GM Kaz's page

Let me just start by saying that I really appreciate the lack of vitriol Robert. I kept meaning to come back, but every time I sat down to write a post, it just wouldn't come. I'm not sure if I'm cut out for PbP GMing. Thank you to everyone for the fantastic characters that you all made, and the time and energy you put into the game. If in the future I dust this off, I'll keep you all in mind.

Best of luck in your other games, and I hope to see all of you around the forums. Once again, the failure was completely on my end.

==
Kazmanaught

Lionel
The woman ponders your question for a minute. "I offer you this, Good Hunter. Let me listen through your ears, and I shall whisper the meaning of the words to you, as long as it is a language I, or any member of Titania's court, can speak."

Cash

The cat sniffs your hand, then rubs it. "Cats, Corvids, and a few others besides are blessed with the gifts of both travel and sight. While you humans and fey may be able to open doors for us, we have no issues wandering between worlds, as long as they are close by." It blinks slowly at you. "Get me a fish. The owners of this ballroom swat at me when I jump on the tables, envious of my grace no doubt."

For those with Margarette: Going to wait a little bit longer, see if they show up. If not I'll bot them, and consider looking for a replacement. Since we're still pretty early, this would be a good time for her to go home for a while.

==

Lionel
"Faith." The woman repeats the word, almost tasting it as it comes out of her mouth. "Yes indeed." As the dance draws to a close, she looks at you. Perhaps during one of your blinks she's back to her original stature. "You are an interesting man, Good Hunter. I will remember this little talk. Is there anything that you would ask, either of myself, or of the court of Titania?"

==
Cash

The cat is ginger tabby

The cat licks it's paw languidly as it answers you, scorn in it's voice as if your questions were very stupid indeed. "Cat's know everything worth knowing. For if a cat doesn't know something, than it can't be very important at all, can it?" It pauses it's grooming, following up with a flick of it's tail at you. "My home is in "your country" as you put it, but everyone knows that the cats really own the land. We're just letting you borrow it, and letting you feed us."

For the sake of moving along, I'm going to bot Margarette for a little bit.
The Guard shrugs at Angus's statement. ""Suit yourself. I certainly wouldn't follow this one. Let's go and get yourself an audience with the Queen."

==

Median, you see Margarette and Angus come up the stairs. A guard with a spear is following behind them, one of the veiled guards from outside. "Attention if you will!" He clears his throat, addressing the gathered fey, who turn to listen to him. "This one has demanded entrance, despite not being on the list. In addition to that, they offered thinly veiled threats (no pun intended), against our Queen if we did not acquiesce to her demands. So then see the Queen she shall! For a judgement no less! Just remember, that if our good Queen is late to the festivities, and the carousing, you know who to blame!" He takes a deep bow, as if he's said something very clever. "This way Viscountess and Scottsman. He leads Angus and Margarette further into the castle, leaving only the grumbles and grousing of the revelers.

==

Lionel, the woman looks at you sharply at your mention of greater powers. For a second the feeling of drowning returns to you. Then she laughs. The sound is like water bubbling over smooth stones on a lazy summer afternoon, taking all ill feeling with it. "Greater than the works of man, yes!" she laughs. "And to imply that your God-And our Lieges-Oh yes!"

"I chose my dance partner well, it seems. Tell me Good Hunter, are you a pious man?"

The lady lifts a hand to her mouth, barely hiding a smile. "I see that Englishmen are as bold as ever. There are many who would wish to dance with me tonight, but few who have the courage to ask. Does your courage come from bravery or ignorance I wonder?" She takes hold of your hand, allowing you to lead her to the dance floor. When you approached her, you could have sworn she was taller than you. Now, as you begin to dance, she seems to be slightly shorter than you, the ideal height for a dance partner. As you begin, she whispers in your ear, "Tell me, Good Hunter, what brings you to a rather magnificent gala in a rather insignificant realm?"

Make a perform dance check, with a +5 bonus.

Pine looks at Ranveer. "I am trying to help you, strange creatures. Please get off your hands, that was crass of me. But a less pleasant soul than myself could certainly take advantage of your rigidness. To survive here, one must be flexible. Please do not take overt offense Mr. Sikh, it could have been any of you. Now, tell me more about your people please! You say you have achieved contentment, what a wonderful thing! How was it done? Does it have something to do with your comb?"

==

The guard's faces are veiled, so it is very hard to tell exactly what they are thinking. However, the Admonishing Guard says, "Oh I see! You must certainly be important indeed, if those are the gifts that you bring. Such an important visitor deserves to be escorted directly to the Queen herself. Or as you say, "Kick it up the chain?" And you, little Scottsman, do you wish to go with her, wherever her journey takes her? The time is that of an important decision for you!" He gestures for Margarette to go up the stairs, and prepares to follow, spear not pointed per-se at her back, but not facing away either.

==

Lionel, following Pine's pointing finger, you see a beautiful woman across the hall, pearlescent skin, hair as dark as midnight, and eyes like a storm. She is dressed plainly, although her clothes seem almost damp. A crown of roses is adorned upon her head. As you approach her, you can feel the intoxicating beauty, and your breath catches in your lungs. It almost feels like they are filling with water. Then she looks at you, and smiles. The overwhelming feeling fades, and the sense of drowning goes with it. "How may I help you, Good Hunter?" she says.

==

Cash, it's nearly impossible to tell what is a sign of status here. So many different courts mingling, some wearing fine garments, others regal in their natural state, be it man, beast, or something even more abstract. A cat with a large grin looks at you and says, "You could speak any language here, and they'd understand you, you know. Or did you think they were all speaking English just for you? Americans are silly creatures. Quite unlike us cats, all bluster and no claws to back it up."

Hi everyone! I had a wonderful trip, although it was far more tiring than I had expected! I've finally recovered, and I'm back to posting on the forums! I'd like to apologize for my prolonged absence so shortly after my other prolonged absence, but I'm back for a while now, and I got some good inspiration from being across the pond for a while. Who's still around?

Good news bad news time. Good news is I'm going to Europe for a few weeks with a college friend! Bad news is that I will have sporadic internet access, no laptop, and will be quite busy. Part of the reason they've been so slow recently was trip preperation, but now we're actually going. Rest assured, I'll do my best to post as much as I can, but I totally get if anyone wants to bow out. I'll be back in Ohio by the end of July/early August at the latest. Thank you everyone for your patience!

"There is always danger in dancing with a stranger, is there not? Some of us are devilishly good dancers."

Moving moving moving and the 4th of July! Hope all the people in the US had a good holiday, and all the people out of it had a good Monday!

"Well let's see Good Hunter. There are many interesting fey here, from many different courts. More than I was expecting for sure. Most of the time, fey from rival courts try not to attend the same event to avoid causing... disturbances, but today seems to be an exception! We've got Elves from our ladies court, a few from Winter, including a vizir, a Earlking from Disease (I wouldn't recommend talking to him, he tends to have an adverse effect on mortal types), an Emissary of Titania, A Jovian, and-oh! Would you look at that? A member from the court of Rhyme!" He points at the strange cloud that Angus and Margarett saw from outside. "We've also got someone from the court of Reason here. I'm not familiar with either of them personally, a bit too abstract for my tastes, but those courts are in direct conflict with each other! I'm sure that there will be something of interest to watch for there." He nods his head. "If you're looking for perhaps less impressive, but more amiable guests, I'd be most pleased to introduce you to my friends and associates."

"A Sikh you say? I've... never heard of one of those before." As he considers Ranveer's words further, his little face contorts into a new emotion, rage. "What is it with you Mortals? Can't you see I'm trying to overcome my better nature to be a decent guest to you? Do you feel a need to threaten all of your betters? Do as you will Mister Ranveer Singh, but beware of fey less amiable than I am! You are all young, and stupid. Sit on your hands, Mr. Ranveer Singh, and think about having a little more respect towards those that want to help you."
Make a DC 15 will save, at -5 or be forced to sit on your hands.
The Fey's tone switches back to jovial. "You must tell me more about your culture Warrior! I do so like to hear more about things further than the Queen's court!"

Turning to Median.
"Eat what you want. As my guest, the food will have no lasting effect on you, although I have been told that it is not entirely dissimilar to being drunk if you eat too much. And I would certainly introduce you to the Queen, but I expect she'll introduce herself when she feels the time is right. I do not know if she has your people though. Did they wander into her domain when they went missing, or another courts?"

Pine looks a little put out by everyone ignoring him. As you converse outside, you all can notice the temperature falling fast. "Ahem. Inside," Pine says, irritably. "And if you're going to insist on not eating or drinking anything, I recommend avoiding the dancing. Makes one awfully parched." He flits into the castle proper, occasionally calling out a hello to another tiny creature, or one of the much larger elves. The fey in here stare obviously at you, some even doing comical double-takes, but none approach you.

The ballroom is something out of a fairy-tale. Tall ceiling, beautiful lily chandeliers, an elaborate spread of spring food, and fey of all shapes and sizes whirling about on the dance floor. Interestingly, all speech seems to be translated into the listener's native language."Well that's a relief," Pine says, "Not needing to run a relay, just to talk to the person next to you. The presentation of entertainment isn't for some time yet. If you'd like, I'd be happy to introduce you to people, but far be it from me to monopolize all your time. Dance, eat, be merry, if you want! If anyone gives you a hard time, call my name and clap twice. I'm honor bound to protect my guests as if they were myself." He seems quite at ease at the ball, and grabs a walnut to chew on, about the size of his head. "Well, what'll it be? Anything I can help you with?"

==
The Bored Guard looks at his list. "Not on here. The either of you. Best clear off." The Admonishing Guard looks at Margarett, and says, "Now don't be hasty my fine friend. Any who comes bearing gifts for our Queen can be accepted, even if they aren't on the list. What gifts did you bring, Viscountess? What do you offer that makes up for your presumption to turn up to our Queen's ball uninvited?"

There's your given name, your true name, and your chosen name. Fey only have the last two. But since people spend so much of their lives answering to something that isn't their true name, it still has some power over them, albeit to a much lesser degree.

You can certainly keep saying that that's not his middle name :) It may not be quite as effective as you might hope, as parts of names still have parts of power.

As far as true names go, I've never quite liked using actual words to describe true names, it seems... less impactful than it should. Feel free to write a little something about what you think your true name might contain, but since it's supposed to capture the entire essence of a person, and people are so very complicated, simple words just don't seem enough to capture the full nuance.

Naps and the vagaries of life gobbled the rest of my day, big post incoming!

"7-and-a-half plus ones for Pine?" the Bored Guard says, in the same flat voice as he detaches a tassel from his spear, which he unrolls into a guest list. Looking it over a few times, he nods, rolls the scroll back into it's tassel form, attaches it back to his spear, and takes a deep bow. He steps away from the stairs. "Please enjoy our Queen's Gala." he continues, in a voice with no enthusiasm in it. The Admonishing Guard takes a deep breath and announces, "Presenting 7-and-a-half guests of Pine, Master of Himself, and Denizen of our Majesty's lands!" The steps up to the palace lay before you.

Assuming you start up the stairs...

The smell of the lily this castle is perched upon is intoxicatingly heavy. It reminds each and every one of you of a crisp spring morning, just as the sun crests the horizon. It's distracting enough that the other senses become somewhat dulled as you walk up the stairs, sinking slightly into the cloudy texture of them. Nevertheless, you make it to the top without any incident where the smell of fresh food, and sound of joyful music, a thousand different tongues, and tinkling laughter wipes away any of the heady feeling of the lily. Leaning against a guardrail surrounding the castle and holding what can only be described as a champagne glass the size of a thimble, is Pine.
"Just in time friends! The band has only just begun to play, and the Queen has not yet lowered-Oop!" As he speaks, the moves rapidly across the sky, to the last vestiges of twilight. "Well, she certainly has lowered the Sun now. Shall we go inside? I hear you mortals get cold frightfully easily, and being crafted from a tulip myself, I find that I wilt more easily than some of my sturdier brethren with hearts of acorn, or chestnut." Through the double doors that lead into an entrance hallway, all sorts of fey can be seen, mingling, chatting, but all moving towards what you presume is the entrance to a ballroom."[/b]

==
Angus and Margarett:
It was a very near thing indeed traveling along your own path. Several times, you nearly lost your focus, and it was only the careful guidance of Angus that kept both you and Brigid on track. Angus is not quite as talented at finding a path through the forest and fields, and briars catch and tear at you. Shapes and sounds prance and gibber, much closer to you than the other group, but you manage to keep your focus dead ahead. It was a very near thing though. Perhaps most strangely is that after some amount of walking, you could see your compatriots far ahead of you, although you left at the same time. No matter how much noise you make, or try and draw their attention, they never see you. Curious. Other than these things, your trip proceeds much the same.

It is a shock when the sun races across the sky, but the castle positively glows with an opalescent sheen. It is a beacon that guides your way. Eventually, you find yourself at the same cloudy stair as the first group. The only difference is that there seems to be a line in front of you. A squat, fat, gremlin-like creature leers at the world from deepset yellowish eyes. A smattering of elves, of various attire, and skin tones, ranging from nearly see through to an ebony black also seek entrance. Most distressingly however, is the thing that easily could have been mistaken for a heat haze, was it not for the fact that the night was beginning to cool off, and the colors that were seen through it were far more vibrant than even the normal fey landscape. It hurt to look at. All the other members of the line seem to pay no attention to you. As the line moves, the gremlin and the elves are inspected by the bored guard, had their names checked against his list, and then rejected. They slunk off into the field, and the night, grumbling as they went. The hazy creature however, which the Admonishing Guard introduces as, "☞︎❒︎♏︎⬧︎■︎♏︎●︎, Noble of Abstraction of the 17th order, High Exarch of the Silent Choir, and Pontificus Maximus, from the distant land of Rhyme!" After the haze passes up the stair, the Bored Guard turns to face you.

"Name, and rank?" he says, in (you guessed it) his trademark monotone

"No loitering please!" says the Admonishing Guard. "No time to waste with dawdlers, lollygaggers, or those who were otherwise incapable of arriving just before the hall hits capacity.." The Admonishing Guard is friendly in tone, but his eyes and spear sparkle with something akin to malice. The Bored Guard is just bored.

Hope you all don't mind the purple prose too much!

Forums just gobbled a post, it's my own damn fault, but I got cocky and complacent, and stopped typing them up in notepad first. Once my morale is back enough to re-write it, I'll get it posted.

This was my bad, rereading my post made it clear where the confusion had sprung up from.

I had intended to indicate that you can roll either a CHA/Will save, OR a survival check. That being said, I kind of like this rolling both, and then putting together a team's worth of successful checks. I'll probably juice up the DC's if we do the "take the better of the two" method, but it should be balanced.

Now all we need is Margarett's check, but the main group is good to go! Hopefully the off-group doesn't end up anywhere too perilous... at least Angus made a good survival roll.

Between the willpower of Cash and Median, and the excellent pathfinding skills of Lionel, the forest yields to you. You walk out of a small grove of trees. Yet you are confident that the small grove is where you spent the last few hours wandering around. Curious how the landscape works here. Now in a rolling, lush, plain, you see in the distance what can only be described as a castle perched on top of a massive lily. It blots out the entire horizon, monolithic, it's towers lost in clouds. As you approach it, you hear rustlings in the tall grass around you, see movements out of the corner of your eye, but Lionel has found a safe path, and your determination to reach your destination allows you to keep your eyes glued on the distant castle. It seems to get smaller instead of larger, as you approach, until it is the size of a normal palace, at which point you are there.

The lily is still by far the biggest you've ever seen. After all, it's big enough to hold a castle. A set of glassy stairs reach up from the ground to the main gate. At the bottom of the stairs you see two guards. They are dressed in fine pale white livery, and armed with long thin spears. Interestingly, their faces are heavily veiled so that you cannot see them. They stand about the same height as a short man.

"Who should we announce as arriving?" one of the guards says, in an incredibly bored tone.

The other hits him in the ribs with the butt of his spear. "Have some manners! These are mortals. You're supposed to ask them who their patron is, or if they have another way to pay for their entry!"

"Right," says the first guard in the same bored tone. "Patron?"

I'm afraid not, sorry.

Yes, walking the Pattern! There were so many interesting ideas in those stories. I'm sure now that I've pointed out that I was "inspired" by Amber it will become much more obvious that I'm ripping off paying homage to it in my worldbuilding.

Post up for Margarett!

"If you want to commit suicide in a foreign land, do it yourself and don't drag the rest of us with you." The LTC looks away from Margarett.

If you are going by yourself, you get to make a group challenge by yourself! Pick which one you'd like to attempt.

Hope things are going well Lionel! Thank you everyone for bearing with me as well.

I don't want to spring rules changes on anyone. I should have put this in the recruitment, but I forgot, so now it goes to a vote. A simple majority will suffice, and anyone has the option to hard veto.

Variant aid another: Currently the DC to hit for skill checks is DC 10, and you add +2. This means that past a certain point, expertise no longer adds to ability to aid. Considering that several of you already will get a 10 at your chosen skill, and you are still quite low level, I'd like to remedy this. I propose that an aid another check of 10 only gives +1, but for every 5 points that it exceeds 10 by, it adds another +1. For instance a result of 15-19 gives +2, 20-24 gives +3, and so on.

Not entirely sure how this would impact aid another to hit or to AC, might just go with rules as written there.

I don't think anyone has a trait to boost their aid another ability, but if you do, like helpful halfling, just add the bonus that you'd normally get to your variant result.

This work with everyone? Remember a single veto is enough to kill the motion. If everyone abstains, I will just put it through though.

Hope everyone is still enjoying themselves!

"Well!" Pine says, clapping his hands together. "I certainly made the right decision, Puck or no Puck. You all are wonderfully interesting." He settles back down on his branch and closes his eyes, leaning into a comfortable reclining position. "I'll see you there."

==

Feywild Travel! I've been looking forward to this. I don't know how many of you are familiar with Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber, but I've always been enamored with his depiction of what he called "hellriding." This one will be a pretty easy ride, dice willing. I will allow for the eccentricities of play by post to work in your favor, and narratively it will be that you can tell where focus is lacking in your group's trek, and can endeavor to shore it up.

On that note, I realize I haven't mentioned the variant aid another checks I usually use. For this check, we'll just use the base rules, and I'll throw my proposed change in the discussion tab, so be sure to check it out, and let me know what you think!

Arrive at the Queen's ball, you can make either one of these checks, but not both, both challenges must succeed for you to arrive at the location that you desire. You cannot take 10, unless you have an ability that allows you to do so. (IE Loremaster, Vigilante's skill specialization, other stuff I don't know about)
Make a will save, or charisma check, the group's total must be at least 20, at least one check must exceed 10.
AND
A DC 15 survival check. This check is NOT cumulative

Still with us Lionel? I promise a chance to use those impressive combat stats real soon!

"My lady, if I could tell you all the rules for us, I would, but they change on a whim! We could talk until the stars turn grey, and not have finished them all. Our rules for ourselves are things that we just know. I'm sure it's discouraging to hear that, but fret not! Pine is happy to help you find your way through the Queen of the Lilly's domain!"

Pine Sense Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 13

He seems to ignore, or somehow fails to notice Cash's inability to contain his glee.

The Most Honorable and Distinguished Gentleman Chantal Dupoint, had spent the majority of her time whispering translations from Gaelic into the ear of LTC Fitzgerald. Upon hearing a translation of Margarett's apparent flippancy, a vein stands out on his forehead as he marches over.

"Lady Ersk-" A sharp cough, and a stern glare from Chantal cuts him off. "Madam," he continues, "Remember that you are not here on a vacation or on a little weekend getaway to the palace. You are here on behalf of her Royal Majesty's Wardens of the Wyrd, representing England herself, and your flighty attitude, and flippant tone with your mission leader makes me consider if you are in fact; suitable for this mission. As the military liaison for this mission into these god-forsaken lands, I am in charge of ensuring no personnel endanger the integrity of this mission. Much as I might disagree with Lady Ze-Our mission leader's call to follow this fey creature into a potential trap, you will respect the chain of command! You will-" A hand on his shoulder, from Chantal Dupoint silences him.

"You must forgive him," she says, continuing to address Margarett. "His manner is perhaps overly harsh and crude. I for one, relish the scientific discoveries you could make as an independent party at the ball. I wonder if there would be any psychosymptomatic effects of being considered fey by a Lady of this realm..."

I'll wait a bit longer to see what Margarett goes for, then we'll continue on to the ball!

"I do not know what would happen. Perhaps nothing. But she would certainly be held to a much higher standard when it comes to our rules. And she might be subject to our Queen's ire if she fails to comply with them. I'm sure the Queen wouldn't mind having her own set of indentured mortals, if she does not already have some."

==

"Oh leaving! If you walk with intention you should arrive where you need to be. Not neccicarily where you want to be, mind you, but where you need to be. You should arrive precisely on time if you walk with intention, no matter how far you go, or how long you walk. I'll be waiting for you! If there are other things you'd like to see first, might I recommend the Edge of our lands? It is a rather interesting sight to behold, or so I've been told by mortals long ago!" He points towards an indistinguishable section of the forest. "Remember, walk with intention!"

==

He looks over at Ranveer. "I meant no disrespect. Others most likely won't either. But you must understand that we find all mortals delightfully amusing. You are so different than us you see, and we used to draw so much entertainment from interacting with you all, before the Old Roads were cut off."

Any other questions for Pine? I'm happy to keep this scene going if others have something to say, or wrap it up and go to whatever next encounter you decide to investigate.

"Together Mr. Green?" The pixie laughs again, this time at Cash. "The Lilly Queen and the King of Clover holding court together?" He holds his sides as his laughter continues. Eventually he wipes his eyes, and accepts your payment. "Ohhh-ha. No Mr. Green, they do not hold court together. They are... what is it called in your language, Tighearna. Gaelic In both senses of the word. They are of this land. The land is of them. I was made, some time ago, from the bulb of a purple tulip by the Lilly Queen. If any fey attend her ball who are not made of her, there can be no question that they are not of the King of Clover. Perhaps from another providence, such as Summer, her people's and the Lilly Queen's have always gotten along well, and they do lay near each other. Maybe one or two from Dark. Certainly no one from deeper than Reason."

He looks askance at the eel-satyr, and any lingering mirth once again slips away. For the first time that you've seen him, Pine looks genuinely afraid. "That is Robin Goodfellow. He is of Oberon's court, and a most dangerous creature he is indeed. He can change shapes on a whim, move more silently than a leaf on the wind. They say his teeth are the sharpest of all fey creatures, and a bite from him will never truly heal. His motives are unknowable, his powers many, his eyes everywhere. Had I known you had the eye of the Puck on you, I might not have invited you to the Queen's ball. But having done so, it is done. They say that he traded with a mortal to gain their ability to lie." He shudders at this thought. "But no matter the form he takes, no matter the untruths that slip from that silver tongue, he can only speak in verse. IF you wish to ingratiate yourself to my Queen, do not speak of the Puck."

Pine looks at Median. "You lead this group? But you allow your subordinate to go on her own? Without a patron of her own, she may be treated as a fey, and not as a guest."

Pine smiles at Median. "The kiss, good lady is a bauble, to be traded or used before it loses it's potency. Perhaps I will preserve it in amber, and stare at it, perhaps I shall give it to a fetching Anthousai to win her favor. Now guests on the other hand..."

"The Lilly Queen is offering a title to the fey who brings the best entertainment to the ball. I rather expect your insistence on wearing silver and white will provide no end of amusement, and be certain to earn me a higher position in her court!" He squirms with delight at the thought.

Will be traveling tomorrow, back to Mass for a bit, so posts may be slightly delayed.

Pine looks at Margarett and her rhyme, and nods politely, but does not make any comment on it. "Soon? I'm not sure I remember exactly what that word means..." He ponders for a second, then brightens. "Ah! It is like "when." Not a word that we use amongst ourselves often. I suspect that if we head there now, we will arrive precisely on time. Or if you have other things to do, I could finish my nap, and I suppose we'd still arrive precisely on time, eh?" He laughs, the sound tinkles like a windchime that is slightly off. It echoes strangely.

As quick as the merry mood struck him though, it is swapped for a much more serious visage. "Etiquette, yes. You may dress as you see fit. Do not wear white. Bring no silver. If you choose to wear shoes, make sure that your laces are done up over under, and not under over. Bring a small pledge to the queen-" he cuts himself off. "But those are rules for the fey. It has been so long since a mortal guest came to a ball held by the Lilly Queen that I quite doubt that anyone even remembers what the rules are for them. Instead I will advise you. Do not give your name out. Make no promises, save for those that you are sure you can keep. Although most of The Queen's court is of my ilk, I suspect there will be an elf or two there. Beware them, as many have had dalliances with your kind before, and may seek to do so again. If anyone asks you who your patron is, tell them it is Pine of the Sleepy Grove." His stoic face is once again replaced by a beaming smile.

"Now, what can I answer for you?" He leans in conspiratorially. "Many of us would agree to help you, and then attempt to put it off as long as possible, or fail to remind you that they owe you a favor, but not reliable Pine, eh?"

My apologies Median, I assumed that either you or Angus were translating for Cash. In the future, I'll try and be better about that!

"Yes! A simple trade, I agree to your terms!" The fey flits about excitedly.

If someone translates for The Hunter

"A good name. Strong. Expect many to contest you for it." He does not elaborate further. "Fair is fair is fair. I intend no ill will upon you. Living so close to where the mortal folk resided has given me an appreciation for the differences between what our natures might consider to be ill will. Upon my name as Pine, and all of my other titles, I swear that I desire no harm to fall upon you, harm of either fey or mortal interpret." There is an aura of tension around him as he says this, as if the trees, and air itself were listening closely.

"In terms of the Queen's ball, as my guests you will have my full protection, meager as it may be. Certainly most will not desire to anger the Lilly Queen by harming a member of her court, or their plus one (plus ones though it may be)." The fey looks at Lionel as he approaches, and nods.
"This'll do well enough." As Lionel kisses him on the cheek, a shining mark is left on the fey. It seems enraptured for a second, before raising a hand to it's cheek and removing the mark, putting it in a small jar, produced from a fold of clothing. "Well enough indeed."

"Nothing too untoward, my good sir, and gentle lady. A kiss on the cheek from any of you, and to join me at the Lilly Queen's ball as my guests" He looks at Cash curiously. "You are perhaps more fey than you let on. Dealing in imaginary moneys, currencies to be repaid at a different time? Perhaps a dragon of old inspired you Mr. Greenback?

The moral dilemma was if he should give back Median's name too

There is more to the Sprite's intentions than just bringing you to the ball, but it does not seem malicious.

Cash, your gut check gives you conflicting messages. Their body language is that of a habitual liar, but their tone is not someone who lies? Perhaps a fey strangeness, that you will come to be able to discern better in time.

==

Gonna switch over to English, as the language barrier seems to be solved for the moment!

The little creature does a deep bow to Median. It's quite impressive that it manages to hover almost seamlessly in the air as it does so.

"Well met Miss Zeroux. You're lucky to have met me first, instead of some of my more impish cousins. Your friend Pine here has always had a soft spot for you humans, and the more courtly ways of the fey. I know that not all mortals mean to give the gifts that they bestow on us so easily."

"I return your name to you too, Zeroux. Last names have strength too, although perhaps not as much as firsts." The creature seems somewhat put out at losing this bounty.

"I have already twice done the duty of a responsible host, and returned both your names to you. If you seek more from me, I'll need two favors in return."

Ranveer, you notice that what you had originally perceived to be clothing is in fact the skin of this creature. It is "dressed" in a comical fashion, seemingly haphazardly chosen clothing clash with each other, vying for dominance of the eye. It was almost enough for you to not realize that this creature carries a small blade at it's waist, no larger than a needle. Almost. The question then arises, is the belt and sword also part of the creature, or an accessory added on later? Does it make a difference?

==

"Bha Beurla agam na bu tràithe! Nach aithne do dhaoine bàsmhor an teangannan fhèin tuilleadh?"

Uill choinnich Aonghas. Bheir mi air ais d’ ainm an-asgaidh an-asgaidh, agus gairmidh mi thu air ainm do theaghlaich. Elphinstone, faodaidh tu giuthas a ghairm rium, oir b' i giuthas a' chraobh air an robh mi a' cadal.

==

While these introductions are going on, Median can get her translator calibrated to Gaelic.

==
LTC Fitzgerald gives Margarette a hard look, but then does lookout duty. The Most Honorable and Distinguished Gentleman Chantal Dupoint seems content at this time to let you continue speaking to the fey.

Oberlin actually, so near Cleveland. I'm from Massachusetts originally, so its a bit of a drive to go home. I was lucky enough to get a rather large merit based scholarship, (it's been 4 years and I still don't really know why) otherwise I'd be going to UMass Amherst.

I'm not musically gifted at all really, so I have very little to do with the conservatory students. I'm a soft science guy through and through :)

What about you Lionel? Which school are you at?

Alright so first I'd like to apologize to everyone for taking so much time. And then I'd like to thank everyone for their patience.

TLDR: It's been a very hectic and emotionally charged few weeks.

I hope to get back into the game! But I also understand if this long absence was enough for people to turn their attention elsewhere. I'd like to have a role-call to see who remains, and then I'll try and get back into it! I'm still quite excited to see where this can go.

Hey folks! You'll have to forgive me, I'm trying to find a new place to rent while doing finals, so things are very busy here. I'll try and get a post up soon, but it may be... shorter than I'd like.

Tempted to say wingdings... ☟︎♓︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎❒︎♏︎

The pixie perks up at the sound of the Latin, and nods emphatically, but doesn't respond. It seems pretty evident that although it recognizes the language, it doesn't speak it. It's about to fly off when Angus talks in Gaelic. It turns back to face you, only to fall back down laughing to the branch it took off from when it hears your Sylvan.

"Obraichidh an t-seann teanga gu math. Dè a bheir daoine don mheur bheag agam?

Angus! Good point about languages. Are you ok with your sylvan being at an intermediate level for the time being?

The little fey wakes up with a start, and looks at you with unbridled curiosity.

"Apan! Asecgan Englisc?"

[spoiler=Lingustics DC 20 (DC 10 tells you it's old English)]Humans! Speak English?

A very good idea! I just stayed up all night getting an essay done, but as soon as lucidity returns to me, I'll do my best to get that up!
As an aside, I find it easiest to write the fey bits when I'm exhausted, but it does mean occasionally I fall asleep before I finish posting something!

Alright then! Time to get out of the fort, and see what you guys can do!

As you exit the threshold of the rough fort, your compass's spin about aimlessly for a second, before re-calibrating. A strangeness to be sure, but there are bound to be countless more oddities in your travels to come.

Chantal is dressed sensibly, eschewing flowing dresses and veils for trousers, and a wide brimmed circular hat. Around her neck is a chain that leads to an amulet engraved with various mystical symbols. LTC Fitzgerald is in his military attire. He has a large machete on one hip, and a pistol on the other.

The air itself here seems to be energizing, making any who breathe it want to exert themselves physically, and granting an almost preternatural heightening of the senses. Those who frequent coffeehouses back in England would liken the experience to drinking too many cups of coffee.

The trees are closely packed, but not too difficult to traverse. 5ft marching order They seem to be in the height of their foliage. Interestingly, there is no leaf-litter on the ground, or evidence of any of the plants here ever having experienced illness or winter. Bird song can be heard, but no birds can be found. Attempts to triangulate on them will reveal that the sound seems to emanate from the leaves of the trees themselves. No other living things can be seen, excepting the plants.

How much time passes as you head North? It is hard to say, the sun doesn't move in the sky. Those of you who have traveled far North in the past have seen the endless sun Iceland's summer months before, but even then it moved slightly in the heavens, rotating around a slight point. This sun remains stationary. After about 3 hours by your reckoning and by your watches you see an impossibility in the far distance; the sky is black. More than that, you can clearly see the stars and a crescent moon in it, although no constellations are recognizable. Likewise, you see something else of interest, a tiny, winged male figure that can only be described as a pixie, sprawled out on the branch of a tree some 30ft away, fast asleep.

What would you like to do?

This item was probably moved to it's current location in a trunk, instead of a backpack. While it will fit, it is somewhat bulky, and will have an increased risk of being damaged.

The Most Honorable and Distinguished Gentleman Chantal Dupoint nods at Median when she returns. "I am able to depart at your convenience Ms. Zeroux.

Apparently I was wrong to call for a spellcraft, it should have been knowledge arcana checks. Good thing you have the same bonus on both! Magic IDing is so fickle...
The stronger aura comes from the mirror. It is a divination effect. It appears too powerful to identify at this moment. Of particular note is that the enchantment on the mirror does not seem to be currently active.

The second aura is located everywhere within the 60ft cone, and everywhere you might look. It is in the universal school of magic, with some slight hints of transmutation. It also is not currently identifiable with your current knowledge.

Perfectly reasonable questions. All wood, they've had plenty of time and supplies to phase out tents at this point. There's 3 research buildings, 1 empty prison type building, and the rest is barracks. Some of the more important people have started working on their own cabins, but those tend to be cruder, being someone's personal project to help pass time. There are approximately 50 people that you've seen so far, although not everyone would've been at the meeting, so it's probably safe to say around 70 people total. It's about 80% Wardens, 20% military, but what that really means is it's about 50% warrior types, 35% laborers, and about 15% researchers. The room you were exploring was a small individual room off of a larger barracks building.

Little bit more to be discovered at the fort Margarett, we'll be out of here real soon! Should I take it that North will in fact be the direction you're going?

"I hope you don't think you'll be getting rid of the Lieutenant and myself that easily did you?" Chantal says, accompanied by a now all too familiar small smirk. "No, I'm afraid the two of us will be accompanying you."

==

A little bit of blood will come off under Cash's fingernail.

==

"I'm sorry Sergeant Ranveer, I never met Celinin, and he's the only pointy ear we've actually seen fighting. Word is though that he fought Florentine. Apparently he could see magics like a mage without needing to concentrate." Most elves have the fey sighted racial swap

Median's detect magic:

First make the DC 10 will save or be lesser shaken-1 to pretty much everything relevant
Round 1: There is the presence of magic
Round 2: There are 2 auras, the strongest is moderate
Round 3: Knowledge arcana + spellcraft checks, 1 for each aura.

Personally, I'm fine with Margarett's verbosity! Less work for me :) I may occasionally correct/clarify, but that's not meant to be criticism .

==

Cash, I had seen the last post you made to the Brigadier. I had meant to send a message, but I must have forgotten, so I'll say it now; I was thinking we could leave the nature of that conversation currently open ended so we can use it as a story element, if that's ok with you.

Here's a reference image if that helps! Not very big at all.

Please keep in mind that this might not all be 100% accurate information! I may need to add additional information to it later.

All of this had been transcribed in the same hand. However a loose sheet of paper in a completely different style that is dated for two days from now had been tucked into the center of the dossier. It only says this on it, "Met Puck" There are a few drops of a reddish liquid on the page as well.

Addressing Median, Alexander looks a bit sheepish. [b]"No ma'am, they don't really have a way of knowing where you are. Just that the potions have been used. Much more useful when we were working out of London, and Ratcliff knew where to send his men to back us up. Best we can do is listen to your plans about where you're headed to, and send some folks in that direction. Which brings me to your next uncomfortable question. Maps. We got 'em, but they... aren't great. Even when there aren't big changes in the land, there are always little ones. We chart a course, and we never quite hit the same landmarks, even assuming they are there." He brightens a little bit.

"We've had some recent luck though! A patch'a land outside the wall we portioned off with fey iron and salt, and so far it hasn't changed at all, even when the land around it changes." He slumps a little bit again. "Still can't ever use it as a good landmark though. The pacing's never quite right."

He passes you a dossier, labelled Missing You'll have to forgive your DM for not creating extensive profiles of these NPC's,I admittedly didn't plan for them to be relevant, and I'll need a little time to work them in. "Didn't want to give you this at the public meeting. Folks around here been a bit glum recently, didn't want to remind them of the missing."

"Mr. Cash was it? I do indeed have a booklet of the information we're allowed to give out about the fey we've run into. Apparently, one of 'em had a little chat with the Queen, God be with her, and that's been classified even to us. Musta been might important, but you can have all the files I have. Made a copy of 'em and everything. I just ask that if you think you're gonna be captured by the fey you destroy them. Best to keep it bit secret what we do and don't know about them."

"Most of the men we've sent Northward by the way the sun rises have come back unscathed. West's been less lucky. I figure you probably want to get your bearings from the North, eh?" He shakes Median's hand. "Lemme know if there's anything else I can do for you ma'am." He's quite obviously not bothered by her sex and position of authority, his smile is genuine. "I just ask you tell me when, what direction, and how long you think you'll be gone. When d'you think you'll be headin' out?"

Dossier on elves and other fey to follow, but please don't wait!

Hey guys! Ended up being super busy today. I'll try and get something up some time tomorrow!

Hey everyone! It's been about a week since we started! Time really does fly. Just checking in, making sure everyone's enjoying themselves, and wondering if anyone has feedback, recommendations, requests, stuff like that! As I mentioned in my recruitment, this is my first time DMing PbP.

Hope everyone's having a good time, I know I am!