Peter Maidens's page

Stenne bursts through the door into the room beyond. Inside the room, you see Cruven standing beside the fireplace talking to who you assume is Lady Eshin, who is seated in an armchair facing away from you. Frustration is apparent on Cruven’s face as the discussion between the two continues. Although the conversation looks quite heated, you can’t hear anything other than quite crackle of a fire.

I assume everyone follows Stenne through the door after she doesn’t get vaporized. If your character doesn’t then they can’t hear anything in the following posts.

The moment your ears pass the threshold of the door, the sounds of the street outside disappear. The room is enveloped in complete silence other than the voice of Cruven half way through a sentence.

As the Guardian watches Vars move over to the door and try to open it, he says ”Haha! Not so fast my friend. The professors won’t give out their information that easily. However, students are encouraged to find clever, though undestructive, ways to bypass those locks. IF you are not up to the task however, I do posses a spare key that I would be willing to lend you, on one condition. I will give you the key in exchange for a riddle where the answer is ‘lion’ or ‘Guardian’ or something to that affect. It can’t be too easy though…”

Master Orlando has a bone to pick with the Guardian, not Grand Prince Stavian III. Master Orlando is the current Guildmaster of the Collegium. Grand Prince Stavian III lived a long time ago.

"That does seem frightfully unfair, dear Guardian. Hopefully we can help to undo some of the injustice you've suffered, though I'm afraid we are a bit short of time... we only have until the end of the concert to finish our work here.”

”I must agree with you. Though I think there is little we can do until Master Orlando passes away. The Guildmaster is an awfully powerful man.”

”Why is it that you only have until the end of the concert?”

"Where might we locate these books, Guardian?”

”The professors brought most of those books into either set of the double doors along the south wall, they both lead to the same place. I don’t know much about what is through those doors. The caretaker is the one responsible for taking care of that area, in fact, he should be there currently, probably in his personal quarters.”

"Anyway, what books on the Dark Fey were these 'seasoned professors' carrying, and where are they located? Also, would you happen to have another copy of this tome, particularly the damaged pages?”

”Shadow Fey. Not Dark Fey. The Dark Fey are a different matter entirely, and it seems you don’t have time for any confusion. Unfortunately, I was never able to get a good enough look at them to know what they were called. However, I can tell which ones are about the shadow fey because they emanate a distinctive aura. The shadow fey are cold, dark, and powerful creatures who live in the shadow plane. If the book was taken to the shadow plane, my eyes are able to see the contaminating energy of the plane emanating from the book for years after being brought back, and that is how I could tell what those books were about. That is one of the many gifts that the Grand Prince bestowed upon me.”

”The archive only has a single copy of every text. I am disappointed to hear that one of them got ruined. I will have to tell the caretaker to remove that text.”

”Now I think I get another question. Who asked you to research the shadow fey? It is strange that they sent such a… mundane group of people. No offense meant. I am just surprised that they did not send a more qualified group of people to do this research if it is so important.”

"We have been given leave by Orlando, Guildmaster of the Arcane Collegium, to peruse your rare book section," she produces the scroll given to them by Lady Eshin, "Would you be so kind as to escort us there?"

"The Guildmaster! Oh my. You must have some sort of important business if the Guildmaster is willing to admit you." Tobius reaches his hand out towards Cassandra. "May I?" He asks, looking towards the scroll.

"Ah yes, I am here to learn more about honor, courage, and glory. Where exactly is your section on kobolds located?"

"And please excuse my companion. I've never quite gotten the hang of Kobold humor. I assure you that despite his taste in jokes, he's every bit as intelligent as I."

"No worries, Madam, all are welcome here." Tobius says to Cassandra and turns to Magniventris. "Our Kobold section is quite extensive. It details the full history of the kobolds in this area, though the details are a bit sparse before the Stross Reign. I will make sure to point it out to you." Tobius says as he takes the scroll from Cassandra, and quickly reads it over. As Tobius reads, you hear the orchestra begin their first piece; the concert has begun.

"Yes, it seem everything is in order. Very well! Please, follow me."

Tobius turns around and leads the group towards the large double doors on the northern wall.

"You know, kobolds make up a large portion of our students here at the Collegium. They do not number quite as large as our human or dwarf students, but they do make excellent clockwork mages. Our collection of knowledge about the kobold race, and many of the tribes from this area is written first hand by past students. It is quite fascinating really. You can see it right over there, on the lower two shelves." Tobius points towards a large bookcase on the west wall.

Tobius opens the large double doors and walks into the room beyond. A large table stands at the center of this large room, whose walls are lined with rows upon rows of inset shelves. The set of double doors you entered through is the only way into the room, and two stone statues depicting bearded scholars with open books are the only other decoration.

"And here we are. The rare books collection. If you should need anything, please do let me know. I will make sure to check up on you periodically in case there is anything you need. I should inform you though, that the Collegium closes after the concert concludes, which should be in about two hours, you will have to leave then. Good luck with your research, I hope you find what you are looking for." Tobius nods towards you all, and exits the room, closing the doors behind him.

Having been to the Collegium a few times before, Tessara confidently leads the group in the direction of the library. You walk through the courtyard between the buildings of the Collegium, pushing your way against the flow of the crowd, but those around you seem too caught up in the excitement to take much notice.

As you enter the building on the east side of the courtyard, you walk past an usher who smiles, and nodes as you pass. The corridors of the east building are well lit, and the dark wooden floor boards creek as you walk along. Each door within the building is marked with a brass numbered placard. Tessara leads you up two flights of stairs, up to the top floor of the building with windows overlooking the courtyard below. You notice the crowd has begun to thin when suddenly, echoing through the halls as if the sound is emerging from all around you, you hear what sounds like the pulling of a bowstring on a violin. As a few other instruments join the first, you realize the concert is about to begin. You don't have much time.

Luckily, just three doors down, you notice a large set of double doors with a placard that reads Grand Library. Relieved, you enter the room.

The room is smaller than you had imagined. The dim lit room is filled with sets of tables and chairs, and lined with bookshelves. The smell of old books mixes with dust and floor polish fills the room. The eastern most wall features an ornate fireplace with a low burning fire that crackles periodically. As the doors close behind you, you can still hear the music through the doors. Along the northern wall, near the east corner of the room, another set of elaborately carved walnut doors hang closed. The library is completely deserted except for one man sitting at a nearby table studying a book.

"My Lady, you mentioned that the entrance to the secret archive is hidden in the rare books section... but do you have any more details on exactly where it is hidden, or any subtle markers that we might use to identify it?"

Lady Eshin looks towards Tessara with a friendly grimace, "Unfortunately, that is where our contact was unable to provide any information too specific. However, he did mention that you would be able to find the entrance by studying honor, courage, and glory. Our circumstance did not allow my contact to explain any further."

"I am honored to make your respective acquaintences, but should we not dispense with pleasantries and head to the meat of the matter? Lives are on the line. It is best not to dawdle."

"I suppose you are right." Lady Eshin nods and hands the first cloth wrapped package towards Tessara. ”This contains a deck of illusions that I have modified; instead of each card creating a random creature, each one creates a copy of one of you. The illusions won’t interact with anyone, but they can pretend to be reading and deceive the casual observer. Each only lasts for two hours, though. Stick a card to the bottom of a chair to create the illusion, and don’t forget to remove the card when you’re done.”

She then takes the second package and hands it to Cavasin. ”This one contains some items to be used in case of emergency; a single potion of invisibility and a potion of pass without a trace. Do not hesitate to use them if the situation calls for it."

Lady Eshin then hands the scroll tube to Cassandra. ”Inside this scroll tube, you will find a formal request signed by Orlando, Guildmaster of the Arcane Collegium, to admit the bearers to the Arcane Collegium’s rare books collection. We are fortunate that our contact was able to procure it without creating too much suspicion.” She hesitates for a moment before adding, ”It also includes a letter from the Free City Council, signed by the Lord Mayor himself, with details of your mission (it doesn’t have any information on it that you have not already been told). If you must, use this as a bargaining chip. Nearly anyone you meet will look at you more favorably if you surrender it, but doing so would certainly risk the city’s relationship with the Collegium. I’m giving it to you because I trust your discretion in the matter.”

Lastly, Lady Eshin takes a small stack of papers, six vials of ink, and six ink pens out of the bag sitting beside her and hands them out to everyone. ”You will also need these. As we want to leave no evidence behind, you must leave all the materials you find in their original location. Use this to write down as much information as you are able in the time you have.” Lady Eshin then sits back in her chair. "Tomorrow evening, the Arcane Collegium will host an extravagant orchestral performance in celebration of the Stross’s Fall. Such an event should last several hours, and if rumors are to be believed, the orchestra intends to play a complex medley of Zobeck's greatest songs. Several of these are rather dramatic at times, and the sound should drown out any noise you make. With any luck, the performance will also draw away most of the guards.”

"If there are no further questions…” Lady Eshin stands and smiles towards the group of you. ”Best of luck to you all. The city, and perhaps all of Midgard, are counting on you.”

Lady Eshin leans back and smiles as Stenne posses her question. "I thought you might ask that, Stenne. The Council has put aside an appropriete amount, depending of course on the quality of your work. I am sure you will be more than pleased with your compensation."

The Dock District is always busy this time of year, and today is no different. People of all walks of life shuffle up and down the narrow streets while merchants, fishers, and traders hawk their wares to anyone passing by. The smell of the grungy river and the stench of those passing by fills your senses as you look down the side streets looking for “Captain Muesello’s Bait and Tackle”. You have walked for a quarter of an hour when you see the faded, peeling sign of the store down an almost abandoned side street.

Sorry for the wall of text, there is quite a bit of setup. I promise I will try to keep the word walls to a minimum.

As you walk through the door of the shop, a small bell’s ringing signals your arrival to anyone within the shop. The shop is surprisingly crowded considering its dull exterior; you count six others looking about the store, though none of them look like they work there. You find yourself looking around the shop when you hear a man’s voice call out from behind you.

Important Note:
This is the first PbP that I will be GMing. I have done my fair share of reading up on the topic of GMing a PbP, but life experience has taught me that practice never works out as it should in theory. In that light, I wish to start small. To make my life easier and to increase the chances that everyone has as much fun as possible, I expect everyone who participates has read the following guides.

1. DH's Guide to Play By Post gaming
2. Building a Better Doomed Hero: Painlord's Advanced Play-by-Post Play

Now, it’s time to get to the juicy details of the game. If you are still interested in joining me, please read on below.

About the game

We will be playing Library of the Lion, a Pathfinder Society scenario. However, we will not be playing it for credit in PFS. I chose this scenario because it is combat light (which I think works well for PbP). Take that into consideration when you are creating your characters.

For your characters, please create them as follows:
- Use Paizo published sources only (sorry, but I am trying to keep things simple)
- Level 1
- 20 point buy
- Non-evil
- 2 traits
- Any class
- Most races (must be welcome at a ball)

I will be closing the recruitment in the evening on September 18th.

Roll20 will be the mapping software that I will use. Since there is not a lot of combat, I will still use Roll20 as an aid to help everyone understand the area that we are in.

As a player, I expect you to post once a day unless you have let the group know that you will be unable to. That will keep the game moving and keep everyone engaged. I realize that real life comes up and can prevent you some days, but if you go silent for too long, I will either end up playing for you or you will become an NPC. This is a short scenario, so hopefully everyone will be able to stay around. I will check the thread multiple times per day in case any input from me is needed.

There are also some things you should know about me. First of all, as I mentioned earlier, this will be my first PbP game as a GM. I have GMed face-to-face before, but never in this format. Secondly, having two kids means that I do all of my posting while at work or after my kids are in bed. That means that I won’t post much over the weekends (sorry).

If you have any questions, feel free to post them below.

I look forward to gaming with you!

I think that I'll kick things off tomorrow.

DUN DUN DUUUUNN!