Since it's been 5 months since the last post, I'm going to say that our experiment into PbP is concluded. It was fun while it lasted, and I wish we had made it a little further along but it isn't for everyone.
Thanks for trying it out, all!
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Scribbles' Detect Magic: Again, Ulrich's wrists give off the school of alteration, but one of Sand's wrists also has an aura around it, from the school of conjuration. Both pale in comparison to Scribbles' own arm, and Scribbles feels a strong urge to cover it with his other hand. The man passed out on the table is giving off some weird magical vibes that Scribbles can't place no matter how hard he concentrates, which is strange to him on a few levels. But in the back of the room, there glares a brilliantly dark aura of necromancy: across the mantle above the fireplace lies a well-preserved, cracked skull and a black staff. Scribbles' right arm tingles a little. Finally, there are some dim auras of magical trinkets in the various rooms.
Ulrich and Scribbles step into the Laughing Lich and see that the morning crowd is what one would expect: quiet and mostly empty. Sand has no memory of time elapsed but realizes he has been out of it for quite some time. The orc Rexah is eerily unmoving as he walks away. He walks through the Lich's doors shortly after Ulrich and Scribbles. Sand notices Scribbles' vacant expression, a little too much like Rexah's when he left her and he suspects like his own up until a few moments ago. There are a few patrons, some coming down the stairs from their rooms and ordering breakfast, some holding their heads and returning to the bottle for some relief. At the table where the adventurers had met the day before, there is still the passed out man still passed out. The mountainous bartender looks as if he never left, and of his helpers only Silas is seen cleaning tables and sweeping the floor.
The manor is silent as Ulrich and Scribbles wait for a response that never comes.
As Ulrich walks toward the door, left foot lands on the blackened area. Both Scribbles and Ulrich hear sobbing next to Ulrich, broken with laughter from the same voice. the voice cries, the source the empty space in the middle of the blackened circle. The sobbing returns followed by, "I didn't mean it... I didn't..." The air warms back up to slightly chilly, and the sobbing recedes.
The night passes uneventfully, and morning dawns on the brave adventurers. Ulrich and Scribbles hear the sound of the town waking up: a rooster crows, the temple's bells ring the morning hour happily, conversational tones drift through the manor's boarded up windows. Another day in Corby's Crossing has started, and nothing seems amiss... In the town. The manor still feels wrong. Too cold and as if something unseen watches.
Ulrich's Watch:
Ulrich Perception DC 15:
Ulrich is confident that the night is still. He does notice that the air around them becomes colder, and he is filled with unease. He gets the feeling that he doesn't belong here. But he might also dismiss the feeling as being paranoid. Occasionally, he catches the faint sound of sobbing near the entrance. Ulrich Perception DC 20:
Additionally an hour into his watch, Ulrich hears some bushes rustling behind the house and possibly some hushed voices, though it's difficult to pick up and he can't say for sure.
Scribbles Perception DC 15:
Scribbles is confident that the night is still. He does notice that the air around them becomes colder, and he is filled with unease. He gets the feeling that he doesn't belong here. But he might also dismiss the feeling as being paranoid. Occasionally, he catches the faint sound of sobbing near the entrance. Scribbles Perception DC 20:
Additionally toward the end of his watch, Scribbles hears some bushes rustling behind the house.
Surprisingly... Ulrich still doesn't break the lock. Scribbles' Detect Magic: As soon as Scribbles casts the spell, he's almost overwhelmed by a magical aura surrounding his arm. After a few moments, he's able to pick up an aura in the blackened area, as well. Both auras give off the feeling of death and decay: the school of necromancy.
Scribbles is able to tune out the two stronger auras and pick out the magical aura coming from his ring, unsurprising to him that it has no school as he has sensed his ring's aura many times. He is also able to pick out a faint magical aura on Ulrich's wrists, giving off the school of transmutation. Finally, after several moments of concentration, he's able to pick up some very faint auras east; he estimates these auras are just within the 60 feet range of the spell, possibly inside the Laughing Lich. One is stronger than the rest, another school of necromancy aura. The others are too faint to really make out. Scribbles could conclude these other auras could be from belongings of the Laughing Lich or its patrons.
With the light, you can see the sword is a gladius. It looks fairly old and a bit singed at the hilt and up to where it went through the skeleton, but where you estimate it went through the skeleton, the sword looks rusted and ancient. Ulrich swings true with the gladius, and the sword shatters where the rusted part begins. The sword scratches the lock.
By this point, it is very dark in the house. You can't see any details of the sword itself without some light.
Perception DC 15 to Search Manor:
You notice many scrape marks on the wooden floor, some fairly deep gouges, which you might guess to be from hurried or careless moving of heavy furniture. The area surrounding and leading up to the skeleton is free of such markings. Perception DC 20 to Search Manor:
Additionally, you find some suspiciously loose floorboards on the first level. You pry them up to find a big trap door with a lock on it.
Ulrich Perception DC 10 on Scribbles:
Scribbles' right hand and arm are sporting an intricate orange and black tattoo that almost looks like a burn around its edges, but you can't remember whether he had that earlier and just didn't take notice. Ulrich Perception DC 15 on Scribbles: Additionally, Scribbles' right sleeve looks a bit singed.
Scribbles searches the entire manor without further incident. There are two floors, a curving staircase leading up. There are bits of what used to be furniture here and there in the various rooms, worthless clutter that give hints to what the space was used for, cheap dishes and utensils, torn scraps from rough blankets. But there doesn't appear to be anything of value that Scribbles can see. Scribbles Perception DC 15:
Scribbles notices many scrape marks on the wooden floor, some fairly deep gouges, which he might guess to be from hurried or careless moving of heavy furniture. The area surrounding and leading up to the skeleton is free of such markings. Scribbles Perception DC 20 (Can read DC 15 spoiler, too):
Additionally, Scribbles finds some suspiciously loose floorboards on the first level. He pries them up to find a big trap door with a lock on it. While Ulrich waits outside as a lookout, he sees the three guards from earlier down the road, leaving the house across the way from the guardhouse, which you remember them mentioning as the mayor's. They are making their way toward Ulrich and the manor but haven't seemed to notice him yet.
When Scribbles' fingers brush against the skull, he intuitively knows that the skeleton previously bore the orb's mark as he does now. In his mind, he hears the sound of scraping feet on wood, clanking of steel clashing, harsh words spoken from the betrayed, a blade sinking deep through flesh, a shocked final gasp, bitter and dismissive murmuring followed by surprised and muffled voices, crackling as if from a fire, and then silence. The skeleton does not reply.
As Scribbles touches the dagger, sudden dread and despair washes over him and the temperature seems to drop even more. He hears sobbing next to him, broken with laughter from the same voice. the voice cries, the source seemingly the motionless skeleton. The sobbing returns followed by, "I didn't mean it... I didn't..." The air warms back up to slightly chilly, and the sobbing recedes.
Scribbles can't make out many details as the manor is very dark, but with his low-light vision and the open door, he can see most of the big entryway, which used to flaunt wealth but now looms coated in layers of dust and cobwebs, barren. As Scribbles cautiously steps inside and closes the door behind him, his eyes adjust to the very dim lighting coming from the small cracks between the boards covering the windows. The far corner of the entryway is blackened, and in the middle of this blackened area, there lies an intact skeleton with a sword through its ribcage stuck downwards into the wall, its arms outstretched on both of its sides on the ground. One hand loosely clasps a dagger while the other remains open with an ornately carved metal orb resting upon it. As Scribbles’ eyes find the orb, all other potential details of the entryway go unnoticed and he finds it difficult to look away.
In a daze, Scribbles walks up to the orb... Scribbles Perception DC 15:
The farther in you go, the colder it seems to get until you find yourself mildly shivering. If you look hard enough, you can see puffs from your breath.
... and picks it up. He straightens from bending to grab the orb and is able to see a couple of the symbols etched into its surface before they start to glow orange. Before he can react, his hand feels hot. The symbols brighten, and the metal orb seems to just melt. Scribbles' right hand burns as the metal glides from his hand down his arm. The metal glows orange and then white, forming the same symbols. He's briefly blinded, but the heat seems to fade away almost as quickly as it came into existence. A moment passes; he stands there blinking, stunned. As his vision returns, he can see that his right arm now bears the markings and the orb is nowhere to be seen.
There are plenty of readily available hidey-holes for Scribbles to put his pack if he so desires. The bushes around the manor are thick enough to conceal it. Scribbles looks through the windows to try to find a good one to enter, but he quickly discovers they are boarded up on the inside. He finds himself standing in front of the main entrance, hand placed on the door handle. Scribbles Perception DC 15:
The door handle seems a bit too cold. He slowly pushes the door handle's lever down, and the door opens with a creak.
Scribbles and Ulrich walk away from the two eerily unmoving travelers, and as they again approach the Laughing Lich, they look at the surrounding buildings. Near the intersection of the north-south dirt path and the east-west main road, there is a small shack, a farmer's house, to their left and nice, well-kept yet humble abode to the right. Northeast looms the Laughing Lich, but to the northwest, there is a manor with patches of overgrown bushes and weeds closely surrounding it.
What Ulrich Might be Missing: Ulrich can't find his potion of cure light wounds.
Sense Motive DC 20:
His story doesn't seem to quite match up, but you can't make sense of whether he's lying, stretching truth, or telling the truth as he sees it. You get the feeling that truth and lies are mixed in most of his statements and that you'll likely never get a straight answer out of him regarding anything.
There are certainly critters in this little wood, but Scribbles can't seem to catch a glimpse of one.
Hurst slightly narrows his eyes at Rexah and his customer service smile dips before he freezes it in place. "Hello... sir? Ma'am? No matter. We don't know who has been stealing. It's very embarrassing, these thefts in the middle of this small town on our watches. If we knew who has been doing it, we would have them in chains already. Many travelers come through here, of varying... morality," he pauses and his flat stare at Rexah might suggest his doubt of hers, "and so it could very well be that the thefts are not even linked." Yet Another Sense Motive on Hurst DC 11:
He's either lying again or not telling the whole truth. Camden seems to grow restless, as if he doesn't agree with Hurst but is hesitant to speak out against a superior. He finally comes to a decision and spouts, "You might try talking to the staff of the Laughing Lich. Most, if not all, of the thefts occur behind those doors." It's easy to catch the hard look, not quite a glare, that Hurst gives Camden. Camden very slightly shies away but otherwise looks unabashed.
"And you would do well to not be around another crime scene."
The guard irritably yanks his hand back after a few shakes. "Yes, we are usually around the guardhouse or the mayor's across the Old Ways Road. I didn't catch your name. Not that it matters much, as we don't get many of your kind around here. What do you know of the Black Spears? Not many people know they had a hall here. I think it's a bit far-fetched to think your stolen goods would be in that sad, decrepit place. That's a bit of a leap in logic, don't you think?" He looks to Branson and then Camden who both give a shrug. Hurst smirks as he takes a knee to be just above Scribbles' level. "My advice? Leave the leg work," he pauses to look at Scribbles up and down pointedly, "to those who have the legs." He stands back up, dusts off his knee, and they turn to go. Hurst stops and turns around to add, "If you really must satisfy your curiosity about the guild hall, see the mayor. He has the key. Good day." K(History) on the Black Spears DC 15:
The Black Spears existed before the most recent Erassi-Tahldorian War, mostly taking protective detail and pest extermination contracts, simple things. With the war came the need for more fighting men, and so the king of Tahldor hired the guild. In spite of the losses that war brings, the Spears began to really thrive and grow. But for some reason, it disbanded before there was even serious talk of peace. They had a guild hall in all major cities of Tahldor, and it would stand to reason that they had a hall here in Corby's Crossing for the same reason that the king has a barracks for soldiers: it's an ideal location for a way station in the middle of the kingdom. Sense Motive on Hurst DC 15: Hurst seems to be mainly confused by Scribbles mentioning the guild hall.
As soon as he sees Ulrich lay eyes on him, Rourke scampers up the tree he was hiding behind. "Ay! I don't like how you talk, see," he says from atop the tree. "It's very... grabby. You haven't even taken me to dinner. Very rude. So how's about you stay down there if you wants to talk." Their entertainment having disappeared into the woods, the guards stir themselves once more to leave. They take a few steps north as if to pass the rest of you when the one who seemed to be the leader turns to Scribbles and says, "Your friend is very peculiar. While it is both refreshing and alarming to see Rourke keeping new company, I'd stay clear of him, if I were you. If you find any information about this theft, please come see me immediately." He pauses and then extends a hand, not much lower than he would for a human and so Scribbles would have to really reach up to shake it. "I am Hurst."
I'm going to try to update the Campaign info tab with things the party should know as a quick reference, but you may want to give another read through on the posts following the theft in case you missed something. (*Hint hint.*) It's also hard to get a grasp on the timing of the events since it takes us 3 weeks to get through 30 seconds. Just some things to keep in mind.
Perception DC 25 to find Rourke:
You can see he has crept up another 30 feet, so assuming you've been carefully looking while he's been tip-toeing out, Rourke is still about 15 feet away from Ulrich.
Rourke allows Ulrich to walk with him in a grappled state for a few steps, turning to look at the guards every now and then as if weighing his options...
... or as if measuring the growing distance between you and them. He suddenly decides to break free from Ulrich's grasp and dashes into the wooded area to the southwest. "Good talk, mate!" you hear him call from somewhere in the trees. "Got to run!" Perception DC 23:
You can see he's crouching behind a tree about 15 feet away.
Sorry, I didn't really address this yet, but here it is: You'll have to do some investigation or testing to see what's up rather than figure it out with a roll. But your perception check would say whether or not you see stolen goods hanging from their pockets, yes. Your sense motive just clues you in that something doesn't add up.Basically, there won't be many instances where you get all the answers from a roll. ;P
Rourke moves to jerk his arm back again but doesn't move quick enough . At Ulrich's quietly murmured inquiry, he scrunchs his face in annoyance. "I thought we went over this, mate. I didn't steal anything," he whispers back. He looks up at the guards who are now watching Ulrich and Rourke, more out of boredom than curiosity. Rourke forces a wide grin, waves with his free arm, and says loudly, "He just can't get enough of me, issnt that cute." He turns back to Ulrich and in a hushed voice snaps, "Let go of me!" He gives a little tug to emphasize his point, but you can tell he isn't really trying to break out of your grip just yet. Sense Motive on Rourke DC 20:
He doesn't appear to be lying. NPC rolls:
The guard who has yet to speak, Camden, seems to perk up slightly, leaning in, and more interested in what's happening between Ulrich and Rourke. More than bored, he's also now curious.
NPC dice rolls, not a secret:
The guard in the center opens his mouth to reply to Scribbles' request, his expression begrudging. At Ulrich's insistence that Rourke was not a thief, he closes his mouth and the three guards look briefly suspicious towards Ulrich's claim. They look at each other and shrug. "Yeah, mates, see? These is me mates, too! Ha! We was only pullin' ya about!" Rourke gives Ulrich a wink. "No interruu-gation necessary." He holds out his hand to the guard on the right. "Me personal ee-ffects, Camden." The guard Camden first looks to the man in the center who nods. Camden then hands off Rourke's gear. "Thank ee, thank ee," Rourke says and gives a deep mock bow. "Well." He looks around at everyone. "I'm off." He starts walking south past the guards who are slowly stirring to go north on the path past you all.
Rourke jerks his shoulder away. "Alright, git off. You gave me a good whack there." The central guard asks, "What do you mean, what's going on here? We're taking this man into custody to question him. He doesn't appear to have any stolen items on him-" "Tha's cuz I didn't do no stealin', mate," Rourke quips. "Shut it," the guard Branson snaps. The central guard gives a hard look at Rourke before continuing. "He doesn't appear to have any stolen items on him, but he could have hidden it before you four dutiful citizens gave chase." Rourke raises his pointer finger and says, "Oorrr! Or, I could have not taken anything, been mindin' me own business." The central guard sighs. "Or that, yes." Rourke lights up and pumps a fist as if he's won a small point.
Rexah, finally free, runs back to the path to see what she missed in the chase. The thief is blocked by three guards who stand around him, leaning on spears. They don't look to be threatening the man all that much, but he nevertheless has both hands up, bent at the elbow. "Oh, if ittisnt the mayor's men. Ya lot got me," he says without concern, and you can almost hear the smug smile on his face. "But what, say, is me crime. Or perhaps you're here to serve and protect? This lot," he points behind him, "have been chasing me about. That one," he turns at the waist and points at Sand, "tried to take me whacking stick. Which is for self-defense only, of course." "Of course..." replies the guard on the left . "What are ye doin', Rourke?" "Thievin'," the man says. There's a pause as the guards stop leaning against their spears and give the man hard stares. He laughs, "I'm only just joking. Come on, Branson, you know me. This lot just been throwing accusations, saying I need to give things back or some such. Aah, foreigners. Cute, but you can't trust them, eh." The guards look uncertainly at each other. The one directly in front of the man states, "Turn out your pockets, Rourke." He grumbles but complies. On the path, he drops a disguise kit, his sap, thieves' tools, and four darts. "Satisfied?" he asks the guard.
The central guard gestures and the guard on the right collects the gear. "Not yet. You have nothing better to do than come with me to the guardhouse anyway, so why don't we go for a walk and you can tell me about your day." Rourke winces. The central guard turns to all of you and says, "Thank you for keeping up the chase long enough for us to get here. This isn't the first theft, but hopefully it will be the last." Sense Motive DC 7 to read guard: While it doesn't make sense to you that the guard would be lying, he's lying about something. Or maybe he isn't lying, but he seems very suspicious, eyes not quite meeting yours, nervously gripping his spear and releasing to grip nervously again. Shifty. Subtle cues that by themselves would not be concerning but together paint an obvious picture.
Seeing the thief drop something on the ground, whether by accident or design, Ulrich decides to play it safe and maneuver around. "You are the one who stole things from people, moron!" "Are you so sure about that?!" the alleged thief replies, his voice a curious mix of panic and whimsy. Sand, however, decides to push through regardless of the thief's probable clumsiness .
Scribbles joins the scene and tries to charm the thief. "Wait, friends, we can all work this out!"
"Some friends you have, runt!" the thief spits. "Here's what we can work out: You lot stop running after me and grabbing at me and trying to take me stick." He glares first at Scribbles, then at Ulrich, and finally, in an attempt to look angry but coming off as merely befuddled, at Sand. "Why you want me stick, mate? That's a bit indecent. A bit weird."
With that, he suddenly dives between Sand's legs. The thief then runs along the south facing wall and scrambles up the fence. You hear him drop on the other side and continue forward, crunching grass and gravel under foot. ... But it sounds like more crunching than what just one pair of feet would make. As soon as you realize that, you hear a few men shouting over each other, "Stop! By order of the mayor, stop!"
What Rexah Sees:
As she desperately hacks at the tar, something catches Rexah's eyes through the small trees behind her; there is another hooded figure walking toward the front door of what looks like an abandoned manor. Ulrich climbs the fence and pushes off, grabbing the thief's arms from behind and holding them in a lock in his elbows. At the same time, Sand jumps over the fence with ease and tries to steal a tempting weapon in reach, but the thief manages to jerk away.
Perception DC 17:
The thief dropped caltrops just around the corner of this house. "Would it be too much to ask for you to stop chasing me?!" he calls over his shoulder.
Rexah, caught in some black, tar-looking substance, tries to break free through brute force but is unsuccessful. Scribbles fiddles with his ring and suddenly becomes much faster, running right up to Rexah in her stuck state. The startled rancher hurries down the path away from the potential violence, looking over his shoulder a few times in fear. The thief's mouth formed an "O" as if he was about to yell something to the effect of what Ulrich guessed, but after Ulrich said it, the man shuts his mouth angrily. He sidesteps away from Ulrich and then jumps on top of the 5 foot tall wooden fence and drops on the other side.
Seeing the potential for flanking her enemy, Rexah cuts through the gap between houses and finds a surprise hidden in the grass. As she storms forward, she feels her feet tug at a trip wire that easily gives and has the briefest of moments to realize something was activated before a small pouch launches at her feet. Instinct kicks in a second too late and she tries to jump away, but her feet are glued to the ground.
Rounds until glue falls apart:
What Scribbles Sees:
Scribbles sees everyone running down a small dirt path. The thief looks over his shoulder as he runs, a small laugh escaping his lips as freely as he seemingly has escaped his pursuers, confident in his lead. As he does, he misses the rancher pushing his wheelbarrow across the path to his fenced lot. The thief collides with the wheelbarrow, and his smirk is whiped from his face to be replaced with surprise and he gives a startled yelp. He quickly collects himself and turns eastward. Sand, Ulrich, and Rexah lose sight of him briefly around the corner, but Sand and Ulrich can hear his muffled curses.
Rexah sees Sand about to get up off the ground near a sort of mechanical trap that was not exactly hidden and hears Ulrich running and shouting.
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