Link to google doc
What is your current reputation? Bannermen level?
The Plan: Content
STARTING DATE: CY 9168, June 23rd
Arabus to introduce the characters?
Talisen is traveling with some of the new pledges down to the water to meet a boat from Loamwold across the lake from the villa. A gift of fine gin and infusions from the halflings in thanks to the Gallants has been an annual delivery. The small barrels are hoisted when an out-of-breath Bella comes riding from the west. “Talisen! I believe I have something of great value for you! I myself have no need of it…” she grins, presenting you with a satchel, in which a book is obvious, from horseback. “It will augment that messenger thing you carry from House Malor. It is strange, I grant you. Archaic… and seems to be specific to the region, but I’m sure you will find it useful.” She ticks, kicks her heels, and rides out. The book is titled Book of Elden Vale Familiars.
LRS asks you to come to dinner on board the The Red Pony in a few nights time…
Bella asks for assistance in Hunting Ingredients with Bella… as a precursor to Green Sisters Attacks…
> THIS HAPPENS RIGHT BEFORE LEAVING WHEN HELPING Bella!
As if there were not enough troubles, the day you set out with Bella an event takes place which all can see and causes a dread to fall over the realms in general. The Interloper has gotten terrifyingly close to the planet, it fills the sky and seems to hang overhead. The Unholy trio draw power from the moon, it is their home, and the weather turns sour. The night sky is bright with green witchlight, sickly streaks of black light arch over the horizon and a stench rolls in from the east. The tides even pause. It hangs in the day sky for days.
Bella says that it may even be better auspices for finding rare ingredients – who cares why it is happening, but it bodes well for her efforts – she has cast an augury!
He is there with his bosun and first mate. The dinner is a mix of sea tales, good seafood, and the bosun even dances a complex jig at LRS’s insistence. The evening winds down with the “I suppose you’re wondering the real reason you are here.” Lucky lost 1 crew in the The Soul Scourge event and his old competitor Frad Elgor killed another in the confusion after. A fire was set on the PCs boat because of a lack of guards… does 1000sc of damage. Lucky thinks he is being watched – he just has a feeling and wants to get out of dodge for a few weeks to the sea… but there is no one to guard the PCs boat.
Let the PCs ruminate about staying on it, accommodations needed, dangers; After a while he dismisses his first and bosun to be alone with the party.
“Your group always seems to be connected when shit goes sideways… is there any connection to what happened with the The Soul Scourge event (that’s what they are calling it)? You don’t have to say exactly your role… but this is a new epic level of shit storm I’m potentially associated with… I kind of need to get some simple answers here and assess my future prospects…”
“Really, nothing surprises me much these days. I came here because I thought I could make money, but that in general things would be stable. It turns out there’s a massive shift in the war to target this area and all this strange stuff keeps happening. I had a mission, a goal for myself. Bargains were struck, the game commenced… but now… this is some crazy shit.” He shakes his head. “I gotta wonder if any deal is safe around you guys…”
This is actually a point where LRS questions his long term plans, his REAL PLAN.
July 9168 CY Painted angers the disguised dragon that is known to the party as Bella by painting a mustache on her when she sleeps. Her unrestrained flash of anger reveals her to the party. After he paints dragon-with-a-mustache all over town on the doors of businesses and homes. Unknown to him, he is seen. Perhaps he should have asked first, or found an outlet in a mural for a business. Returning to the villa, he takes his turn asking Bella questions. During this time, he propositions her, shows her unsolicited, his genitalia. He also attempts to insult and make her feel awkward. She makes him aware that his pathetic attempts to get a rise or upset her in any way are more insulting in him thinking they would work, than in the content themselves. She ridicules him. Painted is arrested and hauled in when he returns to Torrelson’s Ford to buy new painting materials while the rest of the group is hunting the “undying priestess guarding a water lily that can bring the dead back” for Bella. It turns out, someone in the party had sabotaged his painting kit by putting dead fish oil, blood and chunks in it. He is tried while spending 3 days in jail, and must clean his vandalism – the town is already terrified of the dragon, no one likes it. He must serve 10 hours of community service – cleaning the slop pens on the city docks. Additionally, the group’s reputation decreases, and they must pay a fine of 25 silver crowns.
“The Interloper and its associated effects are yet another reason to not be associated with the color green. Browns and non-descript it is for me these days…”
Bella may send the party to the Lily Temple?
> Earthquake on the ridge if so; DC 15 Dexterity check or 3d6/10 damage. 1 on d6 = Wounded; 1-3 if failed. Critical Failure = Grievous Wound. The earthquake might cause an epic collapse that would lead the characters to ‘ride’ rubble into the slurry. Equipment would be lost forever (maybe ‘The Tree’ could help them find it!?).
July 9168 CY Huff is traumatized by his experience in the evil dark of the Amenti-Apep undying priestess of Sisslenn. Having been unable to see after entering the cave, which was filled with the cold dark of the void, and whispers and the sounds of slurping mouths and slithering tentacles and suffering horrendous damage from the magics and attacks of the priestess and accidental damage from his party, he is permanently triggered. The smell of snakes and reptiles makes him afraid now, and the only person he will trust to issue any sane command or orders is Alcott. He is afraid of the dark in general, and will refuse to enter magical darkness. He is taken to the new White Sisters enclave in Torrelson’s Ford to be rehabilitated. Over the course of the next 3 months, they will tear down his fears, and restore the trust. Huff will find a new faith with Conviction in the Lightbringers, giving up his burgeoning faith in Merkaine from the adoption of it by his old band, The Blackwells. He becomes serious, taciturn, and no longer lives up to his old moniker “the laughing one”. He glowers and scowls all the time. He comes to despise the dark, with being in magical darkness triggering his Rampage ability on any successful attack – not just one that kills a target. His trust in Alcott was not broken, but he will at least listen skeptically to ideas and commands by others – though he will do what a follower of Conviction will do for his faith in Whelm and the Lightbringers.
> Whisperer of Secrets (Hangman’s Tree) wants to draw the group to it – a reunion of sorts since the group Bound to the Essence of the Team is all connected to The Gallantine order.
[ i ] > DC 11 Wisdom (Perception) to hear the creaking rope of the nooses in the distance.The treasure horde, if it is one of the desires of the PCs from the Whisperer of Secrets, is on Dormu’s Peak.
> The church of Light is casting aspersions on the “green” church’s color association with the Interloper’s associated effects.
[ i ] > DC 12 Intelligence (no skill unless rumor-finding as Investigation) to hear this association said: “It not coincidence is it – the ‘green’ church and this fell green light in the sky? A bad omen, we should be looking to the clean white of the Lightbringers for aid.”
Summoned by the White Sisters… A new Dame Mother Helen d’Joiy and her assistant Mother Erica Rumsfeld wish to meet the great Gallantine comrades. The previous White Sisters have moved on to cleaner environments, though the Lightbringer Faith is obviously invested in their previous group’s efforts and the quests done in the good name of the sisterhood by the previous group.
Encourage Danoir to use poison. Elon pressure – its just d4/2 extra “weapon black” only works on open wounds, prevents clotting (slash/pierce only). = Later he will be asked to “teach a lesson” to a merchant who refused to sell to the Elon. He has a sister that often travels with her brother’s dock worker to preview some clothing merchant wares – give her a minor cut from stealth – cut her dress (she loves clothes; dont kill her – but Danoir wont understand the extra damage and might kill her accidentally).
Robbing funeral processions + wakes; with Gruxand’s Soul Scourge event, there have been lots. Buy some clothes for 5 silvers (simple disguise) or 25 formal ( Advantage on Sleight of Hand = no-one would expect it)
d4 Processions: Pick pockets 1, 2 or 5 sc; +5 = jewelry 20-50
d3 wakes: Might be a chance required to speak! 1 in d6
The PCs are summoned to Diamond Curios and Antiques – home of the local branch of House Malor. Someone has attacked the familiar (owl) of House Malor and the House Malor representative in Torrelsons Ford. The last image transmitted was Bella!
The Attack of the Off-Spawn…A familiar of the PCs was attacked and killed – the last image transmitted was Bella!
The old Dawnmarch cemetery has got several new bodies as well as the others on the outskirts of the town; So many deaths are competing for funeral resources and tempers are flared as one group has to wait for resources others have taken. One procession was ‘attacked’! – A violent outbreak happened, and three people had to be jailed.
Verel Blackdown, the herald of Baron comes to the party… The PCs needed to guard for a few days to send a message – per the Baron himself. “I will not have such violence following such dark times.” says herald to the PCs. Four days is the PCs turn, then baronial guard.
> Charisma (Intimidate) checks; DC 10 [+1 for each day as tempers rise]; needs 2 successes to keep procession peaceful.
Another earthquake… this one minor. It seems to be subsiding, no aftershocks felt.
Gang violence – one tries to control the elon, makes an ultimatum. A full rumble, or the ‘fight of champions’; Elon need a champion or participation in rumble (100 silvers; 6 damage + DC 10 Intelligence or a Hard Wound.
REWARD = None of the Elon will ever pick the pocket or steal; the “Thieving Ward” for the PCs associated with the champion.
> bare knuckle fight (brass knuckle + shiv = surprise; they do a quick search by retired cop)
> brass in ass cheeks, shive back of collar; 1 in d6 if surprise to be a wound
= Danoir fighting for his people = Relentless Endurance (if he mentions it give it to him)
A group of Lightbringers acost’s him and tries to drive him away. Several broken bones later, he leaves a couple bodies in the street and makes his way to the shipyard. The wave of murmuring and retreating footsteps precedes him as he steps aboard your boat. Timbers groan as the smiling, eye-patched half ogre whistles absently as he enters the hold, hitting his head going down the stairs. He laughs to himself, “mind yer head” he says loudly, and looks over his shoulder, waiting for you to follow.
“A feather has blown on the breeze to Apshai. It must be unstuck from its tree.” One-Claw said you would understand.
And that we need some method of communicating better than me. As much as I love breaking bones of Umbakian sympathizers, it draws too much attention. We must find another less public means of communication.
As usual, the Orrish of Dwindor force you to wear blindfolds, chew the bark of the Blackmoss Tree of Dwindor that causes you to relax, and probably add random travel – the way to One Claw is obscured from you. The heat and smell of Dwindor is oppressive, but it does eventually clear after a couple days. Fresh breezes from one direction come – perhaps you are near Scar Flow. After another single day
First, let me say that Off spawn in Dwindor do not happen. We breed true here, away from the meddling priests of darkness and their army-making at any cost factories. I know what happened, and they came from some place inland – not from Dwindor – unless the witch herself is now breeding them in secret.
One-Claw welcomes them, though there is little fan-fare, many faces stare, not knowing what to make.
One claw: Feather is cornered. She was doing work for her patron, the witch of Dwindor. It seems she was looking for a new way into the Temple of Apshai, which has recently sunk back into Scar Flow. She got cornered by the creature seen with the Mendollin being known as Toad-Faced dog in a cave… somehow she has managed to survive. Why the witch has let this persist for weeks is not known…
Kynar: Maybe she’s alive. I cant tell, but One-Claw wont let me take a shot at the fucking thing.
One-Claw: Its still there… I assume that means she is alive.
If the PCs travel back in the open to Torrelson’s Ford, the Lightbringers will start rumors that the PCs are in league with the Orrish of Dwindor: -1 Reputation
ROMANCE: Hendrahk draws the interest of Verlaena, another half-orc.
The Lightbringers come to them. Father Timothy says “Trafficking with this monster is unacceptable. What is your relationship?”
Deception attempts to avoid the truth.
“Whatever your reasons, it’s time to look for new… ‘allies’. A Justicar has been called to deal with this. I always knew Dunstrandian swine could not be trusted to root out evil when it shows itself – effete and weak!
To any Lightbringer/Umbakians > “I expected a higher standard from you, but it’s obvious you’ve been corrupted by these local low-lifes.”