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I am afraid I will have to withdraw. As much as I want to continue, I realized I cannot roleplay Taldran the way I initially imagined him. As such, I will be ceding up my spot to those who deserve to be in and wants to stay in this game in the long run. I wish all the other players luck in this game.
Of course, we will need to BS our way out of this one with a convincing lie. We can't just look into their eyes and say "Hey guards, mind freeing us from these chains?" unless there is a bluff tagged onto it. It would be ideal if we sell the BS to only one guard. If he buys it, maybe we will be free. If not, maybe steal the key, pray that one of us next to Venn can use aid another to boost Venn's escape artist check to help him slip out of his bonds and use the stolen key to free the rest of us.
We will need the second guard to leave before we can ask the remaining guard to unlock someone. Two is already challenging to convince since we need to make separate checks. Fail one or both, they might get suspicious. I am not sure if getting the second guard to leave requires a charisma check. I believe it shouldn't.
Okay, so what are we trying to do here? Steal the keys and unlock ourselves while they are charmed?
Taldran is about to open his mouth but when Cassius suggest to the first guard to invite the second guard into the cell, his mouth snaps shut. I hope Cassius knows what he is doing. He is playing with fire here. While this is happening, the cleric does not say anything, watching how this proceeding play out.
That's how it played out in my mind.
Taldran chuckles. "Relax. We have plenty of time to think of a way to open a conservation and gather information. Three days to attempt to "befriend" the guards. Three days to plot. If we fail, we die. Simple."
Taldran, at this point, has calmed after his long winded speech. He ignores most of Aviaun's arrogant speech which are laden with childish provocation except the part where he explains his plan. Jerking his head up as the mesmerist inquires about the time of day, the cleric turns to Casius. "I am uncertain. I was briefly blinded when my head was covered with a hood throughout our journey to Brandescar. But I heard the cries of the seagulls from the wagon. So I deduce it must be day. Morning perhaps early noon." He closes his eyes before opening them again. "I agree with you that we should wait until nightfall to carry it out. But we should also consider the time when they feed us. About the plan, I don't think we need to scare the guard or do anything drastic. Once we charmed the guard, all we need are light words and a good story to deceive him into releasing us. Story-wise, something like us being part of the guards that had been deceived, beaten and cuffed to these walls by the prisoners we inspected before they stole our clothes and escaped a while ago. If it went well and the guard left to inform others about this development while leaving the cell door open, it will buy us enough time to arm ourselves with the items from the veil and make our escape."
As the symbol of his deity drops to the ground due to his demonstration, the cleric glares at the group. ”Happy now?!” Taldran's feet works to move the symbol under his soles and hay to hide it from view. "Fool! Do you want me to jeopardize our chances at leaving this confine?! If I had made a single mistake during my inspection, I may accidentally release and reveal all of its contents. Because of our inability to reach them due to how we are shackled, the guards will confiscate them the next time they attend to us and we cannot leave at all." Tone a whispery hiss, he matches the half-breed with a glare of equal ferocity. "And for your information, I highly suspected the veil is magical storage for items before that display. How? I put the pieces together when the lady revealed her true intention and when she left me the veil as a parting gift. It was then I suspected that she was sneaking something in to help us escape this prison. That reminds me of the crucial information that I was about to convey to all of you before this bear's offhanded comment caught me off-guard and made me almost forgotten it.” The cleric switches his glare to Baolo though it is brief as he reverts to his neutral expression. ”Yes, there is more. Now no interruptions unless you want me to forget what I am saying again. Listen carefully because I am not going to repeat this. You know that lady that visited me? She was not a visitor at all. Called herself Tiadora. An angel in black, possessing beauty that is unearthly. Charmed herself in with her allure. She was more of a messenger for her friend than a visitor. Her intention is to break us out of this prison so that we can meet her friend. Well, it's more of her friend's intention and goal. Rather than acting himself, he was acting through her. This Tiadora was just here to deliver his message and package.” He pauses and looks at the Aviaun again. ”Don't get your hopes up that she will rescue us. We have to break ourselves out.” Taldran makes a sharp low noise in his throat. ”As I was saying, her friend wants to meet all of us after our escape and he sent us the veil through Tiadora to aid in our breakout. I do not know which faction they are affiliated with but I know that they are at least not on the side of those damned Mitrans.” He spits the last two words out with as much spite he can manage and grits his teeth. ”Anyway, if we did escape, he wants us to cross the moors on the outskirts of town. And on the old Moor Road, find a manor house with a single lantern burning in the second story. He give us three days, tops. Not certain of his purpose of wanting to meet us but whatever purpose he has in mind, I hope it is interesting.” Taldran look at the veil above him and lower his head that stares at nothing. “Now that I think of it. That won't work and have a high possibility of failing. Forget all the things that I said about using the veil and stealing the keys to unlock our chains. In our current state, those ways are either far too risky or impossible. Our best bet on getting out of our bindings and cell is charming a guard and persuade him to release us. So we will have to rely on your talents, Casius. The cleric bows his head.
I was about to post a fat post to move us forward when the GM moved us forward. I am not sure whether my upcoming post is relevant anymore. I may need to make a few adjustments to it.
What's the STR check to break out of the manacles? EDIT: Never mind, it's pretty high.
Taldran fixates his eyes on the tail. "It is a good opportunity to test its use then. We have nothing to lose until our execution. At best, they either give us an earful or several bashes with their clubs." The cleric looks up at ceiling. "So what is going to be our stories? We need one for his entry and one on his way out and suspect when his key is missing. If you think that's too risky, then the only other option other than breaking and theft lies with the veil that I received from the lady that "visited" me which may conceal something that can help us out of these shackles." He switches his view to the hand that holds the veil.
*Prays that Taldran to stick it somewhere you don't want to touch.* Just kidding.
Doesn't he needs to be free to inspect and use it? And ya, without a rogue, the only option is to break our chains.
Funny, Taldran is about to suggest option 1.
Just when things are starting to get interesting. It's been over a week since her last post. If she is not alive, we may need to find a replacement. As for leading in all matter aside from battle, Taldran can take the lead. In battle, he will most likely let one of the tankier member take the lead since he is lacking in the offense category.
Taldran yawns. "There is a more subtle way. We attract one of the guards by causing a commotion and have one person distract him while the rest of us steal the key from him under his nose. The hinges of this plan rely on how well the person can distract him. Without him, this plan falls apart. If we are doing this, we will have to initiate it at a time when there is a least amount of guards station here. We should study their patterns such as their patrols, rotations and numbers allocated before we begin."
Taldran turns to Venn, meeting eye to eye. "In fact, I do have an ability to ensure success on any skill on contact. However, the rate of success is dependent on your mastery of the said skill. The more amateurish you are at a skill, the less likely it will succeed. My magic, on the other hand, is more suited for battle and undoing those wounds." Tone returning to normalcy, he priest gestures at Baolo with a swerve of his head when he says "wounds." Then, his head swings back to its normal position. "So, is there anyone who can pick locks or slip out of these bonds? Me? I can only hope to wiggle out of these manacles. Picking locks is beyond my ability."
Taldran is about to answer when Baolo's comment sends red onto his cheeks. "It was nothing like that. We were just exchanging a few pecks. That's all." He thrusts his head downwards to hide the blush, panting before looking up at his cellmates. "Anyways, aren't we supposed to be thinking up ways to free ourselves from these accursed chains?"
GM: The cleric's face falls when the lady called Tiadora tells him that being rescue is not part of the plan and indeed, his face becomes dour when she mentions that he and his “acquaintances” will have to rescue themselves from jail.
Perhaps this is a test by Asmodeus to see if I am worthy to be in his ranks. It seems I will have to cooperate with them. As the lady hands over her veil, Taldran regards the head wear with suspicion before accepting it. "Thanks, I guess."
GM: Taldran is dazed by the strength that shove him into the chair. He returns to his senses just to the hear the final utterance of the unrivalled black beauty standing before him. One of his hand of his hands moves up on its own accord then shaking in a repetitive motion, his face frozen, his mouth is like a gibbering mouther except in incoherent stutters. That is the expression presented on his being when he is dumbstruck by how easily the woman sway the sergeant into giving them privacy. The gears in his brain turns as he tries to process this turn of event. This woman must have controlled or influenced his mind by magic. Is this a sign of his work? Did he finally answered my prayers? Is this woman sent by him to free me to bring me closer to him? This must be a dream. Taldran pinches his cheek to assure himself. After a few breathes, he regains his composure, snapping his mouth shut and lowering his raised hand. He gazes at the shady woman with half-lidded eyes. "Are you my saviour?"
His temporary freedom disrupted when the guard coming to unshackled him turned to the large man who was the target of his enmity. Taldran watched as he gave the prisoner a short beating, wincing as the club strikes one of the vulnerable areas twice. When the display was over and he is freed, the fallen cleric spares the victim a look mixed with sympathy and disapproval before being led out of the cell by the guards.
"A visitor for me?" His tone weak and ears perking, Taldran finally lifts his chin at the guards as they free his hands and legs. He complies, standing as high as his dignity can carry him to meet with this lady that they speak of.
Fixed a typo on my stat sheet. One of the language should be infernal instead of abyssal. I thought abyssal is the language of the devils.
The rotund of a man with a brown pumpkin for hair does not budge from his spot nor struggles with the chains that binds him when his cellmates begin a conversation among each other. Head hanging down and without long hair, there is nothing to fully hide the tear-stained, swollen face that had weathered the trial that consigned him to this wretched place to await his fate. O, benevolent sun. I wept for you. I bled for you. And this is how you repay my piety? With trial and fire? Taldran laughs.
Taldran is about 22-25ish.
Profile updated. Should be complete.
Yas392 here. Late submission but here is Taldran, a former Mitra cleric in training converted to Asmodean faith. I am going to include his appearance, statblock and personality in an hour. Background: Even the brightest light is easily tainted. Like the angels who fell from prolonged exposure with the forces of hell, Taldran was no exception. Orphaned and adopted by a priest of Mitra, he was priest in training on the right course on becoming an exemplar of what the faithful of the Shining Lord should be. That did not happened. Instead of a promising future in the service of Mitra, Taldran was denied that.
One day was all it took to change everything. Taldran finished assisting his superior in a daily ceremony in the church and was heading home when he heard mutterings from the locals defaming Mitra. Mouths were silenced in an instant the moment Taldran interjected himself into the conversation and admonished them about the greatness of his god though that act planted doubt on his mind for the very first time. From then on, his doubts of his god grew with each dissenter he faced and eyes opened. In the light of this, Taldran discussed the affairs of disquiet in various city states he visited with his brothers to quiet his doubts. It was always answered by an abrupt “it was Mitra's will.” The straight response further weakened Taldran's faith towards Mitra. At the height of hesitation, he unintentionally allowed a defamer of Mitra to evade capture. He was punished and given a stern warning. The final straw that complete the road of abandoning his patron god was attending a secret gathering to recruit individuals who aspired to convert to and serve the Asmodean faith. It was organized by an amicable plump male human unbeknownst to the masses, a disguised devil sent by Asmodeus himself to rebuild his power base that he lost when King Markadian I dominated the isle and established Mitra as the central religion. The same who enticed Taldran with well-placed words to lure him to the meeting, taking advantage of his weakened resolve to Mitra. By the end of the meeting, Taldran was eager to join the ranks of Asmodeus after he was impressed by the speech by the spokesperson about flaws of the kingdom delivered with the glibness that lured him into this gathering. Just as everyone was about to disperse into the crowd, militants of the church burst in and round up the aspirants including himself with the recruited nowhere to be seen after trailing Taldran due to his late suspicious behaviour. As his proceeding started in court, those who were closest to him interrogate about his immorality. Correcting them and declaring himself a follower of Asmodeus to all spectators during the sentences, he was charged with blasphemy and was condemned to burning on the stake in Brandescar Prison in 3 days time. As his punishment was announced, Taldran laughs as he was dragged all the way to prison.
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