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"I can give it a try!" Jessibel tells Arani with a nervous smile. When Caldariel makes his pronouncement about her condition and asks if she can function, the young bard gets defensive. "I've never taken any drugs before, let alone been addicted to anything!" She pauses a moment, thinking. "Actually, I've felt a bit off since that ghost in the last room reached inside me. Could it have passed an addiction it had in life on to me? I think I'm all right...for the most part."
Jessibel stares at the spirit with glassy eyes. Then she quietly whispers that her detect magic spell has located multiple hits on the skeletal remains of the halfling. The ghost apparently overhears; her eyes narrow and her gregarious smile disappears.
Secret GM Rolls:
I'll throw this character in for consideration. Jessi's a silver balladeer bard/charlatan rogue at the moment. - She can sing. :)
I went with the multiclass build because Jessibel was originally a PC in the Hell's Rebels game I'm currently running, and she switched to NPC mode; I figured multiclassing into rogue (charlatan) might be the way to go, as she's a background figure in that campaign. One other thing: In the original game, Jessibel joined the displaced Kintargo Opera House Society (see Inner Sea Magic) and one of its potential boons was to be able to multiclass while still retaining bardic spell progression. That's something I'd be interested in if it's available. About Jessibel: Jessibel got drawn into the rebellion when Barzillai Thrune pretty much disbanded the Court of Coin and her mother suspended her allowance. She attended the Aria Park Protest mainly for kicks and survived the riot and slaughter it turned into. She's spent her time since writing and performing anti-Thrune satire, battling the Chelish Citizens Group in one district of the city (Villegre, maybe), helped rid the city the city of an addictive drug called 'honey spot' (the secretions of a morgodea--see AP #99), and running errands for House Aulorian to get and pay for the mithral goodies she needs as a silver balladeer. Initially bratty and selfish, Jessibel's learned that most citizens in Kintargo have suffered far worse than she in Barzillai Thrune's Kintargo. She's attained a goodly amount of the responsibility that her mother (and grandmother--Archbaroness Eldonna) never expected the teen to show. She's not much of a combat character. Her lowest ability scores are Strength and Wisdom; her highest are Charisma and Dexterity. She might not be a good choice if you decide to just adding one new PC, but she'd make a great choice as a sixth. I'll update her stats/equipment and look into other ways to link her to the current party if she's accepted.
Thanks again to the GM for the longish application progress: It allowed me to catch up with some real life stuff while also considering Jessibel's ancestry feat in depth. Final submission spoilered below. Jessibel Aulamaxa: Female Human Bard: JESSIBEL AULAMAXA ANCESTRY: Human (Taldan)
BACKGROUND: Child of Kintargo
CLASS: Bard
ABILITY SCORES: STR 10, DEX 16, CON 12, INT 14, Wis 10, Cha 16 Intended Role: Jessibel is meant to be a jack-of-all-trades support character, offering a bit of healing magic, inspire courage to boost the power of her more martially-inclined allies, and firsthand knowledge of Kintargo’s nobility. She’s also brashly confident while interacting with others, whether sweet-talking them with Diplomacy or lying through her smiling teeth with Deception. In combat, she’ll rely on her Dexterity, using finesse and ranged weapons. BACKGROUND: The younger of two children born to the late Markham Aulamaxa (murdered while visiting Westmarch five years ago) and Leandra Ghival, Jessibel’s the black sheep of the Kintargo branch of the Aulamaxa family tree. While her elder brother (Jonathan) is a smart and respectable fellow who’s learned the ins and outs of the family businesses, Jessi’s been something of an irresponsible, devil-may-care party girl and entitled brat. While she has grace, charisma, and smarts, Jessibel uses her assets in trivial matters; her mother is resigned to believing her daughter will never amount to anything of substance. Her mother is likely right, at least to some degree. While Jessibel recently began performing in some local playhouses (and plans on one day starring onstage at the prestigious Kintargo Opera House), thus far she’s used the money and connections made to party extravagantly with other young nobles from the Greens. Jessibel’s grandmother—the Archbaroness Eldonna—sees potential in the young bard, however. If she can instill a bit of discipline and responsibility in the young woman, the Archbaroness believes Jessibel may yet be an asset to the noble family.
Dotting for interest. I'll be adjusting this 1E character to a 2E version.
How do I keep letting myself get into these situation? Jessibel thought as Falina again cornered her effortlessly, like a cat playing with a baby chick fallen out of its nest. It's because you're trying so hard to act responsibly that you lose focus! the young bard chided herself. Jessibel tried to regain that lost focus, but when Falina's kiss became passionate her willpower failed utterly and she found herself returning the kiss with ardor. When Falina finally released her and sashayed back to the rest of the party daring anyone to comment, Jessibel had the exact opposite reaction: She blushed deeply and looked like she wanted to vanish from sight. Yet her eyes never left the sorceress as Falina sauntered away and they burned with a hunger she did not fully understand.
Jessibel finds she can't stay miffed at Dom for very long. "I understand why you left me behind: I have to tread a fine line myself to avoid Grandmother's wrath. It took all my charms and very best arguments to get her to allow me to join the small caravan north to Cypress Point, even though it's got a few decent guards and I should be perfectly safe."
Jessibel's so caught up in not speaking to Dom that Falina's kiss takes her by surprise. The young bard stiffens initially but then melts in her embrace, unable for some reason she doesn't quite understand to resist the gorgeous sorceress's charms. When she's caught her breath, Jessi tells Falina that she might have to deliver her message to Sabrina herself and that the Sarini scion and Rexus are staying at the Silver Stein Inn for the time being to give Turl, Forvian, and the other rebels a place to check in and report briefly. Jessi also reports that her family's weekly fish deliveries have arrived from Cypress Point and that she's planning on smuggling Laria and the other halfling out of the city the next morning. Although the bard seems angry at Dom (likely because he left her behind when he left the city to hunt down Scarplume), when she notices him wince in pain it suddenly dawns on her that maybe her friend still has lingering wounds from the battle with the strix sorceress. "Why didn't you tell me you were still hurt?" Jessi demands. "Afraid that I'd say 'I told you so!' that you'd need a healer if you meant to hunt down that crazy strix? Well...I told you so!" After muttering something about 'pig-headedness' under her breath, the bard sings a healing spellsong to treat the last of Dom's wounds.
Here's the tweaked version of Jessibel I promised. For healing, she's got both cure light wounds and cure moderate wounds in her spell repertoire. Depending on how her character wealth turns out, maybe she could own a wand of cure light wounds as well (or instead of CMW). For easy inclusion into the game, I gave her connections to Setrona Sabinus and the Jhaltero noble family. The biggest quirk in her build is that she's a member of the Kintargo Opera House Society from Inner Sea Magic. I included a spoiler near the bottom of her sheet with those rules included. In previous games, she'd managed to earn two low-level boons from this membership: eclectic training and the Idolized award. The entrance fee and semester fees may cut into her character wealth (although she's got the Noble Stipend feat). This might require some math if she's selected as-is...or we could drop the whole KOHS angle if you'd prefer. Jessibel Aulamaxa Character Sheet/Background: Jessibel Lily Aulamaxa _____________________________________________ Race Human Gender Female Age 18 Class Bard (Silver Balladeer) Level 3 Class Rogue (Charlatan) Level 1 Init +3; Senses Perception +7 AL Neutral Good DoB 10/1/4697 _____________________________________________ DEFENSE _____________________________________________ AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +3 Dex, +1 shield) hp 30 Fort +2, Ref +8, Will +3; +4 bonus on saving throws against curses, hexes, and charm effects _____________________________________________ OFFENSE _____________________________________________ Speed 30 ft. Melee mithral rapier +7 (1d6 piercing/18-20) or dagger +5 (1d4 piercing, slashing/19-20) Ranged shortbow +5 (1d6 piercing/x3) Special Attacks
Kintargo Opera House Society Education Skill Checks: Bluff, Diplomacy, Linguistics, Knowledge (nobility), Perform (any)
Languages Common, Infernal
Appearance
Backstory:
To make matters worse, Archbaroness Eldonna Aulamaxa, frustrated with the alarmingly diminished role of the Court of Coin, is worried about the noble house's finances going forward in Lord-Mayor Thrune's new Kintargo. As a result, she cut back stipends to non-essential personnel, and Jessi’s mother suspended Jessi’s allowance indefinitely! Terrible timing, as it turned out, for Jessibel had just sunk much of her savings into a masterwork set of studded leather armor with a matching backpack. Forced to sing for her supper (and all the goodies a young noblewoman has a right to expect!), Jessibel decided to perform at the fateful Aria Park Protest to earn some coin by entertaining the crowd. Although the protest ended in a riot, Jessibel made some friends by helping an overwhelmed group of student protesters beat back the attack of a gang of rowdy Chelish Citizens’ Group thugs with her inspirational battle songs and blade of her rapier. Her efforts that day changed her fortunes considerably. In addition to making a tidy profit, the budding performer came to the attention of Giveni Henge, a bard himself and the proprietor of the Three-Legged Devil dance hall in Old Kintargo. Something of a revolutionary at heart, Henge not only hired the pretty young lady to work the crowd in his establishment as a “front-room girl” (as opposed to the lasses-for-hire who work its back rooms and upstairs), he put in a good word with her with the remnants of the Kintargo Opera House Society. When that (once) prestigious institution sent Jessibel an invitation to join, Lady Eldonna gifted her granddaughter with a generous stipend (100 gp per week, as per the Noble Stipend feat) and lent her the hefty admission fee. Under the alias of Amanda Juliarc, a visiting student from Corentyn, Jessibel has been instrumental in fomenting anti-Thrune sentiment in both the Society and wider city: She contributed the song “We Be Thrunies” to the successful socio-political play “Night of Asses,” distributed cartoonish literature meant to mock both Lord-Mayor Thrune and his Proclamation the Second, and is spreading the word among Kintargo’s student population on a new use of the prestidigitation spell she calls the Silver Bird: a silver circle drawn on a public surface with a middle finger raised at an angle (to make it look a little bit like a soaring avian) to show Thrune what they think of his short reign thus far. In her spare time, Jessibel also adventured with some of the folks she’d helped battle the Chelish Citizens Group during the Aria Park Protest. The party’s leader, a dwarf approaching middle age named Turl, had been a young adult during the tumultuous years of the Chelish Civil War. He’d had interactions with members of the original Silver Ravens organization, and one of these lesser Ravens, a half-elf bard who went by the stage name of Silverbelle, caught Jessibel’s interest. Silverbelle had been a specialist bard known as a silver balladeer, with powers that augmented items made from steel and its marvelous cousin mithral. Though Jessibel became obsessed with learning about Silverbelle, silver balladeers, and the old Silver Ravens organization, she, Turl, and two other novice adventurers (a brother and sister from the Albaster Academy) spent most of their time and effort thwarting the plans of the Chelish Citizens Group in the city’s Redroof and Old Kintargo districts. Still, Jessi pressed Turl on his memories of Silverbelle and the Silver Ravens, and the dwarf’s recollections led the adventurers to the Fair Fortune Livery and the safe house beneath it. Though it had already been ransacked (by the new Silver Raven PCs), Turl was struck by a sudden epiphany. Suspecting that Silverbelle had perished shortly before the Silver Ravens disbanded, he wondered aloud where the rebels had buried their honored dead, commenting that there was a little-used cemetery called the Tears of Aroden located just a block north of the old livery. There the adventurers discovered a family crypt belonging to the Argent family. The crypt door’s lock was broken, so the heroes crept inside to investigate. Sure enough, this was where the Silver Ravens had interred their fallen associates, and Silverbelle’s marked sarcophagus was indeed present. Unfortunately, the place had become the lair of a pack of ghouls, and the undead ambushed the intruders. Jessibel was paralyzed during the battle, but she regained her senses near its end, finding in herself the courage and skill to somehow put down the last two badly-wounded ghouls. It was a hollow victory, however: Turl and the male sibling had been slain, and her brother’s death caused his sister to quit the adventuring life for good, leaving Jessibel with only her Opera House Society friends. Unknown to Jessibel, during her moments of paralysis at the claws of a ghoul, her body was possessed by the lingering spirit of Silverbelle. Silverbelle subtly guided her young host since, offering hinted insights in her dreams and leading the promising young noblewoman to her journal, secreted away in a secret cubbyhole in the Fair Fortune Livery’s safehouse. The weak but benevolent and helpful spirit still offers her knowledge when Jessibel needs it but is most powerful when Jessibel is asleep or unconscious. It is during such times that Silverbelle’s spirit can actually briefly take control over her host’s body. Since that fateful day, Jessibel has been training herself as a silver balladeer, all the while working against the illegitimate rule of Lord-Mayor Thrune. In addition to seditious work with the Kintargo Opera House Society, she’s also undertaken side missions for her many allies and trainers: her grandmother; Giveni Henge; a boisterous acquaintance of Henge’s named Setrona Sabinus, who runs a tavern in Old Kintargo called the Tooth and Nail; and allied agents from Songbird Hall. Most recently, Archbaroness Eldonna has suggested a test alliance with Baron Canton Jhaltero, suggesting that together they mold Jessibel into someone capable of both gathering useful information (a Jhaltero specialty) and spinning that info to sway public opinion (an Aulamaxa trademark). SILVER BALLADEER (ARCHETYPE)
Spoiler:
Alignment: Any Good
CHARLATAN (ARCHETYPE)
Spoiler:
A charlatan is a master of lies and deception. Whether creating simple cons or elaborately woven hoaxes capable of swaying the masses and those in positions of power, a charlatan is often a purveyor of snake-oil, forgeries, and rumormongering. Natural Born Liar (Ex): At 1st level, when a charlatan successfully deceives a creature with a Bluff, that creature takes a –2 penalty on the charlatan’s Bluff checks for the next 24 hours. This ability does not stack with itself. This ability replaces trapfinding. Grand Hoax (Ex): At 3rd level, the charlatan begins to master the art of the grand hoax and learns to create deceptions designed to bestow harm upon her foes. She gains the rumormonger advanced talent, even though she is not yet 10th level. This ability takes the place of trap sense. Rogue Talents: The following rogue talents complement the charlatan archetype: black market connections*, coax information**, convincing lie*, honeyed words**, and underhanded*. Advanced Talents: The following advanced rogue talents complement the charlatan archetype: hard to fool*, skill mastery, and unwitting ally*. KINTARGO OPERA HOUSE SOCIETY INFORMATION/RULES
Spoiler:
Spellcaster Guild Spellcaster guilds are superficially similar to academies in that their members work together and trade knowledge to better the group overall. Alchemists, bards, multiclassed spellcasters, and spellcasters who specialize in item creation are the primary members of guilds. As guild students increase in fame, they gain the following rewards. Eclectic training (5 Fame): Guilds often require members to master and train in different subjects. When your fame score in a guild reaches 5, choose one spellcasting class you have at least 1 level in—you increase your effective caster level in that class (including the number of spells you know and can cast per day) by +1, to a maximum caster level equal to your total Hit Dice. Single-classed spellcasters should still pick a class to which this bonus applies, since this bonus is retroactive. Senior Guild Member (20 Fame): You have become a senior member of the guild. Select a category of magic item (such as magic armor, magic weapon, rod, or staff) that has an association with your guild (if no association seems appropriate, select wondrous item). Using guild contacts, you can gain a 10% bonus on the amount of money you make selling these items. Esoteric Training (35 Fame): The bonus to caster level you gain from Eclectic Training increases to +3 (but is still limited by your total Hit Dice). You may select a second spellcasting class to gain a +1 bonus to effective caster level. Guildmaster (50 Fame): You become one of the masters of your guild, and no longer need to pay tuition—every time you would normally pay tuition, you instead earn that amount of gold as your salary. Kintargo Opera House
Education Check: A skill check with a DC of 15 + the student’s current ranks in that skill. About Semesters
I'm interested in applying with a tweaked version of this character. A couple of questions off the top of my head: Are you using the Silver Ravens Organization Rebellion Rules from the HR Player's Guide and, if so, should our characters be built with the boons likely already achieved from that system (+1 skill point, bonus feat, 300-gp potion/gift)?
Misc. Player Info:
Let me know your time zone and the time(s) of day you will most likely be able to post. Eastern U.S. time zone. I don't have home internet but visit a nearby public library for their free WiFi. Hours in spoiler below. Spoiler:
Sunday & Holidays: Closed; can't (usually) post (except during the NFL season, when I can post from my sister's place while we watch the game).
Tell me about your experience with PbP? How many PbP games are you currently participating in? I've been playing on the Paizo boards for nearly 3 years now. I'm usually running 1-2 games and playing in 6-9 others (GMing 1, Jessibel Aulamaxa (female human bard {silver balladeer} 2): Jessibel Lily Aulamaxa _____________________________________________ Race Human Gender Female Age 18 Class Bard (Silver Balladeer) Level 2 Init +2; Senses Perception +5 AL Neutral Good DoB 10/1/4697 _____________________________________________ DEFENSE _____________________________________________ AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +2 Dex, +1 shield) hp 17 Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +3; +4 bonus on saving throws against curses, hexes, and charm effects _____________________________________________ OFFENSE _____________________________________________ Speed 30 ft. Melee mithral rapier +3 (1d6 piercing, cold iron, silver/18-20) or dagger +1 (1d4 piercing, slashing/19-20) Ranged light crossbow +3 (1d8 piercing/19-20) Special Attacks
Kintargo Opera House Society Education Skill Checks: Bluff, Diplomacy, Linguistics, Knowledge (nobility), Perform (any)
Languages Common, Infernal
Appearance
Backstory:
Jessibel decided that she'd attending the Aria Park protest for myriad reasons: to see what if anything came from it; to listen to the messages of both protesters and loyalists; and to put on a memorable performance to earn some coin, have her own small say in the recent proclamations and the perilous course of her city, and--of course--make an impression that no one was likely to forget for quite some time! Toward this end, the bard dressed up as Her Infernal Majestrix--Abrogail Thrune II—including a dangling picture frame attached to a harness she wore. This frame, hanging in front of her pretty yet imperious face—made her a living embodiment of Thrune’s Proclamation the Second. She was quite the hit…until the Chelish Citizens Group crashed the party. She used her bardic performance to inspire courage in those who dared stand against the CCH and dottari but was wise enough to flee once Nox and her hellhound were loosed upon the protesters. More recently, Jessibel crept off alone to investigate the ruins of the Silver Star music shop, partly in the hopes of finding any clues to the fate of its proprietor, Shensen. Hearing a patrol nearing, the teen tried to hide in the ruins but triggered a small cave-in that dropped her into a forgotten chamber, knocking her unconscious. When she regained her senses, Jessi found herself lying across an old skeleton; nearby lay a dirt-encrusted rapier that, when cleaned, was revealed to be made of precious mithral! Jessi escaped and made her way home, newly obsessed with the marvelous lightweight metal. Little did she know, however, that while she was unconscious, her body was possessed by the spirit of the skeleton, a junior member of the original Silver Ravens: a bard named Silverbelle. The spirit sensed a kindred spirit in the young noblewoman and began to nudge Jessi in her thoughts and dreams toward becoming a rare bard offshoot: A silver balladeer. GM QUESTIONS 1) Where/how are you living in Kintargo? (Doesn't have to be a specific location, but it can. If not specific, what part of town at least.) Jessi would start out living in the Aulamaxa Villa in the Greens. Once she’s accepted into the Kintargo Opera House Society, she’d rent a small pad near its new headquarters, likely someplace close to the Kintargo Opera House in Jarvis End.
Silver Balladeer (Archetype) (Partial)
Will you be using Background Skills? Dotting for interest with a scaled-back version of this character. In the previous campaign Jessibel was in, she was offered a place in the Kintargo Opera House Society (Inner Sea Magic), which offered her some extra abilities and more NPCs to interact with; I'd like to go that route again, if you'd be willing. I'll work up a new version of this character in the meanwhile.
Jessibel nods at T'chazzar's words. "I thought about trying that but figured that would be more trouble than it was worth. Plus...Sabrina's so stubborn and whiny."
"Sabrina? You've found Sabrina??!! Want me to come along? Or do think it's some sort of trick or trap?"
Tooth and Nail (26 Pharast) When neither Davina nor Leora immediately agrees to accompany the well-disguised Falina, Jessibel volunteers. Inside the room, the young noblewoman faces the door as requested and calls softly over her shoulder, "That's quite a disguise. I'm not sure how I even recognized you in the park."
Tooth and Nail (26 Pharast) "Yeah, I know," Jessibel responds to Dom. "If you folks weren't all located halfway across the city I'd have asked, but...I figured I could sneak a few blocks on my own. Apparently I was wrong."
"Of course. Presto-Cleano! It's what I do!" "Remind me to tell the girls at the OHS what a great job they did on your mask! I thought it looked formidable on its own, but matched with the falcata and all those muscles...yeah: It works!"
Jessibel's eyes widen just a bit at Falina's salacious request but then the teen becomes a picture of composure as she gives her answer. "I'm already seeing someone," she tells the pretty pitborn. "A boy," she feels compelled to add. "And I'd think that helping to rescue you from that cellar would be payment enough!" she adds with a hint of a huff. After a pause she adds, "I suppose I could magically clean and then brush your hair while you tell me what you know: It's still got some dust and webbing in it." Falina Sense Motive DC 17:
The girl's a tough nut to crack. You think she's telling the truth about seeing someone else. You'd almost believe that she wasn't interested at all if she hadn't thrown you a bone about cleaning and brushing your hair. Your best guess is that Jessibel is taken with and/or perhaps a bit jealous of your beauty and exotic looks but is comfortable with whomever she's currently seeing. Secret GM Rolls:
Jessibel's eyes widened, narrowed, and then widened again as the revelations about the woman named Falina came to light. She blushed slightly when Falina said that Silverbelle had agreed to let the woman "have her way with her," but bards and entertainers were in general pretty liberal and passionate people, so.... What little she'd learned of Silverbelle and the silver balladeers in general had come from the dwarf Turl and a few passing mentions in the documents Rexus was still dutifully translating...but this woman had been the half-elf's contemporary! She might hold the key Jessibel needed to become a full-fledged silver balladeer herself! Not wanting to be rude and/or presumptuous, however, Jessi kept her million questions inside...for now. Remembering her manners, she curtsied slightly to the beautiful lady and introduced herself. "My name is Jessibel Aulamaxa, granddaughter of the Archbaroness, Eldonna. It's a pleasure to meet you, and if I can answer any of your questions about this new Kintargo you now find yourself in, I will gladly do so. I know of a person--a friend of mine--who might be able to provide a link to your past. Do you know a dwarven entertainer by the name of Turl? He knew Silverbelle; perhaps he was an acquaintance of yours as well?"
Even though she was a bit sleep-deprived from back-to-back early morning rises (well, early for her at least!), Jessibel was still acutely aware of Kiri's absence when the Ravens headed to Songbird Hall to check on the mystery woman they'd rescued from the hidden chamber beneath the Silver Star. The noblewoman thought the lady strix didn't like her on some level, yet saw enough potential in her physical abilities (or perhaps just in her attitude) to take her under her wing, as it were. But then again, she'd been certain Kiri had a deep dislike for Dom...until she'd confessed she'd been flirting with him! Strix, Jessi decided, were hard to read. Jessi feared Kiri somewhat, from her strange birdlike mannerisms to her sharp tongue. Yet the teen respected the strix woman, to the point of envy. For Kiri could take care of herself, something Jessibel was not yet capable of doing. Jessi had tried to improve her combat, stealth, and general competence under the strix's watchful eye...often trying too hard to impress her instructor and tripping herself up (often quite literally) in the process. Nervousness aside, though, Jessibel appreciated the toughness with which the strix had always treated their lessons. It forced her to improve fairly rapidly in the small amount of time the increasingly-busy noblewoman could devote to that aspect of her life in the new Silver Ravens. Out of sight, out of mind, though.... With her teacher not present, Jessibel's thoughts switched over to her recent activities with the Kintargo Opera House Society, her looming exams, and her missing frenemy, Sabrina. Thus she was uncharacteristically quiet when the pretty red-eyed woman stirred to life and began to demand some answers.
Jessibel approaches T’chazzar, offering to help him examine the webbed bodies. ”I looked further into the matter you mentioned back at the Nest: What Thrune’s doing with the political prisoners, proclamation breakers, and curfew scofflaws the dottari and his Queensmen take into custody,” she announces, loud enough that other nearby Ravens can overhear as well. ”All of Kintargo’s prison population was moved from the old Holding House to Kintargo Keep in Castle District years ago, but Mayor Barry—as Dom calls him—has reopened the old prison as a place to process those taken prisoner during his ascension to power here. Those he deems serious threats are either moved to Kintargo Keep or executed. The Holding House’s new warden’s allegedly some tall creepy Asmodean inquisitor named Sabo the Spider. Yuck—another spider!” ”Other prisoners serve lesser sentences locked up there,” the bard continues. ”Thrune’s also set up a stage complete with pillories and even some gallows in Veritas Plaza a few blocks south of here, but my contacts tell me no one’s been hung there…yet. His flunkies are still constructing something else in the plaza, too.” ”Run-of-the-mill lawbreakers like public drunks, pickpockets, and folks caught out after curfew or busted breaking one of Thrune’s idiotic proclamations are typically locked up in cells in the basement of the various dottari watch stations inside the city walls or along the Bleakbridge. My sources tell me penalties for lesser crimes range from a fine of about 20 gold pieces to a few day to two weeks’ incarceration. Some folks--like Kiri's father--are forced into a longer period of hard labor in Thrune-loyalist businesses throughout the city.” ”Thrune’s also built what they’re calling ‘squassation stations’ for those who break Proclamation the Eighth—two at the Yolubilis Harbor docks, one at the Foreign Quarter docks in Jarvis End, and one at Old Harbor beyond the Salt Gate. I’m not sure if they’ve gotten any use, though: my contacts in the Opera House Society don’t get to the docks much. Ooh—almost forgot! There are as-yet-unsubstantiated rumors that Thrune’s going to erect hanging gibbets at each end of the Bleakbridge, but I don’t know how reliable that info might be.”
"Well...Rexus will probably blab it anyways.... There was a small incident where I leaned against a section of burned wall and accidentally collapsed it, but no one heard it apparently. Other than that, I was silent as the grave!"
Jessibel pauses before answering Kiri. "I put what you taught me to the test when we explored the Victocora ruins. I must've done well enough--we didn't get caught!" Sense Motive DC 11:
She's lying about something! ****************** Speaking to Leora, Jessibel nods energetically. "Most of the people in the OHS hate Thrune; not surprising, since he took the Opera House for himself and ruined so many folks' livelihoods! There's a lot of promise for me to recruit from its ranks." "As for the raven figure...my grandmother, the archbaroness, is holding onto that for now. She sort of knows some of what I've been up to--especially since I invited Rexus to brunch this morning--and having the raven at her disposal is a way of checking up on me. She has more faith that I can do something worthwhile for Kintargo and its citizens than my mother does, though." Whispers About the Twins:
"I suppose I've kept Phenio hanging long enough. Guess I can't be too upset he didn't come looking for me when the Ravens and my own family both kept my disappearance quiet. I'll go with you and give you a few pointers to avoid any faux pas." ******************* When Jessibel speaks to T'chazzar, she does so with more than a little staring at the drow. The paladin's probably used to such stares by now, but at least he doesn't detect any disdain or distrust in the noblewoman's eyes: It's more likely he's the first drow she's even seen. "Hmm...that sounds one or two steps more civilized than the infamous Theater of the Real we have throughout the empire...including here in the city. My friend--Sabrina Sarini--her father opened such a theater across the river several years back. I think her older sister runs it now. We went there once when some Riddleport pirates dared to dock here and were captured. Some were forced to take part in the play rather than going straight to the gallows. Sabs and I were rooting for the pirates, but...they never stood a chance." When the talk turns to the fate of political and other prisoners in the city and the inevitability of an eventual prison breaks, the teen girl grins and announces, "We've already done one of those!" before giving the paladin an in-depth review of the rescue of Kiri's father--as well as Forvian Crowe and his whole team--from Sallix Salt Works Jessibel says she'll ask around at the Opera House Society and on the streets regarding the subject in her spare time and report back her findings on the matter "in a day or two." Secret GM Rolls:
"I tried to be silent," Jessibel starts to reply to Kiri. The girl decides to skip the 'smart' part because she's got no defense for that. "And I tried to retreat...but I never saw the spider web until I was caught in it. And I tried to keep my balance in the grimples' grease spell.... Oh, you're right--I'm a failure!" Once she's armed and amored, the despondent girl asks, "Where are we going now? I suppose I ought to go home before my grandmother sends out a search party for me. Thank you all for coming after me, and I'm sorry that sometimes I'm a royal pain."
"Oh dear--does Grandmother know I was missing? I can con my mother easily enough, but the Archbaroness is pretty sharp. Did someone send one of the silver raven figurines asking my whereabouts?" It appears Leora's positive energy channels have healed any lingering wounds on Jessibel. The bard sings a prestidigitation spellsong and cleans the filth off of everyone who ventured into the cistern to kill the demon.
"I'm hoping this is the last time," Jessibel replies. "At least this time it wasn't self-inflicted." 'Thanks for the rescue," the teenaged noblewoman continues. "I guess I owe you all an explanation. After visiting Lydia at Songbird Hall, I decided to give this place a quick check, since I was sort of in the neighborhood. Although Sabrina didn't come with us when we first explored this place, I told her about it and figured there was a chance she might have decided to hide out here." "I thought I might have to deal with a stray grimple, but now that I have coin shot in my magical arsenal, I figured I could handle myself. I should have bailed when I saw that the secret door had been repaired--Sabrina could never have done that on her own--but she could've hired someone to fix it for her, right? Anyhow, I came below and ran afoul of several grimples, including a big one. I tried to slip through the gate and come down here to regroup, but...instead I kind of blundered into a giant spider web. The spider managed to bite me before I could pull free of its web and, well...I kind of walked right into a grease patch created by one of those little freaks. Before I could get back on my feet, I heard the gate creak and found a Queensman standing over me with a rapier pointed at my neck. I figured maybe I could talk my way out of the mess but he had the grimples fetch all these straps and harnesses. I hoped I'd be able to slip free at some point, but the bastard knows his knots and trussed me up good." "He asked if, like most good Kintargans, I could speak Infernal, insinuating that if he didn't find a use for me he'd kill me, so I played along. He'd found those strange scribblings on the walls in here and knew they were some sort of attempt at opening up a portal to the lower planes. He said that if I could faithfully translate from Infernal, perhaps he could get the portal functional again, though rerouted to the Abyss. Over the days I was his prisoner, he told me that he planned on bringing an army of demons through to destroy Kintargo from within." "I translated just enough of the Infernal scribblings to be useful but not too useful; I'm pretty sure he wasn't very close to getting the portal functional again." To Dom she asks, "So what happened to you?" With a head nod toward T'chazzar she adds, "And who's your new friend?"
Also, is Harcule male or female?
Better yet, how is Harcule ("Danced of the Damned," p.8), name of Archbaroness Eldonna Aulamaxa's beloved (and aggressive) poodle, pronounced? Pleeease let it rhyme with 'bar stool,' as that is what I'd dearly love to bash it with.
OK, I've gotten the ball rolling! Here's a link to the side adventure campaign: Madness in Kintargo. I hope to post at least once a day, excluding Sundays.
Wow...several developments overnight! Yesterday I started setting up a campaign for the side adventure I offered to run previously. I was going to pitch it today, either here, in PMs, or both. With GM Paladin's extended periods of silence, I realized that if he didn't reappear soon to take the GM's seat, I'd likely end up taking up the reins, something I'm not 100% committed to doing. But it the event that I DID end up running Hell's Rebels, it would only be for the first four books (I got the pdfs for the first three adventures via the Humble Bundle offer a few months back and treated myself to "A Song of Silver" for Christmas). Sounds like Kiri wouldn't be interested in such an arrangement, though. As for the GM Wasted option, I've gamed with him briefly in a "Rise of the Runelords" campaign in which he lasted a week or two before disappearing from the boards for months with a severe medical condition.
As for Davina running the game, I'd also be OK with that (though honestly, I'd prefer having her as a PC, Jessibel's mother figure when she's not at home in the Greens). Your GMing experience wouldn't matter to me: I'm a long-time D&D 3.5er who just got serious about Pathfinder a little over a year back. I've run one game on these boards that's lasted for over a year, but the amount of work that's required is why I'm hesitant to offer my services here. So, long story short, I'm here and ready for the game to continue, in one form or another.
@GM: Any ballpark guesstimate as to when we might restart things?
Hey--I see a rat on the Nest combat map; too bad my character doesn't yet. We probably want to wait until our GM hears back from/doesn't hear back from Dom and Nicolae before implementing this, but it's worth thinking about now. I notice we haven't assigned a manager yet for the new "Forvian's Fighters" team. Going forward, how about we have each manager decide on the actions and make the dice rolls for the team(s) they manage? It would force some of us (me included) to get a better handle on the weekly rebellion upkeep and actions rules of the campaign.
Sounds good. WB GM!
Glad to see the four of us are still around. My offer still stands, but...do I detect the magic of Christmas in the air? o<|;D Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you and your families! P.S. - It looks like I'll be unable to post for the next two Sundays/Mondays (12/25 & 12/26, 1/1 & 1/2, though I may be able to sneak in a brief post on 1/2).
sneak-sneak-sneak-sneak-SNEAK--sneak-sneak-sneak-sneak....
@Davina: We should both look into getting mithral armor and weapons--maybe Turl's cousin can get us a good deal if we order in bulk. @Everyone: Concerned with our awesome GM's relative silence on the boards recently, I sent him a PM offering to run a short side adventure in Kintargo if he needs a little time to recharge his batteries or resolve any ongoing real-life (and/or computer) issues. I haven't heard back from him yet, but it occurs to me that finding out now if the remaining players would be interested in such an arrangement makes a lot of sense: it'd give GM Paladin a sense of how dedicated we remaining players are (or aren't, should it turn out that way) and would give me a better idea if the time I'm currently investing in prep work for a Plan B is a good thing or a waste of my time. So...who's still out there interested in saving Kintargo from that big goon Barzillai Thrune? And who would be up for my Plan B if our GM's unable to push the game forward in the near future?
Quick Note: I've got a full schedule of real-life errands tomorrow and won't be able to post again until Friday. Longer Note: It looks like we've lost both Domitius and Nicolae. That leaves Jessi, Davina, Kiri, and Leora (with her whopping 12 Str--tops in the party!) as the remaining Silver Ravens. Should we recruit another player or two or try to push onward as-is? If we move on as a foursome, we might want to consider selling one of the figurines of wondrous power to bump up our equipment some, as we've invested a lot of our accumulated wealth on 'intangibles': Jessi's tuition at the Opera House Society (which won't bear fruit for a while) and to House Sarini to legally liberate Dom. With an average Str score of 10, we're melee-challenged in combat, and if Kiri hits a cold spell with her wind attacks could find ourselves hard-pressed or even killed. Any thoughts?
What Davina said. Glad to see that my favorite game on these forums is still kicking! My Magic Jessibel Shirt Worked!: Uh, yeah--I have a red shirt with black shoulders (Jessibel's favorite colors) that I try to wear 1) when it's clean and 2) when Jessi's engaged in a tough combat in this game. It was clean this morning and I thought, Maybe if I wear it, our GM will magically return and say that the game's back on. Well, I'll be damned....
Sorry I've not been updating as much lately. I've been stressed out about this election, and apparently with good reason considering the results. I guess games are going to be a welcome escape from the dystopian young adult novel America seems to be becoming. Anyway. Back to the game. It could be worse--Barzillai Thrune could be running the show. That would be considered worse, right? ;) Feeling good again and am ready to post full-time again.
Slight alteration to my schedule due to weather and needing to catch up on some things at home.... I'll be away from the web until Thursday afternoon, at which point I'll be back to my nearly daily posting schedule. If needed, the GM may bot Jessibel before then. In the off-chance that she can see this alleged rat, Jessi has three silver coins in hand ready for coin shot use.
Passed a tiny (partial?) KS last night and am hoping to be back to (almost) everyday posting on Wednesday. Also hoping there's still a game to come back to. :x
"I've lost it," Jessibel belatedly whispers via message to Domitius and Kiri. The bard turns her head and starts a new scan for magical emanations
KS Update: No change. Will keep checking in as long as I'm able. Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow to those in the U.S.!
Thanks for the kind thoughts. I haven't heard from Dom for a while. KS Update: No change...still waiting. Will check in again Wednesday if I'm able.
As the GM and some of you may know, I don't have home internet and post from my local library. Well, I went to the ER last night and found out that I have a kidney stone. The doctors are hoping I'll pass it within a week. Right now the pain's not bad, so my tentative plan is to visit the library briefly every other day to catch up/stay current in the games I play on these forums. If the pain gets as bad as I'm told it might, that's subject to change. So if I disappear...that's the reason. I'll try to post an update when I can. The GM may bot my character as he sees fit.
Jessibel almost loses her concentration when Leora starts yelling about a rat but continues to scan the area she picked previously, attempting to pinpoint, define the strength of, and possibly identify the various magical emanations she detected moments earlier.
Jessibel's Knowledge (arcana) Checks:
Quick update: I wasn't empaneled but will still be unable to post until Saturday.
Quick Note: I'll probably be offline for the next couple of days (jury duty tomorrow (at the least); holiday Friday). I hope to catch up on Saturday and will give an update then if I actually get picked for a jury.
Jessibel takes a seat at the table and lets out a big sigh. She puts her elbows on the tabletop, cups her hands, and lowers her chin into that cup for support. Gazing casually in the direction of Rexus's desk, she ponders aloud, "I wonder if there's even anything worthwhile in those piles of documents."
When Jessibel hears Leora give the code phrase, she goes a bit off the gameplan, moving to the table in the heart of the room; from there, her detect magic spell should be able to reach every corner of the chamber...eventually. "I see our dedicated translator is still hard at work," she comments aloud, centering her current detect magic scan around the desk where Rexus works.
Jessibel looks at the others a bit nervously, knowing that if this ploy fails to eliminate the unseen saboteur, the Nest may become unsafe for habitation. ”We only have one shot at this. We have to strike hard and strike true. Assuming we locate the intruder, we’ll have to play dumb until it’s within the range of Kiri’s air blast, Dom’s charging ability, and whatever other surprises the rest of us have cooked up. Just chat quietly about something—maybe the Silver Ravens’ finances or treasury—until we spellcasters can pinpoint the intruder. When we detect our uninvited friend, our keyword phrase can be something like ‘Good point,’ after which we’ll message the thing’s location and launch the attack. Sound good? Well then…good luck, folks! Let’s do this!” Jessibel casts message, targeting Dom and Kiri. Then she casts detect magic and, with three silver coins in her left hand, coin shot. The bard then slowly descends into the Long Roads Coffee House’s basement, through the secret door therein, and down into the Nest, concentrating on her spell while scanning for magical auras where there ought not be any. ”Start chatting, but act natural,” she whispers to the half-orc and strix. ”I’ll alert you both when I detect something and it’s within range of our little ambush.”
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