OOC Discussion II: The Return

[Inferno]

I'm just jealous!

[Inferno]

Agax the Dreamer, wizard:

"Ha!" Agax laughed happily. "I rather like the cut of your jib," the wizard marveled as his grin grew wider. "Petyr Ivanovich, I presume? Before I can agree to this fascinating proposal, I need to know... is this girl, Elena, your daughter?"

Any of my fellow trouble-lookers have any money? I'd love to hire this guy, but I can't afford his demands.
If we can't meet his price, maybe we just make him a full partner? Again, I think it's going to be moot.
But we'll still need money now to arm and armor him.
Thoughts?

[Cwreando]

I was hoping my tithe and charisma would play a part in the towns interactions in some way. Glad it worked out. I tried to interact with the priestess in a way that allowed her to interject relevant information or assistance to our goals. If you prefer Lar can be more direct in future npc interactions though. I figured after my initial interactions with Petyr that Lar probably wasn't going to sway him in any way with his charming oratory skills.

[Zhym]

Lar's charm worked really well on Bogdana, who worships the same god and is naturally sympathetic to Lar's cause. Petyr thinks he's signing up for certain death in exchange for some money to help his daughter. Charm only gets you so far in that situation.

[Inferno]

Hey Zhym,
I'm leaving on vacation tomorrow. Will be back Tuesday, April 7.
Please NPC my character for me while I'm gone. Thanks.

Best,
Inferno

[Zhym]

Will do. Enjoy the vacation!

[Zhym]

"Looking for Trouble" players: please post your spell lists for the day here.

Also, here's a possible marching order. Please let me know if you want a different one:

Gragog Lar
Scarlett Agax
Petyr Bogdana

[Inferno]

Agax Spells: M-U(C): Level 7(4):

These are also listed as memorized on his US character sheet.

Level 1:
Charm Person
Cure Light Wounds x 4
Magic Missile
Sanctuary
Shield
Sleep

Level 2:
Augury
Forget
Hold Person
Knock
Speak with Animals
Strength

Level 3:
Lightning Bolt x 2

Level 4:
Monster Summoning II

[Inferno]

Zhym, I'm leaving tomorrow on a work trip and will be back Monday night.
If I'm slow to respond this week, please NPC Agax if you need to keep things moving along. Thanks.

Best,
Inferno

[Zhym]

got it. We can't do anything or go anywhere or make a difference in any way. Shall we just skip a head to meeting the rest of the group and get back to the main adventure? I totally cool with that!

Well, it's possible you could try to rebuild the font, and it would be something to fill the time until help shows up, if help does show up. The biggest hurdle is finding someone who could help with the craft work. Well, that and the difference between Bragar's god and the god of the church. I actually thought I'd found a nice little mini-quest hook with the font. Guess not.

I'm not trying to make this about not being able to do anything. Life in a town terrorized by an evil vampire overlord is pretty dull aside from the attacks. I suppose trying to live in that town as the only two survivors of an assault on the castle is pretty dull, too. Bragar can make enough food & water that you don't need to worry about rations, and Castran can spin enough illusions to avoid most attacks, so your characters are relatively safe (as long as Strahd doesn't take an interest in your welfare), just bored. Which I guess is boring for the players, too.

I was thinking that it might be interesting to see what Castran & Bragar would do when stuck in Barovia with no indication that help is coming anytime soon. But maybe there's not much they can do. An assault on the castle would probably be suicide, Strahd isn't going to let a font for creating holy water go unmolested, and the mist keeps your characters from leaving. I was trying to add something of a sandbox element to what is actually a very railroady module (in case the "if you try to leave, you'll die" mist didn't make the railroad tracks obvious). It was a miscalculation on my part. Sorry about that.

If you'd like, I'll put the Barovia thread on hold for now. Give me a general idea of what your characters would do after a few weeks or months (or years?) if no new adventurers have arrived. Do they try to leave town despite the killing mist? Attack the castle with just the two of them? Resign themselves to life as Barovian villagers, maybe setting up a trade and a church of Haelga?

When the other party gets to town, I can write a catch-up post for Castran and Bragar.

[GreyWolfVT]

Here I thought the other party would be there soon but then again from outside we appear to be finding more to do than when the original party was inside the town/village of Barovia. Hmm what say we stay outside lol. So tell me when will Odilo the Strange appear out of the woods like our new druid friend?

[Zhym]

Date: Sometime in the future
Time: Mid-afternoonish
Weather: Fog. Always fog. But sometimes rain.
Location: The Old Svalich Road
**************************************
"Screw this," says Gragog. "Let's go get shwarma."

The others voiced their agreement. "I didn't want to be the first to say it," said Scarlett, "but hell yes." Even the paladin agreed to let this one go. And thus, shwarma was had. The party eventually found other evils to thwart and treasures to plunder, and no one became a vampire's thrall or wolf food or...well, other bad things. And they lived, if not happily ever after, then longer and happier than they would have.

The end.

[GreyWolfVT]

Hmm that sounds about right....

[Storm11]

I am happy with whatever you wanna do honestly.

It seems pointless saying "we will try this" or "we will try that" when the answer is always "it will cost you ten million golds and a blessing from the pope.

Castran will try and repair the free house the duo are staying in. He will also watch the locals. Get Bragar to glyph the house and exits. Figure out how many strangers are in town, how's my locals are left and who they are and what they do. Create hallucinatory terrain around the house to create illusions of oppulence and splendor, and another to cover a hiding place where we actually sleep that's actually been glyphed.

Spy invisibly on the gypsys. Eat the created food and drink the created water. Remain invisible as often as possible. Try and make sleeping hammocks suspended from the ceiling so as not to be quite as vulnerable when wolves do finally attack.

Ask about Strahd in town to get any information remaining.

[Zhym]

Okay.

I really don't want this to be (too) frustrating. Some things are just harder to accomplish in Barovia than others. Obtaining holy water is on that list. As for the million golds, everyone assumes that anyone who survived a trip to the castle must be loaded with treasure, and they're happy to relieve you of that burden.

[Storm11]

That's fair enough, but there is no actual way we can afford to stay in the inn for long at those prices, or buy anything from the store either. So we really can't do anything whilst here.

[Zhym]

No, it makes much more sense to live in any of the many empty houses than to stay in the inn. If Bragar had pointed that out to the gypsies who run the place, they might have even brought their price down (after claiming that the price of a room also includes gourmet meals, scenery, and wildlife fun, of course). And I think you could afford to pay for most of what the store sells. It's just exorbitant is all.

[GreyWolfVT]

if only you had the bartering NWP

[Dram]

Castran and Bragar will keep staying g at the abandoned house. I would keep it looking the same. Bragar will ward all the entrances and windows. Castran hide us in room under a illusion. I will feed us. We can spy on the gypsies to see if any of them leave or do anything g special before they leave.

[Zhym]

BTW, I've been going through the items in the dead or charmed characters' inventories. Strahd made out quite well in the magic item department. What do you suppose are the odds he just leaves it all in his treasure room for a new party to come find?