Inside is the same place you just were! But more disheveled and singed, though not quite on fire like it was a moment earlier.
The monkey sage leads you in to take a seat on his cushions and such after meticulously putting them back where they belong. After much harrumphing and fiddling with some tea (and requesting help from the wizards to quick-boil it), everyone has tea and is of course then serene and happy.
"I must thank you, I suppose, for saving my life. While I was fully prepared to reach my end here, one must not look away from the opportunities presented to them. I do not think the Lin Kuei will seek my death again, at least not soon. They will have already assumed that one failed long ago, and the political faction that seeks redress for the exposé I put upon them can only float so much money to pay the forest ghosts."
He sips more tea, taking a long, deep breath and letting it out through his nose slowly. "As for opportunities, I must reveal something that I believe Lady Kuin had hoped to keep secret...but my recent researches into it make me believe it should not be kept hidden."
He rises and goes back to the bookshelves, pulling from behind the singed scrolls a large, dark red bound tome, setting it on the table.
"Lady Kuin brought this to me some time ago, though I know not where she found it, but it speaks of great and terrible things in your past, strange magicks that even the Empire has not heard of, and a number of...devices I believe would be best left to those who know well how to use them. To that end, Lady Kuin, I must insist that it be placed in the care of the Dunwasser Academy. It is...full of dark things, and there is nothing in here that could bring your family prominence without taking their souls in exchange."
No, you rolled higher than his highest die, which means you beat the attack. You only start counting successes if you GET hit, and then only the successes that are higher than the highest die you rolled to avoid the attack.
Because I forgot earlier in the rush to get things DONE for the refresh, Natalia's Air Blast is 1 point of damage, which he's already at from being Hurt, so mostly what'll happen is that he gets Pushed 1 away "space," which since you're above him Natalia I'm gonna say is into the ground, so he's prone. But have you caught him yet?! Well, yeah, pretty much, since he's Reeling and prone now so all he can do is get up and recover from Reeling.
The tiger assassin is unhurt by the violent blast of air, but he IS on the ground and pretty much surrounded...sort of. So instead of getting up, he'll Recover...and attempt to kill himself rather than be taken alive!
He Quick-Draws his sleeve sword, and attempts to stab himself in the throat!1d8 ⇒ 31d8 ⇒ 41d8 ⇒ 71d10 ⇒ 81d12 ⇒ 9
SOAK!1d12 ⇒ 31d4 ⇒ 21d4 ⇒ 2
...Um. Well. Uh. I...guess he just Overkilled himself. :I That's a +2 Impaling weapon...
The tiger's aim is true, but so forceful the that slim sword actually manages to *decapitate* its owner with a *thrust* rather than a hacking cut. There's....an awful lot of blood. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than expected, and his head is rolling down the street...
RPoL is home to many dangerous things, I didn't think about that when I moved everything there, I'm sorry. :(
And...hm. There is a lack of people running about. I was waiting on something from Quinn but perhaps his/her/its internet issues are continuing...Ceallach I dunno, he usually checks Paizo every day for his other games, and Delroy's not even involved in this scene right now...
So it may indeed have fallen apart prematurely, which I risked by setting up the RPoL game earlier but I didn't think we'd just peter out completely since...y'know. He might get away! D:
I'm still monitoring for anyone that's actually here though. I wanna finish it toooooooooooooooooooooo.
Luigi chuckles nervously in the evening air, rubbing his forehead and barely keeping pace. "To be honest, I'm quite anxious to see Nonna again assure myself she's well. She's not one to make wild claims without reason."
He falls in step with a deep breath, obviously trying to keep his mind off the subject. "Who...who doesn't get involved with the Ilaire family? They're the most highly placed in general trade in the city, mayhap the entire land! I couldn't tell you about their affairs in detail, honestly, you may remember I've been sequestered off just about everywhere *but* here...I suppose the lions themselves might know, but will they *tell* you?"
No, I mean to keep going from here, this point in the game and story. I'd call it more a "refresh" than a restart. I want to re-evaluate what I'm doing plot wise and straighten some things out, like posting rates and such. Lack of substance will be alright as long as people post relatively frequently and make sure to tell me when they can't post for awhile. No more Rosza incidents, lol.
RPoL is a PbP website purpose built for it with some amenities Paizo doesn't have, and it's where all the PbP games I play in are. I prefer it.
So if you want to apply for the game, go ahead, though please be aware that I AM going to actually be watchful on who's keeping up this time around.
I haven't guaranteed anyone a spot, but frankly it's easier to deal with people I already know how to react to, so you've got a better chance than some of the new interest I've garnered who...may not understand how to write. :\
Quinn, you easily outpace the sneaky assassin guy but you are Reeling because Run is a stunt. The crowd is blocking most of the side paths in their rush to get away from the wolf, and the ones ahead of you mean he'll probably have to go through you if he wants to get away.
Which he will, though he hasn't caught up to melee range with you yet. He Aims and launches the poison dart in his fan at YOU! He'll get an extra d8 because you're Reeling oh no!1d10 ⇒ 21d8 ⇒ 31d8 ⇒ 51d8 ⇒ 7A solid two successes thanks to risking the time to stop and Aim! Can you beat a 7 with your Dodge?! Remember you can use Personality if you need to!
If you fail to Dodge, you'll need to soak Damage Flat 4 Weak, which means you're rolling your Soak twice against it...but if you become at least Hurt, you'll also become Sick, which means you get Knockdown when Reeling...which means you'll immediately become prone on the ground because you're already Reeling!
Yes, but next turn you don't have to worry about Flying Fighter and can actually ATTACK! and possibly get higher so you can glide-fall on the turn you Refresh your magic, lol, without dying.
Um....yeah I think we're done here...I can't really think of anything that you can do beyond this except maybe inform Maddy of what's transpired, but that might be more trouble than it's worth. So from here...you could go with Luigi I suppose and...do stuff, or go find Gwenn...or something else.
Ceallach, your previous movements actually put you only two paces behind the guy originally, so you should be able to Refresh and hit him with Charging Strike since he was stealth-moving on his turn before you parted the crowd-seas. I screwed up the order of actions earlier so you're like...within Dashing distance. So Charging Strike is a go if you Refresh it first.
Quinn, you're good to go if you Sprint+Stride a total of at least 5 IIRC. Either that or you can attempt a spell again if you Refresh first, then cast.
Everyone else, you could close to melee with a decently high sprint+stride. Natalia...you *should* be able to fly and do other things now with Flying Fighter so if you want the easy-eye-view...
A Dash is a flat number, half your speed. You'll need at least a good Sprint to catch him. A Run stunt is also a flat number, a high one, but it will leave you Reeling afterward. More speed, but that's pretty much all you do then is Recover and Run. Or you could Sprint (with an included Stride for an extra pace), Refresh your taoist magic, and fire it off every turn. Sorta like a secret agent movie where you shoot a lot as you run. Your choice whether to advance with less risk or go all out.
To be absolutely clear, before I get questions and rage-letters about this: I'm not guaranteeing ANYONE a spot when I reboot this. I meant it when I said a fresh start. This is a retry, with the only caveat that it follows on from the original, and its xp levels.
If anyone can still stomach me after all this, go ahead and hit the RTJ up.
This has been kinda hard to word right, and I make no promises that I've gotten it where I want it. It's probably still whiny-sounding and I HATE that but in the end most of this is just my personal opinions and annoyances to fix, not anything about anyone else.
I'm not really happy on my end of things here. The game's pacing feels terrible because I built it like I would a live game, and that hasn't worked out. I said I'd fix that after the first adventure took so damn long...and I basically fell right back into the same pattern. We spend months on roleplaying encounters and teeny weeks or days on the action, which isn't really great for the people who actually want action and are built for it. I get the feeling that even the people who like the heavy RP are getting annoyed at the drag.
The other issue is...more uncomfortable to broach and will *certainly* sound like me being a bit prissy I think.
The pace of the game is...not good, for me. If we keep going like this it'd take another three to five YEARS to finish everything I had in mind, and that's allowing for the side treks and personal arcs for characters and altering things as time goes on. I know that real life gets in the way...just...
Posting once a week or even more infrequently, as happens often here, isn't good. Being inactive because you're sure there's nothing you would say isn't cool to me. Playing a character with social status and a big social skill and avoiding all the IC social interactions without pushing works in live games because the social table aspect is in play. In PbP, it really isn't, and so it's not really acceptable to me.
Does that sound like me being an ass? It probably is, I suppose. Tear into me if you will, that's kosher, but I won't dance around how much it annoys me.
My point, I guess, is that I'm unhappy with how this attempt has turned out, and I want a fresh start.
To that end, I'm going to attempt a "refresh" of this after this arc ends. I'm going to move to RPoL, where all the rest of my PbP games I play are, to make sure I don't forget this as much on my end. I prefer its amenities, and I use Paizo for nothing but this game now.
RPoL uses an application system for its recruiting, if any of you guys think I'm being a f+!+wad and you think you can keep up with the pace I list in the pitch over there, go ahead and apply. I don't hate you guys, but I AM going to make sure I play the kind of game I enjoy.
He bows his head and scratches nervously at an ear. "No, no, you are the one making the accusation. Certainly you will be called upon. Your superior as well I should think, though there may be another able to verify the evidence as such, in which case he may not be welcomed. How many mages one could find...and likely one sympathetic to the House's viewpoint, is pertinent. Cousin Ivanova will of course be needed as well, it is her status that affords this happen at all I should think."
When you list his "redeeming" qualities the man cringes and shies away a bit. "I admit I've been guilty of all those things, and I shan't promise a complete reformation that I could not possibly predict...nor am I confident I could be capable of it. I tried to put on the brave face I used to have and...got carried away." He seems embarrassed a bit, but not devastatingly so. There's still a rich playboy underneath all the bluster and emotion.
To wit, he finally shrugs and chuckles nervously while saying "Well, she was quite fetching, for an ermine, and she was skyclad and on top of me. I reached for the first thing I thought would remove her from me."
His nervous laughter dies out slowly, and he becomes somber once more. "Thank you, for trying to help. I hope I can laugh about all this once more...far, far down the road in years."
Captain Ricciardi chews on his bottom lip with his prodigious buckteeth, but in the end agrees with your judgment and goes to find another place to stash the unhappy man-bat.
While he's gone, Nicusor attempts to explain how the whole "justice" thing works with nobility. "I'm not sure I can express my thanks properly but to prepare you for what will come. Justice..."high" justice, the right of the nobility, is quite different from the "low" justice handed out to the rest of the world. It is, perhaps, second in farce only to clerical law." That earns a wry grin from Alejandro, and the shade of a smirk from the bat.
"With Marsilio Carafa's confession, you have enough to keep both of us held until a trial can be arranged, at which point we will be put under the watchful eye and care of another one of the Major houses, the Bisclavret, the Doloreaux, or the Avoirdupois. You can be certain they will be maneuvering amongst themselves to make a statement about the Rinaldi through their vassals, and their will be bribes paid to determine who we end up with.
"After which the trial will commence essentially whenever it is convenient for all those called from the peerage to act as tribunal and jury, of which only one will be representatives from the other two Houses, and of course none from my lieges, to prevent questions of improper jurisprudence you see. At which point the Peers will hear any witnesses and evidence one cares to present, and then they will retire to make their judgment known. There are, frankly, no appeals whatsoever in the High Court. If one is to die, one dies. If one is to be free, one is free, and influence and coin both speak far louder than the law."
So uh...yeah. Another turn. He's taking his actions to FLEE! But you could catch him, if you run fast enough, or fly, or whatever, and PUNCH HIS FACE OFF.
Natalia, as the last person to act on the last Hero turn, has gotten a general idea of where this guy is...and it's in that giant crowd...somewhere. You'd think he'd be easier to spot given his size and outlandish dress, but...
For his part, Gang Fei continues to hide and move in the part of the crowd that doesn't care about ruckus...at least until Ceallach takes matters into his own hands and starts raving in a way that may end up with police involved. His ferocious howl outstrips any resistance they might put up to running in terror, but let's see just HOW badly they're frightened, hmm?
They resist Ceallach's Scare with their Body and Will (and Presence, if they had any).1d6 ⇒ 61d6 ⇒ 4And there's our attempt to cleave to bookkeeping properly! I'm going to go a bit gonzo and assume you rote the rest of your Sweep-able targets, and now they're all Afraid and backing away very quickly, parting like the sea before that one guy with the stick.
Gang Fei must resist as well, being juuuuuust inside your range.1d10 ⇒ 71d10 ⇒ 8Freaking awesome, you got him too! XD He's a Minor character and has no Personality to resist you with, nor any Presence training.
Those howls...he'd heard them before. As a young lad the Lin Kuei had been harsh taskmasters, and for every recruit that made it through the initial training, one had died cruelly. In this way the orphans and unwanted of the Empire were "taken care of," though not in the way set out in the laws and scriptures of the gurus.
The ones that survived, they left in the barbarian lands with a knife and a sack, told to make their way back to the hidden temple compound by their own wits, or perish. In this way, the Lin Kuei hardened their trainees and weeded out the unfit and the desperate.
He'd been eleven when he'd woken up in the forest with the Master standing over him, explaining the trial. In an instant they'd been gone, and the night, formerly so comforting, had been nothing but the howls of wolf packs claiming their territory.
That howl echoed down the years, and reached Gang Fei's ears still.
There, feel special. He's Afraid, and without the crowd to hide him, he's moving on quickly. But NOW you know just where he is! A really good Sprint roll could catch him with sufficient Speed, or if you wanna make SURE you can do a Run stunt, but it'll leave you Reeling. He's Afraid so he has to move out of Ceallach's line of sight, and can't attack, but he can still Counter and otherwise defend so he ain't safe yet!
Oh dear. Nobody's finding him. Guess you'll have to bull through the crowd and disperse them to remove his bonus d12 and force another attempt...or a chase scene!
Nicusor Zvonimir...begins to weep. Quietly, of course, wouldn't want his psychopath of a sister to hear. Very quiet indeed. "You...you really believe it is so? I would give up all I owned, all my titles, my lands -*snuffle*- anything to be free of her again." He pulls out a hanky and makes sure his face stays clean and relatively noble-handsome. "The peerage...they think I am spineless and will see this confession as...well, a petty attempt to hurt my bright, shining star sister. And it is, it is." More snuffling. Gets himself back under control, mostly. "I don't even care if they find her guilty or not. Get her away from me and I would *willingly* be indebted to you despite our natural differences in status."
He looks into the middle distance for awhile. "Free? Free... Nicusor takes a sip of his tea and sighs. "It's an impossible thought for me...but...she would blame me, the cunt."
He launches into a quick rundown of their history as siblings, his education in Dunwasser (and his magickal training there with the Elementalists), her appointment as the House's Guild liaison and re-entry into his life, and their subsequent descent into the seamy underbelly of Triskellian politics. He talks about how "Madja" first used black magic to question a dead thief who stole from a Courier guildmember, and later to injure and even kill similarly unfortunate folk who crossed Guildmasters or their allies and backers in less publicly avowable circles, mostly criminals admittedly but that has to count for something.
So what you've learned, essentially, is that the more power Maddy Z has acquired, the more she's used it, both in social spheres and in the less savory circles she's involved in.
-Nicusor doesn't know where she got her powers from.
-Madalena isn't above murdering people who cross her or her allies.
-Ever since she came to Triskellian she's been obsessed with gaining power, and dragged him along with her.
-Madalena was appointed to represent the House to their lieges and other Houses after the sudden death of her predecessor.
-She's been the favorite her whole life, while he as her twin has been relegated to the background often.
-She's cruel, vindictive, and arranges for political opponents to have accidents that strip them of position and power, or kill them, though she's very good at covering tracks.
-She's basically been an abuser toward her brother since they were old enough to act independently, and over the years the variety and severity of her attempts to degrade him have only increased. It's only tapered off recently when he became skilled enough to threaten her with his power.
Ceallach finds himself in a slowly drying alleyway, the water and some muck squelching underfoot as he runs out toward the street and finds quite the crowd moving toward the Sage's home. The noise must have caught the attention of those nearby, but they're hindering your pursuit!
Your Run is only one pace less than he actually got to move from the Hell Punch, jeez, you must have barely lost him! Also, he found a crowd so he gets his Low Profile die!1d12 ⇒ 1Well that failed and he's Minor so he doesn't have Favor because I just decided that now. Still need two or more successes.
G-g-gallows? *GULP*:
"I've b-been sharing a cell with my sister for a day, it's nnnnot conducive to...ahm, being calm. Nor 'unharrowed.'" Nicuşor crushes his flame-red headcrest in his paws, with the side effect of covering his body with his wings. "And I'm going with her! Light I should have fled when I had the chance..."
I forgot to make this clear, but it's totally you guys' turn again. The Sage is basically gonna cower and take Cover since he doesn't have his implements, and Immortal Magic is kinda bad for fighting things anyway without collateral damage.
He troops out without bothering to wait for her response, and seats himself somewhere fluffy and convenient without waiting for *your* response either.
He's fidgeting a lot, but it seems mostly fear and nerves, not the typical "oh man I hope they don't know I did it" kinda look.
The cell is pretty much exactly how it was left. Two bats, one increasingly agitated and the other serene as can be. Two fancy chairs, one table between them, and some more chairs scattered about facing, for those "conferences" that involved more politeness and less doom from on high.
Alright, Spark of Fire it is then. I'll chip in the extra d8 from Reeling for you...1d8 ⇒ 5...I think you got all the dice luck today!
Okay, the weapon entry doesn't list whether it's resisted or defense, which usually means it defaults to vs. Defense, so he'll attempt to dodge! Hopefully that d4 Cover die will help this time, lol.
1d10 ⇒ 51d4 ⇒ 3
He fails to Dodge because you rolled seven versus his five! So you have two numbers higher than his roll, so that's two points of damage base, and your weapon is +0 Critical, so two successes gives you another point for three total points of damage, which is +1 because he's Hurt for FOUR points! He soaks, with an extra d6 because he's Hurt already and has Diehard!
1d10 ⇒ 11d6 ⇒ 61d4 ⇒ 21d4 ⇒ 4
That soaks two points, which *would* make him Afraid...but he thinks that's a totally bad idea, and activates Toughness to declare your excellent flamestrike Weak, which means he can soak it AGAIN because he's just that dang hardy!
1d10 ⇒ 11d6 ⇒ 41d4 ⇒ 31d4 ⇒ 3
And barely squeaks by another point of damage soaked, which puts it down to one point, Hurt, which isn't worse than what he already has so he's still Reeling and Hurt, but not On Fire!
The sputtering spark roars into flame as it blossoms into PAIN at the Zhonggese mystic's expert direction, but the Lin Kuei assassin is far tougher than anticipated. His fur's only *singed* by it, he's not even on fire! How tough is this guy?!
Pretty darn tough apparently, as he shakes his head (Recover!) puts up a fist and strikes out at Ceallach in a complicated, feint-heavy pattern while the books continue to fall off their perches (quite annoying the Sage despite the danger he's in!). The blinding speed disguises most of his motion, and it isn't long before the wolf may find himself overwhelmed!
The dreaded Hell Punch! Quinn, if you wanna do a...Mind and Melee roll, you can recognize the signs of the attack from folklore and such. The assassin's roll will be Speed, Mind, Brawling, and Stealth, with his Career enhancing Brawling and Stealth and Species enhancing Stealth as well.
1d10 ⇒ 51d10 ⇒ 91d8 ⇒ 41d10 ⇒ 71d10 ⇒ 41d10 ⇒ 4
...holy crap, okay. LUCKY FOR CEALLACH the Damage is Flat 3 and Weak, so he can Soak it twice. However, no Armor die, as this is Penetrating as well. Because this is the Hell Punch, he can sneak after hitting Ceallach! Speed+Stealth!
1d10 ⇒ 81d10 ⇒ 81d10 ⇒ 3
So he gets to move 19 paces as per the Gift description, so he'll turn and ninja-run out the back, and ends his turn Reeling but hidden somewhere outside! You need at minimum two successes on Mind+Observation to have a general idea of where he is, and three or more to figure it out specifically. He gets a d12 bonus if he's found full concealment, and possibly another if he's managed to get into a crowd, which I will determined randomly once people start getting outside to look!
Okay so a Ready and a Dash inside? Cool. QUINN! Goooooooooooooo!
Plea bargains? Do those exist yet?:
The Captain is understandably non-enthused about the idea of letting Nicusor off with just a fine, but there's probably nothing he could do anyway since the guy's a noble.
"Well...I could see my way to recommending that I suppose. For all the good it'll do. Whatever one of the "major" Houses gets them for trial will probably just let him off scot-free once it's found he had nothin' to do with naught but vandalism. Well...they *might* make him pay for the damage, but only because it's the Three Spears and the stuffy folk like keepin' things fresh and fancy, no offense m'lud Rinaldi. Y'better hope the court-appointed magicker isn't one with a grudge against our dear grey lords or their vassals."
Another moustache twitch. A curl, a twirl, and a sigh. "Alright then, let's get it done then. How slow you wanna take it?"
Gang Fei SOAK1d10 ⇒ 11d4 ⇒ 41d4 ⇒ 4And he manages to soak both points of damage, though he's still pushed back 1 IIRC.
The tempest called up by the short bat is furious and unabating! The would-be assassin seems unharmed, but cannot ultimately resist its fury and crashes up against the Sage's very large bookshelves, his aim ruined and balance even further off-kilter! Someone should use this opening to rush him!
The cat rises slowly, unbalanced but unbowed. "Don't chide yer teacher so. 'Tweren't even a tracking spell I cast but something brought it out anyway. Never seen the like I haven't."
He carefully repackages the synecdochal link and licks his lips absentmindedly. He begins to return the package to its place...but thinks better of it and pockets the thing before calling the Captain and his Lieutenant back in.
"Sorry about that boys, he wasn't very talkative otherwise, but we know what we need to know. Tiger's confessed plain as day, nothing more to it, but you may want to watch the Ilaires for awhile, he was targeting them. And about your bats...well, I'll let the lead investigator fill you in."
The Captain blinks and nods to the scotty Lieutenant, who hurries out to do just that. "Jackrum" tugs his moustache and muses "All well and good we know then, but we just got an exhausted runner in from out west screaming about some "witness alive" and "carts." What the void does that have to do with any case *we're* investigating?"
Kind of odd to Resist with Dodge, but I guess it's a big column of air after all. And his Speed die was still an 8, which beats yours unless you wanna cheese your Personality, if you haven't already used it of course. Or we can put this down as a Dodge and I can poke Javiera and Quinn. Either way you feel comfortable.
Gang Fei DODGE! His secret weakness?!1d10 ⇒ 81d4 ⇒ 4Speed, Cover die from Dart Fan.
No, apparently! He gets lucky! ...unless the Lady Repense has a Personality or Favor, or a re-roll Gift up her sleeve? You can totally declare "with Air Elementalism" a Favored Use of Weather Sense and re-roll that Aim die that came up 1! And even use Personality after that!
But most IMPORTANTLY he's REELING because Ceallach's attack hit successfully! Roll an extra d8 that I forgot about because he's Reeling!
"Variables? Ye've been listening to those gnostic little followers of Kyndranigar again. I tell ye, ya don't need those. Just the circle, the will, the link...or links, in this case. Place your links, draw the circle and its satellites, and whatever mystic embellishments ye wish for the benefit of yer watchers, summon your will, and break the circle to let the magick free."
Alejandro is following along with his hands as he explains it to you, and once he breaks the circle his eyes roll back in his head as the spell finds...one...bat nigh-instantaneously...and then your mystic sense picks up something like a line of eerie luminescence as the spell travels back along their path! It shouldn't do that!
The second "line" travels more slowly, something impeding its progress, but it's clearly coming from the blood on the table, and it's moving toward the *exit* of the Constabulary whereas the fur is pointing back to the "cell" the nobles are in.
Your boss is unresponsive for a full minute, but when he comes around again his face is ashen. "I...have no idea what that was lad, but I can tell you for certain that Nicuşor Zvonimir is innocent of anything but reckless elementalism last night...whoever spread fire about your carriage attack was not him. I don't know how it's been disguised as such, but I'll find out somehow."
"Brave lad you are. Or foolish perhaps. I've just told you that the Rinaldi could be in danger, and yet...you're so focused on your immediate enemies. I applaud you, Finder. Would that I had been so focused I might have attained my goal before fortune twisted out of my grasp."
Marsilio leans back as much as he can and sighs to nothing and no-one in particular. "Well. I'd certainly love to be there to see them fall, but I shan't imagine impossible things. Nor should you, but you are young yet, and my darling girl would want me to make sure I was "finished.""
He casts his not-gaze toward Alejandro. "In my personal effects confiscated here, I think you'll find quite the interesting tidbit. Try using your lovely little tracking spells on it, elder Finder. You should have all the evidence you need to make sure Mădălena is convicted...or at least gets to trial, you never know with these insular noble-folk do you? Go on then, do it. I guarantee the surprise is worth it."
Alejandro looks like a bowl of curdled milk, but shrugs and brushes past you anyway, to find whatever it is Marsilio is talking about....and comes back a few minutes later with, of all things, a sheaf of paper, tied in bleached white string...that opens to reveal a tiny lock of wiry black fur dribbled with dried blood.
The tiger rumbles in delight as he hears you open the package. "And that, my dear Finders, will show you what you need to know."
Alejandro is clearly uncomfortable with the idea of doing as a wanted witch asks, but begins preparing the necessaries for the spell anyway...out in the waiting room, away from the Spellbinder. "Callidus, come attend, he won't be going anywhere. The defeat's written plain on him."
OK, time for dice. Bear in mind I based this guy on an archetype in the book itself so...if this gets out of hand I'll alter it as necessary. Also, I forgot he had Brawling Focus, but he had a weapon out already so he can't actually USE it right now, lol.
He will use his other hand to Parry your attack with an attempt to redirect your momentum! He's still trying to keep the poison dart on target!1d8 ⇒ 81d10 ⇒ 21d10 ⇒ 2
And he tied...but there's no more space to Retreat! You succeed and deal your base damage of 2 points, because your 4s are lower than the highest rolled defense die.
SOAK!1d10 ⇒ 21d4 ⇒ 41d4 ⇒ 1He gets one point of damage and is Hurt and Reeling! He mostly succeeds in redirecting you...but your Claws of Iron rip into him as he tries to keep you from aborting his aim!
There is a short, guttural laugh from the brain-wizard. "Take? Loot? Ransom? My only involvement in those horrible accidents was to offer your "friends" in the next room compensation for disrupting our mutual enemy's livelihood. I know nothing else, much to our shared sorrow, I think."
The idea of sharing sorrow with you amuses him, judging by his face.
"Nicuşor Zvonimir is a dandy and in dire need of a backbone I think. His sister guards her mind far better than he, but what I saw in him makes me think you focus on the wrong bat, Finder. He is entirely under Mădălena's claws. Since their childhood she has threatended, cajoled, beat, teased him, and less savory things besides.
The grimace on his face makes it rather plain what those "less savory things" are.
"He thought learning the Elementalist's art would change things, make him strong enough to resist her...but she has uncorked something even greater and darker, and so once again he dances to her tune. Not quite the same excuse as one of my victims, but if the mind can be trusted he is...not quite blameless, but who among you would not do the same when such fear for your life you held?"
A thought seems to strike him. "I wonder now that perhaps he *meant* for me to see those things and pity him. I doubt it would have changed much had I not been so decisively interrupted in my efforts...but I am digressing now. You want to know what was in that box? The box I bought at Thieves' Market for five Aureals? Are you sure? It's quite funny, actually."
He seems like perhaps he could wet himself in malicious glee. Could he be coming unhinged.
"It was a single lock of fur...from a Rinaldi."
A single lock, missing from its box. When, you couldn't know. Perhaps it was already gone when you found the box. But it's the closest thing you have to evidence.
Ceallach, you have room to use Charging Strike. After your Initiative Stride you should be able to reach him if you take a Stride and then use Charging Strike. The house is basically one big room with some rice paper partitions up, and you're in the only "lane" that leads straight between them. Go nuts.
Alejandro rolls his eyes and snuffs disapprovingly. "You're young, and you're not my blood but your use will only increase as us oldsters get too old for this shit. Only so many times you can dodge the black fire, lad. You haven't stumbled yet though, so count yourself lucky and don't fret until you're actually on fire."
With that mildly confusing pep talk(?) Alejandro clasps your shoulder, nods once in a manner he probably thinks is reassuring but is mostly intimidating (because Grandmaster) and leads the way into the Interrogation Room.
Which is, as your allies experienced earlier, just about the drabbest place you've ever set foot in, and you've been in some pretty boring places. This room, unlike those other places, is a carefully calculated sort of boring though, the kind that eventually makes you wish someone besides you would scream at the heavens for a break.
The room's lone occupant is still alone and hasn't moved an inch since he was seated in here. No table. No windows. The only light comes from a hooded lamp set into the wall. Very much the kind of place you don't want to end up after pulling criminal things. And yet the tiger is about as relaxed as he can be. As well as anyone with stiff joints can be tied to a purposely uncomfortable chair, anyway.
Alejandro begins immediately with a characteristic gruff "I'll make this plain. Messere Carafa, ye stand accused of bein' a Spellbinder with intent to manipulate others into committing heinous crimes on your behalf. Yet ye also stand willing to hand over to the law two of those ye claim were allied, however tenuously, to yourself. I'd say that if ye make it quick and make good on it, we can probably wrangle ye the guillotine rather than the noose. Don't cooperate and ye'll scream bloody murder before ye finally hang."
With a curt nod, he takes up a position on the aft wall and turns the whole thing over to YOU.
Marsilio, for his part, seems only mildly distressed. "Well...I should like to avoid torture, certainly. But I must protest a quick death. I certainly don't deserve such. What then do you wish to know, young Finder? How we did it? What the Link was for? Should I just begin at the beginning again and fill in more details? Ask away."
You has FOCUS and may see the details of that easily in my above post! You're Readying the water spell and may Stride one pace if you wish. And since Natalia totally trumped Gang Fei in initiative anyway your side will (luckily!) go first, so go ahead and put those rolls out there. Same goes for the rest of ye!
Alejandro lifts an eyebrow at you but doesn't gainsay your request. The two ranking officers lead the tiger to the interrogation room and shuts him inside. They leave with a huffed "We'll be right outside," and head on their merry way. Which is right about when the grand poobah of Witch Finding decides to level a stare at you and ask "Now just what do ye think I can do that ye can't? Wasn't this "your own" arrest? I'd rather see the job done of course but ye were so gung ho about gettin' something done under yer own power before we let ye go the first time..."
Assuming you ready your claws or teeth, will you use your Stride to move closer or no? Also we totally need to make an excuse to get you Brawling Focus.
You got two successes vs. the current distance difficulty! WOO! You may Ready your weapon of choice and either Reload or Stride, plus you have FOCUS and may Interrupt with a single action on not-your-turn or may take THREE actions on your own turn!
That's kind of an obscure bit I keep seeing forgotten in games, by the by. The target number for Initiative. It fluctuates depending on distance. Like right now it's only 2 for Ceallach and Quinn but 3 for Natalia and Javiera since they didn't expressly follow him in right away. It can go as high as 6 apparently if you're more than 100 paces off or are completely unaware of hostiles...meaning in such a case you'd at best be able to tie and be Reeling while Readying a weapon.
"Aye, ye do seem to have a knack for finding the feistiest of lady-folk to surround yerself with." There's a wink and a nudge there somewhere, a bit uncharacteristic but not wholly unwelcome. Levity does a body good under stress after all!
The cat continues as though nothing happened. "Right then, the priest who ducked out was just in there trying to earn a confession on moral ground but judgin' from his posture he sure didn't find what he hoped for. Not uncommon among the upper crust I hear, no offense to our good Lord of the Rinaldi here. Yore last bit tendered here by that girl o' yours didn't pan out so well, but the shake in your tail and the gleam in that eye tells me you've got a missing puzzle piece to fill in."
Luigi doesn't take any obvious offense to his class being labeled immoral, he's clearly used to the constant rumor-mongering about his family. He does clear his throat to get attention though. "Um, Delroy, I have...no...no that's not quite right. This is very old though. I do have some inkling but...nobody's used this for a long, long time. I don't even think Nonna would know for sure, but it does look a bit like the family crest. The three shells are off though. A bit more baroque than the current one. Where did you find this?"
His questioning is cut off suddenly as from out in the hall comes Captain "Jackrum," his Lieutenant (a Scottie with an even more prodigious moustache than the Captain), and some other officer you've never seen. The latter two are directing between them your "recent acquisition" of Marsilio Carafa, still gagged, blindfolded, and hand-bound. The Captain speaks softly for fear of keen bat ears.
"Lord, Finders, I do believe you'll be needing this one? Claims he's in league with the your vassals in there, milord Rinaldi. That square with uh...the conversation he supposedly had with you, young Finder? I'm a bit squelched on it meself but I suppose magick can do anything now can't it?"
YOU BRUTE, RIPPING CURTAINS:
The brightly woven curtain frumps to the ground, along with the wooden pole holding it up, and part of the molding from the wall around it, clearly announcing not only your entry but generally the existence of thing around it.
Those following Ceallach in immediately will see an astonished monkey dressed in Zhonggese semi-finery (the great sage Guang Shin Te, as Quinn will remember), and the tiger calling himself Lâo Xiang-Yu, who has been revealed to three of you to be in truth Gang Fei, an assassin of the Lin Kuei. He's dressed still in the party clothes from last night, and two of them seem to have been interrupted mid-argument about something. The sage is pointing to some scroll or other covered in pictograms and ideographs while the tiger fumes quietly behind a fan, tail tip twitching rapidly in annoyance, and now a growl building low in his throat.
The monkey recovers first, throwing his hands up and screeching "AIYAAAAA! Why you break curtain? Why? You pay for that right now! You break it, you buy it!"
The tiger meanwhile notices the entrance of Quinn and closes his fan with a snap and steps back a pace, drawing the tip level with the back of Guang Shin Te's neck, and the very observant (2 or more successes on a visual Mind+Observation roll) will notice the wet tip of a poison dart embedded in the fan's structure.
Roll for Initiative player-people! He's gonna shoot him!
1d10 ⇒ 11d10 ⇒ 5With one success, Gang Fei may Ready or Refresh something, but he already has a weapon out. Good thing for him and combat transparency he has a Sleeve Sword in his other sleeve!
This is where we charge people for CRIMES, Delroy:
The Constabulary seems fairly well abuzz. As you clomp through the rigid stone halls the cool evening air drifting in from the bay seems a bit too still, too stagnant. You've got a witness and a confession all in one, and a noble ally and friend to vouch in place of the original plaintiff, the officer who made the arrest too...so why has this feeling of dread settled over your shoulders?
As you step lively down the last labyrinthine hall leading to your destination you brush past a priest, hooded and cowled, going the opposite way. He mumbles some apology for getting in your way but doesn't slow his pace at all.
Upon entering the anteroom the others had used earlier today, you're greeted enthusiastically by your friend Luigi Christofaro di Rinaldi, who rises immediately to offer a quick embrace and the traditional cheek pecking greeting of his people before actually saying hello (abridging several inter-class protocols and breaking two Blue Laws!).
You're also greeted by the decidedly less enthusiastic scowl of Alejandro Delgado Maledición. Now what would he be doing here? "Aye, wipe that stupid confusion off yer mug Callidus. I've been all the day looking into some claim or other this one's Nonna made about some "shadow witch" she saw out walking one even. And when I heard ye two knew each other...well, the more weight ye can throw around the better, eh? So then. Ye have what ye need to finish the job this time?"
The DOCKS are where people are arrested, typically:
As the sun drops to the horizon line the Docks district almost looks like it's on fire as you descend the terraced lower city into the sea-level area looking for the target of Quinn's hunch. The three of you garner some odd looks from passers by (not every day a paladin, a tiny wizard-scholar and a foreign princess walk by) but most turn their eyes back to their own business once they realize the vixen with you is in fact a *real* Paladin and not some wannabe or criminal faking it.
Even at twilight the place is bustling, though the ships are long since unloaded and the sounds of the place are coming (mostly) from the many taverns and inns, and the red-light district further down the way. Quinn threads expertly past and through all of these places until gradually the composition of the crowds change from Calabrian to ones clearly not native to this soil, and the text on the signs becomes some pictogram-type characters none of you (save one) can read.
The sounds are much the same, if less intelligible, but the scents are certainly different in many respects, and here and there you can see an architectural touch where someone has added on to a building in a style more Zhonggese than Calabrian, giving the neighborhood a hodge-podge feel even greater than the rest of the Docks.
Even past these you go, until at long last (and seven different disgusting alleyways later) you stand in front of what could charitably be called a dwelling, if not an actual house. It's...a bit odd. The important part is that there's angry shouting coming from inside!
You'll find a description of this guy's goofy house in the Sideboard, the link to which is in the Campaign Info tab. Anyone with the Listen sense can roll their Species die with their Mind and Observation to make out what's being shouted about. Anyone with Keen Ears will get an extra d8 since there's not really an opposition to cancel out here.
OR if standing around listening isn't your bag, jump into action and knock on his "door," by which I mean curtain, or ask if he's alright, or barge in and shout loudly about how you're a hero and stuff. Whatever feels goods.
Ceallach, jump in whenever you feel you can do it justice and don't worry about how you got there, we can cover that later.
