A Tale of Two Orphans — IC

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Scratcherclaw
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Scratcherclaw »

Caelen is bewildered to see Mutar himself. Though he had never seen the festivities and performances of the show, the elf recalls them visiting the Lord of Virem for a feast in the past. What strange times for a traveling circus. I guess in a time like this, people need an escape. Though Caelen is unsure about having to watch over even more people, the strong orc's words put him slightly at ease. Maybe they can help make the journey less miserable for these refugees.

Last edited by Scratcherclaw on Tue Oct 31, 2017 10:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Namelessjake »

Drake chuckles at the Orcs words. "Hopefully it won't come to that," he replies. "I don't see why you couldn't join our caravan though. We're headed to Menora next," he says.

Hopefully they will help raise morale. He thinks, remembering the mood of the caravan that morning after the dead had been dealt with.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Fialova »

Mutar nods as Ghor speaks, and in response to the others the man adds, "I appreciate your concern, but we are certainly capable of protecting ourselves, we'd never make it from town to town if we weren't. Most of our fights may be for show, but those same skills are just as useful in a real fight."

"Aye, many a brigand has learned the hard way that we are not to be trifled with," adds a fairly muscular woman who'd been standing off to the side, who approaches near Ghor and Mutar. She eyes Drake and Valcus with longing eyes, giving them a wink as she does so. "At least unless we want to be trifled with."

The acrobat from before does a few somersaults and a flip before landing nearby as well, adding in. "Yep! These knives are not just for wooden targets, you know. Sometimes they find their way towards fleshy ones as well." Like the other woman she glances towards the group with a bit of a seductive grin, though her sights seem more focused on Caelen.

"The youngsters do the fighting," calls out an odd man from near the three carriages the circus appear to own. He is leaning against one of the wheels and smoking a pipe, his other arm holding a large snake of some sort. "I'm too old for that sort of thing," he says with a chuckle and cough before he takes another puff of his pipe.

"Yes, your age is what keeps you from fighting," responds Mutar, rolling his eyes in response. Turning back to the group, he adds, "I am capable of holding my own as well, and Minh over there," he adds, pointing to a strange-looking woman who turns her head but does not speak, "is another of our combatants. We do not really need your protection on the road, though we would not turn it down. We mostly just need your aid getting out of the city. Of course, we certainly wouldn't turn down company along the road either."

OOC
[SHOW]

Minh is very clearly foreign to both Tulrisse and Serran, and most of the party would never have seen someone like her before. OOC she is Ghian, but most of them would probably just see her as a generic foreigner of unknown origin.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by ratwizard »

Valcus takes in the motley crew one-by-one, double-taking at the well-built woman when she stares a while at him. Right, then. He turns to Mutar, nodding. "This is manageable. If your people can hold their own as you claim to, then I think it may even be a mutual boon for us to travel together. Do you have horses? Supplies? A cart?"

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Scratcherclaw »

Caelen is impressed as the circus performers discuss their talents' application into combat prowess, amazed that the carnies have take up arms in defense instead of just show. I guess while your lives are at stake, you'll do anything to protect yourself. This amazement turns to discomfort, however, as the knife-thrower flashes a seemingly seductive look his way. He returns a wan smile, hoping to discourage any of her advances.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Fialova »

"Ha. Of course," Mutar responds with a small chuckle, motioning towards the three carriages that the others had been standing near before approaching, and where a few of the other performers still stand. "We've three, and our horses are kept at the stables near the gate. Supplies we've been buying as needed, we have some leftover from our last market run but we can go again before we leave if needed. We've enough to reach another town, though."

As the ringleader speaks, the women eyeing the group turn their attentions elsewhere. "You know, there is enough room in the carriage for a few others, if you'd like to tag along," the acrobat says to Caelen, his lack of interest not apparent enough to stop her advances.

"Aye, plenty of room," the muscular woman says, as she moves closer to Drake, leaving Valcus to speak with Mutar. "I'm sure you've been walking awhile, you should take a break for a bit," she adds, giving the young lord another wink.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by ratwizard »

"Menora is where we are headed," Valcus confirms to Mutar. "I think we should check to see if any supplies are still needed before we leave Red Bridge. That is, if the Warden will allow bulk purchases while he is under perceived siege from the Trelheimers."

OOC
[SHOW]

I want to check our supplies to see if we need to load up on any before we go, or if hunting trips are needed while on the trails.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

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"With his concern for morale I doubt he would want to been seen to be letting passing travellers take valuable supplies away when the Armies of Trelheim could show up at any moment and lay siege to the Bridge," Drake says. "The Bridge is very defensible, but with very little land South of the river the Warden won't find it easy to stay supplied against a siege on the Northern bank." He continues, looking up at the towers of the bridge.

"Still there might be something we can stock up on. WE should at least check."

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Pashalik »

Ghor sidles up to the conversation, and muses, "Maybe he could slip you something under the table, if being seen is the larger issue. And as more people will be leaving than came in anyway, it wouldn't be hard to wave it off."

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Fialova »

The muscular woman scoffs and walks away as Drake ignores her, clearly offended by his indifference. Mutar watches as she leaves and rolls his eyes, before turning to the others to add, "perhaps you need not buy in bulk at all. If you're concerned that it won't be allowed, which I imagine is a well-founded concern, then perhaps I could send some of my performers to gather supplies. A few of them getting a little of everything means a little more of everything than normal. There are three of you newcomers as well, so between the lot we may be able to gather quite a few things before anyone notices."

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by ratwizard »

Valcus puts a finger to his chin, considering the measure. "Not a bad idea, Mutar." He looks over the group of performers. They're quite capable. I don't doubt their abilties. The knight turns back to the ringleader, nodding. "Let's try that. Worst case scenario, we leave with what we have. Might need to do more hunting as we go."

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Scratcherclaw »

Caelen quickly and nervously shakes his head "no" at the seductive woman, positioning himself slightly behind Valcus in hopes that the woman leaves him alone.

As the group discusses the gathering of supplies, Caelen interjects, "If it does come to hunting, at least we've got more able-bodied fighters. We'll be able to bring down much more game." As long as we can actually find game.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Fialova »

The acrobat frowns at Caelen's rejection, instead turning to Valcus and Mutar with her hands on her hips. "Well who is going where, then? What kind of stuff do you want us to gather?" she asks, sounding impatient and a bit annoyed.

"More importantly, what are we paying with?" says an older man, who approaches as the others are speaking. He raises any eyebrow before continuing with, "it is not as if we've the funds to cover your costs, we've barely enough to cover our own after so long in this place."

"True, true," Mutar says, stroking his beard as he turns to face the men. "Will you be providing us with a list and funds? If we are to do your shopping we will need the means to do so."

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by ratwizard »

"Calm yourselves," Valcus says in response, feeling annoyed at the torrent of reluctance from the performers. "This was Mutar's offer, remember. Not mine."

The knight fishes around his coinpurse for a moment, pulling out three dwarven gems. "You've been here for some time, Mutar. How many pounds of bulk foodstuffs do you think this can pay for? We have relatively portable staples like grain, vegetables, some fruit. Any more would do well to ensure we'll have enough to feed the masses." He sighs inwardly. Especially if Queen Millicent denies us. I'm not sure how to handle that situation.

Mechanics
[SHOW]

Three dwarven gems = 300 gp

How many pounds of food? Assuming we are replacing the same types that we had initially -- or similar.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Fialova »

Mutar raises an eyebrow as Valcus produces the gem-coins, looking them over for a moment before responding. "Hard to say, but probably a lot. Assuming you find someone willing to sell in bulk, that is. Odd to see such currency outside of the dwarf holdings, where do you obtain those?"

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by ratwizard »

"As a leader of the circus, I'm sure you know never to ask a man how his tricks are done," Valcus says with a sly smile. "Just know that it should hold value of gold coins a hundred-fold. Get whatever you can with them to help sustain the people."

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Fialova »

"You're not going to find any sellers willing to trade for these, unfortunately," Mutar says. "But I will happily take them off your hands in exchange for the equivalent value in gold." He steps off to his carriage and returns back with a large sack of coins, handing it over to Valcus in exchange for the three emerald ones.

"I will already be traveling back through Bal, so I've use for them. It will be easier to divide up gold than those, as well. Just let me know how many of my performers you want me to send out and where, and we'll do our best."

Mechanics
[SHOW]

Skill Challenge

The acquisition of goods will be done in the form of a skill challenge, since not all participants are PCs. You may send out as many or as few of the performers as you wish to acquire goods for the group, as well as sending your own characters out as well. Ghor has insight into the personalities of his comrades, so may be able to suggest who might be best at acquiring what, or who might be best to not send at all.

There will be two steps to this skill challenge, 1) determining how many (and who) to send out into town to attempt to acquire goods for the caravan, and 2) the actual checks to determine how successful these characters are at their attempt. There are various things that can affect the outcome of step two based on the decisions made in step one, so some factors to keep in mind are below:

  • In general, more people sent out is better, since it is less suspicious if multiple buy smaller quantities of goods at a time. However...
  • Some performers (and PCs) are going to be better at acquiring goods than others, so it may be best to sit some people out. Also...
  • More people sent out is also more chances at failure to acquire goods, or to obtain a sub-optimal amount. Additionally...
  • These are carnies and not all of them are particularly trustworthy. Some will have a hidden chance to steal some of the coins given towards their goal.

With the above in mind, the list of available people to send out are as follows:

Valcus
Drake
Caelen
Ghor

Mutar
Marga
Hassan
Kiki
Afsheen
Alvaro
Nudara
Minh

Regardless of how many, and who, you decide to send to buy things, you do not necessarily have to divide the coins evenly. I will assume you are doing so unless otherwise specified, however. Also, though you currently only have the 300 gold Valcus has contributed towards the challenge, other PCs are welcome to add money of their own.

The PCs will use their own stats for the second step of the challenge, the NPCs will have hidden values. The second step will involving rolling CHA-based skill checks (either Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Bluff) for convincing shop keepers to sell goods at all, or for a better price, so each NPC will have hidden bonuses or penalties to each of those checks. Likewise, some will have the aforementioned hidden chance to pocket some of the coins given to them.

Feel free to discuss who should be sent OOC, though it would be ideal if there was some IC decision-making done as well. The party, apart from Ghor, does not know these people so asking would be helpful.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by ratwizard »

"Good point," Valcus says to Mutar as the man exchanges his currency for him. Looking over the group of performers, the knight scratches his beard with an idle thumb. It's a lot of coin to simply hand over and expect a stranger to get it right. His eyes cross Ghor's and the man's brow furrows as an idea emerges.

"Ghor, a moment?"
Valcus asks, stepping to the side. "I need your help with something. I figure you might be the best for it." He motions for the man to step over.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Pashalik »

Ghor nods and takes Valcus a few steps aside, out of easy earshot. "What is it?"

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by ratwizard »

Valcus eyes the others as Ghor steps over, before turning to the massive orc. "Thanks. Listen -- I've only just met Mutar, you, and your allies. I want to make sure this resupply happens as safely and effectively as these refugees deserve."

The knight weighs the bag of gold in his hand for effect. "I trust your judgement. You sized me up when I came into town, and I'm sure you've done the same for those you call friend. If we are to spread wide and far, and purchase as much as we can from this town without causing a ruckus -- who do you see doing that?"

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Pashalik »

Ghor strokes his moustache while he considers the question, and how best to answer. "Hm. Mutar and Afsheen are smooth talkers. Kiki,
too. It may pay off to keep an eye on the latter two, though, to make sure you get all your money buys."
A smile breaks out across the orc's face. "Hahaha, you might send that elf boy with Kiki, to keep her honest. I can go with Afsheen, he and I work together well."

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by ratwizard »

Valcus hms at Ghor's words, looking at the ground as he ponders them. "Think it is of any worth to send the rest out? More bodies, more purchases," the knight says. "Though there is the chance I won't get my coin back."

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Pashalik »

Ghor looks at the ground, too, as though the two are studying something of import. "Alvaro or Marga might do fine. Minh I would trust with near anything, but she barely speaks the language here. I wouldn't send the others."

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Namelessjake »

"If you wan them too, I have some more emeralds," Drake says to Mutar, fishing a couple of the dwarven coins out of his pocket."We should stock up while we can."

Are the dwarfs so rich they have no need for any currency less valuable? Drake ponders, as he takes a look at the emeralds in his hand. Although if these are the only coins they use then even a loaf of bread or a pitcher of ale would cost a hundred gold.

"I'll have to ask a dwarf some time," he mumbles, before handing the gems to Mutar.

He quickly glances around the troupe once more looking to see if any dwarves are amongst their number, smiling at the woman who had previously winked at him as his gaze lingers on her for a moment.

Mechanics
[SHOW]

Trade three emeralds for 300 gold

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Scratcherclaw »

"As do I, if you've got the gold to spare," Caelen replies to the ringleader, retrieving the dwarven emeralds from his coin pouch. I guess there's not much point in carrying around these emeralds if I can't even use them here. As he waits for Mutar, the elf's eyes wander, spotting Valcus and the orcish circus performer having an aside. I wonder what they could be discussing. We probably shouldn't be wasting too much time standing around talking.

Mechanics
[SHOW]

Trade 4 Dwarven Emeralds for 400 Gold Coins

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Fialova »

Drake
[SHOW]

The woman smiles back at you as you glance over. Though there are many odd figures among the circus folk, they seem to be an almost entirely-human troupe, Ghor being the sole outlier.

Mechanics
[SHOW]

With the addition of Drake's and Caelen's contributions, this brings the total available gold for this skill challenge to 1000. Please decide who will be going where, with whom, and with how much of the money in a mechanics post (only one person needs to do this) and we can proceed to the second stage of the challenge.

Also, as a side note, if you are sending people in groups to acquire goods you should decide whose skills you actually want to utilize in doing stage two. The number of places visited was originally assuming people will be going out on their own. You can pair people up if you like, but it will still count as one attempt at acquiring goods so it has no mechanical benefit (though may have IC benefit).

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by ratwizard »

"Alright," Valcus says, stepping to face the group as a whole. "We're going to split up our funds to cover more ground. Perhaps many faces purchasing will allow us better odds than if we were to go together."

Turning to the performers, the knight looks them over. "Kiki, you and Caelen are paired up for this one. Afsheen -- same goes for you and Ghor. You'll get two hundred coins each." He gives them a keen eye. "Ensure that it is spent wisely."

Valcus spins to Alvaro and Marga. "Fifty gold for each of you. Just get what you can." To Mutar, he nods. "A hundred coins, if you could, as well."

"Lord Aerden and myself will try our luck with the remaining two hundred coins each. Remember, these supplies will likely be saving lives. Those refugees deserve our help and our funding. If you get sloppy, or you steal from us, then you take away their chances of surviving this bastard of a war."

Mechanics
[SHOW]

200 -- Kiki - Caelen
200 -- Afsheen - Ghor
50 -- Alvaro
50 -- Marga
100 -- Mutar
200 -- Valcus
200 -- Drake

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Fialova »

Kiki gives a smirk and rushes up next to Caelen, entwining her arm with one of his and giving Valcus a nod. "We can pretend to be a couple, they will be much more willing to sell to such a cute pair of young lovers," she says with a wink, before looking to Caelen for his reaction.

Alvaro rolls his eyes as he approaches the man, giving him a nod and accepting the coin without word. Marga's smile fades as she pulls her gaze from Drake and walks over to accept the coin as well. She glances towards Kiki and Caelen and sighs. Mutar, likewise, accepts the coins with a nod, adding, "aye, I will do what I can. The locals love me here, so I am sure I can get you a good deal," he says with a grin.

Afsheen approaches Ghor and looks at the small sack of coins before him. He claps his comrade on the back, saying, "The two of us can scrounge up a fair bit of goods, I imagine."

Ghor
[SHOW]

"And I'm sure they won't mind if we indulge a bit as well, hm?" he adds with a whisper, giving the orc a smirk and slight nudge in the ribs.

Mechanics
[SHOW]

For the next phase of the skill challenge, there are two separate types of activities that can occur. For the NPCs being sent out on their own to purchase goods, each will have a single roll made from either Diplomacy, Bluff, or Intimidate. It is up to you as a group to determine what to roll for each of these PCs, as their modifiers to each skill will remain hidden for the duration of the skill challenge.

For the PCs, and PC-accompanied NPCs, the PC in question will determine what to roll for their own attempts at acquiring goods as well as NPC companions they are escorting. The actual process of walking through town and talking to merchants will be abstracted into these simple skill checks, as the RP for multiple separate groups of people buying mundane goods would get a bit tedious.

Please each post a sblock with your rolls as well as the rolls for the NPCs accompanying you. You can divide the rolls for the unaccompanied NPCs between yourself, or simply have one person do them all. For NPCs simply roll an unmodified d20 and I will apply modifiers as appropriate.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Scratcherclaw »

Caelen's eyes widen as the woman continues her flirting, but eventually sighs and shakes his head. "If you think that will help, then sure. But you do most of the talking," the elf replies to the circus performer, not confident in his own abilities to haggle and barter, or even lie, after his previous attempts. "Just don't overdo it," he adds with a weak smile.

Mechanics
[SHOW]

Caelen Bluff: 8(1d20) +1 = 9
Kiki Bluff: 9(1d20) = 9+Whatever modifier

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by ratwizard »

Valcus heads off into the market with two hundred gold pieces, trying to buy the best and most supplies he can in their limited environment. Hope everyone else has good luck, he thinks, unsure of his chances.

Mechanics
[SHOW]

Valcus Diplo to buy shit: 2(1d20) +11 = 13

Alvaro, Marga, Mutar Diplo to buy shit: 18(1d20) = 18; 2(1d20) = 2; 19(1d20) = 19

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Pashalik »

Ghor does his best to make the shopkeepers laugh with his displays of muscle. "Big muscles, big deals, yes?!"

mechanics
[SHOW]

5(1d20) +5 = 10 intimidate because it's what I got
8(1d20) = 8 is for Afsheen, unmodded

Last edited by Pashalik on Thu Jan 04, 2018 8:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Namelessjake »

Drake listens to Valcus' plan, letting him take the lead, something he noticed he had been doing more and more recently. He notices Marga's disappointment and is surprised to find his own disappointment in not being paired off.

He heads off into the market, using his status to try and intimidate the shopkeepers into providing him with a good deal.

Mechanics
[SHOW]

Intimidate Check: 5(1d20) +6 = 11

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Fialova »

After some time has passed the group re-converges in the square where the other members of the circus are finishing up their packing. Kiki and Caelen come with some food and an assortment of other small items, including a hat that the girl is trying unsuccessfully to place on Caelen's head, though most of their haul is food. Alvaro brings a shovel and more food, and the bulk of the hauls of both Valcus and Mutar are foodstuffs as well. The other groups return empty-handed, save for the coins they'd initially ventured out to spend.

Mechanics
[SHOW]

Successes: Kiki, Alvaro, Mutar, Valcus
Money successfully spent: 550gp
Money unspent: 450gp

Items obtained:
987 lbs of assorted foodstuffs (trail rations)
26 cloth bandages
2 50ft coils of hempen rope
1 shovel
8 waterskins
53 torches
1 hat

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by ratwizard »

"Not a bad haul," Valcus says as he helps tally their goods. He peers up at Ghor, Afsheen, and Marga -- the three he noticed hadn't contribute to their stocks. "No luck?" the knight asks, nodding with his hand outstretched to take back the coins.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Scratcherclaw »

Rolling his eyes at the girl, Caelen says, "Was getting this hat really necessary?" After far too long of struggling, the elf sighs and lets the girl place the hat on his head. I hope this thing doesn't make me look like a fool. Nevertheless, he's proud of the haul the girl's words managed to rake in. I guess her plan worked after all. Even if I'm stuck with this dumb hat now.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Pashalik »

Ghor gives an embarrassed shrug and hands Valcus his money back. "Not everyone in this place has a proper appreciation for the arts."

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Namelessjake »

"I wasn't too success either," Drake chimes in. "Now we've left the South of Tulrisse and with good old fashioned war time hoarding, my title's influence wains somewhat, at least with the common folk," he adds offering an explanation.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Fialova »

"It makes you look dashing," Kiki responds, pleased when Caelen finally allows her to place the hat on his head. She chuckles a bit when the others return and she see that some had not been so successful in their pursuits.

"They all knew me," Marga says with a shrug. "Maybe if I hadn't slept with some of their husbands I'd have made a few deals."

"Well now that this venture is complete, shall we load up the goods and head out?" Mutar asks, looking towards Drake and Valcus for guidance.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by ratwizard »

Valcus grins at the elf's new hat. "I'm afraid it suits you, Caelen."

Turning to Mutar at the man's question, the knight nods. "Aye. While I don't like using guile to purchase supplies from a besieged town, the people of Red Bridge are in a far greater standing than the refugees we escort." He looks at the citizens all around them, visiting the market with few cares in their mind. No, it had to be done.

Valcus nods. "Think we should be on our way toward Menora."

Mechanics
[SHOW]

450 gp unspent
180 gp to Drake (450 x 0.4)
135 gp to Valcus (450 x 0.3)
135 gp to Caelen (450 x 0.3)

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

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"The Merenese will be in even greater standing too. Isolated from the war with Imardin and no current wars of there own to my recollection," Drake adds to Valcus' point.

"Hopefully Queen Millicent will be able to take the refugees in. If not we may have to carry on to Bal," he adds thinking of the caravan outside the city. "Actually we've not considered it before, but perhaps after Menora we should carry on to Bal regardless. It will be tricky to convince them but getting the dwarves to help us in the war would be extremely beneficial."

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

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Caelen sighs as Valcus further solidifies the position of the hat upon his head. I guess it could be a worse hat. At Drake's comment, the elf replies, "Do you think the dwarves will really care for politics and wars that don't involve them?" They seem pretty content in those mountains of theirs.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

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valcus bites the inside of his cheek as he ponders Drake's words. It was something he had considered before, but never assumed it to be a real option. Perhaps we might have to beg them, though. He didn't feel certain about the Queen.

"Caelen is right," the knight says. "About involving themselves with wars, that is. But these refugees are the by-product of such warring. They hold no allegiance to any lord or pious elder -- only to their own survival. As they should in a time as perilous as this. The dwarves might see this, if the Queen does not."

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

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"The dwarves are no stranger to the plight of your peoples, Bal especially," Mutar chimes in, as the conversation turns to that of the dwarves. "I recall tales my father told me of the Balian dwarves shutting their gates to the Kingdom of Serra because of their kinship with your kind. Of course, these tales were told from the point of view of someone wholly abhorrent of the thought, my father was quite proud of our old Kingdom, and attributes its downfall in no small part to this 'act of defiance,' as he called it. I couldn't tell you if their current leadership feels the same, but there is certainly a historical precedent for them aiding Tulrissians in times of need."

"I've spent some time living in Bal, long before I joined this troupe," Alvaro - the older man - adds, stepping closer to the group.

"Indeed? I'd no idea."

"Aye, they've a strong grasp on magic, there was much to be learned from them. But nothing was more clear than that they are chiefly concerned with the wealth and status of Bal. I've a hard time thinking them so selfless as to take on your refugees without something to gain from it."

"They could gain the eternal gratitude of their families and the Lords of Tulrisse," Kiki says, overly dramatically. "What greater good could there be?" she adds, her tone hard to decipher if it is sarcasm or not.

"Money, I'd imagine," Alvaro responds. "Power. All manner of things."

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

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"Our historians are quite divided on the matter, actually." Valcus sighs. "Some think the dwarves did it out of conscience -- others, because they were betting on the western humans being better trade partners. And yet others claim it was both to some degree."

"But whether it is from a sense of morality or a search for repayment on loaned effort, the dwarves of Bal may be our best shot after Menora. It will be something to consider once we've met with the Queen."

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

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"The Queen would probably hold sway with the dwarves too," Caelen adds as the party continues discussing their plans after Menora. "Her people and the dwarves must have close ties, so her allegiance would make things smoother." We can only hope the Queen is at least compassionate toward the cause.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

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"Well it's nice to know it could have some merit, but it was just an idea," Drake says.

"We've still got a long journey to go. Speaking off, we should head back to the caravan and get it moving. Time is of the essence."

"As always, we don't have the time to enjoy ourselves," he says, glancing quickly at Marga and thinking back on the last couple of weeks since the war started.

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

Post by Fialova »

"Right, yes I can imagine you would like to get back on the road so your charges get to safety soon," Mutar responds. "I'll have my troupe load these goods up in our carriages, feel free to unload and distribute the haul as you see fit once we are back on the road." He motions to the others who begin to do as he'd just said, not all eager at the work involved, but it takes little time before the goods are loaded up and the caravan ready to head out.

Following the party's lead, Mutar and his troupe accompany you to the southern gate to the city, where you once more encounter Ser Gildras. "Finished with your meeting?" the man asks, before quickly turning his attention to the circus performers. "Look, folks, I've already told you before: the city is in lockdown, you can't leave quite yet, Warden's orders. These folk are a rare exception."

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

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"Ser Gildras," Valcus says, hailing him with a raised hand. "We will be escorting Mutar and his troupe. And if we are cleared to leave, then I do not see any reason why they would not be, alongside us."

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

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"The Warden made an exception for you because you are Tulrissian nobility, brothers in blood," the Sentinel responds, his tone serious. "These people - popular and influential as they may be - are not even of this land. There is no telling where their allegiances lie. For all we know, they could leave here and report everything they know of the city to the invaders. What then?"

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Re: Tulrissian Unification IC

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The knight's disposition darkens at Ser Gildras' words. "Your 'invaders' are north, remember?" Valcus says, pointing toward the far end of the city, toward Trelheim. "At least, that is what your people believe."

"And you talk of the worth of allegiance and nobility, yet your Warden has done nothing about his 'brothers in blood' to the south, who are murdered in their own homes. Ancestral keeps taken by foreign force, innocents put to the sword."

He sighs, reeling his emotions back. "Ser Gildras, I mean no offense. But I do beg of you to see reason. These people have agreed to share supplies and travel with us alongside the hundreds of refugees that we are escorting to safety. We need Mutar's troupe as much as they need us in this endeavor. To trap them within Red Bridge's walls during a time as perilous is this is both unwise and unfair."

Mechanics
[SHOW]

Diplomacy to talk down Ser Gildras from being a dumb cunt: 9(1d20) +11 = 20

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