OOC II

[shaidar]

Refreshing my memory, Newton ordered an axe from father Odos, but I can't find any indication of when it was going to be ready.

[thirdkingdom]

Refreshing my memory, Newton ordered an axe from father Odos, but I can't find any indication of when it was going to be ready.

Let me check back through my Referee's calendar. There was also the drake-skin being tanned.

[shaidar]

Thanks.

IIRC The drake-skin armour is close to being ready in Junction the Hydra skin is being tanned in Draea and would take a month.

[thirdkingdom]

Here are some of the last relevant posts:

The Aftermath

Valru's expression is as hard as her skin as she surveys the carnage. "My men fought valiantly," she says, "as did yours, against a mighty foe. We typically burn our dead, in the field or home. As a broken sword is melted down to be reforged, so are we at the end of our days. How do you softskins honor your dead?"

The rest of the day is spent searching the village. An enormous haul is found, consisting of:

*24,000 silver coins
*14,500 gold coins
*4500 platinum coins
*About two dozen assorted gems, ranging in value from 10 to 1,000 gp, and totally 9,560 gold.
*A score of trinkets -- earrings, rings, bracelets -- worth another 7,500 gp.
*4 scrolls
*Two swords, an axe, a crossbow, and a dagger that Zellar and Sumer judge are likely valuable.
*3 potions, unlabeled.

Of most interest, though likely less value, the adventurers find one whole hut filled with foodstuffs, dried goods, and tools that look to be of human origin. It's mostly utilitarian stuff, perhaps worth a few hundred gold, but suggests the orcs have recently raided a human community somewhere nearby.

Looks like Sigmari An is *not* available as a retainer!

Zellar

Once the dead and wounded have been dealt with, Zellar will assist in examining the scrolls to determine if there are any clues as to the whereabouts of Burnnkenkrayn.

Fifthmonth, Twentyfifthday
Hex 230.123

The dead mercenaries are arranged on a funeral pyre; it's trivially easy to pull down the huts the orcs were using and use the dry wood to build a massive bonfire. As the sun sets the pyre is put to the torch; flames are soon licking the darkening sky as the dead warriors are sent off to the Dry Lands as befits heroes. Valru sings a song in an ancient language. Like all the songs of her people -- or at least the ones the adventurers have thus heard -- it is discordant and harsh, like metal crashing against metal.

Later, when questioned about a potential human village nearby, she shrugs. "I do not doubt there is one, but do not know where it is. We are beyond the boundaries of my knowledge, here. My guess would be that it lies somewhere along this river, though, as that is where many settlements are to be found."

After the pyre burns down, and a campfire of their own is built, Sumer and Zellar examine the scrolls they have found. Two are spell scrolls, both magical in nature, containing the following:
*The first contains the spells light, magic missile, and web.
*The second contains the spells hallucinatory terrain and wall of stone.

The third scroll appears to be an old treasure map. In Common, an inscription upon it reads "We rode two days east of Maknor, to where a river flowed north. Following the river north we came to the upturned rock we had been told of, and there we buried Prince Damar in the royal crypts we found beneath, along with his scepter of rulership. Thus the remains of the last of the blood of the royal line of Maknor was interred."

The final scroll is a single rolled sheet of parchment, written in a runic script neither can read. The runes are blocky and composed of harsh lines, and hurt the eyes of those reading if they stare too long at the page.

Newton nods "Yes, it does sound familiar. If we don't go after those orcs I'm just worried that they will raise the alarm with the dragon, and we currently haven't found any indication of the dragons location from the loot, so we'll need an orc prisoner to interrogate"

Valru

The ironskin scout purses her lips. "Orcs are creatures of Chaos, and craven, to boot. Without a strong hand guiding their actions they show little initiative, nor loyalty. If I were a betting woman, which I am not, my guess would be that the survivors of this fight have fled in all directions, and rather than face the wrath of an angry dragon will instead melt into the wilderness, hoping to disappear." She pauses. "While clearing out the camp I did espy what looks like a trail leading west, on the other side of the river. Orcs are also not know for the woodcraft, and it is possible they left us a backtrail we can follow."

The drake's hide was tanned on the 13th of the 5thmonth, and I'll say it takes a month to craft the masterwork armor. Newton has the following choices for the bonus:
*+1 AC
*No weight (is light enough it doesn't count as armor)
*+2 bonus to Sneak rolls while in the wilderness (the drake he slew possessed a mottled hide especially suited for sneaking).

Let's say that by the 13th the hydra-hide will also be tanned.

The 14th is the middle of the month, so let's start the action up again on the 14thday of the Sixthmonth, giving basically two and a half weeks of downtime. For sake of starting things up let's say the Newton can start with the masterwork armor. The hammer will also be ready by then.

~~~~~~

A note to the new players: I am a firm believer that things take time to accomplish, and will not rush you all with countdowns to disaster*. That being said, consequences occur as the result of your actions, and the world (and lifestyle costs) march on regardless of what you do. Don't feel like you need to rush willy-nilly here and yon to tackle all plot hooks as soon as possible. I want you to feel like your character can take time to research spells, commission armor, hire retainers, build ships, etc. One of the reasons I do encourage players to have multiple retainers is so that each player has something to do while their main character is downtiming.

*Well, for the most part.

[Leitz]

As a new player, there's a lot to take in. That said, I tend to look around, find a project, and get to work.

As a meta-game thing, I'm happy to have Ardath be wherever the PCs are going to be, and potentially even know one or more of them or their retainers. I'll post a little about him on the character sheet, so those who want to can link into that. He's a good guy, and as a player I tend to be "support the group" focussed.

On the chainmail, does it's magic reduce the encumberance?

[Leitz]

Added to Ardath's background and religion.

[shaidar]

The drake's hide was tanned on the 13th of the 5thmonth, and I'll say it takes a month to craft the masterwork armor. Newton has the following choices for the bonus:
*+1 AC
*No weight (is light enough it doesn't count as armor)
*+2 bonus to Sneak rolls while in the wilderness (the drake he slew possessed a mottled hide especially suited for sneaking).

Let's say that by the 13th the hydra-hide will also be tanned.

The 14th is the middle of the month, so let's start the action up again on the 14thday of the Sixthmonth, giving basically two and a half weeks of downtime. For sake of starting things up let's say the Newton can start with the masterwork armor. The hammer will also be ready by then.

That's cool, thanks.

I think I'll go for the +2 bonus to sneak in the wilderness.

Now I just need someone who can make armour from the Hydra hide. Would it have been possible to have made enquiries in Alice during the downtime?

[shaidar]

Don't know if this helps the newcomers:

Tale a look at the map, here, Alice is a frontier town. Draea and Kimrid are towns through the wilderness to the north than have been cut-off since the last chaos cycle started. Now we have entered a law cycle, contact has just been re-established with these fortified zones by the PCs.

You can see a larger area in the maps here. To the south of Alice is the capital of Rhea's Ford. The group started in Junction to the west exploring to the west over the river, spent a little time in Rhea's Ford then headed north to Alice to do some trail blazing. The group is currently staying with their siderenos friends in Draea. Dervishes comes from Kimrid, to the north of Draea.

[thirdkingdom]

The drake's hide was tanned on the 13th of the 5thmonth, and I'll say it takes a month to craft the masterwork armor. Newton has the following choices for the bonus:
*+1 AC
*No weight (is light enough it doesn't count as armor)
*+2 bonus to Sneak rolls while in the wilderness (the drake he slew possessed a mottled hide especially suited for sneaking).

Let's say that by the 13th the hydra-hide will also be tanned.

The 14th is the middle of the month, so let's start the action up again on the 14thday of the Sixthmonth, giving basically two and a half weeks of downtime. For sake of starting things up let's say the Newton can start with the masterwork armor. The hammer will also be ready by then.

That's cool, thanks.

I think I'll go for the +2 bonus to sneak in the wilderness.

Now I just need someone who can make armour from the Hydra hide. Would it have been possible to have made enquiries in Alice during the downtime?

Yes. Let me roll out those chances in the next day or so and get back to you on that.

[thirdkingdom]

As a new player, there's a lot to take in. That said, I tend to look around, find a project, and get to work.

As a meta-game thing, I'm happy to have Ardath be wherever the PCs are going to be, and potentially even know one or more of them or their retainers. I'll post a little about him on the character sheet, so those who want to can link into that. He's a good guy, and as a player I tend to be "support the group" focussed.

I don't want anyone to feel overwhelmed by the amount of existing info. I am totally fine with players coming in fresh; I try and be as explicit as possible when posting, and encourage everyone to add their own details. I'll try and post a broad overview in a couple paragraphs about the setting tonight.

On the chainmail, does it's magic reduce the encumberance?

Yes, by one degree, so it is as encumbering as leather.

[Leitz]

That works. I'll draft up some notes and you can fill in the blanks. Ardath would be very happy to help blaze some trails and reconnect civilization.

[thirdkingdom]

Okay, so broad setting overview:

Absalom Overview.jpg (386.04 KiB) Viewed 384 times

The game is currently set in the Scarlet Principality. A relevant post can be found here:

Zellar

Is Zellar able to ascertain from Fer's expressions and body language to what degree his characterizations are made with sarcasm versus seriousness? Reading into it, I'd say his depiction of the Scarlet and the Jade at least are... politically coloured.

"What has the Jade Princess done to sabotage the Scarlet Prince? Over what do they conflict in particular? Territorial rights? Taxes? Or is it merely personal dislike? Does the Scarlet Prince mean to conquer her entire demesne?"

Tolniel Fer

"Ma'am, there's tomes in those questions that we could spend weeks on, but let's see if I can provide an overview." He steeples his hands and tilts his head back, as if in thought. "The Variegated Kingdom, as we now think of it, was founded three Cycles ago, united by the first High King, Marckar Regincan, and divided into the eight Princedoms that exist today. The seat of power, and the Throne of Many Colors, is in the Umber Principality, and since the end of the last Apex has stood empty. The remaining Princes: Scarlet and Jade, Coral and Azure, Violet and Sable, and Alabaster, have been squabbling over who should sit on the throne, but until recently, with the cycling of Chaos, have been too preocupied with their own concerns to attempt anything directly."

Fer looks as though he would have enjoyed a life as a teacher, or perhaps a philosopher. "I do not know why Scarlet and Jade seem set against each other. I know there is strife between Violet and Sable even as we speak, and armies marching, but those two lie directly adjacent to each other. Why the antipathy between Scarlet and Jade? I don't know, honestly. Why do any two people dislike each other? Surely you have known people you simply cannot stand, or that have wronged you? Our prince must see Jade as an obstable to the throne, or vice versa."

It seems as if Fer's previous comments had the tone of those who are accustomed to speaking the party line but don't necessarily agree with the message.

The description of Alice is here:

Fourthmonth, Tenthday
2:00 pm
Hex 235.134
Alice

No one can dispute the wisdom of the witch's words, and soon they continue north again, the companionship once more numbering five individuals, doughty and true.

The road widens and the woods thin as they travel, with signs of civilization becoming more and more evident. Finally, the party emerges from the trees to behold an enormous clearing, as far as the eye can see, of mostly cultivated fields dotted with houses, copses of fruit trees, and herds of cow and sheep. Ahead of them, barely visible on the horizon, is a smudge that must be Alice, with plumes of smoke rising up into the sky by the hundredfold.

Alice is a frontier town similar to Junction, maybe twice as big, but sprawling. The dwellings on the perimeter are small and rude, some little more than tents, others mud-daubed huts. It is as if the population of Junction doubled overnight, with no places to put the new inhabitants, so they made do with what they could.

It is lucky there has been no rain recently, as the streets are hard-packed dirt. The main road is crowded with traffic, with buildings mostly of wood leaning in above the road. The adventurers have two potential courses of action:

*Seek out Pord's contact, one Kirra Lec whom they are supposed to escort north.
*There is also the company -- the Northern Mercantile Exchange -- that Feargus had received a letter of introduction to the previous night. The woman, one Cynza Dalin, gave him directions to an office located off the North Road, behind a Twill's Tavern, and ask for a "Matts".

Feargus's young squire, Mardan Cy, looks about, slack-jawed and wide-eyed, and the bustle and noise surrounding the party. He clutches his zither protectively.

The description of Draea, village of the ironskins:

The Barony of Draea

The road leads up towards the castle, past the farms and fields of smallholders. All of them are similar in appearance to the soldiers in the patrol, but otherwise they seem to be perfectly normal; the animals in the fields look to be of the standard variety, the crops they grow seem to be no different from what is grown all over the Principalities.

The gates of the castle swing wide and the adventurers find themselves inside a well fortified structure, built along similar lines as Bastion. It seems as though almost every square inch is occupied by something; practice yards and stables, smithies and hovels. There's not a spare space to be found.

As far as the adventurers can tell all of the residents of the castle are of the same race as the soldiers; with skin and hair of iron. The patrol leader, who introduces herself as Escea, shows the party to a stable where they can put up their mounts, then leads them inside to an antechamber. "It you're allowed to stay the night it is likely you'll have to stay in the stables," she says, matter of factly. "We have little room here in the keep, and are not equipped for visitors. I'll go and let the Baron and his council know that you are here. How should I announce you?"

And Kimrid, far to the north, home of the dervishes of the Cult of Mnencir:

Fourthmonth, Twentyfirstday
Kimrid

The adventurers are escorted through the gates into Kimrid proper. In some ways it is similar to Bastion, and to the settlement of the Ironskins, in that the central -- and largest -- part of the town is actually a fortress, with residential and commercial buildings spreading out from the central area. The captain, who introduces himself as Garbeo, points out locations of interest. "That building over there is the Dusk's Embrace," he says, "they have rooms for rent, as does the Ruined Jester" he points at another building a few hundred paces away. "There are two more taverns, as well, both down by the docks, and they have some rooms for rent, but they're not . . . deserving of your patronage, I think. Rough and tumble places. Dirty. The markets are a street up from the river." He motions towards the center of town, towards a massive edifice built of the same reddish stone. The road from the gate leads straight up to a wide stairs in front of a columned portico. Statues of massive, winged beasts sit on either side of the stairs; lions with the face of Men. It's too far away to make out the detail. "That's the temple of Mnencir," he continues, "the seat of both temporal and spiritual authority in Kimrid." The adventurers note that Garbeo wears a surcoat of dusky red and black, upon which a badge resembling the leonine statue can be seen. "At some point tomorrow I would advise presenting yourself at the temple and introducing yourselves to the authorities."

The men and women of Kimrid are shorter than those of the Principality, with coppery skin and black hair. They wear clothes of reds, greens, blacks, and browns, buttoned with horn and adorned here and there with fur cuffs and collars. Their shoes are wooden, with high heels that click on the cobbled roads of Kimrid. Most of them stare open-mouted at the adventurers, and whisper to one another as the party passes by.

[Leitz]

Ardath ran his finger inside the pipe bowl, and then tapped out the loosened remains of last night's smoke. The inn wasn't the worst he had been in, but the food was worth the coin. Brixa needed some more meat on her bones, certainly. His bones had their meat, and his skin was tanned from the sun.

Long lost was the pale and pudgy acolyte look; Ardath had pushed himself to prepare for this trip. Extensive traveling, and learning the ways of the caravan, had paid off. The old crew wouldn't recognize him now. His loose traveler's clothing was covered in trail dust, at least where the rain hadn't washed it into some strange pattern. Brixa's clothing was the same; they looked like all of the other caravaners. Tomorrow, perhaps, or the next day, they would find clothing to match the local climate and tastes.

Tonight, though, he smoked his pipe and watched the people. Brixa gave him a grin, and he gave her a wink. She would move around and listen. Men would say things to her they might not say to him. Some things, of course, would be inappropriate. She'd smile. and point to her husband, if a man's eyes or hands wandered overmuch. While Ardath wasn't the most terrifying of men, his special frown conveyed a willingness to kill to protect his wife.

There were those, now departed, who averred to the truth of that.

[Rex]

Thanks, still looking through a few things.

[shaidar]

If Newton is in Alice for a few days with his retinue making enquiries for the Hydra skin and picking up his drake-hide armour, there's a point of potential contact with Leitz's character there.

[thirdkingdom]

If Newton is in Alice for a few days with his retinue making enquiries for the Hydra skin and picking up his drake-hide armour, there's a point of potential contact with Leitz's character there.

I'm fine with assuming that the new players are introduced off-screen during the downtime, and that everyone starts play where they so choose. I'd like to shoot for posting the first IC post on this upcoming Monday, the 21st, to give Rex time to finish their character.

[Leitz]

If Newton is in Alice for a few days with his retinue making enquiries for the Hydra skin and picking up his drake-hide armour, there's a point of potential contact with Leitz's character there.

I'm fine with assuming that the new players are introduced off-screen during the downtime, and that everyone starts play where they so choose. I'd like to shoot for posting the first IC post on this upcoming Monday, the 21st, to give Rex time to finish their character.

First impressions are always important. I'm happy to interact with any of the PCs, and we can probably find a meta-game connection. Ardath will be asking around about the further reaches, the challenges, and the needs of the people. He's not really hiding, and obviously not from around wherever he is.

[Rex]

I plan on working on my character Saturday. I just got called into work early so looking at a 12+ hour day tonight.

[The_Wanderer]

Here are some of the last relevant posts:

The Aftermath

Valru's expression is as hard as her skin as she surveys the carnage. "My men fought valiantly," she says, "as did yours, against a mighty foe. We typically burn our dead, in the field or home. As a broken sword is melted down to be reforged, so are we at the end of our days. How do you softskins honor your dead?"

The rest of the day is spent searching the village. An enormous haul is found, consisting of:

*24,000 silver coins
*14,500 gold coins
*4500 platinum coins
*About two dozen assorted gems, ranging in value from 10 to 1,000 gp, and totally 9,560 gold.
*A score of trinkets -- earrings, rings, bracelets -- worth another 7,500 gp.
*4 scrolls
*Two swords, an axe, a crossbow, and a dagger that Zellar and Sumer judge are likely valuable.
*3 potions, unlabeled.

Of most interest, though likely less value, the adventurers find one whole hut filled with foodstuffs, dried goods, and tools that look to be of human origin. It's mostly utilitarian stuff, perhaps worth a few hundred gold, but suggests the orcs have recently raided a human community somewhere nearby.

Does anybody remember if we divvied up this loot? My guess is not since Feargus only has about 9k gold in total.

On a side note, toting this pile back to civilization would have required a caravan!

[shaidar]

I'm assuming that that is where the 2500gp for each PC came from.

Although the potions and weapons should be checked for magic. The scrolls were identified.