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I'm on vacation this week, and didn't see this thread until today. I'm hoping you might consider my character from another WotW PbP that folded before we broke out of prison. I'll need to drop the equipment I added during the breakout attempt. Thanks for considering!
Lighting up his face with his famous smile, he replies to the scullery maid, "Well, I have to try. I'm sure the sergeant can be reasonable. Plus, I can be surprisingly persuasive when I need to be. It's only the right thing to do." Collecting Rei, he moves into the room. He turns toward Myrtle. "Say, I haven't been given the grand tour yet, and I'm a bit disoriented coming through the chimney. What's through those doors?"
Zed drops down to the floor of the fireplace, steps out and brushes the soot off his his uniform. Following Rei's lead, Zed mutters "Hell of a first day on the job! If I'd known what whey did to prisoners here, I would never have signed up for guard duty. That's just not right!" Looking at the kitchen staff, he adds, "I couldn't let them do that to a young woman, regardless of what she's been accused of. I'm going to escort her to the warden's office to report those other guards."
Just dawned on me-- it's the third encounter, and we've already split the party!
Taking Rei's lead, and realizing that he's wearing a guard uniform, Zed stays in the chimney, waiting for the reaction of the kitchen staff to Rei's bluff.
Sorry for disappearing... life tossed me a curveball the other day. I'll hopefully be able to post sometime this afternoon.
Zed smiles at Jericho's plan. "I think it's brilliant! I knew a pirate would appreciate high drama!" He then glances at Grumblejack to see how he reacts to being discussed as if he weren't standing right there, hoping that the ogre is still too drugged-up to notice. Leaning closer, and whispering so that only Jericho and Elijah can hear, "I agree on using our large friend as a weapon at the end. Once we're out of this prison, I'm afraid that he might might become more of a liability than an asset..."
Zed chimes in to Jericho's question, "I can conjure up distracting noises, but I can't quite control it enough to make intelligible speech. If you want voices, the best I could do is make genreal moaning, whispering, or murmuring sounds. I have another trick that can make someone 'zone out' for a moment and not quite notice what's going on about him. I also have a trick I can use to convince someone that I'm an old and dear friend that they just haven't seen in a while. And, for my final trick, I can infuse someone with abject fear, such that they feel compelled to run away from me." He pauses with a grin. "I once used that last one to win a duel, albeit on a technicality." He continues, seemingly enjoying being the center of attention while he talks about himself, "You've seem me conjure up a passable fiddle. When I actually play music, I can infuse some magic into the tune. I can make people stop what they're doing and focus on my song; and I can play a rousing tune that could help all of you feel more confident about what you were already doing... be it fighting, or building something, or whatever."
Catching Rei's meaning, Zed glances at the ogre, looks back at Rei, and shrugs his shoulders. "Hmm. With two more guards to take out... Do you think we could lure them back here to dispose of them? I'd rather the alarm not be raised so early in our escape..."
Veil: Angelica
Items remaining in the veil of useful items:
Well, with her background story (i.e. trying to assassinate the king), if I were playing Rei, I'd probably go with the Assassin prestige class, or Master Spy as a close second choice. Between Lukasz, Angelica, Zed, and Jericho, we're not hurting for spellcasters. And once we take over Talingarde, you could be Commandant of the Secret Police! (I'm intending to become Minister of Propaganda.) But it sounds like you have your heart set on Arcane Trickster. If that's the case, go for it! I'm always for playing the character you want to play, as long as that choice doesn't cause unnecessary friction in the group. I am not SpinningDice, but...: (Sorry if I wasn't supposed to peek at your question to the GM!) If I were the GM, and one of my players came to me with that question, I would require that if you wanted Rei to use the Racial Heritage feat to take the Magical Tail kitsune feat, she would actually grow a fox tail. That part of her heritage just suddenly manifests. (I'd have Rei just wake up one morning, and there it was! Hey, it's magic!) This might make wearing trousers a bit challenging, without a trip to the tailor...
"If no one objects, I'll take one of our dearly departed friend's armor and uniform. I'm not much of an archer, but we should probably take those longbows and arrows, too. I'd also be happy to hand this shield over to someone else, so I have my hands free. Also, we should take, or at least hide, our prison uniforms. Once they realize we're not in our cells, they probably won't expect us to be wearing regular clothing."
Veil: Angelica
Items remaining in the veil of useful items:
"Wow. We managed to take them out quickly!" Feeling for a pulse on the fallen guards, and finding one, he adds, "I know it's distasteful, but can we afford to leave them behind alive?"
Zed, not being one who idles easily, had a hard time waiting alone in the cell block. Perhaps half an hour into the wait, he crept to the cell in which the group had stashed the unconscious guard, and peered in. He imagined tormenting the guard, ultimately cutting his throat... and envisioned the man's hot blood spraying through the air, beautifully spattering the wall with its vivid crimson... Zed shook out of his reverie after but a moment and returned to his vigil by the door, the prisoner unmolested... for now. ... That's it! We're on! Zed throws open the door at the sound of action, and rushes in, with sword drawn. He attacks the guard by the hearth.
With Jericho's agreement, Zed quickly strips out of the uniform and puts on the travelers clothes. Opening the door to the cell block he says, "I'm going to wait in here. Who's with me?" Hearing no takers, he enters, leaving the door open just a crack.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Hey folks-- My posting rate is going to be pretty low for the next two weeks because of Christmas, New Year's and holiday traveling. I'm going to try to get a post in every other day or so, but I don't know whether I'll be able to actually do that. Have a great holiday season everyone!
"Hmmm... Well, if we're going to lay an ambush, how about this... First, Jericho, why don't you take this uniform after all to go with your armor. I'll change into these other clothes. With the dim light, the two of you should stay visible in this room. If you keep your faces shrouded in shadow, you should pass as the other guards for long enough. We could move the torches such that you two are backlit from the perspective of the door. The rest of us will hide in the cell block and interrogation rooms. We'll then spring into the guard room to subdue two more guards. If we rush them, we should be able to cut off their retreat!"
Zed also takes a change of clothing. He rolls the clothes and shoes up, wrapping them in the cloak. "Won't want to be dressed as a guard once we're out of here," he mutters optimistically. To Lukasz, "Big improvement! The plan was to stay here, but I'm inclined to keep moving. What do the rest of you think?"
"More weapons. I'm not much of an archer, but I wouldn't mind taking a shield. I'd guess that this room is directly below or adjoins kitchen, and this chimney also connects to the kitchen fireplace. If we can smell food and not smoke, the kitchen fireplace must not be lit."
"Okay, let's get out of the cell block." Dressed as a guard, Zed moves to the door leading to the guard room. He presses his ear to the door.
Just so we don't accidentally duplicate any gear:
Current Gear List (and who has it) Veil: Angelica
"With the guard knocked out and locked into Grumblejack's cell, I'd suggest that we also gag him and chain him up with these manacles. I don't want him to wake up after we've left and start screaming for help."
Zed casts prestidigitation, attempting to clean the bloodstains out of the dead guard's uniform.
Taking Lukasz' advice about not discussing plans in front of the guard to heart, Zed motions to Jericho.
After listening to Jericho's plan, Zed nods, and says, "That might work! My main concern is waiting around for too long. Also, our friend here tells us that there are only, what, 15 guards, including the sergeant, plus the warden? And that the warden is a wizard. It also sounds like they all know each other by name. I'm a little less confident that we'll be able to sneak out in disguise. The main thing will be not letting them raise the alarm, so that we can catch each group of guards unaware." Responding to Lukasz, "Good idea about cleaning up the blood with magic! I was about to do the same thing. You're right about needing to match the armor and uniforms-- I was assuming that we'd complete the set after we overpower more guards." He leans in a little closer and whispers, "I can tell by your bearing that you aren't used to wearing burlap rags either. I just couldn't stand it any more." He gestures at the uniform, "Not that this is a big improvement."
Zed also picks up the signal horn. "This might come in handy at some point. Rei, why don't you take the keys and one of the daggers. Lukasz, you should take the other dagger. Jericho, you seem rather well-versed in boxing... It's a cliche, but maybe we should let Grumblejack have the club for now." To Jericho and Angelica, speaking softly so that the ogre can't hear him, "Actually, if Grumblejack does go on a berserk rampage, it might distract the guards long enough for us to slip out of here..."
"...plus, ogres tend to be unpredictiable and prone to unnecessary acts of violence and destruction. I'm not sure how useful he'll be as an ally beyond getting out of here."
Pointing the prisoner's sword at the prisoner, Zed says, with a grin, "Now, take off your armor. And your clothes." With a grin, he adds, "I don't think I've ever asked a man to strip before!" Assuming the cowering guard complies , Zed quickly changes into the guard's uniform and throws his own prisoners' rags to him. To the rest of the escapees, he asks, "I'd like to hang onto his sword and shield. Who wants the armor and club? Ditto for his departed friend out there." He points to the dead guard with his thumb. After a moment, a thought appears to have crossed the bard's mind. "Are there any other prisoners in Brandescar, or is it just us?" he asks of the guard.
Wow-- that was easier than I thought! Zed's leaves his conjured fiddle on the floor, and it fades out of existence again. He walks over to the surrendered guard and takes his weapons, as Jericho suggested. He then starts frisking the prisoner, looking to see what else he might have that we could use.
"Nothing personal, you understand. I merely intend to keep my head attached to my shoulders for a bit longer." Looking over his shoulder at Rei and Jericho, he adds, "We should take their uniforms, too. If we can pose as prison guards, we might be able to slip out without raising too much of a ruckus."
In one of my other PbPs, the GM uses a Google doc, that allows anyone to manipulate the image map dynamically. Not sure exactly what he uses-- I can PM him if you'd like. Downside is that it doesn't have any snap-to grid settings, and there are no token ownership settings: we've all accidentally moved map elements we didn't mean to at some point. In my other PbPs, the GM makes note of everyone's position, and posts a new static image of the map to Flicker at the start of every round, updating the "Current Map" link on the campaign site accordingly. Those maps always have grid locations, so that players can say, "I take a move action to G7 and attack," or "I 5-foot step into H2 and cast a spell."
Zed leans forward, catching everyone's eyes. He nods.
Zed lowers his arms, keeping a length of chain in his right hand, looped once around his wrist. The rest of the length dangles menacingly. He then casts a spell, humming a droning tune. He points his left hand at the guard with the horn still in the corridor.
Jericho: you might want to try a Disarm maneuver to grab the horn instead.
"Here we go..." Zed casts the spell that summons a fiddle and bow again. He then hides it behind his back such that the guards are less likely to see it, sitting back down and pretending that his loose length of chain is still securing his wrists to the wall.
He then whispers, "I'll try to ensorcell the guy with the horn. If he stares off into space, get him!"
"They're going to have to feed us eventually, right? I bet the reason we're smelling food is that they are getting ready to give us some gruel. We could make our move the next time the guards bring us our meals. They won't be expecting us to be free. Maybe Grimblejack can rush the guards, then while the guards are concentrating on the ogre, we can join the fray. It will be most important to keep the guy from blowing the signal horn. I might be able to distract him with my magical music."
As another quick note, I'm pretty flexible to changes for the first level or so, if anyone realizes that their character should really have a particular skill or ability. Mr. Dice: I just noticed that I neglected to give Zed the Slight of Hand skill. (I so rarely play rogues, and this is the first evil character I've played in two decades, that I pretty much never pick that skill.) I am switching the skill rank I spent on Knowledge (religion) to Slight of Hand. His profile is updated.
Zed removes a length of chain, holds it up, and says, "These chains come off the wall pretty easily. They'd make halfway-decent weapons, don't ya think?" To Rei, he adds, "Illusions? Well, I know a trick that can make people hear things that aren't really there, but I haven't yet learned how to make people see things that aren't there. I think that my ghostly sound trick could at least cause a distraction."
While listening to the others speak, Zed looks at the chains. What had been restraints could be weapons if we can detach them from the wall...
Question for the GM-- In both of my other PbPs on these boards, the GM was able to link the map in the campaign description fields, so that the links appear at the top of every page in our campaign forum. Would you be able to do that? That way, we all won't have to go looking for the post with the link to the map.
With a gesture, the fiddle and bow Zed conjured a moment ago grow insubstantial and disappear. He returns to his position at the cell wall, loosely wrapping chains about his wrists. "Okay. I'll play along." Noticing the scent of food, he adds, "You know you're hungry when prison food seems appealing." A look crosses the bard's face as if he just thought of something. "Hey-- I wonder if we can use our friend in there," indicating the ogre's cell with a nod, "to cause a distraction on our behalf... We'd need to neutralize the guy with the signal horn first, of course..."
Angelica flashed another smile at the handsome bard. "Aren't you the charmer? What did they lock you up for again, lady-killer?"
"Angelica. A name that befits your beauty... and deliciously ironic given the faith you serve." He smiles widely. "Assuming we get out of here alive, I would love to share some wine with you at an inn somewhere." He smiles and winks back. "As for my crime," he rolls his eyes as he says the word 'crime,' "like I said, I had a disagreement with some church officials regarding the appropriateness of some songs I'd been performing. The disagreement got a bit heated and blood was shed. Quite a lot of blood, actually. I was convicted for murder." Not precisely a lie, but let's not get ahead of myself. I need these people to feel that they can trust me, and if I confess to what I've actually done, I'll surely never see this woman's other assets... at least not without magical assistance, and that rather takes the fun out of it.
"Well," says Zed while quietly tuning the fiddle that he conjured, "I can be pretty good at causing a distraction. I should be able to get the guards' full attention, and while they're enthralled by my musical genius, the rest of you can take them out."
Rubbing his wrists, Zed turns to Rei, leans close, and whispers, "If we manage to get out of here alive, I'll have to thank you for that personally." Standing up, he assesses the cell door. "Think you can get that open too?" Turning to Angelica, "Did your visitor give you any other tricks? I have one." Zed then attempts to cast a spell.
Intrigued, Zed gazes at the lockpicks that magically appear in the priestess' hand. "Wow! How did you sneak those past the guards? Unfortunately, picking locks isn't exactly my strong suit. Any burglars in the house tonight?" Still, the sudden appearance of such tools seems to give him a glummer of hope. While Zed speaks, he tries slipping free of the manacles.
Waiting until the guards leave, Zed turns to Jericho. "Good try. I'd applaude, but..." he shakes the chains, "you know. Turning toward Angelica, he whispers, "And what do you mean about a way out of here?"
Zed smiles as the Asmodean priestess is ushered back in. "Well, I didn't think we'd be seeing you again! What happened?
When the guards come in bringing better light, Zed finally gets a decent look at his cellmates. He takes in what he can of Angelica's beauty as they lead her away, letting out a quiet sigh when the cell door slams shut again. Pity we won't be seeing her again. And all the more that I can't join those guards in what they're going to do to her. It would be so nice to have one last taste... "What do you think they are going to do to her?" asks Zed aloud.
A toothy (if somewhat bloody) smile crosses Zed's face when he hears female voices. "Ah, servants of the Prince of Darkness are among us. I must say, I was troubled when I was younger, and the Church of Mitra was... less than helpful in their means of addressing it. I later found a forbidden Asmodean text written before the purges, and I found the words very soothing to my troubled soul. They helped give my deeds new purpose, for I learned that my troubles could actually be a gift." He looks around the cell, gauging its dimensions and quickly realizing the futility of attempting escape. "I must admit that I'm used to more pleasant accommodations."
I always ask this in every PbP I've joined... Where is everyone (i.e. the players) physically located? Knowing about time zone issues and interruptions of national holidays can be helpful. I'm in central New York State, USA, about 30 miles south of Syracuse, or about 230 miles west-northwest of New York City. And on national holidays... I hate to say this just a couple of days after staring a new campaign, but I may end up going silent tomorrow for a few days due to the Thanksgiving holiday. I am traveling to the old family homestead in New Hampshire tomorrow, and will be away from home through Saturday. I'm not sure what level of WiFi or cellular data I'm going to have at the inn. If I do have connectivity, I'll probably manage a short post or two during that time.
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