Portia Porphyria-Jeggare's page

@ Tariq Vestgeir and Briggi Plannten,

Well, since y'all keep bringin up 'The Damned Troop' -- stolen sandwiches and wrong-Avatars, I figured I'd join you!

I'll try to get here in the next couple days -- exhausted at work and starting DMing a new home campaign this Friday means this is back burner.

Here is mine

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When I was
A young Rogue
My father
Took me to a Dungeon
To see a Devilish Hound
He said, "Son when, you Level-up
Would you be
The steeler of the booty
The Abyssal and the Damned?"
He said, "Will you, defeat them
The Demons
And all the fiendish monsters?"

2nd choice, distant 2nd

Could there be any other choice?! .... I think not!

Portia is setting up a moment where you can get a good look at the prisoners under a reasonable guise while she talks about blah-blah-blah. We'll see how it works -- but it feels like a Django Unchained gambit.

"And where is The Boss?.... Not to turn down one's fiendish courtesy tour but I could care less for slaves and workers' tools. I'll allow my curious underling, here, gawk at your prisoners, but I need to talk to The Boss. I am here to negotiate, not be taken on a tour.

"Rorek, do try not to step in anything while you gawk at Tieflings and Axiomites in their cages."

Meanwhile, Portia wonders who in the Hell is this Vellexia chick!? (Unless she's a Spoiler from 'Wrath of the Righteous,' in which case Portia is much happier 'Not' to know.

Portia Porphyria-Jeggare sees Garidan's Familiar for the first time and is pleased. She's always had a thing for little venomous snakes, so aesthetically pleasing. She nods to the Varisian barrister.

Portia whispers to the group, I don't trust the Shade who just told off that Shir. I hope you're right about this, Rorek. Good luck to us all -- but I hate relying on luck.

It's all good, one of the cavests of PbP.

Things have been stressful this week and I was half paying attention, yes, but I honestly was waiting on the DM to describe the entrance and introduce an NPC for us to make our Bluff. I didn't think to just shout at the gate. Sorry. I'll try to pay more attention.

Calling in Abyssal, "I am here with my retinue to begin negotiations for a continuous supply of Ptoma lumber, on behalf of Vellexia The Illustrious; Succubus Queen of Alyushinnyrra. Open the gate on threat of destruction, so we may parlay for profit and power!"
Bluff: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (13) + 21 = 34

"Agreed. It was worth trying, but I am anxious to try out this disguise."

LOL

Meanwhile, shattered at the revelation about Augury, DM Ray will now squeamishly run to his Friday night and Sunday afternoon gaming groups, tail between his legs, and sheepishly admit he learned Augury's limitations.

I hate it when that happens!

"Shows how much I know about Divine casting, right?!

"If we can't divine some advice from our Hellish Lords with spells, do we still want to try the waiting game? Shall we still want to hide in the corpse-woods and hope to bluff and bully some intelligence out of any loggers? Or shall we go immediately forward, risky though it be, with the Vellexia gambit at the front door?

"My vote is still to hide in the Ptoma Forest. If they haven't killed poor Quercus yet, well, let's try to get some info without the risk."

"How about something like, 'Lord Asmodeus, is it weal or woe to spend as many as three days hidden in this Ptoma Forest waiting to spy upon/ambush any from this 'logger's camp' in our quest to rescue the Zebub, Quercus, from the logger's camp?'"

"Why thank you, Miriani -- I rather like this.

"Is anyone able to divinely cast an Augury? Or perhaps a Divination spell? It may help to know if Mendax's little Zebub is running out of time."

Guys, please accept my apologies for putting this PbP on the bottom of my to-do list of priorities. I'm confident I can keep up with Gameplay but I do have to acknowledge to myself and admit to my fellow gamers that there will be times when a few days keeps me away. Work, life, and other games -- and so it goes.

I will gladly follow whatever plan, but I think my proposal of pulling back into the Ptoma Forest and waiting for a contingent of their deforesters and lumberjacks comes our way -- to spy on them and try our gambit on them-- from the relative safety of 'far away' from the forest -- may be a good idea.

Trying to spy on the Fortress is risky. .... Getting into the Fortress by bluffing the mooks (leaving them behind us) and then bluffing the leaders with so little intel, is risky. And we can run away sure, but we don't have anywhere to run to.

The flaw in my plan of patience is we don't know how long the little Zebub has in the prison. Augury and Divination spells are our friend!

Portia Porphyria-Jeggare has seemed absent-minded, even apathetic, during the first several minutes in this new Plane. Clearly disoriented and confused. She has spent several minutes vaguely following behind you, alternating between gazing at the sky to oblivion, or staring at her feet on the ground in contemplation.

Finally, she seems to awaken to the task at hand; she shakes her head as to clear her mind and processes what has been said.

"Please, excuse me; I'm not myself through this ordeal. Um, yes, I absolutely believe that scouting is a good idea: With information comes better strategy. But the risk of getting caught is high and then we'll have nothing to fall back on. Except fighting. Same with an incomplete bluff. We may not have enough info for it to work and have to run away. And, considering we don't know where we are, we have no idea to where we could run away. We can't just hope that if we run away in a straight line for long enough that we'll reach someplace safe to hide.

"We can see that they use the gate by the 'river' to go deforest Ptoma Trees. We can see the forest has paths and swaths where logging has been done. My suggestion is that we retreat deep into the Ptoma Forest and wait for a group of their loggers to come in for a day's labor. We spy on THEM, well away from the fortress. Then we approach them with our bluff to see how well it may work -- Mendax says the mooks will fall for it, and it'll be good to practice. Then, we either kill them before returning to the fortress to try our bluff there -- or maybe even have them escort us to the fortress and introduce us to the accountants. You know, if they introduce us as merchants of Vellexia then we aren't bluffing.

"But if anything goes wrong while we're deep in the Ptoma; if there is some critical bit of knowledge we yet lack, well, big deal. We'll kill them and then decide to go to the fortress for an attempt, and with more info."

I'm here, just really busy at work. I'll catch up asap.

Portia Porphyria-Jeggare continues pushing the tactical-ideas conversation forward. "Well, I'm certainly able to contribute in a spell battle, even despite Demon SR. And considering we're -- I believe -- heading to Abaddon, specifically a realm of War perhaps even close to Szuriel -- I think we better be ready for melee.

"But my specialty if tricks and bluffs and gambits. If there's a chance to con or fool or manipulate, in order to get more information and a tactical advantage (such as a surprise attack), I like to try. And hey, when it doesn't work and if they see through my facade, well, if we were going to fight anyway,...

Portia Porphyria-Jeggare accepts being the first one through, only as long as it looks certain that combat-ready muscle is immediately behind or adjacent to her.

It'll be hard for me until Saturday anyway, so I'm cool with it.

Adventure.

Apologies in advance, my posting the rest of the week until Saturday will be limited, and likely bland. Busy, busy and a touch stressed. But I'm here, should still be able to post.

"You are right, of course, if one were to choose a patron of necromancy, Urgathoa is the best option. And Vampires are graceful. And some Ghosts. But perhaps it's just my own prejudices, but I don't see the appeal in dead, rotting flesh. How do Vampires do it?! I guess that's a secret all Necromancers are researching, then they give up and accept decaying Lichdom."

"Tariq Vestgeir, I think I arrived in Korvosa just after you died. I heard of Blooodveil and all the grotesqueness of the end of The Saffron King's reign. I think we must share stories on our trek through Hell for Mendax. There's only one thing I don't understand: You said by the grace of Urgathoa -- I mean no offense," Portia Porphyria-Jeggare says offensively, with just enough flavor of friendly passive-aggresiveness. "but Urgathoa does nothing gracefully. Certainly the goddess of rotting, stinking, mindless zombies can *spell* 'Grace,' but I rather doubt she can bestow it. Still, Sorcery is intriguing, exciting; I look forward to hunting Demons with you."

. . . .

Somewhat impressed with the Varisian barrister of Asmodeus, Portia Porphyria-Jeggare chooses her tone and words carefully, hoping to make a good impression. "Garidan Hemlock, I am certain your choice in Asmodeus is the best one. I don't know what torment you were suffering, as painful as my drowning in cheap, fruity wine unendingly I'm certain, but one must remember to think of the long run. You can still be a Pit Fiend one day! ....That is, unless you forsake the terrifying power and awe of The Dark Prince and Hell's ArchDevils now. Don't lose faith. In the end, *WE are the victors." She tries not to sound too like a victim.

"I'm a scholar taking over The Darklight Sisterhood in Korvosa, originally a Lady from Cheliax: House Porphyria. Well, I was a scholar. And Wizard."

Portia Porphyria-Jeggare laughs at Mendax's 'hell to pay' joke. -- but it's rather obvious that it's an insincere, insulting laugh, not at all disguised as a 'laughing with you' moment but rather a 'laughing at you' moment. Almost immediately she stops, remembering not just the power Mendax has over her, but also the fact that, despite his juvenile and low-brow thinking, he was still able to get the better of her. Twice.

I heard Fylakas had one of his Shadow Demons cast Mage Hand on the smoothie to make it fall on the laptop. Fylakas must know that we're coming after him and that's why he sent one of his stooges to disrupt us.

Portia Porphyria-Jeggare is satisfied: She signs.

Oh, sorry Garidan -- I thought you were originally from Cheliax before you went to The River Kingdoms. (Also, I thought Tariq was going a Sorceress rather than a Sorcerer.) Good thing I noticed something or my early-morning post would've been filled with even more egregious errors than my blundering grammar. I should not be typing these too early in the morning or without proofreading!

Portia Porphyria-Jeggare recognizes desperation, and the whole story sounds plausible, nonetheless, she studies the façade Mendax presents during his explanation and tirade, trying to discern any falsehood or bluff, trying to notice if he's excluding some important part of his tale.
Sense Motive vs Mendax: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12
When Mendax reveals his Bearbazu stooge and the little Beard cries out, she strains to see the look on its face -- a Bearded Devil's lies would be far easier to sense, if this is all for show!
Sense Motive vs The Beard: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30

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She looks to the Human Bloodrager as he asks about the 'Anchor keeping Mendax Bound to his castle. Introducing herself to the fellow Petitioner she reiterates his question. "A good point, pray tell, Mendax, what has your own knowledge of Spellcraft revealed about the Binding; I assume a simple Dispel Magic or even a greater Wish won't break the Enchantment?"

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The Sorcerer has a Korvosan accent!' "A good point. We will need our forms to do this task, Mendax." Portia introduces herself to Tariq Vestgeir next, "I recently moved to Korvosa in order to marry Lord Mercival Jeggare's niece. Alas, I died before we could meet."

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Portia Porphyria-Jeggare pays attention to the Chelaxian Sergeant-of-Law as he begins drafting a more detailed version of the new Contract. 'He certainly knows what he's doing, and do a better job than I."

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"Mendax, let me ask you, what exactly did the Bearded Devil do? The more information you tell us the better equipped we will be to handle the problem. Did he spy or provide counter intelligence? Was he required to lead an attack at a certain tactical moment and not do so? Did he steral , I don't know, a locket of your hair, or something to give to Fylakas The Fool? It is possible that we can use this pitiful Barbazu to our gain. A double agent? Or,... you may be able to change one of us with some kind of magic to make us appear like the Bearded Devil and we could penetrate the Demon's demesne using that."

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My insomnia woke me up again and I got my dice rolls; I'll write out Portia signing the contract in a few hours.

I'm going to ask for another few rolls -- but I'll ask Mendax, too: Where did that battle take place; was there a noticeable captain or general fighting for the Demons and did any soldiers on either side stand out conspicuously? Can we get our forms and magical equipment?

What was the nature of Big Beard's betrayal? Can we use it to our advantage, somehow?

I'll freely fill in all the intelligence from the power-point show to the souls who don't have the Knowledge.

LOL

Portia smiles at Hemlock after Miriani's question -- "Well, Garidan, I guess your reputation as a barrister doesn't extend too far past The River Kingdoms." (If only this were Gameplay.) "Hey Hemlock, maybe you should challenge Miriani to a sword dual, for not knowing you're the best lawyer to come out of Cheliax in a decade."

But, no actual PvP, right?

Hey, Nat 20 right out of the gate, auspicious start!

For my 'special question' I attempted to 'ask' it in roleplay -- Portia trying to remember what she studied about this place in the days and weeks after her negotiations with Mendax back in Westcrown.

Sorta a 'Who is Mendax's direct superior if not Asmodeus? Or if that's not appropriate or the answer is useless cuz it Is Asmodeus, then is there a rival of Mendax here in Malebolge, perhaps someone who covets the Castle.

Something like that -- Who here does Mendax worry about?!

Still not completely recovered from her ordeal of perpetual drowning and punishment, Portia Porphyria-Jeggare quietly collects her thoughts as she sits on the couch, hoping this isn't a dream from which she will awaken, drowning in cheap wine.

'This is Malebolge, wherein Souls are punished. Most of the Devils here revere Mephistopheles but, no, this castle belongs to a servant of Asmodeus.'

'I remember when I first met Mendax in Westcrown and we made the Pact, afterwards I researched this place, including this castle here in Malebolge. Why is it a struggle for me to remember? But. ...Yes, I'm certain I remember something about who Mendax's direct superior is -- Or, hmm, I don't know, maybe not a superior, maybe it was something about a different or original ruler of this castle -- or an enemy of the castle, some peer of Mendax here in Malebolge who coveted this stronghold?'

Trying to mask her uncertainty Portia Porphyria-Jeggare sits on the plush furniture, trying to hide her inspection of her dress for wine stains. She shudders involuntarily, and makes an effort to play it off as though it were temperature. She keeps her mouth slightly open, quietly sucking in oxygen, still disturbed from the panic of drowning.

She looks around her, to the lady sitting next to her. Portia Porphyria-Jeggare hides a nervous smile. 'Better to look an listen.'

Portia Porphyria-Jeggare awakes submerged in wine. Not even a sharp, dry Red, fortified strong and still bitter on the back of her tongue, cleaning the palate dry -- no, it's a fruity white wine that sticks to the bridge of one's mouth like a syrupy sweet and lingers like a slippery Ooze, tainting any flavor of lamb or truffle or Chelaxian olive pie. The grape stains her gown. She gasps, fruity wine inundating her lungs. Spitting out the viscous green liquid she holds her breath and swims up, her gown weighing down her slender frame. Running out of briefest breath she opens her squeezed-shut eye to seek a surface above her where the wine will break to air. Grape stings her eyes. It's just above; one more kick up. Portia Porphyria-Jeggare breaks the surface to bump her head on a transparent lid. The impact sends her a few feet below the depths. 'A horizontal Wall of Force?! Where am I; how deep is this cheap wine bath? HOW DID I GET HERE? What's happening?' She swims back up, finds the surface again and gasps; wine trickles down the wrong pipe and she coughs it out violently. She has, what, maybe a finger span of air between the surface of wine and the ceiling?! Light goes out. She can not see any longer. Her favorite gown, now ruined, weighs her down as she struggles for air. Holding her breath she sinks below to remove the luxurious garment, wrestling with it under the roiling wine. She tries to swim back up for another gasp of air. Her gown is tangled around her shoulders. 'If I can calm myself the wine will become smooth; I can float and hold my mouth up to the surface long enough to cast Waterbreathing.' She reaches the surface again for a moment of air. Her diminutive body is weakening. 'Oh no, I haven't prepared a Waterbreathing spell.' Panic grips her again as she sinks below the narrow margin of air. Her gown is heavy.

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Portia Porphyria-Jeggare awakes submerged in wine. Not even a sharp, dry Red, fortified strong and still bitter on the back of her tongue, cleaning the palate dry -- no, it's a fruity white wine that sticks to the bridge of one's mouth like a syrupy sweet and lingers like a slippery Ooze, tainting any flavor of lamb or truffle or Chelaxian olive pie. The grape stains her gown. She gasps, fruity wine inundating her lungs. 'Wait! What's happening?! Why does this seem familiar? Where am I?'

Welcome to Hell

My PC is more likely to seek out a Headband of INT tied to The Nine Hells. And, in Korvosa and Cheliax, one is more likely to find one associated with an ArchDevil or Circle of Hell.

Of course, metagame, sure, go after one more useful! But that ought to be the purview of the DM.

That said, the DM in this case could decide that the Devil Worshipping merchant who sold it to Portia made her an offer for one that would give her Lore on her worst enemies: a couple Demon Lords! But again, better to let the DM choose. (Maybe even an Apostle of Mammon sold it to her and so it has Lore: Mammon, and Lore: 'Mammon's most hated enemy Demon Lord.' ....Or ArchDevil Moloch and his most hated enemy Demon Lord. Or, since she's a girl PC, some misogynistic merchant sold her one on Lore: Nocticula and Lore: The Whore Queens.). So being honest, Portia Porphyria-Jeggare would have sought one on specific ArchDevil Lore. But she won't say 'no' to one with Lore on her enemies.

100% finished -- except I need the DM to choose something....
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I had to cut back on a couple Languages as I rearranged my Skill Rank allocation. As I've talked about several few times during Recruitment, I like to roleplay, and am ambitious for, how did I put it: "heavy Knowledge Skills (and) 'desire-to-learn-campaign-setting-detail-&-NPC-secrets/backgrounds."

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To the DM--
One of the things I often forget is that the Headband of Vast INT comes with Knowledge Skill ranks, equal to PC Level of the character wearing them, chosen by the DM. I was wondering if you could choose two specific Lore Skills that could come with this Headband, Lore of two specific parts of The Nine Hells.

It's a common houserule in my experience to limit the wealth of a single Magic Item to a portion (half or something else) of one's starting wealth when beginning at high levels.

But there is a really funny GenCon story in Pathfinder Society from John Compton -- who was running the Hall -- where a PFS PC only had one Item, a $50K item, that he weas using in PFS. I'll find the link....
GenCon PFS YOU HAVE TO WATCH. The story begins at 1 hour, 13 minutes, and about 18 seconds. The story is a few minutes long. Thank me later!

In my games, I'm big on ruling that no one Item can cost greater than 'the difference between last level and current level' -- so if this were my game I would have seen that 23,500 is starting for 7th level and that, since back at 6th level it was 16,000, no one item could be bigger than the difference: $7,500. (I used to do it the opposite way, that no one Item could be bigger in that case than $16K.)

In any case, I didn't see any guidelines so I just got the big INT boost and a bunch of Scrolls. Since I get Scribe Scroll at 1st Level I made them at 1/2 cost. However, even though I chose Craft Wand at 5th, I chose not to make any Wands yet, thinking it may be a bit cheesy to get Wands at 1/2 price right out of the starting gate.
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Portia's headband is also 16k, but as an arcane bond its cost is only 8k,so I guess it is out of the question?!

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An Arcane Bond is not 1/2 price; I paid the full $16K.

I was doing my best to not step on your toes for spells -- made Necromancy an opposition school - but in the case of Skills I think it's okay that we overlap. My PC is based on super Bluff, Diplomacy & Knowledge Skills. That's my jam. Here, I think it's the same as having more than one PC with great Perception, of great Stealth.

Knowledge (Planes) applies to things from other planes (i.e. devils, celestials, etc.), so Knowledge (Nobility) applies to Demon Lords and their courts, Knowledge (Geography) applies to Abyssal geography, etc.

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As such, I will alter my Feat - Scholar - from Knowledge: Planes & Religion to, hmm, perhaps Knowledge: Nobility and Geography (or history or local?....)

I want to roll high to know all about the Demon Lords & Infernal Dukes and their settings, plots, histories, etc. The fiendish monster tactics and combat abilities, sure, I'd like a roll, but not nearly as high a roll as for the personalities, backgrounds and goals of the Bosses. I may be shifting more Ranks from Adventuring Skills to various Background Lore Skills. (Me are gaming for roleplay more than rollplay, aka: I get my kicks above the waste-line, Sunshine.)

....Also, I'm going to switch out a few of my 15 languages.

Tomorrow (Now I sleep.)

I'm more than 99% finished!

I have 700 gp left that's burning a hole in my Nobles Outfit pocket. And I will audit the sheet for any technical errors.

Um, this is awkward -- I gave myself Max HP. Um, how are we doing HP?

Also, Linguistics is a Background Skill but I like to max it out and really use it -- creating Forgeries and being a polyglot. If during the game you're thinking, 'Sheesh, Portia Porphyria-Jeggare is getting too much from a Background Skill!', fear not -- I used a plain old Super-INT modifier to get me those Ranks.

....That being said, if the Background Skills Knowledge Nobility, History, and Geography are complete duds, I'd like the option to reduce the Ranks in those and choose to put Ranks in the Background Skills of Lore: The Fourth Circle of Hell, and Lore: The Second Circle of Hell, and Lore: Abraxas & his Abyssal Layer of Pleroma, and Lore: Mephistopheles,-- you get the idea.

Background, Ability Scores, my big magic item, Skill Rank deployment, Traits & Feats -- done. That's maybe 1/3 of the PC. I'll get back for a bit later today or tomorrow sometime.

....And all the sudden I'm behind. Yikes.

I should be done today.