”Close the windows. A draft might interfere with our lesson.” The young woman does as she’s bid, taking a moment to let the cool breeze of night brush the tresses from her face, before securing the window’s latch. The room slowly intensifies with the smell of the champa burning.
Approaching the table, she watches her Baba begin mixing the gold foil cards, face down. ”Imagine yourself as the village matchmaker. Never forceful, you bring all hands to touch the others,” the elderly woman drifts one card over another. ” Gentle caresses, meant to test connections. The Deck will feel your intentions, and It will respond. Your job is to listen.”
Another tress falls, but the young woman is too interested in the lesson at hand to tuck it back. For the briefest of moments, she swears she sees the cards… sigh. The candles in the room flicker, though the room is windless. ”There. Did you feel that? When it is you touching the cards, it will be more pronounced. As if your hand touched the breast of a lover. A heartbeat, a breath, a shudder, or even goosebumps. The Deck will let you know when to reveal its message.” The young lady blushes, but says nothing. She has yet to confess her secret love, but Baba always seems to know before she ever speaks a word.
The greyhair takes a deep breath, then extracts three cards, before gently bringing the rest of the cards to a stack, set to the side. ”Past, Present, and Future. The simplest of readings, but oftentimes the most powerful. From left to right, what was, what is, and what shall come to pass.”
The first card is revealed. ”The Fiend. Its appetite is insatiable. It consumes until there is nothing left. This represents death from a disaster of some kind, with the loss of many lives.” The old woman frowns. ”I… I’m not…” She stops speaking, reaching for the second card more quickly, as if seeking understanding.
”The Dance. Interesting. This represents intricacy, coordination, and the agility required to complete a series of steps in a complicated pattern, or perhaps a treacherous one. One misstep, and the entire performance collapses, like falling from a high wire.” The young woman leans in more closely, looking at the last card yet to be read. Both women look at each other for a pregnant pause.
Baba hesitates, slowly reaching for the Future, slowly turning the last card face up. A candle blows out, and both women gasp, the young woman grasping for her Baba’s hands. ”I know what that card means, Baba, but it can be interpreted more than one way, can it not? Please. I don’t think I’m ready for this, this knowledge.”
Baba takes her granddaughter’s hand in both of hers. ”Do not look away. Do not close your eyes. There are those of us who are granted great power by the Great Wheel, and we must not shy from the duty it imparts.” The old hands hold up the young hand. ”You only have two, my dear cinamome. But you are not alone. Never forget that. Even in the darkest times, you will not suffer alone.”
::::::::::::
The rain falls soft and steady on the eaves of the Lorrimor Place. Location N on the Ravengro Map. For the unrelentingly nature of the downpour, your travels to the little town of Ravengro were well and truly doused. It did mean that your individual arrivals were more or less private, as very few citizens were about the roads. The small town must be host to no more than three hundred souls, if that. Farm lands, a very dense Town Square, and a few bridges to traverse the local river might sum up the entirety of your observations entering Ravengro under the grey cloak of rain.
Now, you find yourselves damp and deposited in the living room, replete with roaring fireplace and firewood. Kendra Lorrimor greeted each of you with red-stained eyes, and bade you come in from the rain, at least until the time for the funeral arrives.
The noise of clinking cups reaches you from the kitchen, a promise of something warm to fill your bellies before the collective march to the Restlands, where the late Professor Petros Lorrimor is to be interred.
The time is eight in the morning. The day is Moonday, the 6th of Erastus, the year 4720.
Welcome to Ravengro.
Roll20 Map has been updated. Please feel free to get acquainted with one another. Kettle is almost at full boil.
This is our tangent thread, where we come to discuss matters, Out-Of-Character. No need for blue words(literally). Also, when leveling characters, we'll use this thread to post the adjusted stats.
This thread is a great place to let the group know about absences, to discuss my inevitable combat malfunctions, or to share a life's experience, since we'll be traveling together for the next handful of years!
It's been my experience that the OOC thread gets a lot of the 'grind' work done, including treasure allocation, crafting, and the like.
Our timeline should give us some latitude for a July start.
Lazare helps himself to the food cart, as well as a half-cup of kahve. He wolfs down several chunks of bread, sipping the brew to facilitate mastication. He turns to Tynan, and nods.
"Thank you for gathering our friends here." Lazare straightens the tuck of his shirt, and tightens his belt before turning to the group.
"I wouldn't have asked you here so early, but I need your assistance. The daughter of a friend of mine has gone missing this morning, and there will be no consoling her until the two are reunited. Meghan is barely thirteen, and quite responsible for her age, so it was quite a shock to learn that she abandoned her bed during the night." Lazare pauses, finishing off a croissant with a swish of butter.
Sense Motive, DC 20:
This is not a matter of courtesy, this search. To Lazare, this is personal. Genuine concern tinges his every word, though he is trying to distill it from his tone.
"I have already 'discussed' this with Sheriff Cubbin. He is... uninterested in diverting his responsibilities, especially over a..." Lazare stops himself from continuing.
"As it stands, I intend to find her, but I am only one man. I thought... I thought I could ask for your assistance... and your discretion." He looks to each of you for your answer.
This is our tangent thread, where we come to discuss matters, Out-Of-Character. No need for blue words(literally).
This thread is a great place to let the group know about absences, to discuss my inevitable combat malfunctions, or to share a life's experience, since we'll be traveling together for the next couple of years!
Also, when leveling characters, we'll use this thread to post the adjusted stats. Karen and Scott, I'm chatting you up on this, but you're in great company, so when you see monkeys doing, do as said monkeys do, and you'll shine like they do.
It's been my experience that the OOC thread gets a lot of the 'grind' work done, including treasure allocation, crafting, and the like.
Speaking of which- Euan, would you be so kind as to set up the treasure sheet, when you have the time? Much, much appreciated.
To the illustrious Paizo Community of PbP Players, I apologize, as this game is already fully crewed. I'm not a smart man, but I'm smart enough to have invited much smarter players to indulge me in my first GMing endeavor. Thank you for your understanding.
To my industrious friends, I am glad for your company!
As the GM I will post at least once a day (likely a lot more). I also expect players to post daily. If you are going to use abilities that interrupt the action (i.e. the feat Step Up), be prepared to post more often.
Real Life often calls, and we must of course heed it when it does. If you know you are going to be gone, just let me know and we'll work around it.
If your character is absent during combat and you're holding us up, I will Delay your action, or chose an appropriate action for you - whatever seems to make the most sense. I will always try to leave plenty of time for folks to catch up - I know we all have other responsibilities.
Character Stats:
A couple of you are new to the PbP formatting, so I encourage you to set up the basic, go-to stats for easy reference in the section on your Profile titled "Classes/Levels". Hit Points, Armor Class, Saves, Initiative, Perception Skill, and special abilities help me assess combat rounds more efficiently.
Diamond Lake. The name itself makes a light click of disgust when pronounced aloud. Moonday through Starday, and the town's people become the sludgy blood through the veins of the town. The evening of Starday quickens the pulse, while Sunday brings the pace to a dull throbbing. Residents of Diamond Lake are as like to nod quietly in passing as to avoid eye contact altogether, rushing to the next menial task. Words flow more easily behind closed doors amongst inner circles. In the shadow of Egorian, capital city of Cheliax, that's likely a wise thing to do.
It is mid-week, and the miners have already departed for the mines, when you are summoned to Lazare's. A non-descript man asks each of you to attend the parlor at your earliest convenience, but there is immediacy in his tone.
Lazare's is a little disquieting in its emptiness during morning hours. Dannath, Lazare's daughter and regular hostess, invites you to some nourishment set on a serving cart, all of it cold, save for the freshly brewed kahve. She excuses herself, adjusting her shawl and tending to the center hearth, which provides the circular interior a small degree of warmth.
"Please, help yourself, and patience. Father should be back shortly."
The day is Wealday, 17th day of Pharast, in the year 4749.
Bridgebourne begins to take on new life as night descends, and the younger children are shuffled off to their homes. The square enjoys the laughter of the performing troupe, as well as the community coming together to shirk the weariness of the day's labor.
Sun sets, moon rises, and the cold night air is met with several bonfires to keep the blood circulating. The troupe is certainly drawing quite the crowd. Folks wander into the tavern, then return to the festivities, bellies fuller from the wine on tap.
Bartholomew:
Your earlier communing with Trion indicated that Flax was present in Bridgebourne this day, and likely within the inner keep's walls.
As the party gathers once more in the town's western square, the inner keep doors open, and two militia make their way to the sides of the road, while Ayreth and an older woman wander slowly towards the square. Tarian follows close behind the two women. His laughter echoes hollowly, contrasted with the women's hearty mirth.
Party is up! Feel free to post your actions in character, and lob any questions to me through spoilers.
Alright, guys. We'll start a little conversation here, before I light up the Gameplay Thread. Discussion Thread is for out-of-character chit-chat, while the Gameplay Thread will be all story and action.
Hello All!! This is the reawakening of our Homebrew campaign, in the face of crazy schedules and less frequent Face-to-Face opportunities.
This is NOT a recruitment thread! Sorry, but we've already got a great group of players, and will be continuing a story that's been up and running since 2009.
Feel free to get used to the mechanics of posting here. Within our group, there is plenty of experience to go around!
