crawl, particularly in combat. I'm going to suggest that we give people about two weeks (from today) to think about if they want to recommit to consistent posting. If we don't get affirmatives from 4+ folks I'm going to suggest we go on indefinite hiatus, just to try to avoid different people popping in to post here and there but never really regaining steam.
Amideo is able to land a solid blow against the shield wielder. The man is still standing, but that attack was clearly a substantial portion of his remaining life.
Edit: Apparently I didn't actually get the submission through before:
Phaedra's swing narrowly misses the greatsword wielder who turns to face her and square up.
Amideo charges into the potion wielder, knocking them to the ground and leaving them bleeding out.
The potion-wearing enemy pulls out a scroll and carefully intones some words.
When he does the greatsword user seems like he can see again. Meanwhile the spellcaster begins a loud prayer to Calistria which seems to bolster his allies. Seeing that the rest of you are moving slowly, the greatsword wielder takes the opportunity to slip in close and attempts to sunder Ihon's spell component pouch.
The shield wielder bumbles around for a moment but seems to have restored his sight in preparation for the next action.
The greatsword wielder deftly dodges out of the way of the Grease.
The person with a sword and shield and the person with a greatsword appear to be blinded. The one in robes and the one with the potions and gadgets do not.
The group seems cautious, but convinced to let you try.
The people in front of you shake their heads. We have no need of your magic. What we need, we have. Now if you claim to be our allies, prove it. We understand that you didn't know these folks and wanted to help your fellow man. But now that you know they are drains on the people, kill them and we can move forward as allies. The robed individual adds, Or move along. Otherwise we are enemies.
You don't see any other ambushers currently waiting in the wings. Just the folks in front of you.
Oh, they are the worst sort of bandits, one of the armed folk says. They are stealing from the good people of this land, repressing us. They make their lavish living on the backs of the downtrodden. And we figured that if we strung them up here some of their well paid lapdogs would come find them. So, is that you lapdog?
Amideo, you think that they are likely being openly aggressive and they are clearly hostile to you. By speaking with them you are able to calm them slightly and they are only unfriendly instead. Sazu, these folks are clearly well armed and armored, but their clothing bears no specific symbols of allegiance. However, based on the somewhat odd collection of armor pieces and what you know of the area, it seems like that these people are bandits, rebels, or both.
Andre is able to cut the ropes and with the help of the group, lower the people to the ground. As you all start to remove the rest of the bindings, a group of four people starts to come out of the trees beyond the clearing. What exactly do you think you are doing? The person in the lead, armed with a drawn sword and shield, asks. One of their companions has a greatsword, one is covered in potions and gadgets, and the final appears to be a robed spellcaster of some kind.
Have fun and no problem!
Sazu, your invisibility will only last about another minute by the time you've returned to the group. So far you don't see any obvious ambushes, though it seems likely that someone plans to return to this site.
Sazu, when you move to check out the scene, you find that the area looks like it was slept in within the last day. Given the marks on the ground and the way the two people strung up are tied, it looks like they were dragged here and strung up by someone else. There are no signs of combat here, so it seems likely that whatever fight happened didn't happen at the "camp".
Three of you approach the sound. As it gets closer, it sounds like one or two people struggling and you are able to get close enough to see through the trees. It looks like two people, dressed like merchants or traders, are tied up and hanging bound from tree branches. They are not hung for execution, but they're clearly restrained and struggling. At their feet are the remains of a small fire and four bedrolls. It looks like whoever occupied them isn't around.
Sazu, you hear something very faint off to the side of the road. It seems like it might be coming from a nearby copse of trees, but you can't be sure. Ihon, you hear rather clearly the sounds of struggling and muffled shouting coming from that copse of trees. There is no light that you can see coming from that direction, at least from the road. The trees themselves are about 20ft from the roadside.
When the group starts to move again, you find that, somewhat predictably, traffic thins the further you get from the capital. The road is still well maintained, however, and the trip itself is easy.
Sazu, while you are not accosted, you notice that there is a fair bit more traffic at the darkest point of night than there was in the late evening. Caravans moving at a much more hustled pace move through and a few individual travelers. You don't witness any combat, but it is clear to you that everyone moving at night has somewhere that they want to be and they are very dedicated to getting there quickly. Other than that your watches go without incident.
You start your journey and it seems peaceful and unremarkable. The road is well maintained and there are other travelers, mostly in caravans, that are moving both ways along the road. You are able to travel for an entire day without issue and when the sun begins to set, the roadside is clear enough that you can make camp along it if you like.
Sazu, what you find is that the most common warnings are about Strix. The roads themselves seem to be well-policed, but caravans and merchants traveling near the Strix lands often fall prey to Strix aerial assaults seeking supplies. You get the impression that it might be a good idea to steer clear of there. Andre, you try to ask around, but people seem very reluctant to talk about rebels at all. In fact you are rather loudly rebuffed and told that as loyal citizens of Cheliax they wouldn't know anything about rebels. Amideo, you speak to some of the minor nobles and you are able to find some information. They suggest a few things - first of all, as you might expect, the largest majority of the rebels come from the working class, not the nobility; second - the rebels have a habit of ambushing patrols or other signs of Chelish power that are lead by nobles whenever possible.
I don't mind people retconning recent purchases or making new ones here. Also, just keep in mind, you guys don't have any specific time pressure here so it is up to you to decide how to handle your mission.
There are a few towns that appear to be of similar distance, but the closest is about a seven day ride on horseback. It is a small settlement named Greenfall.
It is up to you to find the leaders. The Governor doesn't exactly have dinner with rebels and ask them their names, the woman responds to Andre as she walks away.
A young woman wearing noble's clothing eventually approaches from deeper within the palace. Good meeting you, she says, interrupting any conversation that is already going on. The Governor would like you to assist in the quelling of...rebellious voices. While it is not expected that you are nearly capable enough to remove all stains of treason from the region, it is hoped that you will find yourselves able to address some of the discontent. She hands whoever is closest a map of the region with a few red marks on it. Those are towns where we suspect rebellious activity. But I am sure that the activity is different wherever you go. You will need to collect more information on your own. With that, unless someone stops her, she turns and leaves, clearly feeling she has more important things to do.
When the group gathers at the appointed time, you are all taken to an older woman who seems rather bored to be meeting you. Nicolas speaks before she does, and seems much more engaged with what is going on. Elia will teleport you to Blackridge. Once there you are to meet with the assistant to the Governor. You will be responsible for your own lodging and I don't know how long it will take you to complete your task, so manage your own time. When you have seen to the Governor's needs, send word back here and I will forward your next assignment. With that, assuming you are all ready, Elia will begin casting teleport. Oh, Nicolas says as she casts, We've recruited a half-orc to join you and he will be waiting for you at your destination. Please bring him up to speed. Once the spell is complete the group finds itself in a large stone waiting chamber in the Governor's Palace in Blackridge. Arrac is waiting there for you and there are plenty of chairs and small tables to wait at while you await the arrival of the Governor's assistant.
Sorry for the delay, been under the weather the last few days. Welcome to the party and I'm glad you are geared up! Folks are welcome to post in the gameplay thread once they are ready to go to the meetup for transport and we will take it from there.
Okay, after some deliberation, we'd like to invite Arrac, the half-orc Slayer (played by Rorek55) to join our game! Please check in on our discussion thread here. Thanks to all of the other applicants and it was a tough choice!
Getting some feedback from my players but should be able to post a decision tomorrow! Thanks for all of the great submissions.
A question. Are you ok with weapon modifications from Adventurer's Armory 2? Sure, seems fine to me.
If there are things you want to do in the meantime, that's fine. You can even travel after the three days if you want. The new PC will join you on one end of the trip either way and you won't be getting into combats before then so while I'm open to posting if people want, I'm also fine with people pausing until then.
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