Morvius Zaan's page

Morvius raises a sardonic eyebrow at the man's ravings. He has heard similar things from people on illegal substances that he can neither confirm nor deny having supplied to them, such things being strictly illegal. He still keeps his gaze firmly averted from the sight of what the nobleman has done to himself.

Instead, he approaches the bodyguard, Sank. "Nobody can possibly blame you for this - you cannot protect someone from themselves. But I do think it would be good if word of this did not spread too much further. Can you help me gather all the servants together so we can ensure they understand the virtues of silence? It can be deeply profitable, especially if it looks as though you may all be in need of new employment quite soon."

He gives the man a smile, hoping to make up for his earlier lack of charm.

Charm: 1d100 ⇒ 28 That's the roll I was looking for

Still here, sorry for slowdown on my part! I have a medikit but not the skill to use it...

Sorry, bad week here

Morvius does his best to keep his gaze averted from the sight, but he fumbles within his gear pack and pulls out a medikit (it was 'surplus to requirements' and he 'repurposed' it for his own use; mastering the paperwork of the Administratum has its benefits). "I don't know how to use this, but if one of you does then it might be possible to stabilise this man and get some answers out of him."

Hey guys, sorry for the delay, but I’m suffering from some food poisoning after a very unwise meal. I’ll be back to update when I feel a bit better, sorry about that!

Sorry to hear that! Get well soon.

Morvius nods, trying his best not to look at the scene himself. "By all means, please do."

willpower: 1d100 ⇒ 68

Morvius does his best to look insouciant as he surveys the scene - "Goodness me." - but the realisation that the man tore out his own eyes (and the sight of the pulped globules on the carpet) leaves him green-faced and trying not to puke. He is no stranger to some unusual sights, but this is beyond - far beyond - anything he has ever seen.

Thanks for bearing with me, back now.

Morvius is not a man who is short of a word or two, when the situation warrants. Some situations however do not require conversation, and a blood-curdling scream is just such a situation. Without hesitating, he draws his laspistol from the holster underneath his coat and races up the stairs, just behind the servants. If he knew the way, he would overtake them.

again, doesn't seem like a roll is needed here

Update: travelling today and tomorrow, I will post as I can. Back to normal on Wednesday.

Just a heads-up that I have a major family thing this weekend so might not be able to post much until Monday.

Morvius gives the man a breezy nod. "Pleased to meet you, Sank. I'm here to speak with master Guljian about his debts. At the moment I'm not sure he can afford to keep this house, much less any servants. The sooner I can speak to him the better"

Charm: 1d100 ⇒ 99 Oof. Pretty sure that's a fail

Morvius is normally good at putting people at their ease, but occasionally he strikes the wrong tone and just puts people on edge. This might be one of those times.

Over-protective servants are a given; but they can usually be overcome one way or another. Often they can be browbeaten, but this chap seems far too nervous already. What is going on in there?

Instead, Morvius gives a relaxed, knowing smile to the rest of the group. "Next week. How charming. He thinks we can come back next week."

*Now comes the part where we all throw our heads back in laughter.gif*

He refocuses his smile on the servant. "I'm terribly sorry, I obviously haven't made myself clear to you. There is a very, very good chance that he won't own this house next week - which means that you will not have a job. Or decent job prospects. If he goes bankrupt because you kept me away from him - well, how exactly would that look on your resume, do you imagine?"

He allows a significant pause, to let that sink in, before unleashing another friendly smile. "Please - help me, to help you."

Don't know if that needs another roll or if my previous Deceive roll is still good here.

Scrutiny 34+20: 1d100 ⇒ 15 Success

Morvius idly polishes his nails on the front of his coat as he smiles indulgently at the servant. "I'm here to speak about your master's debts, House Zaan always collects in the end I'm afraid."

He tilts his head to one side, speculatively, as if weighing whether to bring this servant into his confidence. "Between you and me, it's just possible that if I can work out an arrangement with him immediately - right now - he will have enough left to be able to pay your wages tomorrow. If not..." He trails off, meaningfully. Servants who don't get paid have few good options available to them - and lots of bad ones.

deceive 40: 1d100 ⇒ 22 Success

I can't think of anything else to inquire about

When stealth is not possible, misdirection can help. It is not an Inquisitorial delegation that makes its way to Hesentanz Manor - it is a representative of House Zaan, richly attired in an outfit emblazoned with its crest, who marches boldly up to the front door accompanied by a few unmemorable lackeys.

He knocks on the door as if he shortly expects to own the place. Which, given the debts that the nobleman seems go have accrued, probably wouldn't be too difficult.

Not sure if that needs a dice roll, I'm still getting used to this game's balance between role-play and roll-play.

I think it's a success, yes!

Morvius glances at the dataport uncertainly - his expertise is with people - and gladly defers to the tech-priest. While Ptah is accessing the data, he looks around at the others. "It would seem that dear Lans is ripe for a visit from the people he owes money to. I can't see that a visit with that ostensible intended purpose would attract inappropriate attention."

Morvius gives it some thought, although he is distracted by the unpleasant nature of the rain in this part of the hive. Back on his homeworld, rain is a pleasant experience - this is not that.

"If we were really auditing him, we would expect to turn up already knowing his credit rating, his most recent expensive purchases, key names for members of his staff, and basic security measures he has in place." He frowns as he mulls it over. "If anyone else can think of anything, speak up and be heard. We should be able to get most of that from a few questions to various people in the trading markets. I think it would be an hour or two very well spent."

Inquiry, 40+20: 1d100 ⇒ 31

Unless anyone wants to add anything, I think we've run that scene. I'm happy to move on :)

Morvius gives an easy smile. "As a noble of House Zaan on business, nobody would expect me to go alone - it would be expected for me to have some..." "Lackeys" is probably the wrong word to use, as is "hangers-on," and "peons" is right out. "...gentlemen such as yourselves in my company. I can't imagine anyone would pay too much attention to the specifics of who or what you are."

He stands up in one smooth movement, brushing imaginary specks of dust off his clothing as he does so. "Shall we depart? This matter seems urgent."

Morvius smiles at Maxim, genuinely relieved to have at least one companion who isn't some sort of fanatic or weirdo. "A medic! How wonderfully useful, although - no offence - I hope we shan't need your services immediately. Or perhaps at all."

Looking around at the others, he spreads his hands. "I can make our way to Hesentanz Manor. Given the need for secrecy, I suggest that we pretend to be there on behalf of House Zaan - given that this chap seems to have been behaving erratically, it's a reasonable bet that he hasn't been paying his bills. Talk of dispossessing him from his house should be enough to get us in the front door, at least - and nobody will link us to the Inquisition, I would hope."

He presents the idea and waits to see what they make of it.

"The same beacons, as you have stated, is low. Precise cogitation upon the number cannot be ascertained. Before any endeavors begin, I require the assurance that the way of the Deus Machina will not be denied by fervor for the God-Emperor."

Morvius leans back in his chair, the rustle of his expensive chameleoline cloak almost lost in his stifled laughter. "Gentlemen, as I understand matters, we are now in service to the Inquisition - willingly or otherwise." He polishes his nails on the front of his elegant frock-coat, which is emblazoned with the insignia of his House. "The likelihood of any assurances, of any kind, is likely to be extremely low."

He gives his friendliest smile. "As the old saying goes, we must all hang together, else we will most assuredly all be excruciated separately. Perhaps we could start by introducing ourselves? I am Morvius, of House Zaan. I am fascinated to make all of your acquaintances and I hope we live long enough to know one another better."

Morvius leans back somewhat indolently in his chair as he listens to the crackle of the vox unit. His eyes dart from side to side, belying the appearance of a man utterly at ease: nothing like the prospect of a death sentence to cut through your life of unearned privilege. Although he would dispute the "unearned" part of that phrase: he works extremely hard, in his own way. It just - until now - hasn't involved much in the way of physical toil or risk to life and limb.

Put another way: life has just become much more interesting. He looks at his new companions, trying to gauge their capabilities just as they are doubtless trying to gauge his own. In the course of a normal lifetime, he would never be in the same building as them, much less the same room. Fascinating.

As the vox-cast winds down and the call goes out for any questions, Morvius languidly raises a hand. Not that the person they're speaking to can see that, but form requires the protocols to be maintained. "What do we know of this Lans Guljian? Is he our suggested starting point for this endeavour?"

I've played the tabletop previously, I used to have a Tyranid army.

You, sir, are a xenos-loving traitor to humanity. Space Wolves till I die.

I played a few editions of the tabletop game and have read a couple of books so I'm not completely unfamiliar with the lore, but it was a while ago so anything from the last 15+ years will be new to me. I haven't kept up with the computer games either - I played Dawn of War but then real life intervened and I haven't looked at the newer stuff.

I confess I've never heard of Mutant Chronicles.

@Calidus - having Intimidate might be useful if you don't mind making that change.

Other that that I think I'm good to go.

Great work on putting the skills together! In my experience, most groups lack the capability to do everything - and in most cases, that actually adds to the story as the party has to find work-arounds instead of going directly from point A to point B. I'm not too fussed if there's a handful of things we can't do.

That said, if there's an obvious gap that Morvius can easily fill with a quick shuffle of skills/XP then I'm happy to do that if you think it's needed.

languidly dots in

Hahaha, sounds like we have a frightful snob amongst us. Working for a living? How...pedestrian! (I'm joking of course)

That does make me wonder how Havelock is going to relate to him at first?
He was after all raised to marry into just such a family, though on a Feudal word, probably a lot less low scale of course.

Morvius has Fellowship 40 so he's one of those nobles who puts people at ease rather than tries to put them in their place - think Hugh Grant rather than Tywin (or Joffrey!) Lannister...

@Maxim - good to have a medic on the team, given my character only has Toughness 25 I suspect he might need your attention fairly regularly. I admit I haven't looked at everyone's skill-sets so I don't know what gaps we might have.

+1 on not wanting to cramp anyone else's playing style! This being 40K I'm sure there's going to be lots of opportunities to righteously immolate heretics, unbelievers, evil-doers, xenos, and people who talk at the theatre.

Thinking some more about the mix of the group, given that we have a sanctioned psyker I'm almost certainly going to row back on the whole 'hearing voices' angle that I had going. It was one option I was considering but there's lots of other directions I can go with this character instead.

Both Havelock and Morvius seem to be professionally trained, while I see Calidus as a (very) enthusiastic amateur. I would imagine the Inquisition's rationale for recruiting Havelock and Morvius is pretty clear cut - a Psyker and a Fixer. A zealot on the other hand is more likely in the event things go south - an expendable asset?

I hadn't thought of it like that... I see Morvius as a dabbler in things rather than someone who has had professional training or *shudder* something so vulgar as a job. But yes, he has a background with the Administratum which means he knows how the game is played.

First, this is a completely new system to me. I don't have any experience with it, and as such, I will likely be somewhat shaky with the mechanics in the beginning of things. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it quickly, but you'll have to give me some time to get used to it.

I'm in exactly the same boat so no worries, we will all muddle through together.

Second, this is the Warhammer 40k setting, with all the nasty dark stuff that entails. This will be a more adult-themed campaign, in terms of violence and such. I won't go out of my way to describe anything horrendous or unnecessary, but there will be gratuitous violence, blood, gore, and death. With all the horrors awaiting you in the 41st millennium, you will need to be strong of mind and spirit. You have been warned.

Don't threaten me with a good time ;) this is exactly why I applied to this game in the first place

Hi all, very pleased to be selected! Looking forward to gaming with you in the grim darkness of the far future where there is only etc.

Morvius is high-born, and caught the inquisitor's eye in the worst possible way: by falling under suspicion when his cousin was found to be in a Chaos cult. The best way to prove his innocence (or at least, his lack of guilt for this particular crime) is to co-operate with the investigation. The threat of execution lends a magnificent edge to one's senses, and after 50+ years (although he looks much younger) of having all his whims catered to, there's a certain pleasure to be found in the danger of adventure.

His strengths lie in influence and subtlety, so my preference would be for us to run this more like a spy game (or a Call of Cthulhu investigation, even) where we have cover identities, or at least do our best to keep things quiet as much as possible. If we go flashing our Inquisitorial badges all over the place and getting into fights, his usefulness will be much less as his WS and BS are not the highest, to say nothing of his Toughness.

He's also going to be very good at supplying the group with weapons and armour because he counts everything as being one degree less rare (he also has the Peer talent with the Rogue Traders). Think of him as your fixer and influence-peddler, and try your best to keep his noble blood from getting splattered across the nearest bulkhead, and you will have a useful friend.

Thanks for your reply, especially the explanation on skills! Very helpful and much appreciated :)

Does moving us to the Gilead system mean we are in the Calixis sector rather than the Askellon sector?

Answers to questions below, everything else is now in the character sheet for this alias. If anything isn't clear or something else is needed, please let me know.

This is Wandering Wastrel’s alias for the game – I'm still putting the character together but some of the details are in the profile. I’ve written a background that hopefully answers your questions. I have some more questions of my own (sorry)

Q1: Can you clarify how skill rolls work? The reason I ask is that the best skill you can start out with is at around 40, so it looks like on your best skill you still have a 60% chance of failing the roll. I don’t need my character to be good at everything (in Pathfinder I’m used to fighters with no social skills, wizards who can’t do melee and clerics with so few skill points they can barely tie their shoelaces) but it seems weird that every dice roll has such a high chance of failing. Or are we the colonial marines from Aliens – overconfident and ripped apart in ~30 seconds after meeting the enemy?

Q2: Could you confirm how the Highborn ability (page 36) "Breeding Counts” (any time you would reduce your influence, you reduce it by 1 less (minimum 1)) interacts with the Cover Up talent (page 125)? The Talent lets you reduce Influence in order to increase your Subtlety (1 point Influence spend = 1d5 Subtlety increase). Does that mean I could spend 2 influence to get 2d5 Subtlety, and then only reduce Influence by 1?

Q3: I am thinking of taking the Peer talent (page 130) - it would be really helpful to get some input from you on possible organisations that would be useful. I haven’t looked at the adventure and I want to make sure that I don’t spend a Talent on an organisation that just doesn’t come up in the game.

Q4: if picked, and assuming the game runs long enough, I would probably want to take the psyker elite advance at some point – is that something you would allow?

Fate points are usually one of those things that vary from Gm to Gm, it's a little harder to do easily in a play by post game.

Most Gm's tend to divide the stories into "Checkpoints" and restore one or more per checkpoint.

PF2 has something similar with hero points - you're supposed to get 1 per "session" which in pbp is harder to quantify. I ended up awarding 1 per 100 gameplay posts, so you get a hero point on post 1, and then another at post 101, 201, 301 and so on. It seems to work.

Pretty much ready to call this one, sorry to say it.

DMDM, would you be willing to give us a Surprise Round as well? After all, it's not like they were probably expecting us to speed up in that crazy way and accelerate to ramming speed.

Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

I wouldn't go that far - the chase has been what, a hundred posts or so? At a tabletop it would probably be done and dusted in 15 minutes.

I think the issue is that maintaining the tension levels in a chase over PbP is a tough ask. When you spread those hundred posts over several months, it gets more difficult still.

I know, right? What's a chap to do?

I suppose Pharasma has a certain aloof dignity (she's probably the picture definition of hauteur) and Shelyn has grace and beauty and art - but they're all of them lacking that certain je ne sais quoi.

To be honest, I doubt any of them cares which way the port is passed after dinner. And we entrust the afterlife to these people.

The sorceress in the car ahead of you literally screams with frustration and shakes her fist.

Morvius raises a sophisticated eyebrow at the histrionics. "Tsk. Dinner and a show. Well, not dinner perhaps, although..." his eyes slide across to look at Callinda. "I haven't forgotten the restaurant you burned down in Caliphas. I was only halfway through that meal. They did the most gorgeous little brûléed scallops."

He sighs, mournfully.

"Next is the Straightaway, says the halfling. "That's where you can build up the most speed. But the track gets washouts, and... it's a risk."

Morvius grins. "A risk, eh? Well, I always knew I wasn't destined to die in bed." There's a pause. "Someone else's bed, possibly - although that probably counts as natural causes."

Turn the riskometer up to 11, captain!

Wow. With dice rolls like that, Morvius is most likely a follower of Cayden Cailean - or least, he would be if the Lucky Drunk weren't so scruffily-dressed.

Divinity is all well and good, but if the Celestial realms don't have decent tailoring then Morvius may have to rethink his allegiances.

Str check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

Panache, elan, style, dumb luck - call it what you will, but Morvius has it in spades.

He cheerfully (and stylishly, bien sur) reaches out and nonchalantly hauls Brother D's armoured bulk back into the cart. "Perhaps we could work on roping ourselves to this thing, Janeesa? Or to the cart, of course."

Not sure what skill to use? Acrobatics seems appropriate

Bracing himself for the impact of his skin and bone hitting Attero's armour at speed, Morvius reaches out to help his comrade back into the cart.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

"Come along, my good man! It's not like you to bail out of an impending fight just because the odds are stacked against us."

Callinda has confirmed she has Acrobatics - see her post in the Discussion thread

Glad you're still around - and have plans for more!

Looking forward to seeing how this one plays out.

Good to know this is still going! Hope things are ok with you. I'm still around.

EDIT

Yes! Everyone who doesn't have Acrobatics should make a simple, easy DC 8 Dex check.

A "simple, easy" check, eh? Way to jinx things. I see your absence hasn't made you less evil :-)

Morvius may not entirely trust the halfling, but he's willing to take his word for now. He leans in, doing as he's told and hoping for the best.

Auto-succeed due to Acrobatics :)

Do we get close enough for me to throw the alchemist fire? I don't mind taking a few range increment penalties

Hi all - just to let you know that a few weeks back my work pattern changed and I'm now going to have difficulty posting much on Mon, Weds and Thurs.

I will do my best on Mon/Wed/Thurs to post in-combat stuff to keep the game moving, but it will most likely be just a dice roll and a couple lines of text - anything like long RP, exposition, replies to PMs, etc. is going to have to be on other days.

I'm not dropping out, and I'm certainly NOT abandoning the games I'm running. But posting from me has been a lot slower than previously for a while now and I wanted to post the explanation.

Hope that's ok. I will do my best not to be 'that person' who slows everything up :)

Morvius waits for his perceptions to stop spinning before retrieving a flask of alchemist's fire from his belt.

Reflex save: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

When in doubt, trust what is real. Morvius closes his eyes as the cart appears to flip over, and grabs onto the side. OK. Down still appears to be down. Gravity doesn't lie.

Still here!

Fortitude save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Fearlessly speeding through challenges he doesn't really understand is just another Toilday in Morvius' world. So far, he hasn't died; although he's come close a few times.

This might be another of those times.

Str check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

Spurred on by worry about his team-mate and chagrin at having been the cause of it, Morvius finds hitherto unknown reserves of strength.

"Come on, Cal! I don't want to have to report you to Sir Joseph for abandoning the cause, after all. That would put a serious crimp in our relationship."

Acrobatics check for good measure: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

Whip v AC 20: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (13) + 12 = 25

Morvius has a lot of experience with the whip, and he gets it to go exactly where he wants, allowing Callinda to snag the end.

"Oh, Hellfire - Callinda!" Immediately forgetting his own bruises, Morvius scrambles up on to the top of the back of the cart, balancing on the edge precariously, stretching out as far as he can to try and catch his wayward companion.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

He uncoils his whip and uses it to add a few precious feet to his reach. "Cal! Grab this and we'll haul you back in."