Karnakiid: Valley of Mist and Flame (Campaign Thread)

malinzaro · Post by **malinzaro** » Thu May 26, 2011 11:23 pm

I will join the meeting too, but I also suggested afterwards we help Ethran recover his mace.

Annette · Post by **Annette** » Fri May 27, 2011 11:05 pm

Elliah

The serving girl finally returns after a long wait, bringing you a roasted bird of some kind and a bowl of horrifying-looking berries that vaguely resemble moldy pine-cones. "Sorry I took so long," she apologizes as she sits back down. "One of the half orcs tried to touch my ass, so I had to kick his. Anyway, that'll be 3 gold. A tip would be appreciated." She looks at the others. "So, what're we talking about?"

MistSonata · Post by **MistSonata** » Fri May 27, 2011 11:23 pm

Elliah extracted three gold and five silver from her pouch and payed the serving girl. "Thank you kindly, I hope that's an appropriate tip." She was a little disappointed that she missed watching a bar maid take a half-orc down a notch.

kozeph · Post by **kozeph** » Sun May 29, 2011 11:30 am

"Get the gold or else"

Those simply words have been plagued Akumo's head for the past two days. The red haired dwarf adjusted his robe, glasses and went out to the sandy streets.

He had to get a really good paying job, or find a very wealthy mark. Akumo didn't felt particulary like spending a whole month picking pockets, he need the gold fast for his friends and uncle's sake.

"I should hit the tarverns" The dwarf mumbled as he continued walking, his only armament was the blade hidden in his sleeve. Akumo had long learned how to sneak weapons past the guards. The rest of his stuff was safely hidden away in a stash.

Annette · Post by **Annette** » Sun May 29, 2011 5:05 pm

Akumo

You head towards the nearest inn, The Manticore's Pride. Unsurprisingly (considering the late hour), most of the guests have retired to their rooms. Only a lone dream dwarf remains, talking idly with a serving girl. Once the girl notices you, she leaves the other dwarf and asks you what she can get for you.

OOC-Your character sheet lists you as a Wasteland Dwarf. Could you tell me which supplement that came from? I'm not as familiar with it as I should be. (Unless you mean Badlands Dwarf from Sandstorm, as your bio suggests.)

Elliah
Listen-Success!- You will be able to overhear the conversation between the two, should one take place.

Shar'ra and Westan

You sleep soundly.

Ehren

Wracked with nervousness, you find sleep to be difficult to achieve this night. You eventually manage to drift off, though your slumber is hardly restful.

Siberys · Post by **Siberys** » Sun May 29, 2011 5:10 pm

@DM, From the ability listed at the bottom below his backstory, yeah it's the Badlands dwarf from Sandstorm.

kozeph · Post by **kozeph** » Sun May 29, 2011 7:11 pm

Akumo visibly resign himself, seeing that the tavern is rather empty. Noticing the dream dwarf nearby, he Approaches the table. Making a small friendly smile Akumo speaks out.

"Fancy seeing one of yer type around this parts"

(OCC: yeah my bad I mixed up the names, he is a badlands dwarf)

Annette · Post by **Annette** » Mon May 30, 2011 8:54 am

(Waiting for Elliah to continue conversation, preferably in the Player Thread.)

malinzaro · Post by **malinzaro** » Mon May 30, 2011 11:02 pm

Westan wakes up merrily in the morning. The bed was good and he slept very well. Still pondering about the facts and events of last night, he jumps out of bed and quickly dresses up preparing for another busy day.

He descends to the main room of the inn and salutes the inn keeper/servant girl and any of his companions if they are there already.

OOC: Annette please tell us when it is morning so we can continue. I am still around and waiting for Ellie and kozeph to finish their encounter, though I was thinking it might be good to post my update for the morning just in case it is done in the next couple of hours.

Annette · Post by **Annette** » Tue May 31, 2011 6:34 pm

(I'm going to assume that Akumo follows suit and head to bed.)

Westan

You are the first to awake, finding yourself in a nearly empty room, devoid of any activity save the serving girl you met last night frantically mopping up a puddle of a foul smelling, sizzling liquid. Glancing up, she brightens visibly. "Hey!" she greets you, abandoning the thankless task and letting the mop clatter to the soaked floor. "I remember you. Westan, right? Or are you Ehren..." she purses her lips for a moment, then shakes her head. "No, Ehren was the priest who lost his sword or something. Speaking of which, I hope you guys get it back. And wipe out those loyalists, while your at it. Gods know, we don't need another civil war." Sidestepping the puddle, she asks, "So, can I get you some breakfast?"

Everyone Else

(Sleeping.)

Siberys · Post by **Siberys** » Tue May 31, 2011 6:55 pm

As the sun cracks its way through the sky, piercing it's hot light through the windows of every building in Karnakiid, I am already awake preparing myself. As I step the creaky steps downstairs I notice the human Westan having a conversation with the barmaid, and overhear bits of it. After the comment about loyalists, I chime in.

"The act of agression is more often than not what starts a war, not ends one. Snuffing out a loyalist to the king would likely have two more people question authority and eventually take said loyalist's place.

Patience and common sense are far greater weapons than steel, young barmaid."

I turn towards Westan. "Ehren's attachment to his weapon and association with us presents a risk of liability. I have no intention of helping him start a revolution for a keepsake, perhaps you and I might take care of this situation with some...finesse?

Late last night I noticed a light footed dwarf enter the tavern, and sit down with Elliah; he carried himself exceptionally well for someone so...shall we say, bulky.

I might suggest you, him, and myself get our weapons back before Ehren tries to deal with the situation himself. Afterall, you saw how quick he was to flare up at his loss. That will inevitably hurt us more than he realizes."

Moogleman · Post by **Moogleman** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 6:01 am

Ehren got out of bed and was dressed a few minutes before dawn, although he'd been awake awhile before then. He'd found sleep a rare commodity last night, thoughts of the Temperate Star whirling round his head, and of Wycombe chiding him for his foolishness. He kneeled down infront of the window in his room, luckily it was east facing, something he should of requested but failed to whilst stuck in the melancholy of the night before, and awaited the sunrise.
Moments later the dawns first rays burst over the rooftops and Ehren closed his eyes and began to meditate and pray. He asked Pelor for divine spells of Create Water, Cure Minor Wounds, Detect Magic, Bless, Endure Elements and Enlarge Person and began recounting all the information he had learnt the previous evening.
A few hours later Ehren opened his eyes and determination shone through. His mind was focused and ready for the task at hand. No more mistakes. He made his way downstairs and greeted Westan, Shar'ra and the serving girl, who seemed to be working round the clock.
"As soon as Elliah has awoken, we should form a plan and be off, there is no need to tarry here."

malinzaro · Post by **malinzaro** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 8:54 am

Annette wrote:..."I remember you. Westan, right? Or are you Ehren..." she purses her lips for a moment, then shakes her head. "No, Ehren was the priest who lost his sword or something. Speaking of which, I hope you guys get it back. And wipe out those loyalists, while your at it. Gods know, we don't need another civil war." Sidestepping the puddle, she asks, "So, can I get you some breakfast?"
...

Westan smiles warmly while replying,

I am Westan indeed. You have quite an excellent memory dear miss, though I don't know what to say about other causes. Thank you very much for the breakfast offer, but I believe I am going to wait for the rest first.

Siberys wrote:...
I turn towards Westan. "Ehren's attachment to his weapon and association with us presents a risk of liability. I have no intention of helping him start a revolution for a keepsake, perhaps you and I might take care of this situation with some...finesse?

Late last night I noticed a light footed dwarf enter the tavern, and sit down with Elliah; he carried himself exceptionally well for someone so...shall we say, bulky.

I might suggest you, him, and myself get our weapons back before Ehren tries to deal with the situation himself. Afterall, you saw how quick he was to flare up at his loss. That will inevitably hurt us more than he realizes."

Westan silently nods then speaks up with a lower voice,

Wise words my friend, though this people used trickery and law to rob us blindly. We cannot condone such a behavior, but entering like this in an armed to the teeth barracks demanding our rights might get us directly in jail if not outright killed. I believe only cunning can solve this situation without much damage done.

Westan then mumbles to himself,

Damn I hate cities!

kozeph · Post by **kozeph** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 9:45 am

True to his word, Akumo returned to the Manticore Pride at morning, normally the red haired dwarf wouldn't be so punctual but right now, he needed to be at his best. He needed paying jobs, big rewards and he wasn't going to get them by playing lazy.

Stepping inside the Inn, the brown skinned Dwarf adjusted his glasses and noticed a trio, two humans and a Asheratis.

"I take it, ye all be missy Elliah friends Hm?" The red haired Dwarf approaches the table, he smiles at the group.

"I hear ye be needing someone with a knack in getting into places and with quick fingers"

Akumo adjustes his sun glasses again and smiles again.

(Just so we can get this over with, and move on with the campaing)

Siberys · Post by **Siberys** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 11:49 am

@Ehren-

"Good, you're here. I need you to do me a favor. I realize it seems like grunt work but this nimble dwarf and I should discuss some plans of action, and for the best efficiency, we may need to get some tools too but in a timely enough manner.

Here's 18 gold. If you could find some caltrops, a crowbar, a signal whistle, a hammer and a few pitons, and a grappling hook around town, buy those and keep the rest of the money for yourself.

We'll be here discussing our plan of action and the most logical way to deal with these loyalists to get our gear safely in the custody of some -actual- authorities."

Bluff (The last paragraph is a lie)-
1d20+12
18+12 = 30

Moogleman · Post by **Moogleman** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 12:44 pm

@Ehren-

"Good, you're here. I need you to do me a favor. I realize it seems like grunt work but this nimble dwarf and I should discuss some plans of action, and for the best efficiency, we may need to get some tools too but in a timely enough manner.

Here's 18 gold. If you could find some caltrops, a crowbar, a signal whistle, a hammer and a few pitons, and a grappling hook around town, buy those and keep the rest of the money for yourself.

We'll be here discussing our plan of action and the most logical way to deal with these loyalists to get our gear safely in the custody of some -actual- authorities."

Bluff (The last paragraph is a lie)-
1d20+12
18+12 = 30

OOC: You cheeky bugger Siberys :laugh:

Ehren nodded, "Your minds are sharper than mine for logistics, however don't take too long, I'll expect us to be off when I return." He turned to the serving girl, "Do you know where I'll be able to acquire the items we need?"

Siberys · Post by **Siberys** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:05 pm

@Moogle-

Hehe, I know. Sorry though, I'm not neutral good, I'm neutral, I serve my own interests and given a choice of trying to fight the guards and handling this rationally and logically, I'll take the latter to serve my own interests and protect my life

.

"I am unfamiliar with this town, however like all commerce towns the best place to start looking is the marketplace where all the kiosks would be set up."

As soon as Ehren leaves, I sit down at a table with Akumo and Westan.

"Ok, now he fell for it but I'm betting the both of you could tell that was a bunch of BS meant to buy us time, which we don't have a lot of.

Akumo, you seem to be fickle fingered, this may come in handy so we might need your help. I have not much in the way to offer of coin anymore, but I don't deny my debts and will pay you back some way for your services when I get the chance.

First off, lets pool our resources together. You two are weaponless, I am not. My weapon comes from the Dragon King Agamemnon, not some hunk of steel," I say grabbing a candle near by, holding it up to my mouth, and gently breathing a tiny stream of fire onto it for demonstration. "You, akumo, as mentioned are nimble, if you can pick a lock that would be most helpful, but I do not know if it'll be necessary. As for you Westan, you seem to be mostly brawn, but I can also sense there's something else hidden about you, something a little more wondrous. Clearly you are no ordinary fighter by any means.

My proposal, it's quite simple. My goals are currently to speak to the adventurer's guildmaster and eventually the queen about the desecration of these tombs, and the best way to do that is to get some pull, some recognition that we're not complete strangers with vague intentions. We need to find two to three guards, ones clearly loyal to the queen, and have them assist us as witnesses, not as martial help. Government officials may work too, but I have no guarantee of their safety.

What we do is use the address from our friend Elliah to set up an ambush with the guards hidden off a few buildings away. They watch us go in and deal with the loyalists, and as we discuss future business with said loyalists, we offer to "Treat them to a pint at the tavern" for their willingness to trust us, as a show of good faith. Naturally, I will do most of the talking. I may not be strong but I am silvertongued.

We lead them outside, with us behind them. They are then flanked by us and the hidden guards.

We need to do this in roughly an hour and a half, I estimate it will take Ehren that long to find out we've ditched him to take care of this on our own. I do not trust him to deal with it rationally, and I am not risking our lives just so he can have his precious spiked steel.

Remember, this isn't about the weapons, they are meaningless. My goals may not be the same as yours but they may be intertwined. So I'll ask you now, are you in or out?"

@DM- this is pretty much my proposed plan of action just so you can prepare for it if need be. I will likely do it regardless of whether they help or not.

MistSonata · Post by **MistSonata** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:08 pm

Elliah awoke when the sun began to shine in her room, gently spreading its warm glow across the floor. Aesenyth was awake at this point too, but seemed to want to bask in the warm light for a bit longer. She decided to meditate on the upcoming events of the day in the meantime, going over the information of her adventure so far in her head.

Once Aesenyth was satisfied, they left the room, gear in tow, to join the rest of the group downstairs. As she sat down, she looked about the area, having noticed someone missing. "Where is Ehren? I can't imagine he's still sleeping, and he can't have gone without knowing the address."

Annette · Post by **Annette** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:16 pm

(Moogleman, you could have rolled a Sense Motive check vs Siberys's Bluff. Since you forgot, I made one for you.)

Ehren

The barmaid directs you to a small shop a few blocks away, on the edge of the Commerce Quarter. She says it's meant mostly for mining equipment, but should have most of the things you need.
Sense Motive-1d20+3=20-Failed!

Everyone but Ehren

"How are you gonna do that?" the girl asks Shar'ra, taking a seat of her own. "Find loyal guards, I mean. I have to doubt any more will make the same mistake your friends last night did." Something occurs to her. "Hey, I might be able to help. I know some people; I might be able to pull a few strings. For, you know, a price."

Siberys · Post by **Siberys** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 4:39 pm

I turn to the barmaid-

"Just moments earlier you were itching for someone to 'take care of those loyalists for good' and now it's not worth taking care of without you profiting for yourself a little.

I will not pay for information, and for someone itching to have people out of your hair, you shouldn't ask for payment. Either provide us with the information we seek, or go back to your duties as a maid."

Diplomacy-
1d20+12
13+12 = 25

@Elliah-

"I sent him on a fools errand. His temper was a liability issue and I plan to take care of this 'weapon' situation before his return and use the exposing of the loyalists to my own advantage for uncovering why the desecration of these tombs is allowed by getting a potential chance to speak with the queen herself about this."