Sorry all, RL issues have been overwhelming and I cannot continue this game. I apologize as I was really excited for this, but I just cannot dedicate the time to it right now. if I can assist in the transfer of the game to Thark, let me know.
Search Posts
Hi all, I apologize for my absence. There was a death in my wife's family and that kind of through a wrench in our plans. I am willing to continue the game, but I also understand if the game has lost its mojo and/or you have lost interest. Let me know.
The cruise was great, thanks for asking, but someone there got me sick, because I came back with the flu! I have not abandoned the game and I appreciate your patience! I am getting over the worst part and will update the thread tonight. Thanks!
Thanks. Hey all, I’m currently on a cruise and will return on Sunday and will update then. I appreciate the patience.
Tessa’s electricity shocks both rogues and the yellow one collapses to the floor in a scream!
Thark’s greasword cuts the last one in half!
Black Tears: Round 1 Yellow Rogue, wounded by Fenric pulls out a dagger with an ebony pommel and tries to strike back twice!
The Green rogue, still feared, follows suit and draws his dagger and tries to bring down the unarmored warrior!
Thanks Teela, editing privileges have been changed.
I normally do block initiative.
Selina gracefully and silently moves toward the danger. When the rogues who are focusing on dragging the dead guard see her, it is too late, as her dueling sword drops the cutthroat in one blow, skillfully slicing the closest rogue's jugular vein, a line of blood spattering against the wall. The other 2 rogues look shocked, as their comrade collapses to the floor dead. Before they reach for their weapons, they see Selina's steely gaze. One of them gulps and he hesitates. Now that Selina is in melee with them, she sees they each bear a trail of three black tears tattooed under their left eye.
Selina creeps across the room like a ninja and opens the door a sliver and sees three (3) human rogue-types dressed in studded leather, with daggers at their sides and hand crossbows, trying to quietly drag a manor guard's body out of sight!
Your room contains five beds, a dresser, an oil lamp attached to the center of the south wall, and several potted plants. A decorative brass brazier forged to resemble a sleeping red dragon sits in one corner. After some chit-chat, you retire for the night, hoping for a restful sleep, as you have a big day ahead tomorrow. Alas... After a few hours of sleep, you are awakened by what sounded like a muffled cry in the hallway outside your room. You gather your senses, waking up, trying to dispel the notion that you were not just dreaming. However, since your companions also heard the cry, you realize the situation is real. It's dark outside, like 3:00 AM dark.
As you finish your discussions and enjoy dessert, a bell rings to announce its conclusion. Servants bustle about as they clean up the feast’s remnants and bring after-dinner drinks to anyone who requests them. Lady Jamandi rises and addresses everyone gathered one final time before retiring for the evening. “My friends,” Lady Jamandi begins, “I hope you have enjoyed the food and drink this evening!” Her words are quickly met with a round of cheers and the enthusiastic tapping of several dozen mugs and goblets. It takes a few moments for the room to grow quiet again. Smiling broadly, she continues. “You honor me, truly, but this night is for you! As heroes, you have responded to my call, and I can’t wait to hear tales of your exploits in the weeks and months to come. Tomorrow, I shall speak with you all about your individual charters. I suspect it will be a busy day, so I suggest we make an early evening of it. After all, you have kingdoms to plan!” Lady Jamandi’s words are met with an even louder round of cheers and drinkware-tappings. A few goblets even shatter thanks to overeager hands. Lady Jamandi gestures to the large double-doors to the east and west. “Of course, I’ve arranged bedchambers for all of you. My guards will escort you to them now. I hope you find them restful. We shall speak further tomorrow when we meet back here at sunrise.” Lady Jamandi and the lord mayor leave the hall, followed by a retinue of armed guards wearing garnet-colored cloaks over suits of chainmail. Other guards begin to escort groups of revelers to their rooms for the night. Maegar Varn graciously declines a room and approaches Quintessa. "My dear, thank you for a lovely evening. I must return to Restov to attend to other matters and I’ll be back in the morning when the charters are given out. I hope to see you then. Till tomorrow..." Maegar bows and leaves the mansion. Tired-looking guards, who may have partaken in the alcohol served, stand ready to escort you to your rooms.
Much better, thanks!
1 more round to go.
I was sick for most of week so I appreciate the patience. 2 more rounds and we can move on. :)
Thark tries to warm up to Amiri with his silver tongue, but she appears to be a woman more of action than diplomacy. Linzi thanks Teela profusely for saving her drawings and she warms up to Tessa. A you converse with her, you learn that she is eager to find someone who will be a true hero of the Stolen Lands, so she can write about him/her. Having found her weakness of being alone, Selina continues to break through Jaethal's barriers and she continues to open up to the rogue. Fenric makes no progress as your conversation with Valerie sticks to political matters in the world and no personal information.
Apologies for delay - will update thread tonight.
Ok, so for the 4th round, I am missing Thark and Fenric. Like I said before, I do not want to get this AP to get bogged down in the opening scene. We can move on to the action. :)
Fenric continues to impress Valerie with his manners and decorum befitting that of the nobility. However, she remains guarded and suspicious, but continues to enjoy his presence. "I am no Swordlord. I used to be a champion in a former life, but I realized that I can lo longer walk that path. I fight more with sword and shield. And yourself? Do you fancy the sword and board style or are you one of those 2-weapon fighters or even sillier, a single weapon fighter?" Valerie stifles a laugh and keeps her voice low, as she realizes that she in the home of a Swordlord. Selina's sincerity appeals to Jaethal, who the rogue can tell has led a pretty lonely life. Sensing a kindred soul and sister-like-person bond, Jaethal reveals to Selina that was exiled from Kyonin after a tragedy and she hopes to find a place in a new society. She does not disclose further details about the exact nature of the tragedy. Selina also learns that Jaethal is self-conscious about her pale appearance and any comments about it will make it more difficult to influence her. Funny enough, Selina has yet to see Jaethal smile at all for any reason. Quintessa's beautiful words to Linzi, unfortunately, get drowned out by Linzi's gasp, as Tessa accidentally knocks over a glass of wine that stains Lizni's book of sketches! While Tessa apologizes and tries to compliment the halfling bard, Linzi is so worried that her sketches have been ruined that she spends the entire 20 minutes cleaning her book trying to save her sketches and tunes out Quintessa's efforts to influence her.
Fenric, you are correct that it would not move Valerie to 3. But if 2 characters double up, I would treat it as an Aid Another check (auto success -no need to roll) where if two characters chat with one NPC, the one with the highest influence (I would assume since you want to increase the highest score) would get +1 on the die roll, which may make it easier to get a critical success and get 2 more influence instead of 1. In game, it would be like Quintessa came over and started talking Fenric up to the NPC, how trustworthy he is, etc.
If you feel the socializing is progressing too slowly, you can make 4 rolls and the NPC and I can give you a summary of the rest of the feast instead of doing one by one. Up to you all, let me know what you prefer.
To establish your future relationships with these NPCs whom you will meet further along in the AP. After all, you will eventually establish a new nation, so you want to have potential friends and allies. Also, if you get super high influence with some of the NPCs, they will give you gifts, so you can socialize with them for selfish reasons too. LOL. Each interaction is particular to that PC and NPC. Like in the business world, in the future, if you need to negotiate with Maegar, for example, he may say "I only deal with Quintessa because that is whom I trust". So up to you if you continue schmoozing with the NPCs. You can stop at any time and we can move on with the rest of the AP.
Round 2 is complete. Same options as before.
Jaethal looks into Selina's eyes, trying to scare her off with her glare, but is impressed that the rogue stands her ground. "Okay, you may sit down. I am Jaethal. I am not death, though I do enjoy carving my opponents with my scythe. Tell me, why do you join the call for heroes?" The conversation with Jaethal does not flow as she is very reserved and seems to not be used to social interaction. During the conversation, she encourages Selina that she might have more fun speaking to someone more entertaining. Prying information from her is like cracking a vault. When asked she is here, she says that she is looking for a fresh start in a new nation. It appears she too, like many of the adventurers present, has a tragic past.
Valerie smiles, "Guess you're the type that does not take no for an answer. In some cases, persistence is admirable. You have surprised me with your decorum. For myself, I believe you are free to choose to whom you pray, but more importantly, is your code of conduct. How you live your life. I live my life according to a set of rules and norms, be it at a feast or in battle." She nods toward Amiri and Thark. "Look at those two for example, arm wrestling in a noble's home! Really?! It is clear that they have not been raised with with proper social graces." She nods her head in disgust. She takes her glass and raises it to Fenric and toasts, "For not abandoning ship when you easily could have run away with your tail between your legs." The rest of the conversation runs smoothly, but Valerie reveals very little of her past or her reason for exploring the Stolen Lands. Fenric senses some tragedy in her recent past which makes her very guarded and difficult for her to trust people.
The gnome's face turns red with anger at the manner that he is treated by Teela. He looks around in dismay, "How can they let such riff-raff participate in this call for heroes?! Did you all see who she treated me?! She is so uncouth, no culture, grown from the streets." Strangely enough, Tartuccio's rant does not elicit the sympathy that he desired as most people snicker or laugh at Teela's comments. After the casting of the spell on the chair, the gnome scream in disgust, "You foul harlot." His hands start to glow, as he begins to intone magic, but he thinks the better of it, as house guards move in. He curses in gnomish and storms out of the room, followed by a couple of guards. Teela hears a soft golf clap emanate from the room in her direction from the rest of her guests.
Maegar is enraptured by Quintessa's easy manner and civility. He happily toasts with his goblet toward their future alliance. He becomes a little distracted, when the two warriors start arm wrestling in the middle of the feast, but laughs it off, nodding toward Amiri. "I am sure that is her way of communicating in her culture." The conversation continues as Maegar inquires on Quintessa's family, parents, and station. He reveals that he is the third son a Brevic baron, and as such, he does not stand to inherit his father's title or holdings. The opportunity to make a name for himself by answering the call for heroes is, he believes, his best chance to make his fortune. Quintessa can tell that in his manner of speaking, he is very proud of being an Aldori and being from Restov. Anyone who badmouths any of those two things burns their bridges with him.
Amiri lets a loud bellow of a laugh. "I like the muscles, Thark, I am Amiri. Please sit and tell your tale over some mead and then we can arm wrestle or something. So many men are afraid to approach someone like me. Or they think they can touch things that they cannot and they end up with broken arms or wrists. So happy that you are a confident strong warrior." The conversation is pleasant, as you talk about battles and each other's past. Amiri shares some thoughts about her greatest accomplishments, likes wrestling a bear with her bare hands and other such stories. The 20 minutes fly by, but you see that any conversations about her clan/tribe and she shuts up immediately. It sounds that whatever happened was recent and it is a painful wound. She also does not share the tale behind the large bastard sword that she carries on her back. At the end of the conversation, Thark and she arm wrestle, but the half-orc eventually loses after holding up for a few seconds.
Round 1 of social interaction has concluded. You can continue chatting with same person, someone new, or you can decide that you have had enough social mingling for the next 20 minutes. I leave that decision in your hands.
Tartuccio manages to look up from his meal to see Teela, with an annoyed look. At her question, he sneers. "My tailor, really? I thought you would have some sense in your head, but alas, you, like everyone else at this gathering has disappointed me." The gnome is an arrogant little bastard, whom nobody at the table tends to like and give him a wide berth. His arrogance and sense of superiority turn people off. After a brief conversation, Tartuccio waves Teela off. "Off ya go, kitten, go bother someone else."
Linzi reacts to Selina approaching her, but puts her picture book away, when Selina comments about the drawings. She happily shares that she hopes to chronicle the heroic establishment of a new nation in the Stolen Lands. She questions Selina about her love of art and which are her favorite performers and artisans and if she caught the latest play, or heard the latest opera in Restov, etc.. It turns out Linzi is very talkative about the subjects that interest her, which tends to get on people's nerves. After 20 minutes, Selina feels that she wasted her time. Linzi, quite cheerful and happy, tells Selina to enjoy the "Feast of Heroes".
Fenric approaches Valerie, who appears to be guarded at her approach. Fenric tries to initiate a conversation and Valerie invites him to sit down, but thinking that he may be a playboy, she reveals very little during their conversation. She questions Fenric as to what deity he follows. Fenric, however, fails to find a hook to get Valerie to open up. He does learn that she is very proper and was interested in conversing about warfare, which unfortunately, Fenric knew very little about. She wished him luck on his journey and continued her meal.
Harrim, as all dwarves, is a sour-looking fellow, who seems annoyed that the massive half-orc approaches him, but at the mention of religion, he seems to take interest in the feast. He proudly speaks about his devotion to Groetus, the god of the End of Times. Thark knows that the deity does not have a formal religion or church, but instead many of his faithful are made up of loners prophesying the end of everything and about bringing the end of days to please their god. Harrim wears the holy symbol of the church, a skull-faced moon. Harrim respectfully asks Thark about his god's beliefs, but on a couple of occasions, you hear the dwarf state "Abandon hope and embrace the inevitable." It's Harrim's way of ending many debates. He hopes to adventure in the Stolen Lands before the apocalypse claims the world. It is definitely not a cheery conversation. The half-orc's lack of social graces appeals to Harrim, who is quite similar, and he reacts positively to the conversation, as he is comfortable with the awkward pauses in their religious conversation.
Maegar Varn looks dubious as Quintessa approaches him. However, her mention of history in her second sentence sparks his interest as well as mention of his House. He makes a flirty comment about Quintessa's beauty and the conversation seems to spark. You learn that he is impatient to begin exploring the Stolen Lands and that he has been assigned the Nomen Heights region. He offers Quintessa a drink and the next 20 minutes pass as he inquires into her family history as well. You also learn that he is low-ranking swordlord in the region. Quintessa has clearly charmed the noble and he is friendly with her now.
Love the art, Quintessa! With regard to your question, we will rp the summary of each 20-minute session based on what your skill roll. Obviously, the more you rp in your post with the npc, you will get additional bonuses to the roll.
Thark and Selina recognize Lady Jamandi as one of the Aldori swordlords— a wealthy and influential woman who is one of Restov’s greatest warriors. Besides knowing the above information, Fenric and Quintessa also recall that Lady Jamandi’s Aldori dueling sword trails magical fire when it strikes, and while she used to take jobs as a mercenary in the past, she
During the next 2 hours, Lady Jamandi's servants begin to circle around the room, filling mugs with ale, fruit juice, or water and serving food from heaping platters. The feast itself includes four courses in all: crisp greens lightly flavored with savory oils, spicy seasoned waterfowl, a main course of tender roast boar, and a finishing selection of fine desserts and cheeses. For the duration of the feast, the servants bustle about in their never-ending quest to keep mugs and goblets full and
You also notice the following adventurers who tend to stand out from the normal riff-raff. You note their names as they converse with the others around them. Amiri - The aforementioned strong uncouth human female with the large greatsword on her back.
Ok, need some input from the players. The next scene in the AP is the 2 hour feast, which is broken down in six 20-minute intervals, where you can mingle and schmooze with the other adventurers (rolling skill checks every 20 minutes), most of which you will run into later in the AP. The purpose is to get each NPC's favor (improving attitude) for their attitude toward you later in the game. I imagine this is a cool rp-ing scene in an in-person game, but I am concerned it may seem artificial in a PbP, since as a GM, I am not going to write a novel for each interaction. I was just wondering if you will accept a summary of the interaction after the rolls? If you roll low, then you said something that offended the person or some other justification. Is that ok? I will set the scene and all of the NPCs later tonight.
I like player involvement, so unless it is something critical, will have the players roll checks even if they're supposed to be secret in game.
Welcome back! When you have a moment, can you weigh in on whether we can use archetypes from any published paizo 2e content or are you restricting the archetypes to specific books? TBH, I am not familiar with all of them so will play it by ear. If there's one that you are interested in, let me know so I can give you my opinion. I am pretty open unless it is super OP.
Apologize for the delay - was out of town yesterday but I am back.
As the party starts to drink and engage in conversation, you notice a restless atmosphere starts to build up in the room. As you look around, you see numerous adventurer types seated around you. As you scan the other guests, you receive a few sneering looks of obvious disapproval from a purple-haired gnome dressed in fine silks and robes, who seems to be disgusted by the quality of adventurers gathered in the Grand Hall. You also hear complaints from a tall and muscular human woman, clad in a mix of animal skins, leathers, and battle-scarred hide armor. She wears a massive greatsword in a leather scabbard across her back. In a rough voice, she says"I'm hungry! Where is this Lady Whoever who called us together? These Aldori think themselves so fancy, but who are they anyway?" Before you get to respond or react, the sound of a bell announces Lady Jamandi Aldori’s arrival. A striking half-elf woman enters the hall, followed by an aristocratic, middle-aged human man. The man wears finely tailored clothing, fit for a noble, while the woman appears dressed for battle. She wears a fine leather coat over a sparkling mail shirt, and at her waist hangs an Aldori dueling sword with a bright silver pommel. The two make their way to the head table, where they remain standing. The man speaks first. “Greetings, heroes! I am Ioseph Sellemius, lord mayor of Restov. And this,” he gestures to the woman beside him, “is Lady Jamandi Aldori. We both thank you for answering her call for heroes. You may be few, but we need only the best for this great task.” Lady Jamandi offers the room a broad smile before she speaks. “South of here, beyond Brevoy’s border, lie the Stolen Lands. This disputed territory has been claimed time and again by would-be settlers, but because the area has been a haven for bandits and monsters, it has never been held for long. Restov intends for this to change. If you have enough courage to drive off the dangerous denizens of the Stolen Lands, you can seize territory for yourselves and name yourselves baronesses or barons." She pauses for effect, as some of the adventurers raise eyebrows and smile upon hearing the proposition. Lady Jamandi continues, "Restov intends to recognize the legitimacy of the new rulers of this land, and none of the other neighboring realms care enough to challenge you. We are prepared to provide backing as a trade partner and military ally. If you claim the land, you will have my—indeed, all of Restov’s— support!” Lady Jamandi raises one of the goblets set in front of her on the main table. “But the details of your individual missions and charters into the Stolen Lands can wait. I raise my glass to you, brave heroes! For now, let us eat and enjoy the evening. Tomorrow promises to be a very busy day. Servants, please serve the meal!” Her servants begin circle around the room, filling mugs with ale, fruit juice, or water and serving food from heaping platters.
Thank you for the macro sheet, Fenric. I will update the thread later today.
Thanks, edited to anyone with the link.
busy day at work so was unable to post until now. I linked the Google slides, including the map of the Great Hall. If you can't see it or there are tech issues, let me know as I am not the tech savviest, so I appreciate the patience.
There's a line of about 20+ other adventurers in the line in front of you. They run the gamut of warriors, barbarians, priests, and rangers, but none of the others carry dueling swords. There are others unarmored, whom you surmise may be spellcasters. The races are also aplenty with humans, halflings, gnomes, dwarves, and elves. You continue your chatting for the next half hour, as you finally reach the front of line and your names are scratched off the list by a male noble in fine clothing holding a scroll and a fountain pen. You head inside the Great Hall as the first raindrops start falling, incrementally increasing as the drizzle becomes a torrential rain. The male noble smiles, "Looks like you made it just in time. Enjoy the feast!" The noble nods to the house guards and the doors to the Great Hall are closed. Two servants lead you to your table, where you observe the following scene. Great Hall Scene This spacious hall has been prepared for a great feast. Servants hustle and bustle about, while several armed soldiers—Lady Jamandi’s house guards—watch over the hall from their positions against the east and west walls. To the north, a fire crackles away in a large fireplace. An iron lever secured by a lock adorns the fireplace’s eastern face. Two massive crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling twenty feet above. The walls are decorated with painted murals of idyllic woodland scenes: nymphs frolicking amid waterfalls, satyrs dancing with fawns in wooded glades, and various winged fairy creatures flitting through the trees. Nine long tables are arranged around the central portion of the room, each holding plates, utensils, mugs, goblets, and full, ready-to-be-poured pitchers of ale, wine, mead, and water. The smell of roasted meat and other delicious scents fill the room, yet no food has yet been served.
24th day of Calistril 4710 AR As our story begins, you each have answered Lady Jamandi Aldori’s “call for heroes” and arrived at her impressive hilltop manor. A cobblestone path, bordered by regal oak trees and well-manicured hedges, winds its way up the hill for nearly a mile, past a two-story guard barracks, the stables, and a dozen thatched-roof cottages that house the families of the manor’s servants and retainers. The manor itself is a sprawling, three-story structure constructed of light gray mortared stone, surrounded by hedge-lined rose gardens and ancient oak trees. There is a line of other adventurers outside the entrance to the Great Hall, waiting to be let inside. The sky above is gloomy, and distant thunder suggests a storm is imminent.
So upon learning of the call for heroes through your contacts, you consented as a group or individually to listen to Lady Aldori's offer and were told that your names would be on the guest list. Your appearance was expected on the 24th day of Calistril at Lady Jamanda Aldori's manor in Restov at the the sixth toll of the evening bells (6:00 PM).
Whoa, I have appreciated reading the player to player bouncing of ideas off each other. Also, in Brevoy, I imagine the "call for heroes" would have been more word of mouth and informal than flyers or scrolls posted to taverns. You know, you have to weed out the riff-raff. So the word went out to the noble families, the churches, the guilds, the dueling academies, etc. The players would have heard about this opportunity through their informal contacts. Oh and it's Restov, not "Restove". I will post the intro later today.
Quintessa, a dot is sufficient for now. Question for all: the AP assumes you answer Lady Jamanda's call for heroes (read intro post) together as a group. Does that work for you? Do you prefer to know each other beforehand? Or do you prefer being thrown together randomly, as in a lottery and meeting as strangers? Or something else?
I have linked the OOC thread and the Gameplay thread (see Tabs above), so you can dot if you wish.
|