Ah. My bad. That's what I get for not proofreading my post.
I'm good with the Sin Rune pricing. I understand your logic now. Yeah, I'll go with that pricing. Though, I re-looked at my gear spreadsheet (sorry that I keep switching back and forth on this, I swear this is the last time), and upon second reflection, I can go without a second Tree Feather Token, Pearl of Power, and Flash Powder. Between those, I can easily afford the 1,500 for my initially-uncontrolled arm flare. If you're still offering that, I will go that route, if permissible.
Late night, so will post tomorrow - gives you one more day to finish up if you need to.
Are we moving on to The Party today?
I need to clarify something for the party: When we send our equipment over, does that include all of our weapons?
I see we are expected to bring either our primary weapon or a likeness of it to the party, as well, which is where my confusion comes form.
We send most of our gear in at noon. We bring a weapon to The Party, but my understanding is we check it in at the door.
I'll make a longer post this afternoon, going more into detail in their appearance, but I wanted to be one of the first to arrive. Just to clarify; can we bring in a potion? Neither Darivan nor Sylvia would ever go anywhere without a CLW on them somewhere.
Had a funny idea. Mechanically, Kasha is my primary weapon. Could I even get her to the door and how would they react if a handler is brought? I figured animal companions would not be allowed in the city but I wanted to know for sure. There a number of classes with animal companions so I was wondering what rules Restov and Chalm had on the beasts.
Darivan has it correct - except for your primary weapon, it would otherwise include all weapons you would normally carry on your person, yes. No, you may not bring in a potion unless you manage to smuggle it in; how's your sleight-of-hand looking?
Kasha may 'mechanically' be Lyda's primary weapon, but neither they nor, likely, you would think in such a manner. A sword, a staff, a wand, an axe, a hammer, a bow. Or nothing. Whichever you would prefer.
Incidentally, do NOT introduce anyone besides your own characters; the NPCs are entirely mine in this situation. Some, such as the rest of the Steel Fists, will have arrived pretty much as soon as was socially allowable; others, such as the rest of the Voice of Trees, will show up as late as they can.
Anyone of House Medvyed, be they serving or members, may want to give me a heads up OOC. Aolis is for all intents and purposes (barring the DM saying otherwise of course) the oldest living Medvyed. He has more then a little pull, being an elder, even if he rarely ever does. ;)
Are there... 100 monks attending the party? That's a lot of monks...
If by use you mean 'he announces your name and titles' as you did, then yes, that's fine. I personally would have gotten the OK from the rest of the legacy players to have been a member of their previous group, considering how late you responded, but that's water under the bridge at this point. (And yes, they actually had a name - The White Blade.) I will remind you that Alexander is not the second-in-command of the Defenders of the Lane; if your sub-group is 'The Roads Guardians', then that's all right. I will note that I recall nothing in your background about you being 'Leader of Clan Rocknose'. The Herald would not, however, state that you once were an adventuring companion to Aolis, nor that you used to be a member of the White Blade. Your current position is what is key here. To know the relation of any scion of a House to any other scion of that House (head or otherwise) would be a KS: Nobility roll, DC 15 if you're a member of the House, DC 20 if you're a member of any other Brevoy House, DC 25 if you're from Brevoy, DC 30 if you're a complete outsider like Axhammer is.
OmniChaos, your thoughts in regards to the structure of a Brevoy House - human House - is considerably different than what the reality would be. Since Aolis is a) non-human and b) a ward or adoptee, he has little to no influence in House Medvyed politics; he is not, as they say, 'of the Line'. This utter lack of future and influence is likely why he went adventuring; at least there he could be his own person, make his own decisions. While he has outlived the grandchildren of his childhood playmates (we've looked at comparative lifespans), he certainly would not be considered an 'elder'; at best, he's an odd uncle with interesting adventures to tell the children at story time, scandalous asides about their forefathers to tell the adults at dinner time, and reminisces to share with the old folk over brandy. That said, his position would be exceptionally useful to get introduced to a wide variety of the House, which means he has the opportunity to 'sell access', as it were. (So functionally, while he may not have visible short-term influence, he may have had remarkable long-term influence due to introducing certain people and ideas to members of his House at critical junctures.)
Heh. No, not 100 monks. There are 14 monks attending the party, 7 of which are counted in the 135 significant members (lvl 6-8, including the PCs) of the various groups headed to the Stolen Lands (including the king, his military commander, and the top individuals in his household). In addition, there are 70 lieutenants (i.e. cohorts, 4th-5th lvl, including the other 7 monks), 102 members of the Swordlords or aristocracy, and 86 top students, spouses, and other such individuals.
In regards to the Herald, it's the Herald of the City of Restov - the guy you saw on the Red Table - who is doing the announcing. The prohibition on weapons is absolute; the whip can be Ishana's 'checked weapon' if she wants, but she will not be allowed to carry it inside.
I'm working on a basic map of the 'party zone'.
Ah.... +2. I'll leave the potions behind, I guess. Will we know where our gear is displayed? And is it anywhere close to where we'll be, for when trouble hits?
With that said, the gear they have with them is as follows:
Darivan:
Quick runner's shirt, courtier's outfit, jewelry, ring of protection, pearl of power, lesser talisman of beneficial winds
Sylvia:
Courtier's outfit, pearl of power (2), lesser talisman of beneficial winds, ioun stones, spell component pouch, tree feather token
The basically all of the stuff is part of their outfits- Sylvia has a couple of oversized crystals as jewelry, Darivan has a pearl on his bracelet, and nobody blinks twice.
Also, GM, did you get my PM?
Yes, I did get your PM about your future plans. I'm leaving them for ... the future!! :D
Note that those who are checking you include some very hardbitten, paranoid types, who will grill you extensively about your gear, and will not be total f*cking idiots; their job is to basically be antagonistic about anything magical or peculiar coming into the hall. Nor is ANYTHING 'just part of their outfits' unless it was originally written that way - which I am not seeing you having done, nor am I recalling you asking about. So Sylvia does not have 'a couple of oversized crystals as jewelry', she has little stones whirling about her head, and you're trying to bring in some peculiar little things. All ioun stones being purely defensive items, those will be allowed to stay (but note that there will be a social impact, like there was with you walking around in light clothing last night, however much I got sidetracked into not displaying it), but the spell component pouch, the pearls of power, and the tree feather token (with a great deal of irritation at the last), will be 'checked'. Sylvia's items will be tucked into her spell component pouch, which will be included with (or as) 'her weapon'; Darivan can keep his quick runner's shirt and the ring of protection the ring of protection, but the pearl of power is going to head up and be tucked into whatever gear he brought for display.
In specific regards to the 'lesser talisman of beneficial winds', found in Occult Adventures, allow me to quote two things found in character generation:
'No Psychics - races, classes, feats, anything.' This was clarified to mean anything from Occult Adventures or specifically tying into it.
'If you want an option in particular, but are unsure if it's being used - the many, many different items in Unchained are good examples of needing to wonder 'is this being used?' - ask. Do NOT pull something out of your @ss on me in the middle of game play and say to me, 'but I thought we were using this 'cause it was an option in Particular Class Enhancement X!!' Unless you ask first, the answer is no.'
You did not ask first. I'm rather irritated at this, but I will allow them this once because they are basically one-shot defensive auto-trigger items. They will, after some scrutiny, be allowed in on your person.
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Aolis will not be permitted to keep his cane. He can claim it's not a weapon all he wants, but unless he's an ancient of his race and clearly requires it for movement, it's getting taken aside. It will, if that's what you bring, show up at dinnertime as being his 'weapon'.
Re: Nakir, very well. Give me a Bluff check for him to act normally.
Ah. My bad. I think I had the talismans in from a long time ago (i.e. the start of character creation), and forgot to take them out when you specified that you wanted nothing from OA. I'll remove those, no problem, if you want. They completely slipped my mind. Really sorry about that.
Also, Sylvia doesn't have the crystals currently active. They would, actually, be a part of the jewelry she's wearing- a pair of crystals. She's not benefiting from them, just has them on hand.
Out of curiosity, how, exactly, are they identifying the Pearls? They are stated in the item description as looking just like normal pearls. I mean now that I think about it, it would make sens that they would have a way to detect magic, I suppose, which I can understand.
I'm fine with leaving that stuff out. I just wanted to see what I could bring in- neither of them like being left defenseless, never mind their incredible arcane power.
As for the future plans, I basically wanted to make sure there was nothing you wouldn't allow right off the bat for one reason or another.
Re: future stuff - nothing seemed out of whack.
Re: talismans - like I said, allowed for now because they're one-shot defensive auto-trigger items. I like the idea, and it makes sense, and I may allow purchase of them in the future, but during my HeroLab builds I would have been tearing my hair out.
Re: ioun stones: no social issues as long as they're not active - but again, also not part of her jewelry, as this was not part of a prior arrangement. In a basic pouch is fine, whatever, but they aren't going to be disguised as part of some piece of jewelry or another until you go through the rigamarole of doing so.
Re: Detection - yes. A general pat-down is going to take well over the 18s required for an AoE examination by a L1 mage, who can then aside to someone that so-and-so possesses an item or items of power located at such-and-such a place. And unless a magic item specifically says otherwise, it still has its aura, active or inactive. (An active item might have a brighter aura, but that's a 'might'.)
Re: Arm. Yes it does, but it's a known thing. Also, I am reminded - you have permission to go with the full-scale 'at will' thing with the arm.
Hmm. I can hit pretty decent ranks on Sleight of Hand to smuggle things into the party, but I don't actually *want* to. That said, Anton has secret compartments in a few of his pieces of jewelry—if I leave these empty, can I bring them in?
If you're not smuggling anything, then there's no problem, is there? :> But here, I'll make the Perception roll to discover it anyhow. ;)
The examiner doesn't spot it. ;)
Question, GM:
Would Acaciano's mother like him to use his surname during his entrance to the party? I feel like it could reflect positively on her school and her political efforts, and she'd probably want that?
He doesn't tend to use the name, I think, if only because there's not many other 'Acacianos' wandering the forests of Brevoy needing differentiation, but if nothing else, I feel like he'd use it for his mother's sake, unless you have a reason she wouldn't want him to use it.
I have no opinion on the matter, one way or the other. Four hundred individuals are being announced over the course of an hour or thereabouts, some of them (such as the Cenobitic Order) in groups, but it's still an average of one introduction every ten seconds. (Which is a workable estimate for how long your introduction should last.)
Just as a point of interest, the 'horns blare' fanfare etc. thing is really appropriate for only three individuals in attendance - His Majesty Chalm Kowalskiy, Lord Mayor Ioseph Sellemius, and The Aldori, Rytier Kanimir Khavortorov. The only other persons who would receive any sort of fanfare at this thing would be Noleski Surtova or, possibly, a Head of House; though the Aldori is a functional Head of House in Restov, none of the others are invited, and only Noleski would be able to crash the party.
Take your 10s of announcement and scoot, buddy, there's another bunch of people behind you!! ;)
Okay, cool. Sorry about that. Like I said, I'm still figuring out all the ins and outs of your GM style. Thanks for bearing with me.
For the social interactions, though, are there any notable mages in attendance? Beyond the PCs, at least.
Interesting question. Roll both Perception as well as KS: Arcane for both of you - because you're not only going to have to try to listen for them, but also know who 'someone notable' would be.
:: Kaellin / Sylvara ::
Just realized what was bugging me about Sylvara's KSs - going by the build of Dilettante, Sylvara does not yet receive any benefit from the feat. It does not state '10 ranks in Knowledge skills', it states '2 ranks each in 5 different Knowledge skills'. No KS of hers possesses more than 1 rank. This may be rectified by trimming 5 points from the 15 spent in her Performance skills and redistributing them amongst the Knowledge skills in which she already has 1 point. (Speaking of which, if you move Adventuring skill points into the Background skill category, remember to indicate that. Seeing '10 background skill points' when you've clearly spent far over that number forces me to recompute/recalculate the entire amount.)
Perception:
K(arcana):
Wow. I actually rolled good for once.
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If by use you mean 'he announces your name and titles' as you did, then yes, that's fine. I personally would have gotten the OK from the rest of the legacy players to have been a member of their previous group, considering how late you responded, but that's water under the bridge at this point. (And yes, they actually had a name - The White Blade.) I will remind you that Alexander is not the second-in-command of the Defenders of the Lane; if your sub-group is 'The Roads Guardians', then that's all right. I will note that I recall nothing in your background about you being 'Leader of Clan Rocknose'. The Herald would not, however, state that you once were an adventuring companion to Aolis, nor that you used to be a member of the White Blade. Your current position is what is key here. To know the relation of any scion of a House to any other scion of that House (head or otherwise) would be a KS: Nobility roll, DC 15 if you're a member of the House, DC 20 if you're a member of any other Brevoy House, DC 25 if you're from Brevoy, DC 30 if you're a complete outsider like Axhammer is.
You seem to have misread or misinterpreted everything I have written, so I sent a PM for you,
Whoops! Not sure how I came to that conclusion. Sylvara's skills have been fixed. I opted to transfer some points from Disguise and Escape Artist. Also, I indicated how many points were moved from adventuring skills pool to the background skills.
Dargaryen, started off saying this, said this recently, only going to say this once more - move your rolls into a spoiler.
Just to clarify:
The cohorts aren't going to have gear. They aren't sending their gear to the party, to be put up on a mannequin like the PCs are; they're bringing their primary weapon, and that's it. If they try to bring in minor, subtle, and above all entirely defensive items (most ioun stones, ring of protection, that sort of thing), they'll be inspected, frowned upon, but allowed to be on your person; this goes for the PC as well. Any blatant magic (active ioun stones) will have a social impact.
One weapon - staff, wand, sword, axe, spell component pouch, whatever the character might choose to bring as an indication of themselves - is to be brought and will be 'checked'. This is to be a weapon that the individual would commonly use on foot; a lance, longspear, or basically anything longer than 7' is going to be turned away as being your 'primary weapon' as being too big for the purpose. (Please note - a spell component pouch is absolutely a weapon in the proper hands; those who possess them are considered to 'have the right hands', so no spell component pouch is going to make it into the place just on a 'please may I'.) If a second weapon is brought by either the PC or the cohort, if it is clearly part of a set (e.g. katana-and-wakizashi, bow and arrows, a matching sword-and-dagger etc.), it will be accepted and 'checked'.
If any other weapon or even vaguely weaponlike or offensive item is brought - you've already seen the 'simple cane' and 'just a whip' responses - it will either be used as 'their weapon' as previously described, or else need to be sent back to the camp. If it is of a small and not-directly-offensive nature, such as the pearls of power, they will be tucked into the PC's gear (if from the PC), checked along with the cohort's 'weapon' (if said 'weapon' possesses any carrying capacity - most don't, so this would be limited to things like the spell component pouch). All other items from the cohort, such as armor, backpacks, pouches, and the like will be required to be sent back to the cohort's camp; there is no 'coat check' for anything but the individual's 'primary weapon' and exceedingly minor and non-offensive items, as just described.
Nobody sees their primary hand weapon; they are not a part of the 'mannequins on pedestals' display, as they are to have a different function. No cohort is going to see their gear, nor are they going to be able to 'check' anything; if a cohort sends their gear (Alexander, Milo, Tarna) it gets returned; if they try to check anything that can't be simply tucked into whatever they brought to be their weapon, it has to be sent back.
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If, by the way, you want to go talk to someone (a militant group, a group of gnomes), please be specific; I'm not going to throw someone at you, and by this point you all know (or can easily be directed to) whomever you want to speak with; the list is right there.
If any other weapon or even vaguely weaponlike or offensive item is brought - you've already seen the 'simple cane' and 'just a whip' responses
Wait, did I miss a gameplay post where they responded? The only reason I haven't been posting is because I was waiting for a Jade Legion response.
Scratch my earlier post RE Ishana's gear, its just her whip shes bringing and if that gets declined then so be it.
Are cohorts supposed to be at this party, or just invited? Anton would prefer his brother not show up at all, unless he's been specifically invited.
Just to clarify, in case there is another group of gnomes that I missed, my intent is for Yuri to be walking up to the group you described as the Companions of Armgaard, though since he doesn't know them-- unless it just so happens that someone he has met before is a part of that group-- he is just as likely to walk up to any group of gnomes at the party.
And I guess he coat-checks his spell component pouch and has his bonded crossbow added to the mannequin, extremely reluctantly. This party has the most draconian rules of all time, and even as a lawful character, Yuri has growing concerns about King Chalm and his possible megalomania, which he keeps to himself for now.
@Yuri: In a world where people can, and do, reconfigure the world with a literal wave of the hand, these security precautions are actually quite sensible. Mind, taking the spell component pouches means squat if someone has Eschew Materials and doesn't really need one of those for anything but the fancier components and foci. But barring that? Taking the pouches is a pretty good way to make sure nobody gets an easy shot at the new King with a spell.
Yuri's bonded item? It's a weapon! Why would he even entertain the thought that he'd be allowed within the royal presence armed? The fact that he has no bolts means nothing; there are a number of spells that can fix that in an instant. The fact that he doesn't plan on using it against anyone likewise means nothing; there are spells that can compel action or conceal intent alike, not to mention completely replacing Yuri Magrar with "Yuri Magrar." Of course, as with Eschew Materials, there are ways around that too; Darvan, for example, could probably punch a quivering wad of flesh out of a man's torso at sufficiently high level with an unarmed strike. But the guards are taking what precautions they can, including the glaringly obvious ones like, you know, crossbows.
And finally, who is Yuri to merit such an exception, when the assorted greats of Brevoy don't? The fact that the crossbow is his bonded item means diddly to a king, because at the end of the day, that's what Chalm is and what Yuri isn't; kings make the rules and everyone else follows, goes somewhere else where the rules are different, or swells up and does something about it. Yuri could probably make an issue of it, sure. And he'd get his crossbow back, sure. And then he, and the rest of the Forgedawn by extension, would be told to go pound sand somewhere else in Brevoy and points beyond, where their sensibilities won't be offended.
That's just how it goes when you're a peon in a feudal society: orders flow down, obedience flows up. And if you're, somehow, not a part of that? Then you're either hiding in the cracks and shadows hoping not to be noticed, or you're possessed of the means to look those in power square in the eye and tell them "Make me."
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@ Theodric
There is always 2 other options which none of us here are looking to do
1: Overthrow the monarch making the rules
2: Kill said monarch in a way that they cannot be brought back to life.
These two possibliites are why you don't see adventurers with weapons about them. Hell allowing magic users in general near a king or monarch is a bad call as there are ways to cast silent and still, or such to control the minds of people, the same goes with monks. Yes they must be Lawful if they are from the orgional source but with the archtypes and evil monks who don't ping of evil its an extremely easy way for an assasination. [Charge pounce is something they can do and with certain feats they can charge along walls or even the ceilings ]
You can always hire the red mantis, they have a guarantee when they kill people. You'll run out of risings before they run out of ways to kill you. No extra charge for rekills ether. That's good business. xP
But they won't kill any rightfully-sitting monarchs.
The head Surtova can not rightfully claim to be a sitting monarchs, they even have regent in their little title which is counter to that claim. Much less a relative without a kingdom, people, or land. The river freedoms basically give anyone the right to murder "kings" in the river kingdoms, why would the red mantis with their own very specific rules not. Otherwise anyone can call themselves a king and be safe from them. Even a small village could meet the loose requirements I stated above.
Anyways even if he did qualify, does not mean the red mantis would not help someone else do the deed. They have done it before and already depending on if you played certain APs. ;)
:: Amavin ::
No IC response, I only responded about the whip, etc. in the Discussion thread so as to allow you to keep moving in regards to talking to people. (Didn't seem to me to be necessary to respond ICly, but I will if you want me to.)
:: RE: Cohorts ::
Essentially, every 'significant individual' of the group - meaning those 5th level or higher, which means the cohorts as well - received a specific invitation. In regards to Brevic nobility and the swordlords, there was less concern about the 'plus ones' that might have been included; they were NOT going to increase the chance that things would go south because someone (such as the balance of the Steel Fists) would bring someone Entirely Unsuitable if the invitation was even marginally open-ended, so they issued specific invitations. Including (much to Anton's chagrin) to Orvin. (I'm starting to hear the strains of 'Beggar at the Feast' playing ... ;) )
:: Re: Security ::
Yes, security is draconian. In point of fact, it's less aimed at the lot of you and more aimed at the host of people who are trained as agility-based combatants, who have money, influence, and whose city you are in, who could easily seek out the most independence-minded mages around, and who just so happen to be attending the party - the Restov Swordlords. At least 1/8th of the people currently in the hall are members in good standing of the Aldori Swordpact, which membership (but not which numbers) includes at least two of you people (counting cohorts), five others who are heading for the Stolen Lands (the Brilliant Sword School), and a PC who is a 'lapsed' member. There are a scattering of arcane casters here, and a fair handful of divine casters as well (sorry for not getting back to Tomas/Fr. Laszlo about these), any or all of whom could well favor Rostland above Brevoy. Chalm, with the help of the people he consulted in regards to this kind of security, which is a type with which he's never had to concern himself previously - decided that until there were a significant number of people who'd sworn oath to him (i.e. after these three hours), he would be best served by simply removing as many weapons as possible; he then made it a point to state to the guy who's actually the host of the party that this was the only viable way to do security, at least at this time, and the Lord Mayor was forced by the twins of political and military reality to concede. (Security clearly doesn't feel that's quite enough, which is why they're scowling at the 'purely defensive' magic items, but they have their orders, so such things are being allowed through.)
As a consequence, the 'no weapons' ban applies to everyone equally - the people he's most concerned with (the Aldori) as well as the people he's going to be travelling with (and amongst whom there still might be backstabbers, i.e. y'all plus a few others). Only the unique position of The Aldori in Restov means that Rytier Kanimir Khavortorov - the current head of the Aldori Academy - is allowed his weapon anywhere he is damn well pleased to carry it which, intelligently for him, means 'everywhere'; the possession of a weapon where none other is allowed is, in its own way, a high mark of position. This not being the new king's nation, this is one person he cannot disarm - but Kanimir would undoubtedly be killed if he were to murder Chalm, not to mention give Noleski a casus belli for a war for which Rostland is not yet prepared.
Understand, however, that you do not have to put up with it. You can attempt to smuggle a weapon in (I note that I still haven't gotten a Bluff 'composure' roll from Nakir), but I strongly advise against this; it's up to you, however. You can also refuse to go anywhere without a weapon, in which case please inform me by PM at once.
:: Re: Gnomes / Bonded Item ::
Thank you for specifying. I really don't want to have to guess where you're going just by a racial reference.
Regarding the crossbow, I actually would have presumed that Yuri would have 'checked' his crossbow as his 'primary weapon'. If you want it to be the spell component pouch with the crossbow on the mannequin, though, that's fine too. It isn't like he isn't going to have both on his person when Hell comes to Highwater.
:: Re: Social Structure ::
Oh, make no mistake - there are people in Restov who COULD walk in and say 'make me' and cause a serious amount of mayhem. The real question is, 'is it worth it'? The political repercussions (Rostland put under martial law, Restov put under siege) of doing so, the social stigma (invited under certain understanding - that you show courtesy to your host - and violating that understanding), and the possibility of being killed because you don't know who the other guy has up his sleeves, all these things makes 'showing courtesy to your host's rules and requests' (not to mention guest-right in general) a concept that in pre-industrial societies has the force of sacred law.
However, unlike Sam C.'s description, the fact is that in medieval society what goes up must also come down. By doing this sort of thing, the Lord Mayor (and by the social magic of transference, the King) is promising to guard his guests from all harm, including from each other; someone throws a punch, it is the Mayor's responsibility to see that the puncher is punished, and the punchee is given recompense (typically at the expense of the puncher). Could an 'Eschew Materials' mage wreak havoc? Absolutely - until they were turned into a bolt-and-arrow pincushion. All of the mages, sorcerers, mystics, priests, paladins, inquisitors, etc. etc. etc. in the invited groups is known to the security people; you had to state your membership when you applied to be part of the expedition!! Which means the people in the Hall who DO have sharp and pointy objects are keeping a particular eye on all of the mages - and there are mages on the security side, and they have all their tools.
:: Re: Overthrow / Assassination ::
Well, bloody assassination by the 50+ L5+ people who are trained in killing with a sword certainly was a concern ... and other things have been addressed. Not that your ideas aren't good ones (and clearly I'll have to do research on the Red Mantis) and concerns for the future ... if y'all decide, eventually, that this guy (whose word the Numerian Kellid barbarians trust more than a signed treaty) is a tin-pot dictator who you have to off ...
:: Re: Rightful Claims ::
To clarify:
Be it known that, as it has been seven months to the day since the disappearance of King Urzen Rogarvia and his heirs and kin, and furthermore that no true bearer of the blood and rights of Choral the Conqueror has been found in all the land, for the good of the Nation of Brevoy and its people it is so declared that Lord Noleski Surtova, right wise Regent of the Dragonscale Throne, by virtue of descent from the line of Nikos Surtova and Myrna Rogarvia, daughter of Choral the Conqueror, shall henceforth be honored as King of All Brevoy, in the Name of Choral, Lord of Issia and Prince of Rostland, Suzerain of New Stetven, Overlord of Restov, and Defender of the Lake of Mists and Veils. His heirs shall follow him in the rights to these titles, unto the ages.
So witnessed and sealed on this 21st Day of Kuthona, in the Year 4699, Absalom Reckoning.
—Public declaration of King Noleski’s ascent to the Dragonscale Throne
To the villainous warlord occupying southern Rostland, thief of the Stolen Lands:
The crown and citizens of Brevoy demand you cede all holdings along the Rostlandic border, abdicate your unlawful throne, and surrender yourself and all agents of your illegal government. Refusal will be considered nothing less than an act of rebellion against the Ruby Fortress and a
declaration of war against the people of Brevoy. The forces bearing this command await your immediate reply and stand ready to escort you and your accomplices to New Stetven to face true justice.In the name of Noleski Surtova, Regent of the Dragonscale Throne, Blood of the Conqueror, overlord and rightful king of all Brevoy
'Regent of the Dragonscale Throne' is a styling. Elizabeth II of Great Britain is 'Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith', and yet you're not going to see her go out with a big whacking sword (or a SA80A1 5.56mm assault rifle) and take on opponents of the Church of England; ditto Joffrey or Tommen Baratheon/Lannister, as 'Protector of the Realm'. That he chooses to retain 'Regent of the Dragonscale Throne' as a styling does not make him one whit less the King, especially considering that he also bears the titles of 'King of All Brevoy', etc.
It can be argued that his assumption of the throne was illegal, and in fact this is the essense of the argument that Rostlanders intend to make, but doing so ten years after the fact makes it very, very difficult for an individual (as compared to a nation) to claim. By that decade of title and rule, Noleski Surtova is King of Brevoy, and by that position has the right to give charter to the kingship of a potential nation - should the individual so chartered manage to establish the aforementioned nation. If you have issue with the latter, think of it along the lines as Noleski offering Chalm aid and assistance, and a pre-emptive/anticipatory statement of diplomatic recognition of his country and authority. Arguing otherwise detracts from and disrupts the game, and so this is me saying this for the first time: stop doing so. If you, as a player and a character, believe this to be true and intend to play in such a manner, please inform me by PM at once.
:: Re: Six River Freedoms ::
In regards to those of the River Kingdoms having the 'right' to murder kings, especially those of established realms, permit me to say that 'Courts are for Kings' (in which the method of succession of any particular realm is established, which means you cannot just go kill the current leader and expect the rest of that realm to accept you as king) and 'You Have What You Hold' (which essentially means that you have to confront the current leader in a straight-up fight in order to even have a chance of acquiring the kingdom. This will be a key and recurring issue in the campaign, so let's not get ahead of ourselves.
:: Summation / TL;DR ::
Yes, all the cohorts have to be there; yes, security is tough, and if YOU had been ordered to provide security for the king I'm sure you guys would have come up with far, far more; medieval social structure may require you to submit to security, but it also obliges the host to keep you secure in turn; assassination is indeed a concern, particularly assassination by 1/8th or more of the people in this room; Noleski actually is the King of Brevoy, and stop saying otherwise; and just going and killing a leader doesn't mean you get his kingdom.
Other posts dealing with actual gameplay forthcoming.
If my Diplo failed no IC response required GM. If a bluff check was required then I'll refuse to do one - Amavin kinda wanted to be up front about it - if it wasn't allowed then and no-one was really convinced then she hands it in along with spell pouch, no issues required.
Not sure I've said this previously, but Diplomacy, Bluff, and other social skills do have hard limits. They might like you a lot more now, and they may commisserate that it sucks, and they'll promise that they'll see what they can do 'about that' for later on, but they're still not going to let either cane or component pouch in on your person. ;) The social conflicts page pulled from Ultimate Intrigue (link goes to the part on Diplomacy) has a lot I agree with, particularly in regards to those skills.
By the by, something I did NOT say, and definitely should state - faith casters are not required to surrender their holy symbol; they are required to give oath on their deity to, as a guest, cast no spell unless authorized by the Lord Mayor, the King, or one of the king's assigns; for the latter, they specify 'the Captain of the Guard or his security officer', and indicate that you'll know the latter by a signet bearing a silver rising phoenix on a sapphire-blue field.
And yeah, no armor allowed. Glad everyone's seeing that. ;)
One last thing - IIRC (and I probably don't), we have six 'critter bonds' in the group: Lyda with her mountain lion, Deneb with his roc, Acaciano with his treant, Kyras with his elk, Alexander with his pony, and Sylvia with her peregrine falcon. Of the lot, only Sylvia can bring hers in, if the falcon is willing to put up with a relatively short (2') leather thong between her wrist and his ankle, tied by one of the security personnel, essentially 'peace-bonding' the bird.
However, am I missing anyone?
Laszlo made some rolls to chack the different faiths he would be living together with and how to approach them. Since no feedback was given (and the rolls weren't too bad), I'm going to assume that he has at least a small idea about them. If that's a wrong assumption, please correct me.
That was something I'd been to address - particularly, 'whom?' I imagine you'll be able to spot holy symbols (sigils, indicators of some sort) on any of your fellow faithcasters, but there are four hundred people here. Half of them are going to be 'living with you'. Specifics, specifics, specifics.
In the event, however - about 35% of the people here are visibly carrying sacred symbols of some sort. Of thouse, four gods are most represented (about 70%) - Abadar, Gorum, Pharasma, and Erastil. Torag, Iomedae, and Sarenrae fill in another 20%; the last 10% are a smattering of Irori, Nethys, Calistril, and even Asmodeus, with a handful of racial deities and empyreal lords to fill in the rest.
Remember though that 'The Empyreal Lords' is/are not a pantheon; these, even more than the gods, draw people to a specific patron. Everyone prays a little to virtually all the core gods, even if it's just a 'please keep far away from me' sort of thing; the Empyreal Lords are very, very specific sorts of godlings.
EDIT -- ah, at least one - Kaellin's wolf, Greyfang ... ah, and Axhammer's axebeak, Stormbeak ...
Do I know how the Jade Legion respond =]
(if I'm pushing, sorry, I don't know your posting schedule accurately).
Father Laszlo, you also probably know (for what its worth) that Ishana is a Calistrian since she wears her holy symbol quite openly. You don't know Amavin's (at least not for sure but she doesnt exactly hide it), but shes an arcane caster anyway.
Also darn, realized Ishana is going to have to swear an oath to the guards as well by virtue of being divine caster. Easily done, but privately IC shes probably a little grumpy about it.
No, working on a post for you right now. Will post that, then do others.
@DM
Ether you edited your post or I missed that part about you needing rolls. Fixing that and now I can move on IC. :)
Concerning the red mantis and assassinating kings, personally I am just having a discussion. Aolis has no plans or inclination for any of that at this time. His concern right now is the frozen flame, their agenda, and getting out there to start this whole thing to begin with. Maybe a few personal matters thrown in. As to the red mantis rules of what they consider a true king and the requirements. As far as I know in canon that has never been nailed down. In other words take it up with them (the DM actually). xP
Okay, so, given all the recent insight on the security, the items that are allowed, and so on, this is the final tally for what is where:
Darivan:
On person: ring of protection, talisman of beneficial winds, quick runner's shirt, jewelry/courtier's outfit
As primary weapon: Ardafax (+2 bastard sword, black blade)
On mannequin: cloak of resistance, belt of giant strength, headband of intellect, +1 armor, spell component pouch, most magic items like his pearl of power, tree feather token, wands, and potions
Sylvia:
On person: ioun stones (not active), talisman of beneficial winds, courtier's outfit
As primary weapon: spell component pouch (holding pearls of power, tree feather tokens, potions, and wands)
On a semi-related note, how much would it cost to get an item for Sylvia that functions as a handy haversack, but has the shape of a satchel or bandolier? I'm thinking more along the lines of "character appearance" than anything.
Also, any word on spotting notable mages in attendance? Making a gameplay post soon.
Regarding gear, I hadn't thought about it aside from the main melee weapons for Kaellin and Sylvara. However, reading the security measures, it's well enough that I didn't worry about them. So for the record, Kaellin and Sylvara did not bring any magical items on their own person.
Gear:Darivan:
Quick runner's shirt, courtier's outfit, jewelry, ring of protection, pearl of power, lesser talisman of beneficial windsSylvia:
Courtier's outfit, pearl of power (2), lesser talisman of beneficial winds, ioun stones, spell component pouch, tree feather token
Gear:Darivan: On person: ring of protection, talisman of beneficial winds, quick runner's shirt, jewelry/courtier's outfit
As primary weapon: Ardafax (+2 bastard sword, black blade)
On mannequin: cloak of resistance, belt of giant strength, headband of intellect, +1 armor, spell component pouch, most magic items like his pearl of power, tree feather token, wands, and potionsSylvia:
On person: ioun stones (not active), talisman of beneficial winds, courtier's outfit
As primary weapon: spell component pouch (holding pearls of power, tree feather tokens, potions, and wands)
Notice any differences, here? Don't do this, man. You want the spell component pouch as your primary weapon, that's what you get. You want a particular wand, you get that. You don't get to add things after the fact, you don't get to generalize, and you don't get to tack on things that wouldn't get past because one thing already was.
Sylvia's 'primary weapon' is the spell component pouch; that's fine. As a penalty for trying to add stuff, the stuff that wasn't going to be allowed is no longer tucked nicely into her pouch. Sylvia's stuff is now:
On person: ioun stones (not active), talisman of beneficial winds, courtier's outfit
As primary weapon: spell component pouch
Sent back to camp: pearls of power, tree feather tokens, potions, and wands.
In addition, what the hell are you trying to do?? They will not be allowed into the party while Sylvia's Mage Armor spells are active; NOBODY is being allowed inside with a fresh, active spell. She can dismiss/dispell them, or they can stay outside for five hours - or rather, they can miss the party, the oath, and the game.
Re: notable mage - the second-to-last person introduced will be the person in charge of magical security for the party, the one really 'notable mage' in Restov. Post on that will be coming tonight. And yes, at this party, Gwaihir and Sylvia receive all of the 'bright light' benefits.
Hmm. I guess I should probably check item-by-item, since everyone is. Anton wears his Cloak of Resistance and Ring of Protection as a sign of wealth, since they're way fancier and more expensive than regular rings and cloaks (and defensive magic is precisely the sort of thing truly rich people waste cash on if they're even a bit paranoid).
The big question in my case is the Glorious Gorget—since it makes its wearer better at diplomacy, would it be considered "offensive?" Otherwise it's just a good magical item for seeming more cultured and important than the reality.
Why isn't Mage Armor allowed? I'm slightly confused. It's a purely defensive spell. She'd just dismiss them, I guess. Or, if she had known that it would be an issue, she wouldn't have cast them at all.
Also, fair enough. It was the "can be tucked into the primary weapon" that got me. I hadn't listed the wands before because you had already said they wouldn't be allowed in. Specifically, the potions were a pair of CLW and Lesser Restoration, the wands one of silent image, one of lesser restoration.
Are you guys expecting a fight? Cause I am pretty sure that if there is one, we won't have to do anything. There are a lot of guards and a lot of Aldori Swordlord's. The only fighting going on is probably going to be verbal duels and you don't need a sword for that. Why does anyone need to be wearing defensive items or magic? It's a party. Chill out and take a drink. This is an RP moment that is getting way too complicated.
I would guess it has a lot to do with nobility etiquette. It could be taken as a sign of disrespect that you would feel the need to to cast even protective spells on your person, as if you did not believe that the host is capable of securing your safety. Also, could be very suspicious, as in "Why is this guest all enchanted? Are they readying for a fight?"