Blue Dragon

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You approach the facade of Harrowstone; as you pass by the brick manor, you can see that age has not treated this old ruin well. Moss is creeping up the foundation of the now-abandoned house, and ivy vines stretch across the withered grass over to the great prison ruins...

I apologise for my lack of posting. If it is okay with you I will refrain from constantly updating maps and the like as it is a great source of stress and irritation.


I wish to apologise for my lacklustre participation the last two weeks - which does not help since I'm supposed to be the DM.

I am physically not doing very well and am perpetually exhausted. I am mentally stressed. I don't know when this will subside. I want to be more active but I have a lot of commitments IRL as well: studies, pets, ect. .

Having said that, I will try to participate more. You deserve that.

@Aerys: Yes, Harrowstone is enormous. The Carrion Crown book has dedicated 27 pages to the place.


The gate slowly creeks open, trembling every step of the way as if prepared to crash and shatter. Several old stone towers, their wooden roofs collapsed and crumbling walls thick with ivy, extends a further ten feet above the twenty-foot-high partially crumbled walls that surround Harrowstone. A small brick manor house can be seen up ahead, overgrown with thick sheets of gray-green ivy. The roof sags ominously, and the front door hangs askew.

A two-storey stone building looms in the centre of the prison grounds. Ivy and moss cling tenaciously to the walls, while above the wooden shingles of the roof are often missing entirely, exposing the wooden rafters of the upper structure to the sky. Here and there, leering stone gargoyles perch on the eaves, once functioning as drainspouts and decorations but now seeming almost to serve a more ominous role of sentinels. Many of these stone decorations have crumbled away and lie in ruined piles on the soggy ground below. Windows in the building’s facade are narrow and blocked by grills of rusty iron bars. Stone columns support a slumping wooden balcony over the building’s wooden front doors, both of which hang askew and reveal dark glimpses of chambers within.

As you pass through the gates, Torsten is shaking...

Torsten:

Will save: 1d20 ⇒ 1
2d4 ⇒ (4, 4) = 8
As you walk through the gates of Harrowstone, you are overwhelmed by a sudden rush of claustrophobia, and for a split second, it feels as though your skin is afire...

You are Shaken for 8 rounds.


Day 3 - 21:00

You spend time preparing for tomorrow's early expedition into the ruins of Harrowstone...

I assume you leave early to avoid the attention of Ravengro.

Day 4 - 6:00

The morning twilight is eerie and heavy as you head out of the Lorrimor Manse. The town is quiet and the roads are empty - Ravengro is still fast asleep. The cover of darkness hides you as you pass by the homes and houses that are nestled on the road up to the great ruined prison.

You arrive at Harrowstone. A sagging wood and metal gate set between a pair of stone guard towers once barred entrance, but the gates now hang negligently open, creaking softly in what wind touches the ruined bars...

Harrowstone Grounds.

Your location.

Yes, Harrowstone is enormous. I know there is no visible grid right now, though for any combat I will make sure there is one. Each square is 10 feet rather than 5. You do not have to declare which square you are walking to, though general location is useful.


Tell me when you wish to carry on.

Am I mistaken or do you wish to go to Harrowstone on the morrow?


I'd prefer if you stick to Pathfinder spells, please.


Despite my real life circumstances, I will return to this campaign come today. Tomorrow and Saturday will be very busy days, however, so be warned.

Venedictos, Valerya and Torsten, you have attained your second level.


Valerya

The door isn't locked. Inside Kendra's room you find that she is sleeping, her soft breaths almost peaceful. In the soft light of the lantern in the hallway, you can see the stain of tears on her face.


Day 3 - 11:00

As Viktor, Aerys and Venedictos set to researching today, Torsten tends to the house and Valerya works on her contraptions. The day goes by without any incident, though the events of last night casts a heavy shadow over the atmosphere...

Day 3 - 20:00

After nine gruelling hours, Aerys, Venedictos and Viktor finally emerge from their research with tired minds. Kendra has not left her room all day, and Torsten has prepared tonight's supper. The research has been fruitful...

Harrowstone:

Harrowstone is a ruined prison — partially destroyed by a fire in 4661, the building has stood vacant ever since. The locals suspect that it’s haunted, and don’t enjoy speaking of the place.

Harrowstone was built in 4594. Ravengro was founded at the same time as a place where guards and their families could live and that would produce food and other supplies used by the prison. The fire that killed all of the prisoners and most of the guards destroyed a large portion of the prison’s underground eastern wing, but left most of the stone structure above relatively intact. The prison’s warden perished in the fire, along with his wife, although no one knows why she was in the prison when the fire occurred. A statue commemorating the warden and the guards who lost their lives was built in the months after the tragedy — that statue still stands on the riverbank just outside of town.

Most of the hardened criminals sent to Harrowstone spent only a few months imprisoned, for it was here that most of Ustalav’s executions during that era were carried out. The fire that caused the tragedy was, in fact, a blessing in disguise, for the prisoners had rioted and gained control of the prison’s dungeons immediately prior to the conflagration. It was only through the self-sacrifice of Warden Hawkran and 23 of his guards that the prisoners were prevented from escaping — the guards gave their lives to save the town of Ravengro.

At the time Harrowstone burned, five particularly notorious criminals had recently arrived at the prison. While the commonly held belief is that the tragic fire began accidentally after the riot began, in fact the prisoners had already seized control of the dungeon and had been in command of the lower level for several hours before the fire. Warden Hawkran triggered a deadfall to seal the rioting prisoners in the lower level, but in so doing trapped himself and nearly two dozen guards. The prisoners were in the process of escaping when the panicked guards accidentally started the fire in a desperate attempt to end the riot.

The Whispering Way:

The Whispering Way is a sinister organization of necromancers that has been active in the Inner Sea region for thousands of years.

Agents of the Whispering Way often seek alliances with undead creatures, or are themselves undead. The Whispering Way’s most notorious member was Tar-Baphon, the Whispering Tyrant, although the society itself has existed much longer than even that mighty necromancer.

The Whispering Way itself is a series of philosophies that can only be transferred via whispers — the philosophies are never written or spoken of loudly, making the exact goals and nature of the secretive philosophy difficult for outsiders to learn much about.

Exact details on the society are difficult to discern, but chief among the Whispering Way’s goals are discovering formulae for creating liches and engineering the release of the Whispering Tyrant. Agents often travel to remote sites or areas plagued by notorious haunts or undead menaces to perform field research or even to capture unique monsters. Their symbol is a gagged skull, and those who learn too many of the Way’s secrets are often murdered, and their mouths mutilated to prevent their bodies from divulging secrets via speak with dead.

The Five Prisoners:

Originally, Harrowstone housed only local criminals, but as the prison’s fame spread, other counties and distant lands began paying to have more dangerous criminals housed within this prison’s walls. At the time of the great Harrowstone Fire, the number of particularly violent or dangerous criminals imprisoned within the dungeons below was at an all-time high.

The five most notorious prisoners in Harrowstone at the time of the great fire were Father Charlatan, the Lopper, the Mosswater Marauder, the Piper of Illmarsh, and the Splatter Man.

Father Charlatan, Sefick Corvin
Of the five notorious prisoners, only Father Charlatan was not technically a murderer, yet his crimes were so blasphemous that several churches demanded he be punished to the full extent of Ustalavic law. Although he claimed to be an ordained priest of any number of faiths, Father Corvin was in fact a traveling con artist who used faith as a mask and a means to bilk the faithful out of money in payment for false miracles or cures. He became known as Father Charlatan after his scheme was exposed and his Sczarni accomplices murdered a half-dozen city guards in an attempt to make good the group’s escape.

The Lopper, Vance Saetressle
When the Lopper stalked prey, he would hide in the most unlikely of places, sometimes for days upon end with only a few supplies to keep him going while he waited for the exact right moment to strike. Once his target was alone, the Lopper would emerge to savagely behead his victim with a handaxe.

The Mosswater Marauder, Ispin Onyxcudgel
Only 5 years before his hometown of Mosswater was destined to be overrun and ruined by monsters from the nearby river, Ispin Onyxcudgel was a well-liked artisan and a doting husband. When he discovered his wife’s infidelity, he flew into a jealous rage and struck her dead with his hammer, shattering her skull and his sanity with one murderous blow. Wracked with shame and guilt, Ispin became convinced that if he could rebuild his wife’s skull she would come back to life — but unfortunately, he could not find the last blade-shaped fragment from the murdersite. So instead, Ispin became the Mosswater Marauder. Over the course of several weeks, the cunning dwarf stalked and murdered nearly 20 people while searching for just the right skull fragment. He was captured just before murdering the daughter of a visiting nobleman from Varno, and was carted off to Harrowstone that same night.

The Piper of Illmarsh, real name unknown
Before he snatched his victims, the Piper taunted his targets with a mournful dirge on his flute. He preferred to paralyze lone victims by dosing their meals with lich dust and then allowed his pet stirges to drink the victims dry of blood.

The Splatter Man, Hean Feramin
Professor Feramin was a celebrated scholar of Anthroponomastics (the study of personal names and their origins) at the Quartrefaux Archives in Caliphas. Yet an accidental association with a succubus twisted and warped his study, turning it into an obsession. Feramin became obsessed with the power of a name and how he could use it to terrify and control. Soon enough, his reputation was ruined, he’d lost his tenure, and he’d developed an uncontrollable obsession with an imaginary link between a person’s name and what happens to that name when the person dies. Every few days, he would secretly arrange for his victim to find a letter from her name written in blood, perhaps smeared on a wall or spelled out with carefully arranged entrails. Once he had spelled his victim’s name, he would at last come for her, killing her in a gory mess using a complex trap or series of rigged events meant to look like an accident.

You have successfully researched all three topics to completion. Claim your final step, for you have advanced to level 2.


My apologies, Venedictos. I had some of my games collapse because of slow pace and lack of interest, so I am probably acting too cautiously. I will try to relax. Thank you.


Building on my previous post, I am rather incapacitated.

Could you confirm to me what your in-game actions for today will be? So far, I have the impression of:

Viktor: Research.
Venedictos: Research.
Aerys: Research.
Torsten: Tend to the house and Kendra.
Valerya: ???

If you could confirm this for me I will progress the day when I find time.

Once again, I'm sorry.


I apologise for my lack of posts lately. I'm overburdened with real life currently, am will be very stressed until next Saturday. I won't be able to drive the plot forward on my own accord as a consequence - while I will do my best to react to your actions, I ask that you try to drive the in-character days forward with character interaction.

I apologise for the inconvenience.


Viktor's spell aids in the removal of the smell, and within minutes the hallway looks as it did before the grim visit of last night. Before long Venedictos's brew is giving the rest of the home a nice, fragrant scent.

Aerys and Viktor return to the books. The atmosphere of the library is renewed with your determination...


Day 3 - 02:00

It is a grisly couple of hours as you take the remains of Petros Lorrimor out into the garden and bury him once more. There is no-one else out in the streets of Ravengro as the fog sets in. The moonlight vanishes behind dark clouds as you finish, as if to acknowledge the burial, and it is late in the night when you finally go to rest. . .

You have completed 15 of the necessary 40 hours of research to unlock the rest of the information...

Day 3 - 10:00

It is a drawn-out morning. The drizzle of rain is rattling against the roof, and the atmosphere in the house is heavy and oppressive. The smell of rotten flesh is distinct and nauseating down in the entry-way. Kendra is staying in her room...


If you want to continue Taking 20 to finish up research, you won't be done until 8 in the morning, and will also suffer from sleeplessness.


RE Channel: Truth be told, I feel I have to agree with Zyren and Torsten - both on account of RAW/RAI and balance.


Kendra latches onto Torsten when he aids her to her feet, her face buried into his chest. She is trembling and doesn't resist at all when Torsten begins to lead her up to her room. You can hear her stutter: "P...please... please bury him..."

The sobbing grows distant and eventually vanishes as Torsten has closed the door to her room.


The corpse of Professor Lorrimor staggers with both Venedictos and Aerys's spells, more flesh rotting off of him in an instant. Valerya's crossbow bolt flies through the back of his neck. Chunks and bits of his dead flesh sprays across the floor. Viktor's electrified dagger cuts through the dead flesh, the stench overwhelming...

Professor Lorrimor is once again put to rest...

Combat over.


Well, RAW and RAI I would say that you have to choose whether or not it heals the living or hurts the dead. I haven't really read the debate, though, so I don't know if this is for better or worse. If you have a link to a good discussion about it I might house-rule it once I know a little more about pros and cons of doing so.


Depending on circumstances, I either use MapTools or Photoshop for maps. The former is specifically designed for making maps. The map for the current fight is made with Maptools.


Will save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

Even in death, Petros Lorrimor is of strong will, only barely affected by Venedictos' haunting requiem. He emits a painful moan as Aerys's spell burns away the remnants of his dangling hand. As Viktor and Valerya both approach the scene, Professor Lorrimor groans and sets into a rush. He smashes his heavy, rotting arm into Venedictos, trying to silence the song...

Attack roll against Venedictos: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
Damage to Venedictos: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Round 2
Aerys (unresolved)
Torsten (unresolved)
Valerya (unresolved)
Venedictos (unresolved)
Viktor (unresolved)

Venedictos, you suffer 9 points of damage.

Updated Battle Map


Torsten drags Kendra away as the soft sound of rain starts to wash over the village of Ravengro. There is a soft groan from the man, whose features are visible for only a second as he enters the dark hallway, but that momentary glimpse is enough. His features have scarcely begun to rot, yet one eye is infested with maggots; one of his hands is almost falling off, only attached to some pieces of skin and sinew, there's a noticeable limp. With all the decay of death, Petros Lorrimor has returned home...

Battle Map

Initiative Order
1. You
2. Petros Lorrimor

Round 1
Aerys (unresolved)
Torsten (resolved)
Valerya (unresolved)
Venedictos (unresolved)
Viktor (unresolved)

Valerya and Viktor, you need to spend one round to get to the scene.


Torsten

Torsten rushes down the stairs; the scream has long since ended, though you can hear the wailing and sobbing of Kendra down on the first floor. The flight of stairs feels endless, your feet threatening to collapse. When you reach the end of the stairs, a snuffed candle rolls up to your feet. Kendra's sitting prone on the floor, trying to crawl away from whoever has just entered the house - you cannot quite tell who...

Aerys

Aerys tries to navigate his way through the endless shelves, yet for every right turn you stumble into one wrong, as the home feels darker than before. You can hear Kendra's sobs as you finally find the right way - Torsten is at the doorstep, and you can hear Kendra sniffling.[/i] [b]"Why... who would do this..."

"Father..."


Day 3 - 0:00 AM

Aerys, Venedictos & Viktor

You search through every nook and cranny of the Professor's vast library; the sections in which he has divided his tomes at first appears to be done so in an obscure and unusual way. In two long, headache-inducing hours, you have found several books that all seem to pertain the topics at hand: Harrowstone, The Whispering Way and the five prisoners.

The lanterns are dying down. After two more hours of going through the tomes, scribbling down notes, discarding the unnecessary books, trying to do more than skim through the notes, the effects of the hour slowly creep up to you. Then you hear a knock...

"It's midnight," you can hear Kendra's voice from the entrance of the library. "Maybe you should get some rest? Don't worry about me, I just needed to quench my thirst, I will return to my bed immediately."

You can hear Kendra's footsteps fade away. Within a minute, you hear another knock. A heavier one. You get the impression the wall shook. And then another one. Even louder. And another one. Again. Again.

"Who could it be at this hour?" Kendra calls out from the hallway. You don't know how, but you can hear the lock to the front door open, the way it creaks open... and then all you hear is Kendra Lorrimor's scream.

Torsten & Valerya
You both jolt up from your bed as Kendra's scream resonates through the house.


I apologise for my lack of replies this evening - and I apologise once more for not advancing tonight. I just came home from a night of board games, and I am horrendously tired. I also have a stinging headache. I will advance tomorrow.


Updated the profile to include "quests", as it were.


Day 2 - 6:40 PM

Kendra nods and smiles apologetically. She leans on Torsten as she is helped up, and does not protest when the giant of a man brings her upstairs.

Day 2 - 7:30 PM

Cleaning up after dinner is a considerable effort; Kendra pulls all the stops when she cooks. Within the hour, every dish has been cleaned, every kettle has been emptied and washed. All that remains of the evening is to enjoy it.

If you wish to begin your research, act it out here or inform me in the OOC thread. It's a Take 20 effort. If you wish to spend the evening in some other way, feel free to do so as well, of course.


Let me post the actual description text for both the Haunt Siphon and Spirit Planchette. I should have done this earlier. I forgot, and for that I apologise.

Haunt Siphon:

Aura faint necromancy; CL 3rd
Slot none; Price 400 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Description
These glass vials are held within stylized cold-iron casings etched with strange runes, necromantic designs, or other eldritch markings. Within the vial roils a small wisp of white vapor, churning as if caught in a miniature vortex of air.

To capture a haunt’s energies within a haunt siphon, you need only twist the metal casing to open the vial in the same round that the haunt manifests (a standard action) — this can be before or after the haunt has acted. You must be within the haunt’s area of influence to use a haunt siphon. When you activate a haunt siphon, it deals 3d6 points of positive energy damage to a single haunt. If it deals enough damage to the haunt to reduce the haunt’s hit points to 0, the mist inside the haunt siphon glows green—if it does not reduce the haunt to 0 hit points, the haunt siphon is still expended and becomes nonmagical. It may take multiple haunt siphons to destroy powerful haunts. A haunt that is neutralized by a haunt siphon takes a –5 penalty on its caster level check to manifest again after its reset time passes. A haunt siphon that neutralizes a haunt can no longer be used to harm haunts, but it can be used as a grenadelike splash weapon that deals 1d6 points of negative energy damage with a direct hit. Every creature within 5 feet of the point where the haunt siphon hits takes 1 point of negative energy damage from the splash.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, cure moderate wounds, gentle repose; Cost 200 gp

Spirit Planchette:

Aura moderate divination; CL 9th
Slot none; Price 4,000 gp (brass planchette),
10,000 gp (cold iron planchette), 18,000 gp
(silver planchette); Weight 5 lbs.
Description
A spirit planchette is typically found in a wooden case along with a thin wooden board printed with numerous letters and numbers. Nonmagical versions of these divination tools can be purchased in curiosity shops (typically costing 25 gp); while these items can be used as alternative components for augury spells, only magical spirit planchettes allow users to communicate with the other side. Three types of spirit planchettes exist—brass, cold iron, and silver. Each in turn allows an increasingly potent form of divination effect to be utilized. A spirit planchette requires a board to move upon, but this “board” can be made up of letters scribed upon any smooth surface—it need not be a prepared board for a spirit planchette to work.

To use a spirit planchette, you must rest your fingers lightly upon the planchette’s surface and then concentrate on the planchette (as if maintaining a spell with a duration of concentration) for 2d6 rounds while the planchette attunes itself to the ambient spirits of the area. After this time, the planchette begins to slowly slide in random patterns across the board - at this point, questions may be asked of the spirits by any of the individuals involved in the séance. The consequences of each question asked of the spirits depends upon what type of planchette is used for the divination, as summarized on the table below. The spirits reply in a language understood by the character who asked the question, but resent such contact and give only brief answers to the questions. All questions are answered with “yes,” “no,” or “maybe,” or by spelling out a single word from the letters arranged on the board. The spirits answer each question either in the same round the question is asked (in the case of a yes, no, or maybe answer) or at a rate of one letter per round (in the case of a single word being spelled out). A spirit planchette may be used once per day—the maximum number of questions you can ask with it depends on the type of planchette being used (as detailed on the table below). Communication with spirits can be a dangerous task, for many spirits are jealous or hateful of the living. Every time a spirit planchette is used, the user must succeed on a Will save to avoid being temporarily possessed and harmed by the angry spirits. In some areas where the spirits are particularly violent or hateful (such as in Harrowstone), this Will save takes a –2 penalty. The DC of this save depends on the type of spirit planchette being used. Anyone who fails the Will save becomes confused for a number of rounds (depending on the type of planchette being used), and no answer is received. The spirits in the area are not omniscient — the GM should decide whether or not the spirits would actually know the answer to the question asked, and if they do not, the answer granted is automatically “maybe.” If the GM determines that the spirits are knowledgeable about the answer, roll d% to determine whether the spirits speak truthfully or whether they lie.

Spirit Planchettes
Planchette Type | Questions per Use | Will save DC | Confusion Duration | True Answer | Lie

Brass | 1 | 11 | 1 round | 01–60 | 61–100
Cold Iron | 3 | 15 | 2 rounds | 01–75 | 76–100
Silver | 5 | 19 | 3 rounds | 01–90 | 91–100

Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, contact other plane, speak with dead; Cost 2,000 gp (brass spirit planchette), 5,000 gp (cold iron spirit planchette), 9,000 gp (silver spirit planchette)


Do you want to end the day or are you going to start your research tonight?


Venedictos:

The soft breathing, the warmth of her skin suggests a mild fever and headache. It seems to be the product of a long day. Fortunately, cold water, and lots of it, helps.

Aerys:

The book does not emanate magic.

Kendra is slightly overwhelmed, but her expression emanates gratitude. "It...I'm okay, Venedictos, it's a headache. I fear I must have exhausted myself earlier today. But thank you."


Viktor:

You haven't a clue what language this is...

Kendra rises slightly from her chair to get a glimpse of the first page. She narrows her eyes and lets out a soft murmur. "That is ...ancient Osiriani scripture..."

She doesn't wait for a reply as she rises from her chair, wiping away the remnants of the meal off her chin and lips. Gently she turns to the front page. "This is...hmm... 'The Recordings of the Rise of the Tyrant'..."

She turns a couple of pages, muttering under her breath in some tongue that sounds strangely familiar - the writing makes little to no sense. "It's... this tome is ... it's a journal about... the fall of Ustalav by the hand of Tar-Baphon...a compilation... this tome is ancient, it's..."

She brings a hand to her forehead, staggering slightly. Her breath is growing slightly faster. "Ah... I guess I must be more tired than I thought... I'm sorry, my head... I have a bit of a headache, I must confiess..."


Kendra listens, her eyes lowered in thought. "There are woods next to the monument. I don't know how well your eyes would work in the dead of night, but ... you should be able to keep an eye on the monument without being seen."


Valerya

The red tome contains several scriptures in a language you are unable to decipher.

Aerys & Viktor

You both find a section of the library that look promising for a future research session...

Dinner scene

"Well?" Kendra asks, almost nervously as she reaches for a slice of pork. "What... do you think...?"


With Gen Con over, I will from here-on and out reinforce the 1/day post requirement. If you know you cannot post, give me a heads-up here.

I also double-checked and don't believe I posted my email in this thread. If you ever need to get a hold of me for whatever reason, questions, concerns, my email is:

E-mail:

likegreyskies at gmail dot com


Torsten & Venedictos

Kendra smiles as Venedictos enters, and even brighter with Torsten there too. When the Ulfen mangles the onion, she covers her mouth with wide eyes and a nervous laugh. She then gives the man a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Venedictos, could you be so kind as to peel the potatoes? About twenty-five of them should suffice... Torsten, could you prepare the kettle? The big one in the larder, it needs to be filled with water and the fireplace needs to be heated..."

Day 2 - 6:30 PM

Aerys, Valerya & Viktor, if you decide to search while the others are cooking dinner, do the relevant rolls and I'll tell you the results in a ret-con.

Tonight's dinner is extravagant: two dozen potatoes to accompany both boiled fish and roasted pork, a thick creamy buttersauce, cowberry jam, roast mushrooms and mushroom stew. You all settle down to dine...


It would be a perception check with an insane DC to single out books - or a knowledge (arcane), knowledge (religion), knowledge (history) and/or knowledge (local) with a slightly lower DC to find what appears to be a section of the library that contains the topic you're looking for. Cannot be an untrained check. Success would give you a circumstance modifier on tomorrow's researching check.


"Please don't get lost between all the books," Kendra calls out to you from the kitchen. "If any of you aren't going to look with them, could you possibly help me with dinner?"


The sound of chopping can be heard when Venedictos sings the song. She returns before he finishes, listening to his beautiful voice, clad in an apron. "I've heard the song before, yes. I don't know where it originates from. It's rather eerie..."

She turns to Aerys. "I'm not certain. My father has so many books, it would take a while to look through them all. I wouldn't be surprised if he did..."

With a smile she returns to the kitchen, and the chopping resumes.


Also, the night will have events and the likes (OMFG SPOILER) so do focus on the current eve and not tomorrow's activities in-character.


Average +1, so yes. 5 + FC, if you put it in HP.


Heh. Well, what may or may not happen later today (in-character) may or may not require me to spoiler everything for each individual player...

Having said that, I will reveal that you can research everything in the Lorrimor manse (with a lower bonus, might I add), and that, if you spend 8 hours (together) in a co-operative take 20, you would uncover everything else that needs to be researched. Of course, that leaves an entire day with nothing but research - and who knows, opportunities may be a'knockin' in Ravengro too.

Also, completely random d4 dice roll coming up.

1d4 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3


Day 2 - 5:30 PM

Aerys & Viktor

It is with great passion that Kendra reads through book after book, scribbling down notes with great fervour. You both have difficulties navigating through the library at first, but you manage to help her well enough with fetching books and helping take notes. After four long hours, the mental toll is heavy on all three of you. Kendra wipes a droplet of sweat off her brow as she skims through the seven pages of notes.

"Whew! I...I may have gone too far", she giggles, rising from her seat. She sways for a second, as she drops down to the chair again. "Ah, I should have stretched my legs... time goes by so quickly when you're having fun, doesn't it?"

There's a different side to Kendra when you leave the Unfurling Scroll. She is all smiles as you return to the mansion.

Everyone

"We're back," Kendra announces cheerfully as she, Aerys and Viktor trods through the front door. "Goodness, I feel so alive! And hungry... I'll start cooking some dinner, I hope you are hungry too."

"Aerys, Viktor, could you go over the result of our research with the others?"

She gives both of you a kiss on the cheek, from nowhere, before she vanishes to cook dinner.

Kendra's Notes:

The notes are more elaborate than this, but here is the fruit of Kendra's research:
Harrowstone
At the time Harrowstone burned, five particularly notorious criminals had recently arrived at the prison. While the commonly held belief is that the tragic fire began accidentally after the riot began, in fact the prisoners had already seized control of the dungeon and had been in command of the lower level for several hours before the fire. Warden Hawkran triggered a deadfall to seal the rioting prisoners in the lower level, but in so doing trapped himself and nearly two dozen guards. The prisoners were in the process of escaping when the panicked guards accidentally started the fire in a desperate attempt to end the riot.

The Five Prisoners (UNLOCKED)
Originally, Harrowstone housed only local criminals, but as the prison’s fame spread, other counties and distant lands began paying to have more dangerous criminals housed within this prison’s walls. At the time of the great Harrowstone Fire, the number of particularly violent or dangerous criminals imprisoned within the dungeons below was at an all-time high.

The five most notorious prisoners in Harrowstone at the time of the great fire were Father Charlatan, the Lopper, the Mosswater Marauder, the Piper of Illmarsh, and the Splatter Man.

The profile has now been updated to reflect everything you know, and don't know.

You have gained a new step! Please post your progression in the OOC thread.


Asocial or antisocial? The latter's what psychopaths are. (extreme layman's terms)

I'll advance the plot now. Can't have it stall this way.


Day 2 - 3:00 PM

Valerya

The memories of the Ravengro you knew several years ago have not been tarnished. At the Laughing Demon, you are welcomed by Zokar, who offers you a drink (on the house!). Jominda, one of Professor Lorrimor's old friends gives you an almost motherly embrace when she spots you outside her shop. Gruff and morose Jorfa, the blacksmith in Ravengro, gives you an acknowledging nod when you pass by the forge. For all the hostility the town has offered, Ravengro seems to welcome your presence...


Thank you for the kind words. Admittedly, what I'm about to study is not within my interests at all (managerial economics), but it is undoubtedly practical - and the only available course where I live. I can't sit at home doing nothing for another year.

Valerya, unless you had a specific purpose in mind with wandering around town, I'll simply advance the hour. Aerys and Viktor, you're still stuck for another 3 hours, I'm afraid.


I feel as though I should explain a little more about myself: why I'm running so many campaigns, how I find time, why my posting schedule can be a little sporadic, ect.

I'm unemployed. I'm diagnosed with BPD, a diagnosis I first got this spring. I've struggled psychologically with angst, existentialism, mood swings, confidence, emotional instability, compulsions, obsessions, social phobia, agoraphobia, trust, self-harm and suicidal thoughts for most of my childhood and adolescence, which caused me to drop out of high school, to be institutionalised in a mental hospital, ect.

I'm currently 22 and coping with life a lot better than I thought I ever would - though there are mornings when I wake up and I can't draw motivation to do much, and sometimes there are periods of time where I'm essentially catatonic and unable to do much with any enthuse. I recently had such a period.

Having said that, I ask that we don't put too much focus on my mental health, or that you don't worry too much. I'm getting somewhere in life and am for the most part content and happy. Still, I am in charge of this game, and the more you know and understand about my sometimes sporadic nature, the better we can communicate.

As mentioned, I also struggle with agoraphobia - something I combat as often as I can. I often get invited for board games or roleplaying games at a friend's place, usually spontaneously - and because it is usually in my best self-interest to get out of my apartment and socialise, I often do so. This is part of why I sometimes may vanish for several hours during hours I usually post.

In two-and-a-half weeks, my studies begin. I will be attending university. Depending on how rough the courses are, and how often I have class, this may affect the campaigns - but I will still try my best to post daily.

Having come to the Paizo forums and taken on the task of being a DM has done me wonders. It makes me content, it gives me purpose, and most of all, it keeps me busy. I am stressed - the positive kind of stress. I feel grateful too, for having found such great people and players to write and tell a story with. So I wish to thank you all.

I apologise if me divulging this makes you feel uncomfortable.


Valerya & Venedictos

The girls look at each other and mumble quietly - then one of them speaks up. "We don't know, mister. It's been sung in Ravengro since forever!"


Day 2 - 2:40 PM

Valerya & Venedictos

The girls skip to your second song merrily, clearly enjoying your performance. They're quite adept at matching the rhythm of your tongue, and by the end they are still bouncing on their toes. When the question is asked, they all nod and start reciting in chorus. "Of course, mister!"

Put her body on the bed.
Take a knife and lop her head.

Watch the blood come out the pipe.
Feeds the stirge, so nice and ripe.

Drops of red so sparkly bright.
Splatters spell her name just right.

With a hammer killed his wife.
Now he wants to claim your life.

Tricksy father tells a lie.
Listen close or you will die.


Valerys & Venedictos

As you step over the ropes and start jumping, the girls glare incredulously at you - yet when you begin to sing, they start to laugh. Not in a cruel way, but with cheer and joy. They try to skip the rope for you, though its length is too short. After accidentally whipping you in the face twice, they scoot off to the side, allowing you to focus on singing. They skip ropes in rhythm of your song.


I might usher you and Viktor out so you can roleplay, otherwise you're stuck for 4 hours in-character, heh.

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