In case you haven't heard, the site will go offline soon and it will take a few days until it works again.
Search Posts
@Oldcastle - That sound like a fun few sessions of play. Will that be a weekend-long game? @Darrel - I didn't play it either. It seems fun, though a bit linear. But I understand it's more of an interactive story, so if that's what people like, no harm no foul. The infestation wasn't really turning people into predators or anything. More like they were being 'pulled' towards this large clearing in the middle of the forest where they just lay down and die on a large pile of fauna, becoming nutrients for the fungus.
Good luck with the oneshot. I made a spooky oneshot last weekend myself. Very short, just to showcase pf2e system to a few friends who stayed with 1e. Not that anything is wrong with that, but they just never dipped their toes into 2e, so we did that. We did a caravan stopped on the road by a flood, eventually did some food hunting in spooky woods, and ultimately being attacked by a very localised cordyceps-like infestation of wildlife. The cook was the first to succumb to the spores. Fun times.
Looking at the presented syringe, Shamsi shrugs just a bit at Oldcastle's question. "Whatever gets the job done, I suppose. I didn't visit the, uh, good" she makes air quotes "districts much, but whenever I've been, I got the nasty looks, you know. I'll probably just stay away from the conversations. I get the feeling the patricians don't like me much. I wouldn't know why, since we don't really interact often. Would this be a masquerade type of event, or what's the dress code? We wouldn't want to stick out like a sore thumb." The girl prods the topic of the tailor once more. "The staff, however, that's another matter. Unless they also have sticks shoved up their rears. I suppose we will find out." She reaches for the syringe, picks it up and smells the tip. "As for these artifacts," Shamsi looks at Lotheed. "how large a package are we talking about? Is there a floor plan I could see? It would speed up the process significantly."
"Point taken." She shrugs. "It's still a stupid move, politically. We can't shift to a full war economy. What we call Taldor today is a collapsed hegemony. For a reason. If this Pythareus sends the army to Qadira, and he will have to - Qadirans won't just lay down and wait for the axe to drop - Galtans will probably jump at the opportunity to take territories, meaning a two-front war. On top of everything, hungry people will revolt if money flows into the army. He'd have to move a part of the military into the cities to keep order, further weakening the border forces. This very likely chain of events is just" Shamsi exhales, frustrated. "suicidal."
Shamsi raises an eyebrow. "Not to overstep, you seem like the soldiery type, but is that really the case? A platoon might have a common enemy, but stop feeding them for four days and... Well, they probably won't be more compliant, will they?"
"Reignite a five-century-long war with Qadira, not to mention the conflicts to the west?" Shamsi rubs the bridge of her nose and sighs, attempting to stifle a laugh. "One would think Taldor has no other issues, but a quarter of the capital barely scrapes by." She straightens her back again. "Yes, I like to think I can keep out of sight. I'll see what I can do. How much can we share with this tailor of yours?"
When Darrel asks for Shamsi's familial origin, she raises an index finger and wags it side to side. "Among friends." She repeats. "Not to offend. In time, when we grow more accustomed to each other, perhaps. Shamsi is my name, and you can call me that. But if you absolutely need a nisbah, Al-Khay will do." "As for our hurting evening companion - she is not dead." Again, Shamsi leans against the chair. "She was giving the farmer his stroke." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Oh? But it looks so life-like. Fair enough." Shamsi brushes the previously offered goodies off the table into her other hand and eats them one by one while Martella speaks. She raises one of her eyebrows while nodding a few times, as if either appreciating what is being said or accepting a challenge. Perhaps both. She points to Oldcastle when he asks his question, but keeps her eyes on Lotheed. "In addition, could I ask about the nature of these 'tasks'? I will dare to be bold and assume I am not invited based on my good relations with the high society. Should we bring some tools? Can we? If not, can we stash them in the Senate for the occasion?"
While Shamsi watches Darrel, her eyes dart to Oldcastle now and then to check his reaction. She leans back and points to the veteran. "There it is. He can laugh." "No point in hiding your nature, mister Oldcastle. Someone will figure it out, eventually. As for me, I am an open book - among friends. Feel free to sate your curiosity. But before that, I have another one." Her eyes are almost smiling as they jump from one face to another. "Why..." she leans forward to put her elbows on the table. "...did the joygirl's arm ache?" This time, she gives the audience more time to ponder the riddle and respond.
While the weapon is being adjusted, Shamsi considers Oldcastle's response. "Well, I'm going with what I see and hear. You yourself stated you are from the hells - in one way or another. The fire of a candle doesn't seem to harm you. And then there's all..." Shamsi gestures in his general direction, pointing out his infernal features. "...that." She takes a pinch of seeds from her bowl before she finishes her thought. "What's the saying? If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck?" She shrugs and puts the seeds in her mouth. When Darrel follows up with the joke, Shamsi raises an eyebrow and slowly turns to the man. "Seems a bit dry and a little ominous. We can workshop it. But if you are into deadpan jokes, I know one or two: Why was the chicken coop not open in the morning?" She pauses for three seconds to let the table ponder before continuing. "The farmer had an overnight stroke." A smile slowly curls up, adding something to the mischievous look in Shamsi's eyes. Her gaze meets Darrel's, studying the veteran's response.
It might be super-realistic.
Oh. Thought it's a brass-coloured pet or familiar or something. And besides, did you never feed hot cocoa to a tamagocthi? FOR SCIENCE!
I will be fine. Just need to not bleed over everything, hence the slow typing. Hope it's fine with her being this direct, given my medical status. The question wasn't only directed at Lotheed, so feel free to finish the joke, gentlemen.
Among the countless faces drawn to Oppara for the Day of Exaltation, the other woman at the table doesn’t stand out, just like she prefers. Seemingly just another traveller, she is a woman in her mid-twenties dressed in weathered fabrics of various light browns. She keeps her posture easy but alert, making the impression of someone who listens more than she speaks. Her wavy hair hangs loose from her head as she dips her fingers into a bowl in front of her. A mix of seeds, nuts and dried fruits. With her other hand, she keeps her hair out of her face in regular intervals. Once she finally decides she's had enough of it, she removes a band from her wrist and ties her hair into a ponytail with a quick, practised series of motions before returning to her bowl. She looks at the nearby window, waves her hand in a dismissive manner and sighs. She looks at the cricket and picks out a few seeds and fruits to put near the critter. "Hope you don't mind.", she addresses Lady Lotheed, semi-apologetically. She leans back to scan the table and smiles at the table companions. "Seems like a setup for a joke, no? A secretive noble, a sweet-toothed soldier, a pious devil, and a distracted thief enter a bar..." She leans forward again, looking at Darrel Stavalos and Oldcastle. "I'm Shamsi. Hi.", she waves.
Guys, I had a piece of glass crack in my hand while washing it. Two of my fingers are bandaged, and typing is... interesting. I will make a post today, but it might take time. Sorry for keeping you.
I used these symbols with larger tag. Just copy/paste them. ⬤◯
Curses! Real life interfering with games again? No trouble. Hope you had fun. @Darrel - That's fair. While we're on the topic of lines in the sand, I tend to not do romance, physical or otherwise. Instead, I usually veer that kind of relationship into a good friend kind of situation. What? Friendzoning people? Who ever heard of that? Hard no to sexual violence and intense torture. Like nail-pulling, sawing off fingers and limbs, you get the gist of it. Other than that, I am open to anything. Sombre, elating, what have you.
I don't know about outlawing Sarenrae worship being a bad decision. They have been in war with Qadira for 500+ years, and the ruling class thought the Sarenites were helping Qadirans in their campaign. I don't agree with it, but I can see it making sense. As for the ties that bind, I would say that Shamsi is definitely FAMILIAR with the Sarenrae worship, but she's already being looked down upon for being of darker complexion. No need to provoke people further by worshipping that deity.
Well, looking at your tags, it seems we have a nice specialised trio. Darrel for muscle, Apemantus for social situations (based off of this, assuming it is up to date), and Shamsi for some skullduggery. I must say I did not look into your backstory stuff. I am keeping myself in the dark on purpose to reveal it via character interactions, so I am curious.
Alright. I will try to come up with something. Would you like the item in question to have some plot relevance? If so, would you be able to share some spoiler-free information to help us come up with something? If the list was given to Lotheed, let's assume Shamsi did some work for her. That's fine by me. Could we make the item something like a reliable set of lockpicking tools, or shoes with treated soles (to produce less sound when walking), etc?
Shamsi is your standard human woman of Qadiran descent. She is a criminal by trade. I imagined her as a cat burglar, working with a small group operating (Or formerly operating? I assume our GM will tell us at some point) in Oppara. No affiliation with the large thieves' guilds, but she would probably know people from those circles. @Apemantus - I hate to disappoint, but I don't watch soccer. But to each their own. ^_^ @Narrator - I am also reading the following here:
Is that something we should do before the game? If so, collaborate with you? Do it on our own? I was thinking about the list of names. It could be a bargaining chip of some sort and inviting unwanted attention at the same time (hooks!). Unless I am giving that to Lady(?) Lotheed before the game starts.
Shamsi is definitely meant to be a character that would rather deal with issues without drawing too much attention to herself. If that is your meaning. I can't help but wonder whether someone should introduce a power tag that could be used to deal with injuries and similar stuff. That said, I probably could fit it into my themes, though it might be a overqualified vet or a very "practicing without a license" situation. Shamsi doesn't know people in the "good" neighbourhoods.
Hello, everyone! Happy to be here. Glad to see your return to form, GM. (GM? Sarah? What do you prefer?) I am trying to figure out a way to set up a profile and headers at the moment. We'll see how that turns out. Could I also suggest setting up a gameplay thread so we can dot in and have the campaign in the relevant tab? If allowed, I would suggest we present the current theme cards and see whether we are missing anything that could be considered important (ie not having archetypal rogue/fighter/mage PCs). Again, if permitted. I purchased the PDFs from Son of Oak, so I will review my own for possible slight adjustments. I believe these are my most recent proposals for the theme cards: Companion: Saada (Kestrel)
People: Friends in Low Places
Skill or Trade: Infiltrator
Trait: Clever
|