Perhaps we should have called it long ago--it doesn't feel like folks have prioritized putting effort and creativity into it for some time.
Good luck to you, folks, and good gaming to you.
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Geborah considers the new rumor spreading through town. Wraith, it seems like your dwarf friends aren't popular around town--the humans are blaming them for thefts. Perhaps there's a way to stoke that resentment and get them to leave or thrown out of town. Perhaps if you break in to the alchemist's disguised as a dwarf, steal some obvious valuables, and leave them among the dwarves' possessions? It might be a good cover for your theft of the poison, particularly if you replace the poison with flour or something so the theft isn't immediately obvious. Or perhaps in your merchant guise, you could claim they asked you to fence stolen goods? People have noticed you cozying up to them, I'm sure. If your merchant identity then vanished, the dwarves would look very guilty indeed. Geborah cocks her head and smiles distantly. It seems my magpie has caught a worm. Now to bait the hook!
I don't mind keeping things moving when you folks are having such busy RL time, but I don't want to monopolize the game. Please let me know if I'm hogging the action. PS: Feel better!
Geborah, what are your plans for the day?
'Auntie Geb' returns to the inn Fireday evening concealing a vicious smile. If I'd mastered that spell earlier, I'd've picked off the Stokers one by one and none would be the wiser. But then I'd not be here. Subtle are the plans of Asmodeus. She asks around to see if any of the off-duty soldiers from Balentyne what day and time Ye Merrie Men will perform at the fortress, since Jezabel could not answer her that.
She also treats herself to a glass of red wine and gossips with the patrons. Their faces and stories are becoming familiar, but she holds out hope of learning a new weakness of the fortress.
When her colleagues arrive, she fills them in on her day and what she has learned. Tatienne, you were relating something about the playwright Marlowe, were you not? She winks at her familiar lurking at the window, and the magpie wings off into the night. I just sent Golachab to discover if Mrs. Mott is entertaining her lover tonight. Unraveling that thread would be a good night's work. If she is not, perhaps we could sneak into the alchemist's shop and steal his supply of poison, replacing it with flour to avoid immediate discovery.
Have you any new plans for intelligence gathering, Tatienne? Perhaps a new guise? You might pretend to be one of the Merrie Men's advance agents, here to inspect the staging area, and so see an area of the fortress we haven't accessed yet. Or perhaps you might disguise yourself as Mrs. Mott and arrange an assignation with her lover tonight, so we don't have to wait and guess when we can catch them in the act.
Today is Fireday, Neth 24. Tomorrow is market day. The day after that is Sunday, when we'll kill the Captain and his patrol. Wraith, did you purchase that horse-conjuring spell? It's probably the cheapest and least conspicuous way for us to obtain mounts. Geborah's eyes narrow as she thinks through her plans. I actually hope to capture the Captain long enough to get a writing sample from him. That way, Tatienne, you can forge a convincing letter to draw out another target--the Mitran priest.
Jezabel butts in. I learned something fun. Ye Merrie Men, William Marcus Marlowe's acting troupe, will be coming to Aldencross to perform 'The Fall of Amberlyn'. Furthermore, the Bard of Barrington has secured a one-night exclusive performance within the watchtower. I'm sure that all the soldiers and the captains and everyone will be there to watch. Maybe we can sneak into the watchtower during the show and cause some...mischief? Geborah smiles wickedly. Well snooped. What day, Jezabel?
Geborah has to force herself to focus on her morning divinations. The novelty of casting a new spell has worn off, and the gossip of the town is so repetitive and dreary. But the magic has exposed some of the fortress's vulnerabilities, so she persists.
After renewing the Unknowable Alignment on herself, she consults with Balam. You've been watching comings and goings from the fortress for several days, she communicates silently. By now you must know the servants, and when they travel to and from Balentyne. Tell me of the oldest among them...what route does she take home at night? The day cleaning the manse goes by easily with something to look forward to. As she dusts and scrubs, Geborah goes over her plans in her mind, trying to imagine in advance how every detail must be handled. This place will be clean indeed. If the reeve is honest, and the captain needs another worker, I'm certain to get in. And it's a small matter to make sure there's an opening at the fortress. Late in the day, when the workers are soon to return from the fortress, Geborah changes her disguise to that of an anonymous ragamuffin of the village and slips out of the manse. She conceals herself in a hedgerow hundreds of feet from the footpath Balam has told her the oldest servant takes home every night, and pretends to be eating an apple in privacy as she awaits her victim. When she spies the old servant heading home, she discards her apple and pronounces a curse on the hapless drudge from her hiding spot. The air blackens around her and hell-runes drip from her mouth to the ground as she works the curse, but at this distance her malevolence will likely be unnoticed.
Make as many as you can--I'm sure we'll find a use for them sooner or later. For the assault on the fortress, though, I was thinking we could come up from the secret passage, bar and spike the door from the inside, kill the ravens and their keeper, set the arrow storeroom on fire, then descend invisibly from the roof to the walkway below and cross over to the gatehouse to sabotage it while the troops are distracted by the burning tower. Your spell would work on a rope ladder too, would it not? For a paltry few hundred gold, we'd take the defenders completely by surprise. Unless the others want to push their luck exploring, Geborah is content to return to the inn with what they have learned and return its basement to its original condition so that the innkeeper won't suspect anything.
Geborah's brow is troubled. I think we've seen what we need to see. The rookery seems like an easy enough target when we act. That gatehouse--that will be the real work. We'll have to plan a way across the upper bridge to get to the mechanisms that control that drawbridge, and probably a portcullis and other defenses. Otherwise Sakkarot's horde will be marching into a meat grinder. Geborah has a quick listen at the door and peeks through the keyholes, hoping to get an impression of nighttime activity in the rookery. Then she leads a quiet retreat back down the stairs.
A thought strikes her as she descends. How quickly could you scribe scrolls of invisibility, Wraith?
It's not impossible, but the deception will last a day at most. There's a simple divination any true representative of the gods can perform--if their miracle-worker doesn't have it already prepared, he can petition for it overnight--that reveals the presence of poison. Also, if even a single bird is flies back from a mission after the poisoning, they'll be able to raise an alarm. To really stop their communications, I think we'll need to kill the raven-keeper too. That will be hard to make look like an accident...unless an "accidental" fire sweeps the tower? Probably not even then. So I think this should be our first open salvo. First I want to try ambushing the patrol and luring the miracle-worker into a trap. Ready to check the rookery floor? How about you, Wraith, you're uncharacteristically quiet. Should I assume you've finally decided to follow my lead without complaints?
What we are seeing seems to match up with the map Timeon drew for us, and what the dwarves described. That means the rookery is likely on top of this tower. Our first target! Let's have a look to see how it's secured, then retreat for now. Likely this will be our first avenue of attack, once we have exhausted our covert options. We can bar the tower entry from the inside, eliminate the birds, then set fire to this room full of arrows, and while the fortress is distracted trying to break in and put out the fire before the wooden support beams give way, we can hit other targets. Geborah circles the room, looking out all the arrowslits to see what else she can learn of the fortress.
Geborah listens intently at the door and attempts to peer through its keyhole and underneath it to see if she can tell what's on the other side.
Hmm. Let's proceed up the stairs--getting a view of the whole fortress from its top is still my goal.
We are in a basement below one of the fortress's towers, Geborah communicates to the others. Perhaps if we all disguise ourselves as soldiers, we could make our way to the top, and spy on the whole of the fortress from that vantage. But let us be stealthy, and avoid the sounds of guards--it is too early still to risk any exposure.
Geborah looks around the room without entering and disturbing more dust. This must be some sublevel of the fortress, yes? Wraith, is it on that map the dwarves gave you? Can you guess where that trapdoor might emerge? I'd like to find out where else we can get to from here. I suppose if we destroyed these supplies, we might reduce the fortress's ability to withstand a siege, but that seems like a small benefit to risk discovery for. We should see if there are higher value targets through the hatch, if we can remain undiscovered. Perhaps it's time for your invisibility spell, Wraith.
Though regretting her decision to leave her armor behind, Geborah steps first into the dark tunnel. If the group is stealthy and wary enough, perhaps her keen eyes will notice trouble before trouble notices them.
Geborah sticks her head out the cellar door and addresses Tatienne wordlessly. We found it! A hidden portal, of a sort I've seen before. I wonder if the lecherous lord who installed it was a diabolist? Come see, Tati. You'll need this... The priestess produces the lantern from Tiadora's silk veil and ignites it with a red-eyed glare. She hands it to Tatienne with a mixure of pity and contempt for eyes that will never truly know the beautiful dark.
As she searches, Geborah idly pulls a wine bottle out of the box Wraith found and peers at the label. Are you fond of wine, Wraith? she asks silently. I have no head for it myself, but drinking a measure of red wine is part of some Asmodean sacraments--I suppose the symbolism is obvious--so I've acquired a taste for it. There were racks and racks of the stuff in the cellars beneath the house I grew up in, one of the few traces of the Stokers of old that my fathers--she spits reflexively--never tried to dispose of. Oh, but if they had known of the rites performed in the vinyards... She seems wistful. Is there anything special about this vintage? Once she finds the suspicious stone, Geborah quietly signals Wraith, who looks about as strong as the innkeeper, to move the shelf aside. She helps as best she can, taking care not to leave scratches where she grips the shelves.
Geborah strokes her familiar absently as she hunts through the clutter of the basement, searching the walls for any sign of a secret passage.
When the way is clear, Geborah adjusts the circlet on her head, choosing to disguise herself as one of the common soldiers she's seen often at the Lord's Dalliance.
Perhaps she should have studied him more carefully. Still, even if her disguise isn't very convincing, at least she doesn't look anything like Auntie Geb. She leaves her armor and shield behind so that they don't clatter on the stairs. She may not have much practice with stealth, but she knows that much. Trusting to Asmodeus to keep her from being heard by the inn's sleeping residents, she joins the others and slips down to the cellar.
Sorry, busy week! I will update tomorrow.
Before midnight, then? Yep.
Yeah, it's like having a drawn weapon in your hand 24/7...there's no game mechanic that really penalizes it, so some players who don't care about roleplay will have their characters do that. To me it seems clear that spending every waking moment concentrating on a spell would be a terrible life. It seems like ruling that Detect Magic etc. are obvious isn't an impediment to using them in the old dungeon crawl, which is 90% of the time when someone wants to have those spells up and running. [Paladin summons mount] "Rapidash, I choose you!"
Thanks. The main reason I see not to have Detect Magic and Detect Evil and the like on all the time is that they have duration: concentration, which means while they're using them, the casters can't take any other standard action--no spells, moving at half the speed of everyone who can take two actions, etc. I imagine it would be a lot like walking around looking at everything through your smartphone all the time--possible, but pretty inconvenient. (Now I'm imagining Paladins playing Pokemon Go.)
Detect magic and similar divinations, like Detect the Faithful have a visible magical effect. Are you sure you want to walk around like that? You mean, after you cast the spell, the effect is visible? I'm surprised. The effects of other spells with durations, like Bless or Owl's Wisdom or Undetectable Alignment, aren't visible, are they? Why are divinations different?
The next morning, before she leaves the privacy of the room, Geborah conceals her true nature with the Undetectable Alignment abjuration, then eavesdrops on more of Aldencross's secrets. Ears of the City rolls:
She uses a mirror to inspect her disguise, then heads down to breakfast to confer with her allies and make plans for the day, sharing all she has learned with them.
How would you feel about Tatienne and I posting our day 3 activities while waiting for Wraith to wrap up day 2?
Cool tell her I'm going in on one of the $90+ donations... Haven't decided if I want the poster or not Write her a note! She'd be glad to hear it.
How did you find that out? We've kept in touch a little.
I will consider and rule on the use of Ears of the City. The intent of the author, I believe, is to have to spend the time to discover each rumor, since Ears of the City had not been published when this was written. However, I don't want to short circuit clever use of a spell out of hand. I'll have a decision tomorrow. If it's going to trainwreck the scenario to learn things too quickly, then yeah, don't allow it. Or put a ceiling on the number of rumors we could discover per day--it seems like a large party willing to pay a gold each could get 6 each evening, so maybe a max of 6 a day is reasonable.
Sorry you folks have been visited by the plague fairy. I hope everyone feels better soon! My daughter, who's 6, had a persistent cough for around a month--nothing wracking, but lasting long enough that our pediatrician got worried and prescribed a round of antibiotics. After five days of amoxcillin, she broke out in head to toe rashes, a previously undiagnosed penicillin allergy. Luckily, some kid's Benadryl stopped the itching and the rashes faded as soon as we stopped giving her the amoxcillin. Oh, and the cough is completely gone. It's nervewracking to have a sick kid. Best of luck to you.
This looks like a fun little sandbox, GM. It really does. I'm excited to play a prepared caster in a scenario that gives me time to access the full (if low level) cleric toolbox. I took some time to read over the class's spell list, and I think Geborah will have some great options. 3 spells known: resist energy, augury (probably), and a transmutation spell tbd. Are you interested in suggestions? There are spells on your list that I really wish were on mine, since they seem ideal for taking on a tower fortress. Levitate and Spider Climb, for example--those would be great for bypassing floors on sabotage missions. Knock would give you a big bonus for getting past locks, and let you do it instantly. And Warp Wood would be a great way to disable siege engines so completely that even Make Whole won't help. I'd really like to have Invisibility and Detect Thoughts, but they're not on either of our lists.
Geborah gives her companions time to respond, then moves on with their planning. "It sounds like we should take rooms at the Lord's Dalliance. Timeon, is Barhold a common name locally, or is the innkeeper a relative of the guard captain?" "We'll spend this first day getting settled and securing ourselves at the inn, taking no unnecessary risks--tired from the long road, we'll sit quietly and eavesdrop without drawing attention to ourselves. We'll have plenty of time to explore the town more fully once we've made sure there's nothing unusual going on that we have to beware of, such as a visit from the high inquisitor, or whatever." "Before we head into town, let's all practice our disguises, and learn each others' disguises as well, in case we need to swap at some point." With studied ease, she adjusts her iron circlet again...
As His Eminence says, 'Be ruthless to thy enemy, but reward those who serve thee well.' I'm not going to kill Balam's new squire because he has affection for people outside our little group. His connections could be useful. I have faith that Balam can keep him in line...and that I can spot any rebellion in him before he can act.
Geborah gives Timeon a sharp look. How best to handle this divided loyalty? Remove the family members that could cause a conflict, or use them as additional leverage? Or...is there a way to do both? "You've been an acceptable servant so far, Timeon, and service is rewarded. We can arrange for your family to stay safe during Sakkarot's attack...assuming you continue to serve us well. So make a list right now of every family member you care about, so we can include them in our plans. You can be reunited with them afterwards, as their savior." "Tatienne, I felt it to be less likely to make Timeon's old neighbors suspicious if he returns, says that Sir Balin died in the line of duty, and that he needs a chance to rest and recover before he'll be ready to talk about it than if a visiting squire is never seen to remove his helm, speak, or eat in public." She cocks her head thoughtfully. "But on reflection, we could use the circlets to allay suspicion." She adjusts her circlet on her head, and seems to transform into a young man of Timeon's exact build, but with a repulsively disfigured face, the nose and front teeth missing due to an old gash. "We can let this face be seen a few times, and no one will wonder why he goes helmed around town. And if we think Timeon's return as himself would be useful to our plans, we can stage that later." She switches to silent communication with the Knot. Once we reach the town, Timeon must never be alone or unwatched. I believe he is set on his new path, and I don't think he'd have the courage to betray us in any case, but too much is at stake to risk that. Balam, he will never leave your side unless another of us is with him, and when you sleep, one of our familiars will stand guard.
Oh, good timing for leveling up--it gives me a chance to boost Geborah's infiltration skills a little. At 4th level, Geborah gains:
7 skill points: Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, Knowledge (Nobility), Perception, Perform (Comedy), Sense Motive. (Golachab does too.) +1 to Fortitude and Will saves and BAB. (Golachab does too.) New spell slots: 1 first and 1 second level cleric spells. +1 Wisdom.
Wow, my apologies for the wall of text. I got typing and just couldn't stop. Hope I made it interesting enough to read through.
As the top of the Frosthamar’s mast sinks beneath the water, Geborah cackles and rubs her hands together over a tree stump she set burning to vanquish the chilly morning air. “Isn’t this just the best game ever? I swear none of them suspected a thing until the seconds before Tatienne drove her tines in. That’s how it should be at Balentyne.” “And it will be, thanks in no small part to our secret weapon, here.” She reaches out and grabs the back of Timeon’s neck, giving him an affectionate shake. Her eyes gleam, remembering when she had him on a literal leash in the dungeons beneath Cardinal Thorn’s mansion. He’s grown an inch or two since then…but Balam and I still have him firmly bound. “By the subtle providence of Asmodeus”—and the hidden hand of His Eminence—“we have among us the ideal guide. Timeon grew up in the town of Aldencross, in the shadow of Balentyne tower. We shall rely on him to tell us many things about the town, its people and customs, as we lay our plans for its conquest. Do your part well, squire, and who knows? Perhaps Cardinal Thorn will make you lord of these lands once the nation is restored to the proper worship of our Dark Prince.” She looks at the circle of faces gathered around her fire. Her respect for these men and women has grown and grown. If she ever had doubts about their ability to carry out Cardinal Thorn’s will, she has none now. “Let us consider how we might best set in motion the fall of Balentyne tower. We have a month to accomplish that—but for caution’s sake, let’s allow ourselves three weeks. It seems to me that before we take any action against it, we should take a week or so to learn all we can of its strengths and weaknesses. Of course, we forsaken cannot enter the town as ourselves—we know from our encounter with the shore patrol that our stories and descriptions have been circulated far and wide. I think we should present ourselves as a small caravan of travelers who fell in together to make the journey here but aren’t otherwise connected. That way if one of us falls under suspicion, the rest of us won’t be immediately condemned.” “Timeon, you can’t lie convincingly, so you’ll work to say as little as possible. When you’re recognized, you’ll explain that Sir Balin died in the line of duty and that you just aren’t ready to talk to anyone about it—that you’ve returned to Aldencross to rest a while. Sir Balam can be a kindly knight of Sir Balin’s order who has assumed responsibility for you and is considering taking you as a squire once you’ve recovered. Perhaps he can offer his services to the fortress; even if he isn’t accepted, he might learn much from its captains.” “Tatienne, I think you could most easily pass for a traveling scholar. Perhaps you could be writing a book about the great fortresses of Talingarde—dedicated to the glory of Mitra, of course!—and seek permission to explore the tower and interview its inhabitants.” “Wraith, it would be useful for one of use to pose as a traveling merchant, and you best fit that role. Not only could you exchange our hides, ivory, and captured weapons for gold, and perhaps find us items necessary to our plans, you could ingratiate yourself with the town’s shopkeepers, and see what you can discover about the tower’s supply.” “Jezabel can pass herself off as a traveling entertainer, ‘Saucy Sally Madcap’. She can sing and play the fool. People expect and tolerate a certain amount of eccentric behavior from performers, so she’ll have license to do and say and ask things others couldn’t. She could learn much in the taverns of the town.” Of course, with her voice and her sense of humor, not everyone will believe she could make a living performing… they’ll assume she makes money entertaining men the old fashioned way. Which could be useful, too. And I’m sure it won’t be the first time Jezabel’s been offered money for that. “I plan to have ‘Auntie Geb’ be a newly displaced servant looking for a new situation after the death of her old master. I will approach various people in the fortress looking for employment. Whether or not I get a position, I should be able to see behind the scenes of the castle’s daily life.” “Nothing says we have to stick to these disguises, of course. For example, if I get a job that gives me access to a library that Wraith could exploit, we could switch disguises. And of course we could stop using a disguise that has attracted too much attention, or create a new identity to take advantage of a new opportunity. These just seem like good roles to start with.” “But I’m sure you folks have ideas too. There’s no rush to choose. What do you think?”
Ok, thanks. It's nice to have those options.
"Lash them to the mast for now, Balam. Jezabel, after you heal yourself and Tatienne, use your language spell on yourself and one of the sailors, and see if you can pry any of Odenkirk's secrets out of him. Perhaps the captain had treasure buried somewhere along his smuggling route. Try not to kill, please." "Wraith, Tatienne...the ship is ours. Let's search it top to bottom for valuables before we sink it. Wraith, look for magic auras. Tatienne, you're our engineer; try to put together a sledge or something so we can tow our ivory and seal skins, as well as whatever else we find. At the least, we should find the gold His Eminence paid him." "Once we're done, show Balam what timbers to wreck in the hold to send this ship below in a hurry. We'll have the sailors maneuver her to water deep enough to hide her, then sink her. Cardinal Thorn suggested that we burn her, but when we needed to hide the evidence of the patrol ship, Odenkirk said sinking was a more certain method, and I believe His Eminence would want us to be as thorough as possible." "The sailors themselves will be blood sacrifices to Asmodeus in gratitude for our successful journey, and to beseech his favor on the great work we are about to begin. Yes, Jezabel, after that you may eat them." "All clear? Any further ideas? Very well. Let us be done with it."
Folks. Folks. We finished an entire round of combat in one day. I am so very proud of us all. Keep 'em coming!
Geborah suddenly lunges at the nearest guard with both hands, raking him with her claws, then hops out of reach before he can retaliate.
Timeon moves to cut that guard off from pursuing Geborah, leveling a reckless blow at his head.
Laughing in a sing-song lilt, Jezebel fixes her multi-hued eyes on a nearby sailor, and curses him with slowed reactions. Only mentioning it because otherwise Geb and Jez would be having conversations about being changelings.
Timeon is in a precarious position. For one thing, he's surrounded by armed sailors--they're all still in shock from the sudden attack, but that won't last much longer. For another, his clumsy first attack failed to impress his superiors. Well, perhaps he could change both situations. He slashes at the sailor who took the worst of the Geborah's attack while he is distracted by his burning clothing, then rushes into battle formation with Sir Balam, Geborah, and Tatienne.
Thanks. I'm just glad to have a teammate who can crit for, what, a million damage? Tatienne is seriously dangerous when buffed.
Geborah pivots to face the nearby sailors, and the hell-magic she chants rises in pitch and volume as she directs a wave of flame over them.
She laughs as they ignite. "I love the smell of burning sailors in the morning. It smells like...victory."
Geborah steps up to the paralyzed captain and snatches his axe away. "You won't be needing this any more."
Ill Omen also has that "get rid of it with a move action" clause, and it can't be Cackled to last for round after round or spammed on other targets. And when it's the target's turn, they could probably make low-consequence d20 rolls--Perception or Knowledge checks, for example--to get rid of the effect without taking a move action. It's a solid spell, I agree. On the other hand, if Geb didn't have it, I'd just have had her memorize and cast Hold Person twice, which would let her hit a second target if Odenkirk failed his first save. GM, if you want to say the save Odenkirk made vs. the Ill Omen was his first save vs. the Hold Person, I understand. Though I guess he still might have failed the save since the DC would be higher. |