Rendylyn the Red Waif's page

Not Thorn. "So the Dark Prince has brought us together. We feel His guiding hand at every turn. That is all we need to know for now, though we will want to hear your story in time."

The young priestess grins fiercely. "We have come a long way to reach Aldencross. We are the forsaken who laid waste to Branderscar and vanished." With a touch to her circlet, she drops her dwarven guise and stands revealed in her red and black mailed finery, silver archstar glinting at her throat. She displays the 'F" brand on her arm proudly. "Now we have come to wreak vengeance on the Mitran betrayers for our glory and the glory of Hell. Prove yourself worthy, and you may be permitted to join our ranks.

"For now...let us hear what you know of Balentyne."

For roleplay's sake, may we say the whole knot has made it to this scene?

Rendylyn continues to study Tehs. "Preparing to aid me? Learning of the garrison? Why? Is it in hope of reward? For revenge? An act of devotion, perhaps?"

"If what you say is true, then we have the same master. Speak the name of the one you serve. Now."

When Treesa rejoins the party, she should get her wealth by level of stuff, including whichever extra spells in her familiar she wants.

Rendylyn stared wordlessly at the newcomer. It seemed unlikely that anyone could know of the knot unless Thorn had sent them...but the tritons had known. There were spells that could pull the very thoughts from their heads. The little witch said she had them spellbound, but could not the opposite be true?

Investigating the weaknesses of Balentyne had the young priestess of Asmodeus thinking constantly about secrecy and security for the knot. Before she'd trust anything this person said, she'd read what she could from his eyes. Even magical disguises didn't hide the widening of surprise or fear, the glint of lust or aggression. Rendylyn smiled vacantly as she searched the newcomer's features.

What she believed she saw was anticipation.

"Very well. We'll go to my room. Send the others the moment they return."

Rendylyn leads the way upstairs, unlocking the door and locking it behind them. She sits on the bed, not offering a seat.

"Tell me why we should trust you," she says bluntly.

With her day's errands done, Rendylyn has the inn's servants draw her another bath, urging them to bring hotter water. She luxuriates in the heat until evening, listening for noise in the tavern downstairs. When it seems it's at it busiest, she casts her divination again and descends to the common room to surveil the crowd.

Rendylyn uses Detect the Faithful on the inn's staff and customers. Are they mostly townies, or soldiers, or an even mix? Any officers?

After that, she approaches the innkeep. "Master Bellam, I know it's more usual for your guests to buy liquor from you, but the professor packed far more liquor that he needs for this trip. Could you offer us a fair price for these six bottles of fine whiskey?"

You mean the patrol route of the group that went hunting north of the wall?

Yes, I'll have Rendylyn ask them to investigate.

Rendylyn lugs the sheathed greatsword to the inn and leaves it in Rayse and Treesa's room. "A magic blade, unless the smith cheated us, or the scribe cheated him," she tells the little witch. "See what you make of it, and tell Rayse to redden it in the Dark Prince's name."

She stops by to see Posh as well. "I've mastered another ritual, one that should make this"--she gestures towards the gnome's coiled whip--"a weapon more befitting an agent of Hell. Here, let me see it." She sets sticks of incense burning around the whip, filling the air with the scents of hot iron, sulfur, and kesar attar. As she speaks an invocation over the weapon, the smoke twists to form drifting infernal runes. These are drawn into the whip, as if it were inhaling them. It swells and splits like a snake shedding its skin. When the ritual is complete, it has been transformed into a supple coil of glossy black leather with red highlights, tough and ready to draw blood.

Rendylyn casts Masterwork Transformation on Posh's whip, making it a Masterwork Whip.

She preens in satisfaction. "There. We'll need to dedicate it, naturally. We'll find someone who needs more than a weapon stripped away from them."

Her errands done, she heads to the tavern of the inn for the evening, planning to observe the townsfolk.

She looks over the documents and map he's been working on. "I see you've not been idle. When you have spare time, could you stop by the apothecary and see if they have poison suitable for Mama Guiseppe's stewpot and a fortress full of soldiers? It may be too suspicious to buy that much; we may need to steal it and replace it with salt or whatever."

Could Vormog and Rayse get the patrol schedule, and maybe even some details of the route? I'll add it to our calendar.

Welcome to the game, Tehs! I'm glad you decided to join.

Do you specifically ask about availability of poisons?

No, Rendylyn plans to send someone with better Bluff for that.

"Why would I want to purchase another such 'rare and valuable' piece?"

"You've had no luck with the greatsword, you said it yourself. Maybe you'll have better luck with the trident! It's exotic enough that it just might catch someone's fancy, and you can use it with the shields that humans around here are so fond of. How about this: I trade you the trident, plus a thousand gold pieces, for the greatsword. You make back all the money you paid for it, and still have an enchanted weapon to lure potential customers in. Sell it and you'll be far ahead of the game!"

"What you say about a tunnel between this inn and the fortress is huge! We should really find and explore that. We might need to be quiet about it and choose the best time to do it."

Rendylyn nods. "Tonight, when the staff of the inn is asleep, we'll rouse the knot to explore."

As you prefer...the circlets can pretty much do it all, but some people like a belt and suspenders.

Rendylyn shares what she overheard with the rest of the knot, adding her own insights. "Our faces might not be widely known, but our escape is common knowledge. Keep your brands well hidden! Poisoning the well might disable some of the townsfolk, but poisoning Mama Guissepe's stew sounds like an excellent way to cripple the garrison right before the horde attacks. Can we find or make enough poison in two weeks? If there's a decommisioned secret tunnel between the inn and fortress, it might allow us access for sabotage missions...and it might be connected to another abandoned Asmodean temple and proving ground. Our Dark Prince keeps steering me to them..."

Plotting seems to agree with Rendylyn. Though she keeps her lips pressed dourly against each other in her dwarven guise, her eyes are always smiling. Before they all set out on their missions for the day, she cloaks with spells the evil intent of those most likely to come in contact with the fortress's spellcasters. Rendylyn casts Undetectable Alignment on one or two other folks, whoever is going to a job interview or approaching the castle gates.

Rendylyn goes to to Master Caldwin's Cauldron, expecting it to be a place where one might buy potions and alchemical supplies...including possible poisons. She explains to the shopkeeper that she needs to bring The Professor an inventory so he can draw up a shopping list.

Diplomacy to gather information: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

After that, she goes the VonKraig Smithy, bringing the enchanted trident, and offers to sell it for the right price. "I really don't know how someone like the Professor got their hands on something like this--maybe a present from Tritons or something? In any case, it's pretty rare and valuable. Do you trade in magic arms and armor?" She draws out the conversation with the smith, probing for useful information such as how many people in Balentyne have magical weapons.

Diplomacy to gather information: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

Fine by me!

What day of the week is Day 2? I was going to guess Tuesday, but I don't even know if Golarion has Tuesdays.

Once she's certain they're not being observed, Rendylyn looks thoughtful. "Treesa, if you're saying that using Detect the Faithful on an Asmodean pretending to be a Mitran would reveal him as an Asmodean to an Asmodean priest and as a Mitran to a Mitran priest, you're correct. The spell's not useful to spot infiltrators to your religion, but it's useful to spot members of your own religion in hiding."

"What you say about the fortress's casters being unlikely to use divinations on outsiders may be true. If so, that's a limitation of the casters, not the magic. We should be more wary ourselves. Speaking of which..." Rendylyn touches the forsaken brand scars on her compatriots' arms to make sure they are who she believes them to be, then checks the knot for magical auras such as charms and compulsions and transformations. "As we discover our enemy's weaknesses, we should rid ourselves of those same weaknesses. I will be conducting such surprise inspections at irregular intervals from now on." She offers up her own forearm for the knot's scrutiny.

Rendylyn uses Detect Magic on all the members of the knot, looking for traces of hostile or suspicious magic.

Irritated that the evening search for the hidden Asmodean cost her the opportunity to observe the evening tavern patrons, Rendylyn lies awake in bed, scheming her next moves in the darkness.

The next morning she eats breakfast before retiring to her room to cast her divination, reasoning that listening in on the town a little later in the day might help her overhear more of its secrets.

Rendylyn again casts Ears of the City to gather information about Aldencross and Balentyne.

Perception to gather information, round 1: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
Perception to gather information, round 2: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
Perception to gather information, round 3: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

Rendylyn smirks. "No one else was nearly as non-descript. I'll spot him. If not tonight, then by the same spell tomorrow morning."

GMWT, if it's not spoiling anything, could you let us know if the Asmodean I spotted is your nephew's character? On the one hand, I don't want to rush his character creation process by approaching before he's ready. On the other hand, I don't want to leave him hanging when he is ready.

Requested Perception check: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

Rendylyn quietly exchanges the information she's gathered around town with each of the other members of the knot. "I've learned of two powerful spellcasters who defend Balentyne. One is a divine spellcaster, Father Donnigan, who can cure injuries and disease. The latter is a spell beyond what I've learned from Asmodeus so far. The other is a wizard, Tacticus, who has a Wand of Fireballs--again, a spell a step up from what I receive from Asmodeus.

"We must be careful that neither of them exposes us. I've a spell that will hide our dark hearts from divinations for a day and a night, and whoever approaches the fortress should be cloaked with it. I can only cast it on two people a day, though, so we should have no more than two infiltrators at a time. Even with that protection, either Donnigan or Tacticus could detect the magic of our disguises if they're suspicious or forewarned or properly paranoid. I've no magic to prevent that; caution will be our only defense.

"Posh, the proprietor of the Illuminated Scroll, Scaramore, was oddly hostile when I asked him what spells he had available. Perhaps he thought talking to a non-spellcaster a waste of his time. You may want to approach him...he might be a customer for that spellbook we took from the warden, and he might be a useful source of information and supplies. If you could purchase a new scroll of Obscuring Mist for me, I'd appreciate it."

She gives a little smile when Vormog and Rayse describe the their encounters with the guards. "Those seem like excellent infiltration opportunities. Just bear in mind our current priorities.

"The first is not to alert the fortress. Treesa says they use ravens to communicate, so if we tip our hand, they can alert the countryside, perhaps even call for reinforcements. Until we eliminate those birds, we must be snakes hidden in the grass.

"The second is to gain information about the keep's defenses, both its structures and its personnel. You can do that whether or not you're hired...for example, you might find out when and where they send out the patrol they're hiring for.

"Gaining access to the keep is third. We must eventually do so to confirm our intelligence and scout for opportunities, but since the horde won't arrive for two weeks, we shouldn't rush into sabotage or sedition."

She looks out the window, squinting to see if townsfolk are returning from their day's work at the castle yet. "Now, which of you will shadow that Asmodean I discovered? Rayse, you might be the best choice to make contact and see what use we can make of them--perhaps in a different guise."

Requested Sense Motive: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14

'Lyn' chats with Brother Justin, asking innocuous questions about the village, the church, Balentyne, and Father Donnigan. She hopes to hear stories about his healing powers, so as to judge how powerful a caster he is.

Diplomacy to gather information: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23

She explains to Scaramore that her employer is a wizard who will want a list of spells he might be able to add to his spellbook. She asks him for a list of the scrolls available at the store, and a list of scrolls Tacitus might scribe for the right price. Again, she's trying to judge how powerful a caster he is.

Diplomacy to gather information: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

That all takes many hours, so afterwards she returns to the inn to inform the rest of the knot of what she's learned, and to scout out the Asmodean as he returns from the fortress. After that she plans to look in on the people drinking in the inn that evening.

I'm the Tyrion Lannister of this group.

I think we all know who Rendylyn would be.

Rendylyn carries all her gear in the Lyn guise. Note that Disguise Self can be used to change the appearance of our clothes and equipment as well, so Lyn's clothes, armor, circlet, etc., don't look like Rendylyn's, and that will be true of any other guise she adopts.

When she has the chance, Rendylyn shares her Aldencross visions with the others. "This is essentially magical eavesdropping--what I hear is what people are saying, not necessarily what is true. The angelic voice, for example, could be nothing, or it could be a clue that we're not the only ones in town disguising ourselves as our lessers. Perhaps the soldiers' laziness is something we can exploit, or perhaps it's just the usual disdain elders have for young people. Next week's Market is likely to be a major event for a town this size, so we'd do well to find out what will happen besides the performers."

She also mentions that Asmodeus has at least one adherent among the day workers of Balentyne. "If I point him out among the returning crowd tonight, could one of you follow him to see where he lives? Then we could pay him a visit and enlist his help."

Rendylyn stops by the Church of St. Alden, where she asks who in town or the fort might have holy healing powers capable of ridding one of her companions of a persistent infection. Her goal is to get a list of the clerics (or oracles, or whatever) of Mitra in the area.

She stops by The Illuminated Scroll as well, and browses through the goods available. If there are magical scrolls available, she expresses surprise and asks who in the area makes or buys such rare goods. Again, the goal is to get a list of the spellcasters in the area.

What season is it? Are we still in snowy latitudes?

Rendylyn wakes just before dawn and performs the Rite of Welcoming Darkness before the sun can rise. As she hoped, Asmodeus grants her spells she's never attempted before. She thrills with pride.

A quick blow from her morningstar strikes a flake from the bricks of her wall. The impact is a little louder than she expected, and she wonders briefly if she's woken Treesa and Rayce in the next room. She immediately resolves not to speculate about what is taking place in there. Instead, she cups the fragment of brick in her hands and whispers incantations over it. Visions wash over her as she closes her eyes and focuses on the connections between this tiny part of the town and every other part.

Rendylyn casts Ears of the City to gather information about Aldencross and Balentyne.

Perception to gather information, round 1: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23
Perception to gather information, round 2: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
Perception to gather information, round 3: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Afterwards, she checks her disguise in a mirror and descends to the common room.

Disguise using Disguise Self level 1 from circlet--not sure when I should roll this, but here's one in case it's needed later: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (19) + 24 = 43

Using the 'Lyn' avatar is a small inconvenience, so I'm gonna stop. Please assume Rendylyn's in disguise until I specify she isn't.

Rendylyn nods at Alicia's offer of breakfast and lunch, and directs her to add it to the Professor's account. She asks that the servants draw a bath in her room, hot as they can manage it. "Tell them there's a gold coin in it for them, if it's hot enough."

Requested Sense Motive: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19

So there's more to this story of a redeemed brothel...and a secret may be an opportunity. She decides to ask the others to look into this riddle with her.

After her morning meal, Rendylyn prepares to explore the town. After weaving a spell to conceal her unholy aura, she readies divinations and sets out to look for possible allies among the busier shops and intersections.

Rendylyn casts Undetectable Alignment and roams the town, covertly casting Detect the Faithful the first two times she comes across a group of people.

Should we set up a calendar for our operation? Four weeks, and we're on day 1, having crossed the water and reached the town.

After Bellam shows the knot their rooms, Rendylyn directs them into the most isolated. "You wanted to meet before bed, right, Professor?"

When they have said goodnight to the innkeeper and shut the door, Rendylyn listens to his retreating steps, then nods. "He's gone. Speak softly, just to be sure, and to get in the habit."

"So we've established our main identities and found shelter and food. So far so good. Make sure you take baths as soon as possible--the circlets change your looks, but you still smell like a week at sea.

"I propose we take a couple of days learning all we can from the townsfolk before we approach Balentyne fortress at all. We should know what we're getting into. Then the 'Professor' can try to get access. Vormog, you mentioned wanting to get a job there--you can switch to a secondary identity for that, or if you don't want to do through a job interview, you can kill the sentry and assume his identity. Replacing a maid or stablehand might be simpler, though. Perhaps that's what I'll do. But first, information."

Your nephew is an adult? If he's interested, sure, bring him on in!

Depending on his concept, some of us might want to adjust our 3rd level decisions, if that's OK.

How do people feel about opening recruitment for another player or two? I feel this is a natural place in the story for it, and we could use the support.

As I see it, we could either have the new person(s) be an Asmodean we discover in Aldencross, or retcon them into a forsaken role: Someone who escaped the prison and has been with us this whole time.

Vormog's invested in his judgements, so it would hurt to lose out on Inquisitor progression. If your main goal in taking a level in Rogue is to get Disable Device in-class, why not take Extra Traits as his level 3 feat instead, and choose Criminal or Vagabond Child as one of those extra traits? The other trait could increase his initiative, or fortitude save, or whatever--there's lots of great traits.

Alternatively, you could take Variant Multiclass: Rogue and get Trapfinding instead of a feat at this level.

"What you'll have to do is loudly introduce yourself with a similar, but much more memorable name to everyone else in town, so that the guard assumes he heard it wrong the first time. Phlegmpimple should do." Rendylyn smirks. "So much for gravitas!"

Here's a link to the list. The only one that might be of interest to you at this level is Devil's Pact.

Oh, I'm so glad! Level 3 is big for Rendylyn: Access to a new level of Cleric spells gives her a lot of options.

Quick question for GMWT: Fire Mountain Games published a selection of feats specifically for this adventure path. A lot of them are for undead, but some of them could be useful to us. I'm interested in taking the Unholy Spell Metamagic. Would that be all right?

With a sharp crack, the burning ship's mast abruptly topples to the deck. Rendylyn snaps her head around to watch, her eyes gleaming, reflecting flames in black and red. A shiver of delight passes through her, then she returns her focus to scheming.

"With weeks to work with, I feel we should proceed cautiously and minimize our risk of exposure until we know what we're getting into. We need not approach the fortress's guardians in the first few days. Instead, we should talk to people at the inn, to local merchants and the like to make sure our approach makes sense--to confirm that there's no genuine inspector already at the castle, for example. We can probe for weaknesses without making ourselves vulnerable."

"I feel ready to attempt certain spells that should aid us. Spells to sift the community's secrets, spells to cloak us from the suspicion of Mitra's servants. Give me a day or two to work them and prepare before we try hoodwinking anyone important."

Rendylyn laughs politely. "Posh, my fool, you'd best learn a hymn or three before trying to imitate a Mitran priest. We learned that beneath Thorn's manor. Being a wizard makes more sense--you have a wizard's book, and can cast arcane spells. But why bother? The fewer lies you have to tell, the safer.

"If the goal is to gain entry to the fortress, to be allowed to draw maps and ask questions, you will want to convince them you are an inspector, architect, or scholar sent by higher powers to report back about its condition. Does the role call for a wizard/inspector, an architectomancer, a scholar of the arcane? If not, why add risk? You won't gain authority by having a spellbook. You'll gain it by having written orders from royalty. You still have your forger's kit, right?"

CLW from Vormog, thanks!: 2d8 + 4 ⇒ (7, 2) + 4 = 13

A growing plume of smoke rises from the hold a few moments before Rendylyn climbs back on the deck. "Did you have a question, Posh? I'm sorry, I didn't hear it."

Later, she kindles a tree stump so the knot can warm themselves on the shore as they watch the fire spread through the damp timbers of the Frosthamar. It seems to take a long time, smoking and sputtering, before it suddenly blazes up. Rendylyn grins as a wave of hot air blows her hair back.

She looks at the circle of faces gathered around her fire. Her respect for these dark souls has grown and grown. If she ever had doubts about their ability to carry out Cardinal Thorn’s will, she has none now.

“Let us consider how we might best set in motion the fall of Balentyne tower. We have a month to accomplish that, but for caution’s sake, let’s allow ourselves three weeks. It seems to me that before we take any action against it, we should take a week or so to learn all we can of its strengths and weaknesses. Of course, we forsaken cannot enter the town as ourselves--by now the story of our escape must have been circulated far and wide. I think we should present ourselves as a small caravan of travelers who fell in together to make the journey here but aren’t otherwise connected. That way if one of us falls under suspicion, the rest of us won’t be immediately condemned.”

“Posh, I think you could most easily pass for a traveling scholar. Perhaps you could be writing a book about the great fortresses of Talingarde--dedicated to the glory of Mitra, of course!--and seek permission to explore the tower and interview its inhabitants. Or perhaps you could be conducting an inspection. Either way, you'll want papers to back up your story.”

"Treesa, you may have the best spy among us in your employ--a dog can overhear many things without raising suspicion. While he gathers information, you might pose as a traveling healer or herbalist, and let the people of Aldencross come to you at the inn."

“Rayse, it would be useful for one of use to pose as a traveling merchant, and you're better at keeping up a facade than myself or Vormog. As you exchange our captured goods and weapons for gold, and perhaps find us items necessary to our plans, you could ingratiate yourself with the town’s shopkeepers, and see what you can discover about the tower’s supply.”

"Vormog and I can pose as drifters looking for work. We can approach the castle and see if they need soldiers or servants. Whether or not we get a position, we should be able to see behind the scenes of the castle’s daily life.”

“Nothing says we have to stick to these disguises, of course. For example, if I get a job that gives me access to a library that Treesa could exploit, we could switch disguises. And of course we could stop using a disguise that has attracted too much attention, or create a new identity to take advantage of a new opportunity. These just seem like good roles to start with.”

“But I’m sure you folks have ideas too. There’s no rush to choose. What do you think?”

Thanks for your hard work. Please keep checking in, and rejoin if and when you like!

The knot hadn't wasted the long journey north. They'd discussed tactics, codes. Rendylyn stops feigning death long enough to give Treesa the agreed-on signal to use Evil Eye to lower an enemy's defenses versus magic for a time, saying, "Blight his luck, Treesa!"

Once she has--or once it's clear she's not going to--Rendylyn focuses her own malevolent, mismatched eyes on the captain, and booms out a Command, "Halt!"

Rendylyn readiest an action to cast Command: Halt (DC 16 Will) defensively at Kargeld after Treesa acts. With the save penalties from intimidate and Evil Eye, she won't have a better chance!

Concentration check DC 17 to cast a first level spell defensively: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

Acting on an urge planted by the witch's hex, Rendylyn turns and interposes her shield just before the captain charges her. Instead of bisecting her, his axe crashes into her shield, but the sheer power of the swing slams her shield back, and the blade skitters upward towards her head. Dark Prince, protect... Pain explodes from her left temple and she falls like a puppet with its strings cut.

When she opens her eyes, she sees her horned shadow on the deck next to her. Alive! Praise the Archfiend! There's a pool of blood beneath her cheek, but it doesn't seem to be growing, though her head throbs with agony. Hearing the sounds of continued battle, she lies still and prepares herself to roll out of the way of danger.

Rendylyn activates Boon of the Iron Faith as an immediate action to gain DR 5/good for two rounds. This reduces her damage from the captain to 14, putting her at -1 hp. Treesa's CLW raises her to 3 hp and restores her to consciousness. She takes the Total Defense action this round.

"Rush the bowmen!" Rendylyn cries. Acting immediately on her own order, she sprints across the deck, spitting the syllables of a spell as she goes. Infernal flames spread across the deck, enveloping captain and crew.

Rendylyn casts Burning Hands in the red map squares. She assumes the adjacent bowman doesn't threaten her and so doesn't cast defensively.

Burning Hands damage, Reflex DC 17 for half: 3d4 + 1 ⇒ (1, 3, 4) + 1 = 9

If no one else is rushing towards the captain this round, a Protection Hex on Rendylyn might be pretty useful.

Rufus gets the same +2 attack/+1 damage as the rest of us do, from Bless and Inspire Courage (which is not language-dependent).

I should have simply expressed my gratitude for your hard work, GMT, and asked if you wanted honest feedback. My apologies. Thanks again!

If you decide that a rogue is 'needed' for something, maybe one could be found in the town that could be hired? Not everybody in town is good....

Rendylyn intends to use Detect the Faithful covertly in the next town. Perhaps we could open submissions for locals who would ping as Asmodeans? Alternatively, we could have picked up stowaways from the horde.

As for what we need covered, I made a quick survey of our character sheets (minus Treesa) to see what skills the party has well covered, which we don’t, and what skills we have low bonuses in. Some of these, like Fly, are unlikely to be important anytime soon. Others will almost certainly be important, like Disable Device.

When we finally level up, after leveling up any skills we each alone possess, we can consider covering our weak points using any free skill points we happen to have. However, I think we'd be better off recruiting one or more PCs to cover them--covering all our skill bases seems more important to me at this level than class balance.

Skills No One Has Ranks In
Acrobatics
Disable Device
Escape Artist
Fly
Knowledge:Engineering
Ride
Swim
Use Magic Device

Skills No One Has Better Than +5 In
Climb
Handle Animal
Knowledge: Planes
Slight of Hand

Skills Only One Person Has Better Than +5 In  
Appraise  
Knowledge:Geography
Knowledge: Local
Knowledge: Nobility
Linguistics
Stealth
Survival

Good thing you know the AP better than I do.

LOL, I would hope not!

I enjoyed your tenure as GM, and learned from it--in particular, about the strength and limitations of AI as a gamemastering tool. It served well in generating interesting, detailed descriptions, giving your under-mansion adventure a strong atmosphere. It sometimes threw in hallucinations, like that reference to Thay, and had trouble keeping details straight, like how the weather in the Triton fight started foggy and switched to clear skies. Seems like maybe it couldn't recognize what was important in a Sakkarot section, too? Still, very interesting.

Rendylyn unleashes the anticipatory smile she'd had to hide during the long lake crossing. She'd laid out a few plans to take the captain by surprise and from behind, then discarded them all in favor of a frontal assault. We're doing this because we need practice cooperating in open combat, she reasons to herself, and not just because open slaughter is more fun.

She shouts out a benediction in Infernal, "Throw wide the gates of Hell!"

Rendylyn casts Bless.

If it's important to the story that the PCs not know anything about Sakkarot's plans and don't have any way to communicate with or signal to him, then I won't press the matter, but if that isn't true, I'd like Rendylyn to have the chance to get answers to her questions before Sakkarot walks into the night. Opening the front gate of the castle would be meaningless if we did it without the horde there.

Always glad to be underestimated, Rendylyn doesn't mind when Sakkarot tries to evade her questions...but doesn't she give up.

"My faith is in Asmodeus, who commands me to plan ahead. Sakkarot Fire-Axe, how can we tell you when our mission is complete? Must we send a messenger across the water? How long will you be at this camp?"

Posh isn't a full arcane caster, and that's fine at level 2. At levels 10+ there's a big difference in what a party can accomplish if they can, say, teleport. But we can cross that bridge when and if we get there.

I'll support whatever your decisions are. I'm not particularly worried about lacking a full arcane caster at this level, but it is important to me that Treesa doesn't just ghost out like Dargon did. You might consider having her receive an assignment in the frozen north, perhaps with the horde. I'd be fine with GMT playing a new character until we reach a place where it makes sense to bring the Kid back in, assuming he'd still want to switch back.

This seems like a natural enough place to take on another party member or two, perhaps from Sakkarot's knot or horde: A goblin or bugbear could pass for human or demihuman using Dargon's circlet. Alternatively, we could find an Asmodean loyalist among the people of Aldencross. If GMT doesn't feel up to playing such a character, perhaps we could reach out to other folks on the boards, such as the folks who didn't make it in. It's always better to have a full complement of players.

Rendylyn leans back, relaxing her vigilance at last. She tears charred meat from the bones in front of her and chews it thoughtfully.

"Still, we have a task before we leave. We need to arrange a way to communicate with the Fire-Axe so we can let him know when the fortress is ripe for the sacking. We also need to know how long it will take for his army to reach Aldencross after he receives the signal. I saw no fleet to carry them across the water after us. For a allied general, he's been very vague about logistics."

After Sakkarot answers Treesa's question, Rendylyn takes her turn. Reaching out a respectful finger to touch, to nearly caress the burning weapon, she asks breathlessly, "Where did you get this magnificent axe?"

Later, when talk turns to tactics, she offers him her counsel on troop deployment. "You know your horde best, and you know siege, but add to your consideration that during the assault we will be able to weave blessings and protections on a few of your troops, and our spells will have the greatest effect if we can lay them on your mightiest, rather than on whatever arrow fodder you might be tempted to throw at the castle first. Send your hill giants first as the vanguard of your assault, and we will plan to make of them a very deadly spear-head indeed."

Rendylyn studies the feasting bugbears, making sure none of them are close enough to overhear their scheming. Best to make sure no captured scout or greedy malcontent can betray our plans to the Mitrans.

Perception or Sense Motive (3 higher) to spot eavesdroppers: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Rendylyn nods in agreement. "Stemtimple has the gist of it. This isn't treason--it's justice. The other Talireans are the traitors, they who dishonorably deserted the ancient and proper worship of the Dark Lord. We have been sent to punish the disobedient, and restore the glory of old.

"We must cleanse this nation with fire and the axe. Let the Mitran dead souls rise up in their thousands to seek whatever niggardly reward their god offers them in the afterworld. As for the innocent ones who die--well, what of it? Innocents die every day, and none live forever. They, too, will get their just deserts in the life beyond.

"The tens of thousands who remain will be the ones with the good sense not to martyr themselves under your horde's steel fury. They will be useful, malleable. Some of them will be rather interesting people, who will prosper in the struggle. Those are our kind, mighty Sakkarot--your kind and mine: the strong, the resourceful, the wise. We will cut a place for them in the heart of Talingarde."

"And when you and I die, whether in war or old age, our great deeds in our master's service will have earned us a place high in the hierarchy of the damned. This life is an eyeblink in eternity. We must do everything we can to secure our dark souls' destinies."